Fact-Check Your Faith - Part B

When you live a life of faith. Not everybody is their approval to cheer you on necessarily be clapping for you for encouraging you but you have God's approval is the question you have to ask yourself is that enough for you really should.

Because if you know that your pleasing God. If you know your pleasing God. I can almost continue know I can guarantee you to be a God has given us many reasons why we can trust in today on connect with skip-Skip share some important facts about our universe to help you more fully embrace your faith would first want to share about a special opportunity you have to take your knowledge of the Bible to a deeper level. Are you looking to pursue biblical studies beyond church and personal Bible study teacher learning and your life's purpose to the next level with Calvary college registration for the 2021 spring term is open now and the curriculum features both online classes and on-site classes at Calvary church Albuquerque. Classes include biblical studies like spiritual foundations and the history of authenticity of the Bible class classes and key books of the Bible, like Daniel, Romans and Revelation with video content from world renowned biblical scholars Skip Heitzig Calvary college partners with Veritas international University and Calvary Chapel University so you can earn an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree or simply increase your knowledge of biblical studies. The deadline to get your application in for the 2021 semester is December 4. Find out more and apply today at Calvary ABQ.collect Calvary ABQ.college now. Chapter 11 is regarded to be teaching with skip-write me shack and other 3D virtual members are Babylonian names Nebuchadnezzar gave an order they defy the order.

The king said that well you defy moronic for you and it is burning fiery furnace.

So what do these three guys do do they obey the king that they can see Nebuchadnezzar or do they trust in the king they can't see they can't see but they know he's there. They decided to put their faith in the one they cannot see but knew was there and it changed everything for. That's how substantive faith is J. Oswald Sanders put it this way, faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as the president and the invisible, as seen, so it's not to be marginalized. It's not on substantive it's not backwards is not just illogical, it's substantive so the fact check.

We need to bring into every situation. As I serve a God who is bigger and more powerful than this virus or anything else.

So that's the essence of faith. Second is the effect of faith.

That's verse two.

The effect of faith is this, for by yet that is by faith. The elders obtained a good testimony no pause for mama. What does that mean for by yet by faith.

The elders obtained a good testimony will or could mean a couple of things are number one as is translated here in the new King James it could mean that these are people listed in Hebrews 11. These Old Testament examples of faith left a good witness.

In other words, they were a good example. They were a wonderful pattern to follow. Or it could mean that they were a good testimony before God that God is approving of their witness and and probably that's what it means the new living translation translates verse two God gave his approval to the people in the days of old. Because of their faith. NIV is very similar. This is what the ancients were commended for so the ideas that God approved of their life and that that is fully supported. If you go down to verse five it brings up you Nick is an example by faith unique was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found, because God had taken him for before he was taken.

He had this testimony or this witness that he pleased God, but without faith it is impossible. Verse six to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that he is that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

So the experience of the people of faith as they leave a good witness to the world and God gives them his stamp of approval there pleasing to God, which by the way, should be our motivation in life. By the way, our motivation in life the New Testament because of glorifying God. Jesus called the cross, his way of glorifying the father father glorify yourself that that the time is now come for you to be glorified so the ideas I'm in a live my life to please God and they had this the effect of faith. When you live a life of faith God is pleased. Second Corinthians chapter 5, Paul writes, we make it our aim, whether present or absent to be well pleasing to God.

That's our goal and aim in life.

Jesus said I always do those things that are pleasing to him. Don't you wish you could say that I wish I could say I always do those things are pleasing to God.

I can't say that I'm working on it. I'd like to. I want to get better at it. But Jesus could say and live that way I always do those things that are pleasing to him, but that's the effect of faith.

When you live a life of faith you leave a good witness and you get God stamp of approval. Another one of my favorite stories is a story about a group of entertainers didn't like the shrine because you grow up in this industry. There are group of actors, menstrual singers and they formed a little group and they would travel to European towns playing at taverns and places where people could pay a modest amount for a ticket and in and get good entertainment over meal but it was turning from fall to winter. It was getting colder than economic downturn in the economy like now was happening.

Pete less people were coming out in the group is getting discouraged. So one of them said before performance. He looked down so just a couple of people sitting in the chairs and a one of them said to the whole group. I think we should just not go out tonight I think we should just quit look nobody's coming is starting to snow outside fewer and fewer coming to hear us. It's really not worth the effort anymore siliceous call it quits the oldest and more experienced man who'd been in this group a long time said to the younger man who was saying this, he said no. I think we owe it to those people who are here to give our best performance ever. This may be the last time we do it after that I we can reevaluate militias give it our best shot and then after tonight will will will discuss they went out gave the best performance. They ever had to just a few people. It was dark so they couldn't see who's there but afterwards the old man was handed a note. He opened it up. He then shared with the whole group that said thanks for a beautiful performance's and was signed. Your king the king of that realm happened to be coming true happen to hear about it go inside.

They did know their king was there they got to perform for their king and they won their kings approval for the changes a person's motivation when you know I'm doing this for my cane and my cane might say I love that or commute and put your heart into it so so that's the effect of faith. For by at the elders obtained God's vote of approval. You might say when you live a life of faith, not everybody's going to give you their approval there. I can cheer you on necessarily there to be clapping for you or encouraging you but you have God's approval is the question you have to ask yourself is that enough for you really should be, because if you know that your pleasing God.

If you know your pleasing God. I can almost guarantee you know, I can guarantee you it's gonna be enough to care who likes it or who doesn't like the biggest payoff to the life of faith is knowing that God is pleased with your life and then then there's another payoff there's heaven afterwards. There's home afterwards. You're not home yet you're not done yet you still have a walk welcoming committee. Yet ahead so that's the essence of faith and the effect of faith only give you 1/3 component that is the example of faith that the author gives us that's in verse three know he gives several personal examples later, but he begins with the grand example is the example by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. There's a lot in that verse I want on packet for you again before giving any personal private examples, the author gives this colossal public example of faith and that his creation creation. He is assuming that the audience believes in the creation narrative. The creation story.

By faith we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God. Notice it doesn't say we understand the world singular was framed by the word of God.

But notice is put in the plural worlds. It's the Greek word Ione's worlds plural so the idea here is the universe that be a better translation by faith we understand that the universe was created.

The physical universe was created by God. Here's what the author is saying you Hebrews he's writing to the Hebrews you Jewish people already have a certain kind of faith that says example you already believe that God created the universe. You believe this, even though you weren't there when it happened. The only way you're certain of it. You rely on it is because it was revealed to you the word of God tells you that that that's what he saying he was revealed to you. You weren't there when it happened.

How do we know the world was made. How do we know the universe was created by scientific observation. No, because no one was there to observe it that I've met if you met anybody who could say I was there when God created the heavens and the earth.

No, nobody was there to see only God was there.

Do we understand by laboratory experiment. No, because we can't wrap locate the original set of circumstances to observe it over and over and over again to come up with fact, we believe it by faith we believe it because it was revealed by God. Genesis chapter 1 verse one in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God created out of nothing X in the Hilo creation out of nothing. God created everything I realize I've been around long enough I was little bit of a science background.

Unbelievers automatically dismiss God and a life of faith. Whenever we talk like this whenever we talk about a creation they see this as simplistically see this as crude. They see this as naïve when in fact Genesis chapter 1 verse one. Those one short verse is incredibly precise and neatly sums up the truth in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth back in 1903 scientist by the name of Herbert Spencer said that everything in existence can be put into one of five categories, one of five categories time force action space, matter, everything in existence can be put in one of those five categories time force action space and matter that happens to be Genesis chapter 1 verse one in the beginning that's time God created that's force the heavens that space and the earth. That's matter all 5 Categories Pl. in one verse. We believe that that's something we apprehend and no by faith. It's faith that informs us that the first one caused because is not an impersonal process known as evolution or theistic evolution, even. But it's the result of a personal God. He is the first uncaused cause, God created the heavens and there is anything billions of years ago there was an explosion and rubber was bubbling forth and metal was bubbling forth in a car used up eventually out of the pavement gone the parking lot and you'll see it whenever we see something that looks like it's been designed we infer there is a designer behind it. If I look at the set by I could say it's amazing how this just happened over a long period of time. We came here one day and the rugs were here the couches here. The surfboard was miraculously here and the guitar know the savings a year, you're an idiot if you believe that this design set speaks of a designer and there are very capable designers, some of who are watching online, a one who is present or couple who were present in the other side of the campus who can attest to the fact that they designed so when you see design you think there is a designer. It's a very powerful argument. The argument by design. It comes from an axiom whenever there is a thing there must've been a proceeding brought whenever there is a thought there must've been a thinker. Somebody had to think of that up and then put that into reality. So if that's true with a car or this set.

There were coming to you with its much tour of the human body that God created you could think this is just the product of fortuitous occurrences of accidental circumstance or you could say boy, it sure seems like this human body has been designed. I love to look at these things and I love to research these things and read about them.

The human body has 30 trillion cells.

Temperature wake up this morning thinking I have 30 trillion cells while not your first thought so. In in each human body are about give or take a few billion 30 trillion cells in each cell is the nucleus right you learn about in school and inside the nucleus are millions of components in every nucleus there is 23 pairs of chromosomes right you know about that right.

Mom and dad up with those error you get up from there. So your your chromosomes. The DNA inside every nucleus of every cell is some it's like it's it's like scrunched up material scrunched up coded information written into the DNA. If you took the densely recorded information recorded in the DNA of one nucleus of one cell of your body and you translated it into words gave her readable language you took the information one cell of your body, it would produce 40 these 40 volumes 40 books so if you took one of yourselves decoded it, put it in written language. You have a stack of 40 books. If you were to do that to all of the 30 trillion cells in the human body.

It would fill the Grand Canyon 30 times with books. That's how much information which tells each cell how to act from from conception to expiration to death. So verse 1 to 3 then that gives us this life of faith. It tells us that faith is the lands that we as believers as Christian believers used to live our life, we look at life. We look at everything through the lens of biblical faith, not the lens of fear not the lens of a feeling, not even the lens of facts factual information because facts can change depending on who's giving and using the facts so we need to fact check our facts.

We need to fact check our fear. We need to fact check our feelings with the life of faith. So, to sum it all up.

This is the essence of faith. Faith is a solid confidence that moves you into action. It's a solid confidence that when you jump your dad's going to catch you. That's the essence of the effect is you get God's stamp of approval on your life. Your pleasing God, you are glorifying God. You are leaving a good testimony and a good witness for others and the prime example before getting personal examples is the creation that we believe was given to us by God. It's God's design. So what the author of the book of Hebrews would be saying is, now it's your move now it's your move. You have a rudimentary faith that God created everything, your faith is substantive enough to give you a solid foundation. It's winsome and wonderful enough to leave a good testimony and will please God.

So what you doing with latte which are doing with you are exercising it right now. Right now in this difficult time.

If you're going to the gym with your muscle of faith, it's you didn't work out and you're getting stronger because of the last few months and I've talked about this enough anatomy of a laborer, but I do want to say that I've been under the care of primarily of two physicians, one for my back and one for my brain. Interestingly, I let both of these physicians take scalpels and cut into my body.

I tell you they explained to me what they're doing. I kinda did a lot of this. I didn't have a whole lot of questions that a few but I didn't understand everything and I hope that they knew how to connect the dots and so the right parts together, but the right screws into make the right holes in the right places. But I let them do that I had at some point disengage how I felt with their capability and in the result is been so far so good. Some people disagree whole grain thing and left a little wonky but I want Asher question. Are you needing to fact check your life of faith because right now for some of you it's being challenged by immense fear, you wake up in the morning or the middle of the night, fearful, and again, as I said, faith is a muscle that needs to be exercised is exercise so that it grows stronger. That's what exercises faith struggles, hardships, uncertainty, hard times, most of you know I like motorcycles always have a group in a family. My dad at motorcycle. My brother had a brothers have them. The unwanted ride was my mom but we all rode and I whenever I put a passenger in the back is what I noticed passengers on the back motorcycle as long as were going smoothly and not too fast tradition of balancing in others may be holding onto the seat. If it has a strap or a handle, but I noticed something if we take a turn or go over a bump. They grip, they grip tighter.

They might grab a hold of me or if they're grabbing a hold of me and the they get a bump grip tighter now is time for you to grab tighter firmer hold on closer.

Jesus knows what he's doing. He's having fun taking you on all these wild turns and curves and bumps. He's not worried in the least. He's got you.

He's got this grab tighter. Some of you aren't even living a life of faith at all. Some of you haven't even engage with God by faith. You're simply observing coronavirus to lockdown the turndown in the economy. This is just a bad thing that happened to the world but you you're watching from afar your tuning in our glad you're tuning in which you need to engage personally in this life of faith as a personal commitment. God loves you and God is trying to get your attention and you have a choice. From now till the moment you take your last breath. But after that your choices are over, and this life is over and you will face the consequence of the choices you made on earth. Jesus said you're either for me or against, and he's giving you an opportunity friend right now to be for him and to engage with the living God, who was a plan and a purpose for this world for this creation and for you to up to engage with him and he saying jump markets you Skip a text message from the respect you want to share but an exciting resource that lays a solid foundation of God's truth in your life. Fake news used to be restricted to tabloids of the grocery store check out used to be so obvious.

Chimpanzee had put on human body, but now there are entire websites dedicated to helping us figure out a story, speech or statistic is true or not you Skip Heitzig with important question. Is there such a thing as absolute truth is think about that question we would help you get started in answering that question to brand-new book with my pastor Skip why truth matters God suicide is the Bible makes truth claim and some of those claims are well pretty absolute, but how can you know it's really true.

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