"Faith healed the sick, raised the dead, moved mountains, divided the Red Sea"

Faith healed the sick, raised the dead, moved mountains, divided the Red Sea.

Hello and welcome. Strong faith is much needed in our sick world today. Infectious diseases are surging globally in fact and people are getting sick with other diseases as well. And two things contributing to this are weakened immune systems in today's people and warmer weather due to climate change. According to various reports, a Bloomberg report says 44 countries have surging infectious diseases that are 10 times higher than they were just before covid arrived. In fact, the leading problem for years have been sickness and diseases of a physical nature. But that is said to be eclipsed by emotional and mental unwellness in the years ahead of us.

And this rise in emotional unwellness today is well documented. Data from organizations like the WHO and the National Institute of Mental Health. They show that emotional sickness and mental health conditions are rising rapidly across the face of the entire world. And they say this unwellness has been made worse by covid 19, by economic downturns, social inequality among other things. But most alarming is the fact that youth, young adults are the ones most affected. In the 10 years from 2011 to 2021, the number of adolescents between the ages of 10 to 14 reporting feelings of sadness and hopelessness rose from 28% to 42. Now that we have the surge in popularity of AI and all these computer bots, this emotional unwellness is increasing all over the world.

This will complicate life even more when you consider that in the years of the anti-Christ which are just ahead of us, faith will be in very short supply. As the following as the falling away sets in, God will not be the source our young people turn to for help because of disinformation and false prophets and teachers pretending to be able to help. In fact, they are turning to these computer bots for what they think is godly help. People struggling with emotional challenges will find it even more difficult to trust God Himself and will be hopelessly lost.

Let us pray. Dear Lord, I give You thanks and praise for the gift of faith. I pray, Father, that You will strengthen the faith of everyone who listens to this message. I pray, Father, that You will unlock the measure of faith that You've given to them, oh God, that You would cause them to read Your Word every day, understanding that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. And the more they hear it, the stronger will be their faith. Bless Your people, Father. We pray in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

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So, let's talk about faith. While it is impossible to be able to see faith, it must be something because the Word of God in Hebrews 11 refers to it as the substance of things hoped for. Hebrews 11 is our text for this message and is called the faith chapter. It reveals a great cloud of witnesses that demonstrated great faith.

But let's examine what a substance is and why is faith called a substance. A substance is a type of matter with a definite chemical composition and having characteristic properties.

Scientifically speaking, a pure substance exists as an element like gold or a compound like water. A substance is any material whether it be solid, liquid or gas from which something is made. And pure substances like the elements have only one type of atom. For instance, iron is a substance. Oxygen is a substance. So when the Word of God calls faith a substance, it is saying that faith is pure. It is undiluted. And the Word of God is saying that faith is used to make something. And it appears that God chose this word substance to define faith quite carefully, thoughtfully. Therefore, faith is something and it is pure.

And this means it is the assurance, the certainty, the immaterial or the spiritual evidence of things we expect to receive because they are divinely guaranteed. And therefore, faith must be as tangible as anything that you can find on the earth today. And the Lord God says we all have been given a measure of this substance known as faith. Glory to God. And whether we use it for God and the building up of His kingdom or not, we all have some measure of faith and we all use it. And everyone has faith in someone or something. Unfortunately, many have faith in things and people that have no enduring power or no power at all and have no faith in God. And faith is the only thing that we have to hold on to when we're not yet in possession of the thing or the things which we are badly in need of. And the things that God has promised us.

Our belief in God hinges on faith and without it a good relationship with God is not possible because without faith we cannot please Him. The Word of God tells us everything we know about God's kingdom is dependent upon faith. And verse three of Hebrews 11 tell us that it is through faith that we come to understand how the universe was created and everything within it is simply by the power of the Word spoken by God. And through faith we come to realize the creative power of God's Word and learn how to use it to live victoriously in our day-to-day lives. Bless the Lord.

In this message, we will talk about what we learn about faith from the experiences of some of the patriarchs who are called a great cloud of witnesses by the writer of the book of Hebrews.

For instance, the lives of Adam and Eve reveal to us that faith will not work properly without precise and proper execution of God's commands. And the lives of their children, Cain and Abel, teach us that faith will not unlock if we fail to offer our very best to the Lord. Their lives teach us that sacrifices offered to God must be taken from our first and best fruits and should not be just any fruit. Such was Abel's acceptable offering. Cain merely brought some of the fruit of the ground, and it was neither his first fruits nor even his best fruits. and therefore it was not offered in faith and was rejected. And when Abel's voice cried out from the grave after his brother had killed him in jealousy, it was proof that God found Abel to be righteous because even though he was dead, he was still alive. Glory to God.

Then we have Enoch who was referred to as the man who cheated death. And his life teaches us that when we walk in complete faithfulness toward God, our faith is more powerful and our reward from God is indeed great. Never has so little been said in all of the holy scriptures about one so faithful as was said about Enoch. And verse five says, Enoch walked faithfully with God, then he was no more because God took him away. Is found in Genesis 5 and 24 also. His life was one of total faith in God and he pleased the Lord so much that He was spared death. According to verse 6, the life of Enoch teaches us that without faith it is impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

And then we have the life of Noah, which teaches us to pay careful attention to the warnings sent to us by God. For God will bring all of His Word to pass. We also learn that when we exercise and build upon the measure of faith given to us by God, He will save us and save our entire family from His wrath that is coming upon the earth. And we also learn that even if it takes a hundred years for the appearance of the promise of God, we are to hold on because it will indeed come. And those who today are not careful to live as if Christ may come at any moment need to be mindful of how the people were clamoring to get into the ark as the waters began to rise on the earth the day the flood began. But they could find no opening because the Lord Himself had shut and sealed the door of the ark.

From the patriarch Abraham, we learned that faith often requires blind trust. As we set out on the journey to obey God's call, Abraham was uprooted from his home. He was sent to a foreign country that he knew nothing about. And neither he nor his wife Sarah were prepared to care for a newborn babe. She was 90 and he was 100 or thereabouts. And this points to the fact that at times faith may demand that we do something that has never been done before, that we've never done before. From Father Abraham, we also learn to be willing to sacrifice the things most dear to us for the sake of God's kingdom. Abraham was commanded to offer Isaac back to the Lord as a sacrifice, and he willingly submitted. This also is faith. It is great faith.

In verse 13, the Word of God goes on to say, "All these witnesses died in faith, guided and sustained by an unshakable belief without receiving the tangible fulfillment of God's promises. They only saw these promises from a distance. Yet, they were certain that they would receive them. They also accepted that they were mere strangers and exiles on this planet called Earth." The patriarchs did not receive the promise before they died. And neither will we because true faith requires that we hold fast to the promises of God even without having any substance to hold on to other than our faith which indeed is substance enough. Therefore, faith is trusting in God beyond the grave. For you know you will not see the promises in this life.

And like these many credible witnesses who are the patriarchs of our faith, we are longing for a better country which is a heavenly one. And the same way God is not ashamed of them, He's not ashamed of us. He's not ashamed to be called the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, and even our God, and has prepared a place for all of us who believe in the fact in faith that Christ died to save us from the wrath of God that is coming on the earth. And this is verse 16.

From the patriarch Joseph, we learned that faith enables us to see the future and plan for it. And for more than 300 years before the Israelites left Egypt, Joseph was certain that there would be an exodus from Egypt. And he left specific instructions for them to carry his bones with them out of Egypt to the promised land. This they did in faith and carried his bones with them through the barren desert for 40 years until they arrived in the land of promise and buried his bones beside his fathers. On the day of the Lord, he will rise with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What a glorious day that will be.

From the life of Moses, we learn that faith is choosing to suffer wrong on this earth without complaining. We learn to turn our backs on the things of this world and to live for the sake of Jesus Christ. Instead of choosing the prominence that came with being the son of Pharaoh, Moses chose rather to be mistreated with the people of God, with the slaves of Egypt. He chose to be called a lowly shepherd rather than enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He turned down a royal crown offered by those who did not know God. And Moses regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ to be of greater value than all the treasures of Egypt. Therefore, he kept the Passover and departed from Egypt, being unafraid of Pharaoh and his armies. And by faith, Moses and the children of the Most High God walked through the Red Sea as if they were walking through dry land. Bless the Lord.

From the life of Joshua, we learn that a shout of faith can move mountains and it can cause the walls erected by Satan to fall down. We are to simply resist them by powerful prayers of faith and then shout our way to victory. The children of Israel led by Joshua marched around the city of Jericho for seven days in silence. Six days in silence. And then on the seventh day they gave a mighty shout that shook the earth and the great walls of Jericho came tumbling down. This extremely thick double wall system might have been anywhere from 12 to 25 ft or higher in total height. And there was a corridor between the two walls providing a multi-layered defense system that was impenetrable in those days. And so the city fell into the hands of the Israelites and only the harlot Rahab and her family were saved because she exercised faith and helped the people of God when they came to spy on the city and everyone else in the city perished or became a slave.

The chapter comes to a close by naming witnesses such as Gideon, Barack, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and others who exercise their faith, to subdue kingdoms, to do righteous things, to close the mouths of lions, to quench the violence of fire, to escape the edge of sword, and so on.

And it talks about those who were tortured refusing to accept release that they might attain a better resurrection. And there were others who experienced a trial of mocking and scourging, torture, and even chains and imprisonment. Yet others were stoned to death, cut in two, left utterly destitute, oppressed, and treated cruelly.

And all these obtained a good testimony through faith, but did not receive the promise that they were waiting for. And these were all commanded for their great faith. But none of them saw what they had been promised before they died. Yet they died hoping, trusting, believing in His everlasting arm. And so should we. They realized God had planned something better for all of His children. And on that great day together with us, they will be made perfect. Glory. Hallelujah. We thank God for His glorious promises. And we pray that He would give you the strength to hold fast unto those promises for all of your days until the setting of your sun or until Jesus Christ returns. Father, we thank You in Jesus name. Amen.

Now, you've been listening to this message and perhaps you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We want to give you an opportunity to make that commitment today. Please say this prayer after me:

• Father, I am a sinner.

• I am sorry for all my sins.

• Dear Lord, I crave Your forgiveness.

• Thank You Lord, for Your mercy and Your forgiveness.

• Today I invite Jesus Christ to make my heart His home.

• Dear Lord Jesus, I give You the key to my heart because I now belong to You.

• You have my permission to keep the key forever.

• Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

• Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Amen.

Welcome friend to the body of believers in Christ. There are so many of us here awaiting the return of the Good Master. In the meantime, we want to encourage you to become water baptized as quickly as possible. Let your pastor know that you've committed your life to the Lord and you want to be baptized the way Jesus Christ was baptized.

Begin reading the Word of God because you will need it to stay strong spiritually. To fend off the challenges of Satan, you will need the Word of God every day, beginning in the book of John, and then go to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, reading audibly as often as possible because faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

Pray daily. Attend at your local church and one glad morning. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, will come and claim us, His prized possessions. God bless you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.