1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,000 It's time for the Champions in Christ broadcast with Lee and Rhonda Harrison on 1017 Bay FM. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:14,600 God is a God of righteousness. God sits on the throne. God is strong and 3 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:22,000 mental. God is God alone. God is wise and merciful. God is strong and mental. 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:29,000 Good morning. This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. 5 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:34,000 Thank you for listening. Thank you for being with me today on Champions in Christ. 6 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:43,000 We're going to go into Hebrews this morning and we're going to start in chapter 11 verse 1. 7 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:50,000 And it says, Now faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 8 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:58,000 For by faith the elders obtained a good report. You know we want to have a good report with the Lord. 9 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:05,000 And so we want to follow after those that we see in the Word of God that obtained a good report. 10 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:12,000 It says in verse 3, Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God. 11 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:19,000 The worlds, the galaxies, everything was framed by the Word of God. 12 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:24,000 So that things which are seen were made of things that do not appear. 13 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:32,000 So let's talk about that for a minute. You know if we go back to Psalms 33 6 through 9, 14 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:41,000 it says by the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 15 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:48,000 So God spoke and the heavens were made. He spoke the word and what he spoke happens. 16 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:54,000 And the host of them all the angels were made by the word of God. 17 00:01:54,000 --> 00:02:02,000 And in verse 7 it says he gathered the waters of the sea together as a heap and he laid up the depth in storehouses. 18 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:09,000 Verse say, Let all the earth fear the Lord, let the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 19 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:15,000 You know we are in awe of the Almighty God. There is no one like him. 20 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:22,000 There is no one that can do what he can do. Verse 9 it says, And he spoke and it was done. 21 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:30,000 He commanded and it stood firm. Wow, that's how powerful the word of God is. 22 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:36,000 He spoke and it happened. He commanded and it stood firm. 23 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:45,000 You know the Lord is the final authority, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father God and the Holy Spirit. 24 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,000 Those three are one and their word is final authority. 25 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:55,000 So the Holy Word of God is our final authority in life. It's our handbook to live by. 26 00:02:55,000 --> 00:03:00,000 And the Holy Spirit brings it to life. He's the spirit of life. 27 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:05,000 So we're talking about faith today. So we're going to go back to Hebrews. 28 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:10,000 Now that we see God himself use faith, I mean he spoke and things happen. 29 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:17,000 And we have to speak and follow it up with action to show our faith in action. 30 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:25,000 And God will be faithful to do the work. So let's continue and let's learn about this. 31 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:33,000 So by faith, verse 4, Hebrews 11, 4, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, his brother, 32 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:39,000 by which he obtained witness that he was righteous. God testifying of his gifts. 33 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:48,000 And by it, he being dead yet speak as his gifts spoke for him because later we know that Cain murdered him. 34 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,000 But it still spoke even though he was dead by faith. 35 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:57,000 Enoch was translated that he should not see death. Wow. 36 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:04,000 So he's walking along living his life on the earth and the Bible says that he was translated. 37 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:13,000 So he did not see death. He was taken up into heaven because God had translated him far before his translation. 38 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:22,000 He had this testimony. Verse 5 says that he pleased God. Wow. He pleased God so much. God took him straight to heaven. 39 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:26,000 He didn't have to walk through the door of death to get there. 40 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:33,000 But verse 6 says without faith, it's impossible to please him. 41 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:42,000 For he that comes to God must believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. 42 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:50,000 How thankful am I for that scripture that he's a rewarder of those that diligently seek him? 43 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:57,000 And you say, well, how do we seek him? Well, you seek him by praying. How do we pray? Just talk to God. 44 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:04,000 He's not only our heavenly father, but the Lord Jesus Christ is our elder brother. 45 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:10,000 The Bible says he's our friend. So you can talk to him the same way you're talking to your friend. 46 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:17,000 He wants to hear your heart. He wants to meet your needs. He wants to bless you. 47 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:22,000 So call out to him. But mostly we must diligently seek him. 48 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:27,000 So every day talk to him. Every day get in his word. Learn about him. 49 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:33,000 Every day listen to anointing men and women of God preaching and teaching the Word of God. 50 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,000 And you'll get to know him more and more. 51 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:46,000 Verse 7 says by faith Noah being warned of God of the things not seen, being moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house. 52 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:57,000 By the which he condemned the world and because air of righteousness, which is by faith, you know, he became an air of righteousness by faith. 53 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:05,000 How did he do that? He believed God when when God spoke to him and said, I want you to build an ark that there's going to be a flood. 54 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:13,000 And it had never rained on the earth before. And so it took him almost 100 years to build the ark. 55 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:21,000 So imagine working on a project and people coming by saying, Hey, Noah, what are you doing? I'm building an ark. Why? 56 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:29,000 Because God told me, why are you building an ark? Because it's going to flood the there's going to be a flood and I want to be I want to be saved. 57 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:36,000 And God's going to God told me to do it. People must have thought he had lost his ever loving mind. 58 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:44,000 But he didn't. You know, sometimes God speaks to your heart unusual things to do unusual steps of faith. 59 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:53,000 You know, it's like you stepping out on the water and a stone appears. I mean, we have to step out when we hear that voice, that peace in our heart. 60 00:06:53,000 --> 00:07:00,000 When we read in the word something he wants us to do, we have to step out and do it and he will be faithful. 61 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:08,000 Verse eight by faith Abraham, which was called to go out into a place where he should have to receive for an inheritance. 62 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:16,000 He obeyed. He went out not knowing where he goes. Why? Because the Lord said to Abraham, I want you to go. 63 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:21,000 I want you to leave your kindred, your family and go to a land whose builder and maker is God. 64 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:29,000 He didn't know where that land was. He just loaded up and was obedient and began to go. 65 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Wow, that's faith. And then he ended up inheriting that land and the story goes on and on. 66 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:47,000 And it's a great story and it's truth. Everything in the word of God is truth. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. 67 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:53,000 Excuse me. Jesus is the word of God in the. He became flesh and dwelt among us. 68 00:07:53,000 --> 00:08:13,000 But we have the word now in verse 11 through faith also Sarah, which was Abraham's wife, received strength to conceive seed and was and delivered a child when she was past the age because she judged him faithful who had promised. 69 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:22,000 God gave Abraham a promise. God. Abraham was childless and he was getting up in his years and God told him, I'm going to give you a son. 70 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:28,000 Well, he didn't tell him how long it would be before he was going to deliver on that promise. 71 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:38,000 But Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90. So their bodies, their reproductive organs were past the age of normal reproduction. 72 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:50,000 And the Bible says their organs were dead. You know, there was no more availability for life to begin in Sarah's womb. 73 00:08:50,000 --> 00:09:04,000 But right here we read that through faith, Sarah believe God, you know, and Abraham had to believe God because they both had to believe because they both were involved in what it takes to have a baby. 74 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:11,000 So they both believe God and it was it and it came to pass. Praise God. 75 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:26,000 So we continue in verse 12, therefore, spring up there even one him as good as dead so many as the stars of the sky in multitude and as the sand, which is by the seashore innumerable. 76 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:38,000 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them and embrace them and confess that they were strangers and pilgrims in the earth. 77 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:45,000 We are strangers and pilgrims here on the planet earth. This is not our eternal home. Our eternal home is heaven. 78 00:09:45,000 --> 00:10:04,000 Heaven. Heaven is there for us. And that's what we look to in verse 14 for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country and truly if they had been mindful of that country from when they came out, they might have had opportunity to return. 79 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:15,000 But now they desire a better country. That is a heavenly country where for God is not a shame to be called their God for he has prepared for them a city. 80 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:24,000 You know, there's another place in the word. It talks about that Jesus when he ascended unto heaven after he died on the cross and he rose again. 81 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:38,000 He said, I go and prepare a place for you. You can't go with me now, but there'll be many mansions and you know that place is heaven and that opportunity is for everyone who just believes Jesus is Lord. 82 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:47,000 And so we are excited about heaven and that's our home. We're just here doing the work of the Lord now and then we'll go. 83 00:10:47,000 --> 00:11:05,000 And it says, let's see, we stopped in verse 16 and then it says in verse 17 again by faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. 84 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:22,000 You know, after the Lord granted Abraham and Sarah their little boy, which was Isaac, you know, Isaac was growing up and they were enjoying life and God tested Abraham and he asked to give him up. 85 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:35,000 He wanted his son for a sacrifice and Abraham, if he didn't know the true God, if he hadn't had relationship with him, he would have thought God is not a good God. 86 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:41,000 He's asking me to sacrifice the very thing he gave me, but God was testing him. 87 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:53,000 So when he was asked, when Abraham was asked in this test, you know, where is the sacrifice? Isaac asked him and all Abraham said was God will provide. 88 00:11:53,000 --> 00:12:04,000 So when he took him up on the mountain and he laid him down and he was about to sacrifice him, an angel, he heard an angel say, No, don't do it. 89 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:14,000 Because God saw his faith, he was so willing to sat to even sacrifice the very thing that he loved so much that God gave him that he asked for. 90 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:22,000 And then through that test, God realized that Abraham loved God more than he loved his own son. 91 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:26,000 You know, God is to be first in our life. God is a jealous God. 92 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:38,000 And the Bible says that we are to have no other gods but him and he is to have first place in our life and then our husband or spouse and then our children. 93 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,000 And then it goes on from there. 94 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:45,000 So God has a plan and if we stick to the plan, we will be blessed. 95 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,000 We will thoroughly be blessed. 96 00:12:48,000 --> 00:13:01,000 But it goes on to say of what was it said that Isaac shall be your seed, accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from what he also received him in a figure. 97 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:08,000 So again, you know, Abraham knew, Well, if God wants me to slay Isaac, he'll raise him up from the dead. 98 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:12,000 He had no doubt about the God he served. 99 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,000 And that's where God wants us. 100 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:15,000 He wants us walking in faith. 101 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:21,000 And by walking in faith, that means we have to act out our faith just as they did. 102 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:28,000 You know, Abraham just didn't say, Oh, I believe God that that you'll I hear here's my son for a sacrifice. 103 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:38,000 No, he had to go and do he had to get him up on that stone and he had to get that sword out like he was really going to say he had to walk that out. 104 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,000 And then God took care of it. 105 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:47,000 So in he had a ram in the thicket and Abraham sacrificed the ram instead of Isaac. 106 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:53,000 And because of that, verse 20 says by faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and he saw concerning things to come. 107 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,000 So Isaac had children. 108 00:13:55,000 --> 00:14:05,000 And then by faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed both his sons of Joseph, blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshiped leaning on the top of his staff. 109 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:15,000 And then it goes on to say by faith, Joseph, when he died, made mention of departing of the children of Israel and gave commandment concerning his bones. 110 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:27,000 By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hid three months by his parents because they saw he was a godly child and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. 111 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:32,000 You know, at that time, he was supposed to have been killed. 112 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:40,000 But they trusted the Lord and they put him and protected him and hid him for three months. 113 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:44,000 And we know what ends up happening with Moses. 114 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:49,000 You know, he grows up to be a great man and ends up delivering the people, the children of Israel. 115 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:58,000 Verse 24 by faith, Moses, when he was called, when he was come to years or when he grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 116 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:05,000 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy pleasures of sin for a season. 117 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,000 You know, many times there are choices we make. 118 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:12,000 Some are the easy ones, some are not so easy. 119 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:22,000 But if we continue to do what's right, if we make the choices that are right and that follow after God's word, we will always be blessed. 120 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:31,000 And here what Moses did, he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater than the riches of the treasures in Egypt, 121 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:34,000 for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. 122 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:38,000 You know, serving God isn't always easy. 123 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:44,000 And anybody that tells you it's a rose garden is not telling you the truth, because Jesus himself said, 124 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:53,000 in this world you have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. 125 00:15:53,000 --> 00:16:04,000 And that's what we're seeing here, is that Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ, the ridicule, the persecution, all that he got greater than riches of the treasures of Egypt. 126 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,000 You know, many people go after treasure. 127 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,000 They go after their greedy and they seek money. 128 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:15,000 How can I make more money and get more money and money will buy me happiness? 129 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,000 Money does not buy happiness. 130 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:21,000 Money can provide for a comfortable life. 131 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:29,000 Money can answer many things, but money cannot give you happiness or joy, true joy. 132 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:42,000 You know, by faith in verse 27, Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who was invisible. 133 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:50,000 Through faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, at least that the firstborn should touch them. 134 00:16:50,000 --> 00:17:00,000 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land where the Egyptians trying to do, trying to get them were drowned. 135 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:09,000 You know, Moses, you know, led the children of Israel, passed through the Red Sea onto dry land. 136 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:19,000 So when Moses lifted up that rod and the Egyptians were chasing them, seeking to come and kill them, the walls of the water stood up like tides. 137 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:24,000 The water stood up like two walls of water and they walk through the Red Sea on dry ground. 138 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,000 Would you have liked to have been there? That had to be something. 139 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:34,000 You're looking to the left and to the right and supernaturally this water is standing straight up. 140 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:40,000 So you know, when we step out in faith and God delivered them, he delivered them. 141 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:45,000 When we stand up in faith, when we believe God, God will do the miraculous for us. 142 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,000 He will do the miraculous for us. 143 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:53,000 We love God. We worship God. We praise Him. We're going to go to a song. 144 00:17:53,000 --> 00:18:19,000 And when we come back in just a moment, we'll talk again about how to connect with this God we're talking about. 145 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:30,000 We worship the God who is, we worship the God who evermore will be. 146 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:42,000 He opened the prison door, He parted the Red Sea. My God, He holds the victory. 147 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:48,000 Let's draw in the house of the Lord, let's draw in the house of the Lord today. 148 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:53,000 And we won't be quiet, we shout out your praise. 149 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:59,000 Let's draw in the house of the Lord, our God is surely in this place. 150 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:05,000 And we won't be quiet, we shout out your praise. 151 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:14,000 Oh, oh, we shout out your praise. 152 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:25,000 We sing to the God who heals, we sing to the God who saves, we sing to the God who always makes a way. 153 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:45,000 Cause He opened the bone that crossed, then He rose up from that grave. My God is still rolling stones away. 154 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:55,000 Let's draw in the house of the Lord, our God is surely in this place. 155 00:19:55,000 --> 00:20:05,000 And we won't be quiet, we shout out your praise. 156 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:16,000 We were the beggars, now we're royalty, we were the prisoners, now we're running free. 157 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:27,000 We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by His grace. Let the house of the Lord sing praise. 158 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:38,000 Cause we were the beggars, now we're royalty, we were the prisoners, now we're running free. 159 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:50,000 We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by His grace. Let the house of the Lord sing praise. 160 00:20:50,000 --> 00:21:13,000 Let's draw in the house of the Lord today, and we won't be quiet, we shout out your praise. 161 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:22,000 Let's draw in the house of the Lord, let's draw in the house of the Lord today. 162 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:31,000 We're gonna shout out your praise, let's draw in, let's draw in, let's draw in, let's draw in again in this place. 163 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:42,000 And we won't be quiet, shout out your praise, we shout out your praise. 164 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:50,000 Let us draw in this house, let us draw in this house today. 165 00:21:50,000 --> 00:22:08,000 We shout out your praise, we shout out your praise. 166 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:41,000 Remember those walls that we called sin and shame? They were like prisons that we could escape, but He came, and He died, and He rose. 167 00:22:41,000 --> 00:23:05,000 Those walls are rubble now. Remember those giants we called death and grace? They were like mountains that stood in our way, but He came, and He died, and He rose. 168 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:12,000 Those giants are dead now. 169 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:24,000 This is our God, this is who He is, He loves us. This is our God, this is what He does, He saves us. 170 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:40,000 Keep on the cross, beat the grave, let heaven and earth proclaim this is our God, King Jesus. 171 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:58,000 Remember that fear that took our breath away? Faith so weak that we could barely pray, but He heard every word, every whisper. 172 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:17,000 Now those answers in the wilderness tell the story of His faithfulness. Never once did He fail, and He never will. 173 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:29,000 This is our God, this is who He is, He loves us. This is our God, this is what He does, He saves us. 174 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:41,000 Keep on the cross, beat the grave, let heaven and earth proclaim this is our God, King Jesus. 175 00:24:41,000 --> 00:25:07,000 Who poured me out of that pit? He did, He did. Who paid for all of our sin? Nobody but Jesus. 176 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:19,000 Who rescued me from that grave? Yahweh, Yahweh, who gets the glory and praise? Nobody but Jesus. 177 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:30,000 Who rescued me from that grave? Yahweh, Yahweh, who gets the glory and praise? Nobody but Him. 178 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:42,000 This is our God, this is who He is, He loves us. This is our God, this is what He does, He saves us. 179 00:25:42,000 --> 00:26:08,000 Keep on the cross, beat the grave, let heaven and earth proclaim this is our God, King Jesus. 180 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:22,000 This is our God. 181 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:31,000 We worship the God who is, we worship the God who was, we worship the God who always is, who never leaves us or forsakes us. 182 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:35,000 I want to give you an opportunity right now. If you don't know this God we were talking about. 183 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:45,000 If you want to be like one of these who by faith subdued kingdoms and fought for righteousness and stood for God, 184 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:52,000 say this simple prayer after me, say, Dear Jesus, forgive me of my sin, wash me clean. 185 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:58,000 I accept you as Lord and Savior. I believe you died on a cross, your blood was shed for me. 186 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:06,000 And you rose again that I too can spend eternity in heaven with you. In Jesus' name, amen. 187 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:15,000 If you prayed that prayer today, we want to send you a new Bible. You can connect with us at Champions in Christ, the number three at gmail.com. 188 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:22,000 That's Champions in Christ and number three at gmail.com. We love you today. God loves you. 189 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:29,000 We want you to go out and make it a great day and remember you are a champion in Christ. 190 00:27:52,000 --> 00:28:05,000 I believe your name is life. Break every strong hope, shine through the...