“Praise the Lord, I will give thanks to the Lord with all my
heart, in the company of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are
studied by all who delight in them.
Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures
forever” (Psalm 112:1-3).
Hey Gang: When most
pastors come to the passage of Hebrews eleven, they tend to zero in on one
character and develop a series of message around each person named. Good way to do it, but when we zero in on the
specific trees, we tend to miss the impact of the forest.
What I want to do today is to look at these as a total
forest and make some conclusions about their lives that we can take to the
bank. Because, as you will see, what is true
about them is also true about us. They
were just normal people, just like us - and what I mean by that is, they had
their hang ups.
Remember in part one we zeroed in on the truth that God
commended them (they had gained God’s approval). The second message I want you to remember this
morning is “God liked them”. Say that
with me - “God liked them and He likes me.”
Not a phrase we hear very often in this me-centered world. It is not a phrase that appears in the text,
but when God commends us we can assume that God also likes us.
God liked these people.
That is why He put them in this chapter as role models for us. They are here because they are God’s
heroes. They are just normal people with
fears, struggles and doubts, but God like them.
He liked David even though David had problems with his kids and his
grandkids; when I say problems, I mean real problems. Except for Solomon we are hard pressed to
find any of his kids who served the
Lord. And David was called “a man after
God’s own heart”. God liked David.
God liked Noah! Noah
was the only one who followed God in a wicked world. And let me tell you he lived in a wicked
world! One could say the heart of the
people was evil continuously - but “Noah found favor in the sight of the
Lord”. He was by no means perfect, just
like you and me, but God liked him.
The third thing that is true about these folks in Hebrews
eleven, “God was for them”. We know the
verse, “If God be for us who can be against us?” Do we not sometimes get that turned around
and think that God is against us so who can be for us?” God is not against us, He is for us. He was for the people in this chapter even
with their doubts and fears and is it not neat to know the God who created the
universe IS FOR US?
What about my fears, my problems, all the things I have
done? God’s response! Yes, I
know all about those things. I have a
file that began before time began but keep this in mind, you are no different
than Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, you are normal and I commend you for your
faithfulness and I like you and I am for you. And when I need things done, I
look for broken vessels who are willing to be placed on the potter’s wheel and
molded into the image of My Son.
Soooo, keep in mind, God loves normal people. He is not looking for super heroes. I know because He choose me! And hear me now, He has also chosen you for
something that will bring honor and glory to Abba Father. One more time, God commended them, God liked
them and God was for them.
Can you say “Praise
the Lord” for that?
Blessings,
Gramps
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