KEEPING THE FAITH (13 OF 13)

Keeping the Faith
The Elevation of Jesus Christ
Michael Romero
Hebrews 11:1 -- 12:2
2006

Introduction:

There was a song that was written by Billy Joel called "Keeping the Faith" after which this sermon is named after. You'll quickly understand why when we move into today's text.

There are at least 18 "by faith" statements. In each statement we discover how a patriarch lived by faith and in doing so "kept" the faith. You see if you and I do not live by faith then we lose it. You and I cannot store faith we cannot hoard up lots of faith, the only way to "keep the faith" is to use it. The word of God says "faith comes by hearing" but we also need to understand that faith may come by hearing but it doesn't stay with us unless we employ it in everyday life. It is something that should be spent and used. It doesn't hang out, it doesn't' moap around hoping to get used. It is a use it or loose it deal. You are either living "by faith" which means you are exercising faith or you don't have any. There is no in-between.

You might recall the famous phrase in James, "faith without works is dead". Faith is practically non-existent unless it is being used in the process of doing something for Christ!

You have probably heard many people say, "you've got to have faith" or "it'll work out, you just have to have faith". What they are trying to say is that there is hope. Faith is something that tells a person that there is hope. It is kind of like this...where there is faith there is hope. Both are necessary for human life.

Today I want us to look at...

I. Faith as Assurance
II. Faith as History
III. Faith as Life

Turn with me in your Bibles this morning and I want to get started in Hebrews chapter 11 beginning in verse 1 and begin to look at...

I. Faith as Assurance

Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1,

Hebrews 11:1 (NASB95)
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Some translations read, "...faith is t ...

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