Fearless-Mankind's Way Out June 17, 2024

Were they all fearless who had revelation of God in the bible or did they find trust in the face of daunting circumstances to usher them through to their appointed destinies? Was there a transformation similar to those in Jesus time who sought Him for healing?

Hebrews 11: 1-2 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 

Could we characterize the mindsets of these elders for just a minute? They lived in ancient times. Had no modern devices of discernment. They worshipped other gods. The form of common sense they used probably served them to know which critters to avoid and which to hunt for food! They also knew which armies to fight and which to flee from. I'm not sure of their concept of the devil or demons in Abraham's day, but they knew men could be wicked and try to mess with you.

I would like us to look at the first four elders mentioned in Hebrews 11 to see what insight they offer into walking with God.

What about Abel? He is the first elder mentioned in Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; Evidently one's faith in God could get one killed.

Genesis 4:4-8 And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Was Abel fearless enough to care more about God and less of what his brother thought? Evidently.  But he was displaying a walk with God which spoke of a transformation of one whom had revelation of God.

Enoch he was in Cain's bloodline.  He walked with God 365 years. Hebrews 11:5-6 By faith Enoch 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, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Do we have the same testimony and will we when it's our time to go be with Him?

Then we have Noah. Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. Noah endured persecution, being rejected by the men of his age for his faith in God.

Genesis 6:8 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a just man perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

2 Peter 2:5 "…one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;" Will we be defined as the same in our generation? Have we found grace or favor in the sight of the Lord?

Hebrews 11:8-10 "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Have we obeyed God (without physical evidence) by faith, being submitted to His way for us?

Although I mention 4 elders there are actually 13 mentioned in Hebrews 11. It would not have been possible to name all the names of people who walked with God by faith in bible times.

I believe it's safe to say that each one who walked with God exhibited a character of reverence or fear of God, faith towards God, consistency in relationship with God, and obedience, doing what He said. All with the individual costs being great.

Each has their own story of overcoming fear in order to do what God wanted. It's probable that they did fear man from time to time as Abraham when he told King Abimelech his wife was his sister.

1) Abel, in spite of Cain's envy and Jealousy continued to offer to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, even to the point of death. Interesting thought- Cain did not follow Abel's example and honor God with his giving and would not rule over the sin God spoke of. The Lord told him what to do, but there was no transformation of heart!

2) Enoch apparently always walked with God and diligently sought Him, despite what others thought. Even though he seemed a spiritual anomaly , scripture says he pleased God and by faith was taken by God. This account reminds me of John the Apostle whom Jesus loved. The relationship was most important to both and was on display for all to observe. Look what the Lord did to mark their lives! Persecution could not kill John and Enoch was just taken without death!

3) Noah, like Enoch, walked with God a long time before being taken. He served God even though his generation rejected him. He was described as a preacher of Righteousness, yet there were no converts except for the eight on the Ark. What preacher wants to continue his ministry without any results? We do have here an example of obedience without evidence of being called. The evidence did show up though at the end of life for all to witness! What a time to have the revelation hit you! I could have believed and been saved! Would they have changed or been like Cain?

4) Abraham was unique, in that God called him out of his own country to make it possible for mankind to have a savior. He held back nothing from God even his only son, whom he was about to sacrifice. Think about this. He and Sarah were childless, no heirs! Then God does a miracle and the son they probably longed for came as fulfillment after they are too old to conceive! Yes they were asked to believe. It was more like giving their consent, and could you blame them? Is there something you are longing for and are wondering if you are too old to receive it? Then God told him to sacrifice his only son! The world and God's plan was at stake. But Abraham chose to trust even though he did not know the outcome. He was asked to give the most precious thing he had as a seed for the salvation of the world!  But what did he say? Genesis 22:5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” A statement of faith at the moment of commitment came not from his mind but from the Spirit within him. His Faith spoke probably without him thinking about it! The common theme is that they all were faithful to God. Even the faithful can be swayed by fear. But they all came back and obtained a testimony that they were righteous, pleased God, and ended well. But how did this happen?  Trust in God (faith) was the connection to the Lord which allowed Him to act on their behalf and bring them through to their destinies. Their faith was based on God's character and whom they believed Him to be. Just like last weeks' talk in which I showed how David slew the lion and the bear but God delivered him out of their paw.1 Samuel 17:36  David says, "Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God." Same as Abraham. David's faith spoke from his heart from the same Spirit as Abraham had, the Spirit of the living God! 2 Corinthians 4:13 But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written: “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak. It is what you believe in your heart which counts.

Really what I am getting at is the grace of God to fear not and the delivering power of God through faith can get you out of any circumstance!

Back to our 1st scripture tonight. Hebrews 11:1-"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Fear is a type of substance also. One doesn't sit and think about the terrible future they wish to live in , then try and make it happen unless there is something seriously wrong with them. Fear and faith compete for our futures. Both are unseen! Average temptations can cause us to go down the negative path in our minds until we wake up and decide no more of this! Its giving me a headache! Problems occur when we have agreed with the unseemly thing on the video screen of our imagination. Then It can play over and over again . Why do devils do what they do? To attack and destroy people. Slowly  through sickness or disease, or just get us off track with God, ourselves or others. Wrong place at the wrong time? Not if your footsteps are ordered of the Lord! (Psalm 37:23) This is what the hall of faith is all about. Those who preceded us who obtained a good testimony by faith, walked with God, overcame fear and received the heavenly diploma! It is like the YES of Mary to God's request to be the mother of Jesus. She enabled God to take care of her and Joseph and Jesus, provide and protect and order their footsteps! Her yes was possible because of Abrahams yes!

So how do we walk as they did, in faith, fearless, consistent, fulfilling the Word of the Lord and pleasing God?

Job 3:25 For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. Fear is the opposite of faith and therefore produces the not hoped for result. So it must be overridden by something greater. Having fear doesn't please God. We must pay our attention to the Words of God and by feeding - meditating, thinking about, pondering (like Mary did) we will allow our spirits to speak through us the results God wants and we agree with!

Walking Fearless is a bit of a misnomer because society produces a bit of false security and comfort. But we know that things still happen to shake our world confidence and put us at a crossroads intersection of faith and fear. We need to get out our GPS (God Positioning Satellite) and reposition or reorient ourselves in His direction.

The elders were not fearless as the word implies, but rather chose the faith avenue when they came to those crossroads, and thereby prevailed! No, a little fear is not good for you, so choose the faith direction and apply yourself to the Word and you also can obtain a good testimony of God's favor and righteousness in your life!