The Great Faith Adventure 

He Rewards Those Who Seek Him! 

Hebrews 11:1-6 

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 

Now this is interesting and where I want to hang the sermon on this Sunday.   

Point #1  Faith causes us to Believe in Him 

Now this took years for me to understand.   

For so many years my faith was caught up in the attachment.  

I knew the verses “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God.”  I knew that “it is by grace that we have been saved and that is through faith.” I even believed God for faith like in the gospels “that would make me well.” 

But a lot of time our faith is caught to the attachment. 

Let me show you.  ( Ex. Salvation.  Miracle.  Healing.) 

But ultimately our faith should be attached primarily to Him. 

I don’t want to be looking so closely to those things that I forget the author of those things!! 

We must be like the Hebrew boys in the fire. 

“My God Can, He Will, And Even if He Doesn’t” 

That’s a clear understanding of God and our relation to Him. He is God.  His glory and renown have to be the desire of our hearts.  Ultimately everything is about Him.  From beginning to end. From Alpha to Omega.  And that is where the action of my faith attaches. I am not moved because I am attached to Him!! 

Point #2 Faith causes us to Seek Him 

We don’t really talk about this too much because we live in a world where everyone gets a participation trophy.  Oh you participated here is your trophy, never won a game, no matter here is your trophy.  Don’t give conduct grades.  Don’t hurt people’s feelings. 

We love quoting that God doesn’t play favorites, and He doesn’t. 

This isn’t a God loves me and doesn’t love you sermon at all but also we can’t deny the truth of scriptures that rewards those who come close.  He pours out His spirit on them. 

There was a pouring of God’s spirit on the Great of the Faith.  

Last week we learned of Abel and Enoch. 

But think of Billy Grahm:  In a time of penny candy, nickel sodas, hair tonic, blushing brides, travelling preachers, and Sunday suppers, people were optimistic and busy. With so many other things to do, most young people were not thinking about things like Christian service and dying to self. Although it is true that Billy Graham enjoyed having fun, there was more. Somewhere deep, something fundamental was working inside him. 

In May of 1934, the Christian businessmen of Charlotte, NC, secured permission to hold an all-day prayer meeting at the Graham farm. On that day, a prayer was raised – that out of Charlotte the Lord would raise up someone to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. 

It was in that year the previously reluctant Billy Graham gave his life to the Lord at a revival meeting led by travelling evangelist Rev. Mordecai Ham. At 16 years old, Billy Graham was about to experience the transformation of a traditional farm boy into an instrument of God. 

(John Wesley and Billy Grahm) 

David Wilkerson:  His call to quit watching TV. 

Jim Elliot:  “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” - Jim Elliot 

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

Luke 18:28-30 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” 

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard see, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  Matthew 17:20 

‘Ah Lord God! Behold, You, have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.  Jeremiah 32:17 

Isaiah 38  

38 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 

4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city. 

7 “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: 8 Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.

One of the most striking instances recorded in Holy Scripture of the interruption, or rather reversal, of the working of a natural law is the going back of the shadow on the dial of Ahaz at the time of Hezekiah's recovery from his illness.  According to the parallel account in 2 Kings 20.8-11, Hezekiah was given the choice of two signs. Either the shadow of the "sundial of Ahaz" was to go down ten degrees, or it was to return back ten degrees. Hezekiah chose the latter. It was a light thing, said he, for it to go down ten degrees; it did that every day anyway; "nay, let the shadow return back ten degrees." And the shadow went back!  It is when the word 'sundial' is examined that a totally different complexion is put upon the account. The Hebrew is maalah, which denotes an ascent by means of steps or stages, and is used for "steps" or "stairs" in the Old Testament.  

Now these steps running roughly eastward down the slope, with the lofty buildings of the Palace at the top between them and the afternoon sun, were shrouded in shadow every afternoon. As soon as the sun had passed the zenith at midday, the shadow of the Palace roof would fall upon the topmost step, and thereafter as the sun sank towards the west, so the shadow would grow longer and creep down the stairs to the end. That is the shadow that had gone down ten of the steps ('degrees' in the AV) at the time of the sign. It must have been about the middle of the afternoon.  

And then he saw the sign! Josephus makes it plain in his account of the circumstances (Ant.10,2,1) that the shadow had gone down ten steps of the staircase and then returned. What had happened? What was it in this inexplicable phenomenon that convinced Hezekiah that God was with him and would heal him? 

So the wonderful story concludes with Hezekiah going up to the Temple to sing his songs of praise to the stringed instruments, all the days of his life, for his deliverance and for the marvelous happenings (Isa. 38.20). Fifteen songs did he compose and named them "songs of the steps". They appear today in the Book of Psalms as Psalms 120 to 134, and they are headed "songs of degrees" by the AV translators. (The ascription of some of them to David is incorrect). For ever afterwards they were used in the Temple ceremonies, and today we use them still, a memorial of that day when the Lord turned back the shadow that was over the house of Israel, and His glory was seen in Jerusalem. 

Point #3  Faith Comes With Rewards