Faith Activates Everything in God's Kingdom

Happy mother's day while we're taking a break from our first Timothy study. So we're going to be in Hebrews chapter 11. We're talking about faith this week. Last week, we talked about miracles in light of, especially this new building that we're, we've leased over one Oh two West branch. And today we're talking about faith and how it activates everything. God's kingdom, faith activates everything in God's kingdom. That's the title of our message. And it's the focus of our message. And it's really the reality of our faith as followers of the Lord. 3 (15m 3s): Jesus Christ. I mean think about it. We were saved by 4 (15m 8s): God 3 (15m 9s): Because we put our faith in him in his ability to save us, to forgive us, to cleanse us and to adopt us into his family. So by faith, we are experienced salvation and new life in him. And then by faith, we pray to this. God that's invisible. We can't see him. We can sense him. And we know that he's real. And we know that his word is real. So we can sense something in our spirit that God is real, but he's invisible. And so by faith, we pray. And then by faith, we have great expectations of a great God. And I would say, we need to have great expectations because we serve a great and powerful and all sufficient God. 3 (15m 55s): And so everything is activated in Christianity, in God's kingdom, by faith, without faith. We're going to read here in just a little bit or talk about without faith. It's impossible to please God. And we need to believe that he's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. So we're going to talk about how faith activates everything in God's kingdom. And we're going to answer the question. What does biblical faith, what does that look like? And hopefully at the end of the message, we're going to have some clarity about faith and what that means for our lives, because it's not something that just a select few experience or are expected to operate in. 3 (16m 37s): It's actually for the church, every one of us, young, young and old everybody's expected to operate by faith. And we see that in the old Testament, as we look at he heroes of faith and his word, continuing to teach, we're going to see God's example through these heroes of faith and where we can actually read about them and then mimic and copy their behavior and become the people that God has called us to be. So what is biblical faith? Hebrews 11 one says this faith shows, faith shows the reality of what we hope for. It is the evidence of things we cannot see hope for cannot see both invisible. 3 (17m 22s): Faith is the reality of those things. Faith shows us the reality of what we hope for. It is the evidence of things we can not see. The living Bible paraphrase says this in Hebrews 11 one, it says, what is faith? It is the confident assurance. And this is the kind of attitude that we should have before the living God, this confident assurance as we walk this life of faith, that God is up to something and he's going to do something in us and with us and through us, it is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. So if you've ever been in the place, I know you have, if you have been walking with the Lord for even a day or a week or a month or 10 years or 50 years, God puts something, a vision within us that requires faith. 3 (18m 12s): Maybe, maybe you're praying for relationship. Maybe you're praying for a family member. Maybe you're praying for resources. Maybe you're praying for a job, whatever it is. God has placed something in us that allows us to operate in this place of faith. We're saying, God, I don't know how this is going to happen. I think about the people of Israel coming out of Egypt after slavery, and there was no path before them. They come up against the sea and they're so God, the scripture says, made a way where there was 5 (18m 40s): No way. There 3 (18m 43s): Is no path forward until God opens up the sea and gives us the path forward. What is faith is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is a certain, it is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us. Even though we cannot see it up ahead. Someone said a weak faith, a weak faith is weakened by predicament and catastrophes. Where is a strong faith is strengthened by them. So where's your faith. Today? Is your faith strengthened by difficulty, by challenges in your life? 3 (19m 25s): Or is it weekend? I would say that God wants to strengthen your faith on every level. Now, like most of us, we have faith in some areas of our life, but not so much in other areas of our lives. Some areas we have just like either no faith or just a very little bit of faith. If we even have a mustard seed of faith, we can do amazing things. We moved mountains. The scripture says, so God will use the tiniest bit of faith in our lives. When we step into it and out of obedience and trusting God, exercise that faith and do what he's asked us to do wonderful and supernatural things will happen, but we've got to step into it. 3 (20m 5s): The people of Israel needed to step into the water. They needed to move forward before the water actually opened up and they were able to pass through on dry land. And that's what we see. We see God requiring us to take a step of faith. Before, before we actually see the answers, see the provision before we actually receive what he has for us. He's actually calling us into a place of faith. A weak faith is weakened by predicament and catastrophes. Whereas a strong faith is strengthened by them through their faith. Verse two, Hebrews 11, two through their faith that people in days of old earned a good reputation. 3 (20m 48s): There's something about the kingdom of God. When we see people within the kingdom of God, exercising, faith, they earned a good reputation. Why? Because they're, they're doing stuff for God. They believe God. And they're actually stepping into the, his supernatural plans for their life. And so we honor, and we esteem those who have faith because it's those people who have faith, who are doing the things that God has called them to do. But listen, it's not for special people. It's for all of us, God has called all of us to be people of faith so that we might step into those supernatural plans that he's called us to. So whatever it is that stirring within your life, within your soul begin to step into it. 3 (21m 31s): Even if you've only got a little bit of confidence. 2 (21m 36s): We, as we thought about 3 (21m 37s): One Oh two, we've been thinking about for months. When I, when I say one Oh two, that's the new worship space over there. So just for ease of saying that we were going to call it one Oh two for now, but it's the new worship space. When we started thinking months ago, 2 (21m 52s): Probably more than months ago, 3 (21m 55s): Maybe over a year ago, we started thinking about what, where do we grow from here? What do we do from here? What's next for us? And so we started looking at spaces. We looked at a few spaces, there's a space over here. It's just too small for us. And then this space at one Oh two 2 (22m 8s): Available. And we thought, well, this is, this is kind of impossible. 3 (22m 16s): We, we can't afford it. It's going to take a ton of money for renovations. It's really, it's not doable butts, but we begin to exercise just a little bit of faith. And so I made a phone call and I called doc John, hi Ashley. I said, John, I said, we'd like to look at your space. We're a church. We'd like to make it a worship center. What do you think? He said, yeah, come on down. We'll take a look at it. He said, he said, it's no problem. The city is going to let you in there. And I said, okay, well, we'll see what happens when I call the city. And the city said, Nope, the city said, we're not allowing any new churches in the downtown village Corps. I said, is that legal? And they said, I think so. I said, well, it's actually illegal because I had a letter in my possession from an attorney from Pacific justice Institute who wrote me a five page letter, citing law and other cases where the courts overturned a decision to prohibit churches from being in downtown village, core area type areas. 3 (23m 16s): And so I said, Hey Patrick, this is one of the planters down in the village or in the city. I said, Hey, can I send you this letter that I have for my attorney? He said, yes, send it over. This was a Friday. He said, send it over. I said, and we'll have our city attorney tech, you know, take a look at it. So I sent it over to him on Friday afternoon, Monday morning, I get a letter back from the Villa, the city of Aurora grantee. And they said, Hey, your attorney's with PJI Pacific justice Institute are accurate in their assessment. This space, we are ready to move forward. All you need is a, just a use permit and we can accommodate your needs in the village. So what seemed impossible God, through a five-page letter from an attorney turned around and made possible for us, but then we're thinking, can we afford it? 6 (24m 5s): Can we move 3 (24m 7s): Forward? But by God's grace, we've just began to take steps in that direction. And so when I said that, God never really shows you the picture until you step into it. The God has begin to show us the picture. So I was, I got a bid for, we have to put fire sprinklers in that building over there and the, the underground. So you have to tie into the city's water main. It's a big deal. You have to cut into the streets and sidewalks and all that sort of thing. So it was a big deal. A friend of mine gave me a price of $30,000 for that job. And this is a friend of mine. So he was like, Hey, this is the good guy price. It's $30,000. So I'm like kind of limiting the price and wondering where that money is going to come from. 3 (24m 48s): And then I'm talking in a circle of friends after church last Sunday, and a guy who I know does underground work said, Hey, I do that kind of work. I said, you, you do that kind of work. I know you do underground stuff. I didn't realize you do that kind of work. And he said, yeah, that's actually what we do. Most of the time we do that kind of work, we tie into the city's water main. And we, we put in check valves and that sort of thing, he said, I'll just do it. I'll just take care of it for you. So I called him up a couple of days later and I said, 6 (25m 17s): Hey, what did you mean 3 (25m 20s): When you said, I'll just do it. I said, how much is this going to cost us? He said, well, have I ever charged you for anything in the past? And the answer is no, he's never charged us for anything in the past. So we'll probably have to buy some materials and that sort of thing, but that went away. I needed, we need a ton of electrical work done in the space. And so I'm at the space at one Oh two on Friday. And I decided to walk over to village, grill for a sandwich. I get a big old burger with greasy, all kinds of goodness on it. So while I'm over there, I run into a guy and his family from the church and he said, Hey, do you need any electrical work done at the new building? I said, yeah, but it's big commercial stuff. 3 (26m 2s): It's going to require a ton of work. Are you up for that kind of work? He said, we do it all the time. It's no big deal. He said, well, I'll just me. And my son will go in there and we'll just do it. We'll just do it. So the electrical is taken care of. I got a painter who's taking care of the painting. It may cost us a little bit for the paint, but electrical. We're getting a good deal on the underground. We've got a great deal on the fire sprinklers on the inside of the building, great deal on HVAC. I'm missing something. There was something else that I was going to throw in there. But God, what we're seeing is we stepped out and said, okay, Lord, this is what we want to do is what we feel called to do. And we prayed about it. So don't just ready. Fire aim. Think about what you're doing and get some confirmation from the Holy spirit. 3 (26m 43s): Think through what you're doing. You know, don't be reckless. God will show you, but then he'll, he'll bring confirmation to an affirmation to you about things that you feel called to do. And maybe, maybe it takes weeks or months or years before things come to fruition, but God will, will show you what to do. So I had talked about it with my staff and elders and we prayed about it and thought about it and all that sort of thing. And finally, that's when we decided to move forward. So it wasn't like ready fire aim. It was like, man, is this what the Lord has for us? And that's what we felt like together unified that we feel like the Lord has got this for us. So through their faith that people have old in days of old and earned a good reputation by, by faith back to Hebrews 11, three by faith, we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command. 3 (27m 36s): The entire universe was formed at God's command. That what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. So often what we do is we hear in our spirit, right? So don't, don't allow your head to get in the way of what God is saying in your spirit. Now God has given us a brain and we think through everything, we budget for stuff. We figure stuff out, but don't let your head get in the way of what God is speaking to you in your spirit, because this is what we don't happen to your head. I talked about this last week, I think in your head, you argue with God in your head, you are fearful, anxious, nervous. You can't see it in your head. You're disobedient to God, but in your spirit, when you know when your soul, like in your guts, that God has called you to do something and you step into it. 3 (28m 22s): That's where the victory comes. That's where the provision comes. That's where God shows up amazing miracles. When we just with that mustard seed of faith, step into it, let's see if he can speak the universe into existence by the word, by just speaking. It's often what we'll do is we'll look at the raw material of our lives, our ability, our resources, what we can do in the natural. And we dismiss everything that God wants to do. We're like, I know God, you probably want to do this, but I don't got the money. I don't got the time. I don't got the ability. I it's, I don't have any that you, so what if I'm calling you to it? Okay. What if I've got plans for you and purpose for you? 3 (29m 4s): He speaks to the universe into existence. By his words, I think he can take our rough raw materials or our absence, raw materials and do something wonderful with it. He wants to do that with our lives personally and our families. And with our by faith, we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command. That what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Verse four. It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to then Cain did Abel's offering, gave evidence that he was a righteous man and God showed his approval of his gifts. 3 (29m 52s): Although Abel is although able is long dead. He still speaks to us by his example of faith. He's long dead, but we're still talking about Abel and his faith. Let's look at the story about Cain and Abel in Genesis chapter four, some of the slides are messed up. We're going to go into Genesis now, but then we're going to go back to Hebrews. I think some of them say Genesis, when they should say Hebrews, I'll try to keep you up to speed on that. Here we go. Genesis chapter four verses one through five. Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve and she became pregnant. And when she gave birth to Cain, she said with the Lord's help, I have produced a man later. She gave birth to his brother and named him Abel, when they grew up, Abel became a shepherd while cane cultivated the ground. 3 (30m 36s): When it was time for the harvest cane presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. The ESV says in verse three, in the course of time, Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruits of the ground. So it seems like from the context of what we're reading about, because Hebrews 11 is all about faith. People's exercise of faith in the scripture. And so in that context, through that lens, we need to interpret what is happening here with Cain and Abel, I think, and it seems from the texts that came, brought an offering, but he brought it in his own timing and he brought, it seems whatever is left over from his crops. 3 (31m 31s): So he brought his offering, but it was in his own timing and whatever was left over from his crops since he brought some of his crops able on the other hand, brought the best portion of the firstborn lambs from his flock. So Abel brought the first and the best. It appears that Cain brought whenever he felt like it, whatever was left over Genesis four, four says Abel also brought a gift. The best portion of the first born lambs from his flock, the Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept cane and his gift. 3 (32m 17s): This made Cain very angry and he looked dejected. Abel brought his first and best Cain brought whenever it was convenient for him, whatever was left over. That's the difference. And that's why God received Abel's offering. And he did not receive canes offering. We either bring God the best and the first, or we bring God our leftovers. There's no middle ground there. We either bring God the best in first. Or we bring him our leftovers and we see how it worked out for Cain and Abel. This story is highlighted in the hall of faith because it's a story about faith. 3 (33m 2s): It was Abel's faith that allowed him to bring his first and his best. He wanted to honor God by faith with his first and his best. He wanted to make sure God was honored and worshiped with his giving before he did anything else. It seems like Cain's offering was given once everything else was kind of taken care of whenever he felt like it, he gave his offering. Whatever it was that was left over Abel's offering was given in faith. Cain's gift was given as the leftover God accepted Abel's offering and rejected. Cain's essentially Abel's offering was given by faith. 3 (33m 45s): Keynes was not. So when we ask you to give toward a project like this or whatever we want it to be done out of faith, in fact, the Bible says he desires a joyful giver. So hold onto your resources until you're ready to give it joyfully and then give whatever you want to give. As the Lord leads, I believe 10% is the beginning. 7 (34m 12s): Some would argue 3 (34m 13s): That's an old Testament principle. I think it's a through and through principle. So give whatever the Lord would ask you to give or sell and chairs and squares, not really selling them, but that's that didn't sound right where we got chairs and squares available for this new space. So a chair is a chair and a square is a square square footage of flooring. So that's kinda what we're, we're giving people an opportunity to enter into this program or this, this process, this faith process by buying a chair in a square. So we have this gal in our church who said, I want to buy, not only for me, but I want to buy for my kids and my grandkids who attend the church. So I think there's six of them. So she bought six chairs and six squares. 3 (34m 53s): So I thought what a great idea. I've got a clan of 12 here. So maybe I'll buy 12 squares and 12 chairs for my clan. And I had this idea and then I share it with Jolene. And I haven't gotten your read on that yet. We'll we'll, we'll talk, we'll talk. That's just an idea. 7 (35m 9s): We'll talk. The idea 3 (35m 11s): Is to create opportunity for all of us to enjoy what God has called us into. This is the beauty of God in his kingdom is he actually invites us people into his kingdom work so that we can be blessed through the process and grow in our faith through the process. And somebody said, you know, if we buy a chair, do we get our name on it? 7 (35m 32s): And no, unless 3 (35m 34s): You want to Mark it with a marker underneath the chair, that would be fine, but no names on the chairs most likely. And so we're just going to move forward. Believing that guy will provide for 2 (35m 43s): Thing. Number one, 3 (35m 48s): Faith gives the best. And 2 (35m 50s): First of everything, number two, 3 (35m 54s): Faith changes the way we live 2 (35m 58s): Back to Hebrews 3 (35m 59s): Chapter 11, verse five, it says it was by faith. That Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying. He disappeared because God took him for before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. And it is impossible to please God, without faith. So we know that Enoch was a man of faith because it says that he please God, and it is impossible actually to please God, unless we're operating with faith. And so we know that Enoch was a man of faith and it says anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists. That's a faith belief and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. 3 (36m 43s): So we believe that he exists and he is a rewarder of those who sincerely seek him. Faith changes the way that we live, Equinox, faith, please, God, and God, God was pleased with him because of his faith. And you not believe God existed. And he knocked, sincerely sought after God. And then God just took him. Let's take a look. Genesis five 21 through 24. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters thus, all the days of Enoch were 365 years. He knocked walk with God and he was not for God took him. 3 (37m 27s): Isn't that great? What a cool thing to be so close in age intimate with the Lord that he decides one day, I'm going to take you up. You don't have to go through the dying process because that's kind of a bummer. You don't have to die at all. You just get taken up, right? You just get taken up. And all of a sudden you're in the presence of the Lord. Faith changed the way that Enoch lived his life. He lived as a man of faith. We know very little about ENR, except that he was a guy who pleased the Lord and we can deduce from that. But he was a man of faith. He's in the hall of faith after all Hebrews chapter 11. So we know he was a man of faith. We know that he pleased God because he pleased God and walked with God. 3 (38m 9s): He took him up. He watched me God for 300 years. 2 (38m 12s): That's a long time, 3 (38m 13s): Right? That's a long time. That's not like a flash in the pan. Like I'm going to walk with God for a few weeks or a few months or a few years. And he walked with God for 300 2 (38m 26s): Years 3 (38m 27s): And God took him. That's faithful. And this that speaks to us that we have the capacity to faithfully walk with God and faithfully the Lord for hundreds and hundreds of years should the Lord tarry. Although we're not going to be given that many years, but for all the days 2 (38m 43s): Of your life, faith gives the best. And first 3 (38m 48s): Everything faith changes the way we live in. Number three, faith moves people to action. Faith moves people to action. Why? Because faith without works is dead. Right? Faith apart from works is not faith at all. Faith always leaves people to action to works because that's how God works in the universe. Hebrews 11 seven. It was my faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God who warned them about things that had never happened before. 3 (39m 29s): He obeyed God about things that had never happened before. It had never flooded in the earth before it had never rained in the earth before. But God warns Noah that a flood is coming. A flood is coming by his faith. Noah condemned the rest of the world. And he received the righteousness that comes by faith. So the length of the boat, the arc was 300 cubits. A cubit is 18 inches. So the boat was 450 feet long. So it wasn't just this little dinghy, this little raft that he was hoping to navigate the storm with. He built this monstrosity, this, this big old 450 foot boats that was 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 3 (40m 17s): So about the dimension, the dimensions of this property from that wall out there to that wall on the outside of the exterior walls, all the way up is about 450 2 (40m 27s): By 75 feet. Not interesting. 70 measured it out long time ago, and we're just going with it. 3 (40m 34s): 450 feet long, 70 feet wide. It took him roughly a hundred years. Someone say one 20 someone says he was 80 by 100 years 2 (40m 44s): For argument's sake, but 3 (40m 45s): A hundred years. So sometimes we're like obedient to the Lord for a week. And we're like, Lord, where are you? I need you to come through, right? Or we're we're obedience Lord for a month or a year. And Noah was obedient to the Lord for a hundred years doing something that people were ridiculing him for because he was in a wicked land. He was the only righteous man. He was in a wicked land, building a boats where there was no water. How do you get a 450 foot boats to the water? They didn't have cranes. It was ridiculous, right? It was totally ridiculous. But he did it. Philip Yancey wrote faith means trusting in advance. 3 (41m 28s): What will only make sense in reverse? So we read this story where like, he builds the boats, the rains come, he survives right. New life for no one, his family. Right? So it's easy to ex you know, we can read through the whole story in a few minutes, but what about the a hundred years of building and with expectation, believing that God's going to come through that there's really going to be a rainstorm that there's really going to be a flood that really everybody's going to die. Who's not on the boats. Like he had to believe. Long-term, that's how it is. A lot of times, as we raise kids, we're raising kids with a long view in mind. We're like, man, I got 1825 years with these kids. 3 (42m 8s): I got a plug to them. Maybe they're struggling. But man, I got faith for my kids. Right? I got faith that they're going to come through that they're going to continue to serve Jesus. And we do it. Long-term maybe you're in a long-term marriage. And you're like, man, I need faith for my marriage right now. So you just hang in there and you just keep praying and just keep loving your spouse. You keep serving your spouse. And in the long run, we'll be, we'll see the beauty of what God wants to accomplish in those relationships. But we got to exercise. Some faith. Faith means stressing in advance. What will only make sense in reverse, right? We don't get the benefit of the reverse. Number four. Faith causes people to trust God with the unknown. 3 (42m 50s): Let's talk about Abraham. It was my faith that Abraham obeyed, when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. So he's leaving his home as a 75 year old dude with a 65 year old wife going somewhere that the Lord would show him. But he would live there as a man of faith. And even when he reached the land, God promised him. He lived there by faith, where he was like a foreigner living in tense. And so did Isaac and Jacob who inherited the same promise. 3 (43m 34s): Faith causes people to trust God with the unknown Elisabeth. Elliot said, Shrew, faith goes into operation. When there are no answers, have any unknowns in your life. We've all got unknown. It's like, Lord, am I going to wake up in the morning? We believe by faith that we're gonna wake up in the morning. Right? Unknown. No, my going to get, am I going to get my next breath by so much of life is about faith in the unknown. Oh, there it is. Good. Okay. Came. Oh, there it is again. Okay, good. Good. We're not guaranteed that next breath. 3 (44m 14s): God gives us the next breath where he doesn't. But by faith we believe, and by faith we move forward. And when he's ready to give us our last breath and we by faith move forward and into eternal life with him and God's good. And God's faithful. True. Faith goes into operation. There are no answers. Hebrews 11, 10 says Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. Number, number five, faith keeps people focused on heaven. Faith keeps people focused on heaven, Abraham. He didn't care where God called him because that's not his end game. God's anger and game for Abraham was eternity was with Abraham would spend eternity with the Lord. 3 (44m 58s): So tell me where, tell me to go wherever it doesn't matter. I'm here on this earth for a short time. And then I'm with you. So tell me to go wherever it doesn't matter, right? Because the end game is eternity. His focus was eternity. His focus was on what God had for him. Faith keeps people focused on heaven. Abraham's focus was heaven. His faith in God, freed him to live for God in the earth because his main focus was not earthly, but heavenly when our main focus is earth and earthly things, earthly relationships, possessions. When our main focus is the earth, we can't be freed up to do the eternal things. 3 (45m 42s): They haven't the things that God has called us into. So God is always trying to pry our hands off of temporal things, right? He's always trying to pry our hands loose of things that we can't control. Anyway, we can't control most of our life. And so God's trying in his wisdom to get us, to loosen our grip and to trust him so that we can be freed up to do what God has asked us to do. Some are so focused, maybe only focused on earthly things that they are bound up, bound up and afraid to trust God and live with an eternal perspective. If you're bound up and afraid, you're living with a temporal perspective, that's just the reality. 3 (46m 27s): If you're bound up and afraid, you need to shift your focus, allow God to tell you whatever he wants to tell you to move you wherever he wants to move you to direct wherever he wants to direct you because you're living for the King. And ultimately this is just a, this is just a blink 2 (46m 44s): In eternity this time. 3 (46m 46s): It's just a it's it's over in a blink over. We were looking at pictures last night, we were celebrating my son's 29th birthday. And we were looking at pictures and we said, what were we doing? 2 (46m 57s): 29 years ago? And now here we are. 29 years later, all of those kids that we were having are all grown up. It's just been a blink 31 years of marriage, just life just we're in May, 2021. We in 2021, 22 in may, 3 (47m 26s): We could be in 20, 22 already by now. I don't know. It just goes so quick. Verse 11. It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child though. She was barren and was too 2 (47m 37s): Old. Again, 3 (47m 40s): We take a personal inventory of our lives and say, I have barren God. I've never had kids. I'm too old 2 (47m 46s): Barren and too old. 3 (47m 49s): She was, Sarah was 90 years old when she had her first kid 2 (47m 52s): 90, got the promise at 60, 65 years old, 25 years, 3 (47m 58s): She has her first. I think I got the math right on that. Sarah was 90 and Abraham, Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born, she believed that God would keep his promise. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one, man, who was as good as dead And nation was so many people that like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count 2 (48m 26s): Them. Number six, 3 (48m 28s): Faith allows people to believe for the impossible. What has God asked you to believe for what's the impossible that God has asked you to 2 (48m 36s): Believe for? Is he giving 3 (48m 38s): You as he burdened you with a dream for your life, for your family? What has God asked you to believe for the impossible that God has asked you to believe for, for years, decades, over a decade, I've wanted to have a training location, a seminary location here between LA and the Bay. Because if you want to go into seminary, you have to go to LA or the Bay. And that's really your only options inside the state of California. So I've always wanted for more than a decade. Now I've wanted to have a place on the central coast for people to be trained for the ministry. So we've attempted to do things over the years, just kind of dipping our foot and our toes in the water. 3 (49m 20s): So we've had know Bible school on wheels, which is a certificate program where I think you go through 10 classes and you get a certificate. We're still operating those classes. They're great classes. We also just now are launching, it's called a certificate and life development course certificate program through Western seminary. And so it's a four class seminary level without all the homework. I mean, there's still a little bit of homework, but it's not for credit. So it's not all of the extra, you know, book reading and writing papers and that sort of thing. So, but it's a, it's a four class certificate program. But my long-term goal is to offer a full-blown seminary experience here on the central coast. 3 (50m 2s): So my plan is in the fall, God willing, I'm going to start a, another master's program, do a master's in applied biblical leadership with Western seminary, with the end goal of either getting a doctorate in ministry or a PhD so that we can offer Western seminary courses or some kind of seminary courses here for credit. So that I would allow people to get trained, equipped, and released into 2 (50m 28s): The ministry. I haven't shared that with very many people, but that's what I am just 3 (50m 35s): Praying for. And I feel in my soul that God wants to do here on the central coast. You know, I, you know, it's been, he won't leave 2 (50m 42s): Me. It's is 3 (50m 44s): Stuck with me for more than a decade. So I I'm just believing that God's going to open the door for that. What is, what is God speaking to you? And what is guys speaking to 2 (50m 56s): You? Faith 3 (50m 58s): Allows people to believe for the impossible verse 13, as we wrap up here, all these people died, still believing what God had promised them. 2 (51m 9s): They did not receive. What was it 3 (51m 11s): Promise, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. There may be some things that you you've got that got us put within you, that you're a partner with, but you won't see in your lifetime, but future generations will. Future generations will we'll see. And, and, and, and realize those dreams. But you're all in because of your kingdom perspective, they agree that they were foreigners and nomads here on the earth. Obviously, people who say such things are looking forward to a country. They call their own. If they had longed for the country, they came from, they could have gone back, but they were looking for a better place, a heavenly Homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God for. 3 (51m 53s): He has prepared a city for them. Number seven. So we wrap up faith keeps us believing that God is for us. You believe that God has for you. It says here, that is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, because there are people of faith. Faith keeps us believing that God is for us. And that he has a plan for our existence in the earth. What is God's plan for your existence in the earth? 2 (52m 17s): You're 3 (52m 17s): Not just here by accident. Do you believe God has a plan for you? Listen, if you hear this message, you're all of a sudden accountable, you're accountable for your life and how you're going to live your life before God. Your, your, this is truth from God's word that he has a plan for you. So now it's your job. Maybe it's the first time you're hearing this. Now it's your job to figure that out and joyfully and faithfully, walk that out. 2 (52m 46s): God has a plan 3 (52m 47s): For you here in the earth. 2 (52m 49s): Faith gives the best. And first of everything, faith changes the way we live. Faith moves people to action, faith. 3 (53m 2s): There's people to trust God with the unknown faith keeps us focused on having faith allows people to believe for the impossible 2 (53m 13s): And faith keeps 3 (53m 15s): Us believing that God is for us. And that he has a plan for our existence here in the earth. We'll pick it up and Hebrews 11, 17 next week, just to be clear, we're moving our worship center over there, but we're going to be utilizing all of this space. It's a one minute walk from here to there. So we'll still be parking where we park. There's still, there's additional parking over there, but we'll mostly be parking where we park. We'll be dropping off our kids where they get dropped off. Although we'll have a couple of classrooms over there for nursery and for a mother's room and that sort of thing, but mostly it'll be just normal drop off your kids here. You'll walk them in and over there. And we have church and you walk them in and back. 3 (53m 55s): And that's where it goes. I think we're probably going to give this sanctuary to the youth ministry. Someone said, they're going to destroy ours. Our sanctuary, 0 (54m 3s): Well, 3 (54m 5s): We're not here. Big for buildings, right? We're not here for buildings. We're here for kingdom stuff for souls. And if we can add young people soul to the, to the kingdom and get them saved and sanctified and filled with the Holy spirit, then that's what we want to do. So we've got to change that carpenter chairs. I don't care. I just want our people on the central coast or young people reach for the kingdom. So it'll look a little bit different when you come on campus, but mostly we're going to video feed still to the loft on Sunday morning. So if you want to drop your kids off and still be in the loft venue, for those of you who are in the loft, you don't have to go anywhere. You can just stay there, but we encourage you to go check out the space. 3 (54m 47s): So literally it's a one minute walk from here. You just go down to one or two down in the corner. You know, the village grill is right before that, the building was before this something different, that something different sign is still up there. So go check it out. We spent all day along yesterday, demoing the building, taking out walls and all kinds of stuff. And we took seven dump trucks or seven dump trailers full of stuff out of there yesterday. So it's really coming together. So with that, let's go and stand up with that. Let's go invite the worship team. We're going to worship. And then if you're a part of the prayer team and you want to pray for people, make sure it makes sure you're you're available for that as well. And, and then when it's all said and done, just take the time to walk over and see that new space. 3 (55m 31s): It's going to be really worthwhile. Thank you Lord, for what you're doing for who you are. We love you pray that we be people of faith in every area and arena of our lives. We love you and Jesus Jesus name. Amen. Amen. 0 (56m 7s): take our feelings. 0 (57m 46s): you said 1 (1h 5m 24s): Thank you, God. We love you. Jesus. We give you our hearts this morning. Would you bless us throughout this week and remind us that you are faithful Lord, that you are always with us every step of the way. And so we look to you, Jesus, for those leaps of faith, God, would you remind us that you are carrying us, that you cover us under the shadow of your wing. You provide for our needs. God, you give us those mercies that are new for each day. And so thank you for meeting us here this morning. 0 (1h 5m 55s): In this hour, we love 1 (1h 5m 57s): You. Give you a hearts in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Well, happy mother's day. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day. If anyone would like some prayer this morning, we have prayer team. I'd love to pray with you. So feel free to head on forward. Some folks will meet you here. Otherwise say hello to somebody and have a beautiful day. We'll see you next week.