Faith People, Faith

God Uses People

God uses people in a good way. God uses people that believe Him. God uses people that obey Him. People that believe and obey God are people of faith.

There is a chapter in the Bible referred to as the hall of faith, Hebrews 11.

What is faith?

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for.
And faith means knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.
People who lived in the past became famous because of faith.
It is by faith we understand that the whole world was made by God’s command.
This means that what we see was made by something that cannot be seen. (1-3) ICB

What we see is temporary; what we cannot see is eternal.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.. 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

We can see the outside of a person; we cannot see the inside of a person, but God can.

.  . .God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 NASB

The outside of a person is temporary; the inside of a person is eternal.

.  . .And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2 ESV

The things we see were made of things we cannot see.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (3) NKJV

We are born again when we have faith in what we cannot see. The gospel of Jesus Christ is preached to us and we believe it.

You have been given a new birth. It was from a seed that cannot die. This new life is from the Word of God which lives forever. All people are like grass. Their greatness is like the flowers. The grass dries up and the flowers fall off. But the Word of the Lord will last forever. That Word is the Good News which was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:23-25 NLV

We may not can see God with our eyes, but He can be trusted more than anything we can see with our eyes.  How do we learn to trust God?

We learn to trust God by hearing God. We hear God by hearing God’s word.

After His resurrection, Jesus came face to face with His disciples again.

That Sunday evening, the disciples were together behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jews. Jesus stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you!” When he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were glad to see the Lord.

But Thomas was not there at the time.

The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord.” Thomas told them, “I refuse to believe this unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my fingers into them, and put my hand into his side.”

Jesus came back to show Thomas the physical evidence of His resurrection, and then He told him a little something about faith.

“You believe because you’ve seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me but believe.”. John 20:19-29 GWT

To get a better idea of what it means to live by faith, let us look at all who are listed in the hall of faith.

Abel

By faith Abel offered God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. (4)

What did Abel bring to God?

Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Genesis 4:4

When Abel offered God the best of his flock, it was an act of faith. He did not fear future lack by giving God his best at that moment. His faith in God pleased God.

Enoch

By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (5)

When naming descendants, Enoch was set apart in that it is said of him, he walked with God.

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Genesis 5:22-24

Walking with God is walking by faith. Enoch could not see God with his physical eyes but he probably heard God, because in the the Old Testament, sometimes people could hear God.

Noah heard God.

By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.. (7) NASB

How did the conversation between God and Noah go?

Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. Make for yourself an ark. . .  And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth. Genesis 6:13-17

Even though there was no rain, Noah saw the flood that was coming because God told him a flood was coming. Noah acted according to God’s word about what was coming, rather than what his experience had been of how things had always been. He obeyed God and built an ark. His actions proved he had faith in what God said and it saved his family.

Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. Genesis 6:22

And with the obedience came a promise.

And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. Genesis 9:16-17

Abraham

Abraham obeyed what God told him to do even if it didn’t make sense to him. God told him to move away from his family. Abraham obeyed because he had hope in an eternal city.

It was by 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. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. (8-10) NLT

God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, and it was only as Abraham stretched his hand to slay his son, that God stopped him.

Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. Genesis 22:10-12

Isaac was the son of God’s promise to him, and Abraham believed in God’s promise. Abraham could see Isaac coming out of that one way or the other. This was a test of obedience and Abraham passed.

It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. (17-19) NLT

Here’s what James wrote,

Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.. James 2:21-24 NLT

Sarah

Faith enabled Abraham to become a father, even though he was old and Sarah had never been able to have children. Abraham trusted that God would keep his promise. Abraham was as good as dead. Yet, from this man came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the grains of sand on the seashore.. (11-12) GWT

Abraham did not look at his old body, or Sarah’s barren womb, He looked to God’s word about future descendants he could not see yet.

That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. Romans 4:17-21 NLT

Isaac

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. (20)

Isaac blessed the twins concerning things to come; things he could not see yet.

Here is Isaac’s blessing to Jacob

Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. Genesis 27:28-31

Here is Isaac’s blessing to Esau

And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;  And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. Genesis 27:39-40

Jacob blessed his grandsons

By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. (21)

Though Jacob was dying, he knew his name would live on in the lives of his grandsons. He spoke a blessing over their futures.

The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it : he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. Genesis 48:16-20

Joseph

Joseph had faith in what he could not see, that God would eventually bring the children of Israel to the promised land, so he told them what to do with his bones when that came to pass.

By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. (22)

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. Genesis 50:24-25

Moses had faith that there was great reward in serving God. Moses endured because he had eyes for the invisible God. In Egypt, Moses had many sinful things that would give him temporary pleasure, and he had material treasure, but he set his sights on the unseen God. He kept focus on God and was able to show God’s wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
By  faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. (23-29)

The exploits of Moses started with a talk with God.

Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. Acts 7:32-36

Joshua

Joshua could see the walls coming down before the walls came down because he believed what the Lord told him about the walls.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. (30)

And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. Joshua 6:2-5

Rahab

By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. (31)

Rahab had heard all about how God always delivered His children, she believed it, and she and her family was blessed because of that.

And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.  And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Joshua 2:9-14

This chapter in Hebrews is filled with faith people and how God used them.

How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of
Gideon (mighty man of valor)
Barak (commander of 10,000)
Samson (supernatural strength)
Jephthah (mighty man of valor)
David (King of Judah and Israel, lion, bear and giant slayer)
Samuel, and all the prophets. (32)

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (39-40)

These all died in faith, not having received the promises but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (13-16)

Because these people of faith believed in their God and they loved and respected Him, amazing things followed!

Though not mentioned in the hall of faith chapter, Elijah the prophet did many amazing things because he respected and loved God, and he believed God.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:17 NKJV

Elijah was living in a time of idol worship. Elijah honored God. I would think that it was this dishonoring of his God, the true God, that caused him to set out to prove the authenticity of his God.

Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel. . . O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself. Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!”1 Kings 18:19; 37-39 NLT

All these people fought for what they believed in. Christians fight for what we believe in. We believe in a God of love, who wants to save the world. We believe in a God who is for us, not against us. And we fight to enlarge faith territory. We fight for souls. We run after God.

Paul wrote to Timothy

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12 NIV

Our faith walk is based on our relationship with God’s Son. We may not hear God’s audible voice today, but we can hear His voice in the written word, and living by the words of the God we believe in is the best witness to the world, and sharing that word gives those we share it with the opportunity to have faith in God too; to be born again from above too; to live a life of faith that is pleasing to God too.

The book of James addresses hearing and obeying God’s Word.

Anyone who hears the Word of God and does not obey is like a man looking at his face in a mirror. After he sees himself and goes away, he forgets what he looks like. But the one who keeps looking into God’s perfect Law and does not forget it will do what it says and be happy as he does it. God’s Word makes men free. If a person thinks he is religious, but does not keep his tongue from speaking bad things, he is fooling himself. His religion is worth nothing. Religion that is pure and good before God the Father is to help children who have no parents and to care for women whose husbands have died who have troubles. Pure religion is also to keep yourself clean from the sinful things of the world. James 1:23-26

When we walk in the wisdom from God above, people will see the good things that come from obeying that holy wisdom. Things like gentleness, peace and good deeds will be evident in our lives.

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. James 3:17-18 NLT

When we react to hardships with the word of God it is different than how the world reacts to hardships. We react in prayer and praise because we are not looking at what is seen, but at what is unseen. We look to our provider, our healer, our deliverer. We run to those of like faith so they can encourage us, pray with and for us, praise God with us.

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. James 5:13-14 NLT

If we do what God says we will please God and do amazing things too.

From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures. They have the power to give you wisdom so that you can be saved through faith in Christ Jesus. Every Scripture passage is inspired by God. All of them are useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God’s approval. They equip God’s servants so that they are completely prepared to do good things.
 2 Timothy 3:15-16

And this is what we read immediately after the hall of faith chapter.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy  awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My  child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:1-10 NLT


PRAYER

Lord, as we walk by faith, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, obeying the wisdom of Your great love that we find in Your word, we will do amazing things like those that went before us. May we be bold and courageous like they were. May we pursue what is right and shun what is evil. Help us run this faith race with patience.  And may we never, ever neglect the hearts of the eternal souls all around us. May we help enlarge the population of faith by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. Amen