Sister Teri Sunday School 12/1/13

Sister Teri Sunday School 12/1/13

 Our hope is eternal.  If we will be successful, we must have a vision that our hope goes beyond this life.  This eternal hope changes our focus.  We must keep our eyes on Jesus.  He has made it over and he has made a way for us and is interceding for us.

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Heb 11:2  For by it the elders obtained a good report.

Heb 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Heb 11:4  By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Heb 11:5  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.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Heb 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Heb 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Abraham went out not knowing where he was going.  He saw something beyond the literal and looked for something beyond what man could create.  He looked and expected something eternal and that went beyond his life.

Heb 11:9  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

Heb 11:10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Heb 11:11  Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

Heb 11:12  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

Heb 11:13  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.

Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

Heb 11:16  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.

They looked beyond this life and because of what they saw they considered themselves as aliens.  If they had looked at where they had come from and looked with affection and longing, they could have returned to what they had escaped from.  They instead looked to their heavenly father.

The Children of Israel lost sight of the eternal in the wilderness.  Moses had the vision.  We need that vision; if we don’t have it and keep it then the enemy will get us to look back.  We have seen people return because they lost sight of the heavenly vision and began to look back.

They now desired and stretched themselves out for and longed for the eternal city that God had prepared for them and for us.

Heb 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

Heb 11:18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

Heb 11:19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Heb 11:20  By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Heb 11:21  By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

Heb 11:22  By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

Heb 11:23  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.

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Moses could have lived his life as the grandson of Pharaoh and all the prestige that went along with that.  Instead he chose the reproach of the Children of Israel.  They were thought of as foolish.  He counted the relationship with God and His people as greater than all the prestige of Egypt.  He fixed his eyes firmly on the eternal reward.

Heb 11:27  By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

By faith he abandoned Egypt and was not afraid of Pharaoh and his opinion.  He instead had faith in the eternal God and His way.

Heb 11:28  Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

Heb 11:29  By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Heb 11:30  By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

Heb 11:31  By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

Heb 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

Heb 11:34  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Heb 11:35  Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

We see here a mixture of blessings and terrible sufferings.  It was their vision of eternal reward that carried them through.  They went through this temporal life with victory.  Their goal was to obtain the resurrection and eternal reward in Glory.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Therefore with all the examples we have set before us, let us get our eyes off of this life and all it offers to us and get our eyes on Jesus that we may obtain this eternal goal. 

Satan tried to tempt Jesus by showing all that he had to offer him.  The enemy will try to do the same for us.  What will we do when he brings these distractions?

If we have our vision set on the eternal, he will not be able to sidetrack us.  What he offers is only temporary and will all go.  The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and longing for other things will choke the Word of God in us and cause us to be unfruitful in His word. 

He only works in us as we desire the Word to work in us His will.  He has given us the choice, to choose what we are going to set our affections on.  He wants us to desire what He wants.

Luk 9:22  Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Luk 9:24  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Luk 9:25  For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?