Obedience of God’s faithful
Key Verses: 1, 3, 6, 13, 39-40
This is the “Famous Faith” chapter of the Scriptures. Faith is a substance. It might not show up on the Periodic Table, but it is the part of hope that we can grasp with our hands and hearts. It is something solid. It started with creation itself. We can see the vastness of the universe and the intricacies of the human body and know that there is Someone who created this with a purpose. And that part of that purpose is for us to get to know Him, the Creator.
Each of the people discussed in this chapter knew that substance. They each took God at His word. They believed what God said and acted on it. They were able to grasp the reality of God’s promise and to act accordingly.
Noah built an ark. Abraham left home. Sarah believed her husband. Abraham tied up Isaac. Isaac went against his cultural tradition and blessed the second son, rather than the firstborn. Jacob blessed the next generation from his deathbed. Moses’ parents disobeyed the government decree and didn’t kill him. Moses didn’t sleep with Pharaoh’s wife. The list could go on and on.
Each one was able to look into the future and see how their current acts of obedience would carry out God’s will beyond the scope of their lives. They heard what God wanted, and they did it. It is really pretty simple.
They all lived by faith, even when their faith didn’t rescue them from death. They all had faith. You can die from cancer and have faith. You can be killed by a drunk driver and have faith. You can go through divorce and have faith. Faith does not rescue us from difficulties. Faith sustains us in those difficulties, because faith connects us to something beyond our present moment. Faith pulls us into the future, were we are with Christ in the heavenly realms.
The Arnold Journey 