PM Sermon Outline: Dec 18/ 2022
They’ll Play You against Your Faith (Heb 11)
Bro Avery Hines
I was talking to my someone, and I had mentioned that there were some difficult circumstances ahead of me. They instinctively asked, “what wrong with the church?”
After my conversation, I had to stop and think about that “what is wrong with the church” statement. It concerned me because of how quickly they were able to make that assumption. However, it concerned with a little more because it is always the assumption of someone who knows someone who is a church member who is having issues.
My immediate response, there was nothing wrong with the church because they can be and never will be anything wrong with the church. The church, or perhaps what Jesus said of the church, Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock; but wait a minute, I want you to see something else before I give you the rest of this passage… 2 Samuel 22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; Peter said you are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus responded, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Jesus may have begun to refer to Simon as a rock, but God was the rock the church was built upon, so, the church is what gives me the most faith. The church is built upon that rock; Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. I can have faith that no matter how much the rain and the floods beat upon the church it will never fail, or, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Anyone know what prevail means? It means to be more powerful than opposing forces; be victorious. Don’t we sing victory in Jesus, my savior forever? What do you think forever means? When you become a member of the church, Jesus, who is the head of the church by the way, becomes your savior; for all future times; for always. So, the same victory you have in the church is the same victory you have in Jesus. And what; the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
But there will be some who will trouble you. They are going to attempt to prevail over your faith in the church, your faith in Jesus. It’s nothing new either. Paul dealt with the very same thing when he wrote his letter to the Galatians. Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. They would pervert the gospel to prevail you to reconsider your faith; make you think, or believe, there is something wrong with the church.
Gal 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? Gal 5:8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Gal 5:10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
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 11:24 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. Remember, from the movie The Ten Commandments”, Anne Baxter (Nefretiri) told Moses if he would just ask Pharaoh for forgiveness, he could still be Pharaoh; “and when you’re Pharaoh you can do whatever with the slaves you want?” Or, when Sir Cedric Hardwicke (Seti 1st) told Moses “All you have to do is tell me you’re not this deliverer.” Both times, in this movie, Charleston Heston’s character (Moses) was being played against his faith; against what he believed. 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.
Remember, there are others; Heb 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions; remember Daniel and the lion’s den? Daniel was setup because he was acquiring to much power. Men who were loyal to that power caused the King to put an order in place, and they knew, because of his faith, Daniel would defy that order. Dan 6:15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed. Dan 6:16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. Dan 6:19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. Dan 6:20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Daniel answered, the King was glad, Daniel was not hurt because he believed in God; he had faith.
Stopped the mouths of lions; Heb 11:34 Quenched the violence of fire; go back a few chapters in the same book where we meet three Hebrew boys who refused to bow down to this huge statue made by King Nebuchadnezzar; remember that?
Dan 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: Dan 3:11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. He asked them if was true they refuse to bow down. Dan 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. Dan 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Dan 3:19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. It said the furnace was so hot that the men who took them to it burned up from just being close. Dan 3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Dan 3:27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. The King did what; he said you’d bet not say nothing against their God.
In case these men were being player against their faith. Not their faith in themselves, or their faith in how much they could go through, but their faith in God.
I want to be able to say what those three boys said before being thrown in the furnace; God will save me, or he won’t, but my obligation is to Him. Remember, they answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
I want to be able to do what Daniel did, not only going into the Lion’s Den but what he did to end of in the Lion’s Den; put God first! No matter what, no matter how, and no matter who. Just charge into the Lion’s Den; remember Peter talked about Satan (a roaring lion), God told Cain what (sin is crouched), at the door. Well, whether crouched or roaming, we should have the faith of all of those in Hebrews 11.
But, in both cases there in the book of Daniel those men were being played against their faith. In both cases someone wanted them to choose something other than God. There might come a time, if not already, someone will play you against your faith. Someone may ask you “what’s wrong with the church?” Like I said, I want to have so much faith in God that I can remember what those three Hebrew boys said, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Your faith must start somewhere, why not tonight; you’ve heard God’s word, if you believe it, you can have a change of heart and start following Christ. Confess He is the Son of God, let us Baptize you, have you sins washed away; put on Christ; move mountains.