Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see
Hebrews 11:1 (life Application Study Bible)
Jesus Tells Us…Every moment of every day, I am working for your good. So, bring Me all your worries and fear. Talk with Me about everything. Let the light of My Presence chase your shadows away. Bring Me your hopes and dreams too. Let’s work on them together, changing them little by little from wishes to reality. All this takes time. Don’t try to take shortcuts or rush the process. When you work with Me, you must learn to accept My timing. Remember how long Abraham and Sarah waited for a son? But when Isaac finally came, their joy was even greater because of their long wait.
Jesus Concludes…Faith is knowing I will keep My promises, believing that things you are hoping for are as real as things you can already see.
Hebrews 11:1; Psalm 36:9; Genesis 21:1-7 Study Notes
Footnotes Hebrews 11:1 Two words describe faith: Confidence and Assurance. These two qualities need a secure beginning and ending point. Faith starts with believing in God’s goodness and truth, that he is who he says he is. Faith culminates with knowing that God will do what he promises. When we believe that he will fulfill his promises, even though we don’t see them materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith.
Passage Psalm 36:9 For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.
Footnotes Psalm 36:9 This vivid image “fountain of life”, gives us a sense of fresh, cleansing water giving life to the spiritually thirsty. This same picture is used in Jeremiah 2:13, where God is called the “spring of living water.” Jesus spoke of himself as living water that could quench thirst forever and give eternal life (John 4:14). When we repent of our sins and ask Jesus to forgive us by faith, we receive this never-ending supply of life-giving water through the presence of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39).
Passage Genesis 21:1-7 1Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. 2Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7And she added, “who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old Age.”
Footnotes Genesis 21:1-7 After repeated promises, a visit by two angels, and the appearance of the Lord himself, Sarah finally cried out with surprise and joy at the birth of her son. Because of her doubt, worry, and fear, she had forfeited the peace she could have felt in God’s wonderful promise to her. The way to bring peace to a troubled heart is to focus on God’s promises. Trust him to do what he says.
Jesus Tells Us is from the Jesus Calling 365 devotions for kids.
THE WORLD…we see history
Sermon at an Execution
The Story of Moses Paul
in 1723, a Native American boy was born in a wigwam in the village of Mohegan in Connecticut. He was named Occom. He later wrote, “My parents lived a wandering life, as did all the Indians at Mohegan. They chiefly depended upon hunting, fishing, and fowling for their living.” Occom was a teenager at the time of the Great Awakening, and his heart was opened to the gospel. He committed his life to Christ and sought to learn to read the Bible. Hearing about a school (later named Dartmouth) started by Rev. Eleazer Wheelock, a Congregational pastor, Occom enrolled. Wheelock taught the boy to read, mentored him, and prepared him to serve Christ. On August 29, 1759, Samson Occom was ordained into the Presbyterian ministry. He labored among Native Americans, and in 1765, at the suggestion of George Whitefield, sailed to England to raise money for a charity school (John Hancock helped pay his fare). Occom took England by storm, with large crowds gathering for his sermons, everyone, including the king, wanted to meet him. Occom returned to America a celebrity. His best-known moment came, when a fellow Mohegan, Moses Paul, asked Occom to preach his execution Sermon. Paul had been convicted of murder, and in those days, it was customary to have a sermon before the hanging. On September 2nd, 1771, a crowd gathered at the First Church of New Haven as Moses Paul was escorted by guards, and Occom stood in the pulpit.
The WORD…we see Jesus, His Story!
It is an unwelcome task for me to speak upon such an occasion, but since it is the desire of the poor man himself, who is to die a shameful death this day, in conscience I cannot deny him. The sacred words I have chosen to speak from, upon this undesirable occasion, are found in the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Death is called the king of terrors, and it ought to be the subject of every man and woman’s thoughts daily. We must all come to it, how soon we cannot tell. Sin has made man proud, though he has nothing to be proud of. Sin is the cause of all the miseries that attend poor sinful man, which will finally bring him to death, death temporal and eternal. But heaven and happiness, is a free gift, it comes by favor, this life is given in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. It could not be given in any other way, but in and through our Lord Jesus Christ, Christ Himself is the gift. O poor Moses, see what you have done! And now repent, repent, O fly, fly, to the blood of the Lamb of God for the pardon of all your aggravated sins…O Moses! This is good news for you on this last day of your life, here is a crucified Savior at hand for your sins, O, poor Moses, now believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, and thou shall be saved eternally. The demand for copies of Samson Occom’s sermon resulted in it being printed, the first publication of a North American Indian in English. It spread over the Colonies, appearing in multiple editions, and became the unexpected means of bringing many to faith in Christ. To this day, debates rage about whether Moses Paul received a fair trial, but no one doubts the eloquence of Samson Occom. He went on to publish many more sermons and hymns, the country’s first Native American writer, preacher, and hymnist. His text that day, Romans 6:23, was the core message of his life, because it’s at the heart of the gospel message: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Source: https://www.robertjmorgan.com/shop/100-bible-verses-that-made-america/