Now That’s Faith!
Part 2 of 3
When The Impossible Seems Improbable
Hebrews 11:11-16
By Alan Walker

"Faith is powerful. Faith sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, touches the intangible, and accomplishes the impossible."

Jesus said in Matthew 19:26: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (NIV)

He said in Mark 9:23: "Everything is possible for him who believes." (NIV)

Paul said in Philippians 4:13: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (NIV)

Paul said in Ephesians 3:20: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (NIV)

These verses motivate me! They are powerful and inspiring thoughts.

Yet for many these are just words on a page - nice words, but words nevertheless.

Yes these are words I believe – this is the way I live my life and perform my ministry. I want to take each of these verses to heart and realize with God there are no limitations, there are no borders among the things He wants us to do.

God in His magnificence has given us examples we can see and study so we can conclude these promises are more than words on a page, but they are a way of victorious and glorious living.

In Hebrews chapter eleven – the Hallmark Hall of Fame of Christianity, we see men and women of great faith. We see faith in action, lived before our eyes, as a part of daily life.

We see men and women who didn’t wake up and say, "I’m going to live by faith the next 24 hours," but men and women who didn't even have to think about it, because it was their life.

John MacArthur wrote in his commentary on Hebrews: "Faith is powerful. Faith sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, touches the intangible, and accomplishes the impossible." [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Hebrews – Moody Press- Page 332]

He goes on to say, "Unfortunately, some faith is all talk, and never really gets down to action. True faith is active, powerfully active..."

I am tired of just talk, aren’t’ you? – I want to walk by faith. I want to be authentic. I want my life to be like Abraham’s. I believe, just like you perhaps, that there has been enough talk. Now is the season to walk the walk.

Talking faith may get us started – but it will not get us where we want to go. It will not make us the persons of faith we want to be. It will not change our lives powerfully. It will not affect the  inner most persons that we really are.

I pray I will be a person of an active faith.

Our text this morning is Hebrews 11:11-16:

11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age-and Sarah herself was barren-was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (NIV)

In today’s message we will be looking at three thoughts about faith. First let’s look at…

1. The Challenge of Abraham's Faith

MacArthur's quote again: "Faith is powerful. Faith sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, touches the intangible, and accomplishes the impossible."

Faith is called upon at times to accept the impossible, bear the unbearable, and grow in active trust when we’d rather be spiritual couch potato’s.

Abraham and his wife Sara become parents. Normal you say. Hmm. Isaac was born when his mom was pushing 91 years old.

Sara was a mom before microwaves, Playtex bottles, play pens, disposable diapers, pacifiers, and baby power.

Her home was a tent. Her husband owned no property. There was sand everywhere. And she was 90 years old.

Abraham was 100. They were too old to have a child.

Politely the passage tells us all the biology we need to know.

Isaac's was not a virgin birth. It was a miraculous birth.

Unbelievable, impossible, incredible, improbable, and so unlikely.

But, Abraham, "…considered him faithful who had made the promise."

He had come to the place in his life where he trusted God. He had absolute confidence in God's character and integrity. It didn't happen all at once, but it grew to the place where Abraham could look at reality and shake his head at the impossibility, shake his head at the improbability – and say "yes God!"

It’s as if Abraham in a talk with God said, "God, look at my old body. I’ve got problems. Sarah is an old woman. She's over ninety years old. She’s never been able to have a child, even though we’ve always wanted to have a child together. Now, her time is past, and Lord, I have to say it, my time is past too. If you say it’s going to happen, I believe it."

Nine months later – the impossible becomes the actual!

Genesis 21:2-3 says, "Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him." NIV

The challenging faith of Abraham. The impossible became possible even though it was improbable.

Consider also with me:

2. The Challenge to Your Faith

Abraham’s faith didn’t come about because of his birth, but because he chose to live by faith.

He started with small steps of faith, learning to trust God with every step.

"Faith is powerful. Faith sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, touches the intangible, and accomplishes the impossible."

As sons and daughters of God we are called to be men and women of faith like Abraham. That is exciting. God wants you and me to be like Abraham. He believes that we can walk by faith!

It’s exactly what I want to do and the very thought sends shivers of excitement up and down my spine.

For Abraham and Sarah it was a child in their great-grand parenting age. You and I may shudder and think to ourselves, "Dear Lord, anything but that!" But to Abraham and Sarah it was a dream come true!

What is it that you feel God wants you to accomplish here in our part of the world?

What do you suppose God wants you to do for Him, here, now, today, this moment, tomorrow, this coming week, next year?

Has He been challenging your faith, pushing your buttons, attempting to grow you through his nudges? You need to know that he will continue to move toward some "faith" thing for Him, to grow you.

I want to be very frank for a moment. Many Christians are missing their calling because when God called and provided an opportunity, they laughed.

At times - perhaps in our alone quiet times before God - we’ve dreamed dreams of what we would like to do for God. God may be the author of these thoughts – as He gently pushes us toward serving Him.

What is your faith being challenged to do?

In our last few moments lets go one step further…

3. The Challenge of Faith to our Church

This congregation is not a mistake, nor is it an error. It is not a fluke or an accident. We are here because God wanted this congregation in this place to be a beacon throughout this city. Consider the strategic location of this congregation.

People will come to our city from other countries and will go back to their homes and what they learn here will shape their lives.

God has brought us together – refined by fire – stretched by faith – and created us into a family.

He now calls us to grow into an Abraham like faith.

God did not set us here on this hill to be the best kept secret in the city, but to shine, to glow, to excel, to stand out, and to surpass our past and by faith – change the course of this congregation – this city – and to a real extent – our world.

We need to believe in God. We need to step out by faith, realizing that while we by ourselves cannot do anything, by faith like Abraham's, God may do the impossible here, even though it seems improbable.

If you say,"We can’t grow. We have nothing to offer. We’re always going to be small. We will never impact our world," then these words will be self-fulfilled. These are not the words of faith. They are faithlessness, and without faith we will fail.

Could it be that we are the reason we’ve not accomplished more for God? Could it be our small faith, our lack of a clear vision, our deficient of belief? Have we so programmed our own minds with the thought that it can’t be done that we have convinced ourselves?

Hear the words of Jesus in Mark 6:5-6: "He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith." (NIV)

One thing I do not want Jesus to be amazed about in my life is my "lack of faith".

He could not do the impossible there. He couldn’t even do the improbable.

Perhaps we’ve come to a place in our Church History that we may need to repent and seek the Lord God of Abraham and once again believe in the God of the improbable and the impossible.

What can God can do when faith is lived out in daily action? It is in our text:

Hebrews 11:12 - "And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore." (NIV)

Wrapping It Up

God does the impossible as well as the improbable - especially when He views ordinary men and women of God growing extraordinary faith.

"Faith is powerful. Faith sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, touches the intangible, and accomplishes the impossible."

Let’s close with a look at how God views faith like that of Abraham.

Hebrews 11:13-16 - All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country — a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

God is not ashamed to be called their God…

THAT’S WHAT FAITH LOOKS LIKE!

Copyright © 2005. Alan Walker is minister of the Arcata Church of Christ in Arcata, California. Used by permission. Permission is granted by the author and by The Preacher's Study to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or any place beyond the local congregation is prohibited.