Living By Faith

SEEING THE SERMONS IN OUR SONGS
“LIVING BY FAITH”
(HEBREWS 11: 20-40)

Intro:
When I was a child, there was a song which we use to sing that drove me crazy. It wasn’t because the music was bad, or the melody wasn’t pleasant, or even that the words weren’t good. No, the reason that I didn’t like it was because I didn’t understand the words which I thought we were singing.
The song is found on page 76, and is entitled, “HOW GREAT THOU ART.” In the fourth verse, we sing: “When I shall bow, in humble adoration, and there proclaim, My God how great thou art.” Now, you need to see this from my perspective as a blind person. The words “humble adoration” completely ran together. With that being the case, I spent most of my childhood trying to figure out what “humbleadoration” meant.
Now, as funny as that sounds, I wonder how many of us are like my younger and far more clueless self. How many of us just sing along, with no regard to the words which we are singing.
Beginning tonight, and for the next several weeks, I want us to consider the amazing messages which are found in the songs we sing. I want to help you to see both the message of the songs, as well as the point of view from which the songs are sung.
This evening, we want to begin with the song found on page 560, “Living By Faith.” In the Chorus we sing: “Living by faith, in Jesus alone. Trusting confiding, in his great love. From all harm I’m safe, in his sheltering arms. I’m living by faith, and feel no alarm.” What a wonderful declaration! Clearly the author of this song wants us to shout to the world that our faith is properly placed, and we trust in Christ Jesus our Lord!
In 1918, a man by the name of James Wells sat down and wrote the words which compose the song currently before us.
In Hebrews 11, we find what many have referred to as the, “Hall of Faith.” In this beautiful and inspiring chapter, we read something very interesting. Beginning in verse 20, the writer of Hebrews reveals something amazing. We learn that those who are pleasing in the sight of God are those who are, “Living By Faith.” We are told that Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and his parents, the Children of Israel, Rahab, Gedeon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, David, Samuel, and the prophets of God indeed lived their lives by faith. By their faith, these individuals were able to bless their families, protect their children, make good decisions, forego worldly pleasure, keep the commandments of God, escape their enemies, bring down walls which stood between them and victory, avoid certain destruction, subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 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, received their dead raised to life again, absorbed torture, endured trials and scourgings, stood up to the difficulties of prison life, were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword, let destitute, afflicted, and tormented. They did all of this, endured all these things by faith, that they, along with you and I, might be made perfect by God.
Today, I want to share with you the three verses which precede this marvelous declaration of faith. In order for us to sing it with confidence, assurance, and meaning, there are three things which we must understand. I want to invite you to join me as we consider what we need if we are to “Live By Faith.”

I. VERSE 1: A VERSE OF VALOR

In verse 1, we find to amazing displays of valor, or bravery. First, we sing: “I care not today what the morrow may bring, if shadow or sunshine or rain. The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything.” Did you catch it? The fact of valor is seen in the trust which those who sing these words place in the one who holds the future.
Notice the way in which the author gently reminds us of two basic Biblical principles. “I care NOT today what the morrow may bring if shadow or sunshine or rain.” There are two things you need to see here.
First, in Matthew 6: 34, Jesus has this to say: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” Jesus himself supports the idea expressed here in the first part of this song. The idea is that you and I need to have the courage necessary to trust in God. Stop worrying over things which might, or might not happen.
In the verse, the author makes an often overlooked statement. “I care not today what the morrow MAY bring.” The truth is that you and I as humans are so limited in our vision that we don’t know how any given situation might turn out. Nevertheless we spend so much of our time concerning ourselves with the millions of ways in which things can go wrong. We need to realize that it isn’t up to us whether the sun shines or not. It isn’t up to us whether it rains or not. Instead of trying to mold the future, why don’t we have faith in the one who holds the future? Why don’t we have the courage to trust that the Lord which we know wouldn’t leave us to twist for all eternity?
What I want to encourage you to do is to have the bravery shown by Noah. In Hebrews 11: 7, we are reminded of the man first shown to us in Genesis chapter 5. In Genesis chapter 6, we learn that the Lord will soon destroy the world and its inhabitance. In Hebrews 11: 7, we learn of the true bravery of Noah. He lived life with such great faith that he acted upon nothing more than the word of the Lord. He had no physical proof that the end of the world was near at hand, but just his trust in God.
What about Abraham? That same man of whom we read about in Hebrews 11: 8. That same man who was told to go to a place, but wasn’t told the name of the place to which he should go! But, because of his bravery, his valor, his faith: he obeyed the Lord!
Even Sarah his wife is mentioned there in the Hall of Faith. Spoken of in verse 11, we marvel at her valor in the face of all that we know of human reproduction. She was too old to bear a child, yet she believed that it would happen because she judged the promise maker to be faithful and trustworthy!
Now, the second biblical principle which I want you to see is very simple. Remember, the author of the song has already shown his bravery by trusting in God to see him through. At the end of the first verse he states: “the Lord I know ruleth o’er everything, and all of my worry is vain!” Yet again the author shows his valor, and thus we show our bravery, in our acknowledgment of our own ineptitude. As Jesus himself stated in Matthew 6: 27, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?” In other words, worry truly is vain. We cannot change a given outcome by fretting over it. But, we can find comfort by trusting in God!

II. VERSE 2: A VERSE OF VISSION

“Though tempest may blow and the storm clouds arise, obscuring the brightness of life. I’m never alarmed at the overcast skies; the master looks on at the strife.” It is important for us to see the direction of the author’s sight. There are two things which we must see if we are to live by faith.
First, we need to see the truth. Notice those first words which you and I have sung over and over. “Though tempest may blow and the storm clouds arise.” The author sees the truth of life. What is the truth? Simply put, bad things do happen. “Though tempest arise.” This statement leaves no doubt as to whether or not trouble will come; rather it begs the question of when trouble will come.
Think about the way in which we as people will just be going along through life, everything fine, everything bright and shiny. Then, without warning, the ceiling falls down. Life is good, and then financial ruin breaks down our door! (Job 1: 13-17)
What about those times when all seems well, nothing but sunshine for as far as the eye can see, when suddenly death comes calling. It decides to take a child, parent, spouse, friend, or relative? (Job 1: 18-19) What happens to you in those moments? How do you react?
What about when tragedy comes even closer? What will you do when it in fact stands at your very door? When perhaps the good health which you have for so long taken for granted is gone? (Job 2: 7-8)
Indeed, as the author writes, there are those times when the wind will rise, the rains fall down, and the strong tide will crash. There are those moments in life when the brightness of life is obscured by the raging storms. The truly amazing part isn’t that he recognizes this fact, but that he isn’t alarmed by it! What we want to examine is, why don’t the troubles and trials of life worry him? For that matter, why shouldn’t they worry us?
Put simply, he isn’t worried because he knows that the master stands at his side looking at all that is ahead.
Consider the story of Job which we have already referenced. Each time Satan asked to visit some horrible plague upon Job, God said yes. What I think we often overlook is the idea that just because God allowed Satan to test Job, that didn’t mean that God withdrew himself from Job. In fact, I would submit to you that God watched each and every thing that was done to his servant.
Folks, the same thing is true of us today. When bad things happen, we become convinced that when hard times come, it is because God has left. Nothing could be further from the truth! Remember, God has promised, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13: 5)
When you are suffering, God is there! As the song says, the sky may be obscured, but the master, our savior and friend, is at our side, watching and assisting. Regardless of the outcome, we will overcome all things, because he has overcome all things! (John 16: 33)

III. VERSE 3: A VERSE OF VICTORY

There is perhaps no more beautiful verse than verse number 3 of Living By Faith. “Our Lord will return to this earth some sweet day, our troubles will then all be o’er. The master so gently will lead us away, beyond that blessed Heavenly shore.” For those who are truly “Living By Faith”, they must see the victory that will one day be ours!
Found within these words, we see a key word that will provide the victory on that glorious day in which our King shall return. The word is, “OUR.” The word “our” brings to mind the idea of possession. The one, who can say, with all confidence, “OUR LORD shall return”, is one who has named the name of Christ. This victory will be for those who are his followers. For those individuals, suffering, pain, death, tears, fears, sadness, sorrow, trials and tribulation will all come to an end on that wonderful day! (Revelation 21: 4)
However, for those who are not found written in the Lambs Book of Life, (Rev 21: 27), the beginning of anguish will just be getting started. For those who are not his, they will experience “outer darkness.” (Matthew 8: 12) They shall be cast into a “Furnace of Fire.” Matthew 13: 42) Instead of relief and joy, they shall know great sorrow and sadness. (Luke 13: 28)
Let me ask you this: will you be led away to that beautiful heavenly shore, or is a furnace of fire the best that you can hope to receive? The truth is, we all know where we stand. In First John 5: 13, the Bible has this to say: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” You know if you are “Living By Faith.” You know if you are in Christ Jesus today.
However, you likewise know if you are outside of the body of Christ. If you are here tonight, and you are in that loneliest of places, which is separation from God, then why don’t you do something about it? If you need to obey the Gospel, then why not tonight? If you need to return to your first love, then why not right now? If we can help you, won’t you let us know?