Hebrews Bible Study Chapter 11. ‘It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him… By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.’
By faith we understand...
My God works miracles
My God works miracles. He never changes, nor do His promises. What you read in the Bible can still happen in your life today. In Psalm 119, one phrase appears repeatedly – “according to thy word”. You find it at least seven times in different contexts, particularly in verse 170: “Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.” The Bible is God’s Word and cannot lie; it must happen as God has promised. All the promises of man are meaningless compared to the might and power of God.
Our relationship with God through Jesus
The reality of our relationship with Christ is not in repeating prayers and phrases, it’s KNOWING Him. I talk to Him, He talks to me! The more I read the Bible, the more convinced I am that the most important thing after our salvation, is our relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s not just our worship, not the length of our prayers, nor how much we read the Bible, it is the FAITH we have in Him, how much we TRUST Him! That is the only thing that clearly, unmistakably marks our relationship with Jesus Christ.
How to know God and work miracles
'The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits' (Daniel 11.32, KJV). The key is to KNOW God – and He will do great things! The Scripture says, the people of Israel saw the miracles God did, but Moses KNEW God’s ways – God made them known to him. This is so important – to KNOW God.
The certainty of God's promise
The Power of God to deliver you
I thank God for the Gospel of Jesus Christ; it is the Power of God at work, saving everyone who believes — the Jew first and also the Gentile (Romans 1.16). As I look back over my life, it is now 50 years since God miraculously released me from a communist prison — and 30 years since I evangelised in the Dynamo Stadium, in Kyiv. It was during that difficult time in the prison, God revealed Himself as my Father in a most special way; it was as if I experienced the Glory of Heaven in that prison cell.
Don't shipwreck your faith
“Fight the good fight, hold on to faith and a good conscience - because some have rejected these and shipwrecked their faith.” Chapter 2 begins, “I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the Truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” Paul makes it quite clear that the end goal of our prayer is Salvation! So often we get away from the basic truth of the Gospel, which is to bring men to Salvation.
Prepare the way of the Lord
Trust God's timing
We need to trust God's timing. As I look back over my life I can see that God always had a specific purpose, and a specific time. In Habakkuk 1:2, the prophet cries out, 'O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear?' We all have times when we are unable to pray. The need is so great, the pain is more than we can bear. But I want you to trust God's timing.