6-11-2019

 Good Morning All,

     Hebrews 11:11; “Faith enabled Abraham to become a father, even though he was old and Sarah had never been able to have children. Abraham trusted that God would keep his promise”

    We all love heroes.  We love to watch the parades and the homecoming and the celebrations.  We love to cheer for our heroes.  So, who are your heroes?  Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, maybe Sally Ride or Christa McAuliffe, maybe Babe Ruth or Harmon Killebrew, maybe Audie Murphy or Sergeant York, maybe your parents or grandparents, who are your heroes?  One problem we have with heroes is that when the truth about them comes out, they aren’t always so heroic.  Franklin Roosevelt was a womanizer, Babe Ruth was a drunken lout. 

    Our verse for today is from Hebrews 11.  It is often referred to as the “Hall of Faith.”  It lists many of the Old Testament characters who lived their life by faith.  It is really a shame that we look at this chapter and think “Oh, if I were only like them; then all would be fine and dandy.”  We often think that because when we talk of these people of faith, we only speak of their greatness.  Abraham was going to offer Isaac, his son his only son, as a sacrifice to God.  Noah built the ark in spite of all of the taunting that he received.  Abraham lied about his wife because he didn’t trust God.  He also used a handmaiden to give him the son that God hadn’t delivered yet.  As soon as Noah got off the ark, he got drunk and laid naked in his tent.  Some heroes.

    Yet that is the exact point.  These “great” people of the Bible weren’t that great.  They were people on whom God looked with grace.  One of the best verses in Genesis is 6:8 “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”.  That is what this verse and the entire bible is about.  You and I are not perfect; far from it.  We all have skeletons in our closet that would make any type of hero worship of us flounder in a hurry.  God looks upon you with his love with his grace and gives you that faith to get you through the day’s events.

    Grace finds us in God’s eye.  It seeks us out and searches the depths of our depraved world to bring us hope, to bring us peace and to give us God’s undeserved love.  That is what put Abraham in the “Hall of Faith” and that is what puts you there as well.  None of us are perfect; we are all sinners.  We all have the remnants of sin in our past that cause us to never feel worthy of God’s grace.  Fortunately, we don’t have to be worthy.  We are made worthy by Jesus; we are made worthy because of God’s grace poured out upon us.  We, just as those listed in the “Hall of Faith,” live by faith.  Yes, we are sinful beings but through God’s grace, we live in his wondrous mercy; trusting that he will take care of us and protect us until we reach our heavenly home.

Father of all mercies, through Jesus we find grace in your eyes.  We are brought into your marvelous family and given the peace and strength to battle this world’s woes.  Guard us by your mighty arm and give to those who struggle the most your Spirit of comfort.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret