Hebrews 11

 Great Examples of Faith

11 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And 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.

7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.

21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.

23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.

30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.

31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 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. 35 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. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. Hebrews 11 NLT

Trust, Resist, Do Good: Trust...

So now that we have looked at the verses that surrounded both of the verses, we looked at in the first teaching. Let's get into this idea of trust, resist, do good. What does that all mean.? To find the answer we need to look to our Bibles.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 ESV

We need to trust God will all our hearts, but I think it goes further than that and we need to do it with all our heart, mind soul, and strength.

 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Mark 12:30 ESV

Not just love Him like that but trust Him like that as well. We need to trust God in every area of our lives. This kind of trust is a 24/7 kind. This means from the moment we wake up to when we wake up, we are to trust Him (this includes our sleep).

The basis for our faith is trust in God, that we will be with us, for us, and help us 24/7. Faith takes trust in something and that something we have chosen is God. We trust in God that He is who He is talked about in the Bible. 

Most people want to see to believe. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 ESV. We need to believe without seeing and that is the trust we have in Him. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6 ESV.

The second part of verse 5 of Proverbs 3 talks about do not lean on our own understanding which would mean we do not trust because we would only lean on our own understanding. We have to have faith leaning on His understanding, not ours.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Philippians 4:4

Trust in the Lord always; again I will say trust.

The verse talks about rejoice but to start with before we can rejoice, we need to trust in Him always.

Trust in Him today!!!!

Proverbs 2

 The Benefits of Wisdom

2 

My child, listen to what I say,

    and treasure my commands.

2 

Tune your ears to wisdom,

    and concentrate on understanding.

3 

Cry out for insight,

    and ask for understanding.

4 

Search for them as you would for silver;

    seek them like hidden treasures.

5 

Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,

    and you will gain knowledge of God.

6 

For the Lord grants wisdom!

    From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 

He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.

    He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.

8 

He guards the paths of the just

    and protects those who are faithful to him.

9 

Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair,

    and you will find the right way to go.

10 

For wisdom will enter your heart,

    and knowledge will fill you with joy.

11 

Wise choices will watch over you.

    Understanding will keep you safe.

12 

Wisdom will save you from evil people,

    from those whose words are twisted.

13 

These men turn from the right way

    to walk down dark paths.

14 

They take pleasure in doing wrong,

    and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.

15 

Their actions are crooked,

    and their ways are wrong.

16 

Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman,

    from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman.

17 

She has abandoned her husband

    and ignores the covenant she made before God.

18 

Entering her house leads to death;

    it is the road to the grave.

19 

The man who visits her is doomed.

    He will never reach the paths of life.

20 

So follow the steps of the good,

    and stay on the paths of the righteous.

21 

For only the godly will live in the land,

    and those with integrity will remain in it.

22 

But the wicked will be removed from the land,

    and the treacherous will be uprooted. Proverbs 2 NLT

Trust, Resist, Do Good: Verse 27 Surrounding...

 Verse 25:

25 Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. Psalm 37:25 NLT

From what I read in Barnes's notes of the Bible it talks about passing through life. Jamie-Fausset-Brown Bible commentary says the course of life as ordered by God.

The NASB Bible says, I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging for bread.

5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, " I will never fail you. I will never abandon you."

17 “When the poor and needy search for water and there is none,  and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them. Isaiah 41:17 NLT

Verse 26:

26 The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing. Psalm 37:26 NLT

This verse is pretty straightforward the Godly gives generously to others and they are blessed by the children.

8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. Deuteronomy 15:8 NLT

21 The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. Psalm 37:21 NLT

Verse 27: Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. Psalm 37:27 NLT

Verse 28:

28 For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die. Psalm 37:28 NLT

God is all about justice and it says over and over again the Bible about if we are for God, He will never abandon us in anything. the evil people will die.

Justice- literally says judgement in the NASB Bible

17 For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face. Psalm 11:17 NLT

5 He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth. Psalm 33:5 NLT

22 But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted. Proverbs 2:22 NLT

Verse 29:

The godly will possess the land and will live there forever. Psalm 37:29 NLT

The righteous (Godly) will in inherit the land which God has for them.

9 For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Psalm 37:9 NLT

21 For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it. Proverbs 2:21 NLT

Proverbs 16

 We can make our own plans,

    but the Lord gives the right answer.

2 

People may be pure in their own eyes,

    but the Lord examines their motives.

3 

Commit your actions to the Lord,

    and your plans will succeed.

4 

The Lord has made everything for his own purposes,

    even the wicked for a day of disaster.

5 

The Lord detests the proud;

    they will surely be punished.

6 

Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin.

    By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.

7 

When people’s lives please the Lord,

    even their enemies are at peace with them.

8 

Better to have little, with godliness,

    than to be rich and dishonest.

9 

We can make our plans,

    but the Lord determines our steps.

10 

The king speaks with divine wisdom;

    he must never judge unfairly.

11 

The Lord demands accurate scales and balances;

    he sets the standards for fairness.

12 

A king detests wrongdoing,

    for his rule is built on justice.

13 

The king is pleased with words from righteous lips;

    he loves those who speak honestly.

14 

The anger of the king is a deadly threat;

    the wise will try to appease it.

15 

When the king smiles, there is life;

    his favor refreshes like a spring rain.

16 

How much better to get wisdom than gold,

    and good judgment than silver!

17 

The path of the virtuous leads away from evil;

    whoever follows that path is safe.

18 

Pride goes before destruction,

    and haughtiness before a fall.

19 

Better to live humbly with the poor

    than to share plunder with the proud.

20 

Those who listen to instruction will prosper;

    those who trust the Lord will be joyful.

21 

The wise are known for their understanding,

    and pleasant words are persuasive.

22 

Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it,

    but discipline is wasted on fools.

23 

From a wise mind comes wise speech;

    the words of the wise are persuasive.

24 

Kind words are like honey—

    sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

25 

There is a path before each person that seems right,

    but it ends in death.

26 

It is good for workers to have an appetite;

    an empty stomach drives them on.

27 

Scoundrels create trouble;

    their words are a destructive blaze.

28 

A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;

    gossip separates the best of friends.

29 

Violent people mislead their companions,

    leading them down a harmful path.

30 

With narrowed eyes, people plot evil;

    with a smirk, they plan their mischief.

31 

Gray hair is a crown of glory;

    it is gained by living a godly life.

32 

Better to be patient than powerful;

    better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

33 

We may throw the dice,

    but the Lord determines how they fall. Proverbs 16 NLT