Name: What Is Faith?
Price: 12 USD

In this introduction CB Barthlow sets up his 22 section course “What is Faith?”

He says, "It’s my desire that in the course of this study you’ll come to a better understanding of what faith really means and how you can live it out."

What Is Faith? Introduction

In this study, we’re going to walk through one chapter in the book of Hebrews called to examine the way in which God defines faith and how faith is lived out by God’s chosen people.

Hebrews 11:1 ESV
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith in the Greek = Pistis: persuasion that leads to constancy: the proof of your belief

**Our Full Assurance**
* Our Faith is the substance, reality and the confidence in God’s Word
* Two Questions that Faith is asking: 
		1. Can you trust the God I hope in?
		2. If I say it, will you do it?
* True faith is, I believe and I obey

Ephesians 2:8
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

**By Grace Through Faith**
* It is the life of faith: persuasion that leads to consistency
* Is the the walk of faith: trusting and being trusted by God
* It is faith: our fidelity to His word



Assured & Convicted: Hebrews 11:1

Context of Hebrews 11

This chapter explores the question “What Faith is Not.”

Hebrews 11:2 ESV
For by it the people of old received their commendation.

The author’s audience: greek speaking jews who may have seen Jesus
The author’s mission: the convert them to touting their lives and their spirits to Jesus as their messiah

The author writes to convert them by connecting them to their ancestors who have not seen Jesus but trusted the promised messiah. They write to you, to convert you who have not seen the messiah, but must trust the promise was made and fulfilled in Jesus.

In the end, there will only be the condemned and the commended
Sin brings condemnation: Faith brings commendation

We will be either condemned because we lived in sin or commended because we lived by faith.

Commended & Validated: Hebrews 11:2

Understand how faith brings commendation and how it was the faith of the Old Testament forefathers that set them apart.

Hebrews 11:3
3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

The author of Hebrews teaches about how the Creation describes three basics of faith:
* God creates through words
* God takes His time
* God works in order

John 1:1 
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

**More Than What He Does, It’s About Who He Is**
* Jesus is the living WORD

**By Faith We Come To Know Him**
* We are ruled by the Word of God
* We are guided by the order of God

Come to Know Him: Hebrews 11:3

CB shares his personal testimony on how the Word of God was spoken into his circumstances and that he had placed his faith in the Lord.

Hebrews 11:4
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

Abel gives the very first sacrifice. Cain gives leftovers. However, God gives Cain an opportunity to get right.

By Faith Abel left a legacy past his death
* Great sacrifice leads to great glory
* How to trust the Lord with your best

Cain wants the favor of God without having faith in God.

By Faith We Give & Live Well: Hebrews 11:4

The Hall of Faith

The opening statement of faith revolves around two brothers from the Old Testament.

Hebrews 11:5
5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.

Enoch who walked with God - Gen. 5:21 & 24
Enoch was changed by God - Jude 14 &15
Enoch was repositioned by God - 2 Kings 2 - Example of Elijah
Enoch honored God by faith was gathered in love. He walked in the steps of the Lord by faith agreeing in His words.

Agreeing with the Word of God transforms you from the inside. The more you are conformed to the Word of God the less you match the environments of this world.

God changes doesn’t change your earthly position, but your eternal one.

By Faith We Find Eternal Life: Hebrews 11:5

Enoch was the first person in the Bible that by faith walked with God did not experience death, but was gathered up into heaven.

Hebrews 11:6
6 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.

The 5 examples of Pleasing Faith so far:
1. Faith that demonstrates a belief in God
2. Faith that is commended by God
3. Faith that sees the invisible
4. Faith that gives sacrificially
5. Faith that walks with God everyday

The God we please does exists. He is a promise maker and keeper.

We seek God not his rewards, but to draw near to Him. When our will becomes His will, what we ask of Him is more of Him. By faith we learn to ask for the things of God. Without faith we cannot seek, please or be rewarded by Him.

By Faith We Please God: Hebrews 11:6

Hebrews asks a big question if you please God, what does pleasing faith look like?

Hebrews 11:7
7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

God’s part
* God Gives Instructions (Gen 6:14-16 &  7:1-3)
* God Shuts Out The World (Gen 7:16)
* God Saves (Gen 7:23)

My part
* Do What God Commands (Gen 6:22)
* Do It All (Gen 7:5)
* Don’t Do It Alone(Gen 7:13-15)
* Don’t Rush The Process (Gen 8:6-18)
* What God builds takes time, wait on Him (Isa 40:31)
* Give God The Glory (Gen 8:20)

Building With God: Hebrews 11:7

If we want to build something great with our lives we must work with God.  The life of Noah is a story about one man’s faith to do the impossible.  It is an example of how God builds great things through us.

Hebrews 11:8-10
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

The favorite word of faith: GO (verse 8)
Genesis 12:1
Faith requires willingness to be uncomfortable (verse 9)
Genesis 12:4-8
Faith remembers God’s promises and anticipates the fulfillment (verse 10) 
Genesis 12:2-3

By Faith We Obey & Look Forward: Hebrews 11:8-10

In this chapter, CB unpacks what faith in God calls us to and what He calls us from.

Hebrews 11:11-12
11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

Sarai follows her husband to the middle of nowhere 
Genesis 12:5
Abram tries to sell Sarai as his sister to save his own life
Genesis 12:12
Sarai has trouble conceiving
Genesis 16:1
Sarai lets her husband, Abram, have another wife 
Genesis 16:3
Sarai got jealous and ran the other girl off 
Genesis 16:6
Sarai doubts God’s promise and laughs at him
Genesis 18:12
Sarai lied to God 
Genesis 18:12

By Faith It’s Never Too Late: Hebrews 11:11-12

In the book of Hebrews, we do not read anything about Sarai’s failure.  Instead, we learn about her faith recorded in Genesis 18:15,  and how God changed her name to Sarah when she considered the faithfulness of God.

Hebrews 11:13
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

The people on the “Hall of Faith” list like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah they share one thing in common, they were misfits and yet they were the same because they belonged to God.

Their lives were marked by their faith in the one who made the promise. Even though they did not receive the rewards promised, they perceived them.

A strange crew to be content about things they don’t have. They knew they belonged to God and not the world

Perfect Strangers: Hebrews 11:13

We want to determine who we are and where we fit. Making sense of ourselves is the basis of making sense of the world. Trouble is, as a follower of Christ you'll never really fit into this world.

Hebrews 11:14-16
14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Philosopher Pascal said that “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.” God created that longing in you and that desire to seek Him.

We Know We Don’t Fit In (verse 14)
We Know We Can’t Go Back (verse 15)
We Know There’s Got To Be More (verse 16)

There’s Got To Be More: Hebrews 11:14-16

There is something in each of us that feels out of place. Where no place on earth that truly fulfills us. Intrinsically we all feel the pull to let go and press on.  But you know that there’s something greater than this temporal life.

Hebrews 11:17-19
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

When You Think God Is Testing You (verse 17)
When Your Blessing Blocks You (verses 17-18)
How to Live Life With Open Hands (verse 19)

By Faith We Suffer No Loss: Hebrews 11:17-19

God makes life hard for those who need self-examination and need to re-learn and unlearn somethings. The life of Issac is a "type and shadow" of Jesus as the chosen one and savior. 

Hebrews 11:20 ESV
20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.

In verse 20 we see the impact of Abram's faith on Isaac (Gen. 22), and on Issac’s wife and sons (Gen. 24 & 25).

Isaac’s blessing echos God’s promise to through the lineage of Abraham.
Isaac’s blessing to his son Jacob by God’s hand is found in Gen 27:33.

Hebrews 9:11a-12
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest... 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

To gain the favor and blessing of the Father:
* We must cover yourself in the blood of the lamb
* And come to the Father in the name of Jesus

By Faith We Bless Our Children: Hebrews 11:20

Blessing our children is the best gift we can give them.

Hebrews 11:21
21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.

Jacob has had more than his share of mistakes:
* Stolen birthright blessing (Gen 27)
* Rock bottom: (Gen 28:11)
* Tricked by Laban (Gen 29:18-30)

God changes Jacob's name, character, and trajectory. Much like how we are changed when we encounter Him.

By Faith We Bless the Nations: Hebrews 11:21

Jacob’s checkered past is used to bless nations after he wrestles with God and is renamed Israel. Israel hasn’t seen the promise of God, but he sees the potential.  He blesses his sons and their sons and speaks prophetically through the lens of his life.

Hebrews 11:22
22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

To plan our future, we need faith to believe that God is and will be good in the future. Faith to believe that we will make it further than today. Faith to believe that God’s will and ours are aligned on what we plan.

Genesis 50:20
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Here, Joseph tells his brothers a simple phrase that he held onto through years of pain about the eternal power of God. Joseph's faith was informed throughout years of trial by an understanding of who God is and what He is able to do.

By Faith We Plan the Future: Hebrews 11:22

Faith (persuasion that leads to constancy) helps us to not only plan for the future, but move on from the pain of our past and even navigate present difficulties. It’s faith that sustains us through the low times and that calls us into the promises of God.

Hebrews 11:23-28
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

A mother’s faith and sometimes the faith of others helps. The faith to be hidden, protected, developed that leads to the greatest nurturing.

By Faith: Hidden (verse 23)
By Faith: Separated (verses 24-26)
By Faith: Take Action (verses 27-28)

Colossians 3:3
3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

You can be hidden in Christ.

Pleasing Faith: Hebrews 11:23-28

Moses becomes the example that we are all lost, and in the process of being found.

Hebrews 11:29
29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

Miracles come thru faith in Jesus (Acts 3:16)
Miracles are for others in the community of faith (Exodus 14:2)
Miracles are not for those who oppose God (Exodus 14:4)
Miracles are for His Glory (Exodus 14:4)

Walking Miracles: Hebrews 11:29

The nation of Israel has witnessed the miracles of the plagues (Exodus 7-10), the death angel (Exodus 11-12) and the pillar of fire and cloud (Exodus 13:17-21).  The Exodus is a demonstration of how to walk in faith.

Hebrews 11:30
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

Some things can only be accomplished by adherence to God's word and worship.
God’s timing and instructions matter. Faith is not passive, it takes territory.

Characteristics of the Israelites' faith:
* Faith to Worship
* Faith to Obey
* Faith to Endure
* Faith to Take Territory

By Faith We Tear Down Walls: Hebrews 11:30

The fall of Jericho is a continuation of the promise made to Abraham and his son’s.

Hebrews 11:31
By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Rahab makes room for God in her home (Joshua 2:1). She heard and believed what God can do (Joshua 2:9-10). In following the instructions in faith, her scarlet cord allows her be identified by God (Joshua 6:25).

Rahab's induction into the "Hall of Faith" was a result of a faith that:
* makes room for God in your home
* takes God at His word
* holds God to His word

By Faith We Can Make An Escape: Hebrews 11:31

Rahab was on the fringe of society and she had heard of the God of Israel. Her faith led to her adoption into the nation of Israel.  

Hebrews 11:32-34
32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Barak: Judges 4:6 Has not God called you?
Gideon: Judges 6:14 Go in this Thy might
Jephthah: Judges 11:6 Come be our leader
Samson: Judges 13:25 The Spirit Stirred him
Samuel: 1 Samuel 3:4 The Lord called him
David: 1 Samuel 16:13 The Spirit rushed upon him

Glorious Victory: Hebrews 11:32-34

The writer of Hebrews lists a set of names that have meanings that the audience of this book would know.  Each meaning is an invitation to have faith in the Lord.

Hebrews 11:35-38
35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two,[a] they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

The Power of Death (verses 35 & 37a)
The Pain Of Ridicule (verses 36 & 37b)
The Proper Perspective (verse 38)

Glorious Defeat: Hebrews 11:35-38

Faith can lead us to victory, but also help us in defeat. So a comprehensive understanding of faith is two-sided. We can win or lose, faith carries us to and through both.

Hebrews 11:39-40
39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Faith in God’s Perfect Law
Faith in God’s Perfect Son
Faith in God’s Perfection Plan

Made Perfect: Hebrews 11:39-40

The point of faith is so that we may be made perfect. God has always wanted you to be perfect.

The list of people in Hebrews “Hall of Faith” has been provided for us to have faith in God’s plan and to apply our Faith.

What Is Faith? Conclusion

Epilogue

Pastor CB Barthlow recaps the major teaching in his course that Faith equals Fidelity.

What Is Faith?

CBBarthlow_WhatIsFaith_CoverArt_v1.jpg

<p>Pastor CB Barthlow will guide you through a verse by verse study of the “Hall of Faith” found in the book of Hebrews chapter 11. Through this study, you’ll come to a better understanding of what faith really means and how you can live it out.
Included are 22 classes describing each Biblical character that is listed in Hebrews 11 and a reasoning as to why they were added to this list of people with amazing faith and how you can develop your own amazing faith.</p>


CB Barthlow

Pastor

<p>In this course, CB Barthlow invites you to walk through Hebrews 11 to examine the way in which God defines faith and how faith is lived out by God’s chosen people. </p>


The Difference Between Commonly Misunderstood or Misused Biblical Terms (bside)

That Pleasing God Begins With Knowing More About God (bside)

How to Have Faith in God’s Perfect Plan (bside)

Your guide, CB Barthlow