05.18.2025 // The Power of FAITH // Pastor Dewayne Coleman

Clovis Hills - Weekend Messages

Hebrews 11:32-40 NIV

1. Faith’s Power through Scripture 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets…..

Earlier in this chapter the author commends multiple biblical heroes including Noah, Abraham, Moses and others. Here at verse 32 he says there’s not enough time to continue although there are many more. The goal of the writer of Hebrews is to provide examples of those who displayed the power of faith. This provides us readers with education and inspiration from the Scriptures.

There is power available to us as we are educated in what God has done through people like us, and we are inspired by what God can do through people like us.

Romans 15:4 NIV. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

There is education and inspiration available to us through the Scripture to empower our faith!

These are not characters from fables, these are real stories about real people and more so they are our faith ancestors. Our relation is not in blood but by faith.

Example: What one man can do another man can do (movie the edge)

These people of God, our faith ancestors, had sins and struggles. They experienced difficult times and struggled with tears, sweat and even blood. They made mistakes, major mistakes. But they are commended here because of their faith. It is amazing what the Lord can do in us and through us when we trust him.

What does it mean to trust the Lord…….leads us to point 2…

2. Faith’s power when we trust the Lord’s plans and promises

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,

Again our faith ancestors are commended for their faith not perfection. Only Jesus is perfect, amen! No one at any of our campuses is perfect. Cut that out. Stop being a poser. Be real and God will mature you and lead you in righteousness but don’t act like you are farther than you are and don’t look down on others.

They are commended for their trust in the Lord's plans and promises, especially the promise of home. As verse 16 says earlier in the passage, they trusted in the promise of God to bring them to their heavenly country.

3. Faith’s power when we accept we are part of a larger family

40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Our God is larger than we realize but also we are part of a larger family than we often realize. It’s not all about YOU! Your struggles, your experiences, your gifts, your blessings. They are not all about you; they fit into a larger family context. The family is to grow up into the maturity of Christ TOGETHER. Us locally, us generationally, and us universally as part of God's big C Church!

Have you ever had a terrible thing happen and thought why does God hate me?

Have you ever had an amazing thing happen and thought God loves me!

Have you ever had either an amazing thing or terrible thing happen and thought God is doing a work for his people? Having an understating that we are part of a larger family actually empowers our faith. It allows us to think big, not small. And it is true this life we live is part of something bigger!

What would you say to Abraham? You’d say you gotta go because what God does in your life through the good bad and ugly it launches the beginning of God’s people.

What would you say to Paul? You’d tell him about his impact on the “future” of the church. So we can say more than anyone before us with great clarity of how God works that what happens in our Christian lives is significant not only for today but the future of our families, local church, and the future of the church.