What does First B Jackson teach about hall of faith?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At First B Jackson, the teaching on the hall of faith begins with the observation that Hebrews 11 was written to Jewish Christians who were being tempted to walk away from Christ and back into the ceremonial religion that had been pointing them to Him all along. The list of men and women in that chapter is the writer's way of showing that faith in the faithfulness of God is what has always united His people, across every age. Pastor Ray noted that before the writer names a single person, he says "by faith, we," pulling every believer into the list rather than leaving it as a gallery of distant heroes.
The teaching works through the chapter's specific examples one by one, asking what each person actually did in faith and what came of it. Abel brought the firstlings of his flock and was murdered, which Ray said dismantles any prosperity-gospel reading of faithful obedience. Enoch walked with God and was taken up. Noah built an ark for things not yet seen and saved his household, but his obedience also meant the condemnation of those who would not get on the boat with him. Abraham went out without knowing the destination, lived as an alien in the land of promise his entire life, and was credited with righteousness, not because of anything he possessed on his own but because he believed God. Sarah, who most people remember for her laughter rather than her faith, trusted the faithfulness of the one making the promise, and the text credits that trust to her. Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph each passed the same forward-looking faith down the line, trusting a promise none of them lived to see fulfilled.
The verse Ray returned to most throughout the series is Hebrews 11:6: without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. He pressed past the first half of that sentence, noting that even the demons believe God exists. The part that changes everything is the second half, that God rewards those who seek Him. That question, whether you believe God is and whether you are genuinely seeking Him, is the question the teaching leaves with the congregation as the thread running through every name on the list.
Taught from Hebrews 11:1 · Hebrews 11:6 · Genesis 15:6 · Hebrews 11:8 · Hebrews 11:11
The passage taught · 2 Thessalonians 3:5
5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love, and into the perseverance of Christ.
World English Bible
Messages that go deeper
- December 15, 2019 When He Was Called, Obeyed Ray walks through Hebrews 11, showing how Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph each stepped forward in faith toward a promise they never fully received in this life.
- December 15, 2019 When He Was Called, He Obeyed Hebrews 11 traces Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph as ordinary people whose forward-looking faith in God's promises shaped history and still speaks today.
- December 8, 2019 By Faith: Abel, Enoch, and Noah Hebrews 11 traces the faith of Abel, Enoch, and Noah, showing how trusting God over what we can see shapes a life that pleases Him.
- December 8, 2019 By Faith, We Understand Hebrews 11 sermon on Abel, Enoch, and Noah showing how faith that pleases God means believing He exists and rewards those who genuinely seek Him.
- December 1, 2019 Faith Is the Assurance of Things Hoped for Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. A sermon through Hebrews 11 on what it means to live by faith, drawing from the lives of the faithful who came before us.