Pleasing God

Hebrews 11:6

There has got to be a God given knowledge of what is desired in the finished product before there can be faith. Having this knowledge without acting on that knowledge is a dead faith and does no good at all. James 2:17 - Faith without works is dead, being alone. Acting on that God given knowledge is living faith. God will give the results.


The practical implications of pleasing God involves doing what God tells you to do. God will tell you what to do from his Bible. Reading the Bible is when God speaks to you, praying is when you are speaking to God. Don’t have a one-way conversation!


See the practical thing in everyday life in Hebrews 11 that these various people did.


  1. Definition of Faith.

    1. I heard a person say the other day that faith is having confidence in an airplane pilot, or that faith is having confidence the person driving the car you are in, or faith is having confidence in the person driving the car you are meeting.

    2. I have heard wives say they have faith in their husbands, and husbands say they have faith in their wives.

    3. I believe the above scenarios are misusing the word faith.

    4. Instead of using the word faith, the word confidence should be used. I have confidence in the airplane pilot; I have confidence in the person driving the car I am in; I have confidence in the person driving the car I am meeting.

    5. I like to say that faith is believing and acting on what God has said.

      1. James 2:14-26 - There is no faith if all we do is to believe what God says, if we don't take any action because of what He said.

      2. James 2:17 - Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

    6. There is a difference in having faith and making a prediction.

      1. A farmer would have to make a prediction about the future crop in order to plant and harvest a crop, but that is not faith.

      2. A retail businessman would have to make a prediction about what kind of product to stock, the price to charge, so forth.

      3. The difference in making a prediction and faith is that a prediction is based on data that isn't available when the decision must be made, but faith is believing what God said.

    7. There is a difference between having faith and gambling.

      1. Both living by faith and gambling is working in the unknown.

      2. The gambler is working to increase the odds in his favor, but the person living in faith is trusting God.

      3. The gambler is hoping to strike it rich so he will have plenty of money and won't have to worry for the rest of his life.

      4. The person living by faith has already struck it rich, as the one who supplies for him owns the cattle on a thousand hills and is able to supply everything when it is needed.

    8. Heb. 11:1 - Faith is believing what God said. To find out if you have faith or not, see if there is a scripture attached to your belief.

      1. If you want more faith, then know more of what God said, and believe more of what God said.

      2. Notice that faith is a substance (something solid), there is evidence (the evidence is the Word of God) it will come to pass, even though we can't "see it"!

      3. Faith is not a thing floating around in the air, or something we can't see or understand.

      4. Faith is something you can reach out and touch, knowing it will happen.


  1. The nature of faith is that it is a trial.

    1. The nature of faith is that it is looking forward to that which you do not have.

      1. When you finally have that which you have looked forward to, it is no longer faith, but sight.

      2. I Corinthians 13:13 – This is why sight will replace faith.

      3. Hope will be replace by reality.

      4. Love will never be replaced, because God is love.

      5. Sight is better than faith, not living by sight NOW, but live by faith now.

    2. Faith is not feeling.

      1. Luke 17:5 – This is why the disciples asked for more faith. They wanted more feelings. They didn’t understand the nature of faith.

      2. Romans 10:17 – Your faith can increase. The more you know about the Bible, the more faith you will have.

      3. Luke 11:8 – This is why the man continued to beat on the door of his neighbor at midnight. He knew He would arise and give him what he wanted.

  2. Examples of faith given in Hebrews 11.

    1. Believing the worlds were framed by the Word of God.

    2. Enoch.

    3. Noah.

    4. Abraham.

    5. Moses.