Our Forefathers
("Shall we let them down"?)
"I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers
with pure conscience."
(2 Tim. 1:3)
The very arguement of the religious crowd in Jesus' day was that he appeared to be disrupting the teachings of the forefathers!  Even Paul the apostle was chased around the world by people who were insistent that he was doing the same thing!  Many of the current conflicts in countries today are about the same issue...."You are trying to change us from the way of our ancestors"!  Both Christ and Paul came to fullfil the will of God fortold by Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets.

In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews we find a list of the children of faith, starting all the way back with Abel. At the close of the chapter, we find ourselves included in the list when it says, "That they without us should not be made perfect" (Heb. 11:40). How wonderful it Is to belong to this wonderful line of people and to be a member of this family of faith! All those who are saved are children of faith; their names have been added to this list in heaven. That which begins in Adam reaches forward to the eternity future.
1. THE FAITH OF OUR FOREFATHERS
All people who are saved are saved through faith. Grace is the means of salvation, and faith is the channel through which salvation comes. Hebrews 11: 1 describes faith for us. Faith is that sense of the soul that connects us to God. The eye of faith sees God; the ear of the soul hears God; the feet of the soul follow God. Our godly forefathers all died In faith and left their tracks on the trail of faith for us to follow. Let us leave our mark on the road of faith for others to follow.
2. THE FIRST-FRUITS OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The first-fruits of faith is a righteous life. These dear people placed their very lives under the principles of God Almighty, to be ruled by His principles - - not profit, position, or power. Their commitment to righteous living cost many of them their lives. Others received cruel and unjust punishment. Still, they all dIed in faith (see Heb. 11:13), looking for that eternal city whose builder and maker is God.
3. THE FUTURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
When you read the account of the earthly life of our forefathers, you don*t find much there to encourage you to follow in their footsteps. What does the life of faith offer? Are the final results worth the cost? Yes, the payday is worth it , both in this life and in the life to come. The life stories of the children of faith prove that even the suffering pays off. And, God has promised to never leave us, no matter where we are. Yes, we have a great future with our fathers of faith.