Faith is hard. It's belief in the unseen. Everyone has faith in something. God created the universe out of nothing. Humans have never and will never be able to do that. No one can do that. No one can explain that.
I. Faith in the Unseen is the basis for our hope.
“See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright--
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness" Habakkuk 2:4
Live by your faithfulness. Our faith is based on the unseen. Righteous ones will live by faith.
"And, 'But my righteous[a] one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”" Hebrews 10:38
"For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:17
II. The examples are before us.
"This is what the ancients were commended for." Hebrews 11:2
Talks about their faithfulness!
"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," Hebrews 11:32
"And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar." Matthew 23:35
If we aren't walking in faith, God isn't pleased with us. The blood falls on us who don't live by faith.
III. Faith is walking with God.
"After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters." Genesis 5:22
"This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God." Genesis 6:9
What's this mean?
Walking means time. Spending time, constant time, daily hourly, minute-by-minute kind of time.
"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:14
Constant use -- of scripture, of spiritual gifts like discernment; You want to be faithful to someone -- you spend time with them. Constantly walk with God.
IV. Without faith we cannot please God.
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hewbrews 11:6
Acknowledgement is not faith.
"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." James 2:19
Everyone will run out of time. Now is the time to walk with God.
"Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[a] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30
If you don't believe in the Unseen, the Seen is going to scare you to death!
Don't miss the boat -- meaning, don't miss Jesus!
V. Start walking with God now.
Just like the ark, Jesus is the one door.
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
Noah didn't shut the door. God shut the door. Everyone of us knows someone who hasn't walked through the door.