THE 11/11 FACTOR (From Mark 11 & Hebrews 11) A LESSON ON RECEIVING

Before you can conceive, you first have to believe.

You receive whatever you conceive.

Conceiving comes through conversation and intimacy.

In conversation you ask and receive.

To receive your promise you must embrace your seed.

To receive your promise you must say you have it.

To receive in the end you must believe to the end.

Mark 11:22-24  22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

HEBBREWS 11: 11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 

BELIEVE, CONCEIVE RECEIVE

Mark 11 (THE FIRST 11) teaches to believe God, and then have a conversation with God and others (including what stands in the way,) about what you are believing.  Believe that you receive them right there.  The bible says if you do this you will have what you say!  That's what the bible teaches.

This is not some formulaic robotic speech that I'm talking about.  When you truly believe you will say what's in your heart!

"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks! (Luke 6:45b)

Hebrews 11 (THE 2ND 11)  shows two things:

1.  A promise must be conceived and a promise must be carried. At the end of the gestation period you receive the promise.

2.  Sarah believed God that she was able and faithful and brought to birth a promise that came years later at a time when it was literally impossible to receive and yet it came.

HOW LONG?  (AS LONG AS IT TAKES!)

Hebrews 11 also teaches how long to believe God for something. Abraham and Sarah believed for close to 100 years!  They were a young couple when they left their home land and Sarah became pregnant at 99 years old!  Abraham never saw his promise fulfilled on earth with his natural eyes and yet it was fulfilled.  There are some things you may not see this side of heaven but that doesn't mean they won't be done!  If you can't believe until death, you aren't really believing!

If you haven't believed for 100 years, you aren't qualified for Hebrews 11 faith!  That's not something people like to hear yet it's where God wants us to walk!

HEBREWS 11:  13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

DON'T HAVE LAZY FAITH

Some may use the above passage as an excuse to get lazy in faith but Abraham never got lazy in faith. He believed the promise of God during his walk and did not become lazy in faith saying, "Oh everything will come to pass in heaven!"  Remember this did not come to pass in heaven. It came to pass on earth. It was Abraham that was in heaven yet his people were on earth walking in the promises he believed God for!  Don't ever give up.... no not ever!  Abraham believed God and walked it out! Along the way he glorified God with his mouth!  We have to do the same!

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; (Romans 4:20)

If God has given you specific timing then it will surely come to pass by that time.  Here are some examples:

• Sarah was told about when she would deliver Isaac.
• Mary was told approximately when she would deliver Jesus!
• Daniel was told Babylonian captivity would last 70 years and was also given end time secrets on timing!

Those are only a few!

MORE ON 11- THE SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL

Hebrews also gives us the summary of it all in verse 1.  Faith is now.  Now we believe and now we receive.

There are things God has promised that we can have now!  We should walk about in health, love, love, joy, peace, and prosperity now!  We should walk around with the fruits of the Spirit now! We should see the evidence of God's work in our lives now! The Holy Spirit lives inside of us now and his power is available now!  Faith is now and the promises of God are now!  We have to believe that we receive NOW!

HEBREWS 11:1 NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

But, there were many others that were not given timing and the requirement to receive was to believe until the end.  There are some things that God has timing for and you will have to wait on God's timing!  If you walk away from the promise even before death you will never receive it but if you believe to the end, you will surely receive!

And that my friend is my 11/11 FACTOR in a nutshell!

THE TOUCH OF GOD (PART 1):  Those that walked with Jesus were able to touch and handle him and experience the reality of his personhood on the earth both before and after his resurrection.  They were there with him. Just as God had walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, they were able to walk and talk and touch Jesus on the earth. They saw him perform miracles and they saw him touch people with his life and power. They saw, touched and handled him both before and after the resurrection.  In the same way they were able to touch him and experience him, so we can today!

Today, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the throne of God and is alive and well. He is every bit as much a real person today as he was then.  In the same way they saw him, felt him and were able to actually touch him, so we can see him move, feel his touch and handle him through the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us.

Here's what the apostle John said: 

1 John 1:1-3  That which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life- 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us- 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

The bible says that Jesus was the Word of God.  Jesus was the full embodiment of everything the Word of God is.  John 1:1 says that Jesus is the Word and the Word became flesh.

John 1

The Eternal Word

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 

4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

When we handle the Word of God, we are handling a living Word, the life of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit illuminates that Word and it comes to life.  One of the first things we can do to ensure the continual touch of God in our lives, is to accept him as Lord of our life, which allows the Holy Spirit to come inside of us. 

He then leads and guides us into all truth bringing the Word to life. As we read the Word and embrace it, we are embracing all Jesus is and we are embracing all of God's truth.

This happens accepting the eternal life offered through him.  We then turn to his Word as light, truth and life.  As we accept that Word as truth we begin to touch, feel, experience him and we live freely through the manifested life of Jesus Christ.  He becomes as much a reality to us as he was to them.  Amen! 

That living Word which they touched, handled, experienced, and lived among is still touching and living among us today!

In the same way they walked with him and talked with him, so we can through him and his living Word!  Praise God!