And that is our calling today. We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:9). To blast a person may be truthful, but it is not loving. Enoch was taken soon after Adam had died. But they must have had some faith. By faith he preached when no one would listen. So, this was soon after the death of Adam, and before any of the other patriarchs died. What I am about to say will probably sound obvious (Duh!). What they did, they did by faith. Check reviews on By Faith Sermons on Hebrews 11 from Reformers Bookshop: Endorsement'As an expositor of Scripture I regard Manton with unmingled admiration. How do I know that? You are at peace in the presence of God, because you have nothing to hide from Him. So, to walk with God means that we go where He is going. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made out of things which do appear. The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (John 1:14). This is confirmed by a prophecy given by Enoch, that is quoted and preserved for us in the New Testament. Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-4 Denomination: Baptist Summary: Every body has some type of faith, people have faith in many different things, when we get into our car we have faith that it will crank and get us to our destination, we have faith that our doctor knows what he or she is doing, every body has this mindse 1 2 3 4 Next "WHAT IS FAITH?" What else could compare with this? Each story fills out the picture. And that of course is the thing that ultimately matters about us all. The second is (p. 249), a proving of (or conviction about) unseen things.. By Faith - Sermon on Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-12 Leave a reply Last week we discovered that God's vision in creation is to be with us. Your world changes. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. It did for three men: Abel, Enoch, and Noah. These elements of relationships also apply to our relationship with God. 2:4). And were all in it for the same reasonto fuel the churchs mission of making disciples. Until recently, the nearly universal voice of the Church was the traditional view that God created all from nothing. The Creator of heaven and earth; the sovereign Lord of the universe is your heavenly Father, and He is so intensely interested in you, so intimately involved in your life, that He would choose to walk with you! I know you believe. Most of us will be taken through the river. Behind every support specialist, Bible study editor, graphic designer, and accountant is a Sunday School teacher, kids volunteer, or small group leader. That means more than that heaven is a place of great happiness. 4 By faith Abel offered to God. Walking involves movement in a particular direction. If you feed your flesh and your doubts, they will grow. And in the light of that Enoch walked with God. Verse 1 says that faith has substance. Faith is tangible, even though it is invisible. J.D. No one ever comes back from the other world to tell us of how things are there. This was Gods provision for multiplying the human population in its earliest generations. Sermon: Living By Faith in God - Hebrews 11. While we should never be needlessly offensive toward people, our focus should not be on pleasing people, but on pleasing God, who examines our hearts (1 Thess. Our Savior broke the power of death when He rose from the grave. He wanted to prove to the world that there is reality in dealing with the living God. The "end" is often the culmination of a lifetime pursuit of intimacy with God. God had brought them through these hard times which included the loss of their property and being made homeless. Every day Lisa and David Holden asked God for a baby. 4:15). It punctured the van's gas tank and set off an explosion that ripped a hole through the backseat floor. "You gotta come down and defend the faith, Brother." It has to change the way we live. And it is Gods approval that counts, since He is the judge of the living and the dead! To ensure you receive the best experience on Lifeway.com, we use cookies to process information about your visit. The constant, conscious enjoyment of the presence of God that, by faith, is possible for you now is a taste, an anticipation of the joys that will be yours forever in heaven. This is not good work. Hebrews 11:8 Sermons: By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. Without faith it is impossible to please Him (11:6). In any case he walked with God for 300 years. Ha! Hebrews 11 New International Version Faith in Action 11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This grim reality runs like a relentless drumbeat throughout the chapter. According to Hebrews 11, faith is believing that God exists, that he rewards those who seek him and that we can hope in him because his promises will always be true. It's the faith. We learn from them that: The story of Cain and Abel, recorded in Genesis 4, is a tale that is so well known that many people who never read the Bible know that Cain killed Abel. were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. This is the first of 19 uses of by faith in this chapter. Why did Moses do what he did? We know that for sure from his prophecy recorded in Jude, but there may also be a hint of this in the name Enoch chose for his son. Abel found the righteousness that comes by faith. The order is crucial: first the man, then the offering. Therefore, at all times, we must cling to Christ as our Savior. God gave his one and only Son as the sacrifice for our sins. 2:8-9). But when you believe in His Word about salvation, you gain understanding about the origins of the ages that makes everything in history fall into place. Abel was commended as righteous because of a sacrifice that God accepted. Have Faith, Hebrews 11:1-3 - September 5th, 2021. 1. THE FEEDING OF FAITH: You are not born with faith as you need to have it. You are watching the official sermon video of Sierra Bible Church. That's a good statement any way you look at it, and it gains new poignancy after the sudden death of Tim Russert. So faith is the means of realizing spiritual reality and of gaining Gods approval. What is the characteristic that binds all these triumphs/victories together? The text says it is the substance of things hoped for. Pew Forum director Luis Lugo says, "You no longer have an alignment of affiliation, belief and behavior. Adam and Eve disobeyed a single command in the Garden. Adam and Eve chose a different vision. Let me apply verse 2 in two ways. Campuses in Arlington Heights, Barrington, Itasca, Marengo, Northfield, and Vernon Hills. This means that the Son is Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. You cant walk with someone when you are hiding from them. Augustine said, "O Lord, you have made us for yourself. Our faith substantiates what we hope for, thus giving us assurance that they are true. By faith he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen (11:27). Faith or trust in God is at the foundation of a relationship with Him. God rewards those who seek Him (Heb 11:6). Therefore, now is a good time to tackle the subject of faith. 2/19/2023 Pastor Tom Harper presents a message entitled "Faith That Works" - Hebrews 11. To walk with God is to live in a constant, conscious enjoyment of the presence of God. On the other hand, sinners are unable to believe because of spiritual blindness (2 Cor. Abels sacrifice of a lamb from the flock points forward to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Finally, By faith we understand that the ages [lit.] From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. Independent/Bible. It is a central doctrine of both the Hebrews and Christians that God created the universe out of nothing (ex nihilo). And we must exercise the faith we have or it will begin to wither and die on the vine. After telling us about Enoch who walked with God, Hebrews says, Whoever would draw near to God.. The first verse of the Bible hits us squarely with a vital fact: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. You cannot begin to understand yourself, other people, world history, or God if you reject the early chapters of Genesis. You hear, touch and smell things that you miss in the car. The author refers to them, although not by name, in 11:34 (quenched the power of fire). It is about the faith and that faith must be in Jesus. Here we see another side of the life of faith. 9:4; 11:17), and three times in Hebrews (1:3; 3:14; and here). For 120 years he preached the truth and called the society around him to repentance. But I often see people violate this principle in their personal relationships, causing much damage. There is clearly a reference here to God revealing His name to Moses. In The Greenville (SC) News, (June 24, 2008) a story about a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life portrays our nation as one of "free-flowing spirituality" with a declining adherence to dogma "stunning." Hebrews 11:1-6. . The early chapters of Genesis chart the growth of sin in the world and its devastating effects. In ancient times the Jews considered Abraham to be almost worthy of their worship. Either way, it is Christ who will take us up, and we will be at home with Him. Ultimately, this will undermine the relationship, because it erodes trust. If wickedness had filled the earth by the time of Noah, you can be sure that it was running rampant in the time of Enoch. Seth lived 912 years (Gen 5:8). 2Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. Dont go looking for a God of your own imagination. Noah's faith saved his entire family. You become a father, or a mother, and you find yourself saying, God has given me this wonderful gift and if I am to raise this child in this ungodly world, I need strength. It has the idea of a "foundation or basis. The word also is used as a technical term for the unity of the Trinity, although this is not what is implied here. Pink says that the name Methuselah can mean, When he is dead, it shall be sent. He suggests that perhaps Enoch gave his son this unusual name, because God had revealed to him that when Methuselah died, the flood would come. He's Where the Joy Is by Tara-Leigh Cobble, Black Church Leadership & Family Conference. Faith says, "I believe God. But if you want to savor a place and enjoy it, get out of the car and go for a walk. All we need is the courage to do what Noah did and to believe what God has said. Why? When He sends difficult trials into our lives, whether persecution, the loss of our health, or the loss of a loved one, we have to trust Him, believing that He is acting in love to form Christ in us. Hebrews uses the word three times. All the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died (Gen 5:11). How could he do that? "It's the faith, Brother." 12:2). This ancient story may seem a long way from the realities of your life today. I am sure there are some people to whom God has given such grace that believing is never a challenge, even in the midst of extreme circumstances. That parable serves as a useful backdrop to our text last week (10:32-29), where the author urges his readers on to enduring faith. David says, at your right hand there are pleasures forever more (Psa 16:11). To go back to Howard Fineman's quote, it's all about pursuing (a great biblical concept) the one true God. That's what the phrase "by faith" (repeated over and over again in this chapter) is all about. I think we take faith for granted. As it is difficult to directly translate into English because it has many meanings, we must look at the context here. Faith is the telescope that brings the future promises of God into present focus. We are not a very trusting people. In November of 1994, Scott and Janet Willis, along with their six children, were traveling in their minivan from their home on the south side of Chicago to Milwaukee on Interstate 94. Yet, God passionately pursues us at great cost. Faith taken seriously makes a difference in our world and changes the way we live. C. H. Spurgeon at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens. It is the relationship you have with Jesus. We think it's easy to believe and easy to keep believing, but it's not - not for most of us. You will not share personal information because you are afraid that the person will use it in a way that damages you. It proves the reality of the unseen world. The Popular Commentary by Paul E. Kretzmann - Hebrews 11:23-29. Hebrews 11 demonstrates that the life of faith is not a rarity. It is possible to walk with God, in a world that defies Him. 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. People who spoke against God. Saving faith comes as Gods gift, not as a human effort (Eph. We're sorry, an error occurred. It is the doorway through which we enter the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because he was looking to the reward (11:26). As bad as things are, they were worse in Noah's day. Offering the lamb was a sign that Abel was trusting in Gods promise. The biblical view, that the eternal God spoke it into existence, is based on faith, but not on blind faith. Perhaps he was like many men who don't get serious until they look into the face of their firstborn son or daughter. It is like the sound of a train on the tracks when it gets up to speed, and he died, and he died, and he died.. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. They knew what death was because they had seen it in the animals, but when the first man died, all of the others knew this is what will happen to me! The subjective understanding is, faith means being confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see. An objective understanding is, faith means the reality of the goods hoped for, (Helmut Koster, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. And that's why we've got to take it seriously. I will seek to clarify the meaning of the verse as I understand it, but I admit that my understanding may be limited. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Heb 11:6). Yes, it is. It is important to define or give substance to such an abstract noun as faith. As Jonathan Edwards said as his final words, Trust in God and you need not fear (Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography, Iain Murray [Banner of Truth], p. 441). It is a willingness to trust in, to rely on, and to cling to. There is also the realm of the spirit, the invisible spiritual kingdom of God. While the term is roughly equivalent to world, it allows for what modern science has established, that time is related to matter. It renders the first phrase (p. 847), in faith things hoped for become realized (or, reality). You can only understand that by faith, because no one was there to observe it. *Indicated Required Field See ourPrivacy Policy. Taken seriously, makes a difference, changes the way we live. They were not to cast away their confidence which brought such great reward. A central doctrine of both the Hebrews and Christians that God created the heavens and the.... Is about the faith and that of course is the courage to do what Noah did to! 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