“Faith of our Fathers” Hebrews 11
Review
The Gospel is the power of God for everyone’s salvation. God reveals the failure of mankind to live up to His standard of righteousness resulting in wrath and alienation between God and man. God also reveals His plan to reconcile man to God through the saving work of Jesus Christ. In order to do that, God had to deal with the gigantic debt incurred against Him. He also had to arrange for a positive righteousness to our account.
The story of salvation begins in gloom and ends in glory. It begins with a rebellious creature incapable and unwilling to fellowship with God and ends with an invitation to join the glorious divine community and union of the Father Son and Holy Spirit. How does this all happen? How does God bring about such a transformation? Paul systematically lays out the process throughout his letter to the Romans. He began (1-3) by demonstrating the absolute failure of man to live according to God’s required standard. He powerfully presented God’s reconciliation plan in 3:21-31 conveying God’s willingness to offer the perfect righteousness of Christ to all those trusting in Him. Because Christ died for the sins of the ungodly, God was free to JUSTIFY the ungodly. Christ removed our moral bankruptcy by his death. By His resurrection life Christ offers to all, His perfect righteousness resulting in a glorious reconciliation with God.
The heart of the Gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures resulting in forgiveness and redemption and propitiation and the he was raised from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures resulting in justification and regeneration and reconciliation.
What is our part in this plan? Such an all-inclusive rescue must require something on our part. Scripture clearly proves that no one can or ever will be able to make up for offenses or earn favor with God through our feeble attempts to comply with the absolute standard. Since we do not have the capacity to deal with our contemptible condition, we must humbly cry for God to do what we cannot. God graciously justifies the ungodly in response to their humble trust in Christ.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph 2:8-9
The last thing man wants to admit is personal helplessness and inability. The first thing God wants to hear is our acknowledgement of complete dependence upon Him. It is a rebellious spirit of independence that got us into this dilemma in the first place.
Abraham believed in the God of resurrection and life.
Abraham believed in God’s promise in the face of improbable and impossible odds.
God strengthened him because he held to his persuasion that this Creating, life-restoring God would do exactly what he promised He would do.
God considered or credited Abraham with righteousness not because of his works but because of his humble dependence and trust in Him.
What are the elements involved in genuine faith we have learned so far?
1. Faith requires an object – God.
2. Faith involves a promise from the object of our faith.
3. Faith involves a confident expectation in the promise made.
4. Faith involves action or movement based on the confident expectation.
We act even though the fulfillment is still not realized and unseen.
5. Faith involves eventual reward or fulfillment of the promise.
If there is not immediate reward we sometimes “lose faith” in the object.
We proposed last week that everyone lives by faith everyday. All of these elements come into play with every incident of trust. When it comes to faith in God, many have “lost faith”. Many have suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith because of faulty thinking and a failure to understand the nature of God and His promises. The writer of Hebrews invites us to listen to some eyewitness testimony from those who maintained their trust in God in spite of obstacles and circumstances. Each of these Old Testament saints bears witness to God’s faithfulness to His promises.
Faith is not just the entrance pass into the Christian life it IS the Christian life.
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20
Paul links faith both to the past and to the present. Through faith he became identified with the death of Christ.
Through faith he continues to live the resurrection life. Galatians 3:1-7
Since it was our independent spirit and intentional rebellion that broke relationship with God in the first place, only a return to humble dependence and genuine trust can please Him. God included Hebrews to inspire and sustain faith in the midst of tribulation and struggle. If our confidence folds under testing it only proves its weakness and perhaps phoniness. In chapter twelve, the writer of Hebrews encouraged the readers to consider the testimony of those presented in chapter eleven so that they would continue to hang on to their trust in God no matter what raged around them.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1
“let us also” like those testifying to God’s faithfulness in chapter eleven.
They laid aside anything that might interfere with God’s agenda.
They laid aside everything that would displease God.
They continued to run toward their assigned agenda with endurance or perseverance by focusing on the God who inspires and sustains faith. This becomes a key to understanding those testifying in the previous chapter. These are significant pioneers that are included because of their faith in God. They are not here because they were great. In fact, many bore significant scars from repeated failure in their walk. The writer concluded chapter 10 with a solemn warning not to be like those who throw away their confidence and loose their reward and those who displease God by shrinking back to discipline and even destruction. He urges them not to be like the faithless exposed all through the letter but be like the cloud of faithful witnesses.
The writer begins chapter eleven with a brief but potent description of faith.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
Faith embraces future hopes as a present reality. Faith welcomes things unseen as if they were seen. This faith begins with a proper understanding of the Creator and creation.
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:3
Again, we find that a proper view of God must include the conviction that He is the God who brings something out of nothing.
The writer provides a general statement about God’s response to the faithful.
For by it the men of old gained approval (from God). Hebrews 11:2
This trust and confidence in God pleased God. In fact, according to verse six, it is impossible to please God without it. The writer calls these “men of old” to give us a brief glimpse of their experience. God reveals His response to man’s faith throughout this chapter. Keep in mind the element of faith presented earlier.
Abel , Enoch Jude 1:14-15
Without such faith no one can please God.
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
This passage reveals some further foundation elements of genuine faith.
1 – Believe in the existence of God. (Believe that He IS!)
2 – Believe in the goodness of God. (Believe that he rewards those who seek Him)
Satan continually seek to cast doubt on both of those facts. Either God doesn’t exist or God isn’t really that good. Each of these Old Testament saints firmly believed in God’s existence as the Creator. Each of them banked on his goodness and faithfulness to his promised reward.
Noah, Abraham & Sarah
Principle 11:13-16
God’s promises relate not just to time and space but eternity. Many of these saints did not receive the full impact of the promise while living. They kept their focus on the eternal God and the heavenly kingdom rather than an earthly one. Such a focus and faith pleases God. He was not ashamed to be called their God and makes and has established an eternal place for them.
Abraham, Moses’ Parents, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Judges, Kings, Prophets
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah, David, Samuel, prophets.
Kingdom conquers
Conquered kingdoms
Performed righteous acts
Obtained promises
Shut mouths of lions (Daniel)
Quenched the power of fire
Escaped the edge of the sword
Made strong in weakness
Became mighty in battle
Put foreign armies to flight
Received back their dead in resurrection
Enduring servants
Tortured
Mocked
Scourged
Chained up
Imprisoned
Stoned
Sawn in two
Put to death by the sword
Went about in rags
Destitute
Afflicted
Ill-treated
Wandered in deserts, mountains, caves and wholes in the ground
So often faith is presented as the key to health, wealth and conquering enemies. The same faith enabled others to endure unspeakable pain and darkness. In spite of these horrible circumstances they hung on to a trust in the goodness of God.
God’s evaluation? Men of whom the world was NOT worthy.
And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.11:39-40
O how we idolize the rich and famous. God honors the faithful and often obscure. God honors those who will trust Him no matter the circumstance.
Those who hear, trust and obey without all the details.
Those who hear, trust and conquer against impossible odds.
Those who hear, trust and endure inexpressible suffering and loss.
Application
What is the state of your faith? Will your faith stand the test?
Paul encouraged the Corinthians to test themselves to see if they be in the faith or not.
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? 2 Cor. 13:5
Peter talks about the testing of our faith.
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 1 Peter 1:6-7
Consider those who have obeyed, conquered, endured. Do you believe that God exists and will reward those who embrace Him? Are you clear about His promises? Do your fully expect God to do what He said He would do? Are you stepping out in obedience?
Only such a life pleases God and results in the promised reward.
