WEBVTT 00:00:13.429 --> 00:00:17.589 Take your Bibles, if you would. Turn to Hebrews 00:00:17.589 --> 00:00:24.989 chapter 11. We are nearing the end, and you'll 00:00:24.989 --> 00:00:27.609 be wondering why I said that in a couple of months 00:00:27.609 --> 00:00:32.240 when we're still not there yet. Only three or 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:35.179 four chapters to go, 11, 12, and 13, three chapters 00:00:35.179 --> 00:00:39.000 to go. So we're nearing the end of our study 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:44.039 on the book of Hebrews. Pray for us as we continue 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:49.880 to prepare these messages. We're about to get 00:00:49.880 --> 00:00:51.719 into a chapter, I think, that if you were to 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:53.960 ask most people about the book of Hebrews, this 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:55.700 would be one of the chapters that they would 00:00:55.700 --> 00:00:58.619 be familiar with. It's been referred to as God's 00:00:58.619 --> 00:01:03.789 hall of faith. We're gonna meet or be reintroduced 00:01:03.789 --> 00:01:06.909 to several people throughout the course of this 00:01:06.909 --> 00:01:11.430 chapter that displayed faith in their lives and 00:01:11.430 --> 00:01:15.269 were thus, as we're gonna see, commended by God 00:01:15.269 --> 00:01:19.709 as righteous. Anyway, I hope that it'll be an 00:01:19.709 --> 00:01:22.989 interesting time for us. But I kinda wanna back 00:01:22.989 --> 00:01:28.430 up and pick up where we left off last week. And 00:01:28.430 --> 00:01:33.129 again, great message over these last few verses 00:01:33.129 --> 00:01:36.670 of Hebrews chapter 10. One of the things that 00:01:36.670 --> 00:01:38.209 I think we need to understand and one of the 00:01:38.209 --> 00:01:39.909 things that the writer of Hebrews is trying to 00:01:39.909 --> 00:01:43.370 help the people that he is writing to encourage 00:01:43.370 --> 00:01:49.049 understand is that the Christian life is a life 00:01:49.049 --> 00:01:54.189 of patient endurance. You know, if you were to 00:01:54.189 --> 00:01:57.159 be asked, to describe the Christian life. What 00:01:57.159 --> 00:01:59.760 is the Christian life supposed to be? I don't 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:02.579 know that that would be the first thing on your 00:02:02.579 --> 00:02:05.200 list, that the life of a Christian is one of 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:08.659 patient endurance. But indeed, it is. The difficulties 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:11.319 that we're being experienced by these early church 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:14.319 members are difficulties that we continue to 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:16.900 experience today. And as a matter of fact, that 00:02:16.900 --> 00:02:20.699 every Christian experiences in one fashion or 00:02:20.699 --> 00:02:24.159 another. We are together. waiting for the return 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:28.639 of Christ, right? And so we wait patiently for 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:32.060 Christ to return. I have no doubt as I read the 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:34.979 writings of the Apostle Paul that there was a 00:02:34.979 --> 00:02:37.800 time in Paul's life when he was absolutely confident 00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:40.240 that Christ was going to come back before he 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:44.020 died. It seems in his later writings that his 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:47.080 mind, of course, had been changed about that 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:50.280 a little bit. But I think that every generation 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:55.879 of believers should live with this expectation, 00:02:56.300 --> 00:02:59.620 this confident expectation that Christ could 00:02:59.620 --> 00:03:01.560 come back at any moment, that this just might 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:06.479 be the day. And so we wait, we patiently wait 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:09.860 for the return of our great high priest and king. 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.159 And then in the process of waiting, we don't 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:17.759 simply wait, but we live, we live our lives and 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:21.539 we seek to live lives that will honor him. That's 00:03:21.539 --> 00:03:24.699 the big change that has taken place in your life 00:03:24.699 --> 00:03:26.360 since you became a Christian. And it doesn't 00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:28.560 really matter at what point in your life you 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:31.020 became a Christian. I shared today in my life 00:03:31.020 --> 00:03:33.979 group that for those of us who were saved as 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:39.180 adults, who had experienced some of life's evils 00:03:39.180 --> 00:03:43.719 and... troubles, sometimes the change that takes 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:46.219 place when a person becomes a Christian is more 00:03:46.219 --> 00:03:49.620 readily evident. Often when you are young, and 00:03:49.620 --> 00:03:51.719 there was one at the table this morning who was 00:03:51.719 --> 00:03:53.879 only eight years old when she became a Christian, 00:03:55.419 --> 00:03:58.860 the change, it may not be quite so evident there 00:03:58.860 --> 00:04:01.719 because not much of life has been experienced 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:05.219 at that point. But nonetheless, the one thing 00:04:05.219 --> 00:04:07.400 that is true for any believer, no matter when 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:10.180 you were saved, is that suddenly now you are 00:04:10.180 --> 00:04:12.219 transformed. You are changed from this person 00:04:12.219 --> 00:04:18.620 who is living solely to gratify myself, living 00:04:18.620 --> 00:04:22.680 a purely selfish life. Suddenly you are now a 00:04:22.680 --> 00:04:25.379 person who is now living for the Lord Jesus Christ 00:04:25.379 --> 00:04:28.139 and desiring to bring honor and glory to him. 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:30.720 And suddenly you are living a life that wants 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:34.379 to be a help and a benefit to others as much 00:04:34.379 --> 00:04:37.879 as you are able to do so. So there is this great 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:42.459 transformation that takes place. And we are currently 00:04:42.459 --> 00:04:45.240 living that life, seeking to live lives that 00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:48.360 honor Him. And in the process of that, as we 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:50.800 live lives desiring to honor the Lord, as we 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:54.319 patiently wait for His return, the Scriptures 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:57.680 are clear that we will experience hardship of 00:04:57.680 --> 00:04:59.980 every kind. I think that comes as kind of a shock 00:04:59.980 --> 00:05:03.540 to some Christians. It shouldn't, right? Not 00:05:03.540 --> 00:05:07.620 if you've lived any time at all. Life is difficult. 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:10.800 The situations that we find ourselves in, the 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:14.240 circumstances that confront us, are difficult. 00:05:14.540 --> 00:05:18.819 The songs that we sang this morning were absolutely 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:22.579 consistent with the theme of the message this 00:05:22.579 --> 00:05:26.199 morning. Life can be very hard. Again, scripture 00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:28.379 tells us that it will be. We will experience 00:05:28.379 --> 00:05:31.339 difficulties in life. regardless of whether or 00:05:31.339 --> 00:05:33.839 not we are Christians, just like anybody else 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:37.699 will. And beyond that, Christians experience 00:05:37.699 --> 00:05:40.759 something that I believe non -Christians never 00:05:40.759 --> 00:05:44.740 experience, and that's persecution. We are persecuted 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:48.019 as a result of our desire to follow Christ. And 00:05:48.019 --> 00:05:50.259 that's what was happening with these early believers 00:05:50.259 --> 00:05:53.579 in the book of Hebrews. They were experiencing 00:05:53.579 --> 00:05:56.800 that persecution that comes from desiring to 00:05:56.800 --> 00:06:00.709 follow Christ. Wholeheartedly of course Paul 00:06:00.709 --> 00:06:03.689 tells Timothy in 2nd Timothy 2 10 through 12 00:06:03.689 --> 00:06:05.750 that you know Of course he talks about his own 00:06:05.750 --> 00:06:09.110 suffering his own enduring of hardships and suffering 00:06:09.110 --> 00:06:12.050 And then he says and by the way everybody who 00:06:12.050 --> 00:06:14.730 desires to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer 00:06:14.730 --> 00:06:19.240 persecution So again, don't be caught by surprise 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:22.579 when difficulties arise. This is what the Christian 00:06:22.579 --> 00:06:24.819 life is all about. It is a life of endurance. 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:27.199 That's why we need the Lord Jesus in our lives. 00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:29.980 That's why we need the Holy Spirit of God dwelling 00:06:29.980 --> 00:06:33.779 within us to guide us and to convict us of sin. 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:38.180 We need all of these things because life is hard. 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:39.939 And of course, the writer of Hebrews has just 00:06:39.939 --> 00:06:43.939 reminded his readers, that what they need in 00:06:43.939 --> 00:06:47.279 order to patiently endure through the difficulties 00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:49.579 of this life as we await the return of Jesus 00:06:49.579 --> 00:06:52.220 Christ is faith. You remember, that's what we 00:06:52.220 --> 00:06:55.680 ended with last week. Let me read these words 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:59.199 to you, beginning in verse 34 of Hebrews chapter 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:03.300 10. He says, for you had compassion on those 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:05.300 in prison, you joyfully accepted the plundering 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:07.660 of your property since you knew that you yourselves 00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:11.980 had a better position and an abiding one. these 00:07:11.980 --> 00:07:14.920 difficulties were already the present experience 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:19.579 of these believers. And he says, therefore, do 00:07:19.579 --> 00:07:22.360 not throw away your confidence, which has a great 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:25.699 reward, for you have need of endurance. In other 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:29.939 words, you have endured and you have need of 00:07:29.939 --> 00:07:33.160 endurance. In other words, hardship, difficulty, 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.480 suffering is not something that will just be 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:38.620 a one -time thing in the life of a Christian. 00:07:38.889 --> 00:07:41.230 It'll be an ongoing thing. You have need of endurance, 00:07:41.649 --> 00:07:44.129 continuing endurance, so that when you've done 00:07:44.129 --> 00:07:46.910 the will of God, you may receive what is promised. 00:07:47.009 --> 00:07:48.889 And then, of course, he takes those verses from 00:07:48.889 --> 00:07:51.490 the Old Testament, for yet a little while, and 00:07:51.490 --> 00:07:55.529 the coming one will come and not delay. So again, 00:07:56.310 --> 00:07:59.350 the writer encouraging us and his readers to 00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:01.490 remember that Jesus has made a promise to us 00:08:01.490 --> 00:08:03.050 that he's going to come again, he's going to 00:08:03.050 --> 00:08:05.649 receive us unto himself, so that where he is, 00:08:05.829 --> 00:08:09.990 there we may be also. We need to live every day 00:08:09.990 --> 00:08:12.930 in light of that promise. Assured that Christ 00:08:12.930 --> 00:08:18.430 will keep his word. He is going to come and take 00:08:18.430 --> 00:08:21.730 us home to be with him. The coming one will come. 00:08:21.850 --> 00:08:25.629 He will not delay. And then this quotation or 00:08:25.629 --> 00:08:28.209 this citation of Habakkuk two verse four that 00:08:28.209 --> 00:08:32.990 says, but my righteous one shall live by faith. 00:08:33.610 --> 00:08:37.870 So again, how is it that we will effectively 00:08:39.179 --> 00:08:41.700 endure patiently as we await the coming of Christ 00:08:41.700 --> 00:08:44.779 and we confront or we face the struggles of this 00:08:44.779 --> 00:08:47.840 life? Well, it's through our faith. The righteous 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:49.919 ones will live by faith. And of course, this 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:51.720 is a statement that Martin Luther discovered. 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:54.139 He read it in Paul's writings. Paul quotes it 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:58.720 in Romans. Martin Luther, and often this was 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:00.440 the struggle with Martin Luther, and it's a struggle 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:02.860 with people today. When we begin talking about 00:09:02.860 --> 00:09:08.710 faith, there is this whole... debate that then 00:09:08.710 --> 00:09:14.250 ensues. Well is it faith or is it works? Of course 00:09:14.250 --> 00:09:17.549 the writer of Hebrews says it's faith. Paul says 00:09:17.549 --> 00:09:20.490 it's faith. My righteous ones will live by faith. 00:09:20.629 --> 00:09:24.409 Martin Luther had learned that salvation came 00:09:24.409 --> 00:09:28.029 as a result of faith plus works. And yet he also 00:09:28.029 --> 00:09:31.690 knew because he was an honest man that His works 00:09:31.690 --> 00:09:37.090 would never be good enough or of enough significance 00:09:37.090 --> 00:09:41.909 or quantity to merit the salvation of God. And 00:09:41.909 --> 00:09:45.009 what a glorious relief it was to him to find 00:09:45.009 --> 00:09:47.429 out that his righteousness, his salvation was 00:09:47.429 --> 00:09:51.210 not the result of his own works, his own performance, 00:09:52.009 --> 00:09:55.250 but it was by faith, faith. in God's Son. It 00:09:55.250 --> 00:09:57.470 says if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure 00:09:57.470 --> 00:09:59.549 in him. But then he finishes with this wonderful 00:09:59.549 --> 00:10:02.710 verse. Neil referred to it as a pastoral verse. 00:10:02.870 --> 00:10:04.710 You know, as pastors, we want to encourage our 00:10:04.710 --> 00:10:06.350 congregations. We want to encourage the people 00:10:06.350 --> 00:10:08.990 around us. There comes a time, as the writer 00:10:08.990 --> 00:10:11.710 of Hebrews does here, that we need to issue warnings. 00:10:12.629 --> 00:10:15.409 We need to be faithful to the word of God, and 00:10:15.409 --> 00:10:18.169 often the word of God is a warning to us, as 00:10:18.169 --> 00:10:20.370 this text that Neil preached last week was a 00:10:20.370 --> 00:10:24.730 warning. But then he closes with this word of 00:10:24.730 --> 00:10:26.950 assurance or reassurance, but we are not of those 00:10:26.950 --> 00:10:31.529 who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those 00:10:31.529 --> 00:10:34.289 who have faith. In other words, why do we not 00:10:34.289 --> 00:10:37.350 shrink back? Why are we not destroyed? Why is 00:10:37.350 --> 00:10:41.490 it that God will never say to us, I have no pleasure 00:10:41.490 --> 00:10:44.190 in you, you don't please me? Well, it's because 00:10:44.190 --> 00:10:47.090 we're a people of faith. Because of that, we 00:10:47.090 --> 00:10:51.230 preserve our souls or our souls are Preserved 00:10:51.230 --> 00:10:53.889 and so now we're going to get into chapter 11. 00:10:53.909 --> 00:10:55.830 This is where we're going to pick up this morning 00:10:55.830 --> 00:10:59.429 And we're going to talk about this whole idea 00:10:59.429 --> 00:11:03.409 of faith what faith is or at least to a certain 00:11:03.409 --> 00:11:07.049 degree what faith is and how we see faith lived 00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:11.409 out in the lives of God's people and let me just 00:11:11.409 --> 00:11:16.450 say this before we read faith is essential if 00:11:16.450 --> 00:11:19.190 We are going to triumph over our trials. All 00:11:19.190 --> 00:11:22.490 right Trials are going to come. Suffering is 00:11:22.490 --> 00:11:25.610 going to come. Hardship is a reality in everyone's 00:11:25.610 --> 00:11:28.830 life. But if we're gonna triumph over these trials, 00:11:29.330 --> 00:11:32.309 we will do so by faith. 1 John 5 .4 says this, 00:11:32.470 --> 00:11:35.470 for everyone who has been born of God overcomes 00:11:35.470 --> 00:11:38.529 the world. Let that be a comfort to you today. 00:11:39.809 --> 00:11:42.370 Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the 00:11:42.370 --> 00:11:44.529 world. And this is the victory that has overcome 00:11:44.529 --> 00:11:48.389 the world. What? Our faith. It is our faith. 00:11:48.669 --> 00:11:51.070 that is the victory that has overcome the world. 00:11:51.149 --> 00:11:53.049 So we're gonna talk about faith today. What is 00:11:53.049 --> 00:11:57.610 faith? People have answered that question over 00:11:57.610 --> 00:12:00.049 the years. Martin Luther said this. He said, 00:12:00.049 --> 00:12:03.169 faith is a living, daring confidence in God's 00:12:03.169 --> 00:12:06.730 grace. So sure and certain that a man could stake 00:12:06.730 --> 00:12:12.009 his life on it a thousand times. Saint Augustine 00:12:12.009 --> 00:12:14.649 defined faith this way. He said, faith is to 00:12:14.649 --> 00:12:18.129 believe on the word of God. What we do not see 00:12:18.129 --> 00:12:21.950 and its reward is to see and enjoy what we believe. 00:12:22.830 --> 00:12:24.590 That kind of is in keeping with what we're gonna 00:12:24.590 --> 00:12:27.909 read here in Hebrews. And then a much more contemporary 00:12:27.909 --> 00:12:30.669 commentator, Warren Wiersbie, says this. He says, 00:12:30.850 --> 00:12:33.950 true Bible faith is confident obedience to God's 00:12:33.950 --> 00:12:37.769 word in spite of circumstances and consequences. 00:12:39.950 --> 00:12:43.539 Strong statement about faith. Confident obedience 00:12:43.539 --> 00:12:46.419 to God's word. We're gonna follow Jesus no matter 00:12:46.419 --> 00:12:49.279 what. We're gonna obey the word of God no matter 00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:51.360 what, in spite of our circumstances, in spite 00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:55.799 of the consequences. So let's take a look this 00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:57.399 morning at Hebrews chapter 11. We're gonna read 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:01.220 the first seven verses and we'll see what the 00:13:01.220 --> 00:13:03.240 Lord has to say about faith this morning. So 00:13:03.240 --> 00:13:05.240 please, if you don't have a Bible with you or 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:07.580 a device, follow along on the screens at the 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:11.750 front of the auditorium. Hebrews 11. beginning 00:13:11.750 --> 00:13:15.210 in verse one. Now faith is the assurance of things 00:13:15.210 --> 00:13:19.529 hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 00:13:20.230 --> 00:13:24.570 For by it, the people of old received their commendation. 00:13:25.090 --> 00:13:27.710 By faith, we understand that the universe was 00:13:27.710 --> 00:13:30.830 created by the word of God, so that what is seen 00:13:30.830 --> 00:13:33.250 was not made out of things that are visible. 00:13:34.149 --> 00:13:37.620 By faith, and by the way, We're gonna see those 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:39.799 two words recurring over and over and over again 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:41.940 throughout this chapter. By faith, by faith, 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:45.679 by faith. By faith, Abel offered to God a more 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:48.279 acceptable sacrifice than Cain through which 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:51.639 he was commended as righteous. God commending 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:55.899 him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, 00:13:56.340 --> 00:14:01.080 though he died, he still speaks. By faith, Enoch 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:03.919 was taken up so that he should not see death. 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:06.820 and he was not found because God had taken him. 00:14:07.240 --> 00:14:11.000 Now before he was taken, he was commended as 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:14.740 having pleased God. Without faith, it is impossible 00:14:14.740 --> 00:14:17.639 to please him, for whoever would draw near to 00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:21.299 God must believe that he exists and that he rewards 00:14:21.299 --> 00:14:25.259 those who seek him. By faith, Noah, being warned 00:14:25.259 --> 00:14:29.539 by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent 00:14:29.539 --> 00:14:32.480 fear, constructed an ark for the saving of his 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:36.399 household. By this, he condemned the world and 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:39.440 became an heir of the righteousness that comes 00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:43.440 by faith. Let's pray and we'll look at these 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:45.799 scriptures today. Father, we are thankful for 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:48.559 faith. And Lord, we know it is a gift from you. 00:14:48.820 --> 00:14:52.100 It isn't something that we work up in our own 00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:57.200 strength. You give it to us. And I'm so thankful 00:14:57.200 --> 00:14:59.559 for that today. And I pray, Father, as we work 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:01.179 our way through this passage of scripture that 00:15:01.179 --> 00:15:04.740 you would encourage us. As we come to understand 00:15:04.740 --> 00:15:09.139 more fully what faith is and what faith does 00:15:09.139 --> 00:15:13.720 for us and in our lives, and as we consider the 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.340 examples of these men and women of faith who 00:15:16.340 --> 00:15:20.960 are listed here in Hebrews 11, Father, Scripture 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:22.879 says that they were men and women of whom the 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:26.100 world was not worthy. Lord, I pray that our desire 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:29.299 today would be to be just that, men and women 00:15:29.299 --> 00:15:31.559 of whom this world is not worthy, men and women 00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:38.019 of faith. So open our eyes today, Father. Strengthen 00:15:38.019 --> 00:15:40.620 our hearts and we ask all of this in Jesus' name, 00:15:41.220 --> 00:15:44.179 amen. Verse one, of course, is a verse that many 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:46.639 of you perhaps have memorized at one time or 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:49.120 another in your life. Now, faith is the assurance 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:52.100 of things hoped for, the conviction of things 00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:56.559 not seen. And this is a description. That's the 00:15:56.559 --> 00:15:59.539 way I have kind of chosen to... talk about it 00:15:59.539 --> 00:16:02.200 this morning. It is not necessarily a definition 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:05.860 of faith in the truest sense. It's not exhaustive. 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:08.220 There are other things that could be said of 00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:10.139 faith. But this is what the writer of Hebrews 00:16:10.139 --> 00:16:14.379 wants his people to understand as they come to 00:16:14.379 --> 00:16:18.519 see themselves as people who have faith and preserve 00:16:18.519 --> 00:16:21.220 their souls. What does it mean to be a person 00:16:21.220 --> 00:16:25.340 of faith? And so he wants us to understand this 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:29.279 whole idea of what faith is. It is the assurance 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:32.620 of things hoped for, the conviction of things 00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:37.240 not seen. And of course, St. Augustine said in 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:39.480 his definition of faith that faith is belief. 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:42.100 And we've used three words this morning already 00:16:42.100 --> 00:16:46.200 that are... basically the same word in the Greek 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:48.340 language. We sang earlier about, and we used 00:16:48.340 --> 00:16:52.740 the word trust, I will trust, trust, faith, belief. 00:16:53.259 --> 00:16:55.679 All of these things are certainly synonyms and 00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:58.159 often it's the same Greek word that's simply 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:01.259 translated differently in light of the current 00:17:01.259 --> 00:17:05.960 context. And I have said over the years that 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:09.839 faith or belief is not simply accepting that 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:13.650 something is true. It is that, but it's more 00:17:13.650 --> 00:17:15.910 than that. It's accepting that something is true 00:17:15.910 --> 00:17:21.589 and then acting upon that which is true. So it's 00:17:21.589 --> 00:17:24.809 not just an intellectual exercise. It's not just 00:17:24.809 --> 00:17:27.730 something that happens in our heads, but it is 00:17:27.730 --> 00:17:29.690 something that is lived out in our lives as we're 00:17:29.690 --> 00:17:31.690 gonna see as we work our way through these various 00:17:31.690 --> 00:17:36.430 examples of faith found here in Hebrews 11. So 00:17:36.430 --> 00:17:39.490 the writer... describes faith, first of all, 00:17:39.789 --> 00:17:42.630 as the assurance, again, assurance of things 00:17:42.630 --> 00:17:48.910 hoped for. And so he uses it in the context of 00:17:48.910 --> 00:17:53.069 future expectations. How is it that these early 00:17:53.069 --> 00:17:57.589 Christians are going to thrive in the current? 00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:01.000 context of their lives. They've begun to suffer 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:03.980 persecution. They've begun to experience, well, 00:18:04.059 --> 00:18:06.880 they've been ostracized from the synagogue, some 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:09.559 of them from their own families, from their places 00:18:09.559 --> 00:18:12.180 of work, everywhere that they at one time had 00:18:12.180 --> 00:18:14.619 found comfort and encouragement. All of a sudden, 00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:17.240 not so much anymore because they have chosen 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:20.740 to follow Jesus, to stake their lives on him. 00:18:22.150 --> 00:18:25.730 How are they going to endure patiently as they 00:18:25.730 --> 00:18:28.170 await the return of their Lord and Savior, their 00:18:28.170 --> 00:18:31.289 high priest Jesus Christ? Well, it's by faith 00:18:31.289 --> 00:18:34.509 that they will do that. Faith is the assurance 00:18:34.509 --> 00:18:37.509 of that which is hoped for. And it's the same 00:18:37.509 --> 00:18:40.450 way for us. We have hopes for the future. Many 00:18:40.450 --> 00:18:43.029 of God's promises that he makes that are promises 00:18:43.029 --> 00:18:46.529 that we can claim are really not yet a part of 00:18:46.529 --> 00:18:50.670 our experience. I know that one day I'm gonna 00:18:50.670 --> 00:18:55.319 go to heaven. But I've not been there yet. And 00:18:55.319 --> 00:18:58.240 so even as I stand here and often have done so 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:00.799 and try to describe the glory of heaven, the 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:03.759 beauties of heaven, the blessings of being in 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:08.099 the presence of the Lord there in glory, I'm 00:19:08.099 --> 00:19:11.039 speaking of that which I haven't actually experienced. 00:19:11.420 --> 00:19:17.720 And yet it is a reality in my life. I know that 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:22.210 that's where I will spend eternity. And that's 00:19:22.210 --> 00:19:25.690 what the writer is saying here. Faith is the 00:19:25.690 --> 00:19:28.410 assurance of these things that are yet hoped 00:19:28.410 --> 00:19:32.289 for. We haven't experienced them, but we know 00:19:32.289 --> 00:19:34.750 that they're true because God has promised them. 00:19:34.769 --> 00:19:37.950 So it is this forward -looking, this futuristic 00:19:37.950 --> 00:19:43.109 view of life that, because of the reality of 00:19:43.109 --> 00:19:46.349 that future, will cause us to live differently 00:19:46.349 --> 00:19:50.809 in the present. So it is the assurance that That 00:19:50.809 --> 00:19:56.289 word assurance has been, well, defined as the 00:19:56.289 --> 00:20:02.609 reality behind the appearance. It's also been 00:20:02.609 --> 00:20:06.049 described as the foundation, or literally the 00:20:06.049 --> 00:20:08.369 word assurance, if we were to translate it literally, 00:20:08.529 --> 00:20:14.210 it means that which stands under. So again, foundationary. 00:20:15.809 --> 00:20:20.079 Faith is the foundation. upon which we live our 00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:23.960 lives and hope that God's promises will become 00:20:23.960 --> 00:20:29.019 reality in our experience. Faith therefore is 00:20:29.019 --> 00:20:31.980 this forward -looking thing. It is focusing on 00:20:31.980 --> 00:20:35.259 God's promise for the future, and it assures 00:20:35.259 --> 00:20:40.319 us that what God has promised, what we hope for, 00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:44.190 will indeed come to pass. And again, in light 00:20:44.190 --> 00:20:46.109 of that, it changes the way that we live in the 00:20:46.109 --> 00:20:48.150 present. And then he continues, not only is it 00:20:48.150 --> 00:20:50.490 the assurance of things hoped for, but it's the 00:20:50.490 --> 00:20:55.430 conviction of things not seen. That word conviction 00:20:55.430 --> 00:21:01.170 means proof or evidence. Faith makes real to 00:21:01.170 --> 00:21:04.910 us that which is otherwise unreal or something 00:21:04.910 --> 00:21:10.569 that's beyond our own personal experience. That's 00:21:10.569 --> 00:21:14.089 what faith is. That's what faith It assures us 00:21:14.089 --> 00:21:16.009 that those things that God has promised, those 00:21:16.009 --> 00:21:18.589 things in which we have placed our hope will 00:21:18.589 --> 00:21:23.970 indeed be ours. They are real. And it is that 00:21:23.970 --> 00:21:28.069 proof or evidence that God's promises are true. 00:21:28.150 --> 00:21:30.190 And though we may not have experienced these 00:21:30.190 --> 00:21:32.230 things, these promises in the way that we would 00:21:32.230 --> 00:21:36.470 want to, there is no doubt in our hearts that 00:21:36.470 --> 00:21:41.279 one day we will experience them. So this description 00:21:41.279 --> 00:21:43.680 of faith. And I just wanna add this, and we've 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:45.680 already mentioned it, faith is the gift of God. 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:48.880 I think sometimes we think that faith is our 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:51.319 responsibility. God saves me and now I gotta 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:58.059 live by faith. Faith is God's gift to you. Philippians 00:21:58.059 --> 00:22:03.140 1 .29 says this, Paul writing to his fellow believers, 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:05.819 he says, for it has been granted or given to 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:08.240 you that for the sake of Christ, you should not 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:11.470 only believe in him, but also suffer for his 00:22:11.470 --> 00:22:13.930 sake. So it combines the ideas that are being 00:22:13.930 --> 00:22:18.650 spoken of here. Faith is the gift of God. God 00:22:18.650 --> 00:22:21.670 has given you faith. He has opened your eyes 00:22:21.670 --> 00:22:24.230 to the reality of Jesus Christ, his son, who 00:22:24.230 --> 00:22:26.630 died for you on the cross and rose again and 00:22:26.630 --> 00:22:28.549 is seated at the right hand of the Father again, 00:22:28.950 --> 00:22:31.289 ever living to be our access to the Father, our 00:22:31.289 --> 00:22:35.450 intercession, the one who prays for us, our great. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:38.359 high priest who sympathizes with us in all of 00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:40.819 our weaknesses because he too walked on this 00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:42.859 earth as a man, experienced everything that we 00:22:42.859 --> 00:22:48.200 experienced and yet never sinned. This is God's 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:51.700 gift. He has granted to us to believe in him, 00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:55.019 but not only that, but also to suffer for his 00:22:55.019 --> 00:22:57.900 sake. So again, when trouble comes as it had 00:22:57.900 --> 00:23:01.279 come for these early Christians, don't be caught 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:05.579 off guard. Trouble, suffering, hardship. will 00:23:05.579 --> 00:23:08.480 indeed be part and parcel of the Christian life, 00:23:08.779 --> 00:23:11.400 but because of our faith that God has given us, 00:23:11.819 --> 00:23:15.019 we have a firm foundation on which to stand. 00:23:15.140 --> 00:23:18.519 We have a confident assurance that God's promises 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:21.960 are true and those things that he has promised 00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:25.460 will be ours, will indeed be ours. So the writer 00:23:25.460 --> 00:23:27.960 describes faith in this way. And then he continues, 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:31.140 look at verse two. He says, for by it the people 00:23:31.140 --> 00:23:36.220 of old received their commendation. There is 00:23:36.220 --> 00:23:39.819 a distinction that comes about as a result of 00:23:39.819 --> 00:23:41.940 faith. Because God has gifted you with faith, 00:23:42.140 --> 00:23:44.200 you're not like everybody else in the world, 00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:47.400 all right? We're gonna read several times this 00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:49.779 word commendation. When we get down here into 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:52.480 this hall of faith and we read of Abel and Enoch 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:56.380 and Noah, all of these men were commended. That 00:23:56.380 --> 00:23:59.180 word is gonna be used of God's commending them 00:23:59.180 --> 00:24:05.819 as righteous. This distinction. that comes with 00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:10.759 being a person of faith. Again, the word commend 00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:14.619 speaks of a positive testimony concerning someone. 00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:20.059 I just want to comfort you this morning with 00:24:20.059 --> 00:24:26.839 these words. God is pleased with you. Because 00:24:26.839 --> 00:24:31.880 you are a person of faith, The commendation of 00:24:31.880 --> 00:24:36.039 God rests upon your life. God has declared His 00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:40.619 approval of you. I mean, it's a wonderful thought. 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:44.579 Again, when we read of the various examples that 00:24:44.579 --> 00:24:47.240 are going to be listed for us here, all of these 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:49.779 men and women, they had one thing in common. 00:24:49.819 --> 00:24:51.619 They had all sinned and fallen short of the glory 00:24:51.619 --> 00:24:56.480 of God, just like us. They weren't super humans, 00:24:56.839 --> 00:25:00.000 all right? They were... men and women just like 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:06.180 us. And God's commendation, God's approval, the 00:25:06.180 --> 00:25:08.039 very fact that they are listed here in Hebrews 00:25:08.039 --> 00:25:12.700 chapter 11 was not the consequence of their having 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:17.119 excelled, although they did. It wasn't the consequence 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:19.880 of any great talent that they had, although they 00:25:19.880 --> 00:25:22.180 had great talents. It wasn't because they were 00:25:22.180 --> 00:25:24.839 more beautiful than other people in their day, 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:29.809 they might have been. It was because of faith, 00:25:29.990 --> 00:25:34.349 God's gift of faith in their lives. These people 00:25:34.349 --> 00:25:39.549 of old, it says, received their commendation 00:25:39.549 --> 00:25:47.509 because of faith, the gift of God, and nothing 00:25:47.509 --> 00:25:53.049 else. What distinguished Noah, and again as we 00:25:53.049 --> 00:25:57.359 read on, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, these other men 00:25:57.359 --> 00:26:00.500 and women in history was their faith, faith in 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:03.980 God's Word. Again, it wasn't their gifts or achievements. 00:26:05.240 --> 00:26:08.519 It wasn't their wealth or popularity. These are 00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:10.660 things that receive the commendation of the world, 00:26:11.160 --> 00:26:13.799 right? One of the things that you'll notice if 00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:16.940 you read history, if you read secular histories, 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:19.700 you won't find the people that are listed here 00:26:19.700 --> 00:26:24.269 in chapter 11 of Hebrews listed. The kinds of 00:26:24.269 --> 00:26:25.990 things that they did, the faith that they had 00:26:25.990 --> 00:26:27.789 that led them to live in the way that they lived, 00:26:27.910 --> 00:26:29.549 to accomplish the things that they accomplished, 00:26:29.750 --> 00:26:31.789 those don't get written down in secular history 00:26:31.789 --> 00:26:36.369 books. But here they are in God's hall of faith. 00:26:37.630 --> 00:26:41.230 We should determine to live lives in accordance 00:26:41.230 --> 00:26:43.930 with the faith that God has given us and thereby 00:26:43.930 --> 00:26:48.769 receive his commendation, his approval. God is 00:26:48.769 --> 00:26:54.950 pleased with his people. And he declares such. 00:26:55.509 --> 00:26:57.670 And then I also want to say this about biblical 00:26:57.670 --> 00:27:01.869 faith. Biblical faith is not blind faith. We 00:27:01.869 --> 00:27:05.690 often hear that term, blind faith. Our faith 00:27:05.690 --> 00:27:07.849 is based upon the word of God. It's based upon 00:27:07.849 --> 00:27:12.250 truth. It's based upon reality. And that's what 00:27:12.250 --> 00:27:15.329 this next passage says. For by faith we understand 00:27:15.329 --> 00:27:18.940 that the universe was created by the word. of 00:27:18.940 --> 00:27:21.680 God so that what is seen was not made out of 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:27.619 things that are visible. And here I speak of 00:27:27.619 --> 00:27:31.380 our dependence on faith. And what I mean by that 00:27:31.380 --> 00:27:37.099 is this. We cannot even begin to understand how 00:27:37.099 --> 00:27:43.299 our world came to be apart from faith. And most 00:27:43.299 --> 00:27:45.700 of what we are taught in school, by the way, 00:27:46.279 --> 00:27:52.549 and most of what we hear is not a faith. There 00:27:52.549 --> 00:27:56.950 are scientific views of the origin of the universe 00:27:56.950 --> 00:28:01.009 and almost without exception these experts, these 00:28:01.009 --> 00:28:08.829 scientists, these physicists, they start on the 00:28:08.829 --> 00:28:13.410 basis that there is no God. And when you start 00:28:13.410 --> 00:28:17.529 your research, your examination, On the basis 00:28:17.529 --> 00:28:19.890 that there is no God, you're never going to wind 00:28:19.890 --> 00:28:22.910 up in the right place. And so they don't. And 00:28:22.910 --> 00:28:24.869 so we end up with theories like the Big Bang 00:28:24.869 --> 00:28:28.730 Theory. And let me tell you, there might have 00:28:28.730 --> 00:28:31.789 been a Big Bang when God said, let there be light. 00:28:32.869 --> 00:28:35.410 But not in the sense that scientists have said. 00:28:37.109 --> 00:28:40.369 They are trying to determine something that took 00:28:40.369 --> 00:28:43.849 place long before they were ever alive to see 00:28:43.849 --> 00:28:47.170 it. And they're doing it. on the basis that there 00:28:47.170 --> 00:28:49.910 is no God, and so there is no way that they're 00:28:49.910 --> 00:28:53.769 gonna wind up in the right place. Once God is 00:28:53.769 --> 00:28:56.049 removed from one's perspective, everything becomes 00:28:56.049 --> 00:29:00.210 muddled and meaningless. And so much of our evolutionary 00:29:00.210 --> 00:29:02.069 thinking these days and what's taught in our 00:29:02.069 --> 00:29:05.369 schools is just that, muddled and meaningless. 00:29:05.690 --> 00:29:07.849 But it is by faith that we understand that the 00:29:07.849 --> 00:29:10.250 universe was created. It was created by the word 00:29:10.250 --> 00:29:12.250 of God, and of course that's exactly what Genesis 00:29:12.250 --> 00:29:17.079 tells us, right? In the beginning, God created 00:29:17.079 --> 00:29:20.099 heavens and the earth. And then day after day, 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:25.759 God said, God said, it was his word. He spoke 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:29.079 the universe into creation. And again, if you 00:29:29.079 --> 00:29:32.339 stand on most secular university campuses and 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:36.460 espouse a belief that God spoke this universe 00:29:36.460 --> 00:29:38.680 into existence, you'd be laughed out of the room. 00:29:40.539 --> 00:29:44.619 And yet, it is by faith. that we come to believe 00:29:44.619 --> 00:29:49.200 that, right? We believe that. We would stake 00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:52.680 our lives on that. The universe was indeed created 00:29:52.680 --> 00:29:55.640 by the word of God. So what we need to understand 00:29:55.640 --> 00:29:59.880 about this is that faith gives us the ability 00:29:59.880 --> 00:30:02.619 to understand what God has said. In other words, 00:30:02.619 --> 00:30:04.619 as we look to his word, whether we're in Genesis 00:30:04.619 --> 00:30:08.960 chapter one or in Revelation, we can understand 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:11.079 the word of God because God has gifted us with 00:30:11.079 --> 00:30:14.829 a faith. to understand, to comprehend. And then 00:30:14.829 --> 00:30:17.930 we can also understand the world in which God 00:30:17.930 --> 00:30:21.410 has given us to live in. And if we don't approach 00:30:21.410 --> 00:30:23.950 our understanding of the world and the wonders 00:30:23.950 --> 00:30:26.609 of this world from the perspective that God has 00:30:26.609 --> 00:30:29.130 indeed created these things for our joy and benefit, 00:30:29.250 --> 00:30:32.869 then we're never gonna really understand the 00:30:32.869 --> 00:30:35.710 world. So that's why I would say faith is something 00:30:35.710 --> 00:30:39.609 that we are absolutely dependent. We cannot understand 00:30:39.609 --> 00:30:42.150 God's word apart from faith. We cannot understand 00:30:42.150 --> 00:30:46.390 God's world apart from faith, but praise God. 00:30:46.569 --> 00:30:50.789 He has given us this great gift so that what 00:30:50.789 --> 00:30:53.950 is seen was not made out of the things that are 00:30:53.950 --> 00:30:56.369 invisible. That's the other thing. God created 00:30:56.369 --> 00:30:58.049 the world out of nothing. That's what the scripture 00:30:58.049 --> 00:31:01.089 teaches us. The word created in Genesis 1, it 00:31:01.089 --> 00:31:06.210 means to create out of nothing. Again. Say that 00:31:06.210 --> 00:31:08.170 on most university campuses, you'll get laughed 00:31:08.170 --> 00:31:11.309 off the property. But we know that that's what 00:31:11.309 --> 00:31:16.730 God did. He created things that we see now out 00:31:16.730 --> 00:31:18.210 of nothing. And of course, according to Romans 00:31:18.210 --> 00:31:20.509 chapter one, verse three, he sustains all of 00:31:20.509 --> 00:31:24.210 this by the power of his word. So his word is 00:31:24.210 --> 00:31:27.089 still at work in the world in which we live. 00:31:28.950 --> 00:31:34.029 So, absolute dependence upon faith. Cannot understand 00:31:34.220 --> 00:31:37.240 The word of God cannot understand the world in 00:31:37.240 --> 00:31:39.740 which God has given us to live without faith. 00:31:39.839 --> 00:31:41.839 And then I just wanna take a few minutes that 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:44.920 we have left to talk about the depiction of faith. 00:31:45.059 --> 00:31:49.140 And then Neal's gonna pick up in verse eight, 00:31:49.160 --> 00:31:51.839 we're gonna continue with examples of faith and 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:54.839 how God's faith was lived out in the lives of 00:31:54.839 --> 00:31:57.359 these men and women. But I wanted to start with 00:31:57.359 --> 00:32:02.559 these three, these Abel, Enoch, Noah, all three. 00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:06.940 lived before the flood, and everyone else that 00:32:06.940 --> 00:32:10.240 we're gonna look at came along after that. But 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:12.599 it says, look at verse four, by faith Abel offered 00:32:12.599 --> 00:32:15.099 to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain 00:32:15.099 --> 00:32:17.400 through which he was commended, there we go, 00:32:17.559 --> 00:32:20.900 commended his righteous, God commending him by 00:32:20.900 --> 00:32:23.720 accepting his gifts, and through his faith, though 00:32:23.720 --> 00:32:31.680 he died, he still speaks. Abel. was a man of 00:32:31.680 --> 00:32:34.559 faith. And if you ever wonder when you read that 00:32:34.559 --> 00:32:36.519 account in Genesis, well why in the world would 00:32:36.519 --> 00:32:40.319 God not accept Cain's offering? Well because 00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:42.940 Cain didn't bring the right offering. And Cain 00:32:42.940 --> 00:32:45.400 didn't bring the right offering and didn't bring 00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:49.259 it in the right spirit. Those two men knew, I 00:32:49.259 --> 00:32:52.480 mean we know that they knew how they were to 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:55.720 worship God. God had made it very clear to them 00:32:55.720 --> 00:32:57.660 because they both came with an offering, they 00:32:57.660 --> 00:32:59.119 both brought it to the place where they were 00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:01.750 supposed to bring that offering. They both bought 00:33:01.750 --> 00:33:03.690 it at a time when offerings were supposed to 00:33:03.690 --> 00:33:06.430 be brought. There's obviously some knowledge 00:33:06.430 --> 00:33:09.690 of how they were to worship God. Abel brought 00:33:09.690 --> 00:33:13.230 an offering that was acceptable to God, a blood 00:33:13.230 --> 00:33:16.670 offering. Cain brought the produce of his own 00:33:16.670 --> 00:33:21.349 hard work, and so Cain's offering was not accepted. 00:33:22.349 --> 00:33:25.109 Abel proving himself by his actions to be a man 00:33:25.109 --> 00:33:28.420 of faith, Cain demonstrating that he was not. 00:33:28.619 --> 00:33:32.900 Abel's sacrifice was what God desired. Cain's 00:33:32.900 --> 00:33:36.539 was not. Abel's sacrifice pointed toward the 00:33:36.539 --> 00:33:39.859 substitutionary atoning death of Jesus Christ, 00:33:40.380 --> 00:33:43.460 the Lamb of God. Cain's sacrifice pointed to 00:33:43.460 --> 00:33:48.009 his own good works and merit. Abel approached 00:33:48.009 --> 00:33:51.170 God in God's way. You know, God has told us how 00:33:51.170 --> 00:33:53.329 we're to worship him. We don't just worship him 00:33:53.329 --> 00:33:55.710 any way we choose. We worship God in the manner 00:33:55.710 --> 00:33:59.490 that God has prescribed for us. Cain didn't do 00:33:59.490 --> 00:34:03.650 that. Abel did do that. He approached God in 00:34:03.650 --> 00:34:08.150 God's way. Cain approached God in his own way. 00:34:08.650 --> 00:34:12.570 Jude speaks of the unrighteous Cain, even referring 00:34:12.570 --> 00:34:18.480 to him as evil. And of course it says of Abel 00:34:18.480 --> 00:34:20.539 through this, through which he was commended 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:25.539 as righteous. Again, it was by faith that Abel 00:34:25.539 --> 00:34:28.019 was declared righteous by God. He wasn't justified 00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:31.440 by his own works, but by grace through faith 00:34:31.440 --> 00:34:36.800 in God. And so what we see in Abel is that we 00:34:36.800 --> 00:34:41.960 worship by faith in accordance, again, with God's 00:34:41.960 --> 00:34:45.239 word and God's instructions. And then of course, 00:34:45.460 --> 00:34:48.599 Enoch. Verse five, by faith, Enoch was taken 00:34:48.599 --> 00:34:51.199 up so that he should not see death. And I want 00:34:51.199 --> 00:34:54.739 you to notice the stark contrast there. Here 00:34:54.739 --> 00:34:59.559 comes Abel with his acceptable sacrifice, a life 00:34:59.559 --> 00:35:02.900 that was pleasing to God, a life of faith. And 00:35:02.900 --> 00:35:05.340 what happens to Abel? Well, his brother Cain 00:35:05.340 --> 00:35:07.420 rises up and kills him, right? He's murdered. 00:35:09.500 --> 00:35:12.719 Enoch, on the other hand, also a man of faith, 00:35:13.400 --> 00:35:16.179 who lived his life by faith. pleasing the Lord. 00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:23.440 As a matter of fact, scripture here says that 00:35:23.440 --> 00:35:25.360 Enoch was taken up so that he should not see 00:35:25.360 --> 00:35:26.860 death, and when he was found because God had 00:35:26.860 --> 00:35:30.079 taken him now, before he was taken up, he was 00:35:30.079 --> 00:35:34.659 commended as having pleased God. If you read 00:35:34.659 --> 00:35:40.760 the Genesis account, it says that Enoch walked 00:35:40.760 --> 00:35:43.780 with God, and then he was not, right? And that 00:35:43.780 --> 00:35:47.280 expression, walked with God, in the Greek translation 00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:49.280 of the Old Testament, was replaced with the words, 00:35:49.780 --> 00:35:52.440 pleased God, walking with God, which is the kind 00:35:52.440 --> 00:35:54.900 of faith that we see in Enoch's life. Enoch, 00:35:55.219 --> 00:35:58.099 by faith, walked with God, and as a result of 00:35:58.099 --> 00:36:02.219 walking with God, he pleased God. And so again, 00:36:02.239 --> 00:36:05.579 by faith, we are to walk with God. We're to go 00:36:05.579 --> 00:36:10.639 the way God is going. We're to seek the destination 00:36:10.639 --> 00:36:16.010 that God has established. for us and of course, 00:36:16.409 --> 00:36:19.150 only two people in scripture that we know of 00:36:19.150 --> 00:36:23.269 that didn't have to experience death, Enoch being 00:36:23.269 --> 00:36:27.630 one of them, Elijah the other. We know how God 00:36:27.630 --> 00:36:30.230 took Elijah right up in a chariot of fire, took 00:36:30.230 --> 00:36:34.110 him to heaven. Enoch, he was just here one day 00:36:34.110 --> 00:36:37.829 and gone the next. So again, you see this contrast 00:36:37.829 --> 00:36:41.869 in men of faith and lives of faith. Abel, a man 00:36:41.869 --> 00:36:45.710 of faith, dying at the hands of his brother, 00:36:45.889 --> 00:36:50.750 murdered, Enoch being spared, physical death, 00:36:50.869 --> 00:36:56.010 never having to experience he was found, not 00:36:56.010 --> 00:36:59.570 found, for God had taken him. And of course he 00:36:59.570 --> 00:37:01.670 goes on to say, without faith it's impossible 00:37:01.670 --> 00:37:06.550 to please God. You cannot walk with God, you 00:37:06.550 --> 00:37:10.940 cannot please God. Without faith in God for whoever 00:37:10.940 --> 00:37:13.820 would draw near to God look at what this says 00:37:13.820 --> 00:37:21.420 must believe That he is that he exists and that 00:37:21.420 --> 00:37:29.079 he rewards those who seek him we must believe 00:37:29.079 --> 00:37:31.460 that God exists. Whoever would draw near to God 00:37:31.460 --> 00:37:34.519 must believe that he exists. And believing that 00:37:34.519 --> 00:37:37.360 God exists is more than a mere belief that there 00:37:37.360 --> 00:37:40.420 is a God. I think most people in the world would 00:37:40.420 --> 00:37:42.820 be willing to say, well, yeah, there's a God. 00:37:43.380 --> 00:37:46.000 Some would not. Most would say, yes, there's 00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:48.380 a God. But this isn't talking about just acknowledging 00:37:48.380 --> 00:37:52.360 the existence of a God. These words express a 00:37:52.360 --> 00:37:54.800 conviction that God is who he has revealed himself 00:37:54.800 --> 00:37:59.389 to be, the great I am. It is a belief that he 00:37:59.389 --> 00:38:03.030 is God and that there is no other God. That's 00:38:03.030 --> 00:38:05.170 what the writer of Hebrews has been telling these 00:38:05.170 --> 00:38:08.829 early believers. If you turn from Jesus, there's 00:38:08.829 --> 00:38:10.650 nowhere else to go. There's no one else to go 00:38:10.650 --> 00:38:14.869 to. He is the true and living God. He is the 00:38:14.869 --> 00:38:17.610 only name given among men by which we must be 00:38:17.610 --> 00:38:21.989 saved. So to believe that God exists is to believe 00:38:21.989 --> 00:38:24.090 that he is the God he has declared himself to 00:38:24.090 --> 00:38:29.360 be and that there is no other. God, only one. 00:38:30.179 --> 00:38:31.980 And then we must also believe that it rewards 00:38:31.980 --> 00:38:35.239 those who seek him. The reward for seeking God, 00:38:35.239 --> 00:38:38.099 of course, is that you'll find him. That's what 00:38:38.099 --> 00:38:41.960 scripture says. Proverbs 18, nine says, I love 00:38:41.960 --> 00:38:44.340 those who love me and those who seek me diligently 00:38:44.340 --> 00:38:48.800 will find me. Jeremiah 29, verse 13, you will 00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:50.900 seek me and find me when you seek me with all 00:38:50.900 --> 00:38:55.840 your heart. God assures us that as we seek him 00:38:55.840 --> 00:38:58.679 in this life, Believing that he is the one and 00:38:58.679 --> 00:39:02.059 only true God, we will find him and be rewarded 00:39:02.059 --> 00:39:07.380 in the finding of him. Of course, to seek God 00:39:07.380 --> 00:39:13.960 is to return to him and to receive him and his 00:39:13.960 --> 00:39:18.539 gift of eternal life. Enoch represents walking 00:39:18.539 --> 00:39:22.099 by faith with God. And then Noah, the last one 00:39:22.099 --> 00:39:25.809 that we're gonna look at this morning. says, 00:39:25.929 --> 00:39:28.690 by faith Noah, being warned by God concerning 00:39:28.690 --> 00:39:30.949 events as yet unseen, and of course the event 00:39:30.949 --> 00:39:34.530 that was as yet unseen was the flood, a global 00:39:34.530 --> 00:39:38.170 flood. Noah being warned by God concerning events 00:39:38.170 --> 00:39:41.489 as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an 00:39:41.489 --> 00:39:43.489 ark for the saving of his household, and by this 00:39:43.489 --> 00:39:45.449 he condemned the world and became an heir of 00:39:45.449 --> 00:39:49.909 the righteousness that comes by faith. So again, 00:39:50.190 --> 00:39:53.630 Abel. By faith, worshiped God. By faith, Enoch 00:39:53.630 --> 00:39:56.090 walked with God. By faith, we're gonna see Noah 00:39:56.090 --> 00:39:59.510 working for God. You know it took him 120 years 00:39:59.510 --> 00:40:02.409 to build the ark? From the time that God announced 00:40:02.409 --> 00:40:04.150 that there was gonna be a global flood and gave 00:40:04.150 --> 00:40:06.210 him the instructions for the ark, it was 120 00:40:06.210 --> 00:40:09.949 years before a drop of rain fell. That's a long 00:40:09.949 --> 00:40:12.710 time to patiently endure, isn't it? And you can 00:40:12.710 --> 00:40:14.489 only imagine what people must have said about 00:40:14.489 --> 00:40:17.329 Noah as he built this huge ship out in the middle 00:40:17.329 --> 00:40:22.860 of nowhere. There was no water around. Some say 00:40:22.860 --> 00:40:25.880 that people had never even really experienced 00:40:25.880 --> 00:40:30.239 rain at this point in the history of the world. 00:40:30.760 --> 00:40:36.539 And there was Noah building this giant ship in 00:40:36.539 --> 00:40:38.699 the middle of the field because it was going 00:40:38.699 --> 00:40:43.539 to flood. Demanded faith. Noah was a man of faith. 00:40:43.539 --> 00:40:46.360 He believed God and he acted in accordance with 00:40:46.360 --> 00:40:49.500 what he knew. to be true. He was warned. Noah 00:40:49.500 --> 00:40:52.820 displayed faith in the conviction of things not 00:40:52.820 --> 00:40:54.420 seen. He had never seen a flood before. Again, 00:40:54.420 --> 00:40:56.920 he may not have ever even seen a heavy rain before. 00:40:58.599 --> 00:41:01.320 Certainly had never seen an ark, much less built 00:41:01.320 --> 00:41:05.940 one. The warning came and then 120 years later 00:41:05.940 --> 00:41:09.420 the first drop of rain fell and of course Noah 00:41:09.420 --> 00:41:14.300 was vindicated in his work. Notice it says, in 00:41:14.300 --> 00:41:18.050 reverent fear. You know, we're often Told that 00:41:18.050 --> 00:41:20.869 we should fear the Lord and Again, we've been 00:41:20.869 --> 00:41:22.329 reminded over the years that that doesn't mean 00:41:22.329 --> 00:41:23.969 that we're to be afraid of God It means that 00:41:23.969 --> 00:41:27.869 we're to respect him to reverence him To be obedient 00:41:27.869 --> 00:41:31.590 to him and that's what Noah was in reverent fear 00:41:31.590 --> 00:41:33.590 He constructed the ark and really we could say 00:41:33.590 --> 00:41:37.949 in faith He constructed the ark his faith was 00:41:37.949 --> 00:41:43.889 displayed in his obedient service To God his 00:41:43.889 --> 00:41:47.480 careful attention to God's plan and design, and 00:41:47.480 --> 00:41:50.059 that same thing is true for us today. And of 00:41:50.059 --> 00:41:51.599 course, notice he did all this for the saving 00:41:51.599 --> 00:41:54.619 of his household. Noah was strongly motivated, 00:41:54.639 --> 00:41:58.260 not only by God's command, but also by the truth 00:41:58.260 --> 00:42:04.280 that he would save his family in this ark. When 00:42:04.280 --> 00:42:06.840 we live lives of faith, when we serve the Lord, 00:42:07.880 --> 00:42:13.460 God uses that testimony, that witness to open 00:42:13.460 --> 00:42:16.380 the eyes. of our family members, our neighbors, 00:42:16.480 --> 00:42:20.019 our friends, that what God has done for us, he 00:42:20.019 --> 00:42:24.139 can do for them as well. And of course, he became 00:42:24.139 --> 00:42:25.920 an heir of righteousness that comes through faith. 00:42:26.119 --> 00:42:30.179 Noah was declared righteous by God, not because 00:42:30.179 --> 00:42:34.880 of his works, but because of his faith, his faith 00:42:34.880 --> 00:42:39.800 in God's promise, his faith in God's grace. Noah, 00:42:39.880 --> 00:42:44.380 it says, found favor in the eyes. of the Lord. 00:42:45.460 --> 00:42:48.239 So, we're gonna be talking about faith for several 00:42:48.239 --> 00:42:50.239 weeks now as we work our way through chapter 00:42:50.239 --> 00:42:52.780 11. The question I would ask you this morning 00:42:52.780 --> 00:42:57.599 is this, have you, are you the recipient of faith? 00:42:58.239 --> 00:43:03.619 Has God given you the gift of faith? If he has, 00:43:05.400 --> 00:43:09.460 then let's patiently endure the troubles, the 00:43:09.460 --> 00:43:12.780 struggles, the trials. persecution that comes 00:43:12.780 --> 00:43:14.800 in this life and let's live our lives to serve 00:43:14.800 --> 00:43:15.860 and honor God.