WEBVTT 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:14.480 if we boiled down the temptation and struggle 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:19.079 for the Hebrew Christians in the most minimal 00:00:19.079 --> 00:00:23.460 sense, I think we could boil it down to this. 00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:30.620 The Hebrew Christians could either please men 00:00:30.620 --> 00:00:38.200 and find approval with men, or they could please... 00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:44.859 God by faith. The Hebrew Christians were the 00:00:44.859 --> 00:00:51.280 recipients of ongoing pressure to revert back 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:56.799 to the Jewish system. I think they were being 00:00:56.799 --> 00:01:01.640 pressured under these terms. Listen, if you want 00:01:01.640 --> 00:01:06.000 to please God, if you want to find approval with 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:09.709 God, then you have to do it through sacrifices. 00:01:11.489 --> 00:01:15.489 You have to do it through the human priesthood. 00:01:16.170 --> 00:01:20.290 You have to do it through the old religion, in 00:01:20.290 --> 00:01:26.189 a sense. But that wasn't the only option in front 00:01:26.189 --> 00:01:30.870 of them. The author of Hebrews also presents 00:01:30.870 --> 00:01:35.700 them with the reality that they can really be 00:01:35.700 --> 00:01:41.420 approved of God. They can really please God. 00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:46.319 They can receive a good testimony from God. But 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:53.219 it's only one way. By faith. It's by faith that 00:01:53.219 --> 00:01:57.819 they would be approved. And the author goes on 00:01:57.819 --> 00:02:02.760 and shows that this has always been the case. 00:02:03.469 --> 00:02:06.950 Not just for New Covenant Christians, but it 00:02:06.950 --> 00:02:11.870 was the case for Old Covenant saints as well. 00:02:13.189 --> 00:02:17.889 The Word of God is so relevant for our lives, 00:02:17.990 --> 00:02:22.870 brothers and sisters. Never forget that. There 00:02:22.870 --> 00:02:25.349 are so many struggles in our own lives that they 00:02:25.349 --> 00:02:30.509 could be boiled down to this. Pleasing men and 00:02:30.509 --> 00:02:37.740 being in favor with men. Or, pleasing God by 00:02:37.740 --> 00:02:42.479 faith. That's such a struggle within our hearts 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:47.159 and our minds. It's something that's so relevant 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:52.219 to our thinking and the very fabric of our lives. 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:57.500 Why? Because we are around people so much. We're 00:02:57.500 --> 00:03:02.639 around unbelievers so often. We're in the world, 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:06.060 but not of the world. It's a constant, ongoing 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:13.560 struggle in the life of the believer. But, there's 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:17.699 only one option for the Christian that is glorifying 00:03:17.699 --> 00:03:26.539 to God. And that is by faith, pleasing God. By 00:03:26.539 --> 00:03:32.210 faith, receiving a good testimony from him because 00:03:32.210 --> 00:03:37.009 of the faith that he has given to us. Today we're 00:03:37.009 --> 00:03:41.090 going to consider the individuals who received 00:03:41.090 --> 00:03:43.669 a good testimony, or we could say the individuals 00:03:43.669 --> 00:03:47.789 who were approved of by God, the men of old. 00:03:47.889 --> 00:03:52.770 We see this in verse 2. For by it, the men of 00:03:52.770 --> 00:03:58.210 old gained approval. So who were these men? What 00:03:58.210 --> 00:04:00.409 were they like? Why does the author bring them 00:04:00.409 --> 00:04:05.370 up? But we're also going to consider the good 00:04:05.370 --> 00:04:09.370 testimony they received or the nature of this 00:04:09.370 --> 00:04:14.870 approval that is spoken of in verse 2. For by 00:04:14.870 --> 00:04:20.410 it men of old gained approval. And we'll see 00:04:20.410 --> 00:04:25.069 alternative translations for this as well. And 00:04:25.069 --> 00:04:28.110 the last thing we will consider. is the basis 00:04:28.110 --> 00:04:31.769 for this approval, or the basis for this good 00:04:31.769 --> 00:04:34.949 testimony from God. Notice verse 2 says this, 00:04:35.250 --> 00:04:43.149 For by it, men of old gained approval. What is 00:04:43.149 --> 00:04:52.110 it? Faith. For by faith, men of old received 00:04:52.110 --> 00:04:57.160 a good testimony from God. They gained approval. 00:04:57.579 --> 00:05:01.319 So beginning with the first, the individuals 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:07.220 who received a good testimony from God. Who is 00:05:07.220 --> 00:05:11.259 the author speaking of when he says, for by it 00:05:11.259 --> 00:05:17.040 the men of old gained approval? This is actually 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:22.899 the word for elder in the New Testament. The 00:05:22.899 --> 00:05:27.709 Greek word is presbyteros. It means an officer 00:05:27.709 --> 00:05:30.189 of the church. But is that what he's talking 00:05:30.189 --> 00:05:35.509 about? No. He's not talking about pastors and 00:05:35.509 --> 00:05:40.269 elders. He's talking about the men of old. Old 00:05:40.269 --> 00:05:47.329 Testament saints. Neither is he speaking in particular 00:05:47.329 --> 00:05:53.629 about old men. He's speaking about saints and 00:05:53.629 --> 00:06:00.529 the old covenant. From beginning to end. He's 00:06:00.529 --> 00:06:04.970 talking about Old Testament believers. Who possessed 00:06:04.970 --> 00:06:09.189 faith. The people we see throughout Hebrews chapter 00:06:09.189 --> 00:06:13.709 11. And who are these individuals? We see Cain 00:06:13.709 --> 00:06:16.990 and Abel. Or Abel offered up to God a better 00:06:16.990 --> 00:06:22.029 sacrifice. We see Enoch. We see Noah. We see 00:06:22.029 --> 00:06:28.569 Abraham. We see Sarah. We see Moses. We see Isaac. 00:06:28.870 --> 00:06:32.269 We see so many other people. And what is the 00:06:32.269 --> 00:06:34.689 author doing? He's progressively working his 00:06:34.689 --> 00:06:40.189 way through the Old Covenant. So he's talking 00:06:40.189 --> 00:06:44.490 about the Old Covenant saints, the Old Covenant 00:06:44.490 --> 00:06:49.410 believers. And Hebrews chapter 12 refers to these 00:06:49.410 --> 00:06:53.490 Old Covenant believers in this way. Therefore, 00:06:54.639 --> 00:07:00.600 since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding 00:07:00.600 --> 00:07:07.839 us. So, the Old Testament saints that are being 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:15.139 referred to are approved witnesses for us. Meaning, 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:18.459 these Old Testament saints, brothers and sisters, 00:07:18.660 --> 00:07:21.579 according to the author of Hebrews, has something 00:07:21.579 --> 00:07:25.100 to say to you and has something to say to me. 00:07:26.500 --> 00:07:33.139 They have a message for us today. They have something 00:07:33.139 --> 00:07:39.420 they want to bear witness to for us. They want 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:44.139 to testify to us in a sense, brothers and sisters. 00:07:44.300 --> 00:07:48.420 This is who the author of Hebrews is talking 00:07:48.420 --> 00:07:54.300 about, the saints. Of old. The author knows. 00:07:55.040 --> 00:08:00.800 And he is leveraging. The power. Of example. 00:08:02.420 --> 00:08:07.100 He knows. That there is something special. About 00:08:07.100 --> 00:08:13.000 truth. Embodied. And lived out. A life wrapped 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:17.100 up. In the truth. That it claims to believe. 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:21.120 And adhere to. The author knows that there's 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:25.680 something peculiarly special and powerful and 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:31.560 persuasive about truth embodied. In a sense, 00:08:31.560 --> 00:08:33.980 I think the author knows, brothers and sisters, 00:08:34.139 --> 00:08:40.120 that the best way to bear witness or one of the 00:08:40.120 --> 00:08:44.419 best ways to bear witness to the truth is to 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:49.620 embody the truth in your life. And the author 00:08:49.620 --> 00:08:52.779 knows that these men and these women of old actually 00:08:52.779 --> 00:08:58.580 did this. They are prime examples for new covenant 00:08:58.580 --> 00:09:03.580 believers to look back upon and to learn from 00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:09.080 so that we can emulate their faith. So that we 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:13.799 can persevere as they persevered. So that we 00:09:13.799 --> 00:09:18.740 can know God as they knew God. So that we can 00:09:18.740 --> 00:09:24.179 labor and work and be useful for God as they 00:09:24.179 --> 00:09:29.059 were, brothers and sisters. He's setting forth 00:09:29.059 --> 00:09:34.000 their example for us. And that requires humility 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:37.299 in each one of us if we are to learn from somebody 00:09:37.299 --> 00:09:44.399 else. Brothers and sisters, if you are to learn 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:49.450 from Hebrews chapter 11, It must begin with each 00:09:49.450 --> 00:09:52.330 one of us humbling ourselves in our hearts and 00:09:52.330 --> 00:09:59.409 being willing to learn from Abel. From Noah. 00:10:00.450 --> 00:10:07.509 From Enoch. You don't have all the answers. I 00:10:07.509 --> 00:10:11.169 don't have all the answers. You are not perfect. 00:10:11.250 --> 00:10:14.549 I am not perfect. These men were not perfect, 00:10:14.690 --> 00:10:20.070 but... If we are to learn from them, we must 00:10:20.070 --> 00:10:25.210 be willing to humble ourselves and to receive 00:10:25.210 --> 00:10:28.590 the message and the instruction that God has 00:10:28.590 --> 00:10:34.730 given to them for us today. This must be the 00:10:34.730 --> 00:10:38.789 starting point. If we are to learn from their 00:10:38.789 --> 00:10:45.029 examples. But the author is also showing us the... 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:51.840 Unity and the continuity of God's purposes throughout 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:55.580 redemptive history. Think about that, brothers 00:10:55.580 --> 00:10:57.779 and sisters. And we've alluded to this and mentioned 00:10:57.779 --> 00:11:02.240 this several times with regards to Hebrews already. 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:08.480 They are the same kind of men and the same kind 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:15.990 of women as you and me. Abel. was just like me, 00:11:16.110 --> 00:11:20.210 just like you. How so? He was a man with flesh 00:11:20.210 --> 00:11:26.070 and blood. He needed to live by faith, just as 00:11:26.070 --> 00:11:31.009 you need to live by faith. Noah was a man just 00:11:31.009 --> 00:11:33.509 like you and just like me. You know why? Because 00:11:33.509 --> 00:11:37.830 he struggled with sin in his life. He had a remnant 00:11:37.830 --> 00:11:41.610 of sin in his life that was a pain in his side 00:11:41.610 --> 00:11:46.580 all the days of his life. Abraham was a man like 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:51.820 you and me. Brothers and sisters, we are like 00:11:51.820 --> 00:11:56.899 them, and they are like us. We have such a tendency 00:11:56.899 --> 00:12:03.320 to think, well, I live in the current century. 00:12:04.779 --> 00:12:10.980 We have technology. We really know about the 00:12:10.980 --> 00:12:13.659 world and the nature of the world. how things 00:12:13.659 --> 00:12:19.700 work today, we today have it all figured out. 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:27.019 We aren't anything like the men of old. We're 00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:32.419 more intellectual. We're smarter. We have access 00:12:32.419 --> 00:12:35.919 to more information. In reality, we are nothing 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:40.299 like those men of old, but we are brothers and 00:12:40.299 --> 00:12:46.820 sisters. What changes? Not people. The nature 00:12:46.820 --> 00:12:50.240 of man stays the same. Our circumstances, our 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:53.980 situations, our environment, our culture, those 00:12:53.980 --> 00:12:57.320 things change, but we stay the same. And the 00:12:57.320 --> 00:13:00.639 same problem they have is the same problem that 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:05.740 we have, the need to persevere in faith. We can 00:13:05.740 --> 00:13:09.480 relate to these examples so easily, brothers 00:13:09.480 --> 00:13:14.929 and sisters. But we can also relate to them because 00:13:14.929 --> 00:13:20.509 we have the same kind of faith as they did. They 00:13:20.509 --> 00:13:26.490 believed the same promises that we do. God gave 00:13:26.490 --> 00:13:32.269 them justifying faith which worked and was effective 00:13:32.269 --> 00:13:37.669 in their life. And God has given you and I justifying 00:13:37.669 --> 00:13:41.409 faith as believers in Jesus Christ. which effectively 00:13:41.409 --> 00:13:47.470 works and operates in our lives. And what promises 00:13:47.470 --> 00:13:51.690 do we believe? Brothers and sisters, we believe 00:13:51.690 --> 00:13:54.889 the same promises as the old covenant saints. 00:13:55.009 --> 00:13:58.629 It's just we have greater clarity with regards 00:13:58.629 --> 00:14:01.850 to what those promises actually are because the 00:14:01.850 --> 00:14:05.370 scripture is canonized and closed and Christ 00:14:05.370 --> 00:14:10.279 has come in time and history. The same kind of 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:12.940 people, the same kind of faith, brothers and 00:14:12.940 --> 00:14:16.860 sisters, and the same promises. So listen up 00:14:16.860 --> 00:14:19.259 whenever we learn from these brothers and sisters. 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:23.220 Listen to these men and these women and their 00:14:23.220 --> 00:14:30.580 lives. Be eager to hear from them in the word 00:14:30.580 --> 00:14:36.700 of the living God. Come with open ears and open 00:14:36.700 --> 00:14:42.230 hearts. to hear from Father Abraham. Come with 00:14:42.230 --> 00:14:46.090 open ears and open hearts to hear from our forefather 00:14:46.090 --> 00:14:50.210 Enoch who walked with God for 300 years, brothers 00:14:50.210 --> 00:14:53.330 and sisters. Come with open ears and open hearts, 00:14:53.389 --> 00:14:56.090 brothers and sisters, to learn from the prophets 00:14:56.090 --> 00:14:58.330 who suffered and the prophets who conquered. 00:15:00.350 --> 00:15:03.929 Put your pride aside and humble yourself and 00:15:03.929 --> 00:15:08.210 hear from the Word of God today. That's the starting 00:15:08.210 --> 00:15:11.090 place, brothers and sisters, for the Word of 00:15:11.090 --> 00:15:15.509 God to benefit you. That's the starting place 00:15:15.509 --> 00:15:20.970 for the Word of God to benefit me. One of the 00:15:20.970 --> 00:15:27.350 most difficult things every day when you come 00:15:27.350 --> 00:15:33.090 to the Word of God in prayer is to put the flesh 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:40.419 and submit to what God requires of you. We have 00:15:40.419 --> 00:15:45.659 to put the pride and pomp aside and humble ourselves 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:52.620 before God and His Word. Then, we will really 00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:58.639 be benefited from the Word of God. Now, this 00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:02.820 is who they were. But what about the testimony 00:16:02.820 --> 00:16:06.200 that they received, or the nature of this approval 00:16:06.200 --> 00:16:12.019 that the text speaks about? Because the text 00:16:12.019 --> 00:16:17.220 says this, For by it the men of old gained approval. 00:16:18.139 --> 00:16:25.620 Now, this phrase, gained approval, I don't believe 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:28.919 it's rendered the best in the New American Standard 00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:31.960 Bible. Listen to a couple other translations. 00:16:32.899 --> 00:16:38.139 We have the ESV saying this. For by it, the people 00:16:38.139 --> 00:16:43.860 of old received their commendation. Do you see 00:16:43.860 --> 00:16:48.039 the difference? The NASB is building on this 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:51.480 idea that the men of old gained, they took hold 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:55.279 of something. But in reality, this is something 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:58.840 passive that they received, that they are the 00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:03.629 recipient. Now listen to the NET, and I think 00:17:03.629 --> 00:17:07.750 the NET has it. It's hit the nail on the head. 00:17:08.690 --> 00:17:16.130 For by it, the people of old received God's commendation. 00:17:16.970 --> 00:17:22.049 That's it. This text wants to emphasize the fact 00:17:22.049 --> 00:17:28.569 that God has given something, and that the people 00:17:28.569 --> 00:17:36.119 of God, have received something from God. It's 00:17:36.119 --> 00:17:41.779 not something that is taken. It's something that 00:17:41.779 --> 00:17:46.500 is given graciously and freely by God Himself 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:50.900 to His people. So what is it talking about when 00:17:50.900 --> 00:17:54.640 it talks about this approval or this commendation? 00:17:55.779 --> 00:18:01.319 Well, it's a positive, active, testimony, commendation, 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:09.359 recognition, or attestation from God regarding 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:15.119 a person and their life. That's what it's talking 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:20.619 about. We have a good example of this whenever 00:18:20.619 --> 00:18:27.119 the author speaks of Abel and Enoch. Listen to... 00:18:27.450 --> 00:18:31.490 what it says in verse 4 about Abel. And I think 00:18:31.490 --> 00:18:35.069 in a sense he is illustrating the nature of this 00:18:35.069 --> 00:18:39.410 approval, this good testimony that the old covenant 00:18:39.410 --> 00:18:47.690 saints received from God. By faith, Abel offered 00:18:47.690 --> 00:18:52.829 to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through 00:18:52.829 --> 00:18:57.390 which he obtained the testimony. That he was 00:18:57.390 --> 00:19:05.089 righteous. God testifying about his gifts. And 00:19:05.089 --> 00:19:09.809 through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. 00:19:10.190 --> 00:19:16.650 What does God say about Abel? What does God testify 00:19:16.650 --> 00:19:21.150 about Abel? What is the nature of this commendation, 00:19:21.289 --> 00:19:26.259 this testimony from God regarding Abel? It is 00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:30.839 that he is righteous. God testifies about his 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:36.140 gifts, meaning his sacrifice, I believe, and 00:19:36.140 --> 00:19:43.119 the quality that he gave from faith. So there's 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:46.500 a testimony, a commendation, a recognition, an 00:19:46.500 --> 00:19:50.400 attestation, a good report from God regarding 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:55.349 Abel. And then we read this about Enoch. By faith, 00:19:55.450 --> 00:20:00.690 Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death. 00:20:01.509 --> 00:20:06.569 And he was not found because God took him up. 00:20:06.890 --> 00:20:12.190 For he obtained the witness that before his being 00:20:12.190 --> 00:20:18.130 taken up, he was pleasing to God. And then listen 00:20:18.130 --> 00:20:24.509 to what verse 6 says. And without faith. It is 00:20:24.509 --> 00:20:30.650 impossible to please him. For he who comes to 00:20:30.650 --> 00:20:34.309 God must believe that he is and that he is a 00:20:34.309 --> 00:20:40.230 rewarder of those who seek him. Do we know exactly 00:20:40.230 --> 00:20:46.450 what God's testimony was to Enoch? No. It could 00:20:46.450 --> 00:20:49.809 be that God took him away and that is the testimony. 00:20:51.069 --> 00:20:56.630 He disappeared. Some people, theologians, scholars, 00:20:57.029 --> 00:20:59.869 pastors, some people think that the testimony 00:20:59.869 --> 00:21:03.609 that God gives is actually experiential in the 00:21:03.609 --> 00:21:05.789 nature of assurance, something that the Spirit 00:21:05.789 --> 00:21:08.809 of God actually immediately and directly gives 00:21:08.809 --> 00:21:14.289 to a believer through their faith. Others tend 00:21:14.289 --> 00:21:19.250 to think that it's an explicit statement of God's 00:21:19.250 --> 00:21:22.720 pleasure regarding that person. Contained in 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:27.680 scripture. I don't know exactly. Where I land. 00:21:27.880 --> 00:21:32.960 On each of those issues. But we do know this. 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:39.039 That the word is clear. That God. Gave a good 00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:45.460 testimony. Regarding. Enid. That God gave a good 00:21:45.460 --> 00:21:53.940 testimony. Regarding. Abel. And why? Was it because 00:21:53.940 --> 00:21:58.319 Abel was such a good man? Was it because Enoch 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:05.599 was such a moral person? No. It's because of 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:10.660 faith. It's because they possessed faith and 00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:13.940 they lived in faith and they acted in faith. 00:22:14.619 --> 00:22:21.650 And we'll see that faith is the basis. of God 00:22:21.650 --> 00:22:27.910 giving a good testimony to anyone. Now, this 00:22:27.910 --> 00:22:34.609 testimony is recorded in Scripture regarding 00:22:34.609 --> 00:22:38.890 Abel and several others, but there are others 00:22:38.890 --> 00:22:45.539 we don't have a record necessarily of God. bearing 00:22:45.539 --> 00:22:49.599 witness that he is pleased with those Old Testament 00:22:49.599 --> 00:22:56.880 individuals and saints. John Owen gives a brief 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:00.900 argument with regards to how to understand this. 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:03.940 Because I believe that all of the Old Testament 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:09.299 saints received this divine testimony from God. 00:23:09.420 --> 00:23:12.700 I think that's pretty clear from the text. It's 00:23:12.700 --> 00:23:15.279 universal in the life of Old Testament believers, 00:23:15.380 --> 00:23:18.519 and I believe it's also universal in the life 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:24.140 of every New Covenant believer today. So, what 00:23:24.140 --> 00:23:26.319 does John Owen say about this? For those who, 00:23:26.380 --> 00:23:31.759 we have to conclude, God gave a good testimony 00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:39.509 to them. Because there is not an explicit recorded 00:23:39.509 --> 00:23:42.289 testimony regarding every Old Testament saint, 00:23:42.470 --> 00:23:46.750 we can conclude this. Because the Scriptures 00:23:46.750 --> 00:23:55.250 have principles and certain absolute logical 00:23:55.250 --> 00:24:00.529 rules within it, then we can conclude that they 00:24:00.529 --> 00:24:04.349 were in fact pleasing to God. For instance, in 00:24:04.349 --> 00:24:08.759 verse 6, we read this, And without faith, It 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:14.539 is impossible to please him. Think about those 00:24:14.539 --> 00:24:19.500 words, brothers and sisters. That is an absolute 00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:26.220 law in the economy of redemption and salvation. 00:24:28.059 --> 00:24:35.269 That is unbreakable. You cannot, I cannot please 00:24:35.269 --> 00:24:39.569 the living God who is holy without faith. An 00:24:39.569 --> 00:24:44.170 absolute law, an absolute rule that is required 00:24:44.170 --> 00:24:46.710 of every single human being that is living and 00:24:46.710 --> 00:24:52.069 has breath in their lungs. What can we conclude 00:24:52.069 --> 00:24:56.910 based off of that argument? If someone has faith, 00:24:57.130 --> 00:25:00.849 then it follows that God is pleased with them. 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:06.579 If someone does not have faith, then God is what? 00:25:06.660 --> 00:25:14.740 God is not pleased with them. Now, there's other 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:18.680 areas and other principles we can consider. For 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:21.539 instance, we read in Romans and previously in 00:25:21.539 --> 00:25:25.640 chapter 10 of Hebrews that the just shall live 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:33.680 by faith. That is a principle. That is an absolute 00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:42.119 law. It is not possible for someone to have faith 00:25:42.119 --> 00:25:48.140 and to not have faith and to be counted as righteous 00:25:48.140 --> 00:25:54.759 in the sight of God. But, if someone does have 00:25:54.759 --> 00:25:58.680 faith, saving, justifying, legitimate, credible, 00:25:59.069 --> 00:26:03.630 God -given faith that is the grace of God, then 00:26:03.630 --> 00:26:10.690 every single time they will be just. The just 00:26:10.690 --> 00:26:15.970 shall live by faith. If someone is justified 00:26:15.970 --> 00:26:18.890 in the sight of God, if someone has had the righteousness 00:26:18.890 --> 00:26:23.329 of Christ imputed to them, they will live by 00:26:23.329 --> 00:26:27.690 faith. That is a principle that cannot be broken. 00:26:28.430 --> 00:26:33.329 that cannot be bent. It is an absolute law with 00:26:33.329 --> 00:26:38.529 regards to the economy of redemption and God's 00:26:38.529 --> 00:26:43.890 salvation and how He works in the life of His 00:26:43.890 --> 00:26:47.690 people. So, if someone in the Old Testament does 00:26:47.690 --> 00:26:52.670 not have an explicit statement, what must we 00:26:52.670 --> 00:26:59.650 conclude if they lived by faith? If they believed 00:26:59.650 --> 00:27:03.250 the promises. Brothers and sisters, if men and 00:27:03.250 --> 00:27:06.710 women in the Old Testament obeyed God's word, 00:27:06.910 --> 00:27:09.970 what must we conclude? What necessarily and consequently 00:27:09.970 --> 00:27:13.930 follows that God was in fact pleased with them? 00:27:14.009 --> 00:27:16.809 There is a testimony in Scripture concerning 00:27:16.809 --> 00:27:20.849 these individuals. And the same can be true of 00:27:20.849 --> 00:27:28.779 each of us. If we live by faith, if we possess 00:27:28.779 --> 00:27:33.180 saving, justifying faith, if you believe the 00:27:33.180 --> 00:27:35.299 promises of God, then brothers and sisters, you 00:27:35.299 --> 00:27:38.299 can have an assurance that is backed by the very 00:27:38.299 --> 00:27:42.440 word of God, that God, the maker of heaven and 00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:51.539 earth, is pleased with you. That he commends 00:27:51.539 --> 00:27:56.579 you in your life. That he receives your deeds 00:27:56.579 --> 00:28:01.140 of faith, the good works that come by faith to 00:28:01.140 --> 00:28:04.660 him, your sacrificial service unto him, your 00:28:04.660 --> 00:28:09.579 offerings of praise and worship to him. He receives 00:28:09.579 --> 00:28:13.759 these. He is pleased with those that are in possession 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:19.220 of justifying faith, which operates and is effective 00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:25.980 in their life. Now, there's a big distinction 00:28:25.980 --> 00:28:32.599 between the approval of a holy and a righteous 00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:39.640 God and the approval of a carnal, unbelieving 00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:49.119 world. There's a big chasm between that approval 00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:55.500 of God and the approval of carnal. Men and women. 00:28:55.579 --> 00:29:01.440 Around us. What does the Christian. Singularly. 00:29:01.500 --> 00:29:05.680 Look upon. And have as their aim. And their goal. 00:29:06.019 --> 00:29:12.500 And their focal point in life. The smile. Of 00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:16.539 their great God. Which is redeemed them. The 00:29:16.539 --> 00:29:22.380 good pleasure. Of their father. In heaven. There 00:29:22.380 --> 00:29:24.920 is a great difference. But I think we also see 00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:30.039 evidence in this text that those who are in fact 00:29:30.039 --> 00:29:33.940 commended by God and approved by God, those who 00:29:33.940 --> 00:29:37.640 have the approval of a holy and righteous God 00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:42.039 because they're living by faith, will often be 00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:47.700 the recipients of the disapproval of carnal and 00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:52.440 unbelieving men. The two will coexist very often. 00:29:52.809 --> 00:29:58.089 Don't we see that in Hebrews 11 so clearly? That 00:29:58.089 --> 00:30:03.750 Abel was pleasing to God, but he was not pleasing 00:30:03.750 --> 00:30:12.390 to his brother. What about Noah? He was pleasing 00:30:12.390 --> 00:30:17.109 to God, but what about the world around him through 00:30:17.109 --> 00:30:21.970 which his actions condemned? the whole rest of 00:30:21.970 --> 00:30:28.049 the world. What about Abraham and the surrounding 00:30:28.049 --> 00:30:33.029 kings? Don't we see time and time again that 00:30:33.029 --> 00:30:36.630 there's a certain hostility and antipathy towards 00:30:36.630 --> 00:30:42.609 the patriarchs? What about Jacob and Esau, brothers 00:30:42.609 --> 00:30:46.549 and sisters? What about so many other figures 00:30:46.549 --> 00:30:52.029 from the old... the two will often coincide. 00:30:53.089 --> 00:30:57.369 The Christian lives in a world in a constant 00:30:57.369 --> 00:31:02.190 state in which they are the subject of contradictory 00:31:02.190 --> 00:31:09.269 verdicts upon them and their life. The world 00:31:09.269 --> 00:31:12.170 and unbelievers and the culture are saying this 00:31:12.170 --> 00:31:16.509 about you, believer. The world and the unbelieving 00:31:16.920 --> 00:31:19.839 Culture is saying this about you, man or woman 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:24.720 of God. And all the while, the verdict of God 00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:30.480 stands as well. We live and walk in a world, 00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:35.200 in a life, where we constantly have contradictory 00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:39.920 verdicts upon our life. In the final analysis, 00:31:40.099 --> 00:31:46.819 brothers and sisters, there's one. That matters. 00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:54.900 One verdict. That ought to determine. Your joy 00:31:54.900 --> 00:32:00.779 in life. One verdict upon you. And your faith. 00:32:00.920 --> 00:32:04.059 And your life. And your deeds. Which should determine. 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:08.579 Your holiness and godliness. Your zeal. Your 00:32:08.579 --> 00:32:13.299 love. One verdict in your life. Which ought to 00:32:13.299 --> 00:32:15.680 orient your whole being. And your whole. and 00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:18.000 your whole family and everything about you. And 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:20.539 it's not the verdict of unbelieving men. It is 00:32:20.539 --> 00:32:23.339 the verdict of a holy and a righteous God that 00:32:23.339 --> 00:32:29.740 has sent His Son to die for sinners. That's the 00:32:29.740 --> 00:32:34.960 verdict which matters most to the believer. That 00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:41.599 God gives a good testimony to those with faith. 00:32:42.579 --> 00:32:48.400 That's what matters. most to the believer. It's 00:32:48.400 --> 00:32:52.680 not ultimately what your friends and your family 00:32:52.680 --> 00:32:59.579 say. It's not ultimately what your boss, your 00:32:59.579 --> 00:33:02.819 co -workers, it's not even ultimately what your 00:33:02.819 --> 00:33:06.599 husband or your wife says. It's not ultimately, 00:33:06.740 --> 00:33:10.119 brothers and sisters, what the television preaches 00:33:10.119 --> 00:33:15.470 to you. What those closest to you say is good 00:33:15.470 --> 00:33:18.470 and right and true and who you are and what you 00:33:18.470 --> 00:33:24.369 are like. What matters most? How God sees you. 00:33:26.150 --> 00:33:31.170 How God views you as a person. How God views 00:33:31.170 --> 00:33:34.210 you and your life and your deeds and your actions 00:33:34.210 --> 00:33:39.029 and your character. It is His burdens that we 00:33:39.029 --> 00:33:43.680 long for. And it is his verdict that we rest 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:49.700 in brothers and sisters. In a sense, the Christian 00:33:49.700 --> 00:33:56.180 ought to be able to let go of seeking the approval 00:33:56.180 --> 00:34:01.480 of the world. And unbelieving and carnal men, 00:34:01.539 --> 00:34:06.759 do you know why? Because we already have a good 00:34:06.759 --> 00:34:10.659 testimony from the living God. Because he has 00:34:10.659 --> 00:34:15.199 given us justifying faith, which always works 00:34:15.199 --> 00:34:23.460 in our lives. Praise be to his name. Now we know 00:34:23.460 --> 00:34:31.380 the nature of this testimony, this approval. 00:34:31.719 --> 00:34:37.159 But what is the basis of this approval in a person's 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:42.719 life? We might think, naturally, the natural 00:34:42.719 --> 00:34:48.679 response may be, well, just be a good person. 00:34:51.460 --> 00:34:57.920 Do what you ought to do in life. Be who you ought 00:34:57.920 --> 00:35:03.380 to be in life. Be nice to folks. Help folks when 00:35:03.380 --> 00:35:08.420 you get the chance. Give here and there. Be a 00:35:08.420 --> 00:35:16.179 good man, a moral and upright. Brothers and sisters, 00:35:16.260 --> 00:35:22.159 what is the basis for this divine approval in 00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:29.039 the life of a believer? It is faith. Faith as 00:35:29.039 --> 00:35:34.639 we have already defined in verse 1. Faith is 00:35:34.639 --> 00:35:38.300 the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction 00:35:38.300 --> 00:35:42.639 of things not seen. In verse 2, where it's speaking 00:35:42.639 --> 00:35:45.179 about the approval or the good testimony the 00:35:45.179 --> 00:35:49.320 saints of old received, what does it say? For 00:35:49.320 --> 00:35:57.679 by it, meaning by faith, the men of old received 00:35:57.679 --> 00:36:06.280 their commendation from God. The author of Hebrews 00:36:06.280 --> 00:36:11.780 wants to be really, really clear. The commendation 00:36:11.780 --> 00:36:15.960 that he speaks of, the fatherly pleasure that 00:36:15.960 --> 00:36:22.260 he speaks of, the good testimony from God, the 00:36:22.260 --> 00:36:25.780 good word from God regarding a person's life 00:36:25.780 --> 00:36:33.909 is not performance -based. The testimony the 00:36:33.909 --> 00:36:37.469 saints of old received, it was not based in their 00:36:37.469 --> 00:36:43.110 actions. It wasn't based in whether they did 00:36:43.110 --> 00:36:46.690 what was right or what was wrong. It wasn't based 00:36:46.690 --> 00:36:52.110 in their merit. It was based on their faith. 00:36:53.289 --> 00:36:57.489 Now, we do know that faith always, when it's 00:36:57.489 --> 00:37:01.849 justifying, saving, legitimate faith, always 00:37:01.849 --> 00:37:06.730 what? Operates and works effectively in the life 00:37:06.730 --> 00:37:10.849 of the believer. Isn't that true, brothers and 00:37:10.849 --> 00:37:15.550 sisters? So we think again about Abel. Abel. 00:37:16.110 --> 00:37:21.530 By faith, Abel offered to God a better sacrifice. 00:37:22.110 --> 00:37:26.690 Then Cain, better sacrifice than Cain, I apologize, 00:37:27.010 --> 00:37:31.599 through which he obtained the testimony. that 00:37:31.599 --> 00:37:35.099 he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, 00:37:35.099 --> 00:37:39.860 and through faith, though he is dead, he still 00:37:39.860 --> 00:37:44.019 speaks. The Hebrew Christians, as we've stated, 00:37:44.460 --> 00:37:49.639 were under severe pressure to revert back to 00:37:49.639 --> 00:37:55.739 the Judaistic system of sacrifices. I'm sure 00:37:55.739 --> 00:38:00.130 there were good Jews. That we're telling the 00:38:00.130 --> 00:38:04.590 Hebrew Christians, listen, you can't be pleasing 00:38:04.590 --> 00:38:11.010 to God if you're not giving sacrifices. And what 00:38:11.010 --> 00:38:14.150 does the author of Hebrews say loud and clear? 00:38:15.889 --> 00:38:21.489 No man has ever been pleasing to God. No sinner 00:38:21.489 --> 00:38:24.869 has ever been pleasing to God. based on making 00:38:24.869 --> 00:38:28.369 sacrifices according to the Mosaic system of 00:38:28.369 --> 00:38:34.130 law. Why was any sacrifice ever pleasing to God? 00:38:34.210 --> 00:38:38.110 Because faith is the one that motivated and compelled 00:38:38.110 --> 00:38:43.449 the individual to give the sacrifice. God was 00:38:43.449 --> 00:38:46.989 pleased with the faith, therefore he accepted 00:38:46.989 --> 00:38:51.429 the sacrifice of Abel, brothers and sisters. 00:38:52.219 --> 00:38:54.739 The same is true of the Christians' good deeds, 00:38:54.880 --> 00:38:59.000 good works in this life. God doesn't accept our 00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:01.639 good works because they're so lovely, brothers 00:39:01.639 --> 00:39:04.980 and sisters. He accepts the Christians' good 00:39:04.980 --> 00:39:08.900 works because of their faith in Christ and His 00:39:08.900 --> 00:39:15.340 great work on the cross. Because they are trusting 00:39:15.340 --> 00:39:18.820 in a righteousness outside of themselves that 00:39:18.820 --> 00:39:22.860 is accounted to them. Their righteousness is 00:39:22.860 --> 00:39:26.619 found in Christ. And because of that, God receives 00:39:26.619 --> 00:39:32.179 their good works, their good deeds. Though, as 00:39:32.179 --> 00:39:35.460 our confession talks about, there is such a mixture 00:39:35.460 --> 00:39:39.480 within them that he would have every right to 00:39:39.480 --> 00:39:45.559 cast them aside if it were not for Christ. God 00:39:45.559 --> 00:39:48.860 never accepted men based on the sacrificial system. 00:39:49.079 --> 00:39:54.730 God... only ever approved anybody that was a 00:39:54.730 --> 00:39:58.750 sinner and in need of Christ on the basis of 00:39:58.750 --> 00:40:03.610 faith. That's what the author wants to make sure 00:40:03.610 --> 00:40:06.389 his recipients know. What is the one criteria 00:40:06.389 --> 00:40:13.849 for pleasing the living God? Faith, brothers 00:40:13.849 --> 00:40:21.909 and sisters. That's it. Fairly. Simple and straight 00:40:21.909 --> 00:40:30.170 forward. Faith alone pleases God. It's very important 00:40:30.170 --> 00:40:34.130 for us to remember that the Christian life begins 00:40:34.130 --> 00:40:41.250 with faith. When a person comes to Christ, they 00:40:41.250 --> 00:40:44.289 trust in the Lord Jesus, and they are justified 00:40:44.289 --> 00:40:47.230 through that faith. They are given His righteousness. 00:40:47.880 --> 00:40:53.159 The Christian life begins in faith. Every Christian 00:40:53.159 --> 00:41:02.440 that ever existed started with faith. But, brothers 00:41:02.440 --> 00:41:06.380 and sisters, it's also very important that we 00:41:06.380 --> 00:41:09.139 recognize, as the author of Hebrews is putting 00:41:09.139 --> 00:41:12.739 forth, the Christian life doesn't just start 00:41:12.739 --> 00:41:18.989 with faith. The Christian life must continue 00:41:18.989 --> 00:41:26.929 by faith. We must continue to live by faith. 00:41:27.949 --> 00:41:34.210 We must continue to walk by faith in our lives. 00:41:35.090 --> 00:41:41.389 And then, we will die in faith, just as so many 00:41:41.389 --> 00:41:45.630 others have. But brothers and sisters, one day, 00:41:46.190 --> 00:41:49.030 we will receive all the fullness of the promises 00:41:49.030 --> 00:41:51.650 and the perfection that Christ has promised to 00:41:51.650 --> 00:41:55.090 us in the culmination of all things, in the new 00:41:55.090 --> 00:41:57.050 heavens and the new earth, when the Lord Jesus 00:41:57.050 --> 00:42:04.110 Christ returns for His people. The great men 00:42:04.110 --> 00:42:07.289 and women that are listed throughout Hebrews 00:42:07.289 --> 00:42:12.469 chapter 11, these men and women of renown, we 00:42:12.469 --> 00:42:17.110 might say, These individuals who we still think 00:42:17.110 --> 00:42:22.449 about, who still speak to us today, brothers 00:42:22.449 --> 00:42:25.010 and sisters, they are not known for their worldly 00:42:25.010 --> 00:42:30.309 success. They are not known for their power and 00:42:30.309 --> 00:42:32.590 their pomp. They are not known for their beauty 00:42:32.590 --> 00:42:35.369 or their looks or their personalities. They are 00:42:35.369 --> 00:42:39.429 not known for them per se. But why are they known? 00:42:39.489 --> 00:42:42.570 Because of their faith. in the promises of God, 00:42:42.730 --> 00:42:49.409 brothers and sisters. That is worthy of our imitation 00:42:49.409 --> 00:42:52.309 today, brothers and sisters.