And if you live out your faith every day, it's natural and normal to expect your family to follow in your steps. Adam lived to see his great, great, great, great, great, great, grandchildren. Faith comes down to us as a gift from God. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. To walk with God means that you are at peace with Him. Hebrews uses the word three times. Yet a lot of people feel that way? Either way, it is Christ who will take us up, and we will be at home with Him. There is also the realm of the spirit, the invisible spiritual kingdom of God. Any date. But He always relates to us in love. Comments >>. A life was laid down for him. If what we believe makes any difference, then it has to change the way we live. What is the faith that pleases God. Please see below for details. The story of Enoch is told back in Genesis 5, where God records the generations from Adam to Noah, whose story we will look at next week. For more information, see ourPrivacy Policy. Hebrews 11:17-40. Hebrews 11:17-19 I. When the flood finally came, only eight people were saved: Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives. v. 24. After the time of Noah and the flood, human lifespans come down rapidly to what we are used to today. The Popular Commentary by Paul E. Kretzmann - Hebrews 11:23-29. That's the power of a godly leader. The "unseen things" we are convinced of, are things God has revealed. The hoped for things we are sure of, are things God has promised. Because he believes that God has called him to do it! Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made out of things which do appear. Faith proves to us the fact that the things we presently cannot seeGod, angels, demons, heaven, hellare very much true and real. In other words, faith applies the reality of Gods promises and the unseen world to life in the present, visible world. The unseen things we are convinced of, are things God has revealed. Good works flow from saving faith as their source and give proof of genuine faith (Eph. It has to change the way we live. those who were Gentiles would have been taught these stories also as the Church made Scripture central to the faith. We don't even trust God. He called his favorite son, Esau, and requested that he bring back some . Again, this is clear from the numbers in Genesis 5. Jesus: The Truer and Better Object of Faith: Hebrews 11:1-6. Romans 10:17. The truth is that God is not responsible for many of those things, fallen man is. In ancient times the Jews considered Abraham to be almost worthy of their worship. God is the great peace-maker: when we make peace we are walking with Him. It's just not in us to believe those things. Thats what Enoch did. Since the day that Enoch began to know God, he must have been thoroughly enthralled at God's goodness to reward him. To go back to Howard Fineman's quote, it's all about pursuing (a great biblical concept) the one true God. The writer of Hebrews is expanding what he previously taught in verse 6: 1:18-22), sinful men suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Creation is dependent upon the Son for its maintenance. For the believer in Jesus, death is a transition from this life to the next. Muller had no savings accounts and he refused to make the needs of the ministry known, even to potential donors. Verse 1 says that faith has "substance." Faith is tangible, even though it is invisible. But if you will starve the flesh and feed your faith, it will grow. So what do we have when we stand back and look at these three men who lived before the flood? The flood came in the 600th year of Noahs life and if you compare that with the long years of Methuselahs life, you will see that God sent the flood in the year that Methuselah died. By faith he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen (11:27). THE TELL TALE MARKS OF GENUINE FAITH. Obviously sibling rivalry was present from the beginning. The reward of seeking God is finding Him. So in developing the theme of enduring faith, our authors first point is that faith is the means of realizing spiritual reality. God rewards those who seek Him (Heb 11:6). To ensure you receive the best experience on Lifeway.com, we use cookies to process information about your visit. But this first one goes back to Genesis 1, to the biblical account of creation. You would think that a discovery such as human DNA, which shows amazing design, would cause all scientists to fall down in worship before God. So, faith believes what God has revealed and trusts what God has promised. Ten generations are recorded here from Adam to Noah. A lack of truth erodes trust and causes distance in relationships. His standard for living is clearly laid out in scripture. Enoch was given a prophetic glimpse of the day when our Lord Jesus Christ will come with His holy angels. Suddenly there is a break in the clouds. By faith, he factored in eternity and looked to the reward. Without faith it is impossible to please Him (11:6). Since the two halves of 11:1 seem to be parallel, conviction (Greek, elenchos) would need to be taken in an objective sense, also, as proof of things one cannot see (ibid., VII:586). Website:UnlockingtheBible.org. The eternal God brought physical matter and time into being by His powerful word alone! And just one generation later, their son Cain killed his brother. Scripture: Those with true faith accept God's word, focusing on assurance about what we do not see, looking beyond the situation as it can be perceived by natural vision. Hebrews 11 begins by telling us what faith is: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb 11:1). Notice the word ungodly or ungodliness occurs four times. Pleasures are found at Gods right hand, and those who walk with God taste these pleasures before they ever arrive in heaven. So, here is a young man who suddenly finds himself in a place where he knows that he needs the help of God. Maybe you know what this is like. Even though he was a devout Catholic (a fact he never tried to hide), Russert as moderator couldn't take sides so he wanted Meacham to take up the cause. His faith proved the reality of the unseen God as greater than the reality of the flames that burned him to death. 2:8-9). The seed on the thorny ground may have lasted a bit longer, but eventually it was strangled by the temptations of worries, riches, and the pleasures of this life. The phrase is appropriate because this story is dark and tragic from beginning to end. " It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom ." What else could compare with this? Faith obeys God even when we don't understand (17b-18) A. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his one and only son - Hebrews 11:17 As Psalm 33:6, 9 affirms, By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. Hebrews 11:1-6. . If you do not come to Him in faith as your Savior, you will stand before Him in terror as your Judge! People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? And that of course is the thing that ultimately matters about us all. The evidence of our eyes is against all of this. So many of us have filled our hearts with the junk food of the world. But the rest of us struggle to believe at least part of the time. 3By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not seen." (Hebrews 11:1-3) I'm focusing today's sermon on our . Faith is trust in what God said simply because it's God who said it. Concerning faith, he wrote (George Muller of Bristol, A. T. Pierson [Revell], p. 437, italics his): It is the very time for faith to work, when sight ceases. Here is a second principle for close relationships: Truth is the basis for trust. Nine generations were all living at the same time! And we must exercise the faith we have or it will begin to wither and die on the vine. However, do we take faith as seriously as we ought? George Muller was another man who made Gods promises real by faith, and proved in a visible way the reality of the invisible God. Just one tap away from sermons, blogs, and other resources. To walk with God does not mean that you are perfect, but if you are walking you are making progress. When He sends difficult trials into our lives, whether persecution, the loss of our health, or the loss of a loved one, we have to trust Him, believing that He is acting in love to form Christ in us. Faith recognizes that God sometimes tests us (17a) A. If you do not trust someone, you will not allow yourself to get close to that person. As long as there remain certain natural prospects, faith does not get on even as easily (if I may say so), as when all natural prospects fail. Every time the boy became sick you would think This is it. It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment (Heb 9:27). If you would draw near to God, you must believethat he rewards those who seek Him (vs. 6). Featuring Jen Wilkin, Jennifer Rothschild, Kristi McLelland, and more! That's as fine a tribute as you are likely to find, and not just about a public figure. And that's why we've got to take it seriously. I don't know how much faith they had, but they had enough to follow the head of the family. Therefore, at all times, we must cling to Christ as our Savior. That's a good statement any way you look at it, and it gains new poignancy after the sudden death of Tim Russert. But true faith, faith that rests on God and his Word and believes all that he has said, true faith sees the unseen and say, "Yes, it is true.". This is also the case here as it says the evidence of things not seen. So faith has the idea of what would normally be considered impossible, possible. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. It is the doorway through which we enter the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. What is the faith that pleases God. It is possible to walk with God, in a world that defies Him. Truth is the basis for trust. Any known sin in your life has been confessed and forgiven. These first generations lived for many years, but they had one thing in common: All the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died (Gen 5:5). In Hebrews 10:39 he says to the congregation, "You are those who are of faith. You are the church, and Lifeway is here to serve you with biblical resources for everything life brings your way. It is like the sound of a train on the tracks when it gets up to speed, and he died, and he died, and he died.. Since Gods promises are given in specific contexts, how can we know which of them apply to us now? That's what Tim Russert said to Jon Meacham when he invited him to appear on Meet the Press to debate noted atheist Christopher Hitchens. All of us know about the great flood, the massive ark, and the gathering of the animals. A. W. Pink (An Exposition of Hebrews [Ephesians 4 Group], p. 652) uses the analogy of two men standing on the deck of a ship, looking in the same direction. You will not share personal information because you are afraid that the person will use it in a way that damages you. Death becomes the doorway into the unfiltered presence of God. these people were heroes. Permissions: You have permission and are encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format you choose, as long as you do not alter or change the wording in any way and do not charge a fee (beyond the cost of reproducing these materials). Hebrews now refers to creation itself. These verses are not so much a definition of faith but they show us the attributes of faith. Faith has its reasons. Let me apply verse 2 in two ways. Why? Chapters 11 and 12the final major portion of the epistleestablishes a call to respond in the only appropriate way, namely, by faith, to the realities the writer has discussed. What is faith? Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God (Hebrews 6:1) When we learn to depend on God's work in us, we learn to be perfectly peaceful, calm, undisturbed by . Enoch was taken. C. H. Spurgeon at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens. The Word feeds your faith, and faith feeds your understanding (v. 3). God gave this marvelous sign that one day even death itself will be conquered. Eventually that orphanage grew to 2,000 children who needed food, clothing, and shelter every day. And Hebrews here makes this abundantly clear. How does all of this relate to Hebrews 11? You may think, Thats a great story, but what if God hadnt delivered them? Sons and brothers, pay attention. He wanted to prove to the world that there is reality in dealing with the living God. God said to Abraham, Do not be afraid I am your shield, your very great reward (Gen 15:1 NIV). This was Gods provision for multiplying the human population in its earliest generations. But even if your progress is slow, you will still be moving forward. Has it occurred to you that God may have done this so that you will seek Him and walk with Him in a way that you were not doing before? 4 By faith Abel offered to God. But, I have since pondered his question many times and I have sought to answer it. Moses asked the Lord, What is your name? And God said, I am that I am (Ex 3:14). If two people come to a crossroads and they want to take different paths, they cannot walk together. But when Methuselah was born, Enoch knew that he needed help and he began to walk with God. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him (Jude 14-15). For 65 years he lived for himself, but when his son Methuselah was born, he began to walk with God. Pink says that the name Methuselah can mean, When he is dead, it shall be sent. He suggests that perhaps Enoch gave his son this unusual name, because God had revealed to him that when Methuselah died, the flood would come. Robert Rayburn expresses this very directly: Think of what must be believed in order to become a Christian. Hebrews, Chapter 11, and Verse 1. For posting on the web, a link to this document on our website (www.UnlockingtheBible.org) is preferred. So a life of faith means a life in which we base our whole hopes on Him and on His promises. Enoch lived with a profound awareness that judgment was coming. It is also the power of a godly husband and father. Second, if you have trusted in Christ as Savior, live each day to seek His approval. Understanding these principlestrust is essential for close personal relationships; truth is the basis for trust; and, truth must be expressed in love, which means, seeking the highest good of the other personshows why faith (trust) is at the heart of a relationship with God. We need to recognize that faith is not a meritorious work that we do to gain rewards from God. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Before we look at these three aspects of faith, it may be helpful to explain something about the nature of faith with reference to relationships. On a lifespan of 90 years that would be about 18 years old. They are making up their own religion. Hebrews 11:8 Sermons: By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. We are told in vs. 5 that Adam lived for 930 years. Noah was a righteous man who had great faith in God. Faith is the victory! For George Carlin, the comedian, religion and God weren't high on his list. Campuses in Arlington Heights, Barrington, Itasca, Marengo, Northfield, and Vernon Hills. 3 Tests Of Plagiarism: Do Your Sermons Pass Them. If you want to get some place fast, get in a car. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Heb 11:6). 3:16-18) oozes with faith in the unseen God: O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. What I am about to say will probably sound obvious (Duh!). "Without faith it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6. Martin Luther " Do not be afraid, little flock ," Jesus tells us in today's gospel reading ( Luke 12:32-40 ). He went out, not knowing where he was going. What is the reward? The biblical view, that the eternal God spoke it into existence, is based on faith, but not on blind faith. We have to believe it all on the strength of God's promise. Our weekly email connects you to the latest content and resources. When Meacham wrote about Russert's invitation, and the phrase, "It's the faith, Brother," he drew this conclusion: "In that brief chat the many sides of Russert were on display: he was cajoling and charming, playing it straight, pushing others to be braver and bolder, all in the service of creating an interesting conversation about the things that matter most.". To go back to Howard Fineman 's quote, it 's just not in us believe. Existence, is based on faith, it 's just not in us to believe at least part the. Here as it says the evidence of things hoped for, the massive ark, and faith your. Email connects you to the faith we have to believe at least part of the ministry known even. True God truth in unrighteousness in Jesus, death is a young who... We live the truth is the substance of things not seen Hebrews 10:39 he says the... 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