Hebrews 11 – Part I,
New Heights Christian
Fellowship – Mike Barnett
Hebrews 11:1-22 says:
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and
certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the
ancients were commended for.
3By faith we
understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen
was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel
offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a
righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still
speaks, even though he is dead.
5By faith
Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could
not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was
commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it
is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that
he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7By faith
Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save
his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the
righteousness that comes by faith.
8By faith
Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a
stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who
were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was
looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is
God.
11By faith
Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled
to become a father because he[a]considered him faithful who had made the
promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as
dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as
the sand on the seashore.
13All these
people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the
things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they
admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People
who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they
would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they
were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17By faith
Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received
the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even
though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring[b] will be reckoned."[c] 19Abraham reasoned
that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac
back from death.
20By faith
Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21By faith
Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he
leaned on the top of his staff.
22By faith
Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from
1) FAITH SEE’S BEYOND THE
PHYSICAL WORLD – IT LOOKS INTO THE INVISIBLE REALM AND SEES THE POSSIBILITY OF
WHAT CAN BE WITH GOD’S HELP! V.1
“Now faith is being sure
of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”.
·
Faith is
living life depending on the act that those things which God has promised, and for
which we hope, are real. V. 1
·
Whereas the
physical world is seen with our biological eyes, the spiritual world is seen
with the eyes of our soul.
·
The person
without faith lives for rewards of this world that he/she can see, touch and
hear with their senses.
·
A Christian
who never sees beyond the physical problems, circumstances or facts, is a
person who has not developed the skill of listening to the Holy Spirit who
lives within them.
·
The person of
faith lives for what God has promised because he knows it is the truly real and
lasting reward – this ultimate reward for the Christian is salvation by faith.
Vs1-2
·
Faith is also
the evidence of God’s unseen being and power because when we trust him, we will
experience His power in our lives.
2) THE MATURE CHRIST
FOLLOWER REALIZES THAT THE SEEN IS OFTEN AN ILLUSION OR AT LEAST A DISTORTION
AND THE UNSEEN PROMISES OF GOD ARE REAL AND TRUE! Vs.1-2
·
The entire
visible universe was formed by God’s command – The seen world manifests from
the unseen God. V. 3
·
God is the
ultimate reality and faith is living on the basis that this ultimate reality is
the ultimate reality.
·
God is real
and we can depend on His promise for the future and His power for today.
·
What we see
with our physical eyes is a copy of the truth, what we cannot see is real and
authentic – The world has reversed this spiritual truth and sage advice. Vs.
1-6
·
The world
says whatever can be seen, touched and measured is real, whereas the Christian
says: “most of the time what is seen, touched and measured is really just an
illusion of the flesh – the authentic and real is not always seen with
biological eyes.
·
Faith is
living our lives from God’s unseen truth and not for the world He has made. Vs.
1-40
QUESTION: Why did God
accept Abel’s sacrifice but reject Cain’s?
ANSWER: Abel offered his
sacrifice by faith.
·
Abel’s faith
continues to bear witness to God’s faithfulness, even though he died a martyr’s
death!
·
His was a
faith that affirms the faithfulness of God beyond death.
·
His very
death testifies to us that we can trust God to take care of us beyond the
grave!
·
Thus Abel
becomes the prototype for all those who suffer opposition for their faith.
·
BY FAITH
ENOCH WAS TAKEN FROM HIS LIFE.
·
The fact that
Enoch did not experience death is very important. He, along with Abel, is a
witness to faith in a God whose promises go beyond death.
·
Each of them
bear witness to this truth in a different way.
·
Abel is a
prototype of the faithful who suffer opposition for their faith without a
temporal deliverance in order to receive the reward of eternal life in the next
world.
·
Enoch is a
prototype of the faithful whom God delivers from suffering and martyrdom in
this life.
“WITHOUT FAITH IT IS
IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD”! V. 6
3) WE PLEASE GOD BY
LIVING BY SPIRITUAL FAITH NOT BY PHYSICAL SIGHT. V. 6
·
The people of
faith do not see God with their eyes, but they know that He “is” - They
experience the power of this “living God” in the present now.
·
Living by the
facts as we perceive them does not please God – living by faith in the unseen
realm pleases God because He wants his children to trust Him and the promises
He gave them.
4) GOD REWARDS THE PERSON
WHO LIVES BY FAITH AND ERNESTLY SEEKS HIM BY GIVING THEM HIS UNSEEN PROMISES. V
6
5) TO HAVE FAITH IS TO
LOVE ACCORDING TO THE UNSEEN REALITY OF GOD RATHER THAN ACCORDING TO THE VISIBLE
THINGS OF THIS WORLD.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says:
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it
does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is
not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are
prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
·
Whereas lust
wants what is seen right now, love patiently waits for the unseen promises of
God.
·
We cannot see
God with our physical eyes, but His power is real in the present and His
promise of eternal blessedness is certain for the future.
6) FAITH AND OBEDIENCE GO
TOGETHER AND ARE INSEPARABLE – THE STRENGTH OF YOUR
FAITH WILL DETERMINE THE CONSISTENCY OF YOUR OBEDIENCE. Vs. 3-40
·
Noah
illustrates the clear connection between faith and obedience.
·
“Godly fear”
is another way of describing faith - Noah was motivated to obey God by his holy
or Godly fear. Vs. 7-8
·
To have
proper Godly fear is to be fully convinced of the reality of God, of God’s
power, of God’s grace, of the faithfulness of God’s promises and the
seriousness of His judgment.
·
“Things hoped
for” refers to the final fulfillment of God’s promises, to our eternal reward.
·
The words,
“things not seen” refer to future judgment, the judgment coming in the flood.
·
The emphasis
of Hebrews 11 is on God’s promised eternal blessings – but the chapter begins
with a reminder of His final judgment.
·
By His
obedience, Noah showed that the unbelieving world was wrong and under God’s
condemnation.
·
Vs. 8-22 –
Abraham represents God’s promise and Moses the fulfillment of that promise.
7) WHEREAS WEAK FAITH
WILL THROW A CHRISTIAN BACK INTO SIN, STRONG FAITH WILL PROPEL THEM INTO
OBEDIENCE. Vs. 1-40
·
The promise
of land was really the promise of a heavenly homeland. It was for this homeland
that Abraham stepped out in obedient faith. Vs. 8-10
·
Despite all
of this insecurity, from the unbelieving world’s point of view, Abraham obeyed
and went out, even though he did not know where he was going.
·
Abraham lived
in tents, the mark of a Nomad or alien. He did not settle down and become part
of an unbelieving society that disregarded God.
8) GOD STILL CALLS PEOPLE
OF FAITH TO LIVE AS ALIENS IN THIS WORLD EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE PROMISE
OF AN ETERNAL INHERITANCE. Vs. 8-12
·
People of
faith do not depend on this world for their security, seek in it their happiness
or live by its sinful values.
·
It is obvious
that the “homeland” sought by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was not the
·
God has
called His people to the better homeland of heaven, and has made a way for them
to enter through the better or truly effective work of Christ.
·
Because of
their faith, God is not ashamed to be called their God.
9) GOD’S CHILDREN MAY NOT
RECEIVE ALL OF GOD’S PROMISES ON THIS WORLD, BUT DEFINETLY WILL ON THE NEW
EARTH TO COME.
Vs. 13-16
·
V. 17- BY
FAITH, WHEN GOD TESTED HIM, OFFERED ISAAC AS A SACRIFICE.
·
Abraham knew
that Isaac was a part of the covenant that God made with him – he knew God would
not break His covenant agreement.
10) FAITH DOES A LOT OF TRUSTING)– SINCE ABRAHAM TRUSTED GOD TO KEEP HIS COVENANT, HE
REASONED IN HIS MIND THAT GOD COULD RAISE ISAAC FROM THE DEAD BY FAITH. Vs.
17-19
·
The preacher
does not say, “raise Isaac.”
·
He says raise
the dead.
·
The Greek
word behind the dead is plural; the preacher spoke of “the dead ones.”
·
Both Abraham
and the preacher believed that God had power over death for all His faithful people.
·
The preacher
is establishing a pattern of faith that transcended power over death. V. 4
·
Enoch
witnessed to it by a faith that overcame death itself. V. 5
·
Abraham
witnessed to it by a faith that kept believing God though he was as good as
dead”. V. 12
·
Abraham
passed the test of faith by trusting to raise Isaac.
·
Even if he
had killed Isaac, God could still have fulfilled His promise.
·
Isaac’s symbolic
“resurrection” is an example of what God will do for all the faithful.
·
These verses
emphasize the faithfulness of God to Abraham even more than Abraham’s faith.
·
We too can
trust Him!
·
The statement
“and worshipped as he leaned on top of his staff” is a quotation from Genesis 47:31
11) THE CHRISTIAN IS TO
BE ON A ______________(PERPETUAL) FAITH________________(JOURNEY) INTO THE
_____________(UNSEEN) REALM __________________(PURSUING) GOD’S AGENDA. V.22
“By faith Isaac blessed
Jacob and Esau in regard to the future. By faith Jacob, when he was dying
blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshipped as he leaned on the top of his
staff”. V. 22
·
Faith in the
unseen always leads to action in the seeing realm.
·
A STAFF IS A
SIGN OF A PERSON ON A JOURNEY. V. 22
·
Jacob was
still on a journey of following God when he died.
·
Joseph
believed so strongly that God was going to deliver the children of
·
By speaking
in faith about the Exodus, Joseph affirmed his faith in God’s future
deliverance.
·
This faith
was strong enough that it led him to take action: he commanded his children to
take his remains with them.
·
The burial of
Joseph’s bones indicated that God had fulfilled the faith of Joseph who saw the
future exodus and conquest.
TO DEVELOP STRONG FAITH:
1. USE THE MEASURE OF
FAITH GOD HAS GIVEN YOU TO USE TODAY AND YOU WILL RECEIVE MORE IN THE FUTURE AS
YOU NEED IT.
Romans 12:3 says:
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of
yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has
given you.
Luke 17:3-6 says:
So watch yourselves.
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and
if he repents, forgive him. 4If he sins against you
seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,'
forgive him."
5The
apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
6He replied,
"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this
mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.
2. SPEND TIME WITH
“CHRIST FOLLOWERS” WHO LIVE FOR GOD AND DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY HAVE GREAT FAITH
IN GOD – FAITH IS AN ATTITUDE THAT IS MORE CAUGHT THAN TAUGHT.
Hebrews 10:23-25 says:
23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for
he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how
we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let
us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 13:7-8 says:
7Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to
you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
3. READ THE BIBLE ON A
DAILY BASIS BECAUSE FAITH COMES FROM HEARING AND RECEIVING GOD’S PROMISES
THROUGH CHRIST!
Romans
7Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,
and the message is heard through the word of Christ.