Hebrews 11B (2014) We can see their confidence in God s promises reflected in their choices and decisions. We can appreciate their testimony

Transcription

1 Hebrews 11B (2014) Tday we return t the Hall f Faith In the first six verse f this chapter, the writer gave us an intrductin t the nature and purpse and value f faith in the life f a believer Faith is a perspective n the future ne rted in reality and truth, nt in speculatin r fantasy that trusts that things prmised will cme t pass By ur faith, we give a testimny t the wrld cncerning thse future events And by the examples f saints wh have gne befre us in life, we can learn what faith lived ut lks like We can see their cnfidence in Gd s prmises reflected in their chices and decisins We can appreciate their testimny And we understand that ften their faith leads t persecutin and even martyrdm We learn t accept that pssibility, because the hpe and cnfidence f the saints lies in eternal rewards, nt earthly nes The main feature f this great chapter f scripture is the its list f saints wh exemplify faith in actin The writer is encuraging wavering believers t stay the curse, t live in keeping with faith When Hudsn Taylr went t China, he made the vyage n a sailing vessel. As it neared the channel between the suthern Malay Peninsula and the island f Sumatra, the missinary heard an urgent knck n his staterm dr. He pened it, and there std the captain f the ship. "Mr. Taylr," he said, "we have n wind. We are drifting tward an island where the peple are heathen, and I fear they are cannibals." "What can I d?" asked Taylr Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Hebrews 11B (2014) 2 f 11 "I understand that yu believe in Gd. I want yu t pray fr wind." "All right, Captain, I will, but yu must set the sail." "Why that's ridiculus! There's nt even the slightest breeze. Besides, the sailrs will think I'm crazy." But finally, because f Taylr's insistence, he agreed. Frty- five minutes later he returned and fund the missinary still n his knees. "Yu can stp praying nw," said the captain. "We've gt mre wind than we knw what t d with!" Taylr was a man wh lived ut his cnfidence in things unseen Let s cntinue in ur study f these inspiring saints s that we wuld have gd reasn nt t shrink back t destructin Nt t let the threat f persecutin r even death cnvince us t abandn ur walk with Christ Remembering that faith withut wrks is useless, being by itself Our next example, fllwing chrnlgically, is Nah Heb. 11:7 By faith Nah, being warned by Gd abut things nt yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark fr the salvatin f his husehld, by which he cndemned the wrld, and became an heir f the righteusness which is accrding t faith. We all remember the stry f Nah, f curse He was a man wh received Gd s grace and a call t build a giant bat in preparatin f a cming fld As Gd revealed His plan t Nah, he made a prmise t Nah cncerning future events The prmise was that Gd wuld destry the wrld with water, but if Nah built a bat, he and his family (i.e., husehld) wuld survive the waters In v.7 the writer says Nah was warned abut things unseen What was unseen in Nah s day? The Bible testifies in Genesis 2:5 that the Earth did nt knw rain in thse days 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Hebrews 11B (2014) 3 f 11 Gd s plan t replenish the earth s water supply was t use a mist that settled n the earth every mrning, s rain wasn t required But since it had never rained, the wrld had never experienced a fld either In fact, I imagine that the cncept f a fld was literally unimaginable t a man like Nah Still, Gd spke t Nah prmising t bring an event that Nah culdn t fully appreciate r even understand, in respnse t which Nah must begin a cnstructin prject f unimaginable prprtins Nah s respnse was reverence, the writer says The wrd reverence means a respectful, sber r cautius respnse In ther wrds, Nah tk Gd s prmises seriusly He believed that what Gd said wuld happen wuld indeed happen Hw d we knw Nah tk Gd s wrd seriusly? Because he spent 100 years building an enrmus bat Nah is arguably the Bible s greatest example f sustained faith in actin There is n recrd that Gd spke t Nah again during thse 100 years f cnstructin D yu wnder if Nah faced mments f dubt r discuragement alng the way? If he wndered if he had heard crrectly frm Gd f if all the sacrifice was truly wrth it? Nevertheless, Nah persevered, and n dubt he endured persecutin alng the way He was building smething that n ne culd have pssibility fund useful in his day He was building the equivalent f a wden Titanic in a landlcked lcatin 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Hebrews 11B (2014) 4 f 11 But faith will cause us t live in ways that the wrld cnsiders crazy It s ur testimny t ur faith in the prmises f Gd And in time, ur faith will be rewarded Ntice the writer returns again t the cncept f an inheritance, an eternal reward He says by Nah s life f wrks accrding t faith, he becmes an heir He will receive a great inheritance in the kingdm I wnder if Nah s inheritance will be n a cast r n a muntain? Next, the writer mves frward int the patriarchal perid with examples f Abraham, Isaac and Jacb But the writer fcuses primarily n Abraham and his wife, Sarah Heb. 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, beyed by ging ut t a place which he was t receive fr an inheritance; and he went ut, nt knwing where he was ging. Heb. 11:9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land f prmise, as in a freign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacb, fellw heirs f the same prmise; Heb. 11:10 fr he was lking fr the city which has fundatins, whse architect and builder is Gd. Abraham s stry is prbably as well knwn as Nah s, at least amng Bible students Abraham was riginally a pagan named Abram living in Mesptamia He was called by Gd int a life f faith living in Canaan The prmise Gd gave Abram was that if he wuld leave behind the life he knew in Ur, including his family and livelihd, Gd wuld bless him with a great inheritance That inheritance wuld be the Prmised Land f Canaan and beynd But as Abram first heard this prmise, Gd didn t reveal the lcatin f that inheritance 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Hebrews 11B (2014) 5 f 11 As the writer reminds us in v.9, Gd required that Abram fllw in faith withut even an understanding f where Gd wuld take him Abram had t make a chice t fllw Gd s wrd based n a cnfidence and hpe f what Gd wuld d in the future Imagine yu are an unbeliever, with n prir experience trusting and fllwing the living Gd (we were all there nce in ur life) And then yu hear Gd telling yu t leave behind yur hme (dn t sell it, just abandn it) And leave behind yur family rts And get in the car and g t the airprt And fly t anther part f the earth, where yu will live frever He prmises that if yu d these things, yu will receive a great inheritance frm Gd This is the test Gd placed in frnt f Abram And Abram respnded in faith But this was merely the beginning f the test When Abram arrived in the prmised land, the Lrd revealed t Abram that the land Gd prmised wuldn t be his in this lifetime Instead, Abram wuld have an heir, and s his descendants wuld receive this land Later, Abram himself wuld receive the prmised land in full, but nly in the Kingdm, after his resurrectin When Abram believed these prmises, the Lrd renamed Abram t Abraham in recgnitin f Abraham s willingness t accept this prmise S nt nly did Abraham sacrifice his cmfrt and security fr faith in Gd s prmises, but he did s withut the prspect f reward in this lifetime The writer says in v.9 that Abraham chse t live as an alien and wanderer in the very land Gd had prmised t him 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Hebrews 11B (2014) 6 f 11 Abraham did nt grw up a nmad in Ur He lived in a prsperus, majr city He had n prir experience living in tents Yet he adpted this unfamiliar lifestyle fr all his days living in Canaan He chse t live as an alien, as if he was in a freign land, thugh the Lrd had prmised this land t Abraham Why did he live this way? Because he believed Gd when he was tld that he wuld nt see his inheritance in this lifetime He lked arund Canaan and tld himself, this will be mine ne day, but nt yet Ntice in v.10 the writer says Abraham was lking fr a different city The Greek wrd fr lking is ekdechmai, which means t expect t receive in the future Abraham was expecting t receive a city which has fundatins built by Gd Abraham culd see many cities arund him in Canaan - Cities like Sdm, Gmrrah, Zar, Shechem, etc. - These were cities built by ungdly pagans - These were nt what Gd had prmised t give Abraham S Abraham, cntinued living as a nmad because t d therwise wuld have been t frsake the prmises f Gd He wuld have been trading what Gd ffered fr what the wrld ffered And even thugh they lked very similar, they were nt the same thing Abraham knew that the city he wuld receive wasn t fund n earth It will arrive in the future, s fr nw it s an unseen hpe 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Hebrews 11B (2014) 7 f 11 Abraham s example f faith is s pwerful because it was s abslute, s encmpassing and s sacrificial If we can say that Nah s example f faith was ne f sustained bedience, then we can als say Abraham s example f faith was dramatic, life-changing decisin Abraham became an entirely new persn, with a new name, new hme, new lifestyle and new utlk He came t that place based n the wrd f Gd, n the prmises f Gd And he lived frever mre in keeping with his faith But all the while, the wrld was pressing in n Abraham frm all sides, seeking t pull him back frm the walk f faith Smetimes Abraham stumbled But he never retreated frm trusting in Gd s prmises Why? Because he knew a greater reward awaited him in the Kingdm than anything he might btain fr himself n earth And s his life was a testimny t the prmises f Gd And his example f faith is matched by his wife, Sarah Heb. 11:11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability t cnceive, even beynd the prper time f life, since she cnsidered Him faithful wh had prmised. Heb. 11:12 Therefre there was brn even f ne man, and him as gd as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE. Sarah is cited by the writer as a fellw heir with Abraham because she t demnstrated faith in Gd But her example cnfuses frm Bible students, wh see her behavir as less trusting in Gd s prmises The writer refers t her cnfidence in Gd s prmise t bring a child t her and Abraham even thugh she was well past child bearing years 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Hebrews 11B (2014) 8 f 11 In Genesis 18, Sarah is listening inside the tent t the cnversatin between the Lrd and Abraham, as the Lrd delivers the news that a child will be brn within the year Gen. 18:9 Then they said t him, Where is Sarah yur wife? And he said, There, in the tent. Gen. 18:10 He said, I will surely return t yu at this time next year; and behld, Sarah yur wife will have a sn. And Sarah was listening at the tent dr, which was behind him. Gen. 18:11 Nw Abraham and Sarah were ld, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. Gen. 18:12 Sarah laughed t herself, saying, After I have becme ld, shall I have pleasure, my lrd being ld als? Gen. 18:13 And the LORD said t Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am s ld? Gen. 18:14 Is anything t difficult fr the LORD? At the appinted time I will return t yu, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a sn. Gen. 18:15 Sarah denied it hwever, saying, I did nt laugh ; fr she was afraid. And He said, N, but yu did laugh. Ntice that Abraham s visitrs (the Lrd and tw angels) inquired f his wife Sarah The pint f raising Sarah was t emphasize which f Abraham s tw wives wuld be the ne t bear the prmised child The prmised decedents f Abraham were nt ging t arrive by Hagar but by Abraham s wife, Sarah Gd s prvisin wuld be supernatural and accrding t faith, nt by the wrks f the flesh There was prbably a secnd reasn the Lrd mentined Sarah by name as He talked with Abraham He knew that mentining Sarah s name wuld catch her attentin, leading her t listen mre clsely t what fllwed next in the cnversatin And listen she did, as we re tld in Genesis 18:10 As Sarah hears the prmise f a cming child, she laughs t herself in the tent And the reasn she laughs in fund in v Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Hebrews 11B (2014) 9 f 11 She realizes she is past child-bearing years, and t this pint she has been denied the very thing she mst wanted, which was a child And nw at this pint in her life, she learns that she will indeed bear a child And s she laughs in respnse And frm her laugh and her thughts and the Lrd s respnse, we see clearly she is in disbelief f what she hears She asks incredulusly shall she bear a child while s ld? Obviusly, she s expressing dubt at the prspect And the Lrd even issues her a mild rebuke fr that dubt S hw can the writer f Hebrews nw say she is an example f faith Well, let s lk mre clsely at the writer s statement in v.11 He says faith she received the ability t cnceive In Greek, the writer literally says by faith Sarah gained the pwer t receive r cllect In ther wrds, she was granted the ability t hld r receive Abraham s seed We culd say then that Sarah s ability t cnceive awaited her faith in Gd s prmise And thugh she is clearly lacking cnfidence in His wrd at the time f the meeting at the tent But based n the writer s wrds, we must cnclude that within a few mnths, Sarah had reached the pint where she trusted in the wrd f Gd And by her faith, she cnsidered Him faithful wh had prmised 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Hebrews 11B (2014) 10 f 11 Sarah s example is an encuraging ne fr any believer wh has struggled frm time t time in accepting the truth f Gd s prmises and adpting a lifestyle f faith Remember, Sarah had traveled with her husband when he received his call t Canaan S she had already made huge sacrifices She had n dubt heard her husband explaining his reasning fr their dramatic shift in lifestyle Yet n the day the Lrd visited the tent, she was still struggling with faith in His wrd Nevertheless, in the end she believed and she was rewarded Her example reminds us that we t can expect the Lrd s patience as we strive t believe and live in ur faith Remember the disciples, when they were cnfrnted with prmises t difficult t accept in the mment Luke 17:3 Be n yur guard! If yur brther sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, frgive him. Luke 17:4 And if he sins against yu seven times a day, and returns t yu seven times, saying, I repent, frgive him. Luke 17:5 The apstles said t the Lrd, Increase ur faith! Luke 17:6 And the Lrd said, If yu had faith like a mustard seed, yu wuld say t this mulberry tree, Be uprted and be planted in the sea ; and it wuld bey yu. The apstles fund it unbelievable t frgive thers in the way Jesus prescribed And s they asked the Lrd t increase their faith Jesus respnse is unexpected He tells them that faith des is nt measured in quantity, but in quality Even the smallest amunt f faith is sufficient t please Gd What s imprtant is hw it directs ur life Christ is the Authr and Perfecter f ur faith, and therefre He gives everyne a measure f faith the same measure 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Hebrews 11B (2014) 11 f 11 And like Sarah, He is patient t bring us alng in ur walk But what distinguishes ne believe frm anther is the willingness t act n ur faith The ne wh has faith in Gd s plan t mve a muntain int the sea can speak f these future events with abslutely certainty It takes just a mustard seed wrth f cnfidence t be aligned with Gd s plan And then the pwer t mve that muntain is certainty f Gd s prmises What Gd intends t d will cme t pass, and if we place ur trust in that future and live accrding t it, we will never be wrng And we will prvide a pwerful testimny f faith lived ut Nah, Abraham and Sarah were all peple wh heard the wrd f Gd, faced a decisin f what t believe, and ultimately cnfrmed their lives t thse prmises Nah heard in a mment, and then tiled diligently fr a century t demnstrate his faith in a prmise Abraham received Gd s prmises ver many years then was called t demnstrate his faith in critical mments Finally, Sarah heard Gd s wrd in a mment, but tk time t accept it s reality, ultimately leading her t faith and bedience Whether yu are a Nah, r an Abraham r even a Sarah, recgnize that Gd is the ne revealed in scripture, and He is a rewarder f thse wh seek Him Next week we cntinue with the patriarchs in the Hall f Faith 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.