Hebrews 11A (2014) As a Bible teacher, there are a few special chapters in the Bible that I find myself returning t time and time again Chapters in the Law Like Genesis 3 Leviticus 26 Passages in the prphets like Daniel 9 (actually, mst f Daniel) Psalm 119 Isaiah 11, mst f Isaiah Jeremiah 31 And in the New Testament, There are numerus key chapters But nne are mre helpful and inspiring than Hebrews 11 We can teach every principle dctrine f the Christian faith frm the examples the writer gives us in this chapter In fact, this chapter is like a living museum f thse chapter highlights I mentined The writer s purpse fr this chapter is t serve as an inspiring cntrast t his earlier warning against apstasy If we re caught in apstasy triggered by fears f persecutin, then hw des Gd t inspire us t mve frward in bedience? He des this in His wrd, f curse And in particular, thrugh with testimnies f thse wh ve gne befre us in faith Stries f rdinary men and wmen wh fund themselves in similar psitins r even wrse 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 2 f 12 And yet when faced with fears and dubts, they mved frward in faith And because they mved frward, they pleased Gd and He gave them the strength t face thse trials well Hebrews 11 is that chapter, ften called the Hall f Faith It explains the frm and purpse f faith And it drives its message hme with example after example f saints frm the OT Men and wmen wh lived ut their faith despite varius earthly barriers r temptatins t frsake their trust in the Lrd It s n surprise that the key wrd in this chapter is faith It s used 24 times in the chapter And twice mre in the frms f faithful and believe It s abut becming imitatrs f the saints befre us as they exhibited patience s as t inherit the prmises Because these examples are rted in OT stries, we will revisit the stry f each f these heres and herines t fully understand what made their faith remarkable But first, the writer begins with tw verses that define the nature, purpse and value f saving faith Heb. 11:1 Nw faith is the assurance f things hped fr, the cnvictin f things nt seen. Heb. 11:2 Fr by it the men f ld gained apprval. Ntice the pen wrd nw The wrd nw cnnects this chapter t the earlier cnversatin in the prir 4 chapters If we are t avid the apstasy and the cnsequences the authr described in chapter 10, then we must understand expectatins f faith If we are t inherit ur full reward, then we must live with a full appreciatin fr what faith is and what it requires 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 3 f 12 And frm there, the writer gives us the Biblical definitin f faith, including saving faith First, faith is the assurance f things hped fr - The Greek wrd fr assurance is hupstasis - It s an interesting wrd that can have t shades f meaning in English - It has an bjective meaning, as in the reality f smething - And it has a subjective meaning, as in having a certain viewpint abut an issue And I think bth meanings are wrking tgether in the writer s purpses - Faith is having a viewpint that is rted in the reality f what we knw t be true - Biblical faith isn t wishful thinking - It s a perspective that understands the certainty f matters which can t be prven Fr example, d yu knw what wuld happen if yu jumped ff Empire State building? Yu wuld answer, Yes, I knw I wuld fall and hit the grund and die. Hw d yu knw that? Yu ve never dne it. Yet yu knw that gravity is a law f the universe And yu knw that the distance f that fall wuld certainly end yur life S yu have a perspective f certainty, ne that is rted in the reality f what yu knw t be true And yet, it s still prperly called faith Why d we still call it faith? Because it cncerns future events, which is the writer s secnd half f the definitin Faith is the assurance f things hped fr 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 4 f 12 Things hped fr refers t future events, things that haven t yet cme t pass but have been prmised That hpe was created because smene r smething gave us reasn t expect these things t cme t pass ne day That prmised inspired ur hpe, and that hpe is kept alive by ur faith S 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 Once thse things cme t pass, then faith is n lnger required Instead, the reality is self-evident As Paul says in Rmans, hping Rm. 8:24 Fr in hpe we have been saved, but hpe that is seen is nt hpe; fr wh hpes fr what he already sees? Having defined the nature f faith, the writer explains the purpse f faith He says it s the cnvictin f things nt seen The Greek wrd fr cnvictin is als an interesting wrd It s the wrd elegchs, which means prf And nce again, unseen means smething f the future S faith is the prf f smething that isn t yet reality Our faith makes visible and tangible smething that is unseen fr nw Were it nt fr ur faith, the reality f this future event wuld be cmpletely absent in ur experience Fr example, yur life insurance plicy is a testimny t yur eventual death Yur death is a future, unseen event 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 5 f 12 But yur life insurance plicy is prf that yu dn t expect t live frever, at least nt in this bdy And s if yu faith in the prmises f Christ prf f things that have yet t pass And s fr nw, ur faith and bedience t the wrd f Gd serves a purpse in shwing the wrld a truth that they culd nt see therwise It s prf that the wrd f Gd is real and true and filled with the pwer t transfrm lives Finally, the writer explains the value f saving faith He says that by faith, the men f ld gain apprval The men f ld are the Old Testament saints mentined in this Hall f Faith Let s nte that when the writer uses the term men he s using it in the neutral sense t mean men and wmen We knw this because the examples he cites include bth men and wmen By their faith, these saints gained apprval Wh s apprval? The wrld s apprval? Hardly. As the examples demnstrate, the wrld hates thse f faith N, the apprval was frm Gd And we re ging t see, the apprval the writer is speaking abut isn t abut ging t Heaven Obviusly, ur faith is the means f salvatin But the writer is speaking t an audience that is already Christian, as we saw in last week s lessn He s interested in ur walk f faith, whether we mature and grw in the face f trials r whether we shrink back t destructin 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 6 f 12 S winning the apprval f the Lrd by faith means living in a faithful manner, seeking the Lrd s apprval s as t receive a full reward S we understand the nature, purpse and value f saving faith in the life f a Christian, but what des faith lk like in actin? Can we see sme examples? I m glad yu asked...lets lk at the writer s examples f saving faith He prceeds in rder f the scriptures, beginning in the Creatin accunt And then the writer mves thrugh a series f carefully selected examples Each will illustrate hw saving faith always invlves thse three critical elements A cnfidence in Gd s wrd cncerning unseen events A life that gave prf f that cnfidence With the result fr that saint f a great reward in the Kingdm, nt n earth The first set f examples takes us thrugh chapters 1-5 f Genesis Heb. 11:3 By faith we understand that the wrlds were prepared by the wrd f Gd, s that what is seen was nt made ut f things which are visible. Heb. 11:4 By faith Abel ffered t Gd a better sacrifice than Cain, thrugh which he btained the testimny that he was righteus, Gd testifying abut his gifts, and thrugh faith, thugh he is dead, he still speaks. Yu may never have thught f yur view f the Creatin accunt as a matter f faith, but f curse it is The Creatin f the Universe happened befre there were any human witnesses t bserve the event Nt even the authr f Genesis, Mses, saw thse events Therefre, any perspective n the rigins f the Universe regardless f the viewpint yu hld must be a matter f faith And faith in the wrd f Gd leads us cnfidence that the rigins f the Universe are exactly as Gd describes them in Genesis 1 & 2 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 7 f 12 S what d we learn frm the example f the Creatin stry? We learn faith is demnstrated first and fremst by a trust in Gd s wrd cncerning the beginning f all things We believe that by His wrd, Gd was respnsible fr bringing the entire physical Universe int existence And ntice, the writer says the wrld was made nt ut f what can be seen - In ther wrds, nt by Evlutin If yu believe everything that exists tday came frm smething that already existed, then yu are living by sight and nt by faith When yu hld t a Creatin view as taught in Genesis, yu give the wrld prf f the reality f the wrd f Gd Next, the writer raises the sns f Adam, Cain and Abel The stry f Cain and Abel is well knwn, at least in the brad strkes But the details f what happened and why are ften prly understd Yu can gain a full appreciatin f what transpired in the relatinship between these brthers and its meaning by studying chapter 4 f Genesis Even s, the writer gives us the key t the prper interpretatin here The stry centers arund the actins f the brthers in wrshipping Gd Abel gave a sacrifice accepted by Gd While Cain gave an ffering that was insufficient t meet Gd s expectatins And the result was that Abel had a better testimny, that he was righteus while Cain wasn t Why did Abel s sacrifice give him a better testimny? First, a testimny is shwing evidence f what yu hld t be true 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 8 f 12 Abel s sacrifice was a testimny f his faith in Gd s prmise t save Abel frm his sin by means f a sacrifice Abel made a bld sacrifice t reflect that cnfidence His behavir gave prf that he had placed his trust in Gd s prmise t prvide a future bld atnement in the Messiah The writer says Abel s testimny cntinues n even tday The recunting f Abel s actins witnesses t us thrugh the scriptures lng after he is dead This is the pwer f faith lived ut in ur lives It speaks luder and lnger than ur wrds culd ever d Secndly, Abel was better than Cain because Cain s ffering wasn t a bld sacrifice Cain nly brught a grain ffering, which was an act f thanks fr prvisin He was cntent t thank Gd fr blessing him with material cmfrt But he made n acknwledgement t Gd that he was a sinner, much less that Cain needed t be saved thrugh an atnement Therefre, Cain s testimny was that he gave n cnsideratin t Gd s wrd cncerning sin and the need fr a Savir In Genesis 4, the Lrd rebukes Cain telling him that he has the same pprtunity t please the Lrd if nly he wuld trust in the sacrifice waiting at the drpst In ther wrds, if Cain wuld trust in the bld f the Passver applied t the drpst, then he t wuld receive Gd s apprval But because he didn t have faith t accept this truth in Gd s wrd, he went away unapprved And this led t jealusy, hatred and murder S what d we learn frm their examples? 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 9 f 12 First, that faith in Gd s prmises requires that we hnr the One Wh gave us pprtunity t becme part f thse prmises Faith requires a cnfessin f what we believe, specifically that we accept that the slutin t ur sin cmes frm abve and nt frm ur wn righteusness Furthermre, faith lives n beynd us, as ur life testimny has the pwer t mtivate thers t bedience And finally, persecutin at the hands f unbelievers is the cmmn experience f all believers If the first prphet and ur Lrd Himself were killed fr their testimny, then wh are we t expect better? We can t let the discmfrt f persecutin becme excuse t shrink back frm faith Next, the writer addresses the mysterius stry f Ench frm Genesis 5 Heb. 11:5 By faith Ench was taken up s that he wuld nt see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; fr he btained the witness that befre his being taken up he was pleasing t Gd. Heb. 11:6 And withut faith it is impssible t please Him, fr he wh cmes t Gd must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder f thse wh seek Him. In Genesis 5 we hear a brief mentin f a man wh pleased Gd in his life, and as a result the Gd rewarded him by taking him up The riginal Hebrew literally says he was here and then he was nt here This is a stark departure frm Mses nrmal genealgy, leading us t cnclude that smething ther than death ended Ench s time n earth The clsest parallel we have is the resurrectin f the Church, when thse wh are alive wn t experience death, accrding t Paul Instead, the believer will pass directly frm ne bdy int the next It seems the writer included Ench as a cntrast t Abel s end 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 10 f 12 While Abel died a death at the hands f the enemy, Ench escaped death altgether Sme believers will be martyred, while thers will be raptured Abel was the first murder in scripture, while Ench was the first man t escape death Bth men had gd testimnies; bth pleased Gd S what d we learn frm Ench s example f faith? Yu can please Gd by faith and be murdered r raptured The way ur life ends is nt a measure f Gd s satisfactin with us What cunts is what cmes in the next life, as we receive ur rewards Gd was pleased in Abel s testimny as a prphet and martyr And He was pleased in Ench s life f faithfulness In fact, the way t pleasing Gd rests n faith alne, but that faith has tw parts First, saving faith understands that Gd is But t believe Gd is desn t mean t simple believe in His existence Fr James tells us that simply believing that Gd exists is withut value James 2:19 Yu believe that Gd is ne. Yu d well; the demns als believe, and shudder. Even the sinful, rebellius demns knw that Gd exists This fact is s bvius that even thse swrn in allegiance with Satan acknwledge this truth In fact, they are s cnvinced f the reality f an all-pwerful Judge f all Creatin, that James says it causes them t shudder in fear f their cming judgment Nevertheless, this recgnitin can t save them frm their sad fate 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 11 f 12 S believing that Gd is means much mre; it means accepting what He declares abut Himself It means believing He is the One and nly Living Gd It means accepting His representative, the Sn f Gd As Jesus says: Jhn 8:42 Jesus said t them, If Gd were yur Father, yu wuld lve Me, fr I prceeded frth and have cme frm Gd, fr I have nt even cme n My wn initiative, but He sent Me. Furthermre, faith requires that we believe Gd is a rewarder f thse wh seek Him The writer isn t defining saving faith but faith lived ut Saving faith is belief in Christ as Savir But faith lived ut understands the reality f a reward waiting fr thse wh let their faith guide their life And in that way, their faith leads them t please the Father And withut that life f faith, it s impssible t please Gd Yu are saved by a faith that is nt f yurself, it is a gift f Gd But yu are rewarded fr a life lived in accrdance with that faith And it s that life f faith that the writer is trying t encurage amng his readers We can celebrate the faith that saves, but that faith was given t us while we were yet sinners and enemies f Gd The scripture emphasize a life lived in faith, which is the upward call f Christ D yu want t please Christ? Are yu structuring yur life t meet that gal? Then yu re living by faith On the ther hand, have yu assumed that every Christian is free t live withut cncern fr judgment because f Gd s grace? 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.
Hebrews 11A (2014) 12 f 12 Then yu haven t understd either Bible s teaching n faith r n judgment Yur faith must be rted in the prmises f Gd cncerning Christ And it must live in expectatin that rewards are available fr thse wh please Him And if yu live in that awareness, yu are far mre likely t please Him Yu will fight temptatins t sin, knwing that rewards are n the line Yu will resist the enemy, knwing he cmes t steal yur reward Yu will sacrifice earthly gain fr the prspect f greater rewards in the life t cme And yu will gladly accept persecutins and trials, knwing that these tests give pprtunity t receive an even greater reward Yu will live with eyes fr eternity 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) 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.