It is about the faith and that faith must be in Jesus. Let's read the text ( Hebrews 11:1-3 ): Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Creation is dependent upon the Son for its maintenance. And that is our calling today. Hebrews 11:1-2 (ESV) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. So, to walk with God means that we go where He is going. God teaches us by pointing to real-life examples of faith in action. Log In Create an Account. Neither type of faith brought forth fruit to maturity. These elements of relationships also apply to our relationship with God. Noah's faith saved his entire family. Their faith needed to be strengthened to meet this challenge. He was taken up into heaven (Acts 1:11). What matters about them is the relationship they have with Jesus. 2:4). And only God can give me what I need. Hebrews 11 paints a picture of what a life of faith looks like. The early chapters of Genesis chart the growth of sin in the world and its devastating effects. Maybe you know what this is like. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. He went out, not knowing where he was going. And that of course is the thing that ultimately matters about us all. Faith was about my belief in God. What is the characteristic that binds all these triumphs/victories together? The order is crucial: first the man, then the offering. And we know how Noah saved his family while the world around him perished. Most scholars take the second instance (Heb. Have Faith, Hebrews 11:1-3 - September 5th, 2021. God is the great peace-maker: when we make peace we are walking with Him. Ha! Hebrews, Chapter 11, and Verse 1. All the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died (Gen 5:11). For the believer in Jesus, death is a transition from this life to the next. As it is difficult to directly translate into English because it has many meanings, we must look at the context here. If we are going to follow Jesus, we must do the same. Scripture: Hebrews 11:7-12 John Piper Sermon The Hope of Exiles on the Earth Jun 29, 1997 Scripture: Hebrews 11:13-22 John Piper Sermon Liberated for Love by Looking to the Reward Aug 3, 1997 Scripture: Hebrews 11:23-28 John Piper Sermon Faith to Be Strong and Faith to Be Weak Aug 10, 1997 Scripture: Hebrews 11:29-38 John Piper Message Since Gods promises are given in specific contexts, how can we know which of them apply to us now? Let me remind you that you may believe what you want, think what you want, act like you want, but there is only one way to God and that is through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. His faith proved the reality of the unseen God as greater than the reality of the flames that burned him to death. Nine generations were all living at the same time! Colin Smith; Our History & Mission; Our Team; Statement of Faith; Media & Radio Inquiries; (Amos 3:3). Only the seed on the good ground bore fruit with perseverance (Luke 8:11-15). Order Curriculum, Literature, and Church Supplies, by Rick Ezell on Wednesday, January 01, 2014 at 7:00 AM. It gains Gods approval. This Son also maintains the universe by the word of His power. This runs through the whole chapter with one exception. These verses are not so much a definition of faith but they show us the attributes of faith. "You gotta come down and defend the faith, Brother." Eventually that orphanage grew to 2,000 children who needed food, clothing, and shelter every day. We have to believe it all on the strength of God's promise. So many of us have filled our hearts with the junk food of the world. We have to believe it. 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. Ages (worlds) is a Hebrew way of referring to the creation from the standpoint of its successive duration. That's the power of a godly leader. After going through the roll call of these saints, the example of Jesus is set forth in the 12th chapter as the most excellent example of enduring faith, The writer of Hebrews wrote to warn the church he addressed not to drift away from the truth and commit apostacy. While the term is roughly equivalent to world, it allows for what modern science has established, that time is related to matter. We're sorry, an error occurred. Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2004, All Rights Reserved. Jesus is both the author and perfecter of faith (Heb. This story points us to the hope we have in Jesus who broke through the power of death and ascended into heaven. And that's why we've got to take it seriously. You can be godly in a very ungodly world. Faith believes God regardless of the circumstances. Some of you may think that 65 sounds quite old, but at this point, Enoch was about a fifth of the way through his life. He's Where the Joy Is by Tara-Leigh Cobble, Black Church Leadership & Family Conference. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.. Certainly Cain represents all those people in the world who believe they can make up their own religion. On the other hand, to deceive someone under the guise of love is to deny truth. Cain brought an offering from his crops while Abel brought a sacrifice of the best of his herd. We don't trust our government officials, we don't trust our bosses, we don't trust our neighbors, we don't trust our doctors, we don't trust our pastors. Moses asked the Lord, What is your name? And God said, I am that I am (Ex 3:14). People who spoke against God. It seems that the responsibility of being a father caused Enoch to feel that he needed God in a way that he had not felt before. That's a good statement any way you look at it, and it gains new poignancy after the sudden death of Tim Russert. Hebrews 11 New International Version Faith in Action 11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. They are making up their own religion. The author does not want us to have a temporary, flimsy faith that shrinks back to destruction. And all our striving after career goals, worldly success, financial independence, and even our jumping from one relationship to another, those things are but symptoms of our deeper need to find our place in the universe. The writer of Hebrews had told the church in chapter 10 of the trials they had already endured for the faith. the word for substance is the Greek word hypostasis which is hard for us to directly define. All the ultimate answers of life lie in that kingdom. This is the kinda (expletive) you'd expect from an office temp with a bad attitude.". For example, God confronts our unbelief and sin. No wonder we jump from one job to another and from one relationship to another. Hebrews 11 demonstrates that the life of faith is not a rarity. The evidence of our eyes is against all of this. It is also the power of a godly husband and father. Tim Russert was 100-percent right. And just one generation later, their son Cain killed his brother. 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. Before we leave verse 1, lets apply it by illustrating how faith worked in the lives of three Hebrew young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Daniel 3). You are currently impersonating {{userSessionData.email}}. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years (Gen 5:22). Along with the divinity of the Holy Spirit, we have the doctrine of the Trinity. How do rewards fit in with faith? Therefore, at all times, we must cling to Christ as our Savior. For George Carlin, the comedian, religion and God weren't high on his list. But as Paul explains (Rom. God had brought them through these hard times which included the loss of their property and being made homeless. So how can you draw near to God? This is not good work. Although the stress of the next section of Hebrews is on practical exhortations, doctrine is either taught or assumed in this part of the book as Read More Hebrews 11:1-7 - The Description of Faith He trusted in God. Sermon Archive "Faith That Works" - Hebrews 11. This ancient story may seem a long way from the realities of your life today. Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Put Your Hand in the Hand of God The Rev. And God honored them because of their faith. For posting on the web, a link to this document on our website (www.UnlockingtheBible.org) is preferred. The prevailing current worldview, that matter always existed and that the current universe, including man, happened by sheer chance over billions of years, is based on blind faith, because there is no evidence to support it. That's what the phrase "by faith" (repeated over and over again in this chapter) is all about. God tests us so that we may know what is in our heart - 1 Peter 1:7 II. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval. Husbands, observe this carefully. "It's the faith, Brother." Abel had faith; Cain did not. We live in a world that is far from God and all of us are going to die. But they must have had some faith. He said the following about God: "Something is wrong here: War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption and the Ice Capades. Now, what does it mean to live by faith? Most Popular. b. It has to make a difference. And if you add up all the numbers, you find that Enoch was taken up to heaven after 987 years. When he looked at Abel's heart, he found faith there, and it was faith that he rewarded. The author says that faith gives us understanding of how the material universe (and time) came into being, namely, by Gods spoken word. And the author of Hebrews is explaining that by way of illustration in Hebrews chapter 11. The Word feeds your faith, and faith feeds your understanding (v. 3). 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. I will seek to clarify the meaning of the verse as I understand it, but I admit that my understanding may be limited. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. As they burned him at the stake, he died singing! The word of God here does not refer to His written word, but to His spoken word. He believed that in His excellent goodness, God is ever willing to bestow blessings, and ever ready to reward those who come to Him. Until recently, the nearly universal voice of the Church was the traditional view that God created all from nothing. By Faith (Sermons on Hebrews 11) Hardcover - May 1, 2000 by Thomas Manton (Author) 10 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $2.99 Read with Our Free App Hardcover from $28.50 2 Used from $28.99 1 New from $28.50 Paperback $19.99 1 New from $19.99 What is the faith that pleases God. Hebrews 11:1 has always been a difficult verse for me to get a handle on. Hebrews: All About Faith. If you look at the end of Luke 3, you will see that this is the line of descent into which Jesus Christ was born. That would conflict with the entire teaching of the New Testament, that faith is simply the channel through which Gods blessings flow. But the rest of us struggle to believe at least part of the time. We are told in vs. 5 that Adam lived for 930 years. So, faith believes what God has revealed and trusts what God has promised. Last week we looked at Abel and saw from his story that faith listens to God. By Faith - Sermon on Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-12 Leave a reply Last week we discovered that God's vision in creation is to be with us. It renders the first phrase (p. 847), in faith things hoped for become realized (or, reality). As we saw last week, there is a type of faith that does not endure trials and temptations. Such people as Enosh, Mahalalel, and Jared are respectable plodding quiet men who said goodnight to one another regularly, remarked briefly upon the weather and died.. 3 By faith we understand. See More Details. Verse 1 says that faith has "substance." Faith is tangible, even though it is invisible. Cain farmed the soil while Abel raised livestock. God picked him up and carried him across it (A.W. 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. Since nature abhors a vacuum, if we don't fill it with God, we will fill it with something else. Because he was looking to the reward (11:26). Here is a message especially for all the men. 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. The answer lies in the resurrection and the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world often ridicules or despises the person who lives by faith. THE OLD Assembly's Catechism asks, "What is the chief end of man?" and its answer is, "To glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever." They just aren't brave enough to say it. But you have not said it to build the other person in Christ, and so it is not loving. 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. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. Hebrews 11:1 gives a definition, or at least a good description, of the faith that pleases God: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." "Confidence" is the translation of a Greek word that means "foundation." Faith is the foundation that . 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. He believed so deeply and obeyed so completely and walked so intimately with God that it was natural for his entire family to do what he did. 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