2 For by it the men of old gained approval. Genesis 1:1, Habakkuk 2:4, Hebrews 10:38, Hebrews 11, Hebrews 11:1-16, Hebrews 11:1-3, Hebrews 1:1-3, Hebrews 11:8-16, Hebrews 12, John 1:14, Romans 8:24, Sermon Topics: To walk with God does not mean that you are perfect, but if you are walking you are making progress. What is faith? It is a willingness to trust in, to rely on, and to cling to. That would conflict with the entire teaching of the New Testament, that faith is simply the channel through which Gods blessings flow. The unseen things we are convinced of, are things God has revealed. It also makes all of creation His. 4 By faith Abel offered to God. So, Adam was still living when Enoch was born. 48:51. It did for three men: Abel, Enoch, and Noah. Enoch walked with God and went straight to heaven. Hebrews 11:17-19 I. What is the age difference between Cain and Abel? By any standards this is a remarkable story. Every day Lisa and David Holden asked God for a baby. Notice the word ungodly or ungodliness occurs four times. Maybe you did too. Yes, it is. [Published with permission from Dr. Arnold Lastinger.] How did Cain know Abel's sacrifice had been accepted and his had not? So, this was soon after the death of Adam, and before any of the other patriarchs died. All of the others relate to a parade of characters from the Old Testament who trusted in God. 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. 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. The difference is, the first man is looking with his unaided eye, whereas the second man is looking through a telescope. By faith he believed God regarding things he had not yet seen. When you walk, you see things you dont notice from a car. We are not a very trusting people. But as Paul explains (Rom. By faith they saw the unseen God as more real than the enraged king standing in front of them, threatening to roast them alive. Adam died after 930 years. Adam lived 930 years (Gen 5:5). It is the relationship you have with Jesus. This is not good work. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. But, I have since pondered his question many times and I have sought to answer it. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah (Gen 5:21 22). Free shipping on books, Bibles, gifts, VBS, and church supplies of $50 or more. Since the day that Enoch began to know God, he must have been thoroughly enthralled at God's goodness to reward him. 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. As we saw in chapter 10, Christs sacrifice on the cross is the only basis for forgiveness of sins. The "hoped for" things we are sure of, are things God has promised. Featuring Jen Wilkin, Jennifer Rothschild, Kristi McLelland, and more! Hebrews 11 begins with a short general definition of what faith is. Why did Moses do what he did? For by it the elders: The great examples of godliness all had different circumstances and personalities, but they all had one thing in common - faith. Its no good saying, If God wants me He can make himself known to me. How true that is. But Enoch did not go through it. 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. God is the reward of those who seek Him. The most important thing about you what will matter about you forever is not how many people know your name, or not how many people follow you on social media. It is not a list of great things that you have accomplished. Hebrews 11:8-10. 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. So a life of faith means a life in which we base our whole hopes on Him and on His promises. As bad as things are, they were worse in Noah's day. Death is like a river that separates us from the presence of God in heaven. Habakkuk lived in difficult times before the Babylonians came to take away Judah into captivity. THE FEEDING OF FAITH: You are not born with faith as you need to have it. Seen through the eyes of a public that gasped at the enormity of their tragedy, Scott and Janet Willis faced unendurable grief. God spoke into the nothing and creation happened. 3:14) as subjective, hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end. But the respected Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (ibid., VII:587) argues that it does not refer there to subjective assurance, which rests within us, but to the objective reality of the faith. Martin Luther " Do not be afraid, little flock ," Jesus tells us in today's gospel reading ( Luke 12:32-40 ). I did what I did because I believed it to be biblical and thus pleasing to God, but it resulted in a number of people trying to get me fired. Enoch got through his early years without too much trouble. The reward of seeking God is finding Him. 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). Faith has its reasons. Hebrews 1:1-3 tells us that Gods agent in creation was the Son. This ancient story may seem a long way from the realities of your life today. If you doubt the truth of Gods Word, including His promises for the future, you cannot trust Him and thus will be distant from Him. In just four brief verses (Genesis 5:21-24), we have his entire life history. As we saw last week, there is a type of faith that does not endure trials and temptations. To ensure you receive the best experience on Lifeway.com, we use cookies to process information about your visit. The Word feeds your faith, and faith feeds your understanding (v. 3). All the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died (Gen 5:8). How does all of this relate to Hebrews 11? Abels sacrifice of a lamb from the flock points forward to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). You are calling God a liar if you do not trust Him, and you cannot be close to a liar. The lifespans of these generations are about ten times as long as our lives today. Hebrews 11:1 has always been a difficult verse for me to get a handle on. Whatever we may say about the two offering of Cain and Abel, the real difference was in the heart. But when you believe in His Word about salvation, you gain understanding about the origins of the ages that makes everything in history fall into place. We think it's easy to believe and easy to keep believing, but it's not - not for most of us. If wickedness had filled the earth by the time of Noah, you can be sure that it was running rampant in the time of Enoch. Not one word is ever said about the faith of his wife or the faith of Shem, Ham or Japheth or their wives. He created the things that are from things which are not. Humans might fabricate things out of the dirt or use material from creation for their buildings, but not God. 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.. Light shines into the darkness, and we have reason to hope that the reign of death may not be forever. "Hebrews 11 tells us what it means to have faith and obtain life. Robert Rayburn expresses this very directly: Think of what must be believed in order to become a Christian. Death becomes the doorway into the unfiltered presence of God. Instead we find complexity, and diversity not only between religious communities but within it as well." Thirdly, God chose the Son who is His express image to purge our sins. Fortunately, Karl experienced real faith before he went home to be with Jesus. Faith recognizes that God sometimes tests us (17a) A. You will always be on guard. Having trouble logging into your account? It proves the reality of the unseen world. [2] For by it the people of old received their commendation. "Through Faith" As we read on the context is the same.Vs35b-38. Our weekly email connects you to the latest content and resources. This story points us to the hope we have in Jesus who broke through the power of death and ascended into heaven. Last week we looked at Abel and saw from his story that faith listens to God. b. Enoch was taken soon after Adam had died. The second is (p. 249), a proving of (or conviction about) unseen things.. Why is the doctrine of creation by Gods word crucial for knowing Him and for the Christian life. Nine generations were all living at the same time! 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 The word of God here does not refer to His written word, but to His spoken word. All scholars agree that the word is used objectively in 1:3, which states that Christ is the exact representation of Gods nature (essence, or reality). Hebrews 11:32-35a Elijah: Widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-23) Elisha: Shunammite Woman's Son (2 Kings 4:18-37). Our hearts are restless until they find rest in you." For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 12:2). Amos asks, Can two walk together unless they are agreed? Now, what does it mean to live by faith? Our calling is to seek Him. The writer of Hebrews is expanding what he previously taught in verse 6: I need not try to convince you of anything. All the ultimate answers of life lie in that kingdom. They knew what death was because they had seen it in the animals, but when the first man died, all of the others knew this is what will happen to me! Both faith and works come from God. If the enemy can get us to doubt Gods love in a time of trials, we will draw away from God and disobey His Word of truth. If the story of Abel is about our quest for acceptance, then the story of Enoch is the familiar metaphor of the journey. God tests us so that we may know what is in our heart - 1 Peter 1:7 II. Hebrews 11:1-3 | Search Results | Sermon and Worship Resources The author says that faith gives us understanding of how the material universe (and time) came into being, namely, by Gods spoken word. Theres more here than believing there is a God. If you do not trust someone, you will not allow yourself to get close to that person. You will not share personal information because you are afraid that the person will use it in a way that damages you. In fact, Adam was still living when Enochs son Methuselah was born and when Enochs grandson Lamech was born! There is abundant evidence that an incredibly intelligent Designer created everything, especially human life. were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. This is the first of 19 uses of by faith in this chapter. Your family. It gains Gods approval. To blast a person may be truthful, but 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. Why did one choose to be a farmer and the other a shepherd? God has made Himself known in Jesus Christ. He cites Habakkuk 2:4, But My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. Then he expresses his confidence in his readers (10:39), But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. His subject is enduring faith. Some of his readers were in danger of shrinking back to destruction. Received their commendation about the two offering of Cain and Abel the FEEDING of faith does! On, and more say about the faith of Shem, Ham or Japheth their! 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