2007 Book of Hebrews Series

2007 Book of Hebrews Series – “Hall of Faith (1 of 4): The Pre-Patriarchs”
Hebrews 11:1-7
Sermon preached at Curwensville Presbyterian Church – August 5, 2007

Prayer Introduction: Canton is home to the Football Hall of Fame and Cooperstown is home to the Baseball Hall of Fame. But Hebrews 11 is home to the Bible’s Hall of Faith. Over the next 4 Sundays we are going to look at the 15 named and numerous unnamed men and women who are in the Hall of Faith.

Our purpose, though is not to honor them, but to honor the God who gave them faith – and who gives us faith – helping us to understand what faith is (and isn’t); so that we might be filled with greater faith. To that end, let us pray…We pray now for the preacher in the pulpit. He is not worthy, but by your grace he is able. And so it is through Jesus Christ that we pray – Amen!

Sermon Introduction: Let us first look at Faith Defined, then see it illustrated in the lives of Abel, Enoch and Noah.

I. Faith Defined (vv.1-3)

Faith’s most famous definition is given in the first verse: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Or in the old King James “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Notice that this isn’t the wishy-washy way in which the word faith is generally used: “Well you just have to have faith…You can’t be sure, you just need faith.” And this is why hope becomes nothing more than wishful thinking: “I hope everything turns out okay.”

The Bible defines faith as being sure – confident assurance – of what we hope for. Sir Thomas Browne said, “To believe only possibilities is not faith, but philosophy.”

It is not faith, but a lack of faith – or perhaps misplaced faith – that leads to wishful thinking rather than confident assurance.

True faith – properly placed faith – is faith in the living God. Let me say that again, “True faith is faith in the living God.”

Oswald Chambers – perhaps best known for his book My Utmost for His Highest – said, “You can't pump up faith out of your own heart. Whenever faith is starved in your soul, it is because you are not in contact with Jesus; get in contact with him, and lack of faith will go in two seconds.”

Those words hit me like a ton of bricks when I first heard them, because it described not only what faith is; but also what to do when you have a lack of faith. “Get in contact with [Jesus], and lack of faith will go in two seconds.”

When we face a difficult situation, it is not our natural inclination to go to the Lord. Our natural inclination is to pursue natural thoughts not supernatural thoughts. When the bills are coming up past due, when the kids are driving you crazy, when friends are stabbing you in the back, we don’t naturally think – “I want to go spend some time with Jesus.”

Instead, we get angry, get anxious or get away. We look for man-made solutions to our problems, instead of looking to the Lord – and his revelation to us in His Word.

D.Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “The whole trouble with a man of little faith is that he does not think. He allows circumstances to bludgeon him...The Bible is full of logic, and we must never think of faith as something purely mystical. We do not just sit down in an armchair and expect marvelous things to happen to us. That is not Christian faith. Christian faith is essentially thinking.”

Again, notice that faith is not wishy-washy, mystical wishing; it is thinking about the Bible and the God who speaks to us by His Word.

This is why A.B. Simpson (founder of the Christian & Missionary Alliance) said, “The larger the God we know, the larger will be our faith. The secret of power in our lives is to know God and expect great things from him.

How can we survive our circumstances, get to know God better and better. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Someone has said, “To have faith is to believe the task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.”

We must not simply “have faith.” A.W. Tozer said, “Faith in faith is faith astray.” We must have faith in the living God. And that will lead to certain hope.

Elaine Emans illustrated it by saying, “Faith is the key to fit the door of hope, but there is no power anywhere like love for turning it.”

So verse 2 of Hebrews 11 says, “This is what the ancients were commended for.” Love for the Lord, which became a love for turning the key of faith in the door of hope is what the members of the Hall of Faith did.

Before getting to the first member of the Hall of Faith, verse 3 says something really important – “By 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.”

The debate is known simply as Creation vs. Evolution, but it is really a debate of two opposing world-views. Everyone is looking at the same evidence, but viewing it through different lenses. Either you see it with faith in the unseen God or by faith in man-made theories.

Faith is being certain of what we do not see. Even though we didn’t see it happen, we understand – from God in His Word – that He made the universe ex nihilo (“out of nothing”). Evolution believes that the universe made the universe.

It’s what I call the Big Fart Theory. You ask an evolutionist where man came from and they say apes. Where did the apes come from? Fish that crawled out of the ocean. Where did the fish come from? Amoeba floating around in the ocean. Where did the amoeba and ocean come from? One big ball of matter and a gaseous explosion? Where did the ball of matter and gas come from? It’s just always been there.

So I am supposed to believe that one gigantic fart – one big gaseous explosion of eternal matter – is behind my existence?! Are you kidding me?!

Evolutional theory is exactly that – theory – and it is filled with so many holes it is ridiculous. It is not more scientific than creation science. In fact, evolution is less scientific.

Ken Ham – and the group Answers in Genesis – are doing some great work at showing the holes in evolutional theory and the scientific truth in creation.

Ken Ham tells about an occasion when, a man came to him after a seminar and said, ‘Actually, I’m an atheist. Because I don’t believe in God, I don’t believe in absolutes, so I recognize that I can’t even be sure of reality.’ Ham responded, ‘Then how do you know you’re really here making this statement?’ ‘Good point,’ he replied. ‘What point?’ Ham asked. The man looked at me, smiled, and said, ‘Maybe I should go home.’ Ham stated, ‘Maybe it won’t be there.’ ‘Good point,’ the man said. ‘What point?’ Ham replied.

Lack of faith, or mis-placed faith, is a wishy-washy, wishful thinking existence. True faith, properly placed, is a confident hope in the unseen God. How do I know there is a God? Because I know him, by faith. He is real and really working in my life.

II. Faith Illustrated in Abel (v.4)

Let’s briefly look at three members of the Hall of Faith, starting with Abel. The story of older brother Cain and his younger brother Abel is found in Genesis 4, in which they both brought offerings to the Lord. Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil and Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock. Now some people are convinced that the problem with Cain’s offering is that it was not a blood offering. Talk about missing the point.

The point is not what offering they brought, but the heart that brought the offering. Hebrews 11:4 says, “By 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.”

If you were to have been standing with Cain and Abel you might not have been able to tell the difference. Both brought offerings to the Lord; but one came in faith, the other came as a formal religious practice.

Just as there are two kinds of people who come to church. One comes in faith to worship the living God while the other comes out of habit – or has gotten out of the habit of coming – but it is nothing more than habit.

C.S. Lewis said, “If you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?”

Abel’s faith still speaks, even though he is dead, through the living Word of God. D.L. Moody said, “I prayed for faith and thought that some day faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, ‘Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.’ I had up to this time closed my Bible and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since.

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Abel heard the Word of God and now Abel is part of the Word of God. In order to have faith and to grow in faith we must hear the Word of God.

III. Faith Illustrated in Enoch (v.5-6)

Let us hear now God’s Word regarding Enoch in verses 5 & 6 – “By 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. And 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.”

The account of Enoch is in Genesis 5 – in a listing of the genealogy of Adam to Noah. Adam was the father of Abel. He lived 930 years and then he died. Seth was the father of Enosh. He lived 912 years and then he died. Enosh was the father of Kenan. He lived 910 years and then he died. Kenan was the father of Mahalalel. He lived 895 years and then he died. Mahalalel was the father of Jared. He lived 800 years and then he died. And Jared was the father of Enoch. He lived 962 years and then he died. But Enoch who was the father of Methuselah (the oldest man in the Bible living 969 years) did not die. Genesis 5:24 says, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

Hebrews 11:5-6 confirms that Enoch didn’t die, but God took him. It is a wonderful testimony of resurrection hope. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25).

We will die, but if we have true faith in the true God we will live eternally – saved by the same God who saved Enoch. Samuel Shoemaker said, “Eternal life does not begin with death; it begins with faith.”

It is said that Enoch was commended as one who pleased God and without faith it is impossible to please God.

Here we see what faith is and what it isn’t. In the words of A.W. Tozer – “Faith never means gullibility. The man who believes everything is as far from God as the man who refuses to believe anything.” Tozer also said, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, but not all faith pleases God.”

Wishy-washy faith in the natural universe is not a faith that pleases God. Enoch’s faith was a committed faith. Enoch didn’t shrink back from commitment. And yet we ask for little commitment of people’s faith today. We permit people to call themselves Christians, who profess a faith with little or no commitment.

Verses 5 & 6 say three things about faith: (1) Faith comes to God – seeking God earnestly. (2) Faith believes God exists – because we know God. (3) Faith believes God will reward those who exercise faith – earnestly seeking him.

It is God’s grace that produces the faith by which we believe God exists and “rewards” those who earnestly and continually seek him. Notice, again, faith is not simply digging deep into our own reservoirs. Faith earnestly seeks the Lord. Continue to seek the Lord.

St. Augustine said, “Faith is to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.” He also said – “Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.”

Seek the Lord in order to believe; and in believing we understand.

IV. Faith Illustrated in Noah (v.7)

We close with faith illustrated in Noah given in verse 7 – “By 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.”

The full account of Noah is in Genesis 6-9. By faith Noah heard and trusted in God’s Word. So it is still by faith that we hear and trust God’s Word, while a lack of faith ignores and/or rejects God’s Word.

The world around Noah did not have faith and they were condemned for it. So it is today that those who have no faith or mis-placed faith will be condemned.

A.W. Tozer said – “Every man lives by faith, the nonbeliever as well as the saint; the one by faith in natural laws and the other by faith in God.”

A Christian has faith in God. We know God, who has revealed himself in his Word the Bible and in the person of Jesus Christ the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. To hear and trust God’s Word is to hear and trust the incarnate Word.

We inherit righteousness by faith, just like Noah. It is not a faith that is earned, but inherited – given by God’s grace.

May God continue to fill us with greater faith – as we hear and trust God’s Word.

MAY THE TRUTH SET US FREE – AMEN!