Hebrews 11 Verses 1 to 6 The Currency of Heaven October 22, 2023

Hebrews 11 Verses 1 to 6 The Currency of Heaven October 22, 2023

Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Background Scriptures:

2 Corinthians 5:5-7 (NASB) 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. 6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—

Main Idea:

· You must exercise your faith if you want to go to Heaven.

Study Aim;

· To understand Heaven as a place that requires us to believe in its existence, sight unseen.

The Biblical Truth:

· Faith pleases God and expresses itself in confident, enduring obedience.

Create interest:

· Earlier passages Hebrews have already indicated that not all who began in faith continued in faith. It is important therefore to interpret this intriguing word ‘faith’. Our writer does not pretend to say all that can be said about it. We have no reason to doubt he was aware of other aspects of faith, for the word is used is in the New Testament in a variety of senses and comes to have rich content.

o It can indicate the way we believe (‘faith in Jesus’) and what we believe.

o It can be used to indicate mere intellectual assent which even demons give to the fact of God’s existence; or deep personal commitment, which only Christians can give.

o Those with true faith accept God’s word, win his approval, and recognize his power.[1].

· Faith is among God’s life-changing gifts. Is faith a gift or a response? Actually, it is both.

o It is a gift of God’s grace that enables us to believe. No one can boast of self-produced faith.

o God activates faith in the hearer of His Word, enabling people to have the opportunity to believe and the help to become faithful.

o People could not trust God if God did not offer Himself to them, though faith is never coercive.

o Faith as gift is alluded to in Hebrews 12:2, which identifies Jesusas “the author and finisher of our faith.[2]

Lesson in historical context:

· This passage may have been an afterthought, one of the special acts of Holy Spirit inspiration. To move from 10:39 to 12:1b is a smooth transition. On the other hand, the forty verses in 11:1-40 introduce us to great men and women, whose stories remain a challenge and encouragement to faith. We are not to think of this ‘great cloud of witnesses’ (12:1a) as watching from heaven and checking on their successors in the race.Rather, their lives are to be read and copied as we keep running forward towards Heaven.

· There is a lovely balance in this chapter of the well-known and the anonymous (vv. 35–38) between those who knew miraculous intervention on their behalf, and those who stood true and loyal even though their lives ended in martyrdom. The overall theme of the letter, with its concern not to turn back, has many echoes here, not least in verses 15–16. In the process of telling the stories we have this remarkable definition of ‘faith’, one of those religious words used often without much substance.[3]

o I throw in here an acronym Forsaking All I Trust Him. (FAITH), which has for my 58 years as a Christian, has been very meaningful to me. Faithful Christians in Bay City loved me shared and exemplified His love with me…which planted a seed that germinated when I was 18 in college. My acceptance of Christ was life changing eternally for me.

· First-century Jews saw everything as a matter of works. Even after being shown the basic truths of the New Covenant, the tendency was for them to try to fit these new principles into the mold of works-righteousness.

· By the time of Christ, Judaism was no longer the supernatural system God had originally given. It had been twisted into a works system, with all kinds of legalistic requirements. It was a system of self-effort, self-salvation, and self-glorification. It was far from the faith system that God had given. In many ways it was a religious cult built on ethics. (And even the divinely ordained Judaism was falsified without its fulfillment in Christ.)

· As all works systems, it was despised by God—particularly because it was a corruption of the true system He had given. God has never redeemed man by works, but always by faith.[4] Ephesians 2:8-9 sum this up well.

o Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

· Heb 11:1–7 makes appropriate use of the primeval history found in Genesis 1–11 to disclose the basic structure of faith.

o Verses 1–2 introduce this chapter with a definition of faith(v. 1) and an affirmation of its importance in the lives of the godly of old, who will be discussed below (v. 2).

o Verses 3 and 6 clarify this definition by giving the object or content of faith.

o Verses 4-5 enclose the first two examples of faith, Abel and Enoch. By complementing each other, these two faithful men set the parameters for the rest of this history by demonstrating both the struggle and the triumph of faith.

o Verse 6 makes is crystal clear you cannot please God without faith.

o Verse 7 is used by the pastor is the example of Noah in to direct his hearers toward the goal of faith and to provide a smooth transition to the heroes discussed in the following verses.

§ This opening section of the grand history of the faithful is meant to impress upon all who will hear the necessity of living by faith if they would please God.[5]

Bible Study:

Hebrews 11:1-2 (NASB) What is Faith? 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval.

· Vs. 1: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for. (Underlying essence, nature, reality; confidence, conviction, steadfastness.)

o The Son of God, the inspirer (to our human author unknown to us) of Hebrews tells us, is the “exact representation” (charaktēr tēs hupostaseōs) of God (Hebrews 1:3). That is, in terms of the reality behind the appearance of the person of Jesus Christ, stands God (cf. “He … bears the very stamp of His [God’s] nature” [RSV]). We therefore know God’s true nature, essence, and being—embodied in Jesus—by knowing Jesus (cf. John 10:30; 14:8–10).[6]

· On the general nature of faith. There is scarcely any verse of the New Testament more important than this, for it states what is the nature of all true faith and is the only definition of it which is attempted in the Scriptures.

· Eternal life depends on the existence and exercise of faith, and hence the importance of an accurate understanding of its nature.[7]

o Mark 16:6 (NASB) 6 And he *said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.

· That great servant of God of a former generation whom so many appreciate so much, Matthew Henry, makes some excellent statements that are well worth our thought: Pause here and soak on the following and discuss

“Faith and hope go together; and the same things that are the object of our hope are the object of our faith.

“It [faith] is a firm persuasion and expectationthat God will perform all that He has promised to us in Christ; and this persuasion is so strong that it gives the soul … possession … of those things.

“Believers in the exercise of faith are filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Christ dwells in the soul by faith; and the soul is filled with the fullness of God.”[8]

· Vs. 2: “Approval” does not just refer to temporary material blessings. Rather, this is the final eschatological approval—an eternal commendation instead of an eternal condemnation. It is important to remember that these are the only two options: commendation or condemnation. There is no third alternative. On the day of judgment, we will either be approved in Christ, or we will be condemned without him.

· How did the people of old win God’s approval? The author plainly answers that these men and women received their approval because they exercised faith.

o Paul makes this same point in Romans 4:1–12. Abraham was counted righteous before God because of his faith (see Gen 15:6). These passages demonstrate the consistent and clear New Testament teaching that the redeemed from Israel who lived before the death and resurrection of Christ were saved because they trusted God to be faithful to his promises.

§ Their faith was a Messianic faith.

§ They had an assurance that they invested in the promises of God.

§ They hoped in things yet unseen, in a deliverer that had been promised but had not yet come.[9]

Questions to ponder and chew on before moving on

· According to Verse 1, what is the definition of faith?(the assurance in the future of things hoped for…Heaven…and the conviction that the Bible is true, God exists, God loves us, and always keeps His promises)

· How does faith involve confidence? (I have confidence from experience that if I sit on the chair, it will hold me up…therefore I have faith unseen in that unwavering belief)

· How does faith involve assurance? (Believing God does what He says has been recorded proven over eons of recorded time, and He loves me so much He allowed Christ to pay the price for my sins though he was sinless and raised Him from the dead so I can have eternal life. I can’t see it, touch it, smell it, taste it, hear it but all of my being knows it is true….so much so I am willing give my life to share that with others so they can join me in Heaven.)

· What are some misplaced objects of faith in our world today? (money, power, success, other people, etc)

What are some lasting truths in Hebrews 11:1-2?

· Faith is a central aspect of being a Christian.

o Faith brings insight into God’s unseen presence and promised future.

§ Unbelievers scoff at belief in unseen realities.

o The biblical faith perspective is, “Believing is seeing.”[10]

§ Unbelievers say, “Seeing is believing.”

Hebrews 11:3 (NASB) Learning to live by faith 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 author begins his great catalogue with a reference to the origin of the created order, for here he finds an illustration of the very principle in faith that involves unseen reality coming to concrete expression.

· The universe(lit., “the ages”) was brought into existence at God’s command (lit., “by the Word of God”; cf. Gen. 1; Ps. 33:6, 9), with the obvious result that what we know and see was not made out of what was visible(lit., “not from things which appear”).

· Thus, the creation itself involves a model like faith.

o The event of the creation is like faith in that it is an unseen reality of exceptional importance that is prior to and indeed generates the world we can see.

o Our understanding of the creation of the universe through the word of God is itself by faith. That is, here too we reckon the truth of an unseen reality, despite the account of creation given in Scripture.

o From the creation we may indeed know of God’s power (Rom. 1:20) but not the manner of its creation, that is, that it was created by his word.[11]

§ Romans 1:20 (NASB) 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Hebrews 11:4-6 (NASB) Only Faith is accepted here and Faith pleases God 4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

· Vs. 4: The Genesis account does not in fact refer to the faith of Abel. It simply states that Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions (Gen. 4:4). No indication is given of the reason why his offering proved more acceptable. The only hint is that Cain is told that if he did well, he too would be accepted (Gen. 4:7), which suggests that it had much to do with Abel’s attitude and manner of life.

o But the writer to the Hebrews gives his own interpretation and links Abel’s more acceptable sacrifice with his faith. It is often supposed that Abel’s sacrifice was superior because it was a blood sacrifice whereas Cain’s was not. Discuss as a pause in taking all this in.

· There was no precedent to blood sacrifices and there is no evidence to suggest that God had instructed the brothers about what kind of offerings they should make. Nevertheless, as the first one to offer animal sacrifices, Abel is of special interest to the writer.

o Acceptance of the gifts is clearly linked with approval as righteous, which in turn is linked with the more acceptable sacrifice. The righteousness spoken of seems to consist of a right attitude of mind which is pleasing to God.

§ What is or should be our “right attitude which is pleasing to God?

· It might seem that Abel received a poor reward for his acceptance by God when his brother killed him.

o But the writer is impressed with the timeless character of Abel’s faith. It was through this that he is still speaking, the earliest demonstration that death, even violent death, cannot prevent the message of faith.

o The main thought is that the kind of faith which Abel exercised can communicate over the whole stretch of time. It still provides a source of inspiration in common with the other examples of faith.

o Where true faith in God is operative it is relevant in any age.

§ If the pattern of faith in these early men of faith could speak to the Hebrews, there is no reason why it should not be applicable to us.[12] Great place to pause and discuss

· Vs. 5: Enoch stood midway between the Fall and the Flood. He was the seventh from Adam in the line of Seth, just as Lamech was seventh from Adam in the line of Cain. As godlessness climaxed in Lamech, so godliness climaxed in Enoch.

· He was the first man to escape death, a fact rendered all the more significant by the ominous “tolling of the bell” in Genesis 5, where, of all the others, it is recorded, “And he died.” “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death” (11:5a). That was the fruit of his faith.

o God took him, soul and body, into heaven, as He will do those of the saints who shall be found alive at his second coming. “The Rapture”.

· Enoch was missed by his fellows. In Genesis it says of Enoch that “he was not” (Gen 5:24); here it says that “he was not found” (11:5b).

o The force of his faith is seen in the impact he made upon his generation.

§ The capital value of a saint of God is rarely appreciated by his contemporaries; it is not until he is gone that they realize what a veritable giant he was among them and what his influence meant.

📷 The world frequently despises and maligns the dynamic believer during his lifetime. Even other believers do not always properly value the saint in their midst. His standards are too rigid, his beliefs too old-fashioned, his example too cutting. But once he was gone, he was missed by sinner and saint alike.

o Enoch was missed so much that they tried to find him, but in vain, because God had honored his faith in a signal way and had taken him alive to glory.[13]

· “for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.”

o He had the evidence of it in his own conscience, and the Spirit of God witnessed with his spirit.

§ Those who by faith walk with God in a sinful world are pleasing to him, and he will give them marks of his favor, and put honor upon them.[14]

· Vs. 6: It was by faith that Enoch pleased God and was translated, for apart from faith it is not possible to please God. “They that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom 8:8). The mind of the flesh is enmity against God, therefore it follows that there can be no pleasing of God except by faith.

· “He that cometh to God” implies the approach of a worshipper as in 10:22.

Discuss the following

o There can be no such approach apart from faith, for in drawing near of necessity we must believe that God is, and this is faith. There are three indispensable things in this Epistle to the Hebrews:[15]

§ without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (remission of sins)

📷 Hebrews 9:22 (NASB And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

§ without faith it is impossible to please Him

📷 Hebrews 11:6 (NASB) 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

§ without peace (tranquility, harmony) and sanctification (holiness) no one will see Him

📷 Hebrews 12:14 (NASB) 14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

Questions to Ponder and Chew on Before Closing Our Study Today

· According to this verse, what is necessary to please God? (faith in Him)

· What must you believe in order to please God? (That it is impossible to please Him without faith in Him)

· Based on this verse, what is the result of believing God? (The reward of seeing Him in Heaven and spending eternity with Him, seeing my loved ones gone before me…but more importantly having the hope/assurance now to enjoy life before I join Him in Heaven…especially when times are rough)

· Based on this verse, how is faith like currency (eternal life can only be bought by Christ who died for us and rose from the dead that through faith/belief in Him, we will be with Him in Heaven eternally.)

· Why do you think people have so much difficulty believing in God? (People are programmed to believe in what they can see, touch, hear, taste, feel, and hear. God is everywhere but does not fit in that box.)

· How are faith and Heaven intertwined (Without faith in God/Christ as noted in the third answer above, no one is going to Heaven… John 14:6

o John 14:6 (NASB) 6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

o 1 Timothy 2:3-4 (NASB) 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

For all readers of this lesson, please note the power and inclusion for all humanity of the two verses just presented….Discuss/soak on/pray about and share!

Grace and peace to all who allow this work to pass by your eyes and soak on what you saw😊

[1]Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 196–197. [2]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Winter 2006-07, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 7. [3]Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2006), 69–70. [4]John F. MacArthur Jr., Hebrews, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983), 285–286. [5]Gareth Lee Cockerill, The Epistle to the Hebrews, The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012), 519–520. [6]Thoralf Gilbrant, “Ὑπόστασις,” The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1991). [7]Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Hebrews, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 248. [8]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Hebrews-James, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996), 127. [9]R. Albert Mohler Jr., Exalting Jesus in Hebrews (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017), 170–171. [10]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Winter 2006-07, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 9. [11]Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 181. [12]Donald Guthrie, Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983), 230–231. [13]John Phillips, Exploring Hebrews: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Heb 11:5–6. [14]Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 2398. [15]J. M. Flanigan, Hebrews, What the Bible Teaches (John Ritchie Ltd., 2000), 236.