By Faith

Scripture Reading

Hebrews 11:3–8 ESV

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Thank you Jessa. Good morning everyone.

Introduction

My grandma keeps a pretty detailed genealogy for my mom’s side of our family. She has pictures, and a brief history of each person or at least enough information to get a sense of where they were in time and place. She loves it. She loves knowing where she came from and looking back at how people lived. I think it gives her a sense of place. It’s a way of letting her know where she came from so she knows where she is. It took her years to compile it. She still works on it, but it’s harder for her to sit hunched over her books in the basement because of her back pain.

I’ve never looked at it. Honestly, I never really ever cared about it. I grew up in a broken home, which I guess isn’t such an uncommon thing these days. For someone who looks at his family past as something unstable or difficult to process it doesn’t make a lot of sense to turn back to it to discover a sense of place or stability.

The truth is, I’m wrong in my dismissiveness of my family’s history. Knowing even a piece of how you fit in the world, even if it’s hard to look at, is an encouragement. It helps us identify a piece of our sense of place in the world. Where we come from. What we do. How we got here.

I think we can be dismissive to those who have come before us in the faith because they are broken just like the many broken families we have. This chapter, in a sense, is like a genealogy for believers. We’re told that the faith these people had matters. It matters for us. A sense of place tells us where we come from, and how we should live. It’s context for our lives. In this case, it’s a context for where our faith came from, and how we should endure in the faith. I think ultimately, the writer walks through these Old Testament examples of faith to give his readers, and us, a sense of place regarding our faith.

Why though?

What then, is faith?

Last week Dave preached these first two verses in chapter 11. Before we read these again, I’m so grateful to Dave Shupe for preaching last Sunday. That was such a great reminder of what faith is and what faith isn’t. That was a great encouragement to us brother.

Hebrews 11:1–2 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.

These verses really frame the rest of this chapter and we need this definition at the forefront of our minds as we read the words “by faith” 19 times.

Propositional Outline

This morning we’ll look see:

Faith and hope in the Word of God and in His promises for His people. (3-7)

One cannot please God without faith

How faith trusts God for future Hope. (8-22)

Faith surpasses comfort. (23-31)

Faith calls us to imitate those who have gone before us. (32-40)

Faith holds onto God’s promises and believes that what is unseen will be realized.

The writer begins the rest of this chapter by starting in creation, and working his way through the genealogy of faith to give his readers a sense of place. He is sharing this history not solely to remind believers of where they come from, but to encourage them by pointing to examples of faith they know and understand.

As believers today, we can be so focused on carving out our own identity, even our identity in Christ, that we forget that there were believers before we came into the picture. As we look at the text, let’s find it encouraging that we don’t need to reinvent our faith, but that we can imitate even the faith of sinful people who have come before us.

Faith and Hope in the Word of God and in His promises for His people Hebrews 11:3-7

Creation Through Noah

Hebrews 11:3 ESV

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Creation

It’s incredible to think that apart from God, no one witnessed creation happen. The inception of a world or a universe isn’t something we’ve been able to reproduce. We are, by nature, creative beings, but we can’t understand in a complete, empirical, and absolute understanding know how everything around us came to be.

Abel

He then goes on to talk about Abel’s sacrifice through faith from Genesis 4. He was commended for his faith and righteous sacrifice.

What’s interesting is that Abel’s faith isn’t addressed in Genesis, only here. It’s as if the writer of Hebrews is showing us that any act of obedience flows from faith. If Abel is acting faithfully, then Cain is found to be blatantly unfaithful after killing his brother.

“His blood speaks.” Abel no longer lives, but his faith lives after him. We should follow his example and trust God.

Enoch

Enoch didn’t die. Isn’t that weird? Genesis 5:22 says:

Genesis 5:22–24 ESV

22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

It says that Enoch “walked with God.” In his genealogy. Enoch never died but God took him. By the virtue of Enoch’s faith, he is commended as pleasing God.

An Explanation

Before he gets to Noah, the writer says something extremely important.

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

He is summarizing Abel and Enoch’s faith and setting us up for Noah.

Hebrews 11:7 ESV

7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Application

When you read this account in Genesis 6-9, you realize that Noah is completely, utterly trusting God for something he doesn’t understand. He never saw a worldwide flood until it happened, but he built a boat because he drew near to God. He believed that God exists and was rewarded for his faith.

How does this help us understand our sense of place? In the world’s eyes, faith is weird. Noah was mocked for building a boat in a world with no floods. The world looks at our faith and can’t believe how we presume everyone should live something that used to culturally basic like monogamous marriage between a man and a woman. You know what they should think is crazier? Believing that God saved Enoch from death. That God delivered Noah from a worldwide flood. That Christ will return, and like in Noah’s day, judge those who don’t believe in Him and restore those who do to a new creation.

Faith looks to what is unseen, and trusts in the promise of God. If our faith doesn’t believe in the God of the bible, and in the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ is it really faith? Even more so, if we don’t believe that Christ will return to judge the world and establish the New Creation, what promises will we believe? Faith doesn’t rely on contemporary events and perceptions to determine if it is valid or not. Our hope may not be realized in this lifetime. Our faith puts its hope in the Word of God and in His promises for His people.

Faith Trusts God for Future Hope

The Faith of Abraham, and His Heirs

Abraham

Abraham believed in God’s promises for him and his people.

Hebrews 11:8–10 ESV

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

Abraham didn’t receive everything that he was promised. He didn’t get the land! Even though the promise wasn’t given in his lifetime, Abraham’s obedience to God flowed from his faith. Faith always trusts in the promise of God. Abraham’s faith pointed him to a better country with unbreakable foundations. I want to go there too. To an unshakable Kingdom more beautiful and lasting than anywhere on this earth.

Look at how the writer of Hebrews talks about Sarah.

Sarah

Hebrews 11:11–12 ESV

11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

Abraham and Sarah were, well Abraham was as good as dead and Sarah was merely “past the age.” They were a patient people. Abraham never saw the land he was to inherit. He never saw the multitudes that would come from him. His hope was in something promised, and even that may not have been fulfilled in his lifetime.

Excursus: Faithfulness doesn’t mean Sinless, or excuse sin.

We need to stop for a moment though. Abraham and Sarah? Faithful? Really? Didn’t Abraham lie about Sarah being his wife and get in mega-trouble? Didn’t they try to make God’s promises on their own terms through Abraham immorally conceiving Ishmael through Hagar? How, exactly, is that faith?

Faithfulness doesn’t make someone sinless or excuse sin. The readers are familiar enough with these stories to be like, “yeah um those guys had some flaws.”

But they still had faith! And even in their sin, they trusted that God’s promises would be fulfilled. None of their sinful actions are commended in this passage, only their faith.

Excursus Application:

As I was reading this, I was recognizing my own cynicism. “Wasn’t Abraham a liar? Why should I hold him up as an example of faith?” We are cautious to have heroes these days. I think it’s because there has been hurt, distrust, maybe even abuse from people we’ve trusted. Or maybe we just think we don’t need authority or a guide in our lives. The reality is that no hero or mentor, no matter how wonderful or terrible they are or were was ever sinless.

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

But we can take the faithfulness they taught us and emulate it while discerning and rejecting their sinful patterns.

Why should we expect anything different from these men and women in the Scriptures? The writer of Hebrews knows this! God knows this! Christ, who died for sinners, knows this! Yet, these sinful people are valorized for their faithfulness, not their sinfulness.

If anyone in my family picks up writing an account of my life for a genealogy I would hope that they would emphasize my faithfulness over my sin, and there has been a lot of sin in my life. I would hope that this verse wouldn’t be on my tombstone, but instead these verses.

A Better Country

Hebrews 11:13–16 ESV

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

This is what I want to be remembered for. As dying in my faith, knowing that something better is coming. Recognizing my sojourn in a land that is broken while anticipating a greater country to come.

The last part of verse 16 means so much to me. “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

To know that God isn’t ashamed of me because of my faith compels me to continue in faith. To endure! To persevere even amidst my sin and to kill my sin when it threatens my faith. To be an obedient son who hopes in a future promise. Even when my faith is tested, that it would be found solid and grounded in my love for Jesus Christ. Without any cynicism, the writer of Hebrews continues to extol the faith of those who came before us.

And God tests Abraham’s faith and obedience when tested through his son Isaac.

Abraham and Isaac

Hebrews 11:17–19 ESV

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

This is a serious commitment for Abraham. He is committed to kill Isaac as a Sacrifice with such a complete faith that he trusts that God will perform an unheard of miracle just to remain faithful to His promise to Abraham.

Obviously, Isaac witnessed Abraham’s trust, and blessed Jacob and Esau trusting in God. This culminates in Joseph’s faith.

Hebrews 11:20–22 ESV

20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

The writer of Hebrews doesn’t say anything about what these people did in their lives that demonstrated their faith. He focuses on what they said. How in faith they pronounced the same blessings that were promised to Abraham. They point to the future, knowing that these promises are fulfilled there.

Application

God fulfills His promises. But the patriarchs died without seeing the promises totally fulfilled. They weren’t cynical toward God even though what was promised wasn’t delivered immediately or even in their lifetime. They saw the world as it was and knew that whenever God’s promise was fulfilled, it would be better than they experienced.

Our sense of place, where we are now, should always point to what is better. We are not people who are of this world, but sojourn through it as we hope and anticipate the New Creation with Jesus Christ.

You may be distressed or anxious that God isn’t fulfilling His promises right now. You may wonder if He’ll ever provide that true rest that can’t be found by escaping from the world’s problems. Find your encouragement in those who, though sinners, looked to the hope set before them. Look to those who have been found faithful and see that a long view of hope and faith reveals that God is always faithful to His promises.

And, God is always faithful to His promises when our comfort insulates us from Him and our suffering distorts our hope.

Faith Surpasses Comfort and Suffering

The Faith of Moses and Those Entering the Land

Moses

Hebrews 11:23–28 ESV

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

This is an incredible story. The whole story points at a man who is at one time persecuted, and then embraced by Pharaoh only to reject his embrace, to associate with the suffering and mistreated. This should encourage the author’s readers to embrace the suffering of Christ with the hope of redemption instead of denying the faith to embrace a life of ease, comfort, and luxury. They should see that the unseen one was protecting them from persecution. Just as Moses was protected from danger, God will preserve us.

God preserves His people.

Israel in the Wilderness and Conquest

Hebrews 11:29–31 ESV

29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Application

What is our sense of place in suffering? Our culture here, overall, is pretty affluent, and comfortable. Much of that is a gift from God. But what does it take to shake us out of comfort and to operate in faith? Faith considers God trustworthy in times of danger. It takes risks! It steps outside of the regular categories of predictability and pushes us to trust in God instead of one’s society or culture or monotony.

We’re much like the audience this was written for. They wanted to enjoy the security and comfort of belonging. They didn’t want persecution and hardship, and they were tempted to leave the faith for that safety. If they had a therapeutic culture like we do they would have wholly embraced it too. Everyone wants to be “ok” and comfortable do whatever it takes to live a numb life.

It’s hard to place your hope in something you don’t believe in. It’s harder to place your hope in a something that you believe you are already living in. Everything isn’t ok, which means it isn’t the end. We need to fight the lie that everything is right in our little worlds and embrace the suffering sojourning as we long for God’s promises to be fulfilled. Reject drab. Reject a numb faith and be hurt so your heart longs for God to bring you the heavenly city.

Faith Imitates those Who Came Before

The Faith of Judges, Prophets, and Sufferers

Judges and Prophets

Hebrews 11:32–35 ESV

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.

Gideon needed a sign from God before he was willing to act on his faith, Barak wasn’t courageous to go to battle without Deborah, Samson was impulsive and a sexual idolater, and Jephthah in his foolishness sacrifices his own daughter, David committed adultery and concealed the affair by committing murder. Samuel’s sons were terrible and he appointed them as Judges.

Remember how the author of Hebrews doesn’t account for any of that. Everybody already knows! Their perseverance in the faith is, clearly. not the same thing as perfection. You can sin, even dramatically and persevere in the faith.

Gideon’s faith trusted God that his small army would defeat the Midianites. Barak triumphed over Sisera. Samson died trusting the Lord while killing the Philistines in the temple of Dagon, Jephthah triumphed over the Ammonites, David won many battles and was the beloved King of Israel, and Samuel won a battle over the Philistines and trusted God to appoint the King over Israel. Their faith was manifested in real, concrete, practical ways. They trusted in outcomes they could not see.

God’s people conquered in spite of their weaknesses. We shouldn’t expect to be perfect, but we need to be exercising our faith. We can’t fear the criticism of making a mistake so that we’re unable to make a move. Some of us are immobilized by the fear of judgment from others. “What will they say if they find out I’m a sinner? That I’m imperfect in my faith? That I’ve done terrible things?” Our fear to exercise our faith may come from a place of self-protection, self-preservation, a desire to not be persecuted. It may be selfish.

What if, because of our faith, we are persecuted and suffer? What if my faith becomes known and it gets harder?

Sufferers

Hebrews 11:36–38 ESV

36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Seeking a sense of place requires us to ask, “will my faith sustain me through suffering?” We should look to those who have come before us. We should remember their suffering when we suffer and remember that the people of God have always been a minority in a sinful world. We are a sojourning people. A people who look forward to and long for the country that is to come.

Conclusion

Hebrews 11:39–40 ESV

39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

To endure in the faith. We need to look back. We need to remember those who came before us to see how a sinful person, such as ourselves, can endure in the faith in spite of sin.

We have been given so many examples of faith in our lives. What we do with them matters. It reminds me of the Parable of the Talents. We are accountable to use what God has given to us. Our faith is demonstrated in how it is used.

Our sense of place. This is where we come from. Just like our family’s genealogy, our faith has a genealogy too. What someone else believed was entrusted to us for our salvation through God’s providence. Our salvation in Christ compels us that this world is not enough. It’s broken, and obsolete, and groaning from the weight of the curse. Our salvation in Christ tells us that there is something better to come. A promise for an everlasting world. A world where Christ reunites with his created people. Our faith drives us, longingly, to hear these words spoken to us just as the saints of old longed to hear them:

Matthew 25:21 ESV

21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Communio

As the ushers come forward, let’s turn to the table before us.

I’m compelled to remind us what Christ said at the last Supper with the disciples:

Matthew 26:29 ESV

29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

When we take the Lord’s Supper together, we take it in faith as we hope and anticipate that the Father’s kingdom is better for us than where sojourn now. We anticipate Christ there and await the intimacy of that glorious feast together. And yet, His presence is with us even here as we gather. This meal points to that great day when we will be with the Lord Jesus Christ together as members of His church together.

If you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior from sin and expressed that faith in Him through baptism, then this is for you. This is an opportunity to fellowship with one another as sons and daughters of God to remember Christ’s sacrifice. His body given for us. His blood shed for us. That our sin would be covered by the mercy and grace of God.

If you have not received Christ as your Lord and savior and expressed that through believer’s baptism I would ask you to refrain from communion. Instead, pray that God would make known the truth of His Son known to you and to teach you true faith.

Be sure to give elements to the ushers and music team

On the night he was betrayed he took bread, broke it, and said this is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

Eat the Bread

After supper he took the cup and called it the new covenant in His blood. He commanded us to take this in remembrance of Him.

Drink the Cup

Pray

Benediction

Hebrews 11:13–16 ESV

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.