Hebrews 11—The Hall of Faith I; Creation to Noah

Outline

What Faith Is? (vv.1-3)

Assurance and Conviction (vv.1)

Faith is the source of God’s approval (v.2)

What Faith Is Like (vv. 3-7)

By Faith, Abel still speaks (v.4)

By Faith, Enoch still lives (vv. 5)

By Faith, Noah saw the unseen plans of God become reality (v.7)

By Faith mankind is pleasing to God (v.6)

Intro

This chapter is not in isolation of the reset of the book. Faith is the opposite of apostacy. So, if we look back to 10:36-39 and earlier we can see the exhortation to live by faith.

It could be said that Hebrews 11 is to faith what 1 Cor. 13 is to love.

The 1689 Baptist Confession states that faith is the “alone instrument of justification.” (LBCF, 11.2)

Here we are given real examples to show what this means. To live by faith is not perfection, but the persistent pursuit of the promises of God, by faith.

This is some what a definition of faith, but serves us better as an explanation to how faith works.

And the emphasis here is on perseverance in the face of persecution.

Heb. 10:32 “Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings...”

1. What is Faith? (vv.1-3)

But, before we get to the examples of faith, the writer of Hebrews explains what faith is.

A. Assurance and Conviction

Faith is confident assurance that God will do what he has promised, or has done what he said, but that is not all faith is.

v. 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.”

None of us saw the world being created by the omnipotent power of God, but we believe that he did so. How do we believe such a thing? By faith!

Faith is based on an unseen/unexperienced reality. Dealing in the realm of God and his promises.

Rom. 8:24-25 “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Consider the context of Hebrews. The author has done a great job highlighting the promises of God to encourage the church to “hold fast to their faith.”

Heb 6 he explains, by giving Abraham as an example, that God’s promises are guaranteed by God’s own trustworthy character.

So, if faith is, as I mentioned before, the “alone instrument of justification.” Then how were the OT saints justified?

By faith, of course!

Salvation has always been by the grace of God alone, through faith in God alone.

The OT saints, like Abraham, looking ahead to the coming Messiah, and us today, looking back to the Messiah who has come.

B. Faith Results in Approval.

That is why, in v. 2, the writer of Hebrews says, “For by it (faith) the people of old received their commendation.”

Commendation = approval.

So, think about it, the writer of Hebrews is calling his audience to persevere in this life by faith, and it’s as he knows the question they are all thinking, “Well how did the Patriarchs do it, our ancestors, and those who have gone before us?”

Paul addresses this in Rom 4:1-3 “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. (Gen 15:6) ””

So the encouragement is to live by faith, to persevere by faith, to face each day by faith.

When the temptation to try and live by works, to adopt vain religious practices arise in your life—live by faith, worship by faith, walk by faith. For this is what the people of God have always done.

When you are tempted to give up on the promises of God because they seem impossible, Schreiner points out that “this chapter reminds us that we are not the first to take this journey; many have walked this path ahead of us, and thus we are not alone on this journey.”

2. What Faith Looks Like (vv. 4-40)

v.3 — Here the writer takes us all the way back to the beginning. It is by faith that we trust God as the creator of all things!

Ps. 33:6 “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”

Just as we accept by faith that God spoke and the universe was created, so to can we trust in all the promises of God.

1. Abel, through faith, still speaks (v.4)

This section grabs our attention by the way it starts.

Heb. 11:4 “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain..”

These two words are used to keep us centered on the main point.

You may be tempted to think of this list as the Biblical Hall of Fame, however that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact this list highlights the lives of imperfect people who trust in the only perfect one, God!

So, why was Abel’s sacrifice more acceptable than Cains?

Well, when reading Gen 4 we are not told, however the remainder of the OT gives us some insight.

Think back to the garden and the covering that God made for Adam and Eve, and looking ahead we see that a blood sacrifice is required within God’s system.

Heb. 9:22 “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

So, it is as if Abel somehow knew that he was sinful, that his sins needed to be covered, and that his offering was, as it were, by faith, pointing to the blood sacrifice of God’s Son.

Gen 4:4 “ Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,”

“though he died, he still speaks”

Have you ever considered what will be said of you at your funeral?

How will your live be summarized, what will your loved ones say?

This is one of the most encouraging partial verses in all of the Bible.

Far greater than our state motto, “While I breath, I hope,” is “In my death, I preach!”

Abel, even beyond the days of his earthly life, even though he no longer lives, his faith does, and it testifies to the substitutionary sacrifice of the Son of God for sinners!

2. Enoch, through faith, still lives (vv. 5)

Enoch is one of the great mysteries of the Bible. He is only referenced in Gen 5:21-24.

We see that he was 65 years old when he had a son, Methuselah, and after he fathered him, he walked with God 300 years.

He had other sons and daughters and he died at 365 years old. .

Enoch walked with God, then God took him.

The writer of Hebrews helps us understand the point by stating five different ways that he did not die

he was taken up

so that he would not see death.

he was not found

God had taken him

before he was taken...

So, what are we to glean from this? This kind of thing doesn’t still happen, we will die.

Well, the reward for walking with God, living by faith, is eternal life!

So the promise is the similar, in that, though we die we will live. Death will not have victory over those who persevere to the end. For we will be raised from the grave

3. Noah, by faith, saw the unseen plans of God become reality (v.7)

Noah couldn’t really see the plans of God, they were “unseen,” but by trusting in God’s warning and commands he saw the ark built, he saw the animals come, the rain fall, and his family spared.

Noah was warned of the coming judgement of God, and he believed God, and (Gen. 6:22) “Noah... did all that God commanded him.”

There is no way Noah could have expected what was about to happen, or why he would need a boat so big, but he trusted the word of God.

The same word that spoke creation into being, was now speaking destruction, and he listened by faith.

The world was not relating to God by faith.

Gen 6:5-6 “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.”

So, by Noah’s obedience of faith, the world in its disobedience was condemned.

“Noah…became an heir of righteousness that comes by faith.”

This statement confirms the retroactive imputation of Jesus righteousness to those who came before Jesus.

4. By faith we can be pleasing to God (v.6)

The writer of Hebrews has used Abel, Enoch, and Noah to prove this verse.

Heb 11:6 “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.”

Without faith you cannot please God, and you will not receive a commendation, or his approval.

Mohler states, “While works of external righteousness and general morality may commend us before men, these things are not sufficient to commend us before God.”

As admirable as caring for those devastated by Helene is, our acts cannot ever bring about God’s approval. For without faith it is impossible to please God!

Conversely, as impossible as it is to please God without faith, it is impossible to be condemned by God if you come to him by faith.

God “rewards those who seek him.”

The appeal is found in Heb. 10:35 “Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”

By faith we stand confidently in the one who faced death and walked away.

We will live by faith in the promises of God when we realize that our greatest pleasure is found in Him.

Piper, “I am most satisfied when God is most glorified.”

Ps. 36:8 “They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.”