A living faith
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A LIVING FAITH
Hebrews 11:1-12
Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not
see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 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” (11:1-3).
All human beings put their faith in something or someone.1 For some it is finances,
others friendship, others family, others good looks and yet for others it is popularity. Faith in a
biblical sense is not trust in what one can touch or feel to guarantee a glorious present and future
but is “being sure of what we hope for and
certain of what we do not see” (11:1).2
Genuine faith changes our whole
perspective on life for the reality of the
spiritual and eternal world makes “molehills
our of our current mountains” (2
Corinthians 4:17-18)!3 “Faith is the
foundation of the positive attitude towards
the future, which cannot yet be experienced
but has to remain a matter of hope.”4 Faith
is not belief that something is going to
happen based on one’s abilities or the
probability of its occurrence. Faith is living
as if one has already been granted a
blessing despite knowing it is “humanly” or
“by chance” impossible to obtain but guaranteed the moment God speaks it into existence! Faith
is not passively asking a holy God to fulfill our every wish and desire but is actively living as if
one has already received those blessings that are a present but yet a future reality such as “the
world to come (2:5), an eternal inheritance (1:4; 6:12), the heavenly Jerusalem (12:22-24) and
1
Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One
Publications, 2006), 70.
2
Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One
Publications, 2006), 70.
3
Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One
Publications, 2006), 71.
4
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 398.
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the unshakeable kingdom (12:28).”5 Faith never stops being a living sacrifice by meditating and
obeying God’s commands and even if the reward be but a lifetime away one never stops
rejoicing because God truly is one’s portion! “Faith is the organ which enables people to see the
invisible order”6 of God’s kingdom and to boldly claim that despite not having seen the creation
of this world it was by “His word as an invisible power” 7 that the universe was created out of
nothing (2 Corinthians 4:6)!8 The following sermon is going to review some of the ancients of
the Bible9 to help define what faith truly is: faith is living, action, enduring and an unwavering
devotion to Jesus as our Lord, Savior and King!
A “Living” Faith
“By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was
commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel
still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 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. 6 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 (11:4-6).
If faith is to be genuinely and firmly grounded in God’s word and love then it must be
above all, lived! In Genesis chapter four we are told that in the course of time both Cain and
Abel brought offerings to God appropriate to their vocation.10 While Cain, the farmer, brought
“some of the fruits of the soil,” Abel, the Shepherd, brought “fat portions from some of the
firstborn of the stock” (2-4). While God looked upon Abel’s sacrifice with favor He did not do
so with Cain’s. Since both brothers offered their sacrifices in season and according to their
vocations, there has been much debate over why God did not accept them both! Some of the
reasons scholars give for the “apparent” superiority of Abel’s sacrifice is “it was living, whereas
Cain’s was lifeless; it was stronger, Cain’s weaker, and it grew spontaneously, Cain’s by human
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 399.
6
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 277.
7
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 402.
8
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 401.
9
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 276.
10
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 281.
5
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ingenuity;”11 and it involved the shedding of blood necessary for forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22)12
whereas Cain’s did not. While all these reasons are possible, they are unlikely because they
assume both sacrifices were offered for sin which is not indicated, and they ignore the stated
reason for God rejecting Cain’s sacrifice as
given in verse seven. Cain’s offering was
rejected because “sin crouched at his door”
and his deeds were evil (1 John 3:12).13
Abel’s offering was accepted not because it
“was animal instead of vegetables,”14 but
since he had a “living faith.”15 Abel’s
sacrifice was acceptable because it was “an
outward expression of a devoted and
obedient heart!”16 Without faith it is
impossible to please God (11:6)17 for until
one truly trusts one’s unknown future to the
known God of Israel18 one has not truly
surrendered that of which one cannot keep
to obtain that which one cannot loose.19
Faith is to be a “living voice”20 that out of
the springs of living water (John 4:10) and the eternity God has placed in one’s heart
(Ecclesiastes 3:11), one clings so tightly to the Pearl (Matthew 13:45) one has found in the field.
A living faith also is one that willingly and continually invites Christ to take every thought
captive and obedient (2 Corinthians 10:5) to He who, by His word, either in this lifetime or the
next, will fulfill every promise and give beyond measure unspeakable, unmerited blessings to
those who are sinners (1 John 1:10) yet masterpieces of His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9)!
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 115.
12
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 282.
13
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 283.
14
Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One
Publications, 2006), 71.
15
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 115.
16
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 281.
17
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 403.
18
Not sure who originally made this quote.
19
Not sure who originally made this quote.
20
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 115.
11
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From the next example of faith, Enoch, we learn that without a “living” faith it is
impossible to please God (11:6)! In the genealogies from Adam to Noah no matter how long a
person lived it always ended with the “chilling words, and he died” except for one person! 21
After Enoch became the father of Methuselah at age 65 we are told that he had other sons and
daughters over the next 300 years22 but
what truly defined his legacy was the
statement that he “walked faithfully with
God, then he was no more because God
took him away” (Genesis 5:21-24).
Enoch was “transferred” directly into
God’s presence23 without having
experienced death (Hebrews 11:5)! What
made Enoch truly remarkable was not
just that he believed in God’s existence,
for even the demons believe God exists
(James 2:19),24 but that he voluntarily
and with unspeakable joy (Psalms 43:4)25
allowed his life to be “controlled by the
unseen reality of God.”26 The decisions
by which defines whom one truly has allegiance too, for Enoch, was not made based on
probabilities of receiving temporal pleasure, as if gratifying self was the ultimate purpose of
living, but an unwavering belief that those who seek God will be rewarded with continual
“access and fellowship with one’s Creator” 27 plus a legacy of being assured the gift of life was
spent living by faith to please the Father in heaven! From both Abel and Enoch, we learn that
without living by faith it is not just difficult to please God, it is impossible! 28 It is through
placing our complete trust in God that we are able to embrace whatever will He has for our lives
21
Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One
Publications, 2006), 71–72.
22
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 284.
23
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 115.
24
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 115.
25
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 287.
26
Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 2011), 185.
27
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 406–407.
28
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 115.
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because He alone is the only reward29 which deeply and completely satisfies the longings of our
hearts!
Faith of Action
“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 is in keeping with faith” (11:7).
For faith to be a “living” faith that pleases God then it must be one of action not just
reflection! It is one thing to boldly state I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost but quite
another to obey when without divine aid
one is doomed to fail! While Noah was a
righteous man like Abel and Enoch, what
he is known for is doing something
unprecedented30 … making practical
preparations of building an ark31 not based
on a hunch or human advice32 but based
on the word of God33 that in his heart he
knew would come to pass. While it must
have seemed utterly absurd to his
neighbors to “build an ark far inland,”34 an
act that undoubtedly invited much
criticism and possibly even persecution,
Noah put his complete trust in God that his
faithful obedience would lead to God’s gracious provision of saving himself and his household. 35
Noah obeyed God not because he was timid or fearful of God’s wrath but due to his reverence
and awe of the very God whom he “righteously” served.36 Noah’s actions more than his words
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 407.
30
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 287.
31
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 407.
32
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 116.
33
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 409.
34
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 287–288.
35
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 407.
36
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 116.
29
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were not only condemnation to a sinful, disobedient generation37 but were also a glorious
example of letting one’s light shine joyfully in both the good and bad times! From Noah we
learn what James would later reinforce, faith without deeds is dead and useless (James 2:14-26).
Genuine faith that pleases God is not merely believing that He will do great things in and
through our lives (Romans 8:28) but is also accompanied by a wholeheartedly devotion to obey
and serve Him despite the personal costs that are truly minor compared to Christ who gave His
very life for us (John 3:16)!
An “Enduring Faith”
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country;
he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same
promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect
and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was
enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the
promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants
as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore
(11:8-12).
For faith to be a “living” faith it not only has to be filled with obedience to God’s word
but also must not waver even if one must wait a lifetime to receive crowns of righteousness!
Abraham is both a historical example of faith in action and endurance38 for it was by faith in God
alone that he was able to “overcome obstacles that from a human perspective were
insurmountable.”39 First, without knowing where he was going,40 just a vague promise of God
making him into a great nation (Genesis 12:1-3), Abraham obeyed God’s call “while it was still
sounding in his ears”41 and went to a foreign country only to live in tents all his life42 without
any rights to ownership to the land he walked upon!43 Year after year he pitched his tent
amongst the Palestinians and “commanded their respect as a prince of God” and yet the only land
37
Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One
Publications, 2006), 72.
38
Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One
Publications, 2006), 72.
39
Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 2011), 189.
40
Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 2011), 189.
41
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 118.
42
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 413.
43
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 118.
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he ever owned in Canaan was a burial plot
in the field of Machpelah near Hebron.44
Though God never gave him inheritance
in the land, not even a foot of Canaan to
either himself (Acts 7:5), Isaac or Jacob
except one burial plot; Abraham never
stopped believing that a “time of
fulfilment”45 would one day occur when
God would give him a home in a glorious
city whose architect and builder was not
other than God Himself!46 A “living”
faith does not question when the rewards
of service might come, as if one is owed
anything by one’s Creator, but instead
rejoices that God is enough portion of
reward until the glorious day one goes home to see Jesus and receive the unspeakable blessings
awaiting for all of God’s children!
The second obstacle Abraham persevered in faith was that despite being “worn out,”
“impotent”47 and long passed the normal
age of childbearing (Gen. 15:1–6; 17:15–
22; 18:9–15),48 Abraham believed the
very God who created the universe out
of nothing would create life where life
no longer existed! At the tender age of
99 Abraham was told that the
fulfillment of the divine promise to
make his offspring as numerous as the
stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5) and the
sand which is one the seashore (Genesis
22:17) would begin in one year’s time
with the birth of Isaac!49 Even though
44
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 292.
45
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 414.
46
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 118.
47
Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 2011), 190.
48
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand
Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 416.
49
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 296–297.
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Abraham laughed and said, “will a son be born to a man a hundred years old” (Genesis 17:17)
he believed God and continued to walk faithfully and blamelessly before Him as if this promise
had already come to pass! And the final obstacle Abraham faced and preserved in faith was on
a “mountaintop not far from where Calvary stood”!50 With his only son on the altar and his
knife drawn back in obedience51 Abraham will forever be known as righteous because he was
ready to obey God’s command to kill the heir of God’s promise with the overwhelming
assurance that it would still come to pass … even if God had to raise the dead to life! “The
implications to us “listeners” are clear: for faith to be genuine it must be lived through action
with the unshakeable assurance that God gives “real and incorruptible” treasures beyond our
imaginations to those who trust in Him and patiently endure for His promises to be fulfilled!
What then is Faith?
Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (11:1).
The foundation of faith is a positive attitude towards the future, which cannot yet be experienced
but must remain a matter of hope. Faith is not belief that something is going to happen based on
one’s abilities or the probability of its occurrence. Faith is living as if one has already been
granted a blessing despite knowing it is
“humanly” or “by chance” impossible to
obtain but guaranteed the moment God
speaks it into existence! Faith is to be a
“living voice” that out of the springs of
living water and the eternity God has
placed in one’s heart, one clings so tightly
to the Pearl one has found in the field. A
living faith is also one that willingly and
continually invites Christ to take every
thought captive and obedient to He who,
by His word, either in this lifetime or the
next, will fulfill every promise and give
beyond measure unspeakable, unmerited
blessings to those who are sinners yet masterpieces of His grace. Since it is by the decisions of
life that one’s allegiance is truly shown, faith is actively serving God will all one’s heart, mind,
strength and soul not to build a legacy on this earth, as if that were ever possible, but to make life
decisions according to His word so that one might please He who is the very source of one’s
existence and the Lord of all things seen and unseen! And above all faith is enduring on the
righteous path God sets before one’s life with the assurance that His presence and love is enough
reward for now coupled with the wavering belief that the glorious day when one goes home to
see Jesus one will receive the unspeakable blessings waiting for all of God’s children!
50
Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One
Publications, 2006), 73–74.
51
Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One
Publications, 2006), 74.
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