Legacy is Demonstrated

Introduction

Good Morning CV First. What a blessing it is to come together as the body of Christ to worship our God whether in person or online.

We are taking a quick hiatus from the book of Luke...

Though, today’s sermon does break off from where we were last week.

A little disclaimer.....I pray the Spirit speaks to our hearts this morning as we seek to become more and more like Jesus.

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1 Corinthians 1:23 CSB

23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.

Faith in Jesus is the pillar of our life. If we are not walking with and aligning ourselves with that pillar, destruction is certainly going to surround us.

Habakkuk 2:4 is applicable for us in this instance.

Habakkuk 2:4 CSB

4 Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith.

-This verse is actually cited three times in the N.T. In our main texts today from Heb. And also in Romans 1:17 and Gal. 3:11. All calling our attention to faith in Christ as essential for righteousness.

-In the book of Hebrews, prior to where we will find ourselves in chapter 11-

-Jews had given in to legalism and allowed works to overcome.

-As chapter 10 showed us, God will not redeem man by works, but only by faith in Christ Jesus!

-Works is only a by-product of faith.

-One thing that we will be reminded of this morning is the long lasting legacy of faith and only faith. And that faith has to be built on only one hope, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because a hope built on anything else is subpar. Jesus is better.

The reminder of the O.T. saints should sober our minds, hearts and souls as they clearly rejected what the world would define for us as greatness, success and put everything in to their faith in God and the result was their righteousness.

I pray this morning that the same will one day be said of us.

Pray to Open

Stand for the reading of Gods Word.

Read Hebrew 11:1-16

Open your Bibles to Hebrews 11

As we continue, I want to draw our attention to this truth that will be demonstrated through our text this morning.

Living by Faith Produces Righteousness.

Creation- Gods Words are powerful. Genesis 1- “Let there be”

Psalm 33:6 CSB

6 The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth.

Scripture is the words of God.....

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Abel- Genesis 4 God determines our righteousness. And through our righteousness we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ now and forever. That is our legacy!

Here is what John MacArthur has to say about the faith of Abel-

“Abel’s faith led to three progressive things: true sacrifice, true righteousness, and true witness. Because he believed, he offered a better sacrifice. Because he offered a better sacrifice, he obtained righteousness. Because he obtained righteousness, he is for all ages a living voice saying, “Righteousness is by faith.”’

Abel obtained righteousness because he was obedient to a Holy and Righteous God.

Enoch- Was a descendant of Adam. Genesis 5:24 God was well pleased with Enoch. It tells us this. And if He was pleased because he was faithful. Do not be mistaken here. His moment to avoid death was not because of anything he did wrong but was due to his immense faith. Enoch walked with God for 300 years. He walked with God, preached God, literally lived his life for God and because of this righteousness, his reward was to be with God. His story paints this beautiful connection to how Christ will return for his Bride the church and we will simple be taken up with Him. Amen.

We must believe that he exists and that is faith. And through faith he has revealed Himself through his Son, Jesus.

Hebrews 1:2 CSB

2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.

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Noah- Genesis 6-9 God warned Noah. This warning was not something that he took lightly but he took it to heart, built the ark and saved his family. His building the ark was not only a condemnation for the world but was message that a life without faith, leads to unrighteousness, which cannot and will not be tolerated by a Holy God.

Man’s call of foolishness is God’s decree of righteousness.

James 2:26 CSB

26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

I think this is a good moment to pause and realize that works is not a bad thing......We have been called out by God to be in His service.

Abraham-Genesis 12- His faith was so immense that Paul spent an entire chapter in Romans commending it.(Ch. 4).

By faith, he went without even knowing where he was going.......surely being laughed at by those around him.

Verses 9 and 10 point out 3 things:

His faith was passed on to his family.

His faith was tenacious.

Which is something that God wants us to continually realize.

This world is not our home. The author of Hebrews wants us to see that. Heb. 12:28, 13:14

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Sarah- Genesis 17- Reminding us that faith comes from a faithful God who keeps his promises.

90 years old......

But, God made a promise...

Because of their faith and righteousness, these two matured Hebrews, who considered their days long gone, bore a nation that would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

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Our objective is to realize, like these O.T. leaders that faith must rule our lives and when the time comes..... our death. Sometimes things wont go the way we expect but we embrace our faith and understand the promises of God. WHY? Because he is more faithful than we are.

And once again remembering, like they, this world is not our home.

Like them, we are sinners. We fail. We fall down. And as long as we stand by our faith and strive for righteousness God will not be ashamed to be called our God. He will delight in us.

Let me ask you this morning- Would God say He delights in your faith? Do your actions and words shout to the world that the Creator of all, our living hope, Abba Father is your God? If not, why?

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Something we see here is all of these individuals who lived in ages of corruption stood out because of their faith and that very faith produced their righteousness.

And what must drive us to righteousness:

To be good?

To do good works?

Attend church?

So people like us?

To have an amazing resume?

To excel in school?

To be the best?

NO! None of these can or should drive us to righteousness. God has placed an exact call on each of our lives. We see that in Hebrews 10.

Read Hebrews 10:38-

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 10

38 But my righteous one will live by faith;

and if he draws back,

I have no pleasure in him.

We care far too much what others think of us instead of letting the Gospel of Christ motivate us.

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Let us not neglect the reality that though all of these O.T. saints lived by faith, they were also motivated by their obedience to God. The call of God was of much higher value on their lives than that of man.

One of my favorite verses in all of Scripture and I utilize it any time I get the chance.

Galatians 1:10 CSB

10 For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

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Faith Pushes Us to Obedience

Are you a rule follower? Or do you find yourself always arguing with rules and regulations?

Would you consider yourself an obedient person?

If you find difficulty in this, if you you are constantly going against authority the struggle will possibly be great for you.

Because to understand the Gospel of Christ, to follow Jesus demands us to follow, it commands us to be obedient. And not just to the parts we like or are comfortable with......

Our faith and righteousness is driven by our obedience to Christ our Lord!

John Rogers lead in

If you would allow me to share some history with you this morning.....

John Rogers Story-

John Rogers was an English bible translator, Reformer and Martyr. He was born around 1500 and found himself in the midst of the Protestant Reformation during his ministry.

Rogers went to Cambridge in 1520 and about 6 years later entered in to his faithful ministry within the Catholic Church.

During this time Martin Luther had begun the Protestant Reformation and no doubt was a topic of discussion for Rogers.

At some point the teachings of Luther moved Rogers and he left the Catholic Church and left England(as Protestantism was not welcome there) where he would befriend William Tyndale. Tyndale was in the middle of translating the O.T. into English, which was huge move at the time.

Rogers would go on to help translate an English version of the bible that would be known as the Matthew Bible. During this time he would meet his wife, Adriana.

Rogers would soon arrive in Wittenberg, Germany and found himself study at the very place Luther had hammered his 95 thesis to the door.

Eventually, Rogers made his way back to England during the reign of Edward VI, son of Henry VIII , as Protestantism had become acceptable under their reigns. The Bishop of the Church of England loved Rogers translation of the bible to much that he made the Matthew Bible the first English licensed bible in England under Henry VIII. Upon his return he was given high position in the church and pastored several churches.

Unfortunately, the allowance of Protestantism would not last and after Queen Mary I, also known as Bloody Mary and daughter of Henry VIII, took the throne from Edward VI after his premature death, she set out to censor anything of the reformation and reestablish only the Catholic Church.

Rogers would not deny his reformed beliefs and was eventually thrown into prison in 1554 not long after Mary took the throne.

He had a large family. He had ten children, including a infant who was born while he was in prison.

Nearly a year after his imprisonment and because he would not deny his beliefs, he was sentenced to death.

Rogers requested that his wife be able to visit him and bring his newborn child that he hadn’t seen. This was denied because there was a refusal to accept his marriage as he was still viewed as a Catholic priest and would have been unable to marry.

On the day he was to be executed, the streets had filled with many, many people. This was the first of its kind for the time and everyone was still not certain what would be taking place. Whether Mary would go through with it or if Rogers would recant his beliefs as he had been promised a pardon if he did so.

His church members and his family lined the streets to encourage him as he walked calmly........reciting the 51st Psalm, towards the stake where he would be burned alive.

J.C. Ryle in “Why were our Reformers burned writes:

“An immense crowd lined the street, and filled every available spot in Smithfield. Up to that day men could not tell how English Reformers would behave in the face of death, and could hardly believe that they would actually give their bodies to be burned for their religion. But when they saw John Rogers, the first martyr, walking steadily and unflinchingly into a fiery grave, the enthusiasm of the crowd knew no bounds. They rent the air with thunders of applause. Even Noailles, the French Ambassador, wrote home a description of the scene, and said that Rogers went to death ‘as if he was walking to his wedding.’ By God’s great mercy he died with comparative ease”

And so, as he is tied to the stake and wood laid at his feet, he exhorts to his followers to remain true to the faith. When the fires are lit, and his hands are freed, he gestures as if he is washing his hands in the flames, and then stretches his arms toward heaven, where they remain until he loses consciousness.

On February 4, 1555, John Rogers gave his life for his testimony for God’s Word and the perfect sufficiency of Christ’s atonement when he was burned at the stake at Smithfield in London.

John Rogers was the first martyr under the reign of the Roman Catholic Queen Mary 1. During her 5 year reign, Mary would have over 300 reformers martyred by burning them at the stake.

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Oh, how I pray that we are so awed by God, so sold out for him, that we are ready to sacrifice ourselves because we believe it that much. I pray that I live with that level of faith and love for God.

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Obedience is the fruit of our rooted faith in Christ!

Charles Spurgeon put it like this:

“God grant us a supreme, over-mastering faith, for this is the kind of faith which we must have if we are to lead obedient lives! We must have faith in God's right to rule, faith in the rightness of his commands, faith in our personal obligation to obey, and faith that the command must be the paramount authority of our being. With this faith of God's elect, we shall realise the object of our election-namely, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love. “

Church, being obedient to Him means sacrifice. We have to be sacrifice the things we want and desire. As said last week, we should not say our lives are too busy for God.

Too many in the faith before us died for the same things we take for granted. Serving our God, proclaiming Jesus…it’s that important.

The Psalmist says this in Psalm 119:

Psalm 119:33–40 CSB

33 Teach me, Lord, the meaning of your statutes, and I will always keep them. 34 Help me understand your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart. 35 Help me stay on the path of your commands, for I take pleasure in it. 36 Turn my heart to your decrees and not to dishonest profit. 37 Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in your ways. 38 Confirm what you said to your servant, for it produces reverence for you. 39 Turn away the disgrace I dread; indeed, your judgments are good. 40 How I long for your precepts! Give me life through your righteousness.

Do you delight in keeping His commands?

Do you long to follow after the commands he has put in place?

I’ll say it again....Our obedience must revolve around the entirety of scripture, every command must be sought after, hidden in our heart and applied through our actions and the words we speak.

Pause

Church, we are full of excuses but the reality is our faith is and has to be built on more than saying a prayer or walking an aisle. It is about complete surrender to Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Creator of all things-

Matthew 10:38–39 CSB

38 And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Anyone who finds his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.

We are called to such a higher purpose.

Pause

Are you willing to stake everything on your faith? Truly!

Are you willing to lose it all for the cause of Christ?

Are you willing to die for what you believe in?

Being a martyr for faith is not some fairy tale. Real people throughout history have given their lives to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.

That is how important this message is......

Faith in Christ is essential. Everyone needs this message of truth.

And part of our obedience to God is share that message, to know that message and listen carefully now- to respond to that message.

Have you responded to that message? Have you heard the Gospel of Christ and said yes, i understand that, i need Jesus, I can’t do this on my own, i need a savior. A savior who gave his very life and defeated death so you can live.

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Our legacy is Built on Faith and Only Faith

We have been saved so that we have faith in Jesus. The author of Hebrews has made it very clear to us how important this is. Faith is essential.

We have been reminded this morning by testimony of saints that have come before- from Abel to Enoch to Noah to Abraham to John Rogers that our legacy is and should only be built on one thing, not buildings or programs or awards or jobs or college degrees, but through faith which is only found through Jesus Christ.

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Jesus is our Savior, Jesus is our King.....Jesus is better than anything that this world has to offer.....Jesus is better.