Hebrews 11 Faith Is the Victory

The importance of faith in God is the central theme of the book of Hebrews. Faith must be in God. Faith is about trusting God for the future. The discussion also touches on the connection between faith and works, using Hebrews chapter 11 as a basis for exploring examples of faith. All right, it's good to see all of you today. Hope you're having a good Christmas season. I told Eddie, I said I wouldn't want to take him to lunch with that gift card. I was going to take Sandy, but then I remembered Sandy, when she got her outline, she leaned over at me and said, how come your outlines are always so much longer than everybody else's? So, I don't know, I might just go to lunch by myself twice. We're going to look at Hebrews chapter 11 today. I was grateful to be able to ride with Jack to see the Fellers. Glad to be going back later this week. And I'll tell you, there's a couple of different reasons, but the primary reason that I enjoyed the time so much, was not just being able to talk with Jack as we drove up in the northern part of Oklahoma. But, Dr. Terry, when we walked into Sue's room and you began to minister, I've stood beside a lot of bedsides over the years as a pastor and ministered to a lot of people in the hospital, but I never have seen someone do it as well as Jack did when we were there. And it was just a true movement and presence of the Spirit of God. And I learned a lot just by watching you. And I wanted to say that in front of everybody, because this class has been blessed by the years that you have invested in them, Jimmy as well, and I'm privileged to be able to stand with the two of you. And I really saw something special when you were ministering to them. So, thank you for letting me be a part of it. Hebrews chapter 11 is where we are today. We want to talk about faith is the victory. Now, let's see if we can kind of lay some groundwork for what we mean when we say faith. A lot of times we use the word faith and it's kind of ambiguous. It's kind of meaningless. We don't really define what we mean by faith. We say, just have faith. And by use of the word faith, we think somehow that makes everything going to be alright. And by faith, we have a tendency to mean really nothing more than, sometimes, positive thinking. Or, if I'm going to have a deep faith, that means that I'm going to grit my teeth and clench my fists and I'm really going to believe hard. And we think that that is what faith is. But that's not the biblical definition of faith. You see, in the biblical definition of faith, faith always has an object. Faith always has something or someone in whom that faith is placed. In other words, I don't believe everything is going to be okay because I have faith. I believe everything is going to be okay because I have faith in God. Faith must always have an object. And so, as Christians, we're not just saying, have faith. We're saying, have faith in the proper object. The proper person has faith in God. The God who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so, we don't put the period after faith. We put the period after God. Because faith does not accomplish. God accomplishes. And so, we place our faith in Him. Now, throughout the book of Hebrews, we have heard some, really some very strong words. We've had some warnings that we have to take some time to kind of explain. You know, Hebrews chapter 6, what does it mean to taste? Those who have tasted the Spirit. Those who have experienced the Spirit. If they abstain or if they walk away, what does this mean? There's some harsh warnings in the book of Hebrews that we have had to try to work with to explain. We've been warned not to live in unholiness. We were warned not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together back in Hebrews chapter 10. But the purpose of the book of Hebrews is ultimately not about the warnings. And it's really not even about explaining the purpose of the sacrificial system. The purpose of the book of Hebrews, from what it seems, from the intent of the original author to the original audience. And then from God, who is the ultimate author. And to us, the believers who are the audience. The message is not, this will help you understand the Old Testament sacrificial system better. The message is that you have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ. And then the author of the book of Hebrews writes everything that he does to say, let me present to you Jesus Christ. And everything that we read about in the book of Hebrews, the difficult things that we struggle to understand, all tie back to Jesus Christ. That's why Hebrews begins. God has spoken at various times and in various ways. But in these last days, he has spoken to us by Jesus Christ. His son. The radiance of his glory. The express representation of his nature or of his character. You see, because what the author of Hebrews does, is he presents to us in Hebrews chapter 1, Jesus Christ. The greatest man, greater than the angels. The greatest and final sacrifice. The high priest. The one who alone is able to enter into the true holy of holies. And then the thread that runs from the first verse of Hebrews to the last verse of Hebrews, that thread that ties it all together, is Jesus Christ. And so it appears that the original audience has been tempted to walk away from the faith. And the reason that they should not walk away from the faith is not because Christianity is the greatest philosophy. Though it is. It's not that Christianity is the greatest defense for the purpose of life. Though it is. It's not because there were over 500 prophecies that were fulfilled perfectly. Though they were. The greatest reason not to walk away from Christianity is because of Jesus Christ. And what the author of Hebrews is doing, is he is telling us, we've got to talk about holiness. We've got to talk about faith. We've got to talk about prayer. We've got to talk about confession and the assembling of ourselves together. But all of these conversations, this sacrificial and priesthood, all of these conversations are merely spokes that are connected to the hub, which is Jesus Christ, who stands at the very center. So why do we not walk away from Christianity? Not merely because it brings us peace, hope, helps us to love. We don't walk away from Christianity because at the very center of our faith is the beloved lover of God, his son, the one who has loved us. And his love compels us to continue to come to him again and again and again. And that's what Hebrews really wants us to understand. And just like many people believe, as do I, that the book of Hebrews is unique in the New Testament because it's not merely a letter. We read through the letter of Romans and we see an argument. Paul arguing almost as if he is an attorney. There's this legal argument that occurs in the book of Romans. We have Paul bearing his soul in Corinthians 1 and 2. What we see with Paul is we see him just appealing to the Corinthians, I have loved you, why will you not trust me? Hebrews, not written by Paul, probably, is in the form of a sermon. It's in the form of a New Testament Greek thought sermon. And like any good preacher, the author knows that the greatest mechanism for teaching is illustration and example. One time at the end of Charles Spurgeon's life, he was asked, Spurgeon, if you were to do it different, what would you do? And he said, I would have used more illustrations. Because illustration, example, painting pictures with our words is the most powerful form of teaching. And in Hebrews chapter 11, what the author does in this written sermon, is he says, let me give you some examples of people of faith. Let's look at Hebrews chapter 11. I'm going to read, just to start us off here, the first three verses. Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for. It is the proof of what is not seen. For by this our ancestors were approved. And by faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God. So that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. This is really one of the most concise definitions of faith in all of the Bible. And you'll notice that it really emphasizes two aspects of faith. What is faith? Well, the first aspect that is emphasized is our conviction that the future is in the hands of God. And so for us to have faith is not merely for us just to think that everything is going to turn out okay. But it's for us to think that everything is going to turn out okay because God's got this. And God is involved in what is going on. We've talked about it a few times, but the very things that you and I worry about in the future, when we get there, God's going to be waiting. It's amazing about the timelessness or what we would call the eternality of God is that God exists simultaneously in the past, the present, and the future because He is outside of time. And so that doctor's appointment that you're worried about, that conversation that you're worried about, God is standing there now waiting for your arrival. Faith, oh yes ma'am, faith is the knowledge that the future is okay because God's already there. The second aspect of faith is that faith is this ability to know the reality of an unseen world. It is the reality of what is hoped for. It is the proof of what is not seen. To have faith is for us to know that there is this unseen world. And we'll read briefly about angels later in Hebrews. The Bible presents to us the reality of demons. But what the Bible presents to us in that regard always finds its culmination, its end, in what we see in Philippians chapter 2 where at the name of Jesus, every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And that is things that are on the earth and above the earth. It teaches us in Philippians chapter 2. And so what that means is the unseen world, the principalities and the powers and the things that we wrestle against in Ephesians chapter 6, the angelic and the demonic, the saved and the unsaved, will one day bow their knee in the presence of Jesus Christ. We don't see that world, but we know that there is that world by faith in God. Now, that then leads to the question that we're going to see in Hebrews chapter 11. What is the connection of faith and works? A lot of times we might have the idea, sometimes unwittingly or sometimes maybe somewhat unconsciously, that the way that we have faith in God is that our good works lead to our faith. Be a good person and you're going to be saved. But that's getting the caboose before the engine. You see, the engine that drives the train is our faith in Jesus Christ. The cars and the caboose that follows is our works. In other words, we're not doing works to gain faith and salvation. We're doing works because we have faith in Jesus Christ. The engine that drives the train is our faith. The good works is the caboose that follows. All right? So don't let your caboose get in front of your engine. Keep the caboose in its rightful place. So, verse 2, for by this our ancestors were approved. That language there, were approved. The word that is used there is the same word that we use, it's martero. The same word where we get our term martyr. And it's also the same word where we get our word testify. In other words, verse 2, for by this our ancestors, those Old Testament saints, that we'll look at in just a moment, their works that followed their faith testified of God. And so for us to work from faith is for us to give testimony of God. And then he begins to tell us what it means for us then to have faith. Verse 3, he says, by faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God. So that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. Now, he gives us that illustration there in verse 3 to prove the second half of verse 1. Faith is the proof of what is not seen. And the way that we can know that God is active in the things that are not seen is because the very creation itself came from things that are not seen. We call this ex nihilo creation, that God created everything out of nothing. It reminds me of a scientist who wanted to challenge God to a creation contest. The scientist believed in evolution. And he thought he was going to challenge God to a creation contest. And so he said, God, humanity can do anything that you can do. And God said, well, then why don't you create everything out of nothing? And so the scientist said, do you not know we have bunsen burners and beakers and chemicals and all of these things, mortars and pestles in the science lab? And we can create anything with our science now that you can create. We don't need you anymore. Kind of this Nietzsche view of God. God is dead. Nietzsche said it. And so God said to the scientist, well, prove it. So the scientist got out his bunsen burner, his beaker, his test tubes, his mortar, his pestle. And he bent over to scoop up some dirt. And God said, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You got to create your own dirt. You see, by faith, we believe God. Some of you are kind of slow. I need to try that again. By faith, we believe God created everything out of nothing. That's what he's saying in verse three. And he's going to the author here is going to lead us through about four different seasons or ethics. Of biblical history. And he just walks through them very, very historically. Look at verses four through seven. By faith, Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith, he was approved as a righteous man because God approved his gifts. And even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith. Isn't that wonderful? That the faith that we have leaves a legacy. Now, Sandy and I have three little grandbabies, two daughters, three little grandbabies. They're the coolest people I've ever met in my entire life. And we look at the world and it can be kind of scary the way those grandbabies are going to grow up. I mean, they're so innocent. They're so wonderfully pure. They are personalities, right? Two eight-year-olds and a five or six-year-old just turned six. Two eight-year-olds and a six-year-old. And they are just, their personalities are wonderful. And it can make us be concerned about the world that they are going to inherit. And so we want to be all the more diligent to make sure that the inheritance that they receive is a legacy of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So that their hope is not placed in the world, but that their hope is placed in Jesus Christ. The faith of Abel lived on as a legacy. He goes on talking about these primeval people. These before the flood in verse 5, by faith Enoch was taken away. So that he didn't even experience death. He's just walking along with God one morning. I think it was Junior Hill that used to say it this way. Walking along with God one morning. And God said, Enoch, we're closer to my home than we are to yours, so let's just keep going. And Enoch never saw death. God just took him along with him. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who had pleased God. And then we get this summary sentence here in verse 6. Now, without faith, it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Now, notice verse 6, that it's not the works that brought them approval. It is the faith that motivated the works. You know, you can do all the right stuff with the wrong motive and God doesn't commend it. What God commends is the right works with the right motive. And the right motive is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He moves on to Noah in this first epic. And he says, By faith, Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen, and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. And so we see in these three individuals here that faith is something that is exhibited by sacrifice. But Abel's sacrifice was received, Cain's was rejected. Because Abel's was mixed with faith. It wasn't so much the object that was sacrificed. It was the faith that led to God's commendation of Abel. And so that makes us then ask ourselves the question, what is our motive? What is our motive for the works that we do? Remember Paul's words in Romans chapter 12. Don't be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may be able to prove what is the good and perfect and acceptable will of God. Which is your reasonable sacrifice. The transformation of the heart that leads to a sacrifice. Not a sacrifice with a bad motive, but a sacrifice with the right motive. Faith is by sacrifice. Faith is by fellowship. Enoch walked with God all the way up to heaven in faith by obedience. Noah exhibited obedience in the construction of the ark. And so what this does is it forces us to look at ourselves and ask ourselves, why are we serving God sacrificially? Why do we want to live in fellowship with God, pray, worship and all of that? Why do we obey God? If it's not motivated by faith, then it is not accepted by God. Because God doesn't look at the work of the hands, he looks at the intent of the heart. And God has this little MRI machine that tests the spirit, the soul, the motive. Would you pass the test? That's what we've got to ask ourselves. After these three, he walks through the family of Abraham. They're having a good time next door. I'm feeling a little bit of pressure. What are they doing over there that they're having so much fun? Works. I'm a little intimidated. All right, so we're saved by faith. Abraham, when he was called, he obeyed. He set up for a place that he was going to receive an inheritance. He went out even though he didn't know where he was going. Because remember, faith believes God for the future. And faith believes God for things that we cannot see. And so Abraham left Ur of the Chaldeans, the home of his father, to go toward a land that had been promised. He set up for a new land by faith. In verse 9, he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise. He lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, co-heirs of the same promise. Because they were willing to suffer for a short season to receive the promise. They were willing to go through a season of difficulty because they believed the promise. Well, this life is filled with seasons of difficulty, isn't it? But what continues to compel us to move forward is that we believe God has the future in his hands. And he is leading us to the promised land. By faith, verse 11, Sarah, oh no, don't skip verse 10. Where he was looking forward to the city that has foundations. Whose architect or whose builder and maker is God. That's where we're going, right? Jesus said in John chapter 14, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will surely come again and take all of us. To be with him. A city whose builder and maker is God. By faith, verse 11, even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, she received power to conceive offspring. Even though she was past the age since she considered that the one who had promised was faithful. And therefore, from one man, in fact, from one as good as dead, came offspring. As numerous as the stars in the sky and as innumerable as the grains of the sand along the seashore. In other words, remember back in Genesis chapter 12, verses 1 through 3, God calls Abraham. And he says to him, essentially, Abraham, if you'll do what I say, if you'll live in faith, I am going to give you a land. I'm going to give you a lineage. And I'm going to give you a legacy. And Abraham took that journey of faith because he took God at his promise. All right. Let me hit, I want to hit a few more high points here. Don't want us to run out of time before we get here to the end. Pick up at verse 19. Verse 17. By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, he offered up Isaac. He received the promises. And yet he was offering his one and only son. You know, he wasn't his one and only son. He had already had a son with Sarah's handmaid. Right? Ishmael. But this was the son of promise. And so Abraham offered up the son of promise. And he was the one to whom it had been said, your offspring will be traced through Isaac. In other words, God was saying to Abraham, Abraham, sometimes, sometimes you got to kill what you want to receive what I promised. Now, we know the story, right? God interrupted Abraham doing what God had called Abraham to do and gave him a ram that was caught in the thicket and said, no, Abraham, you've exhibited, you've demonstrated your faith. And so I'm not going to ask you to continue this sacrifice, but I am going to provide for you a sacrifice in its place. A substitution. But sometimes we have got to die to our desires to receive God's promises. Because here's what I know about me. I know that my desires for my own will when left to myself is stronger than my desires for God's will. And that's why I've got to pray for God to overcome my will. Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done, Jesus, exemplified for us. We've got to die to ourselves by faith if we would receive the fullness of God's promises. This is verse 20. By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the things to come. By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and he worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith, Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his... Now, there's a lot going on in here, but ultimately what we want to see that I think that the author of Hebrews is showing us is he is showing us that faith and hope go hand in hand. Of course, we know with Paul, it's faith and hope and love. But here what we're talking about is faith and hope, because what we see in each one of these examples is that the demonstration of their faith was their hope in the future. So faith is obeying God even when we don't know which way to go. Have I shared with you all about the time that Sandy and I, we had gone down, I think it was to San Antonio, and we were coming back up through the hill country, seeing parts of Texas we'd never been. That was back when you had the old GPS system. You know, it wasn't Siri, it was the old GPS system that, you know, you'd suck down on your dashboard. And we got off into the hill country and we both have lived in Texas all of our lives, but have never been in that part of the world. And the GPS quit working. We're out on all these farm to market roads and have no idea where we're going or what's next. And so there was a little bit of concern that was expressed. Why don't you pull over and ask the person at that gas station? But I'm a good man, so I said, no. Why don't you trust me? Why do we need to ask? It's like reading the directions before you put it together. What's the purpose? Figure this out. I don't need nobody's help. Back of my mind, I'm going, I better not be wrong. But here's what I knew. We were down in the hill country. All we got to do is keep going north. And we're going to meet Interstate 20. And I know Interstate 20. You see, sometimes we find ourselves wandering around in a land that we do not know. Walking through a health issue that we do not understand. Walking through a financial burden. Walking through a broken relationship. And we don't understand. Faith says keep going north. And you will arrive at your destination. Faith says keep obeying God. Even when you don't understand. And you will arrive at your destination. That's what Abraham and all of his lineage did. That's what Moses would do later on when they're going through the Exodus. They would keep wandering around. And it was faith that motivated them to continue to obey God. Even when they didn't understand the land in which they were living. He moves from Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all of that lineage. And I want to come back to Sarah in just a moment. But he moves through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all of that lineage. And then he picks up with Moses in the Exodus in verse 23. By faith, Moses after he was born was hidden by his parents for three months. Because they saw that the child was beautiful. And they did not fear the king's command or the king's edict. In other words, what faith does is faith conquers our fears. They didn't hide Moses because they feared Pharaoh. They hid Moses because they trusted God. And it was better for Moses to be placed in the hands of God than it was for them to try to hide Moses out of the fear of Pharaoh. Faith conquers our fears. Faith identifies us with the family of God. You remember the story of Moses? Moses chose to be identified with the Jews rather than with the family of Pharaoh. He saw one of the Egyptians kill one of the Jews. Moses got upset or beaten up one of the Jews. And Moses got upset. And so Moses then killed the Egyptian who was beaten up one of his fellow Jews. Even though Moses was living in the household of Pharaoh. Because it was more important for Moses to be identified with his people than it was for Moses to be safe with those who were not his people. That's why we're called the family of God. I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. You remember the song? You see, Moses knew that the best thing he could do was to be identified with the people of God. It led him then, of course, to flee for 40 years. And there for 40 years on the backside of the mountain while he's tending his father-in-law's sheep, he comes across a burning bush. And that burning bush says, Moses, you've had enough rest. Go back. What did I tell them to send me? Moses, you tell them the great I Am has sent you. Well, I stutter. Oh, Moses, you big whiny baby. Take Aaron with you. You'll be all right. Moses and ten plagues and flee and running and Red Sea parting and a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day and manna from heaven and water from a rock and serpents biting him and lifting up a bronze serpent and the serpents go away. And all of these things that occurred. And Moses remembered the moment at the burning bush when he met the great I Am. And meeting the great I Am caused him to continue to walk in faith. Faith enables us to see the invisible. We've seen that a few times. I want to jump down now to verse 28. He had instituted the Passover with a sprinkling of blood so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites. By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned. The walls of Jericho fell under Joshua. Notice verse 31. By faith Rahab, the prostitute, welcomed the spies in peace and didn't perish with those who disobeyed. It's interesting for us to find Rahab here because we see no sense in Joshua where Rahab is commended for her faith. But now she is. And the reason she's commended for her faith is because she was hospitable. Hospitality is a biblical command. We see it as a gift. 1 Peter 4 and 9, Romans 12 and 13, 1 Timothy 3 and 2, Titus 1 and 8. Hospitality is something that is to be exhibited by the people of God and it is a gift of the Spirit. Not only did she exhibit hospitality, but she also confessed God as Lord of heaven and earth back in Joshua 2, verses 8 through 11. But I think there's something else that's going on here, a third aspect. And it is this. We see Rahab, the harlot. We see Sarah, the one who laughed at God when God made the promise. Her initial reaction to God was a reaction of doubt. Rahab's lifestyle was prostitution. And yet God saved him. You see, the purpose is to be a testimony to the immeasurable grace of God that saves a sinner just like me. No one is beyond the reach of God's grace. This would have been somewhat scandalous in the time of Jesus. Remember Mary Magdalene washing His feet? Scandalous. John chapter 8 where He meets the woman caught in adultery. He offers her forgiveness. Scandal. John chapter 4 and the woman at the well. You've been married a lot and the guy you're living with now isn't even your husband. Scandal. And yet the transforming activity of God's grace saves each one of them. Finally, let me do this real quick. Don't miss this part in verse 32. What more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell you about Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah and David and Samuel and the prophets. And what did they do? Well, by faith they conquered kingdoms. They administered justice. They obtained promises. They shut the mouths of lions. I like that aspect of faith. I like that aspect of faith that will let me conquer kingdoms. That will let me administer justice. It gets all the promises. I like that aspect of faith. I even like the aspect of faith sometimes it shuts mouths. Of lions, of course. But we may not like the second aspect so much in verse 34. I'm sorry, verse 36. Others experienced mockings and scourgings as well as bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawed in two. They died by the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and in goatskins. They were destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. And the world was not worthy of Him. You see, faith not only helps us to obtain all of the promises of God in His time, but faith enables us to endure the circumstances that God doesn't always remove. Adrian Rogers would define faith as being faith is not always getting what you want. Sometimes it's accepting what you get. And all of us are living in one of those aspects. Either life is wonderful and grand and we've been serving the Lord and He has blessed us immeasurably and we possess it. Others just have circumstances that God has allowed because nothing escapes His knowledge. And yet, our faith keeps us faithfully walking through the challenges. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. I don't know where you are today, but keep moving forward. Have faith in God. There are things that are happening that we do not always see, but we believe that God is at work. There are seasons of suffering that God is using to strengthen us. And there are seasons of victory that God is using to bless us. But by faith in God, when we walk out of here today, make each step a step of faith. Keep traveling a step at a time. Moving north. Not north, south, east, west. Toward God. And you're going to reach the destination. Amen? Father, I pray for Your blessing to be upon each of us. Lord, where we have pieces of our lives that are hard, help us, O God, to receive them. Maybe like Paul. 2 Corinthians 12. A thorn in the flesh. Reminding us that Your grace is sufficient. God, if we are in a season where everything is just wonderful, I pray that You would help us make the choice fully for what You have done. Bless us, I pray, Father. In Jesus' name, amen. Alright, good to see you today.