The Reward of Faith (part 1) – Obtaining God’s Favor
Hebrews 11:1-7
November 22, 2015
When last we left the Hebrews we found that
These people were in the middle of a crisis of faith.
• They are those who had obviously made some sort or confession of Christ.
• They are even those who after that confession endured great suffering.
But now, either because the suffering has gotten worse
Or because the suffering has continued longer than expected,
These professing believers are considering throwing in the towel.
They are considering defecting from Jesus and returning to Judaism.
And the writer couldn’t have been clearer.
If you leave Jesus, you will prove that your faith was never genuine
And you will secure for yourself a certain judgment.
DON’T LEAVE
In fact, last week we heard the writer appeal for them to have courage.
Hebrews 10:35-39 “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”
• The writer told them to hold on to that boldness they once exhibited.
• He told them to be sure and endure their difficulties.
• And he told them above all, not to shrink back.
• Those who shrink back will never please the Lord when He comes.
And then he closed with a great word of encouragement.
“But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”
While it is true that those who shrink back from following Jesus
Face a sure and terrifying judgment,
That is not who the writer thinks these people are.
In fact, he thinks they are people of faith.
He thinks they are like so many who gone before them.
And it is those people that consume chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 11 is not the central theme to the book of Hebrews,
But it is easily the most popular chapter in the book.
It is often referred to as “The Faith Chapter” or “The Faith Hall of Fame”
Or “The Hall of Faith”
It is a rapid fire listing of the saints of old and the faith they exhibited.
And it is a chapter that serves a very specific purpose to our writer.
• These are his examples.
• These are his illustration.
He just talked about the importance of faith and now he will give
Some unmistakable examples of what he is talking about.
What I want to make sure of before we get into this chapter is that you recognize the OBVIOUS THEMES and POINTS of the chapter.
This is not just a random list of people of faith.
The writer is making a point.
In fact, he is making four points in this chapter about the importance of faith.
The first 7 verses deal with “The Reward of Faith”
You will notice all the references to how those listed here “gained approval” or “obtained the testimony” or “obtained the witness” or “became an heir of righteousness”
The opening theme is clear.
Faith brings with it the reward of God’s pleasure.
Verses 8-22 move on to the second point which is “The Focus of Faith”
Repeatedly you’ll see statements about how these men and women obeyed and endured solely because they were looking for the promise.
These people will endure through Ignorance, through Hardship,
Through Impossible circumstances, and even through Death.
Yet, they will never take their eyes of the prize.
It is the focus of faith.
Verses 23-31 deal with “The Courage of Faith”
Notice the references to courage or the absence of fear.
Moses’ parents “were not afraid”, Moses was “not fearing the wrath of the king”
These people purposely put themselves at odds with the world
And decisions like that require great amounts of courage.
And finally verses 32-40 deal with “The Endurance of Faith”
We have an even more abbreviated list of the saints of old.
And all of them faced horrific circumstances.
Wars, wild beasts, fire, the sword, armies, even death.
Some were victorious; some were not, but all endured regardless,
Even though they did not receive what was promised.
Their Faith Endured.
These are the four major points the writer is driving home.
Obviously he wants the same type of faith from those he is writing to.
Beyond that, I think it’s important that you pick out some of
THE MAJOR THEMES throughout the chapter.
One of the most obvious is the theme of “FAITH & WORKS”
Every single person listed in this chapter
Has works that validate their faith.
There is no doubting the validity of their faith
Because what they did clearly backs it up.
“Abel offered” “Noah built” “Abraham obeyed” “Jacob blessed” “Moses refused” and so on and so forth.
None of them try to show you faith without works.
Their faith is evident by their works
And that is an obvious theme throughout the chapter.
Another obvious theme is that of “SEEN VS. UNSEEN”
The writer will start by saying, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”
So obviously believing without seeing is important.
And that’s good because most of the people in this chapter
Never saw what they believed.
• (7) Noah was warned “about things not yet seen”
• (8) Abraham was called to move “not knowing where he was going”
And yet while these people couldn’t see how it was going to work,
The writer always focuses on what they did see.
• (13) The saw the promises “having seen them and having welcomed them
from a distance”
• (23) Moses parents could see that Moses “was a beautiful child”
• (26) Moses was “looking to the reward”
• (27) Moses was “seeing Him who is unseen”
The contrast is obvious throughout the chapter.
These men didn’t see with human eyes, they saw with eyes of faith.
It is as Paul said:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
It is what Jesus said to Thomas:
John 20:29 “Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
And it is as Peter requested of us:
1 Peter 1:8-9 “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”
And it is an obvious theme of faith that the writer continually highlights.
And the other major theme he continually brings up is “RECEIVED VS. NOT RECEIVED”
He continually makes the point that these people received the promises,
But they did not receive what was promised.
(13) “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”
(39) “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,”
That means that these people believed,
Not based on God’s performance, but based on God’s promise.
That’s big.
Their faith endured even when things
Weren’t working out as they had hoped.
Now, they may not have received what was promised,
But because of their unwavering faith, they did receive God’s favor
• All throughout the first 7 verses we see those who “obtained” a good
testimony from God.
• We see Noah who “became an heir of the righteousness which is
according to faith”
• We see in (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 a city for them.”
AND SO YOU GET THE POINT.
The faith of these people might not have changed their circumstances,
But it did change their lives & it changed the way God thought about them
And there is the power and purpose of faith.
Our faith is not for the purpose of making life better.
Our faith is for the purpose of pleasing God.
If the only reason you exercise faith is to change your circumstances, then what will you do if your circumstances don’t change?
• Abraham, will you stay in Canaan if you never own the land that was promised?
• Noah, will you continue to build a boat in year 82, when it still hasn’t rained?
• Jacob and Joseph, will you still teach your kids about the Promised Land while you are dying in Egypt?
Obviously their faith was about believing God, not manipulating Him
It’s a very important point about faith that the writer continually reveals.
Now that is obviously a crash course to this great chapter,
I just want to make sure that you understand this chapter is more
Than just some “Hall of Fame”.
This chapter comes with a point.
The writer just told us that we must be people of faith.
Specifically he wants faith that:
• Believes without seeing
• Endures without receiving
• Pursues the promise
• Overcomes Fear
• Remains Committed
• Evidences itself through Obedience
• AND ULTIMATELY THAT WHICH PLEASES GOD
That is what the saints of old offered,
And that is what the writer wants from his congregation as well.
In fact, after the chapter he will say:
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
In short, let us live like they did.
It’s your turn to run the race, they handed the baton to you, now run.
So there is a bird’s eye view of this great chapter,
And don’t worry if you aren’t yet grasping everything I just told you,
We’re going to cover it all in greater depth.
This morning I simply want to look at the writer’s first major point and that is: THE REWARD OF FAITH.
Specifically being that faith causes us to obtain God’s favor.
The writer told us back in chapter 10:39 that if we shrink back
Then Jesus will have no pleasure in us.
Certainly that is not what we want.
We want Christ to be pleased with us.
And that is the first point of the chapter.
So this morning we begin to examine these first 7 verses dealing with the reward of faith, and we can break them down into two main points.
#1 THE NATURE OF FAITH
Hebrews 11:1-5
What you will find here are two basic theological truths about faith
And then two basic illustrations to support each truth.
The first truth is very simply WHAT FAITH IS
(1) “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
This verse reveals both a CAUSE and an EFFECT of faith.
First, we recognize the constant in both statements
And that is that there is something that is only “hoped for”
And that is because it is “not seen”
I mean, if you had it, you wouldn’t be hoping for it.
Romans 8:24 “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?”
So we are dealing with a person who has a hope,
But a hope that is thus far unrealized.
It would be like our hope of eternal life.
It would be like Abraham’s hope for the Promised Land.
It is hoped for, but not yet fully realized.
What the writer is telling us is that there is a certain way
God desires for us to respond to our unrealized hope.
THAT RESPONSE IS FAITH.
Why?
• Because faith “is the assurance of things hoped for”
• And faith is “the conviction of things not seen”
Now what you need to realize is that
The writer here speaks of these two realities,
But he does so in reverse order of the way they occur a person’s life.
Let me explain.
The obvious FIRST STEP is that man hopes for what he does not see.
At this point he has to make a decision in his heart.
He will either choose to believe that his hope will occur,
Or he will choose to believe that it will not.
Those are his only two options.
The person of faith obviously chooses to believe.
Now the Greek word for “conviction” is a word
That literally means “to prove with a test”
It carries the idea of a person testing something
In order to see if it will work or not.
And once the test is completed this person
Will be convinced one way or the other.
Obviously our person of faith has run his test
And is convinced that even though he can’t see something, it is still real.
He is convinced of things he can’t see.
He has “the conviction of things not seen.”
Paul said:
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
That statement reflects a person convinced of what he can’t see.
The question is what did he test that caused him to be so convinced?
And there is only one thing he could have tested and that is God.
(when we’re dealing with a promise, all we can test is the one who gives it)
God made the promise that it’s real even though he couldn’t see it.
So a person has to test and see if they think God is believable.
They have to determine IF they believe God can do what He said.
And IF they believe that God does keep His word.
(Testing God’s ability & Testing God’s integrity)
Incidentally Paul believed the answer was “yes” on both counts,
And that explains Paul’s conviction of things that he can’t see.
He told Timothy:
2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
It is also the conviction of Abraham:
Romans 4:18-22 “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.” Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
It is the same thing we are dealing with here.
God has made promises.
• Promises of an eternal home
• Promises of forgiveness through Christ
• Promises of security in Jesus
But at the very core, they are still just promises from God.
You have to decide whether or not you find God to be dependable.
The men of faith said He was.
Paul said He was.
So they had “the conviction of things not seen.”
They believed God’s word and were convinced it was true,
Even though they couldn’t see it.
And the ILLUSTRATION that the writer would use is found in verse 3.
“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
The Jews he was writing to certainly believed that
God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing.
They believed God spoke the world into creation.
Why would they believe that?
• Were they present at creation?
• Did they see nothing become something?
No, but God said that is what happened (Genesis 1)
And every Jew this writer was writing to fully believed it.
They had no visual proof they could see,
But simply because they had believed God’s word,
They had a “conviction of things not seen.”
(that’s a basic illustration of the faith the writer is talking about)
This conviction then led to “the assurance of things hoped for”
Conviction comes first and then assurance.
The word for “assurance” here literally means “a standing under”
It is a word used of a “support” or something “steady”
It would be like a beam or the trusses that hold up this roof.
Hence it is a word that spoke of assurance and ultimately security.
Because we are convinced that God does things;
(Even things that we can’t see,)
We have an assurance that He will also do the things we hope for.
So…
• A man hopes but does not see
• He chooses to believe anyway based upon God’s character and promises
• That conviction then becomes an assurance that steadies him and guides him
and protects him.
It is like the writer said at the end of chapter 10.
We are “those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”
Our faith holds us and preserves us because it has given us assurance.
THAT IS WHAT FAITH IS.
It is choosing to believe what you can’t see
Simply because you trust the One who told you it’s there.
It is then having assurance that you will receive what you hope for
Regardless of how bleak the circumstances may appear.
John MacArthur described it like this, “Faith is living in a hope that is so real that it gives absolute assurance.” (Hebrews commentary, pg. 287)
SO FAITH STARTS AS CONVICTION AND ENDS UP AS ASSURANCE.
And honestly, that alone makes it a pretty good thing.
Assurance is a wonderful reality.
BUT THAT ISN’T EVEN THE MAIN BENEFIT OF FAITH.
You see what it is,
The writer also wants you to understand WHAT IT DOES
(2) “For by it the men of old gained approval”
“gained approval” translates MARTUREO
And it literally means “to be well testified of”
It’s a word the writer uses several times.
For Abel the same word is translated in verse 4 as, “obtained the testimony”
For Enoch the same word is translated in verse 5 as, “obtained the witness”
And the point the writer is making is that when men gave faith to God,
They received His approval.
It is that all important doctrine known as “Justification by Faith”
And I have to tell you church that this is one of those hills on which to die.
It is the truth regarding how sinful man becomes pleasing to Holy God.
We cannot be wrong on this.
Salvation literally hangs in the balance.
And fortunately for us, God has made it plain.
He has told us how man is made pleasing in His sight.
(2) “For by it the men of old gained approval.”
It was by faith that the men of old received a good testimony from God.
In short, man was and is and always will be justified by faith alone.
Romans 3:19-24 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”
Romans 3:25 “whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;”
Romans 4:1-5 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 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 CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Galatians 3:6-9 “Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”
It is what the reformers referred to as SOLA FIDE – “faith alone”
It is what God desires
It is what God expects
It is the only currency God accepts
When man gives this faith described in verse 1 to God,
God responds by declaring that person righteous.
This reality has been a universal and timeless reality.
It is true of those who lived in the Old Testament
And it is certainly true of those who lived in New Testament times.
No one was ever declared righteous by reason of the things he did.
Abraham was the great example that Paul used.
God declared Abraham righteous before he was ever circumcised.
God declared Abraham righteous before the Law was ever revealed.
Circumcision and the Law each had an important role in the plan of God,
But neither of those things was for the purpose of making man righteous.
GOD DID THAT SOLELY IN RESPONSE TO FAITH.
And the writer makes that truth inescapably clear.
(2) “For by it the men of old gained approval.”
AND THEN THE WRITER GIVEs YOU A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES.
Interestingly enough he doesn’t use Abraham here,
Which was the favorite example of Paul.
The writer uses Abel and Enoch.
(4) “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”
Certainly you remember the story of Cain and Abel.
Adam and Eve had blown it in the garden and after being removed
The Bible says that they had two boys.
Cain was the oldest, Abel the second.
What is clear (though unexplained) is that Cain and Abel both realized
The need for acceptance from God.
So we find the boys doing is going before God with an offering.
Genesis 4:3-7 “So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
I have no intention of preaching this text again, you can go back and look it up from our sermons on Genesis if you want that.
But the basics here are important.
• There was no Law yet
• There was no command yet
Neither of these boys could have possibly known that
God required blood or that God required a first fruit
(those are the common explanations as to why God accepted Abel, but not Cain)
No, the explanation is made in Hebrews 11.
Namely that Abel brought faith and Cain did not.
Abel’s offering was through faith
That made his offering better than Cain’s
Which was merely an attempt to appease God through his works.
• One boy came trusting God,
• The other came seeking to appease God through his works.
• God was pleased with the one who brought faith.
• God did not accept the one who brought works.
Perhaps that helps you understand then why Cain was so angry.
He had worked hard for that produce, he had battled the sin curse directly to bring fruit from the ground.
Imagine the time it took to break the soil, prepare the soil, plant the seed, care for the field, and harvest that crop.
When God said it wasn’t enough, Cain was livid.
The frustration of Cain is the frustration of every person in religion
Who works tirelessly and vigorously at some religious routine
In order to make God pleased.
How frustrated they will be when they find it is not enough.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
That was certainly the frustration of the Pharisees who tithe mint and dill and cumin; who broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments; who give and pray and fast like clockwork.
Imagine their frustration with Jesus, who told them that despite all their labor they weren’t good enough to inherit eternal life.
It’s no wonder they killed Jesus.
That is all the frustration of Cain.
He tried to bring works and God would not accept him.
But Abel brought faith.
And when he brought faith to God,
Scripture says, “he obtained the testimony that he was righteous”
Scripture says that God testified “about his gifts”
Which is what Genesis said, “the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering.”
God didn’t just accept the gift, God accepted Abel.
Abel brought faith and God declared him righteous.
And then the writer says, “and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”
In other words, we know what happened to Abel.
He brought faith, God declared him righteous
And that proved to be a death sentence for Abel.
Genesis 4:8 “Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”
So Abel trusted God and it got him killed by those who did not.
(Can you feel the relevance to those the writer is presently addressing?)
But the question of the writer would be this:
• Abel brought faith to God by which he was declared righteous.
• Yes this reality ended up getting him killed.
• But now, many years later, what do you suppose Abel’s message to you would be?
You know the answer don’t you?
Abel would tell you, “IT’S TOTALLY WORTH IT!”
In fact though Abel is dead, his testimony lives on
And his message is the same.
TRUST GOD.
• Have the conviction that God can and will do what He has promised even when you don’t see how.
• Let that conviction produce in you an assurance which will protect you even when things get difficult.
And if you will bring that type of faith to God, you will gain His approval.
(For us – BELIEVE JESUS IS GOD’S ONLY MEANS OF SALVATION)
Obviously we are out of time and we’ll pick this back up in a couple of weeks, but the unmistakable message is clear.
• Regardless of what you are facing.
• Don’t shrink back from Jesus.
• You have need of endurance.
• Walk in the same type of faith that Abel had.
• Trust God, it is the only way to please God.
