Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Put Your Hand in the Hand of God The Rev. 3 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. This leads me to ask two questions: Do you have it? For 65 years he lived for himself, but when his son Methuselah was born, he began to walk with God. Its no good saying, If God wants me He can make himself known to me. All of the patristic and medieval scholars understood the words in the objective sense, but Melanchthon advised Luther to render it, sure confidence. Luthers interpretation has influenced most scholarship since the Reformation (Koster, ibid.). A.W. Since the birth of Seth, all of these patriarchs carried on living. You cant walk with someone when you are hiding from them. Faith connects you to God; it is your admission that you are dependent upon Him; that your hope is in Him. Pew Forum director Luis Lugo says, "You no longer have an alignment of affiliation, belief and behavior. Now faith is the substance: Just as our physical eyesight is the sense that gives us evidence of the material world, faith is the "sense" that gives us evidence of the invisible, spiritual world. See More Details. Subscribe to get weekly sermon content delivered to your feed.Follow us:Instagram: instagr. He created the things that are from things which are not. Humans might fabricate things out of the dirt or use material from creation for their buildings, but not God. And that is our calling today. Perhaps that's what happened to Enoch. Like love, faith is demonstrated indirectly by action. (Hebrews 11:1-3) God spoke the universe into existence. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has put eternity inside every human heart. Walking with God is not just for Enoch. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened (Matt 7:7-8). Husbands, observe this carefully. We are looking for something - meaning, purpose, identity, fulfillment, satisfaction - and many people spend a lifetime engaged in a literal journey from one place to another, and sometimes from one relationship to another, seeking something that seems just out of our reach. There are many mysteries about this story. God accepted Abel's offering because it was brought in faith. The Greek word, hypostasis, occurs twice in Paul in the sense of confidence (2 Cor. For posting on the web, a link to this document on our website (www.UnlockingtheBible.org) is preferred. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (Jer 29:13). Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. The unseen things we are convinced of, are things God has revealed. Ha! He's right! Their response shows that by faith, they were making real in their present crisis the future promises of God regarding eternal life. Sometimes it involves leaning into the wind. Abel knew that a life must be laid down because God had revealed it, back in the garden of Eden when He made garments of skins to clothe Adam and Eve. One day Enoch and God had walked so far that God said, "Why don't you come home with me?" God invites you to live in the constant, conscious enjoyment of His presence. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. But note this. I need a pure heart. If wickedness had filled the earth by the time of Noah, you can be sure that it was running rampant in the time of Enoch. were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. This is the first of 19 uses of by faith in this chapter. Other Scriptures Referenced: Acts 17, John 20. . Any date. The French philosopher Pascal said that there is a "God-shaped vacuum" inside every human heart. We have to believe it all on the strength of God's promise. Reminder: You are currently impersonating {{userSessionData.email}}. The Bible calls Noah a preacher of righteousness but he didn't have much to show for his efforts. Single men, take notice. The subjective understanding is, faith means being confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see. An objective understanding is, faith means the reality of the goods hoped for, (Helmut Koster, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. She writes that they prayed "sometimes with bitter disappointment, sometimes with a confidence that seemed infallible, and sometimes with frustration and a hurt so deep it ached." Lisa finally conceived, and 4-year-old Peter now brightens their lives. 12:2). While the term is roughly equivalent to world, it allows for what modern science has established, that time is related to matter. When the flood finally came, only eight people were saved: Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives. Amos asks, Can two walk together unless they are agreed? And that of course is the thing that ultimately matters about us all. That's as fine a tribute as you are likely to find, and not just about a public figure. He believed that in His excellent goodness, God is ever willing to bestow blessings, and ever ready to reward those who come to Him. Rick has earned a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology in preaching from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Seth lived 912 years (Gen 5:8). God will do whatever it takes to get us back. Now the writer lays down an axiomatic truth. But the rest of us struggle to believe at least part of the time. I often wonder if I would be a Christian if I hadn't been born in a Christina home, reared by Christian parents, lived next to a Christian church, surrounded by Christian people. We can't see the soul in heaven. Because faith allows us to overcome, we need to understand faith. Such people as Enosh, Mahalalel, and Jared are respectable plodding quiet men who said goodnight to one another regularly, remarked briefly upon the weather and died.. Today their grief is wrenching and unremitting, yet they continue on by faith. By Faith the Invisible is Made Visible (Hebrews 11:1-2) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. All the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died (Gen 5:8). 4:15). Back then, there were only eight true believers in the whole world. The most important thing about you what will matter about you forever is not how many people know your name, or not how many people follow you on social media. Let's read the text ( Hebrews 11:1-3 ): Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 1. I did what I did because I believed it to be biblical and thus pleasing to God, but it resulted in a number of people trying to get me fired. All of the others relate to a parade of characters from the Old Testament who trusted in God. Genesis 5 is a chapter of numbers and as every accountant knows, the numbers tell a story. For by it the men of old gained approval. The clear implication is that the approval comes from God, as the rest of the chapter shows (11:4, 5, 6, 39). It is a willingness to trust in, to rely on, and to cling to. What matters about them is the relationship they have with Jesus. To ensure you receive the best experience on Lifeway.com, we use cookies to process information about your visit. Adam lived to see his great, great, great, great, great, great, grandchildren. Hebrews uses the word three times. All of us know about the great flood, the massive ark, and the gathering of the animals. But here's what I wonder. He trusted in God. The eternal God brought physical matter and time into being by His powerful word alone! What is faith? All of us are on a journey going somewhere. Some modern translations of Genesis read Genesis 1:1 by When God began to create the heavens and earth, the earth was without form and void as though God arranged matter that was already there. People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? This grim reality runs like a relentless drumbeat throughout the chapter. It is possible to walk with God, in a world that defies Him. The biblical view, that the eternal God spoke it into existence, is based on faith, but not on blind faith. Will you live it? Dont hope in your faith, because faith in your faith cant save you. Not one word is ever said about the faith of his wife or the faith of Shem, Ham or Japheth or their wives. We are told in vs. 5 that Adam lived for 930 years. For more information, see ourPrivacy Policy. He's Where the Joy Is by Tara-Leigh Cobble, Black Church Leadership & Family Conference. Therefore, at all times, we must cling to Christ as our Savior. But if you want to savor a place and enjoy it, get out of the car and go for a walk. Some of you who are younger are trying to figure out if you will follow Jesus. Abels sacrifice of a lamb from the flock points forward to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Whoever is as inclusive as you can get. And for 300 more years he walked with God until "he was no more, because God took him away" (v. 24). We know that for sure from his prophecy recorded in Jude, but there may also be a hint of this in the name Enoch chose for his son. On the other hand, sinners are unable to believe because of spiritual blindness (2 Cor. The seed on the thorny ground may have lasted a bit longer, but eventually it was strangled by the temptations of worries, riches, and the pleasures of this life. By exercising this kind of faith the ancients gained the warm commendation of God. But true faith, faith that rests on God and his Word and believes all that he has said, true faith sees the unseen and say, "Yes, it is true.". At one time there was nothing but God. The fact that the author puts verse 3 at the start of his list of by faith examples, shows that faith in God as Creator is foundational to knowing God. God teaches us by pointing to real-life examples of faith in action. J.D. Hebrews 11 New International Version Faith in Action 11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. And that promise was fulfilled when Jesus laid down His life for us on the cross. But if you will starve the flesh and feed your faith, it will grow. He managed to save his own family - and no one else. As we saw last week, there is a type of faith that does not endure trials and temptations. What if they had been burned to death? The answer is, they would have died in faith and God would reward them abundantly throughout eternity in heaven. Faith obeys God even when we don't understand (17b-18) A. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his one and only son - Hebrews 11:17 We have far more spiritual advantages than Noah had. Hebrews chapter 11 has the answer we are looking for. Yet, God passionately pursues us at great cost. Why did one choose to be a farmer and the other a shepherd? For by it the elders: The great examples of godliness all had different circumstances and personalities, but they all had one thing in common - faith. When Noah and Mrs. Noah entered the ark, their boys went with them. God has made Himself known in Jesus Christ. No wonder we are so unhappy. If the story of Abel is about our quest for acceptance, then the story of Enoch is the familiar metaphor of the journey. Put your faith in Jesus Christ! 2:8-9). Let me apply verse 2 in two ways. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. 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