The Twin Rails Of Faith

Today we are launching into Hebrews 11, sometimes called “the hall of faith.” Hebrews 11 refers to a number of men and women in the Bible who believed God: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses’ parents, Moses, the people of Israel, Rahab.

Several are mentioned in passing: Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets.

We see a summary of both their victories and their miseries.

In a sense, Hebrews 11 is a series of real-world case studies on faith. There is some direct teaching on faith, especially in the early verses, as we will see this morning. But for the most part, Hebrews 11 teaches by way of example.

There are many differences among these people. None of them was perfect, in any sense.

By the way, while many more could have been mentioned, there is one who is NOT mentioned who is conspicuous because of His absence, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Charismatic teachers today are fond of saying that Jesus emptied Himself of His deity, and lived on earth as nothing more than a man, doing all of His works and miracles by faith. They tell their followers that if they have the faith that Jesus had, they can do everything Jesus did. Now, if Jesus did His works by faith in God, the writer of Hebrews threw away a golden opportunity to illustrate the best possible example of human faith. But, Jesus didn’t do His works by faith in God, but through His own power and authority as God. From the moment of His incarnation Jesus has been and ever shall be the God-Man, fully God, and fully man.

Let’s read Hebrews 11:1-6, and dive in to our study.

A FOUNDATION OF FAITH

Faith is something that is often hard to describe. People will say that they have faith, but don’t really understand what it means. Even non-religious people might talk about having faith in the human race, or faith that things will work out somehow. They use the word “faith,” but they can’t define it. The way many talk about faith, it’s just the feeling that things will be ok.

Now, it’s sad when unbelievers are that confused, but it's really inevitable. Their beliefs are self-defined, and so they lack consistency and reason.

But tragically, Christians often have the same confusion about faith. (That’s one reason that the so-called “faith movement” – which is actually very legalistic – has been able to deceive so many.)

Praise God, Hebrews 11 begins with a brief teaching on the nature of faith: it’s existence, it’s effect, it’s enlightenment, and it’s exclusivity.

FAITH’S EXISTENCE

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith exists. It is real. It is not a subjective interpretation of events. It is assurance, conviction, reality, confidence, substance, certainty.

Let’s understand what faith is not.

Faith is not a feeling or an emotion.

Faith is not making up things for God to do, as when many people say, “I’m believing God for ____________,” and then describe something that is never promised in Scripture.

Faith trusts what the Scripture reveals about God. He cannot lie (Numbers 23:19). Nothing can prevent Him from doing what He pleases (Psalm 115:3). God doesn’t just tell the truth, He is truth itself (John 14:6). The purposes of God have been in motion since creation, and nothing will prevent Him from having His way (Isaiah 46:9-10).

You can believe what God says, and in fact, you are commanded to believe what He says.

FAITH’S EFFECT

2 For by it the men of old gained approval. (Hebrews 11:2)

“Approval” here means the only approval that matters, which is God’s approval. It is God’s commendation of the one who trusts Him, His testimony that those who trust Him are favored by Him.

All of Hebrews 11 is a review of the “men of old,” but this especially refers to Abel and Enoch. These two men reveal that faith moves along two rails, like a train.

Before we look at them, however, we need to understand that faith enlightens us to the character and work of God; this was what they themselves believed.

FAITH ENLIGHTENS

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. (Hebrews 11:3)

This is the first principle of faith: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He made everything from nothing.

This isn’t mythology, but history, revealed to us by God, who was there at the time.

We can read the words, and of course many do, but reading them as history, as real events that God did at the outset of history, as truths that show us who we are as beings created in God's image, requires faith.

When someone dismisses Genesis 1-2 as mythology or a fairy tale, they are are destroying the foundation and cohesion of the Bible, using explosives planted by the devil himself. If the Bible isn’t true when it says that God created the world in six 24-hour days, why would it be true when it says that God took on human flesh in Jesus Christ, died for sinners, and was resurrected in glory and majesty?

Faith understands that God is the Creator, the direct cause of all things. This was the faith held by Abel and Enoch. And wonderfully enough, their stories show that faith moves along two rails, like a train: suffering and blessing.

Abel - The Rail of Suffering

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. (Hebrews 11:4)

Abel’s story shows the rail of suffering. It’s just a few verses, Genesis 4:1-11.

1 Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” 2 Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. 4 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; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “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.” 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. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. 11 “Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. (Genesis 4:1–11)

Why was Abel accepted and Cain rejected? Hebrews 11:4 tells us it was because Abel came in faith, and offered his sacrifice in faith. God commended Abel, affirming him, and testifying for all of history that Abel had His favor.

Here’s the rail of suffering. Faithful Abel was murdered by his own brother, one of the worst sorts of betrayal there is.

It is abundantly clear that faithful, trusting, righteous people can and do suffer at the hands of unfaithful rebels. Abel didn’t die because he lacked faith, but because he had faith.

Abel proves to be a model of faith because he took God seriously, trusted Him, and obeyed Him. His faith and obedience was unaffected by his brother’s rebellion.

Enoch – The Rail of Blessing

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. (Hebrews 11:5)

Enoch’s story shows the rail of blessing on the train track of faith.

21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:21–24)

We also read in Jude 1:14-15 that Enoch was a prophet who spoke loudly and clearly against the increasing violence and wickedness of his generation. The world was well on the way to the condemnation of Genesis 6:5, 11-12.

14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 14–15)

The world was well on the way to the condemnation of Genesis 6:5, 11-12, where God announces that man’s wickedness was extreme, and that the only thing men thought about or desired was evil. The earth was filled with violence and corruption.

There are ten generations between Adam and Noah, with Enoch being seventh in line. His lifespan was less than half of the others.

But we see that Enoch’s life was not cut short because of sin, but that because he lived in the reality of God’s existence and power, God removed him from the earth before death overcame him.

Perhaps that was death in general; perhaps it was death at the hands of the violent and wicked men of his time.

Enoch is a model of faith because he shows that faith is not a private matter; those who believe God are called to show open and public loyalty to Him. He didn’t modify or soften his message to suit the spirit of the age, or to avoid conflict with the ungodly.

FAITH’S EXCLUSIVITY

Before going any further, the writer of Hebrews wanted his readers to understand the absolute exclusivity of faith.

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

It is impossible to please God without faith. It cannot be done.

Now, whatever impossible means, it can't mean possible in any form:

possible, but difficult; possible, but unlikely; possible if we only had the ability.

Impossible means that God cannot be pleased apart from faith, period. At the risk of oversimplifying this, faith is like the key to a door – not the door to health or riches, but the door to pleasing God.

The wrong key won’t open a locked door.

A key that is close but not quite exact won’t open a locked door, either.

A locked door can only be opened by the key made for that lock.

Bringing it Home

Let's think about what we've seen.

Faith is real. It truly exists. It it not merely an emotion or a feeling, but persuasion in our minds and hearts that Scripture is true, that God exists, that He is gracious and kind, and welcomes us when we come to Him by faith. Faith is powerful, active certainty about God and His promises.

The effect of faith is to bring about God’s approval. Some want the effect of faith to be success, or healing, or financial freedom, but God promises none of those things. And that's good news, because failure, sickness, and poverty are not our problem. Sin and the condemnation it brings is our problem. When you come before the Lord today in faith, trusting Him alone and not your own works or intentions or deeds, you have His favor, and that means the fullness of His favor.

Faith enlightens our minds to the existence and power of God. Faith grasps the truth that, in spite of the turmoil, chaos, and confusion of our world and our own lives, God will prevail. Over and over again the Scriptures tell us that God’s plans will not be obstructed or hindered. God declared the detailed, perfect end of all things from the very beginning; His purpose and good pleasure will be accomplished. Faith gets that and rests in it.

Faith is the sole, exclusive means by which we can please God. It’s not that other ways of pleasing God exist, but we aren’t able to do them. No, God refuses to be pleased by anything but faith alone. Only faith will please Him. He has leveled the playing as it were. We all have different strengths and abilities and gifts, but all Christians have the exact same faith, the very same sort of faith that the apostles themselves had (Second Peter 1:1), just as all have the same 24 hours a day available to us. No one gets more time than anyone else; it's what we do with that time that matters. No one has a different kind of faith; it's what we do with our faith that matters.

In the examples of Abel and Enoch we see that faith runs along the twin rails of suffering and blessing. Abel suffered murder at the hands of his own brothers. Keep in mind that Abel was also blessed; He received God’s favor. Enoch was blessed by God for his faithfulness, and was taken from the earth before dying. But keep in mind that Enoch also suffered; he was terribly provoked and disturbed by the wickedness of his generation.

Brothers and sisters, you cannot earn the smallest measure of God’s favor by keeping rules and living a religious life, but you have the entire ocean of His favor through faith in His character and promises.

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