16: Living By Faith - part 2 (Hebrews 11:7-16)

Jackie Watts

Jesus is Better (a Study of the Book of Hebrews) • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Living by faith implies that we must do something most of us don’t want to do...WAIT. Living by faith means pushing away from temporary satisfaction of sin, in favor of WAITING for the eternal benefits of obeying our Savior. Today we look back at ancient Hebrew heroes who modeled what this looks like for us.

Notes

Transcript

Taking a Sunday Off

A Pastor woke up Sunday morning and, realizing it was an exceptionally beautiful and sunny early spring day, decided he just had to play golf. So he told the Associate Pastor that he was feeling sick and convinced him to fill in for him that day. As soon as the Associate Pastor left the room, the Lead Pastor headed out of town to a golf course about forty miles away. This way he knew he wouldn't accidentally meet anyone he knew from his church.

Setting up on the first tee, he was alone. After all, it was Sunday morning and everyone else was in church!

At about this time, Saint Peter leaned over to the Lord while looking down from the heavens and exclaimed, "You're not going to let him get away with this, are you?" The Lord sighed, and said, "No, I guess not."

Just then the Pastor hit the ball and it shot straight towards the pin, dropping just short of it, rolled up and fell into the hole. IT WAS A 420-YARD HOLE IN ONE!

St. Peter was astonished. He looked at the Lord and asked, "Why did you let him do that?"

The Lord smiled and replied, "Who's he gonna tell?"

I sure enjoyed my time off with my family. I don’t have any great stories about a hole-in-one and I’m grateful I didn’t have to lie in order to get away for a little bit.

Today we go back to Hebrews 11 for part 2 of Living By Faith.

2 Weeks ago we opened up one of the most colorful chapters in all the Scriptures, full of faithful characters in what some how called “The Faith Hall of Fame”. The kind of faith God expects is defined in this way.

Hebrews 11:1–2 (CSB) Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For by this our ancestors were approved.

or from the NET

Hebrews 11:1 (NET) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.

It is by this kind of faith that the Hebrew ancestors were approved and modeled for others like us to follow.

We noted that...

Genuine faith is living like: 1) God exists and 2) God rewards [those who seek Him] (v6)

We examined the lives of Abel & Enoch. Today we consider the most famous Hebrew ancestors - Noah (“I Noah guy”), Abraham, & Sarah. So, let’s get started.

Hebrews 11:7a 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.

What was Noah warned about? Something he had not yet seen -

a great flood. By faith = TRUSTING GOD - Noah built an ark that saved his family.

Let’s back up to the Genesis text and consider the context:

Like Enoch, Noah walked with God (Gen 6:9) - he expressed genuine faith - living like God exists and God rewards those who seek Him.

But others on the earth were corrupt in God’s sight (Gen 6:11) so the Creator decided to destroy most of His creation with a flood and reboot life on earth with Noah, his family, and the animals God would bring to him.

God shares His plan and gives Noah the blueprint for building the ark - 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high - with 3 decks. That’s 1.5 football fields long, and half it’s width.

Noah and his family begin the massive task which would have taken many years (the Scripture doesn’t tell us how long), cutting, hauling, preparing, and piecing all the lumber together - without power tools.

We simply don’t know any specifics beyond that, but you know some people had to stop by and ask what Noah and his family were wasting their time on. I can’t help but think that they warned others of what was coming, and probably faced ridicule and persecution for it, since no one besides his family was there when the “all aboard” call was sounded.

So while others went on like judgement was never coming, Noah and family were preparing and - by faith - trusting God for what was yet unseen. And when the rain started falling Noah and family were safe.

Hebrews 11:7b By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Noah lived by faith - trusting what God said, while the world around him refused to respond to God’s warnings.

and faced the judgement of God…that’s the important part of the story that Bible children’s books typically fail to illustrate. Can you imagine the cries and pleas of those who were dying? I wonder how many ran to Noah’s ark yet found the door closed.

Noah and his family were saved through the judgement…all because they had genuine faith - living like God exists and God rewards those who seek Him.

So too, we are taught in the New Testament that God will one day ONCE AGAIN judge all people, and only those found IN CHRIST will be saved from God’s just judgement.

Next up to the stand…Father Abraham.

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.

Would YOU leave your family (your parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins) - and friends - just because God told you to…without any details? Doubt it.

God promised to bless Abraham by giving him a family that would bless all people on the earth (Gen 12:1-3).

Hebrews 11:9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise.

Abraham left his home and his friends and went to a place to live among people he did not know. But instead of building a huge home and settling down, he and his family continued living in tents, as if they were just on a journey rather than making this their home. Why?

Hebrews 11:10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Abraham was living to see the city that was built by God. He was looking forward to an ETERNAL HOME rather than just an EARTHLY HOME. Abraham lived BY FAITH - sure of what he hoped for, and convinced of what he did not yet see.

Abraham had Genuine faith = living like God exists and God rewards those who seek Him.

Is that TRUE of YOU?

While we live in this world, do we have that ever-present reality on the back-burner of our minds - that this world is NOT our home?

Do we long for the new creation - without sin, without sickness, without death…and WITH the God who exists - the One we know will reward us with eternal life?

Next we hear testimony of God’s faithfulness from our first female eye-witness. Welcome Sarah to the stand.

Hebrews 11:11–12 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the One who had promised was faithful. Therefore, from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore.

Let’s take a moment to hear the whole story.

God had years earlier promised to multiply His family like the stars of the sky (Gen 15:5), but it was years later before that happened. When 3 strangers show up (1 of them being Yahweh with skin on), they come bringing an important message.

Genesis 18:9–12 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he answered. The LORD said, “I will certainly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him. Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. So she laughed to herself: “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I have delight?”

As you might remember, the Scriptures tell us that Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 years old! (Gn 17:17) So here is this 90 year old wrinkled woman - a woman who couldn’t have children her whole life - quietly chuckling about the possibility of such an incredible promise.

Genesis 18:13–15 But the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Can I really have a baby when I’m old?’ Is anything impossible for the LORD? At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.” Sarah denied it. “I did not laugh,” she said, because she was afraid. But he replied, “No, you did laugh.”

And in a piece of divine poetry, God had the last LAUGH, specifying that the boy would be named “Isaac” - meaning “he laughs”. When Isaac was born, here’s how Sarah responded:

Genesis 21:6–7 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.” She also said, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son for him in his old age.”

Kent Hughes writes: Sarah was ninety-one years old, and she had given birth to her first child! She laughed, Abraham laughed, laughter filled all the tents—and Heaven smiled! [R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul, vol. 2, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993), 106.]

Sarah’s laughter later turned to wonder and excitement as she PUT FAITH IN the One who was faithful to fulfill His promise. And sure enough, God gave them Isaac, through whom the Hebrew people, and the Hebrew Messiah, would come.

These Hebrew Heroes lived by Faith.

Genuine faith is living like: 1) God exists and 2) God rewards [those who seek Him] (v6)

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.

While God was gracious to fulfill some of His promises during the life of Abraham and Sarah, there were some promises that would not be fulfilled until AFTER they died.

They didn’t get to SEE this Promised Land become their own. They were still foreigners, living in tents, in the land God had promised them.

They didn’t get to see their family become a mighty nation. They probably saw some grandkids and great-grandkids, but not much more than that.

Hebrews 11:14-15 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return.

Hebrews 11:16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Just like us, these Hebrew heroes had not SEEN this heavenly place that God had prepared for them…but they TRUSTED GOD…they LIVED BY FAITH…being sure of what he hoped for, and convinced of what they did not yet see.

And so, they were willing to wait...

...living like: 1) God exists and 2) God rewards [those who seek Him] (v6)

So until we see our God and the place He prepares for us…we will patiently wait and passionately obey what He has told us to do?

In closing, what’s that look like in real life?

Some of you who aren’t married will be tempted to bypass God’s timeline for sexual intimacy or God’s command to marry another passionate follower of Jesus…DON’T! WAIT and do things God’s way.

Walk in purity. Become the follower Jesus is pleased with and the person your future mate is looking for.

Some of you might be tempted to take a quick but sketchy route to money or prestige…DON’T. WAIT and do things God’s way. Be a person of integrity and humility.

Others are tempted to give in to our culture’s atheist practices of living like God doesn’t exist and doesn’t reward/judge. DON’T. Life doesn’t make sense when we live like that - each person living for themselves.

FEET2FAITH

Memorize & Marinate on Philippians 1:27a

Philippians 1:27a As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ...

Read Hebrews 11 and the cross references - like we did today. Your Bible often has SUPERSCRIPT LETTERS - go back and read those OR look up the person’s name in the CONCORDANCE (back of Bible) or SEARCH and read more about them.

Listen to “While I’m Waiting” by John Waller and let it become the prayer of your heart. . Check out some of the lines of this song:

VIDEO “While I’m Waiting” by John Waller [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gjXBMC8-oM]

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