1/6/08 - A.M. Service

Measuring Up To The Household Of Faith

Part 1

Hebrews 11:1-5

[1] Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
[2] For by it the elders obtained a good report.
[3] Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
[4] By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
[5] By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Introduction

Chapter 11 of Hebrews is sometimes called the faith chapter. The book of Hebrews was written to challenge and encourage a group of Christians not to abandon the faith, so it's not a great surprise to find an entire chapter devoted to that subject. Actually, Hebrews Ch. 11 contains the Bible's fullest and clearest explanation of faith.

The Bible reveals to us that there are many kinds of what we may refer to as "faith." In one place it describes a faith that amounts to nothing more than mental agreement. In Jude 3, it describes the doctrine and teachings of Christianity as the faith once delivered to the saints. It also describes a saving faith, and a faith which guides our life and actions.

The Bible definition of this kind of faith is found in Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen [Heb 11:1]. In our world you can turn on the TV or the Internet and find that CNN or the online bloggers explain everything to us in great detail. Perhaps "faith" is not defined as clearly as we would like for it to be, but it's not as mysterious as it sounds.

Faith is defined as substance and evidence. Take for example, the resurrection. All you saved people have faith in the resurrection though you've never seen it or experienced it. The Bible says your faith in that resurrection you're hoping for is in fact the substance or assurance of it. It also says this faith is evidence of things not seen. You've not seen anyone be resurrected, but your faith in it is the evidence of it.

That contradicts anything you might have been taught in college and it contradicts what our kids are taught in school. It contradicts man's idea of science where you have to be able to see and measure something before it can be accepted as truth, but this is simply what the Bible teaches. Faith is substance, or assurance, and evidence. Faith accepts that which is not revealed to the senses as a real fact, and this is the evidence of what we don't see. You can have misplaced faith, but you cannot have misplaced faith in anything the Bible affirms to be true.

Biblical faith - the assurance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen - can grow within a saved person...or it can not grow, and the choice is yours and mine. Whether or not it does depends directly on a person's walk or relationship with Christ. A new Christian may not have very much faith, but as he begins to live his life for the Lord, it will grow. If he does not live his life for the Lord, or if he draws back at some point, his faith won't grow. It's just that simple. A saved person who willingly cuts himself off from Christ and stays out of His service and His church is not going to have as much faith as he could have, even if he was once a giant in the faith. A person who stays close to God and faithful in the service is going to have a living faith that grows as He sees God work in His life.

Growing faith is very important, because our faith should guide our lives and influence our actions, decisions, behavior, and attitude. Here's an example of how that works: You take the soldier on the front line in Afghanistan. His sergeant comes to him and tells him his tour of duty is over and he's going to be flown home in two weeks. That soldier has faith in what he's just been told. He's assured of it by his sergeant's authority and that's evidence of the fact that he's going home. That's also going to sustain him for the next two weeks and influence everything he does. He's always going to have it in his heart that he's going home, and he's going to be extra careful in everything he does until he gets safely on that airplane.

That's the life of faith in a nutshell. We want to grow it and be governed by it until we go home. We do not want to fall back from it. This is the purpose of Hebrews 11.

Verse 2 says the elders (the Old Testament Saints) obtained a good report by faith. Obtained a good report means they received a good testimony, or a good witness from someone. Did you know that this mainly means that they received a good report from God because of their faith?

They led good, faithful lives. They depended on God and trusted in His promises, some of which they haven't yet received and won't until the resurrection, and then they passed into eternity. God, who is with them right now, gave them a good report. He was pleased with them.

I wonder how pleased God might be with us if we slipped into eternity tomorrow. Would we ever be known as people who led good and faithful lives? Do we also depend on God and trust in His promises? Do we conduct ourselves in such a way that God would give us a good report? How do we measure up to the household of faith? Would we do the same things they did if we were in their shoes?

Let's look to verse 4 and talk about:

I. The Standard Of Abel.

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh [Hebrews 11:4].

A. The first member of the household of faith to be spoken of in Hebrews is Abel, the son of Adam and Eve, and the brother of Cain.

Abel made a sacrifice to God, and it was judged to be superior to or more excellent to the sacrifice of Cain.
By this sacrifice, Abel obtained the witness of God that he was righteous.
Although he was murdered by his own brother, he through his offering still speaks to us today.

B. The story of Abel's brief life is found in Genesis 4:

[1] And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
[2] And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
[3] And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
[4] And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
[5] But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Chapter Four begins man's ugly history in the fullest. In these five verses we see a series of first time events which would and have become common. It's a record of the first birth. It's a record of man's first occupations. It's a record of the first dispute brought on by religion. It's a record of the first murder. It's a record of the righteous actions of the faithful versus those who do not have faith.
After the fall and God's promise of a Savior as stated in Genesis 3:15, came the birth of Adam and Eve's sons.
The construction of the original language makes it look like the boys were twins and it also looks like Eve thought that Cain was going to be the One who would crush the serpent's head.
These two boys grew up to be men. Cain followed in Adam's footsteps and became a tiller of the ground - a farmer. Abel went in the opposite direction and became a rancher - a shepherd who owned flocks.
In Genesis 3:21, God had laid the foundation of animal sacrifice as a covering for man's sins. No doubt God had taught that system to Adam, and Adam passed it down to his sons. Eventually it happened that both men brought an offering to God. Cain brought a bloodless offering of the fruit of the ground, no doubt from his fields. But Abel brought the firstborn of his flock, the best he had. He offered them as a sin offering, a covering for his own sins. By this he offered a better sacrifice than Can, he was declared righteous, and he still speaks to us today.
What does he say to us about matter of faith? How does he being dead still speak to us today?

C. First we must say that he tells us to examine our own faith and righteousness.

Do we have the faith that relies on the blood of a sacrifice as symbolized by Abel's offering? Do we have the faith that relies on the works of our hands, as symbolized by Cain's offering?
Abel, though he is dead, is still speaking to you. What kind of faith do you have? Is it in the blood sacrifice of Christ at Calvary? Is it in something you yourself have done?
God said the one who relied on the blood (Abel) was righteous. He rejected the one who relied on works.
In the same way, the one who relies on the blood of Christ will be counted righteous. The one who relies on his or her works will be rejected.

D. The overall lesson that Abel still teaches is this: do you have the faith to do God's will without falling into the temptation of taking a shortcut? Is your faith such that you will do the right thing or do you cut corners?

What would you do if were in the position of Cain or Abel right now? Would you have the faith to bring the offering God required, or would you cut corners and bring some fruit out of your garden?
The same principle applies to every part of your Christian life. Do you have the faith to tithe your 10% or do you cut corners and give less than 10? Do you have faith to be in God's house when the church has said it will conduct services, or is it perfectly okay to cut corners and not make it if you don't want to? Do you have faith to serve God here, or do you take the shortcut of thinking somebody else will do it? Do you have faith to open your mouth and speak to Gospel to someone else, or do you take the shortcut of telling yourself that someone else will do it? Do you have faith to stop at some house and invite someone to church, or do you take the shortcut of telling yourself that someone else will do it.
Do you study the word of God? It's a shortcut to think that you get all you need at church, because you don't. Three
four hours of teaching and preaching are not enough.
Do you pray and spend some time with God?
What do we do? What do you do? Do you give those things that God requires, or do you cut corners?
Cain cut corners. He took what he thought would be the easy way out. Abel did what was required, and he was counted righteous.
In many things today, even right now, we are in the position of both Abel and Cain. We know that God has required some things of us. Will we like to Cain? Will we be like Abel? How do you measure up to this member of the household of faith?

How do you measure up to...

II. The Standard of Enoch (5).

A. Enoch must surely have the most pleasing little testimony in the Bible. It's a little mysterious, but it's wonderful.

By faith he was translated and avoided the suffering and pain of a natural physical death.
The Bible just says he was here, he pleased God, and then he was gone. One day he was here and the next day he was nowhere to be found.
Why? Because God took him.

B. Enoch was seventh from Adam and the great grandfather of Noah. He lived in a time when mankind was approaching its most wicked point, but even as the world grew worse, he walked with God. His story is told in Genesis Chapter 5, which we need to read.

[18] And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
[19] And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
[20] And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
[21] And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
[22] And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
[23] And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
[24] And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for God took him.

When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. He lived hundred years past the birth of Methuselah and had more children.
All that time he walked with the Lord, which means he was on very close and intimate terms with God.
One day he was simply gone.
He had pleased God so much that God took him. He was translated. He was exchanged from the earthly realm to the heavenly realm instantly, bypassing death.

C. There's more to this story than we may realize. The Bible seems to hint at how Enoch pleased God and why God was so pleased with him that he just took him. Jude 14-15.

What we learn from Jude is that Enoch was a preacher and a prophet.
Just seven generations from Adam, he was prophesying and preaching about the resurrection/rapture of the saints and the coming judgment against the ungodly.
In a time when man was so wicked that he was quickly approaching the judgment of the flood, Enoch was preaching the resurrection and the judgment to a lost and dying world.
I promise you that he didn't much response. His great grandson Noah and Noah's family were eventually going to be the only righteous people on earth.
Despite the lack of response, God was pleased with him.
Enoch's translation was also a sign to the people of the day. He preached the resurrection and rapture, but no one believed it. It's likely that people saw him vanish. They were given a clear sign that should have led them to repent, but if any did the Bible doesn't mention it.

D. How do we compare to the measure of Enoch, because the time he lived in is exactly like our world today.

The world often seems to be approaching flood stage wickedness, just look at the news.
As it grows worse and worse, do we have the faith of Enoch?
Are we going to continue to walk with God when everyone else thinks it's silly or that one religion is as good as another?
Are we going to continue to stand up and preach and teach the resurrection, even though few if any may respond? Do we have the faith to do this even if we're only one voice among millions?
Enoch had a choice. He could have gone with the flow of the world and did all the things the world did. He could have remained quiet. He didn't. His sight was set on the resurrection and the kingdom, and he preached judgment to the world. We've got exactly the same choice: what do we do? If we walk with God and have faith, we'll make the righteous choice of Enoch. e. He walked with God and he pleased God even when no one else did. Do we have the faith to measure up to that standard?

Conclusion

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. It can grow, and it can continue to grow. Where is our faith right now when measured to these first two members of the household of faith?

Do we have faith to do what God requires without taking the easy way out? Do we have faith to be teachers and preachers of righteousness even when the world does not want to hear it? Honestly examining ourselves and saying yes to these is to be someone who is righteous and pleasing to God. Saying no is a sign that that our faith is perhaps not what it should be.

If you write notes, the Bible account of Abel is in Gen. 5. The Bible account of Enoch is in Genesis 5 and the book of Jude. It's a good idea to mark those references in the margin of Hebrews Ch. 11.

Finally, honestly examine yourself and see now if you've ever had real saving faith in Jesus Christ. How? Did you realize you were a sinner and repent? Did you put your trust in the Gospel and ask God to forgive you and save you.

All this talk about faith is a boring mental exercise to someone who has been born again. God will fix that problem if you'll let Him.