FAITH THAT PLEASES GOD
Hebrews 11:1-7
Key Verse: 11:6
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
In closing out Hebrews 10 last week, we ended our delicious solid food study of Jesus Christ high priestly ministry. From this study we learned Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was and will always be the greatest of all sacrifices for sins because it is a sacrifice once for all. We learned also Jesus Christ right now lives forever to be our indestructible High Priest. Lastly, we learned Jesus Christ has one more mission. Do you know what that is? He is coming again to save those who persevere to live by faith in him. This news of Jesus’ second coming can be summed up in the words of verse 1 of today’s passage. His coming is our sure hope. Though we do not see him now we can be absolutely certain he is coming a second time. What must we do until he comes? We are told in Hebrews 10:38 “But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be please with him.” We must live by faith and not shrink back. To teach, show how and empower us to live by faith the author now in Hebrews 11 takes us on a wonderful, exciting journey back into the Old Testament. His main purpose is to show us biblical, historical examples of men and women who in difficult times did not shrink back. Instead they stood their ground and earnestly tried to please God by faith.
Part 1: Living By Faith is What the Ancients Were Commended For
In this chapter packed full of historical examples of people living by faith the author wisely begins it by giving us the bible’s definition of faith. Let us read verses 1 and 2: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” The ancients mentioned in verse 2 are the Old Testament people the author chronologically writes about in Hebrews 11. Each one had a common point. All were commended by God for their faith. These people did not shrink back into unbelief and doubt. Rather in their minds and hearts they were sure the invisible God existed and they were sure God would keep his promises. No matter how hard the times became they never gave up their sure hope. Some people have hope, but in extremely difficult times they give up their hope. The people God commended for their faith turned hard times into opportunities to help them to more earnestly seek God.
Second, the faith God commends does not live by what is seen. Instead it chooses to live by what is not seen. These days I have chosen not to put my faith in any presidential candidates I see and hear. Today you see and listen to a presidential candidate pounding the podium: “When I take the White House, I will do this and I will do that for you” Then a few days later you hear these same people come up and say: “I now am quitting my bid for the presidency.” Not only am I not going to place my faith in any presidential candidates, I hope I will not place my faith in the one who is finally appointed as president. Yes, I hope to pray for them but never, not even for one moment place my faith in them. We must now and always only place our faith in the Unseen God of the ages and His Son Jesus Christ.
Some preachers use the pulpit God has given them to preach about men that can be seen. The true preacher of the Gospel of God must only allow the pulpit God has given him to be used to help God’s people place their faith in Jesus Christ who cannot be seen. Mark my words, if you or I place our faith in any men or women we see our lives will be constantly marred with disappointment and bitterness.
President Teddy Roosevelt was a man of great energy. He overcame terrible asthma by great self-will through dedicating to live the most strenuous life. In college he was a boxer who knocked out his share of opponents. All his life he was a voracious writer and reader. Everywhere he traveled he carried with him a library of new books. At night when he wasn’t reading he was writing hour after hour. When he fought in the Spanish American war he fearlessly led his troops up hills against enemy who rained lead and artillery all around him and his men. Later in the White House when a dignitary from another country came to visit him if they could swim he would take them to the Potomac and swim them almost to the point of drowning. If they could not swim he would take them on vigorous walks along the Rock Creek Park till they were exhausted. It was this extreme strenuous life he pushed his children to follow. Of his five children his second son Kermit excelled far beyond his father’s expectations. He became twice the scholar Teddy Roosevelt was. Fluently he could speak 12 languages. He was more fearless to the point of being reckless. While hunting dangerous big game in Africa with his father, he would hunt man-eating lions by himself with no one to back him up. Kermit became President Roosevelt’s success story while he was alive. Unfortunately, the president neglected one important life principle to pass onto Kermit. He never taught the young man to live by faith in the unseen Jesus Christ.. When Teddy Roosevelt died, Kermit’s moral compass of life was shattered because he could no longer see or hear his father’s great influence. His inner light was extinguished. Instead he followed his dark side. He became a drunkard, open adulterer, greatly shaming and grieving his faithful wife. Finally he ended his life with a violent suicide. Men can be an example for us but they can never be our true light. There is only one great person we must place our faith in, Jesus Christ, God’s Son. He is the only one who died for our sins. He lives now to turn us from our wicked ways, that we may follow the righteous ways of God.
After giving a definition of faith, the Hebrews author now turns our attention chronologically to the history of God as recorded in the Old Testament. As we know the first recorded event in our Bible is the creation of the heavens and earth. Look at verse 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.” Here we are taught in black and white English everything in this universe whether we observe it as we walk along the road, or under the microscope or scan it through the Hubble telescope, every bit of it was made by the invisible God through his intangible word. Amazingly there are PhD’s who still waste their lives trying to prove God’s creation comes from something meaningless. It seems they want to use their great knowledge to lead people even further into meaninglessness.
God’s word is the vehicle God used to speak into existence all he chose to create. More than that, God’s word teaches us this earth God created will perish and wear out like a garment. Hebrews 2: 11, 12 read: “They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe. Like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same and your years will never end.” Last week in Tennessee more than 50 people were killed by tornados. Hundreds more injured. Their homes were wiped out. I appreciated what our president had to say concerning this tragedy. “The American people would pray for them and also the government would help them.” Additionally in our prayers this week we must remember those who lost so much last week in that tornado disaster. We should also be aware such destruction is only a foreshadow of what is coming on all creation as God’s word warns. Only to Jesus Christ does God’s word promise: “But you remain the same and your years will never end.” We must place our life security in Jesus Christ; only he is given the promise from God’s word: “your years will never end.”. Tornado, earthquakes, fire, terrorists, even the total annihilation of this earth cannot separate Jesus Christ from us when we place our faith in him.
Part 2 “By Faith”
We now begin our study of those ancients who were commended by God for their faith. First of those ancients is Abel. Verse 2 reads “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offering. And by faith he still speaks even though he is dead.” The study of Genesis 4 recounts the lives of Cain and Abel. Nowhere in this chapter will you find the words; “By faith.” What we do find is both Cain and Abel making an offering to God. God accepted Abel’s offering while rejecting Cain’s offering. Cain could not overcome the sin of jealousy that was crouching at his door. As a result he lured his trusting younger brother out into the field away from his parent’s sight and murdered him. What Cain could not do is hide the murder from the ears and eyes of God. God rebuked him for murdering his brother. He punished him by turning his life over to become a restless wanderer. Fifteen hundred years later, the Hebrew author now reveals the reason God regarded Abel offering better than Cain was because he made the offering by faith. To some of us this may sound confusing, how can you offer a sacrifice and not do it by faith? Unfortunately it happens all the time. People are always doing acts of charity or going to church that have no faith in God. One of Israelites’ most violent and godless kings in the New Testament for political reasons funded the rebuilding of God’s temple. God was not at all pleased with him.
Next we must think of the word “better” as it describes Abel’s offering. Abel’s offering indeed was better than Cain's offering but this is really not saying a lot. Since Abel’s better offering, countless number of offerings has been made; certainly some of those were better than Abel’s offering. Therefore God no longer cares about the better offering. He only cares about the “Best Offering”. It is God himself who has made the best offering. Hebrews 10: 9 and10 read, “Here I am, I have come to do your will. He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Christ once for all.” When we place our faith in the best of all sacrifices, the body and blood of Jesus Christ, then God, commends our faith, just as he did Abel’s.
To end our look at Abel we are told by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” Cain killed his brother in secret thinking he could silence him forever. Instead because Abel was killed for his righteous faith, then to the ears of the living God Abel still speaks. Moreover every time people study the Bible and read the account of Abel's life, Abel is speaking. Those who are made righteous by faith can never be silenced by death. The only thing that can silence those made righteous by faith is if they choose to shrink back and give up their faith. This is why we must never shrink even if it means we must endure death. Jesus promised, “Be faithful even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev 2:10)
The next elder is Enoch. Not much is written about Enoch in Genesis. Nevertheless Enoch’s life of faith inspired one of the most practical and thought provoking verses in the Bible concerning the necessity of faith to please God. Let us read verses 5 and 6 together. “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken he was commended as one who please God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Verse 6 is often taken as a verse by itself when in fact it was actually written to help explain why God rewarded Enoch’s life of faith by allowing him not to experience death. In Genesis 5:21-24 we find the single most outstanding point written about Enoch is that he walked with God. Then turning from the first book in the Bible all the way to the second to the last book in the Bible, Jude, we are given more information about Enoch and the environment he lived before God took him from this earth. In Jude 14-16 we find Enoch was not just a passive monk who earnestly sought out God high in some mountain away from ungodly sinners. He was a prophet like Isaiah, Jeremiah and John the Baptist. Boldly he prophesied that God was sending the Lord, with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
We can imagine when Enoch prophesied, the ungodly spoke harsh words against him, but Enoch didn’t take it personally. He knew they were actually speaking these harsh words against the Lord. People only had an endless list of faultfinding words to say about Enoch. On the other hand God rewarded Enoch for earnestly seeking Him and not shrinking back when ungodly people were constantly attacking him. At the young pre-Noah’s flood age of 365 God rewarded Enoch, by not allowing him to experience death. He took him up to be with him. His family looked for him but he could not be found. God’s reward to Enoch teaches God rewards those who earnestly and persistently seek God.
Last Monday Missionary Joshua Kim was asked by his employer the UM dinning service to come into the managers’ office. Very bluntly they told him. “Joshua, the immigration service has informed us you are an illegal immigrant. They told us we must order you to quit your job now and to pack your belongings. We will buy you a plane ticket and you must leave the United States before the end of the week.” As many of you know, Missionary Joshua is a man who earnestly seeks Jesus Christ. He has committed his life to feeding Jesus’ sheep and raising them up to be His disciples. When Missionary Joshua received these harsh words, first he felt like he had died. He went home to find sympathy from his wife. Missionary Ruth didn’t say: “Oh, no. What will we do? Instead with nerves of steel she told her trembling husband, “Don’t tell this news to anyone. Just earnestly seek God in prayer concerning this matter.” This is what he did for the next two days. Then on the third day after he was given notification to leave, he was called back a second time to his manager’s office. This time their tune had completely changed. Instead of asking him if he was almost ready to leave, they told him could stay and keep his job because they decided to sponsor his H1 visa. God rewarded M. Joshua’s faith for not shrinking back but earnestly seeking Him in his time of trial. Verse 6 reads “and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” The Lord rewarded Enoch for his life of faith in ungodly times and God still rewards those who persevere to earnestly seek him.
The last biblical elder we will examine in this passage is Noah. Look at 7 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” It is obvious Noah began his great mission to build the ark by faith. Even though every day looked beautiful and peaceful with no stormy clouds in sight, Noah was certain God would make good on his word to destroy all living creatures with a great worldwide deluge.
First we observe Noah not only by faith obeyed God’s command to build an ark on dry land, we notice he did it with holy fear. Some people think we should not fear God. This is not biblically correct teaching. Jesus graciously but seriously told his disciples: “I tell you my friends do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do not more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who after the killing of the body has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you fear him.” (Lk12: 4, 5) We must follow Noah’s example and have holy fear of God because God's judgment is certainly coming again on this world. Fundamentally, this lack of fear of God is what eventually led God to wipe from the earth all living things. We learn in 2 Peter 2:5 Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Noah was doing headline-grabbing work by building a great football stadium field size ark on dry land. People were probably always questioning why he was building such a huge ark on dry land. He would use this time as an opportunity to preach the warning of God’s coming judgment. He would exhort the people to turn from their violence and corruption. We know in other parts of the Bible God changed his plans to wipe people out when the people responded to such warnings with fear and repentance. In contrast, the people who heard Noah’s preaching, scoffed and continued to follow their own evil desires. They comforted one another by saying: “There is no flood judgment coming. Ever since our fathers died, everything will continue to go on as it has since the beginning of creation.” Then one day God told Noah: “Go into the ark.” Noah obeyed and took his family and all the animals into the ark. Once in, the Lord shut him in. The terrible day God had warned would surely come, had come. No one on the outside of the ark could get in. The Lord caused oceans of water to burst forth from the ground and to come down from the sky for 40 days. The last voices Noah and his family heard coming from outside the ark were not laughter, jeers and scoffing. They were screams of terror and desperate pleas to rescue them from the great flood engulfing everything around them. I’m sure Noah wanted to help them but there was now nothing he could do.
Noah literally condemned the world by his faith. His faith to obey God’s commands also made him the heir of the righteousness by faith. In the final analysis Noah was righteous not by what he did but by his faith. It was his certain faith of the unseen judgment of God that inspired him to obey God’s command to begin one of histories most epic and world-saving building projects.
In closing we learn faith is at the core of how each of these three ancient elders lived to please God. By faith in God Noah did not shrink back when given a mission no man on earth had ever challenged to achieve. Sometimes we reach a certain comfortable level in our Christian life. Then God comes to ask us to do a task, which only by faith in God we can do. Most times we shrink back and say: “I can’t; I am too weak. It takes too much time. I don’t have the means and talent.” Thank God Noah wasn’t a man of endless excuses. I pray this word of God may help us to earnestly seek God by faith. I also pray the life of faith of Abel, Enoch and Noah will encourage us to live by faith till the day of Jesus Christ’s coming.