The biblical view, that the eternal God spoke it into existence, is based on faith, but not on blind faith. Search. Faith does allow us to overcome the struggles we face in life. It's what we believe about the things that matter most. He saw thousands of specific answers to prayer, which he carefully recorded and later published. The Bible calls Noah a preacher of righteousness but he didn't have much to show for his efforts. Creation is dependent upon the Son for its maintenance. So what do we have when we stand back and look at these three men who lived before the flood? CSB Experiencing God Bible, Hardcover, Jacketed. After telling us about Enoch who walked with God, Hebrews says, Whoever would draw near to God.. The author refers to them, although not by name, in 11:34 (quenched the power of fire). God is the great peace-maker: when we make peace we are walking with Him. As it is difficult to directly translate into English because it has many meanings, we must look at the context here. Hebrews 11:1-3, Hebrews 11:8-16, Hebrews 11:1-16, Denomination:
He began walking with God after the birth of his son Methuselah. Perhaps that's what happened to Enoch. Faith recognizes that God sometimes tests us (17a) A. Website:UnlockingtheBible.org. God is the reward of those who seek Him. Faith has its reasons. David says, at your right hand there are pleasures forever more (Psa 16:11). This is an open invitation. How does all of this relate to Hebrews 11? They refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzars idol, which caused the offended king to threaten to throw them into the blazing furnace. That's what the phrase "by faith" (repeated over and over again in this chapter) is all about. That is why we need the preaching of the Word. The KJV and NKJV translate these words as substance and evidence. The NASB and NIV understand the words as subjective, whereas the KJV and NKJV take them as objective. We don't trust our government officials, we don't trust our bosses, we don't trust our neighbors, we don't trust our doctors, we don't trust our pastors. So many of us have filled our hearts with the junk food of the world. A. The minivan ran over a large chunk of metal that had broken off the back of a truck. In The Greenville (SC) News, (June 24, 2008) a story about a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life portrays our nation as one of "free-flowing spirituality" with a declining adherence to dogma "stunning." Any known sin in your life has been confessed and forgiven. And if you add up all the numbers, you find that Enoch was taken up to heaven after 987 years. So, to walk with God means that we go where He is going. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. He wants them to become imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (6:12). This Son also maintains the universe by the word of His power. Intro: Our text mentions a man named Abraham. If you doubt the truth of Gods Word, including His promises for the future, you cannot trust Him and thus will be distant from Him. But even if your progress is slow, you will still be moving forward. It is important to define or give substance to such an abstract noun as faith. You are at peace in the presence of God, because you have nothing to hide from Him. It's easy to look at Enoch or Noah or Joseph or Moses or David and say, "I could never do that." Down deep in our hearts, we have believed a lie that the life of faith is restricted to a few "special" people. I suggest this expanded paraphrase of 11:1, Faith makes real in our experience the promises that God has given about the future. Now, what does it mean to live by faith? Have Faith, Hebrews 11:1-3 - September 5th, 2021. Each story fills out the picture. Amos asks, Can two walk together unless they are agreed? When the flood finally came, only eight people were saved: Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives. That's as fine a tribute as you are likely to find, and not just about a public figure. You can only understand that by faith, because no one was there to observe it. God invites you to live in the constant, conscious enjoyment of His presence. The Creator of heaven and earth; the sovereign Lord of the universe is your heavenly Father, and He is so intensely interested in you, so intimately involved in your life, that He would choose to walk with you! It has sustained the people of God through thousands of years in every sort of difficulty. What were their growing-up years like? They knew what death was because they had seen it in the animals, but when the first man died, all of the others knew this is what will happen to me! I dare say many people in our churches have made up their own religion. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1976 in Bible exposition) and Califo More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Today we come to the story of Enoch, where we learn that faith walks with God. He speaks. Donald Hagner puts it this way (Encountering the Book of Hebrews [Baker], p. 142): From the examples of faith lifted up in this chapter it seems clear that what is not primarily in view is what we feel or possessassurance, confidencebut rather, how faith substantiates, or gives substance to, what is promised, how it provides evidence of what is believed about unseen and hoped-for realities. What is faith? But the rest of us struggle to believe at least part of the time. But what does that have to do with us? With the threat of persecution looming over them, the Hebrew believers needed to be steeled to endure the coming trials by faith. Faith is trust in what God said simply because it's God who said it. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. He wanted Meacham, an Episcopalian, to defend the Christian faith against the sulfuric criticism of Christopher Hitchens. To walk with God is to live in a constant, conscious enjoyment of the presence of God. For posting on the web, a link to this document on our website (www.UnlockingtheBible.org) is preferred. But Hebrews applies the story of Enoch directly to us. Neither type of faith brought forth fruit to maturity. The prevailing current worldview, that matter always existed and that the current universe, including man, happened by sheer chance over billions of years, is based on blind faith, because there is no evidence to support it. Yes, it is. i. If you look at the end of Luke 3, you will see that this is the line of descent into which Jesus Christ was born. Seth lived 912 years (Gen 5:8). It also makes all of creation His. Whoever is as inclusive as you can get. Please open your Bible at Hebrews 11 as we continue our series, Living by Faith. We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:9). Faith, indeed, has a way of making the future present and the unseen visible. Genesis 5 is a chapter of numbers and as every accountant knows, the numbers tell a story. 1) Faith: Being Certain of What You Do Not See - Hebrews 11:1-2 2) Creation: Understanding the Power of God's Word - Hebrews 11:3 3) Abel: Giving God the First Portion - Hebrews 11:4 4) Enoch: Believing God's Goodness - Hebrews 11:5-6 5) Noah: Heeding God's Warnings - Hebrews 11:7 6) Abraham (1a): Following God's Leading - Hebrews 11:8 The word of God here does not refer to His written word, but to His spoken word. When Noah entered the ark, his wife went with him. Therefore, at all times, we must cling to Christ as our Savior. God gives us the faith required to please Him. Faith says, "I believe God. God teaches us by pointing to real-life examples of faith in action. 3:16-18) oozes with faith in the unseen God: O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. By faith he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen (11:27). a. Enoch lived with a profound awareness that judgment was coming. Either way, it is Christ who will take us up, and we will be at home with Him. We need to recognize that faith is not a meritorious work that we do to gain rewards from God. Perhaps he was like many men who don't get serious until they look into the face of their firstborn son or daughter. What a loony tune!. Adam and Eve disobeyed a single command in the Garden. This runs through the whole chapter with one exception. So, here is a young man who suddenly finds himself in a place where he knows that he needs the help of God. Because he was looking to the reward (11:26). We can't see sins forgiven, we have to believe it. Independent/Bible. By Faith (Sermons on Hebrews 11) Hardcover - May 1, 2000 by Thomas Manton (Author) 10 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $2.99 Read with Our Free App Hardcover from $28.50 2 Used from $28.99 1 New from $28.50 Paperback $19.99 1 New from $19.99 Scripture:
To walk with God does not mean that you are perfect, but if you are walking you are making progress. And John MacArthur, with his rich, expository style of preaching, draws out the lessons we can learn from each of them. It has to change the way we live. 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. Every day Lisa and David Holden asked God for a baby. If the story of Abel is about our quest for acceptance, then the story of Enoch is the familiar metaphor of the journey. Since the two halves of 11:1 seem to be parallel, conviction (Greek, elenchos) would need to be taken in an objective sense, also, as proof of things one cannot see (ibid., VII:586). Some of you who are younger are trying to figure out if you will follow Jesus. Pastor Colin Smith preached this sermon on the faith of Abraham from Hebrews 11:8-16 as part of the series "Living By Faith." I need a pure heart. Only the seed on the good ground bore fruit with perseverance (Luke 8:11-15). He literally gave away all of his money and possessions and, by faith, founded an orphanage in Bristol, England. But He always relates to us in love. But as Paul explains (Rom. Whoever would draw near to God! Hebrews 11 begins by telling us what faith is: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb 11:1). Abel trusted in God and offered the best that he had; Cain lacked faith and apparently just went through the motions. You cant walk with someone when you are hiding from them. "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.". Noah was a righteous man who had great faith in God. To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. 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). God gave his one and only Son as the sacrifice for our sins. 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