November 25, 2012
Morning Service

Hebrews 11:1-13.

 

Review:

1.     There has been so many faith building Scriptures so far in this letter to the Hebrews.  God is using this writer to encourage Christians to hang on to their profession of faith in Jesus. 

2.    In chapter 10 the writer explained that this O.T. writing of,  “

Heb 10:5-7 KJVR  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:  (6)  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.  (7)  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Heb 10:9-10 KJVR  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.  ( talking about covenants ) (10)  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

3.    Then we are encouraged to assemble ourselves together.  There is strength, and positive actions when we gather in Jesus name.  We are told that where two or three are gathered together in His name, that He is there with them.

4.    Then we are warned of a more severe punishment if we bring shame and disgrace to the blood of Jesus.

 

THEN HE CLOSES CHAPTER TEN WITH THESE WORDS;

Heb 10:36-39 KJVR  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.  (37)  For yet, a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.  (38)  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.  (39)  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

 

Now we come to one of the great all time chapters in the Bible, chapter 11, the faith chapter.

 

Heb 11:1-19 KJVR  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

 

Some things hoped for: 

1. The promise?  Down through the ages it has meant something different to God’s people, to Abraham, a new land, and new beginning.  To the children of Israel leaving Egypt, a land flowing with milk and honey.  To the Christians, eternal life, and a home forever with Jesus. 
2. The promise to Abraham, to those delivered from the bondage of Egypt, were but shadows of the everlasting promise of eternal life, where we will see that God has prepared a city for those who have accepted His leadership in all ages, and it all comes, by faith in Jesus Christ.

(2)  For by it the elders obtained a good report. 

• By faith, the elders believed God.  There have been faithful people in all ages, and they will receive the same reward of eternal life one day that we will.

(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. 

• Just by speaking were they created.  Not out of anything that already existed.

ABEL’S SACRIFICE.

(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. 

• If you will take time to read the story you will find that each son offered to God a sacrifice of what he had.  Abel offered a blood sacrifice, and Cain offered vegetables that he had grown.  Both offered by faith.  God showed what He would accept then, and in the future.  Blood sacrifice is what He would accept. 
• We still walk by faith, and we understand;  Rom 10:17 KJVR  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.   So we can understand what God’s expectations are by reading, and studying the Word of God.
• This lesson we learn from Cain, and Abel is so important to us.  Cain got mad because God did not want vegetables, but blood, and he killed his brother Abel.  Our lesson is not to get mad, or envy other people because of the gifts that they have to offer.  We all have been given gifts to edify the church, the body of Christ, and be thankful, and satisfied with what God has called us to do.  Our gifts are not the same, but they are all important.

 

ENOCH.

(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. 

• How do we know what pleases God?  THE BIBLE TELLS US.
• By the way Elijah is the only other person that I know of in the Bible that did not taste of the first death.  He was taken away in a chariot to heaven.

(6)  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

NOAH.

(7)  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 

• Our lesson in this?  We also have been warned of tragedy that is coming on this world, and we can only be saved from it by being in Jesus Christ.  And how do we get into Jesus?  Paul told the Galatian church, “for as many of you that have been baptized into Jesus, have put on Jesus.”  We are baptized into Jesus, He is our ark of safety.
• Just as Noah’s preaching condemned the world, at that time, the Gospel condemns the world today.  A world that is full of GREED, HATRED, ENVY, AND STRIFE, is condemned by a Gospel of LOVE, MERCY, PEACE, AND LOVE.

ABRAHAM.

(8)  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.  (9)  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:  (10)  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 

• Isaac, and Jacob living under the hope of the same promise that God gave to their Father Abraham.
• Notice, Abraham lived in the land of promise, but considered it a strange country.  They dwelt in tents.  Why? 
• Because he knew God had something better, and more permanent for them.  THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A CITY WHICH HAD FOUNDATIONS, WHOSE BUILDER AND MAKER IS GOD.

SARAH.

(11)  Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.  (12)  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 

• We are told in chapter 17 of Genesis that Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90.
• In the eyes of the world Abraham, and Sarah were dead, past the years of having children, but God who is faithful, and keeps His promises, allowed them to have a child of promise, even one Isaac, who from him, and Ishmael, Abraham’s child of the flesh, produced a multitude of people.  Described as, the multitude of the stars, and as the sand by the sea.  Multitudes.

 

NOW NOTICE:

(13)  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 

• These all recognized that there was something better yet to come.  Even though God kept His promises of giving them a good earthly land, they knew there was something better yet to come.
• They considered themselves strangers, and pilgrims on this earth.  God had given them a vision of something more glorious, and they had faith that it was coming.

NOW LISTEN TO ME, THEY DID NOT CONSIDER THEIR BODIES RETURNING TO DUST, AND THEIR SPIRIT RETURNING TO GOD UPON THEIR DEATHS AS THE FINAL REWARD. 

THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A CITY TO LIVE IN ETERNALLY IN THEIR GLORIFIED BODIES.