LETTER TO THE HEBREWS

CHAPTER 11

The Hero Hall of Faith

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1:  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is one of those words too wide, too high and too deep for the human language to express.  It believes the promise though the promise is not yet manifested.  It is the absolute knowing there is a God; that His Word is sure; and that which is unseen in the realm of the Spirit is as real as that which we see and feel with our natural senses.

How do we know this?  Faith is a conviction that arises from within.  The source of conviction is the Holy Spirit.  Faith is a Fact!  Hope is a Certainty!  Love is a Reality!  Without Faith it is impossible to please God.  Faith is the opposite of fear. 

There are many ways we are able to please God with our Faith. 

1. We receive our Salvation by Faith.
2. We receive Christ’s righteousness by Faith.
3. We believe the Word of God by Faith and walk in obedience to His Word by Faith
4. We receive the Holy Spirit by Faith.
5. We prophesy and operate in the Gifts of the Spirit by Faith.

      6.  We obey His spoken Word.  As we walk by Faith in that Word, then we receive the promises.

6. We are led by the Holy Spirit by Faith.
7. Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
8. Faith is the evidence of things not seen.
9. Faith has the invisible backing of the great cloud of witnesses.
10. Faith trusts in an unknown future.
11. Counts things that be not as though they were.
12. Assurance of God’s faithfulness.
13. Confidence in things to come.
14. The life-blood of the just.
15. Faith is the shield of the Christian armor
16. Faith is the down payment of things desired.
17. Faith is our guarantee of answered prayer.

11:2-3:  “For by it (Faith) the elders obtained a good report.  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.”

God merely spoke and the entire universe appeared made out of things we cannot see.  That means this physical world is a manifestation of something unseen.  The apostle Paul assures us that “…the things which are seen are temporal, and the things which are not seen are eternal”. (2 Cor. 4:18)  Nuclear physics proves that what appears to us as matter is made entirely of spinning bits of energy; that which appears as solid matter is made entirely of non material energy.  God is in complete control of everything that happens to His people.  The ages were planned by the Word of God.  The Book of Genesis declares that God spoke and the world came into existence.  The writer of Hebrews confirms that truth.

The elders here are the list of faith-worthies beginning with Abel.  There is no report given of Adam and Eve.

Each of the heroes of the Faith listed in this chapter released their Faith for the supernatural power of the Lord to manifest in the natural in different ways.  Their Faith advanced the Kingdom of the Lord on earth with regard to His eternal purposes to reveal Himself through a people through whom His, Son, Jesus Christ would be born to save the world from sin.  Through their Faith actions, we have a testimony and witness of the Lord’s great power to reveal Himself from the invisible realm of the Spirit to the visible.

1. Abel – Faith’s worship ---atoning or sacrificial faith---“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 being dead yet speaks.”  Cain gave to the Lord begrudgingly.  Abel gave in love and faith.  Abel died because of his faith. 

2. Enoch—By Faith pleased God --- (Vs.5) “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.  Enoch walked with God 300 years.  He could not be found because God had translated him.    Enoch also had the faith to prophesy of the Second Coming.  Jude 14:  “Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these saying, Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and  to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

11:6:  “But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”  Faith will seek the will and purpose of the Lord in the visible realm of life and the living.

Rev. 22:12:  “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

3. Noah ---received the righteousness which is by faith---Faith’s word ---active and preservation faith---Faith’s obedience condemned the world. (Vs. 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.”  Because of the word spoken to him by the Lord, he had reverential fear of the Lord.  Through his obedience to that word and acting on it in faith, he condemned the world.  The Lord chose one man who had the faith to trust and obey.  Through that man’s obedience, judgment was released on the world.   When the Lord asks us to obey him in the face of scorn and mocking, our faith walk will bring judgment on those who are ungodly.  Not that we purpose, declare, or desire to bring judgment, but the righteousness of the Lord will judge the wicked.

4. Abraham ---Faith’s obedience---(Vs. 8-10) “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place when he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whether he went.  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; for he looked for a city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God.”

By Faith the Lord spoke into Abraham’s life and from his loins a nation was birthed that would carry the royal seed of the Son of God.  Through his faith out of the invisible realm of the Spirit, a visible nation was born that had Kingdom destiny.

  Abraham by faith got a hold of the promise of the Son of God, Resurrection of the dead;   the eternal city, New Jerusalem; and the Kingdom of God.  When Abraham reached the promised land, none of it was his, except a grave site which he bought from the inhabitants.  Though it was all his by promise, he had to live in it as an alien.  What a test.  What a test after having been assured by God that the land was his.  Often it is harder to wait on God than it is to work for Him.  Abraham never waivered in faith. 

5. Sarah---Faith’s Reckoning---life giving faith--- (Vs. 11-12) “Through faith also Sara 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.  Thus it was that Abraham, even though his body was as good as dead, was able to become a father.  And from there sprang such a flood of descendants that it is impossible to count them, for they are as numerous as the stars of heaven and as numberless as the grains of sand on the seashore.”  Sara reckoned or counted God to be true to His word. 

11:13-16:  “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.  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.  But now they desire a better country that is a heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he has prepared for them a city.”

It is clear from this that the promises of God went far beyond any earthly blessings and that they expected God to do all that He had promised them, even after their deaths.  The patriarch’s eyes were not on inheriting the land.  Their hopes were fixed on something infinitely greater than a piece of real estate.  They’d been promised a spiritual inheritance which exceeded anything this world could offer.  The viewed their lives as a journey to that inheritance. 

We must keep our eyes on the heavenly city.  That’s where “our citizenship” is, says the apostle Paul (Phil. 3:20).  One of the stumbling blocks of Christianity is that many, who profess to receive Christ, never get their eyes on that city.  It is a glorious thing to catch sight of the celestial city of eternity. 

Abraham saw that city by faith and gladly exchanged the world for it.  The Lord honors them by saying, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Ex. 3:6).  What a fantastic honor to have God call Himself by your name!  Those who lived before Christ are part of the same family of God and share the same glory as we who have received Jesus after Pentecost. 

6. Abraham again---Faith’s test---tried faith---(Vs. 17-19): “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his “only begotten son. Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall your seed be called; accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”

            Abraham is listed twice in God’s hero hall of faith.  This great man is worthy of double honor.  He was first written up for three specific acts of faith; (a) leaving his home to follow God’s leading, (b) living as a stranger in the land that was promised to him, (3) trusting God for the birth of Isaac when it was a natural  impossibility.  Now he is honored again.  This time for when his great faith was put to its severest test.  God put Abraham’s faith to its greatest test when He asked him to offer up Isaac (the promise) as a sacrifice.  This great man, to whom the promises were made, didn’t waver.   God had made it clear that all the promises were to be fulfilled through Isaac; and all of Abraham’s descendents were to come through the Son of Promise.

Abraham simply reasoned that God must be able to raise people from the dead.  He took it on faith that God would solve the dilemma by restoring Isaac to him.  We know this from what he said to his servants when he ordered them to wait at the foot of the mountain, “You men wait here while the lad and I go yonder, and we will come back to you” (Gen. 22:5).   This is perhaps the most outstanding act of faith in the whole bible with the exception of the faith of Jesus Christ who was crucified, died for our sins and was raised from the dead.

7. ISAAC---revelation faith---faith’s material blessings—(vs. 20) “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.  Just before his death, Isaac made powerful predictions which showed his faith in the promises of God.  Yet he died without seeing any of those promises fulfilled.  Isaac is a type of the Son of God who receives all the inheritance and blessings by Faith.  Isaac as a young man submitted to his Father Abraham, willing to die in Faith.  Isaac was a well digger until the Lord dug a well in him.

8. JACOB ---Prophetic faith---Faith’s tribal blessing--- (Vs. 21) “By faith Jacob when he was dying blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.”  When it is Jacob’s turn to be written up, the writer brushes past the feeble struggles of his faith during his life and zeros in on the brightness of his Faith at his death.  This man had been a schemer all of his life.  He lived by his wits rather than complete trust in God.  At death, he summoned his son Joseph, then the Prime Minster of Egypt.  By faith he could see that the younger son, Ephraim, had the larger place in God’s plan, and he blessed the younger above the elder.  Now Jacob did this hundreds of years before it came to pass.  It was all by faith in the promises that God had made to Abraham.  No wonder Jacob is listed in the hero hall of faith.

9. JOSEPH ---Faith’s authority--- (Vs. 22) “By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.”  Joseph’s faith in the promise of God had to reach out more than 300 years into the future.  By faith he saw the day when the Israelites would leave Egypt en masse, and be established in Canaan.

10. MOSES – Faith’s declaration ---sacrificing, suffering, and enduring faith--- (Vs. 23-26) ---“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.  By faith Moses when he was coming to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.”

The faith of Moses’ parents was fearless faith.  They believed God had a kingdom destiny for Moses.  Centuries earlier God told Abraham that the great nation which was to come from him would go into bondage for 400 years.  Moses had the faith to trade the temporary for the eternal.  To him, the shame of being identified with the coming Messiah (Christ), was greater wealth that the treasures of Egypt.  The Hebrew nation belongs to Jesus.  He is the One who appeared to Abraham and spoke the nation into existence.  He is the rock that followed them in the wilderness and led them as a pillar of cloud and fire.  He is the King of the Jews.  So for Moses to be identified with Israel was to be identified with the Messiah, the Christ.

We will continue next week with the Hero Hall of Faith:

11. MOSES----Faith’s fearlessness

12. MOSES---Faith’s Protection

13. ISREAL ---Faith’s Preservation

14. ISRAEL---Faith’s Miracle

15. RAHAB---Faith’s Deliverance

16. GIDEON—Faith’s Miraculous Victory

17. BARAK---Faith’s Triumph

18. SAMSON---Faith’s Physical Strength

19. JEPHTHAH---Faith’s Boldness

20. DAVID---Faith’s Utter Reliance

21. SAMUEL---Faith’s Integrity

22. 17 works of Faith---

Taught by:  Pastor Carolyn Sissom

Eastgate Ministries, Inc.

www.eastgateministries.com