Hebrews 11,1-2

The Nature of Faith

Text: Hebrews 11:1-2

Theme: Faith takes God at His word and lives life in light of His promises.

Type: doctrinal

 

Introduction:

1.       The issue of Hebrews: the Supremacy of Jesus Christ over the Old Testament.

2.       Issues of Hebrews:

a.       Ritualism versus Christ; showy religiosity versus genuine faith

b.       The popular versus the unpopular

c.        The easy versus the hard

d.       The old versus the new

e.        The good versus the best

3.       Yet, the inspired author returns to the issue of faith. Life without faith is impossible. We have each from our cultural background made many stances based not on what we can see or measure but based on our faith. We need to be reminded of the importance of faith and informed of its essence.

4.       These verses are challenging to understand. Simple to grasp but difficult to exhaust. John Wesley wrote: “Many times have I thought, many times have I spoke, many times have I wrote upon these words; and yet there appears to be a depth in them which I am in no wise able to fathom.” That is perhaps what you feel; it is certainly what I feel as we look at these verses.

5.       I do know this and am convinced of it: to be a great Christian you must possess great faith. To become a great church we must have people of great faith. So it is a worthy goal to examine this subject and see what God says to us about faith.

6.       The importance of faith. F.F. Bruce wrote, “In Old Testament times, he points out, there were many men and women who had nothing but the promises of God to rest upon, without any visible evidence that these promises would ever be fulfilled; yet so much did these promises mean to them that they regulated the whole course of their lives in their light. The promises related to a state of affairs belonging to the future; but these people acted as if that state of affairs were already present, so convinced were they that God could and would fulfill what He had promised, In other words, they were men and women of faith. Their faith consisted simply in taking God at His word and directing their lives accordingly; things yet future so far as their experience went were thus present to faith, and things outwardly unseen were visible to the inward eye.” [Commentary on Hebrews, p 277]

 

Faith is being sure of what we hope for – the Principle of Faith

1.       Faith accepts what God declares. The nature of hope – not all has happened that God has promised. What lies still in the future?

a.       Our resurrection from the dead

b.       Our glorification with God in heaven

c.        The Return of the Lord

d.       Subjectively – there are other things that today we realize in part but in the future we will realize completely. For example, the complete inner realization that we are indeed forgiven and cleansed and reconciled to God completely through Christ.

2.       Is this a definition or a description?  A definition is “trusting God”. This is a description of what faith does, the results of trusting God. This statement introduces the rest of the chapter and everything that follows is found in this first principle.

3.       The Greek words, estin de pistis elpizomenon hupostasis,

a.       Elpizomenon, is the present passive participle (gen pl neut) of elpizo, “to hope” literally, “the things hoped for”

b.       Hupostasis, is “a standing under”, “an assured impression, a mental realizing”, and in 1:3, “subsistence or essence”. The literal English equivalent would be “substance” or “to be a foundation”. Clarke says “subsistence” is the right idea, something upon which something else may be built. Illustration: Psalm 69:1-3, the image of sinking in th emiry depths where there is no foothold.

c.        Like many words, hupostasis carried two similar but slightly different meanings. Twice already it was used in Hebrews, 1:3 for the essence of God and 3:14 for our confidence. 1:3 has an objective meaning, what is, and 3:14 a subjective meaning, what I feel. Which is meant in 11:1? F.F. Bruce opts for a combination. Mostly, according to Bruce, it means “assurance” but some element of the objective meaning, “essence or substance” remains. Elsewhere in the New Testament it is used for “assurance or confidence” (2 Cor 9:4; 11:17).

d.       The idea is that which stands beneath anything, a foundation, a promise, a contract. Moulton and Mulligan say that the correct translation is “Now faith is the title-deed of things hoped for.”

4.       Illustration: It is the idea that once faith is established then much can be built upon it, but until it is established, nothing further in terms of Christian truth can be built.

5.       Hebrews 10:19-25 urges the readers to “draw near to God with a sincere heart and in full assurance of faith” to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,” to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” continuing to meet together and “encourage one another.”

6.       Illustration Like men carrying a heavy load, getting underneath it, a load so heavy that it would crush just one man, but they rush underneath it because of their confidence in one another. You’ve seen people wrestle crocodiles on television documentaries, the shows where someone is an expert on these large reptiles. Someone has to leap on it first, but he knows that he is unable to hold it down himself. He is assuming that these others are also going to join him. He is demonstrating faith, “standing under the things hoped for” and in this case his faith is in his friends. Hebrews 10 ends with these words, “We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” Then it continued the theme of “not shrinking back” in Hebrews 11. But our confidence is not in ourselves alone, but in the Lord Jesus Himself.

7.       This means that faith is not a leap in the dark – we stand upon the promises of God. Faith is a response to God’s message from His Word and His Spirit’s confirming voice in our hearts.

 

Faith is being certain of what we do not see – the Persuasion of Faith

1.       Faith accepts what God declares. Faith’s domain is those things we long to see but cannot see. Just like eyes enable us to see material things, so faith is the organ that enables us to see those things that are invisible. “Eternal life is promised to us, but it is when we are dead: we are told of a blessed resurrection, but meanwhile we moulder in the dust; we are declared to be justified, and sin dwells in us; we hear that we are blessed, meantime we are overwhelmed in endless miseries: we are promised abundance of all goods, but we still endure hunger and thirst; God declares He will immediately come to our help, but He seems deaf to our cries. What should we do if we had not faith and hope to lean on, and if our mind did not emerge amidst the darkness above the world by the shining of the Word and Spirit of God?” [CALVIN].

2.       The Greek words, pragmaton elegxos ou blepomenon,

a.       Pragmaton, from pragma, “a thing done, fact, deed, work, transaction”, Clarke says, “Demonstration”.

b.       Elegxos, “a trial in order to prove, a proof”

c.        Blepomenon, present passive participle (gen pl neut) of blepo, “to see” literally “things being seen” and with ou “things not seen [in the present]”.

d.       Literal translation, “faith is proof of a thing being done or transaction being accomplished that we cannot see in the present.”

3.       The use of the word pragma, from which we get the English word “pragmatic”, points back in Hebrews to what the writer said about the accomplishment of Christ as our High Priest, Hebrews 10:1-18. Especially verses 11-12.  John Gill seems to agree with this.

a.       We cannot see Calvary today. We cannot see the sufferings of Christ on Calvary today, but we trust that it happened.

b.       But even those who were there could not see the transaction that was made between God the Son and God the Father. Christ passed through the holy place into the holy of holies as our intercessor.

4.       Application: How can I receive the forgiveness that Jesus offers? Through faith. If you are beating yourself up constantly because of things you have done in the past, you need to come again to Calvary and see that it is all paid for there. Don’t ask for another sign! The only sign that God will give you on the matter of atonement is the sign of the cross! But that is sufficient. Now you must believe!

5.       But the word pragma also refers today to spiritual realities around us and points forward to all the promises of God that lay in the future.

6.       Possible illustrations: Joshua, Joshua 5:13-15; Gehazi, 2 Kings 6:15-17;

7.       Application: We may feel all alone in many instances, but this is not so – God is with His people and God is with you if you are a believer in Christ!

 

Faith is what the ancients were commended for – The Potential of Faith

1.       Faith accepts what God declares. In every generation people had to act out their faith. Then proceeds a list of faithful heroes who span thousands of years, different cultures, different nations, different circumstances, but one Lord. A common theme runs through the lives of these men and women, they believed God when it had not been easy. They trusted in God in spite of the pressure from those around them to do the opposite. They trusted in God, when all the world did not. They walked by faith when sight was not possible.

2.       Faith allows us to become what we could not become otherwise.

3.       These people were measured, not by what they did not do, but by what they did do! Their outward expression of their faith took different forms – Noah built an ark, Abraham left a nation, Moses led a nation – but they were men and women of action.

4.       Too often we believers identify the marks of a “good Christian” by what we do not do. Certainly there are things that a Christian should not be a part of and in some degree our faith will lead us to say, “No,” to certain acts or even associations. But for a believer, our life in Christ will become a life of positive force and our faith will be expressed in what good we do, not merely in what evil we do not. Faith creates positive direction of one’s life for God! Amen.

5.       However, the main point is that these ancients were commended not for what they did but for their faith! Because they took God at His Word!

6.       There remains then the issue of knowledge of God’s revelation of Himself in order for us to exercise true biblical faith. Romans 10:17 expressly states that faith comes by hearing the word of Christ. Faith is not independent thinking that results in self- confidence. That may be presumption but it is not faith. Faith is not wishful thinking, nor a positive attitude about life. Faith is taking God at His Word, trusting Him with what He has chosen to reveal to us about Himself. This is the very thing the ancients were commended for.

7.       Some common denominators of faith span the centuries – this is what we learn from the past

a.       Faith is the individual’s response to God’s revelation of Himself. God is always the Initiator and people are always the responders.

b.       Faith is required for every person on this earth – it always has and it always will be. None of us has the privilege of walking by sight; each of us has the responsibility of walking by faith.

c.        Faith will keep in line with the One True God’s progressive revelation of Himself through the centuries and in no way will contradict the revelation of Jesus Christ.

d.       Faith will, in every generation, take on certain dynamics. God is active in each generation in a unique way and the expression of faith in every generation will always be, in some manner, unique to that generation. Although Faith is fundamentally a response to God, when God moves in a certain way in our day we must also respond to this new movement of God.

e.        In every generation, the new expression of faith that honors God and will require certain associations with God’s people. In every generation God is doing something special and unique, a standard [flag] has been raised around which God’s people must rally, some new stigma has been set by which God’s people should be branded.

f.        Faith will take into consideration not merely outward expressions of our faith, be they broad directions and associations or private acts, but that the ways of God should also be our ways. Not only are we to follow Christ, but we are also to take up our cross daily and follow Christ! Faith governs not merely what we do but how we do what we do.

g.       The person of faith will always find that what he hopes for lies in the future, that what he longs to see with his eyes he cannot, that faith will always be required of us.

h.       In our response to God and His movement we will also note that the person of faith, as opposed to the person of convenience, will find that no man can serve in the place of God, that all men, even faithful ones, have weaknesses, and in that sense the person of faith will always have a sense of loneliness in terms of human associations but will know of the fellowship of God. Like Christ who said even to one of His closest disciples, “Get behind me, Satan,” the person of faith will find that sometimes he will go it alone in terms of human companionship. But in those moments of faith is when God is especially pleased with us and close to us.

8.       All down the line, people believed God and we also must believe God. Belief is the fundamental response of the heart toward God and belief precedes meaningful action.

9.       For example, if I wish my child would come home for the holidays I may act a certain way. I may, simply out of this desire, do a lot of things – buy his favorite foods, think about how we would spend our time. But these actions will not bring about his homecoming, in fact, it may suggest that I’m losing my grip on reality. If on the other hand I receive word that he is coming and trust that He is coming, then that faith in the news of his coming will produce a certain response in my actions. You could tell whether or not I believe he is coming by how I prepare for his coming, but make no mistake about it, faith precedes action and determines action. The greater the faith the greater the action.

 

Closing:

1. You can obtain a good report right now, you can be commended by God right now if you will but trust Him.
2. You can have a foundation for life right now if you will but believe.
3. You can have a You can settle forever so many issues if you will simply accept that Christ indeed satisfied the requirement of God for your salvation.

Studies from Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11:3

Trusting in the Creator, Hebrews 11:3

Theme: Accepting God as the Creator of the universe is a matter of faith

 

We cannot go back in time and see the creation of the universe but we trust that God made it. The trust that God has created the universe gives us a substance to accept Him as Lord over the universe and over our lives today. To a degree the author is using this as an argument to the Jew who may say that he cannot see the pragmaton of Christ’s intercessory work before the Father and therefore will not accept it. Of course, the author would reason, we accept many things we cannot see by faith – the creation for example. Not only do we accept this but “by faith we understand” (nooumen – to perceive, observe, understand, comprehend, present active indicative), so faith also brings understanding, not mere blind, mind-numbing acceptance.

            In these first three verses the author has given us four benefits of faith. Faith serves as substance (both in the sense of assurance and as a platform for future revelation) for future hopes, it serves as evidence for things not seen, it commends us to God, and brings understanding and comprehension of the truths of God into our minds.

            His explanation of the creative act of God is in line with Genesis 1, but in another way it is broader and deeper. He said that God katartizo the worlds, literally that He knit them together. Paul used this word in 1 Cor 1:10 when he expressed that there would be no divisions among the church and that they would be “perfectly united” in mind and thought – carefully knit together under the Lordship of Christ. It carries the idea of “have been framed” in Hebrews 11:3, or “fit together” representing the idea of carefully planned and orchestrated work. 

            As he had in 1:2, the author used the word aionas and not kosmos, “ages” not “world” or “worlds”, meaning the universe of time and space came into existence by the word (rhema or “utterance”) of God. In chapter 1 the author stated that through the Son the universe was made, now by the utterance of God – both thoughts are synonymous as Christ is the Living Word of God.

            The popular Greek thought of the first century was that the universe was formed out of pre-existent but formless matter. Many Jews had been seduced by this idea and had reduced the magnitude of the creative act described in Genesis 1. The clear intention of the author, however, was to directly challenge such thoughts. God made the worlds, even time and space, out of nothing. The visible came forth from the invisible by the utterance of God.

            By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,

            Their starry host by the breath of his mouth,

He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;

He puts the deep into storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord;

Let all the people of the world revere him.

For he spoke, and it came to be;

He commanded and it stood firm.

Psalm 33:6-9

            How do we know this? By faith! Can we find it out any other way? Not really. Now we will discover that this revelation is in line with scientific fact.

            One of the stigma that a Christian of today’s world must face is belief that the world was created rather than the result of an impersonal godless evolutionary process. Today we have a considerable amount of emphasis on evolution, and it would appear, at least from listening to the proponents of this view, that they have proved their case and that anyone is a fool who would argue with them. In reality, however, that is far from the facts. There is great disagreements among scientists and biologists and what we will see is that the theory of evolution is indeed pushed along by scientists who do not want to embrace the only other alternative to explain how things got here – creationism.

            What is science anyway? Not long ago I was watching a television drama with my wife and daughter when a memorable line came out. The show was one of those future-oriented science-fiction type shows and the heroes had come upon some troubled beings. One of the heroes introduced another one with the line: “She’s a scientist and she can help you.” The thought behind that line is the popular idea that science is supreme and that scientists themselves are in lock-step unison, unraveling the mysteries of life and the universe as they share a common, even monolithic view of reality. This is simply not true.

            Science is based upon the experimental process. Scientific proof is obtained by being able to conduct the same experiment over and over in a controlled environment and receive the same results. Legal proof is different from scientific proof and is what is used in a court of law. Since in recreating history we cannot place the event back into a laboratory with a controlled environment we must depend on testimonies of credible witnesses and other forensic evidence. The human author of Hebrews has stated that faith creates its own proof. When we come to the end of what is verifiable by other means, we must make our position through faith – what we believe about what we cannot see.

            What we must understand is that both atheistic evolution and creationism are positions of faith – evidence of things not seen. The evolutionist cannot go back into time and see everything he would like to see and has decided that the best interpretation of the facts and science as we know it today is that the universe and the world came about by the evolutionary process. The creationist has looked at the same facts and has come to a different conclusion, that the best interpretation of the facts is that this world and universe are the result of a Creator’s activities. Increasingly over the decades leading scientists are admitting the weaknesses of the scientific theories surrounding evolution and are embracing creationism.

 

 

The First Affirmation of the Bible, Revisiting Genesis 1:1-3

 

            The Bible affirms that God is the Source of life; He remains so today, the Giver of Genuine Life. Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life” (John 10:10b). Before the beginning God already was and the Bible testifies to God’s pre-existent Person. God is the same and always will be the same. In Isaiah 46:10 we find the truth espoused that God controls the end from the beginning. The author of Hebrews is about to begin a series of references of faithful people from Genesis, but before he does he begins with the creation of the universe. Undoubtedly he referred primarily to the first chapter in Genesis as he mentioned that God made the universe out of nothing.

            In the Genesis account God is called by the name “Elohim”, expressing the general idea of greatness and glory, of creative and governing power, of omnipotence and authority. God made the world and all that is in it, even time and space itself. The purpose of the Genesis creation account is to answer for us “Who” and “why”, not “how” or “when”.  The specific information given in the Scripture is scant at best but it is sufficient to establish its purpose. 

            “Who made what we see? 

            God made it all, even you and me.”

If we seek to find out from Genesis the specifics of how and when God brought the world into existence, regardless of what method of interpretation we will use, we will simply find that that type of information is not there. In Genesis we find the affirmation that this world has a Creator and He is a Person of intention, purpose, beauty, compassion, and greatness.

But, the specifics given in Scripture do support scientific data.  You will notice that when there is a conflict between science and Scripture that the conflict is between the interpretation of scientific data and the interpretation of Scriptures, not actually between Scripture and scientific fact. We will examine this matter further in this chapter. More than ever before the educational processes of students give out faulty interpretations of scientific data which suggest that science has “proven” that life developed all by itself. 

            .  Today we need to hear these words of Gen 1:1 afresh and anew. Our world needs to be reminded of God’s claim upon her: We have a Creator who loves us and calls us to Himself.  This message gives us assurance and comfort of three facts about God.  Apart from these facts we will have a misshapen, distorted picture of God.  With these facts we have a comforting picture of the greatness of God and His love.

 

In the Beginning God Created, Genesis 1:1

 

            The Bible testifies to God’s creative act.  The word bara’ was used for “create” and it was always used of God’s unique activity that results in newness or a renewing. It means to create something out of nothing. In the Bible, God is always the subject of this verb; only He can create out of nothing.  Later in the creation account the word ‘asa is used which means to make or to shape out of existing materials. The Genesis account is very clear that, just as it says in Hebrews 11:3, God created the world out of nothing.

This means that the biblical position is that the physical universe is not eternal but that it came into existence intentionally as a result of God’s creative act. We believe that faith assumes this to be true, but also that logic and reason will also support this position. Are there other options? Josh McDowell mentions a few other options that people may hold to explain the existence of the universe. The other options are

·         The physical universe is illusory, Hinduism and Christian Science hold this position: “God is all, therefore matter is nothing beyond an image in the mortal mind” said Mary Baker Eddy the founder of Christian Science.

·         Physical universe is not eternal but came into existence accidentally

·         Physical universe is eternal

The idea that the physical universe is merely an illusion, not real, is loosely held by many people in today’s world. Most people who hold to this position do not consider its implications. They believe that we are all like the man who dreamed he was a butterfly only to awake and wonder if he was really a butterfly who dreamed he was a man. “Man is the measure of all things,” said Protagoras, meaning simply that individuals perceive the world so differently from one another that what each person perceives is the truth for him. But others did not accept this at all. Socrates, for example, responded to this abandonment of principles in the following way, “If Protagoras is right, and the truth is that things are as they appear to anyone, how can some of us be wise and some of us be foolish? For if what appears to each man is true to him, one man cannot in reality wiser than another.” But this highly individualized approach to reality has been and is widespread.

 

            3.  The reasonable conclusion

                        1)  The 1st and 2nd law of thermo-dynamics clashes with #3. Entropy

                        2)  The most reasonable is #4

            4.  Another scientific fact which supports the idea that the universe had a beginning is formulated into the “Big Bang” theory.  Those who have believed in the eternal nature of  the physical universe have held to the “Steady State” theory.  In recent years scientists have had to admit that from the evidence in space it seems that the universe had a beginning.

Robert Jastrow makes the following point. 

            “This is an exceedingly strange development, unexpected by all but the theologians.  They have always accepted the word of the Bible: In the beginning God created heaven and earth…For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream.  He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.” (From Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers).

            5.  None of this removes the need for faith because genuine faith has the spirit of obedience and willing submission.  It is not whether I can manage to generate some mental assent to the possibility, but whether I come to the point in my heart where I worship this Creator.

            6.  The beauty of this message is that we have a home because we have a Creator.

 

II.  In the Beginning God Cared, Genesis 1:2

            1.  The Bible’s picture of God’s compassion.  God hovering over the face of the deep reveals to us the deep, deep compassion God has for His creation.  This verse is a direct challenge to all who suppose that the world happened accidentally.  Here you have the birth of the physical universe in the form of physical matter but it is lacking any other form.  Here you have the elements and the laws of the universe in operation.  Nothing is happening.  Nothing is evolving.  Nothing is shaping itself.  It is formless and empty and dark.

            The hopelessness in the picture is removed, however, when we read the words “The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”  We have hope and comfort because we see a God who not only creates but cares.  The first fact insists upon the second and the second is dependent upon the first: God creates because He cares and what He creates He cares for.

            2.  The implications of God’s caring, creative role.  Life is purposeful, and intentional.  The chief end of man is to know God, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

            3.  There is more evidence that God exists than just what is in the physical universe.  What is in the human soul also requires the existence of God to understand.  We long for someone to love us and care for us.  If you speak about what really satisfies the human soul, what really slakes our spiritual thirst, we can turn to only spiritual truths and ultimately only to God.  However you describe human life, one thing is clear: our hearts are restless until we find rest in God.  Illustration: the conversion of C.I. Scofield.

            4.  If there is one message that you need to hear today it is this: God loves you. You are His special creation, not an accident of the random colliding of molecules, but an intentional creation of a loving God and He cares for you.  That truth makes all the difference in the world for us.  Just as we see hope in this verse because the loving Spirit of God was there, God’s love gives us reason to hope and cause to celebrate.

 

III.  In the Beginning God Called, Genesis 1:3

            1. The signficance of God speaking.  Not a voice with vocal chords resonating in the emptiness of space, but the expressed communication of Omnipotence, commanding the elements to obey.  They obeyed.

            2.  God is the One whom no thing and no one can resist.  In light of that we see and understand the marvelous created relative autonomy of human life, to know and to even resist God, to reject His offer of love and companionship.

            3.  The initial concept of a communicating God lays the frame work for everything else in the Bible that follows this chapter. 

                        1)  God is a person

                        2)  God expresses Himself

                        3)  God desires a relationship with His creation.

            4.  The application of this in the New Testament

                        1)  John 1:4-5

                        2)  The Bible shows God as a God of light.  Light both reveals God and hides Him from us. 

                        2)  The gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s light for us (2 Cor 4:6).

            5.  God calls to you as well.  Listen to His voice.

 

Closing:  The testimony by a scientist from Scientists Who Believe. Dr. Boris P. Dotsenko, received his first academic degree in physics and mathematics at University of Luou, Ukraine, 1949.  M. Sc at Univ. of Leningrad and doctorate at Moscow State Univ. 1954.  After working three years in the Academy of Sciences of the USSR on intercontinental and space rocket research, Dotsenko moved to the Institute of Physics in Kiev, where he was eventually appointed Head of the Nuclear Laboratory.  In 1966, while traveling on official business he sought political asylum in Canada.  He has taught at Waterloo Lutheran University and University of Toronto.  

            He became a believer in Christ and one of the key influential elements of his conversion was his understanding of the second law of thermodynamics, the law of entropy. Which in his understanding meant that if there were no God who stood outside the material system and had authority over it the universe would have disintegrated into a chaotic cloud of dust long ago. In faith he embraced Christ but it was also his science that influenced him to seek logical answers to the questions of our origins. He found these in Christ.

Studies from Hebrews 11