Examples of faith in action

Looking on to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Now chapter 11, verse 3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 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.

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 his testimony that he pleased God. 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. 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.

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 whether he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles, tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise, for he looked for a city which had foundations whose builder and maker is God. Through faith 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.

Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky for multitude, and as the sand which is upon the seashore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off. Verse 16, but now they desire a better country that is in heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city, and so on.

Now there are a total of 14 men and two women that are mentioned here in chapter 11 as examples of faith. Numerous others are implied as well of faith in action, faith in action. But we began to read of the chief one of them all, our Lord Jesus.

Looking unto Jesus, fix your eyes upon Jesus, the author and the finisher, the pioneer and the chief leader of faith, the perfect example of a life of faith, of depending upon God. And there was a joy that was set before him, and so he endured the cross. That joy that was before him was his unshakeable kingdom, when all the redeemed of all ages will be gathered together with him eternally.

And thus he thought of the cross as nothing in comparison. And now he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. And it's good to know he's still sitting there today isn't he? He's still there as our great high priest.

Now what I want to do is take these examples of faith that we have read about in chapter 11 and we're going to look for parallels between these worthies and the Lord Jesus who has already been contemplated in these ten chapters that go before, the one whom we are to fix our eyes upon. And we want to look out for those parallels, those similarities between what is characteristic of these individuals that we've just read about and the Lord Jesus in the previous chapters in Hebrews. Now the parallel seems to be set up right at the start here in chapter 11, verse 2, through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God.

You come over again and you're thinking to chapter 1. And you remember in verse 2 we see that the Son is the agent in creation, by whom also he made the worlds, the ages. So the Son is the creator who brought into being the ages of time in which God will work out his great plan of redemption. So there's a little there's a little parallel right there.

Come to Abel now. I want to write over Abel the expression of faith. We read that Abel brought a more excellent sacrifice and then we read that he being dead yet speaketh.

A more excellent sacrifice, he being dead yet speaketh. Chapter 1 of Hebrews. There is one who speaks.

He speaks in his son. He speaks in son. Abel's faith saw that there was a sacrifice necessary for acceptance with God and in Hebrews chapter 1 God speaks and God says that I have provided a sacrifice in my son.

What a wonder it is to think of that. We're brought face to face with this beautiful person right away in verse 3 of chapter 1. Who being the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person in his absolute timeless existence. He emits the very brightest glory of God.

He is the express image of his person. The exact reproduction of his substance. The very being, the very essence of deity of God.

He is upholding all things by the word of his power. This universe all around us is held together. It's born up.

It's kept from falling apart by the word of his power and this is the one who made purification for sins. Amazing isn't it? That one so great, so powerful, so mighty. He made purification for sins.

The first mention incidentally of his priestly work in the book of Hebrews and then when he had accomplished that we read that he sat down. He took a seat as a formal dignified act on the right hand of the majesty on high. God speaks in his son.

He's the prophet. He made purification for sins. He's the priest and formally he sits down dignified at the right hand of the majesty on high.

It's his place by right. Why? Because he's the king. He's the one that is destined to reign.

The expression of faith enabled. Now I want to come then to Enoch. He appears next in chapter 11 and we have the pleasure of faith.

The pleasure that faith brings to God seen here in Enoch. He had this testimony that he pleased God. Enoch was a man who walked with God.

That was his habit. That characterized that dear man. He walked with God and he brought pleasure to the heart of God.

So much so that one day God said to him, Enoch your work on earth is done. Why don't you just come on home with me? And Enoch was translated that he should not see death. A man who pleased God.

Chapter 2 of Hebrews. A man who pleased God. Oh yes.

Verse 5 tells us that it was not to angels that God has put the world to come in subjection. The kingdom age is not going to be administered by an angel but by a man. By a man.

And what a man he is. Our Lord Jesus Christ. As the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also likewise took part of the same and to a man God has given to rule in that coming age.

And what a man he is. How he walked with God. How he brought pleasure to the very heart of God.

He was not appreciated by men around. Indeed in the gospel of Matthew you remember in chapter 12 that crisis comes in that book where he is rejected of the by the Jewish people and right away we have this quote from the book of Isaiah. Matthew brings it in.

Behold my servant whom I have chosen my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased says God. God found infinite pleasure in the person of his son even as he walked as a man here on earth rejected by men despised and looked down upon. How he was despised.

He was made for a little while a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man and in so doing going into death he so pleased God that God raised him from the dead and he was received up into glory now crowned with glory and honor. He pleased God and God crowned him with glory and honor. He's waiting the Father's timing to put into subjection that world to come we're off we speak and meantime what's he doing he's bringing many sons on to glory and God is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him that's our next verse in chapter 11 he's the rewarder and you know when we are brought home eventually to glory at the rapture that wonderful moment we've been thinking about when we're called away from earth and then there will be the Bema and then there will be those rewards those allocations of responsibility in that coming kingdom it'll all be determined now by how you and I live how we walk how we please God to that degree we will have a place more in the kingdom so the pleasure that faith brings to God let me come to Noah we have the preparation of faith when you think of Noah 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 that was good but he did something else by the witch he condemned the world and became error of the righteousness which is by faith now following the pattern let's come in our thinking to Hebrews chapter 3 because here we have Moses said in comparison in contrast and in comparison to Christ you remember that Moses was faithful over God's house as a servant he was faithful in administering the things of God for the people of God in the house of God Moses as a servant was faithful but then we have Christ and he is a son over God's house he is a son over God's house which house are we see that we have been brought into this thing called the house of God the people of God we are part of that Noah by faith prepared an ark for the saving of his house my what an ark has been prepared for us to our house of God what a tremendous place of safety our Lord Jesus has brought us into by virtue of his atoning work what a secure place we have in Christ we are in his house will never be out of it we are partakers of Christ indeed in verse 1 we are partakers of a heavenly calling we're heirs of righteousness because of faith not only that but as partakers we have been brought in to share things with our Lord Jesus Christ you see as a son he has access to the Father we do too as a son he has an inheritance and we do too and as a son he will we've seen this in the previous chapter he will subdue and administer that world to come and you and I have a part to play and that as well determined by how you and I live here and now now there's a condemned world here as well and we find that Noah was moved by faith to prepare that ark and he condemned the world around him for their unbelief they didn't believe God Noah believed God but the world around didn't and again that fits with with chapter 3 because the subject of unbelief is taken up Moses was faithful but the majority in Israel were not faithful in fact all the men that came out of Egypt apart from two they didn't go into the land their carcasses were strewn in the wilderness through unbelief and isn't it sad brothers and sisters while you and I are gathered together this morning and we are enjoying the things of God there is a world around us full of unbelief and they're condemned they're condemned condemned already the preparation of faith that faith makes now that brings us then to to Abraham in verse 8 chapter 11 by faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place that he should have to receive for an inheritance he 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 tents with Isaac and Jacob errors of the same promise for a look for a city which had foundations whose builder and maker is God so faithful Abraham then he obeyed God's call he was looking to the promise that God made to him and obeying the call he went out not knowing whether he went they sojourned in the land of promise as pilgrims as strangers because they were dwelling in tents and the writer to the Hebrews he picks up on that and he records this they were looking for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God and in verse 16 when we drop down to that we find that they were looking for a better country that is unheavenly all right let's come then in our thinking to chapter 4 of Hebrews that would follow the pattern that we've been looking for in chapter 4 we find that Israel as a whole did not enter into Canaan rest because of unbelief because of their unbelief and that is taken up in chapter 4 and developed and then in verse 9 of that chapter we find that there remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God now I take it that he's speaking about a spiritual rest that we enter into the rest that God has found God has found rest in Christ in that finished work and so satisfied is God with the work of Christ as we've mentioned already he was received up into glory but come to the end of chapter 4 and what do we have seeing then that we have a great high priest verse 14 that is passed through the heavens Jesus the Son of God and then he says let us hold fast our profession so not only just following the the thought pattern through the book of Hebrews not only is Christ the Apostle superior to Moses superior to Joshua but as high priest he's superior to Aaron and the writer will will take up that thought and develop it in the chapters that follow he is the great high priest his superiority that's going to be expanded upon his superiority he has passed through the heavens his victory there was none could oppose him you know the interesting thing is when the high priest on the day of atonement would go in he would actually enter into three areas we've been hearing of those areas in the Millennial Temple three areas through the court through the holy place into the Holy of Holies the Lord Jesus when he passed through the heavens he passed through three heavens there's the atmospheric heaven there's the stellar heavens right into the very throne room of God he goes he passed through and there was no opposition that could ever oppose him on that journey Jesus his humanity the Son of God his absolute deity he's touched with a feeling of our infirmity his perfect sympathy for he was in all points tempted like as we are his similarity to us yet notice the overarching emphasis that comes the Spirit of God says yet without sin it's absolute impeccability this is the one who has gone up this is the one who has gone in on our journey into his rest you and I are then exhorted to do two things let us hold fast our confession remain faithful and then he says another let us let us draw near to the throne of grace because we cannot do it in our own strength but we have access and we can draw near and so to summarize Abraham Isaac and Jacob they all found no permanent occupation here in Canaan rest here on earth but they were looking for a better country weren't they and we're told it's a heavenly country and you and I on our journey through that's what that's our destiny as well isn't that we're looking for that heavenly country now we're looking for that city that has foundations because our rest is in heaven and our rest is not here now very quickly we'll come to time for one more Sarah Sarah in chapter 11 was past the age of childbearing and we read as well that her husband was as good as dead now that's a that's a remarkable expression they're as good as dead no I'll not go there but faith was at work faith was at work and there was a victory over death and so she received strength to have a son and that son would be the one through whom would come descendants innumerable like the stars of the heaven for multitude and as the sand which is upon the seashore now the parallel then let's come to Hebrews chapter 5 thinking of a son the character of Christ's priesthood begins to be developed and open up in chapter 5 and he is called an high priest he's called of God as was Aaron and God called verse 5 chapter 5 verse 5 God call and said thou art my son this day have I begotten thee our high priest is the unique son of God eternally begotten he is recognized as the begotten one in incarnation the word was made flesh and dwelt among us the glory as of the only begotten of the father incarnation he's recognized as begotten again in his resurrection Acts chapter 13 and in his ascension in Hebrews chapter 1 so verse 6 again his divine appointment is endorsed by a quotation from Psalm 110 thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek verse 7 who in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to deliver him out from within death and he was heard for his godly fear though he were a son yet learned he obedience by the things that he suffered you see the connection with what we thought of the son and the victory over death and here is the very son of God himself who has son of man he enters into death but he's able to save him out from within death and so there's the fruitfulness of faith that's it the fruitfulness of faith in Sarah there's the fruitfulness of the faith of Christ and they made perfect fully complete having gone the route through death unto glory he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him all them the author of eternal salvation unto all them how many is that oh I'm thinking I have the stars of heaven for multitude I'm so glad that I'm one of those little pinpricks of light and the sand that is upon this the seashore all because there is one who has gone the distance in faith and dependence upon his God and so now he's in the glory and so far as you and I are concerned the glory still shines before us so let us gladly then render to him all that we are and have now that pattern that we've been following it holds good as you move on through and you can find the links for those following chapters as well so may the Lord then bless his word to our hearts