The Church of Divine Guidance (CDG) Sunday morning adult bible study group is in a study of faith. These posts are my notes for each session. Please study with us. You can participate by asking your questions or making comments in the comments below. We welcome your thoughts and prayers.
Foundation Scripture
Hebrews 11:1-2 New King James Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. –Review
Our foundation scripture is the biblical description of faith - evidence and substance
The dictionary defines faith as:
The word "substance" or "assurance". The Greek word hypostasis (hoop-os'-tas-is) literally means "a standing under, support" (W.E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) "Faith," in relation to hope, is assurance. It stands under and supports our hope. Thus, one's hope is only as secure as his faith is strong.
Dictionary definition for substance:
The term "evidence" or "conviction"
The Greek word elenchos (el'-eng-kho) is defined as a "proof, proving" test.
Dictionary definition of evidence:
Last week we said that faith is an essential part of our relationship with God do you remember why?
Because without it we can’t please God
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Because if we don't believe in Him and believe Him, we won't really be trying to please Him!
The dictionary defines faith as:
- complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
- strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
The word "substance" or "assurance". The Greek word hypostasis (hoop-os'-tas-is) literally means "a standing under, support" (W.E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) "Faith," in relation to hope, is assurance. It stands under and supports our hope. Thus, one's hope is only as secure as his faith is strong.
Dictionary definition for substance:
- a particular kind of matter with uniform properties
- the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has a tangible, solid presence.
The term "evidence" or "conviction"
The Greek word elenchos (el'-eng-kho) is defined as a "proof, proving" test.
Dictionary definition of evidence:
the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.
Last week we said that faith is an essential part of our relationship with God do you remember why?
Because without it we can’t please God
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Because if we don't believe in Him and believe Him, we won't really be trying to please Him!
We also asked if our faith or belief was rational or irrational what did we decide?
It is based on evidence of the creation and the Word of God.
Who’s the source of our faith?
God is;
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
What can we do if we don’t think we have enough faith?
Ask
Mark 9:23-24 (NKJV)23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
James 1:5 (NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
How do you grow in faith?
By and through the Word of God
Romans 10:17 (NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Is believing in God enough?
Believing is an integral part of our relationship in God but for it to really be faith we have to act on that belief.
James 2:19-20 (NKJV)19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
Today we start a discussion of the Hebrews 11 "The heroes of faith"
In Hebrews 11, the phrase “by faith” occurs 22 times in the HCSB.
The first heroes, Abel, Enoch and Noah, show us the nature or qualities of faith. With Abel it was trust and loving acceptance of whatever God sent and he sacrificed the first of that. We learn from Enoch that faith grows in intimacy. We learn from Noah that faith is persistent.
The Qualities of Faith - Waiting, Intimacy, Persistence
Abel
Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. |
| Abel's Sacrifice |
Genesis 4:2-4 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,
From Barnes' Notes on the Bible
In the account in Genesis of the offering made by Abel, there is no mention of "faith". The account in Genesis is, simply, that Abel "brought of the firstlings of his flock, and the fat thereof, and that the Lord had respect to Abel and his offering." Men have speculated much as to the reason why the offering of Abel was accepted, and that of Cain rejected but there is no specific mention of what, if anything was an issue with Cain's sacrifice itself. It could not have been because an offering of the fruits of the ground was not pleasing to God, for such an offering was commanded under the Jewish Law, and was not in itself improper. Both the brothers selected what was to them most obvious and which they regarded as most valuable.
The only hint might be, and this is only conjecture, that Abel is said to, have offered his firstlings and the fat thereof, while nothing is said of Cain having brought his first fruits or his best.
So can we say that Abel exhibited his faith by the attitude in which he gave his sacrifice. He gave the best that he had and because of his attitude of thanksgiving for what God had given him he and God response was His regard for Abel first and then for Abel's sacrifice. Verse 4 of Genesis 4 says "..And the Lord respected Abel and his offering." The offering was accepted because God first respected Abel and because he was accepted so was his offering.
A explanation for the example of Abel as a hero of faith is that he was willing to wait for ultimate vindication of injustice and mistreatment. His faith teaches us that we must often wait for God' to execute His plan in our lives. We do so because we know God will act.
More mentions of Abel
Matthew 23:35 (HCSB) So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
Note: (Abel to Zacharias includes all the murders recorded in the OT, from the first book (Gen 4:8) to the last in the Hebrew canon (2 Chr 24:20-22)). The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
Luke 11:51 (HCSB) from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. “Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible.
Hebrews 12:24 (NKJV) to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Genesis 5:21-24 (HCSB)21 Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah.22 And after the birth of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fathered ⌊other⌋ sons and daughters.23 So Enoch’s life lasted 365 years.24 Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.
In Genesis 5 a brief discussion of the life of Enoch is dropped into a section which provides little more about the men mentioned other than their names how long the lived before "begetting" a son and then living some more years and then he died. So there must be something different about Enoch.
Two important things mark the character of Enoch's faith: (1) he pleased God by turning away from the godlessness of the world in which he lived and (2) he maintained a daily walk with God which grew so intimate that he was taken to heaven without experiencing death. What's interesting is that it appears that Enoch may not have walked with God for the first 65 years of his life. The Scripture says that after Methuselah was born then Enoch walked with God. What caused the change? A word from God!
The following is from IVP New Testament Commentary Series by Ray C. Stedman
Luke 11:51 (HCSB) from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. “Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible.
Hebrews 12:24 (NKJV) to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Enoch
Hebrews 11:5 (HCSB) By faith Enoch was taken away so he did not experience death, and he was not to be found because God took him away. For prior to his removal he was approved, since he had pleased God. |
| Enoch Taken Up |
Genesis 5:21-24 (HCSB)21 Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah.22 And after the birth of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fathered ⌊other⌋ sons and daughters.23 So Enoch’s life lasted 365 years.24 Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.
In Genesis 5 a brief discussion of the life of Enoch is dropped into a section which provides little more about the men mentioned other than their names how long the lived before "begetting" a son and then living some more years and then he died. So there must be something different about Enoch.
Two important things mark the character of Enoch's faith: (1) he pleased God by turning away from the godlessness of the world in which he lived and (2) he maintained a daily walk with God which grew so intimate that he was taken to heaven without experiencing death. What's interesting is that it appears that Enoch may not have walked with God for the first 65 years of his life. The Scripture says that after Methuselah was born then Enoch walked with God. What caused the change? A word from God!
The following is from IVP New Testament Commentary Series by Ray C. Stedman
Some scholars derive the meaning of Methuselah from the Hebrew root muth, which means "death," and translate the name "His death shall bring (it)." This would imply a revelation to Enoch of the coming judgment of the world by means of the Flood. The chronology of Genesis 5 places the Flood as occurring the year Methuselah died.
This turn in his life was a result of faith, and since faith always requires a word from God to rest upon, it confirms the idea that Enoch was given a revelation of a coming judgment which changed his life. So it appears that Enoch got a word from God and he believed and acted on it.
Because of this Jude calls Enoch a prophet.
Jude 14-15 (HCSB)14 And Enoch, in the seventh ⌊generation⌋ from Adam, prophesied about them: Look! The Lord comes with thousands of His holy ones 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict them of all their ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against Him.
The quality of faith we learn from Enoch is that faith means turning from human wisdom to God's revelation and walking in daily obedience to it until it leads to a fellowship which death cannot interrupt! It grows in intimacy.
More mentions of Enoch
1 Chronicles 1:3 where he is mentioned in the genealogy from Adam to Abraham and in Luke 3:37 in the genealogy of Jesus
We know the story of Noah. We know that he lived in a very wicked time. So wicked that that the Bible says;
Genesis 6:5-8 (HCSB) 5 When the LORD saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, 6 the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 Then the LORD said, “I will wipe off from the face of the earth mankind, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.”8 Noah, however, found favor in the sight of the LORD.
God told Noah to build an ark so that mankind would be saved along with the animals and He gave him instructions in verses 14-21. Then verse 22 reads;
Genesis 6:22 (HCSB) And Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.
He believed what God said about a flood and He did what God told him to do.
The quality of faith exhibited by Noah is that faith is persistent.
How is that shown in Noah?
God told him to do something that would not happen for many years. Some people say that the 120 years in Genesis 6:3 is the number of years after God told Noah to build the ark before it rained.
We can imagine the jeering which Noah must have have had to deal with he built a huge ship. He was a hundred miles from the nearest ocean, with a ship many times too big for his own needs, and when had had finished, he filled it with animals!
What would be an example today of the kind of sight that must have been?
Noah's faith persisted despite massive resistance, and that can only occur when there is an inward change of spirit that is caused by the presence of God. Because Noah believed God and continued even though his contemporaries keep on with their wickedness he did in fact condemn the world.
Noah is the first person to be called righteous in the Scriptures.
This turn in his life was a result of faith, and since faith always requires a word from God to rest upon, it confirms the idea that Enoch was given a revelation of a coming judgment which changed his life. So it appears that Enoch got a word from God and he believed and acted on it.
Because of this Jude calls Enoch a prophet.
Jude 14-15 (HCSB)14 And Enoch, in the seventh ⌊generation⌋ from Adam, prophesied about them: Look! The Lord comes with thousands of His holy ones 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict them of all their ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against Him.
The quality of faith we learn from Enoch is that faith means turning from human wisdom to God's revelation and walking in daily obedience to it until it leads to a fellowship which death cannot interrupt! It grows in intimacy.
More mentions of Enoch
1 Chronicles 1:3 where he is mentioned in the genealogy from Adam to Abraham and in Luke 3:37 in the genealogy of Jesus
Noah
Hebrews 11:7 (HCSB) By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.We know the story of Noah. We know that he lived in a very wicked time. So wicked that that the Bible says;
 |
| Noah |
Genesis 6:5-8 (HCSB) 5 When the LORD saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, 6 the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 Then the LORD said, “I will wipe off from the face of the earth mankind, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.”8 Noah, however, found favor in the sight of the LORD.
God told Noah to build an ark so that mankind would be saved along with the animals and He gave him instructions in verses 14-21. Then verse 22 reads;
Genesis 6:22 (HCSB) And Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.
He believed what God said about a flood and He did what God told him to do.
The quality of faith exhibited by Noah is that faith is persistent.
How is that shown in Noah?
God told him to do something that would not happen for many years. Some people say that the 120 years in Genesis 6:3 is the number of years after God told Noah to build the ark before it rained.
We can imagine the jeering which Noah must have have had to deal with he built a huge ship. He was a hundred miles from the nearest ocean, with a ship many times too big for his own needs, and when had had finished, he filled it with animals!
What would be an example today of the kind of sight that must have been?
Noah's faith persisted despite massive resistance, and that can only occur when there is an inward change of spirit that is caused by the presence of God. Because Noah believed God and continued even though his contemporaries keep on with their wickedness he did in fact condemn the world.
Noah is the first person to be called righteous in the Scriptures.
Genesis 6:9 (HCSB) These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.
More mentions of Noah after the flood account
- 1 Chronicles 1:4 in the linage from Adam to Abraham;
- in Ezekiel chapter 14 where Noah, Daniel, and Job are cited as examples of righteous men who would be the only survivors of God’s judgement on an idolatrous land;
- in Matthew 24 and Luke 17 when the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God was coming and He told them that it would not be something where you could say look there it is. It would be like in the days of Noah when the people went on doing their normal things and then it started to rain and then it was too late.
Then in Luke 3:36 in the genealogy of Jesus.
Next week
Next we will continue our study of the heroes of faith in chapter 11. So read it again and do some research on them. You already know a lot about Abraham and Sarah but you may not know as much about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, and Rahab.
I have some others that I believe are heroes of faith that the writer of Hebrews doesn’t include. There’s Joshua and Caleb, Esther, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, Daniel, Nehemiah, Job, Elijah, Hezekiah, and Ruth. That’s just some from the Old Testament, there are lots in the new Testament, including the apostles, and others. We won’t talk about all of them but if I don’t mention one that you think is a hero mention him or her and we’ll talk about them and how they are an example that we can follow in our faith walk.
Be thinking about about people who are not in the Bible that you would put in a Faith Hall. Here are a few that I found in Stedman's commentary, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr. I'm sure that you can think of others.
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