Hebrews 11:1-40

Faith In Action…The Faith That Pleases God

Hebrews 11:1-40 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 1-23-11
Key verse 11:6;

“And without Faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that the rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

I thank God for blessing this year’s Faith Bible School at Triton UBF. Faith was really manifest among the people. For example, it was not easy to come to the Bible school in the coldest weather of the year, but lots of people came. Some came everyday. That takes a lot of faith. I couldn’t go everyday but I enjoyed Charisma’s posts on Facebook and pics from several of the days. It was almost like I was there. I thank God for raising up the messengers, Josh Perez, Robin, Elson and Deante. I thank God for our Bible teachers, Tim Lopez, Kathy, Nonso and Tim Sagel and the drama servants and the testimony speakers, Bamadeli, Tim, Robin, Tim Lopez, Kathy, and tonight, John Mike Pitts, Carl Heusel and Dr Crystal, Nonso. May they all grow as servants of the word of God.

Part l: The Faith Of Enoch, Able And Noah (1-7)

This chapter is packed full of historical examples of people living by faith. They are ancients who were commended by God. They had faith that pleases God for they were sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they could not see. (1) We can see the basis of their faith in verse 3, which reads, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” It was faith in the power of the Creator of the heavens and the earth. With this creation faith in their hearts, they engaged their faith, putting it into action. They are ancients, but they are our brothers and sisters in faith. And so let’s learn from them.

The first of these ancients is Abel. Verse 2 reads “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offering. And by faith he still speaks even though he is dead.” Why did he have faith? He came to God, by faith, seeking him and wanting to please God, at a time when sin had created a great barrier between God and mankind. Mankind was in a state of rebellion against God. Yet people decided to come to God though faith by offering sacrifices. Able offered fat portions of the firstborn of his flock. He didn’t offer a sick, scrawny sheep, on its last legs. Nor did he offer one after he had 100 born to him. But he offered the best, the healthiest, even before he had more. That requires faith. Do you know why? Let’s see why an “Able” offering is so important. An “Able” offering is not just going through the motions. It requires heart and can take many forms. It definitely involves money. It also involves time, strength and passion. Making an “Able” offering with your money, is when we offer, even when you are not sure if there is enough for the upcoming rent. To make an “Able” offering with our time, is when we give Jesus our time even in the midst of exams or other pressing matters. To make an “Able” offering with our strength is when we give Jesus our full strength when all we want to do is sleep. To make an “Able” offering with our passion is when we give our hearts to Jesus and all we do for him, when all we feel like doing is going through the motions. These are “Able” offerings. These are our best offerings. They are offerings that please God. This is faith in action.

I thank God for Augustine. Yesterday he was up at 6 am. He traveled 2 hrs to a basketball game, played and traveled 2 hrs back. He sat at McDonald’s for 1 hr and 15 minutes while I studied with Joey. All he wanted to do was sleep. But when he found out that two members of FCA, (the High School Christian Club) were coming to the Winter Jam 2011, he realize that he needed to co-work with Jenn and shepherd these two people. He denied himself and went. He made an “Able” offering with his strength. Last week kids were in the midst of their exams. Despite of it all, they kept up with spiritual commitments. They still made time for Jesus. They made an “Able” offering with their time. Now, do you see why it is hard to make and “Able” offering and why it is putting your faith into action?

The next ancient one is Enoch. Look at verse 5, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.“ Not much is written about Enoch in Genesis. The single most outstanding point written about Enoch is that he walked with God. He didn’t walk with other people. He didn’t walk with the cultural trends of the times, with its own standards and moralities. He didn’t walk with his own ideas and his feelings. He walked with God. This takes great faith. This made him like a living fish, swimming upstream. God rewarded Enoch, by not allowing him to experience death. God took him up to be with him. His family looked for him but he could not be found. It took a couple days to notice that he was gone. His wife probably said, “Oh he is probably out preaching somewhere or he is at church.” That is what people who walk with God, by faith, do. From Enoch’s experience we learn that God rewards those who earnestly and persistently seek God.

The next Biblical ancient one is Noah. Look at verse 7 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” It is obvious Noah began his great mission to build the ark by faith. Even though every day looked beautiful and peaceful with no storm clouds in sight, Noah was certain God would make good on his word to destroy all living creatures with a great flood. With this faith he decided to obey God and build the ark as God directed him, according to God’s instructions. This took faith. Why? First he had to believe God, concerning the upcoming judgment and he had to trust God’s way of salvation…that building an ark would be sufficient to save him, his household and be a way to save mankind and make a new beginning for humanity. People were questioning why he was building such a huge ark on dry land. They said, “Noah! You crazy old man! Why are you are wasting your life! Go for a vacation in Costa Rica. Enjoy your retirement.” But Noah would use their doubt planting as an opportunity to preach the warning of God’s coming judgment. He would exhort the people to turn from their wicked ways and join him in following God’s way of salvation. And do you know what? Anyone who chose to do so would be saved. Noah lived by faith when he believed God and obeyed God’s way of salvation. And so can we, when we build our ark of salvation in Jesus Christ and his words.



Part ll: The Faith Of Abraham (8-22)
Next came the great man of faith, Abraham. Look at verses 8-12, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he[a] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” When we read Genesis and look at Abraham’s life it seems not so exciting when compared to other figures in the Old Testament. There were times when he was not the “world changer” that other heroes in the Bible were. Once he lied about Sarah being his wife-twice. He was doubtful and afraid several times. Even after he received God’s promise he tried to start a family with Hagar. Yet in spite of all these things, according to Romans he is considered the father of all who believe and the outstanding example of faith.
How did he exhibit faith in action? Genesis 12:1 tells us that when God called Abraham he said, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” From verse 8, we see that he obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. This was difficult and took great faith. There was new food, a new languages, new customs, new support systems, new warlords and bandits to deal with, new insecurities. It was really tough, but he believed God’s promise and went, even though he was an old man and was totally helpless to take an occupied land. Not only that, it was physically impossible to become a great nation. Yet he believed God and went. With this faith he was also willing to offer up his beloved son, Isaac, proving that he loved God the most. All of this was faith in action. His faith encouraged and showed the way to the other patriarchs, like Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. They too put their faith into action and followed God’s leading in their lives. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. With this faith, they wanted to be buried in the Cave of Machpelah. The saints held on to their faith to the very end because their faith was based on their hope and trust in God, his promises and his perfect will. I pray each of us may grow in “action-faith” like Abraham.
Coming to Dekalb to pioneer a new house church is the way that God opened so that we can experience the faith of Abraham. At the time, April 1998, we were living in a comfortable two-bedroom apartment, near the Triton UBF Bible house. We enjoyed relative comfort and security. Shp Teddy was preparing the word of God for us each week. We could have stayed put in our comfort zone and not ventured into untested waters. But one day, God spoke his words to our hearts, ““Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” For us, it meant, DeKalb and NIU campus. It was not going to be easy. We could not trust in the familiar Triton UBF environment. We had to get new jobs. We had to establish a church program and keep it every week. We had to embrace new calls to sacrifice, such as traveling to Triton UBF three times a week for the next three years and paying for baby sitters so I could go and invite students to Bible study. We got into debt with the purchase of a new house. I had to prepare the word of God on my own every week. But God’s promises rung loud in our hearts, “"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen 12:2-3) We obeyed God and went and God has been blessing our house church ever since. He is providing for all of our needs. We are becoming inspirations for house churches world wide. We may be a small fellowship, but we are multiplying at the rate that God has set, the right rate.
Part lll: The Faith Of Moses, His Parents and The Israelites (23-29)
Next, the faith of Moses and his parents. Look at verse 23-28. In these verses Moses and his parents exercised faith. Actions always speak louder than words. First, let’s think about Moses’ parents. According to Exodus, Pharaoh king of Egypt–ruler of the world super power nation of the time–wanted to control the Israelites, who were multiplying quickly. So he issued an edict that all the Israelite boy babies were to be killed at birth by being thrown into the Nile River. This edict carried the penalty of death for disobedience. Moses was born at this time, but his parents did not obey this edict. Verse 23 says, “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” Moses’ parents did not obey Pharaoh. This did not come from a rebellious spirit, but from their faith in action. They wanted to obey God and carry out God’s will on earth at the cost of their very lives. May God raise up such godly parents across our land.
The author then pays attention to the faith of Moses. He says “By faith Moses…” He gives five instances of faith in connection with Moses’ faith in action, such as his decision, his choice, his value system, his leadership in the Exodus, and the keeping of the Passover. Look at verse 27. "By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." Moses chose to be identified along with God and his people. He refused to follow the pleasures of sin. He stood on the side of God even though it meant disgrace for him in the eyes of the world. He persevered in his faith. He stood up as a leader for his people, even though he knew it meant hardships and maybe would even cost him his own life. His life was full of decisions of faith. These days there are many people who have no power to make any decision. There are also many people who commit to no one. But we learn here how important it is have faith that pleases God like Moses. And so, in this year, let’s make the right choice in our decisions born out of our faith. May Christ be more valuable and important to us than anything else in the world. May God raise up many young Moses’ on our campus’ and across our land.

Let us now see more examples of faith in action that overcame the world? Look at verses 29-40. There are the Israelites at the Red Sea, Joshua and the Israelites at the walls of Jericho, Rahab, and many other courageous judges, prophets and people of faith known only to God. They were all commended by God for their lives of faith. They felt that their faith in Christ was so valuable that they held onto faith and never shrink back. Their faith was the power by which they overcame perilous situations, overcame their enemies and conquered kingdoms.

Let’s take a closer look at some of these examples. First, the Israelites before the Red Sea. Look at verse 29. “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.” God wanted to change a slave people into a kingdom of priests and holy nation. To this end he subjected his people to a 400 year gestational period in Egypt. At the right time he drew them out of Egypt to give birth to a new nation. The most difficult part was when they were up against the Red Sea. The Egyptian army was on their heels, ready to punish them, kill many and drag the rest back to their old slave life. Ahead of them was the Red Sea, an insurmountable barrier. What could they do? They needed to experience the power of faith. In Exodus 14: 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” The amazing thing is that these Hebrews actually put there faith into action. They listened and chose to believe Moses’ words. They repented of their fear. Instead of running away, each one, man, woman and child, made a decision to stand firm and by faith they witnessed the deliverance of the Lord. They were saved and passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. It was all because of their faith in action.

Like the Israelites, God has called all Christians to be a great holy nation. 1 Peter 2:9 reads, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful life.” Before meeting Jesus, we lived as slaves to Satan, sin and fear. But now God by his grace, is leading us in faith, to be for him, his holy nation. When we realize this, then all of our past and present sufferings are simply a gestational period where we are about to be born anew as a holy nation.

God has delivered me so many times from my Red Seas. The first Red Sea was persecution from my family for five years. I shed tears so many times. But God helped me to stand firm and I have experienced his deliverance. My parents are now silent supporters of our family and my mother actually said she is proud of our church life. My other Red Sea was my nursing studies. I had so much reading and assignments that I could only read 75% of everything once. I was also newly married with a baby coming and no money. There was every reason to give up my life of faith, drop out of nursing school and just survive. But I could stand firm by faith through living as a student shepherd and keeping up my spiritual responsibilities. God delivered me with “A” marks in nursing school and gave me a great career as a nurse. The other Red Sea was a deep sense of despair and fatalism that made me long for God to take me out of this world. I guess is it was pastor’s burnout. But God told me to stand firm and don’t give up. I stood firm by continually serving Jesus and obeying Shp Teddy’s direction to make a new beginning and change my environment. God delivered me time and again from the Red Sea of despair with his word and his hope. I no longer live in despair and fatalism, but each day is filled with God’s hope and expectation and so can your days. Just put your faith in action.

But there are so many things that make us too afraid to move forward and cross the Red Sea. We are stuck. We are harassed inwardly. The more we wait, the more likely we are going to get picked off by our sins and the devil and dragged back to our old lives. We know our Red Seas. We know what God is trying to do and what we must do to cross our own Red Sea by faith. Let’s hear the word of God and “stand firm” and choose to trust God’s way of salvation. When we engage our faith then we will see the great and awesome deliverance of the Lord.


Part lV: The Faith Of Other Ancients (30-40)

What do we learn from Rahab? Look at verse 31.“By faith the prostitute Rehab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” She had faith in God and sided with God and God’s people. She stuck her neck out because of her faith in the God of the Bible. She and her whole household were saved and she became the great-grandmother of who? Yes…King David. She was included as a key player in God’s history. And so can each of you when you put Rahab’s faith into action.
In verses 32-38 we find other “By faith” episodes in many other great men and women of God. “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” I know that each of us have our own unique sufferings. I don’t want to downplay anything that each of you are going through because of your faith in Jesus. But what some of these people had to endure was horrible. Yet they stood by faith even in the midst of these unbearable sufferings. While living by faith, some of them changed the course of history. Some left this world as unknown believers, know only by God. They were all rewarded with nothing in this world, except God’s comfort and more calls to sacrifice. Their lives were sold out for Jesus.
They chose to give up this world, even their own lives, because such sacrifices would gain them a better resurrection. They would later receive the true hope that they were trusting in as they lived by faith. Their great hope is our great hope. The great hope of all Christians is that one day we will be just like the resurrected Jesus Christ. We will be perfect as he is perfect. As Jesus lives in his Father’s presence so will we. As Jesus is heir of all things so too we will be co-heirs with him. This day has not yet come. Nevertheless it is coming. And with this hope we put our faith into action. Let us pray that God may help us to stand firm in faith in Jesus Christ and not shrink back, right unto the end of our race.
In conclusion, all of thee people had faith and they acted on their faith. Their faith was very practical. May we follow their example and seek to please God. May we make decisions of faith. May Christ be more valuable and more important to us than anything else in the world and may we experience the power, the deliverance of God as we put faith in action. And how long shall we put our faith into action? Right up to the day of Jesus Christ’s coming. Then our faith will become sight.