Rsbc
February 1st 2004
Sunday Night
The Book of Hebrews
Theme : Faith Is... Sermon # 2
Text: Hebrews 11: 7
Subject “ Faith Is A Working Faith
Intro: Someone wrote this about faith one time using each letter that I thought was a good definition of faith: F= Forsaking a= all I= I = t= trust = h= him. That is a summation of the word.
I do not believe that I have to stress the fact that Faith is a gift of God, but we must remind ourselves less we think we have conjured up some kind of faith ourselves to please God...
Each of these characters that are listed in this chapter spell out to me a different aspect of how faith worked in their lives and the stories that are related to this wonderful chapter.
I... “THE WICKEDNESS THAT PREVAILED IN NOAH’S DAY”...
Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.
1st. That the imagination is those secret hidden thoughts that resides in the heart from our youth..
Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
This is why the Lord tells us to cast down our imagination: 2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
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2nd. The imagination of the heart is evil thoughts: Jeremiah 7:24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels [and] in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
3rd. That some generation were said to have done worse than their fathers:
Jeremiah 16:12 And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:
When Christ was preaching concerning the conditions of the time he used Noah and his generation as an example of what he was talking about. Matthew 24:37‑38 But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
II... “THE GRACE OF THAT WAS DISPLAYED TO NOAH AND HIS FAMILY” Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
The question that may arise, was Noah any different than the rest of the evil world, the answer would have to be yes. But the question no doubt would be then, why was he different?
Genesis 6:9 These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with God.
That out of all the human’s that lived on the planet there was just one man living just before GOD? That seems to be the case. Noah was able to do this not because of something in his personal nature that made him any better than anyone else, but it was the prevenient and preventive grace of God upon his life.
The Lord kept Noah from carrying his sinful heart so that the purpose of God would continue in all the earth.
God told the King Abimelech who took Abraham’s wife into his house and would have taken her to his bed except God prevented it: You know the story Abraham told her to say she was his sister...so they would not take him and kill him for her.
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Genesis 20:5‑6 Said he not unto me, She [is] my sister? and she, even she herself said, He [is] my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. 6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
Oh that the times the LORD has kept us from doing things that has entered into our hearts, that would have done great damage. This my friends is the grace of GOD. It is he that makes the difference in our lives. It is not that we are so great and strong for we are weak. This why the Bible is filled with so many warnings to God’s people. Pray, read your bible, practice what it says... how hard it is for we Christians to do as we are told.
III.. “THE WARNING THE LORD GIVES” ..VS 7
1st. The origin of the warning... Of God..
The warning that God gave came out of his heart of sorry that he had made man upon the earth...Genesis 6:6‑7 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
This does not mean that God change his mind.. The word in the Hebrew means that he was “sorry” he made man upon the earth. Note that his sorry led to his
grief.
2nd. The reaction of Noah to this warning... vs 7
a. Things not seen..
That is there was nothing visible for Noah to discern that would make him do what the Lord had told him to do. He would not see the flood for one hundred and twenty years...
Here we have the beginning of faith taking hold of the revelation that the Lord had giving... This is why it says “ By Faith” here we have the application of faith.
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Once again faith defined.. It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.. No rain, no lightning, no thunder, nothing had occurred up to this time like that.
B. Moved with fear:
That is he respected the Lord’s word to him and believed it. The bible tells us over and over that respecting the Lord is our duty and the duty of all men. Solomon said..
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.
1st. It well with those that fear God: Ecclesiastes 8:12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his [days] be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:
2nd. Understanding the condition of ones heart produces fear for God in our hearts...
Luke 23:40‑42 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
C. Prepared the ark: vs 7
I do not believe that Noah preached to those in his day that if they would get into the ark God would spare them from his wrath. I believe they he just built the Ark as God told him and prepared it by faith to saving of his household and the things that God told him to put into the ark.
He was given a master plan, by the master himself. Noah could not have done what he did, except the Lord gave him the ability to do so.
D. Through this he condemns the world..vs 7
I like what Barnes said about this phrase: “That is, the wicked world around him. The meaning is, that by his confidence in God, and his preparation for the flood, he showed the wisdom of his own course and the folly of theirs. We have the same phrase now in common use, where one who sets a good example is
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said to "condemn others." He shows the guilt and folly of their lives by the contrast between his conduct and theirs. The wickedness of the sinner is condemned not only by preaching, and by the admonitions and threatenings of the law of God, but by the conduct of every good man. The language of such a life is as plain a rebuke of the sinner as the most fearful denunciations of Divine wrath.
E. Became heir of righteousness..
This righteousness is the same as all the people of God inherit from the LORD. He gives it to his people...for it is by faith we obtained. Like Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness..
Often people receive inheritance that they don’t deserve, simply because it was their lot to have it. Likewise Noah didn’t deserve what he received, he received it because God gave to him. The favor of the Lord fell on him. How this speaks of grace to us in Christ.
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Noah did not receive righteousness because he worked and built the Ark, he worked and built the Ark because God favored him and counted him righteous.
He did it by faith, we work not to be saved but because we are saved and God has counted us righteous.
Romans 4:6‑7 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 [Saying], Blessed [are] they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Next we will Talk about “ Faith Is Obedient”