THE LIFE THAT PLEASES GOD

SERIES: LIVING BY FAITH

TEXT: HEBREWS 11:4-7

The writer of Hebrews makes the point that faith is a practical thing-Hebrews 11:3- “By faith we understand that the words were made by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”

Faith is what allows us to understand what God does to see what others cannot see. As a result faith enables us to do what others cannot do.

Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen. In the Bible we have God’s word, His promises in writing.

The best way to grow your faith is to walk with the faithful.

The text today covers some pretty good, high stepping faithful people, (Abel, Enoch and Noah). The text introduces us to the first three inductees in what has been called “God’s hall of fame” or the “Role call of faith.”

Faith looks beyond to invisible realm through the word of God.

Faith acts on the basis of what God has said, the promises and guarantees that He has given. Today let us look at three people who lived their life by faith and lived lives that pleased God. Let us learn:-

ABEL-THE APPROACH OF FAITH-Heb. 11:4.

• Abel was the second born son of Adam and Eve, the young brother of Cain.
• What brought Abel into the “Hall of faith?” Abel answered the basic question of humanity, “How does a person approach God?”-Gen. 4:2-5.
• God has appointed that in order to approach Him, there must be a priest and a sacrifice.
• Cain and Abel grew up watching their father make regular blood sacrifice to YHWH as an offering for sin.
• The regularity was weak because the original language says “In the cause of time.” It means “at the end of days,” it could mean the ending day of the week, Saturday, the seventh day.
• The blood offering offered by Adam spoke symbolically of the sacrifice of sin that God would one day offer through Jesus on the cross.
• Abel received that revelation by faith when he brought the best lamb from his flock as a sacrifice.
• Abel understood that he was sinful, worthy of death because of his sin.
• The lamb was offered as a substitute for his sin.
• Unlike Abel, Cain rejected the revelation and followed his own reason.
• Cain brought to God a bloodless offering wheat, corn, potatoes, bananas etc.
• Cain made a mistake that he could come to God on his own terms.
• Cain represented all the bloodless religions of the world-Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam etc.
• Abel pleased God by coming to Him by faith in the blood that was offered before YHWH.
• Let us approach God through His own terms through the blood shed on calvary cross.
• Because of Abel’s sacrifice of blood (per God’s terms), he laid hold of a rich prize-he obtained a testimony of righteousness-Vs. 4.
• However, Abel’s faith did not mean Abel did not encounter troubles/problems.
• Abel was hated by his own brother, who later killed him.
• The first death on earth was because of religion.
• However, death is never the final word of a righteous man-Vs. 4.
• “And through faith, though he is dead, he speaks.”
• Cain is an example of all those who reject the way of faith (they embrace religion, good works, denominations etc).
• Abel’s life teaches us that the only way a sinner can approach God is by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.

ENOCH: THE WALK OF FAITH-Heb. 11:5.

• Enoch is the first man to enter heaven without dying-Gen. 5:21-24.
• Enoch was “taken up”-raptured to a higher place, change in position or carried across.
• Abel died a violent death at the hand of his brother. Enoch never died-God has a different plan for each one of us.
• Enoch walked with God, this implies compatibility. Amos 3:3. There was agreement, harmony, confession of sin! Confession means you agree with God concerning your condition, (sin, forgiveness, repentance).
• Walking with God means fellowship, relationship, devotion, love).
• Enoch lived in a wicked would, (violence, faithlessness, L.G.B.T.Q, hate etc).
• Enoch’s secret was attitude: I am going to walk with God no matter what is going on around me, going through what people think.
• Today, through the blood of Jesus Christ we have been “moved across, changed position, lifted higher”-Eph. 2:4-9.

NOAH THE ACTIVITY OF FAITH-Heb. 11:7.

• Noah teaches us that faith without works is dead- James 2:20
• By faith Noah worked not to be saved, but because he was saved.
• We are not saved by good works but for good works.
• God commanded Noah to build a large ship in the wilderness. No drop of rain, let alone flood.
• For 120 years Noah was building and preaching with no single convert, except his own family.
• Noah acted on the word of God-faith.
• In 1940 Dr. Percy Ray of Southern Baptist Home Mission (SBHM) build 2,000 seater church in the wilderness of Mississippi-No people, no city. Today-Camp Zion stands as the great christian assembly in America.

CONCLUSION-Heb. 11:6

• You cannot do anything in this world to gain favor with God except by faith.
• Abel teaches us that the only way a sinner can approach God is by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
• Enoch teaches us how to please God in our daily walk.
• Noah teaches us the importance of obeying God in the area of works.
• Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.