Latest / Simply Christ Podcast / Hebrews Part 35 - Simply Christ Bible Study

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Hebrews Part 35 - Simply Christ Bible Study · Simply Christ Podcast

0:05
OK, welcome to our weekly Bible study again guys, appreciate you
0:11
being on here. Tonight.
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We're going to inspect God's word and we're going to let it
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transform and dictate the way we live our lives.
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For the next hour we will discuss out of the book of
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Hebrews 11 and going to go through there and see what we
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can learn about faith will be this topic tonight probably.
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Like always, you can submit questions or comments via the
0:38
chat anytime you'd like or you can raise your hand digitally
0:42
and I can unmute you. I'll let you talk.
0:47
We are streaming this live the Facebook and YouTube like we
0:50
always do. You can find links to all those
0:52
places at www.simplychristbin.com or
0:56
Google Simply Christ Ministries. That's where everything is.
0:59
The pod links to the podcaster there as well.
1:02
Tonight we are studying, studying Hebrews.
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We are starting in Chapter 11. Verse 6 is where we're going to
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take off and get a, I'll get us kind of a running start into
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that some of what we learned last week.
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So before we do that though, Dad, would you lead us in a word
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of prayer? Sure, Father, we're grateful
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that you have made all things and that you have made us also
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God. We're know that every good and
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perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights and we worship
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you in the name of Jesus. We thank you for technology.
1:41
We pray that you would keep it working well tonight and that
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even through the miles and miles between us that you could work
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in the hearts of men and women that potentially will TuneIn and
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listen either live or afterwards.
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We ask God that you would reach them by your Spirit.
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For the sake of Christ, we pray this in His name, Amen.
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Amen. That's right, all because of
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him. All righty.
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So Hebrews 11 verse 6 says, but without faith it is impossible
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to believe him or he that cometh to God must believe that he is
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and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
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Beautiful words, love it. And you know, anybody that knows
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Hebrews and all, we'll realize that we're in what we call the
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faith Chapter 11. And so we were talking last week
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a lot about that already matter of fact, weeks before this is
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what the whole book of Hebrews actually points to is faith.
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It's been what we've been pointing to ever since we
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started this almost a year again.
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So we read verses like through faith, we understand that the
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world's were framed by the word of God so that things which are
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seen were not made of things which do appear.
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And we talked about how that faith is the the substance it's
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caused in verse one there that allows us to see these truths
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without, without faith, it would be impossible to recognize these
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truths that that God is showing us here in the Scripture.
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So anyway, with that, we'll bounce into verse 6 and I'll let
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you lead it off here. I made this comment last week
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that that faith, confidence in God is the, it's the thing that
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has always been like since mankind has been made.
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It's the thing that God has always been looking for.
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And I think he's kind of proved that to us because he starts
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with Abel. I mean, it does.
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We don't really have much of Adam and Eve after they sin
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other than their children. But but he starts with Abel, one
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of their kids, and says that he offered a more excellent
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sacrifice by his faith. And he only goes Abel and Enoch.
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And then he makes this comment verse 6 that without faith is
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impossible to please him. In other words, the comment I
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made last week was, is that all the people from the beginning of
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time, from Adam and Eve forward, all people that have pleased
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God, that have been accepted by God, all the people that Christ
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blood went back and cleansed their sins.
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They all had confidence in God, right?
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I mean, across the board, I mean everybody that that had their
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sins cleansed by the thing that Christ did, they all had faith.
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And that's why he says that in my opinion in verse 6.
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I think that's why he's bringing us in is because he's just
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started basically at the beginning and gave us a couple
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examples. And he makes this comment that
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without faith, it's impossible to please God.
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Like you have to have this confidence in God.
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You have to believe his words and and have a a willingness to
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like he's going to go on and give all these examples a
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willingness to believe what God says in spite.
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In fact, that's that's actually the very next verse is going to
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say you're going to have to be willing to believe something
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that you haven't even seen with your own eyes.
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So I just, I don't know, I think it's a great verse.
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It really is. It's a great it's kind of like
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one of the great starter verses to all these examples.
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Just making the point that everybody that did something
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that please God did it by faith and and it's impossible to
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please him without it. And then I'm sure, I'm sure you
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all will talk about it. I won't try to elaborate on the
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other, the definition that he gives of what that means to have
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faith. I think he gives us two things
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that are included in that faith and but I'll let you all talk
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about it. I'm sure you will.
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Yeah, Andrew. Yeah, and I, when I was looking
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at this, it really fired me up again and it just brings tears
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to my eyes to that God would be so merciful to show us in detail
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what he's looking for and exactly how we can do it and be
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pleasing to him. So I want to know the concept of
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faith and faith is always associated with a promise.
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God makes a promise and then the people that believe the promise
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and active on that promise, he calls that faith.
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That is faith. And he's going to he's using all
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these examples of these people that God told them something and
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it was not the reality, but they believed it and they acted on it
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and they moved and God imputed them righteousness.
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He blessed them. He they abounded like crazy, but
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they believed in a promise that they couldn't see.
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And that is the that is the essence of faith.
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And I just got to thinking in order for me to please God right
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now is to believe the promise and act on the promise that this
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he took my sins and remembers them no more.
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That the old man is crucified, flesh is destroyed while I'm
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still living in this flesh. Me believing and identifying
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myself as one that is alive from the dead skin problem is gone.
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I'm seated in heavenly places while I'm getting angry, while
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I'm getting frustrated with things in life.
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Everything in my life tells me other than what the promise is.
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The promise is, is that I'm delivered.
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The promise is that the victory's been won.
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The promise is that the Spirit of God is going to be in US and
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it's going to guide us and all truth.
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Yet I'm searching and fighting what is the truth?
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What is what is right? All the problems that we have
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don't seem like it's our reality.
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It's like, so sometimes we can allow that to discourage us and
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think we're not where God wants us to be.
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But when you look at these examples of faith, it was just
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like that to the point where Abraham laughed at God that the
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promise still stands that he's going to be a father of a great
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nation. Sarah laughed.
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It was tough. It was not.
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I think it was just like it is for us now, except maybe even
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worse to where the evidence of the promises, it's just so far
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out there that it's you'd simply have to believe in God in the
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one that promised. And when you do that, you walk
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in it and you identify with it. You don't let sin get you down.
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You don't let yourself be discouraged.
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You keep on believing and wanting to grow in the knowledge
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of him and walking in the things that he has promised us to know
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that that's what God is looking for.
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He's not looking for us to find where we're like, I don't know
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if you like this or not, but at the end here or quite a ways
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down, he says that these all died in faith, not receiving the
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promise. And it's like a reward, like,
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that's actually like a, like a, like he puts that in there as a,
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like a trophy deal. Almost like they, they, these
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guys all die believing without receiving the promise.
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If that is the essence of faith, if that is what God is looking
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for. And that is well pleasing to God
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that I'm, this gives me confidence to believe him
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regardless of my experience. And it's, it just brings tears
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to my eyes to know that it's OK. Like we are, we do, we're, we're
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believing God's promises. And that's what it is.
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Yeah, very simply. Very simply, Yeah.
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Damn. We'll probably get into some of
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this more in the next verses because faith moves people.
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Like Noah was warned and then he moved.
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Many people say they believe all sorts of things, but it doesn't
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affect them. It doesn't change anything.
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It doesn't actually have a motivating factor to it.
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If, if you believe, I don't know for any kind of crazy example,
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if you genuinely believe that your house is on fire, you're
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smelling it, you're seeing the light outside the window, you
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know, there's flames you're going to get out of the house.
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You know, like it's, it's like it's an absolute conviction.
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It's a full fully being fully convinced of something.
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And so many people say, yeah, Jesus died and rose again.
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Yeah, I believe the Bible is God's word.
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Yeah, I believe God. The the church is God's church.
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But it doesn't change anything. It doesn't actually affect them
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in any way. And and like we talked about
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before we started recording, you could tell somebody like that,
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hey, you got to start adding works to your faith.
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But all that's going to do is get them more tripped up and
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trying to figure out a way to become righteous before God.
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OK, Christ died and now I got to work to try to somehow meet
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that, that beautiful standard of righteousness, right?
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It just doesn't actually work. If you're not actually fully
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convinced deep in your soul, then you're not going to move.
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You're not going to start building the ark.
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Your life won't be changed. You won't be living like Andrew
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said, like your body is dead and you're freed from it.
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But if you're, if you're grounded and rooted in what he's
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actually done, then faith will do this thing, right?
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Like it says here that without faith, it's impossible to please
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him. If you're not convinced of what
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he's done, if you're not convinced of his goodness, if
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you're not actually genuinely seated in the grace of God that
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he has offered you, then you can talk about it all you want and
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even go out and evangelize other people, but it's not going to
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have that real lasting impact on your soul.
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But once you're fully convinced, you don't need to try to have
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faith. It's, it's something that takes
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over, right? You're convinced, you're
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absolutely grounded on it. But at the same time, throughout
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this book, he's been telling the believers, continue in the
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faith, keep believing, keep trusting.
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So there is something still about allowing that truth to
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continue to sink in so that you can be ever more changed
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according to it, right? So there's a lot that could be
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said. I won't go on for too long here,
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but if you do believe God, you're absolutely convinced of
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his goodness and what he's done through Christ, and you believe
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that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, then
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it will move you to seek him. Like if you're not seeking him
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well, then you clearly just don't believe it.
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But if you're seeking him, if you're pursuing him well, then
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you're convinced of something here, right?
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You're you're convinced that he's a rewarder of those that
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diligently seek him. I've heard it said that faith is
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the result of what you believe and that I kind of agree with
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that, like faith and believe, like John uses the word believe
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a lot instead of faith. But anyway, Melvin.
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Go ahead. Yeah.
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So, you know, so many times we focus on faith, right?
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We that's what we focus on and that and maybe that's not all
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bad necessary, but look what it says here.
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It says without faith is impossible to please him and so
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we look at faith that's all we focus on but what is he saying
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here says for he that cometh to God must believe that he is they
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believe so in other words, all these people that we're reading
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about here in Hebrews 11. They did not live their life
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thinking I am going I like about faith.
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They didn't walk around living thinking about faith.
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They just believe God and they, they believed God that he was a
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rewarder of him that didn't actually seek him, right?
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And, and they focused on God and, and they believed God.
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So therefore they moved, they, they'd actually did something.
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And so they didn't focus on faith necessarily.
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And so when we focus on God, faith comes out of that, right?
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And it happens automatically. And, and the other thing that I
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thought of is that, you know, so all these previous chapters, he
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was showing them why Jesus Christ is so much better than
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the law or than than the old covenant.
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And, and so I think, you know, here he's just pointing out what
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faith is. But I, I like what you were
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saying, Andrew, that you know, what is, what should I be, what
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does my faith look like? And that is believing that what
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Christ did on the cross is enough to take away my sins.
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And in Romans 51, it says, therefore, being justified by
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faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
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by whom also Jesus Christ, we have access by faith into this
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grace where when we stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory
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of God. See there it is again, the focus
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is Jesus Christ and is God is not necessarily on the faith, so
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to speak. I'm not trying to to make light
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of faith, but I think I that's what we need to focus on is, is
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God and Jesus what he did and then we and then the faith will
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produce, right? Yeah, yeah, that's what I was
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actually reading tonight, was those verses there in Romans,
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how often faith and promise are together.
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And that is where I would have, I would say, the same thing.
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Faith is kind of the result of believing God.
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You then move in faith. It's almost like a fruit in a
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way. Maybe not, maybe not.
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Result. I told you I know what you mean
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and I agree with it. I already explained that.
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But the other interesting thing is that I forgot to mend.
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I'll go ahead. No.
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No, you've finished. When I don't know, I'm well,
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I've heard you guys listen to a bunch of podcast to some and
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stuff, and I've listened to where Jordan Peterson is at.
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I know how many of you guys know about him, but it just strikes
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me and sorry, going from completely religious people to
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people like Jordan Peterson out at the element of faith is where
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they stall. Like that's where the disconnect
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is at. They just cannot get the concept
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like Joe Rogan, the idea of faith.
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Let me explain it to me that it makes sense.
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Give me a method, give me a program, give me a way that I
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can reconcile it with my eyes and my ears and my fingers.
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Let me let explain it to me. But the gospel is something that
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you see and hear and believe it. You can't, you can't.
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It's not something you can just show somebody.
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They have to seek God, believe that He is, and have faith in
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his promises. And you're relying on God
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drawing you to himself by His Spirit.
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And it's something that happens that it's some when you yield
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yourself to him and you're you're you're you're drawable,
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you're movable because you've been humbled and you know you're
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right for salvation. And some point you enter in and
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it's just strikes me how faith is the thing that hang up and we
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need to get that out. Like the disconnect.
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I just sometimes want to shout when the readers, they're
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struggling. It's like.
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Come on, I know. What the problem is, you know.
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Yeah, Dad, you had something. I was just going to say that
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even in a secular world, I hear a lot of people talk about true
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believers. They're not even referring to
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Christians, but let's say someone who is maybe a hardcore
18:51
leftist and really genuinely believes all the LGBT nonsense
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or firmly believes in communism as the actual true way to a
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peaceful and prosperous society. You can tell when somebody
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genuinely believes it or they're just kind of repeating someone
19:07
else's stuff. And in Christianity is no
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different. You can, you can say all the
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stuff, you can go to church and, you know, put on the clothes and
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do the right things, but it's so quick to see someone gets up
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behind the pulpit, even like, are you actually convinced?
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Is there any conviction behind what you're saying?
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Are you actually really trying to persuade someone that, hey,
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God is actually a rewarder of those that diligently seek him
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and, and he is coming back and, and Christ did rise from the
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grave. You know, you can tell very
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quickly if someone is a genuine believer, not just because they
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speak with a an excitable tone either, like some people have
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practiced excitingly, but there's no conviction behind
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their words, right? They're not actually living
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based on it. And so I'm not trying to have
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faith, I'm just genuinely. Convinced of this stuff?
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That's right. Amen.
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And you know where you stand, like the first Melvin Red?
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Yeah, that's where we stand. When you're, when you're
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genuinely convinced, Paul says that you will not be tossed to
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and fro like, like the waves, you know?
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So. And, and, and I was just going
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to say before we leave this verse that we often kind of
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forget where the verse is at. But like we said, they're this,
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he's dealing with people that are obviously being tempted to
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go away from Christ and back what they were to what they used
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to do, which was also some religious act.
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But I think it's interesting because he would promise them a
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new body. A going and preparing a place
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for them that where he is, he would, you know, that they would
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be also. And then he says, you know, if
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you're going to have faith, if you're going to believe in God,
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you've got to believe that he's real and that he's actually
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going to follow through with his promises, right?
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I mean, in other words, this is real to these people.
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You know, this would be real to anybody that is being persecuted
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for their faith. It's a very real thing to say to
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them. Listen, God's going to keep his
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word you. I mean, he is he does notice
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you. You know, it's kind of like
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because I was just thinking this is you always talking.
21:21
It's one thing to thought to say that the universe has an
21:25
intelligent designer, but to say that he's actually concerned
21:30
with it after he gets done making it is another thing with
21:33
every individual, right? I mean he you have to believe
21:36
that God is and that he's a rewarder of them that diligently
21:40
seek him. That means he didn't just make
21:43
it and walk away and doesn't know what's going on with the
21:46
people there. He actually knows the people and
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he is going to reward those that are seeking him.
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You know, that's very personal, right?
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But, and like I said, I think that would be relevant to this,
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to the actual people he's riding to, you know?
22:02
Yeah, yeah, that's good. I, I like that, you know,
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personally, I don't, I don't know that I would ever really
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advise someone like or tell them to have more faith, you know?
22:15
Yeah, exactly. What I, what I mean by that is
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I, I think faith is a byproduct of what you believe, what I said
22:21
earlier. So if you want to have great
22:24
faith, trust God, believe in his work to the bank and and live on
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it and you will find yourself to be a faithful person.
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There you go. You know, like if you, if you
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read this first, you know, it says without faith it is
22:39
impossible please him. And then like in reverse, you
22:43
must believe that he is and you must believe that he's a
22:45
rewarder of those that diligently seek him.
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If you do those two things, you'll have faith whether you
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like it or not. Amen.
22:55
Such a much better way of putting it there, Leon.
22:57
I appreciate it. I guess I would say this so you
23:02
could, because I see this in in Moses's life.
23:07
He's actually a great example. Is there there is such a thing
23:11
as more faith, though. I'm like, you don't know that I
23:14
would tell somebody to go get it because they would be trying to
23:16
stir it up. But it I'll tell you what it's
23:19
like. It's like when I go to work for
23:22
somebody logging, for instance, that's that's actually a good
23:25
example, logging for somebody and they don't know me.
23:29
Well, loggers, at least around here, don't have the best name
23:32
ever was it's actually kindly a it's actually a kindly a known
23:37
fact that lot that a lot of loggers in my area will steal
23:41
timber from somebody or whatever.
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Well, the way a person gets more faith in me is being is seeing
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that I'm paying them for all the logs I'm harvesting, right.
23:53
So I do think that people get, they grow in faith sin, not
23:58
because you're stirring more of it up, but as you learn who God
24:02
is, you do grow in your faith because you, you say, you make,
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you may timidly say, I think he can be trusted, but the more you
24:13
know him, just like Abraham, I mean, he's a great example of
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that. Or just like Moses as he goes
24:19
through, he's begging God not to send him and is not sure what's
24:24
going to happen and saying they're not going to follow me.
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They're not going to listen to me to saying when they're at the
24:29
Red Sea, stand back and watch what God's going to do, right.
24:33
So he did grow greatly in his faith, but it was only because
24:36
he got to know God better. And stuff so.
24:39
It's not like you can work it up, but there is such a thing as
24:42
knowing God better and being more convinced that He is
24:45
faithful. That's right, but.
24:48
Yep, 100% I agree with that. Yep, all all of our
24:51
relationships are actually built on this same concept.
24:54
Like the only reason you have a friend is because you trust
24:57
them. That's right.
24:58
I like, I, I would never believe that my wife would be unfaithful
25:03
to me. And it's not because I'm trying
25:04
to convince myself she's going to stay faithful.
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She's going to stay faithful. Like, no, like it's just like,
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it's a completely inconceivable thought in my head.
25:13
Like, no, of course not. She just never ever would.
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I just know it. I know her character.
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I know the quality of her relationship to me.
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I know how how much she cares for me and my kids.
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It's just, there's no way, right?
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And when somebody does break the faith of a relationship, it's
25:28
extremely hard, if not impossible to repair at times.
25:31
Like where do you go from there? The faith is broken.
25:33
I no longer trust in you. And so if you believe that God
25:37
is and that He's a reward of them, that diligently seek him
25:40
and don't give up on his program and what He has put before you,
25:44
right? No.
25:45
Amen. It's tough.
25:48
All right. Let's see what it says about
25:51
Noah says by faith Noah be warned of God, of things not
25:56
seen as yet moved with fear prepared and part to the saving
26:02
of his house by the which he condemned the world and became
26:06
heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
26:10
I like it that he says being warned of God of things not seen
26:15
as yet. You know, you got to think about
26:18
what the land looked up like when Noah got this order from
26:24
God. Go ahead, Aaron.
26:27
I was actually, and I've never really thought about it in this
26:29
exact way, but you know, I'm assuming since Noah believed
26:36
God's warning about him, about God getting ready to destroy the
26:39
world, I'm assuming that he would also have believed the
26:44
history of the world up to this point.
26:47
In other words, he would have known.
26:50
I don't know how the timeline works out there.
26:52
I don't know if he would have known Adam's sons or if he was
26:56
born while Adam was still alive. I don't remember how that works.
26:59
But he, he knows a very short history of the world, right?
27:04
I mean, in other words, I'm assuming, and I think this is
27:07
accurate to assume that he would believe that God made Adam and
27:11
Eve and that him he is a descendant down the line from
27:16
them and that the world's only been around for a few 100 years,
27:21
right? I mean, or whatever it is 15112.
27:23
I don't even know what it is, but just a short while.
27:26
I mean, in the, in, in reality, and for him to believe that God
27:31
made it and it lasted this short a time and now I'm going to
27:37
destroy everything that I've made by water is quite an
27:40
astounding belief, really. I mean, if you think about it,
27:43
you know, I mean, for him to, for him to think about, you
27:49
know, God's going to, to, he's going to undo all this that he's
27:54
made here and all the people that I see and all this that
27:58
actually was quite astounding faith for him to just say, you
28:02
know, God said he's going to do it.
28:04
I mean, I think things are pretty beautiful.
28:07
And I can't believe he'd tear this up so quick.
28:09
But but, but he believed it, right?
28:12
He was, he believed the warning. And, and it's like, it's like we
28:16
said about having confidence. This is actually a very good
28:19
definition of it. God says to Noah, I'm going to
28:23
destroy the world, I'm going to bring a flood and wipe everybody
28:26
out. You better get to build the
28:27
boat. And he just has enough
28:29
confidence to say, I think God means what he says, right?
28:33
That's a pretty good definition of faith.
28:35
I believe God means what he says, and I better start
28:38
building a boat. And I just, I don't know, I just
28:41
thought I just hadn't really considered all the factors in
28:45
that of Noah, thinking about the history of the world, how short
28:49
a time it's been around, and that God would actually this
28:51
quickly, you know, start over. Right, it's good.
28:56
Andrew yeah, that's so good. The other angle that I was
29:02
thinking about is comes back to what we already talked about a
29:06
little bit was the fact that faith, if you actually believe,
29:10
then it will show. So a lot of religious people
29:14
will say they believe the gospel with their works, deny it.
29:19
If you believe that Jesus Christ took all of our sins away, then
29:27
why are you doing confessions? If you believe that you're dead
29:33
to the world, then why are you obsessed with things of this
29:36
world? And you have all kinds of
29:37
ordinance and rules about the things of this world.
29:40
If your heart has been circumcised, you believe that,
29:43
you say you believe it, but then it works.
29:47
And your fruit, your actions tell me you don't believe it.
29:51
You don't have faith in it. You don't have faith in the work
29:54
of Christ in that based on the way you do.
29:58
So you what it's worth. Jesus had a problem with the
30:01
religious people is they say with their mouth, they honor me
30:05
with their lips, but their heart is far from them.
30:08
That God is trying to get us to believe him, believe him and
30:12
then walk in faith like Noah did, where we actually act on.
30:18
So we can't say we believe that our sins are all gone and then
30:22
try to figure out a way how to keep our sins all gone.
30:25
That's just dumb. Like that just means you're not
30:28
believing it. And that goes all across the
30:30
board with the things that Christianity.
30:33
But the thing, the Christianity that Christ has provided for us,
30:37
like he says, will be guided by his Spirit.
30:39
The children of God are led by the Spirit.
30:41
And if you don't have the Spirit, you're none of his.
30:43
So why are we being led by bishops, churches, deacons,
30:47
whatever? You know, the people want to be
30:51
led by a man, by men. When God says his people are led
30:56
by his Spirit, can you be led by both?
31:01
That can be debated, but I think we forget that God wants each
31:08
individual to be led by His Spirit.
31:10
So are we going to do the Noah thing here?
31:13
Are we going to do the carnal thing here?
31:16
Are going to be spiritual minded or at faith?
31:21
There's a verse I wanted to read in light of this as well.
31:24
In first Peter it says blessed be God and father of our Lord
31:30
Jesus Christ was according to his abundant mercy has begotten
31:34
us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
31:37
from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible.
31:41
You know do we believe that undefiled that fadeth not away
31:45
reserved in heaven for you. The way we act and the things
31:49
that we do will tell us tell whether we actually believe that
31:54
or we're just saying that with our mouth.
31:57
It says who are kept by the power of God through faith unto
32:00
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
32:05
Do we have that kind of hope settle into our hearts where we
32:08
know that we're ready we're ready to be revealed based on
32:12
the work that Christ has done. Our faith in that work secures
32:18
us to the point where we're sitting here ready when you
32:20
could greatly rejoice, though now for a season of neat be are
32:24
in heaven and through manifold temptation that the trial the
32:28
trial of your faith. There were faith is being tried
32:31
being much more precious than of gold that perish is going to be
32:35
tried with fire might be found on the praise and honor and
32:39
glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
32:42
Now there's the verse I wanted to get to that is pretty much
32:45
what we just read here in Hebrews.
32:47
Whom having not seen you love, and whom though you now you see
32:51
him not yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and
32:55
full of glory. Noah went and acted on a promise
33:01
for these long things that God said without having any evidence
33:06
or seeing it never reigned before.
33:08
And I think that is, like Aaron was saying, one of the greatest
33:12
examples of faith, even maybe more so than Abraham, because
33:15
Abraham already knew the concept of children being born from
33:21
parents like man and woman. That's how a nation is built by
33:25
birth. But where Abraham then was tried
33:29
was is that because it went so long that they got so old that
33:33
it was already past the bearing age.
33:35
But this is more significant faith than I've ever realized
33:39
before. Right, Dad?
33:45
I just did a quick little search when Aaron was speaking.
33:48
Based on the timeline, it sounds like Lamech, Noah's father,
33:54
would have been about 50-6 years old when Adam died.
33:58
So it's a it's a pretty short timeline, like Noah's dad knew
34:01
Adam. That's that's.
34:03
Pretty interesting to think about.
34:06
But when I think about this verse, by faith being by no by
34:10
faith, Noah being warned of God, of things not seen as yet,
34:14
started with fear. He started building this ark,
34:18
doing something so extraordinary that didn't make any conceivable
34:22
sense to the people around him. There had never been rain from
34:25
the sky. There was no water near to where
34:27
he was building. And he's building this massive
34:29
thing that's going to eventually float.
34:32
And he knows that. And he's telling people that
34:34
God's going to judge the earth and he's going to destroy this
34:37
world with a flood. And this is how I'm going to
34:39
save the world, right? But if you were to ask Noah,
34:43
hey, why do you go to that job site every day and work on that
34:46
thing? Well, you know, God says we have
34:48
to obey him and we have to work hard and you have to try to
34:51
build this thing. It wasn't he wasn't trying to
34:54
obey God in that sense. Like, why do you go to church?
34:57
Well, then, you know, the Bible says we should go to church.
34:59
And I got to try to be good and got to read my Bible and pray
35:02
every day. And I'm trying to please God.
35:05
No, no, He was moved by fear. That's right.
35:08
Because because again, deep in his soul, he wasn't trying to
35:12
believe that God might do something.
35:14
He was 100% convinced. And it was the fear that there's
35:18
a flood coming that actually moved him to say, I'm gathering
35:21
wood. I'm going to start cutting stuff
35:23
up. I'm going to put this thing
35:25
together. I'm going to, I don't know how
35:26
I'm going to get that big log up there, but somehow it's getting
35:28
up there because there's a floods coming.
35:30
You know, it wasn't, it wasn't like he was going to church on
35:33
Sunday. It wasn't a religious thing.
35:36
It was actually genuinely moved and gripped by fear.
35:40
And, and I think we all probably lack in this regard, the message
35:45
of the gospel in the death, burial and resurrection is such
35:48
more powerful a message than God's going to destroy the earth
35:52
with the flood that it should actually genuinely move us.
35:55
Now. We're not building an ark, so it
35:58
doesn't look the same. What does the gospel cause you
36:01
to do? How does it make you move?
36:04
What is it? What does it actually put feet
36:06
to? Right?
36:06
Like if there is a genuine conviction that the gospel is
36:10
really, really true, the Christ did really rise from the grave
36:14
and he's coming back to receive us to himself.
36:17
What is it making you do that? How are you convinced of
36:21
something? And what does that conviction
36:23
cause you to? To walk in?
36:26
That's kind of what he's telling them here.
36:27
Like you guys began in faith in Christ and now you're going to
36:31
walk away from it. I thought, like Noah, you were
36:33
just genuinely convinced that Christ was truly the only way to
36:37
God and that that's what the the fear of God and the conviction
36:42
of God and the knowledge of what God has done should do.
36:44
It shouldn't really genuinely move us.
36:46
And I'm convicting myself just saying it, but that, you know,
36:49
Noah really genuinely moved out of fear.
36:54
Yeah, That's that's, that's good.
36:57
That's really good. Yeah.
37:00
So there's one thing that I see in here in this verse it says
37:07
than being warned of God of things not seen as yet mood with
37:12
fear. And I like what you're saying
37:14
there, Dan, if you looked at word actually fear there, one of
37:18
the other words is used as reverence.
37:21
So Noah had actually a reverence of God like he he didn't
37:26
necessarily maybe I mean, yes, he might have had some actual
37:29
fear, but he believed God and he had a reverence for God that
37:35
caused him to start building an ark, even though it didn't rain
37:41
up to that point, right. And then it says other thing
37:47
that nugget that I kind of get out of this verse is he the word
37:51
saving is in there to the saving of his house, of Noah's house.
37:57
And then it says also uses the word, and he became heir of the
38:02
righteousness, which is by faith.
38:05
And so because he had a fear and a reverence for God and caused
38:11
him to move to actually build this boat in the middle of a dry
38:16
land that never rained before. Through that his household was
38:23
saved and everyone else died, right?
38:26
And and through that, he became the heir of righteousness.
38:30
And so we just got done going through the last 9 or 10 verses
38:34
about how Christ is the ultimate high priest in that He is the
38:39
saving of our sins, the only way that we can be saved from our
38:45
sins. It made me think of John 316 and
38:50
17. We all know John 316 where it
38:52
says for God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten
38:55
Son that He was ever believing that Him should not perish but
38:58
have everlasting lot. But then verse 17, it says what
39:02
God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but
39:06
that the world through him might be saved.
39:08
So Jesus didn't come to condemn the road.
39:11
He came to save the world. And so like you were saying,
39:15
Dan, what, what am I doing? What are what are you doing with
39:19
the gospel with Jesus Christ? What are you doing with the
39:23
saving? The fact that Jesus died on the
39:26
cross for your sins so. Is it changing your life If it
39:33
if it's not causing you to act differently that I would
39:35
question what you're actually trusting there.
39:39
Yeah, for sure. What I was going to ask a
39:43
question there. What what do you think that he
39:47
means when he says that by which by the which he condemned the
39:53
world? Like do you think he just or are
39:57
you do you think he's just saying or I'll say say what I
40:00
think he's saying. See what you all like?
40:02
I think he's saying that the fact that he believed what God
40:07
had said, and I believe, I think that because he believed it, it
40:15
proves that other people could have believed it and God was
40:19
therefore just in condemning them.
40:22
You know, like God was just in condemning them for not
40:25
believing. He was just in bringing that
40:27
flood because one man did believe it and nobody else did.
40:31
But that was, you know, that kind of condemned it brought
40:35
condemnation on them because he was one man was willing to
40:38
believe it and other people wasn't.
40:40
What do you all think about that?
40:42
Like, yeah. He had this method, and if you
40:45
were not a part of this method and you were condemned, it was.
40:49
It wasn't him, it wasn't his fault, you know?
40:53
I use that quite often when I shared.
40:57
Try to share the gospel with somebody that is still works
41:01
minded. Is that what did what did the
41:07
animals have to do in order to not die in the flood?
41:13
Did they have to build the ark? No, they had to get in.
41:18
I mean, they had to get in. And what kept them from drowning
41:25
while they were in? Was it them in there keeping an
41:29
eye on the boat and paddling and trying to keep themselves afloat
41:34
by peddling the water to make? I didn't know they were relying
41:38
on the boat. They started to pretty good
41:41
gospel demonstration there, actually.
41:45
They were there in the boat. They're not trying to maintain
41:51
their floating position. They weren't trying to
41:56
constantly ask Noah. Hey, I don't know that tar.
42:02
You think it's wearing down? You think we should go check
42:05
that tar? They were assembly, resting and
42:11
waiting for the boat to sit back on a mountain and get back out
42:16
again. They won't.
42:18
And I think, I think it's faith, like I think it's accurate to
42:22
say that's a a good demonstration of the gospel
42:27
because of what we just went through with the offering of
42:30
Christ that takes away sins forever and has perfected
42:33
forever them that are sanctified.
42:35
There's no bone in me or will in me to now somehow maintain that
42:41
that offering did so much more than I could have ever done and
42:47
I can't perfect it. I can believe in it, walk in it,
42:51
rest in it and that's it. I I can't do anything to somehow
42:56
make it better or perfected. Anything else on that verse?
43:04
That's pretty clear. Perfect verse 8 by faith.
43:08
Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
43:12
should receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went
43:17
out not knowing whether he went. Same concept, different
43:22
character. Is there anything new that we
43:24
can learn from Abraham versus knowing this faith subject here?
43:31
The I guess one thing to me, because all these stories, like
43:35
you said, they all are showing their faith, but I do think
43:39
there's always a new concept in it.
43:44
Noah is given a blueprint, if you will.
43:47
God told him what to build and he at least had this vision of
43:54
here's my goal, right? That this is the thing that God
43:57
has said will float and take me up above the destruction.
44:03
And in Abraham's case, he's actually, this is a little
44:09
different story. And I think that everybody's
44:12
life is differently. In other words, you can some
44:14
people may relate to this concept of Noah and some may
44:18
relate to Abraham because Abraham's case, God just says
44:23
it's, it's over there. Like just just go over there.
44:28
He'd never been there. He didn't have a map of it.
44:30
He didn't look it up on Google before he left.
44:32
God just says, there is a place that I want you to go to and I'm
44:36
going to give it to you. And that's, that's that to me.
44:40
That's the significant thing is it says when he was called to go
44:43
out into a place which he should, after which he should
44:46
after received for an inheritance, obeyed and went out
44:50
not knowing whether he went. In other words, he actually,
44:53
that's the thing you can see this is my distinction between
44:57
the two. Noah says, all right, I know
45:01
it's going to wind up being this tall, this wide and all this.
45:04
What he hasn't seen is he hasn't seen the flood cut, right.
45:07
He's just building the thing based on the blueprint.
45:10
In Abraham's case, he doesn't know all the things that are
45:15
going to. He doesn't know what's over the
45:17
next Ridge. And I think that we can all
45:19
relate to that is life is very uncertain.
45:24
You don't know what's across the next Ridge, right?
45:27
God just says, keep on going. I'll show you where to go.
45:31
I'll show you where to go. Just believe me that when you
45:35
get there, you're going to like it, right?
45:38
So, and I just think that that to me, that's very relatable
45:42
because I don't know what the future holds, right?
45:44
I mean, I get surprised all the time.
45:46
I never dreamed this would happen.
45:47
I never, you know, like people say that I never dreamed this
45:50
was kind of and I never thought this would happen to me or this
45:54
thing was going to happen. But he just says just go, just
45:58
take the next step. I actually had this lesson one
46:00
time about it was actually about, oh, Hagar that she she's
46:09
out here. She's about ready to, I mean,
46:10
she's getting ready to drink the last of the water and eat the
46:12
last of the food. And then she's going to just let
46:14
her and Ish or yeah, Ishmael just starved to death and God
46:22
opens her eyes to see this water after he speaks to her and all.
46:27
The next step, the only next step there is, is to go fill up
46:31
the water bottle, right? I mean, that's it.
46:34
She don't know what's going to happen after that.
46:36
She don't know what the next thing is.
46:38
But then but the first step is so simply just go fill that
46:42
water bottle. And I would encourage anybody to
46:44
look at it that way. He didn't.
46:47
You don't have to have, you're not going to have the whole
46:51
Google map of how long it's going to take you to get there
46:54
and all the stops in between and all the roads in between.
46:57
Just do the next thing, go the direction God is leading you and
47:03
take the next step, right? I mean that that's what I see in
47:06
Abraham. He went out not knowing whether
47:08
he went. He didn't know what was ahead of
47:10
it. He just said God just said go
47:12
and he went. And so now that that's what I
47:15
appreciate about that verse. It's good, Andrew.
47:20
Yeah, the we've been talking a lot about our response to
47:25
believing. And here Abraham's response was
47:28
he obeyed and he went out. He didn't sit there saying,
47:32
talking to people how he believes it or God told him to
47:36
go out. And he's so proud of that.
47:38
God would put, you know, that that responsibility on him.
47:42
And you know, I'm going to go out but never goes out.
47:46
But he actually obeyed and went out.
47:50
And that's the consistency that I want.
47:53
I want that consistency when I believe that Christ is the
47:57
answer, that I'm not putting my faith or trust in anything else.
48:01
Because then we'd be inconsistent.
48:02
We would not be obeying that truth and moving with fear in
48:07
that truth. There's a verse here I want to
48:11
read it in Romans 1423 says and he that doubteth is damned if he
48:17
eat, because he eateth not of faith.
48:19
But whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
48:22
And in Galatians 312 And the law is not of faith, but the man
48:26
which doeth then shall live. And then so if I know that the
48:30
law is not of sin, and if I doubt, and for instance, let's
48:39
say somebody made a chair and they want me to sit in it, and
48:47
I'll say, Oh yeah, that chair will hold me up, but I'll refuse
48:50
to sit in it. You know, I claim to have faith.
48:54
I claim the belief that that chair is made for human beings.
48:58
I look at the structure and it there's no reason it shouldn't
49:02
hold me up, but I refuse to sit in it.
49:07
Or if I do sit in it, I move it to a place where I know that if
49:10
it falls, I'll be fine. It's just a lot of inconsistent
49:16
unbelief that is everywhere in the churches.
49:20
It's everywhere in Christianity, which is probably one of my most
49:24
frustrating things I deal with in Christianity and ministry is
49:28
that we say one thing, but then we come back and deny the thing
49:31
that we just claim that we believe.
49:36
If the law is not of faith, then why are you trying to keep
49:39
certain parts of the law? If it's not a faith?
49:42
And if you claim to have faith, then you're inconsistent and God
49:47
says you're a liar, Then you know you're a liar and a
49:50
hypocrite if you say you have faith but then go back to the
49:53
law. And that's what they're dealing
49:55
with here in the book of. So I say we need to fear and
49:59
move and act based on what we actually say and be consistent
50:03
and stop being pushovers. And when our faith seems to fall
50:08
short, we then rely back on the law again to kind of keep us on
50:11
the straight and narrow because we gave up on faith.
50:14
We gave up on believing God. We gave up on the Spirit of God
50:17
leading men and we try to lead them by force or our own
50:21
convictions and rules and commandments and doctrines of
50:24
men versus relying on the spirits.
50:27
We need to trust the Spirit of God like we say we do and trust
50:31
people trust. It's like if people don't follow
50:34
the Spirit of God, then that's still the only way.
50:37
We can't then give up on the idea of the spirit and faith.
50:41
Let's be consistent. That's right.
50:46
I find it interesting that Noah's story and Abraham's story
50:51
are so significantly different. In a Noah's story, God basically
50:56
says you're the last hope for society, for all of humanity.
51:00
I'm going to have you build an ark and you're the only one
51:03
that's going to make it you and your household.
51:05
And eventually he brings along these animals.
51:07
Or whether or not Noah thought because he did preach
51:09
righteousness, he tried to convince people of this.
51:12
So maybe he recognized that there was room for more than
51:14
just him. But it was a matter of life and
51:16
death. And he was absolutely moved by
51:19
fear to the point where he built the ark.
51:22
Abraham gets something totally different said to him.
51:24
And God says to him, I will make thee a great nation, I will
51:26
bless thee, make thy name great, Thou shalt be a blessing.
51:29
I will bless them to bless thee, curse them that curseth thee,
51:32
and so on and so forth. So he has all these
51:34
extraordinary lofty things that will happen to him if he goes
51:38
this direction. But the result or the action
51:42
that Noah and Abraham took was both based on this same idea.
51:48
I believe that God is good and that he will reward me if I
51:51
diligently seek him. And so Noah moved and built an
51:55
ark by fear. Abraham literally left off his
51:58
possessions, his wealth, his worldly goods, and he lived in
52:01
an in a tent for the rest of his life, always looking for a city
52:05
whose builder and maker is God. And he just, he actually just
52:09
moved like he, he didn't just sit around like Andrew said and,
52:12
and talk about how I'm going to be moving.
52:14
I'm going to be the father of a great nation.
52:16
He, he just started moving. Like there, there was a deep
52:18
conviction, again, the same concept that we've been talking
52:21
about the whole time, that there was a, a fully convinced mind in
52:26
Abraham to the point where his feet started moving.
52:30
And if you don't, if your feet aren't moving, then I would
52:32
question whether your heart is convinced.
52:34
Because once your heart's convinced, your feet will just
52:36
start, right? Like it's just what you do.
52:40
Yeah, if I'm convinced there's a bear running after me, I'm
52:42
moving. Yeah.
52:46
Yeah, Melvin, go ahead. Yeah, and it says in Genesis 12,
52:51
it says, Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, Get thee out of
52:54
the country and from the kindred and from the father's house and
52:58
into a land that I will show you.
53:01
So in other words, God said, I'm going to show you this land, but
53:05
I want you to get out. I want you to depart.
53:08
And and then it says a little few verses down, it says that he
53:13
departed. And that's what it's saying here
53:17
in Hebrews 11/8. And like you pointed out then is
53:20
so quite a bit different than Noah, but it says and it says he
53:27
obeyed. That's like one of the keys is
53:30
that to me is that the word obeyed, he obeyed.
53:34
And by obeying, he started moving.
53:38
He it says, and he went out not knowing whether he went like he
53:43
doesn't. He didn't know how this is all
53:45
going to work out, but he went and he obeyed and he went.
53:50
And so, so many times when we, you know, we brag about faith or
53:58
we think we have a lot of faith maybe, but then we don't do
54:03
something because we're not sure how it's all going to work out.
54:06
And if we're convinced that God is, is, is good and that he is a
54:12
rewarder, then it didn't seek him.
54:14
And we're convinced that what God is asking us to do is from
54:20
God and, and we're just not doing it or just sitting there,
54:26
we're not obeying it and we're not moving.
54:30
Then that's a problem. So that I just see that's what
54:34
he's pointing out here. He's he's just pointing out with
54:37
all these different stories, the different ways that these
54:41
patriarchs reacted or or how should I say that?
54:45
Not reacted, but but the different ways that they move by
54:51
faith, like they all move. They all did something,
54:55
something happened. They didn't just sit there.
54:58
So no. No, that's good.
55:00
And that kind of goes with what Cameron's saying here.
55:04
And I, I thought about that earlier too, that the people are
55:07
different, there's different personality types and God picks
55:09
enough samples to appeal to the personalities that would here
55:12
believe that could very well be a part of his reason for
55:16
including all these different. And we get we get to some
55:20
seemingly kind of odd examples. Even, but I've got some verses I
55:25
would like to share with what I was saying so he will know that
55:29
I'm not just being obnoxious about obeying the gospel.
55:35
It's actually used in Romans twice.
55:38
It says in Romans 617, But God be thanked that you were the
55:41
servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the art that form of
55:46
doctrine which was delivered you and then in Romans 1016, but you
55:50
have not all obeyed the gospel. For I says saith the Lord, yet
55:55
who had believed our report, which is how I helped put that
55:58
in there. Yeah, yeah.
56:01
Good distinction there. Ah, I'm going to read night and
56:03
ten. I debated whether I want to read
56:05
this all together with eight, but I read night and 10 here
56:10
together. By faith he serjoured in the
56:12
land of promise, as in a strange country dwelling in tabernacles
56:16
with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.
56:22
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder
56:26
and Baker is God. I don't know if that I mean, we,
56:30
we kind of said a lot of those things already.
56:33
He was moved, he went out, he serjeared in the land, stuff
56:38
like that. Is there anything else in these
56:40
two verses here in the last four minutes that that strikes you as
56:44
being important to talk about? Just the especially verse 10,
56:52
because he's, he's obviously looking for something greater
56:57
than what he's running across. I mean, in a very literal sense,
57:02
he's really, you know, he's looking for something that that
57:08
God has promised and he never actually finds it, though he,
57:14
you know, he walks through the land that God's promised.
57:16
But I mean, I think verse 10 plainly says that he looked for
57:19
a city which has foundations whose builder and makers God,
57:23
you know, he was looking. I think that's the point of
57:26
verse 9. He was just a stranger in the
57:29
land, You know, like he's he's promised the land.
57:33
He doesn't actually own any of it.
57:35
He's just walking around in it and he's looking for something
57:39
ahead. And I think that all these,
57:42
that's kind of what his conclusion later on is, is that
57:45
all these people died in faith, having not having received the
57:50
promises. So, you know, seeing something
57:53
afar off and being moved and willing to follow that leading
57:59
of God into unknown lands is that's, that's noble.
58:05
That's that's a very high thing in God's eyes.
58:09
It is Edward. I just like the example of him
58:15
leaving all his worldly belongings for the Kingdom and
58:20
builder and for a city that is not here another country.
58:25
I think it's the same way for us, but we can get this concept
58:28
that the material thing should not have any bearing on our
58:32
decision with the country that we're seeking.
58:36
Yeah, good point, Sam. Yeah, Hebrews 1034 told us that
58:42
knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an
58:46
enduring substance. So it's very impressive that
58:50
Abraham left his family and his belongings behind, or some of
58:53
his belongings, but his, his purse, like his community and
58:57
everything behind, that's very impressive.
58:59
But it's actually more impressive that he sojourned in
59:02
that land in a strange country, living in tabernacles with his
59:07
sons, Isaac and his grandson Jacob, and just continuing that
59:11
way. So it's a great example of
59:12
continued faith, or the idea of faith stretched out over years
59:17
and years and even couple generations here looking for a
59:20
city that literally does not exist on this earth.
59:23
It's a city in heaven that he's looking for.
59:26
And he refuses. He refuses to settle down to
59:30
what his visual reality is. He doesn't one day just said,
59:34
you know what? I've searched every area.
59:51
In his mind and his heart, and it moved him to live his whole
59:54
life in light of that reality. Yep.
1:00:00
Melvin. Yeah, I just want to point out
1:00:02
that it when I read this it, it shows me that Abraham had a
1:00:07
greater vision than just himself and where he currently was,
1:00:13
right. So he moved, you know, because
1:00:18
God promised. But but he had a greater vision,
1:00:22
says he's looked for his city, which had foundations who filter
1:00:25
and makers God. And so his his vision was God
1:00:30
and who? Here is a rewarder.
1:00:31
Of them that did it and he seek him and that's that was that
1:00:36
convicting to me because so many times we I tend to look at you
1:00:41
know where I'm at the circumstances.
1:00:43
I mean what I am feeling right now, and that's how I I react
1:00:48
out of that, so to speak, when I should be looking at the greater
1:00:54
vision of what God wants and that this whole this world and
1:00:59
all these things around me really isn't as significant as I
1:01:03
think it is. Yeah, it really depends, Melvin,
1:01:07
on what your focus actually is, is what you see.
1:01:12
You know, like if you are looking through binoculars and
1:01:15
you crack the zoom all the way in, you can see that chain link
1:01:18
fence. But if you zoom out on that bird
1:01:20
that's 300 yards out, that tree, that fence that's right in front
1:01:24
of you will actually disappear in your, in your focus.
1:01:27
I, I wish we could, we could live our lives that way that we
1:01:31
would be so focused on God that the things around us grow
1:01:34
strangely dim as the that's all good.
1:01:37
That's, that's good stuff. So, yeah, keep your eyes on God.
1:01:41
I think he is a very able rock that that is that is going to
1:01:46
stay there for a long long. Time so anyway.
1:01:50
All right, we are out of time, so I'll close with this as we
1:01:54
conclude today's study. Remember Hebrews 11/1, we were
1:01:57
just talking about that faith is the substance of things hoped
1:01:59
for, the evidence of things not seen.
1:02:02
And I pray that your faith would reveal biblical truths more
1:02:05
clearly, even though your physical eyes can see the things
1:02:07
around you. Join us next Monday as we look
1:02:10
at God's Word through the substance of faith.
1:02:12
God bless you guys. Thanks for your time.
1:02:14
I look forward to next week.