Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Hebrews 11:1-3

Transcript

Hebrews 11:1-3 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Please join me in your copy of God's Word in Hebrews chapter 11.
0:09
!
0:30
In our study last Lord's Day, the author of this letter to the war-weary Hebrew believers gathered in a home on the outskirts of Rome,
0:42
encouraged them by reminding them of their past faithfulness in suffering.
0:49
This church had suffered. We know this both historically and we know it from this text itself.
0:56
They had endured a hard struggle with sufferings.
1:02
And I fear in our study of the book of Hebrews that it may become distant for some people.
1:08
That it's so far removed from your experience that you don't really know exactly how it might speak to you.
1:16
And in some sense it doesn't.
1:19
Many of us don't pursue Christ the way we ought to and therefore don't experience the suffering.
1:26
of Christ.
1:28
We've not really wrapped our minds around the fact that the way of Jesus is the way of suffering.
1:34
That a student is not greater than his teacher.
1:37
That we are meant to be a people who are filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ.
1:43
That we would suffer well in this world to show people that we have a hope that is beyond this world.
1:49
But I think all of us who are following Jesus will experience discomfort in this place.
1:57
You know some of you have family that are strongly against your Christian faith.
2:04
Or your devotion to the Bible.
2:08
Some of us are seen as so weird by other people who profess to follow Christ.
2:13
Because we actually take his commands seriously.
2:16
We don't live however we want as the world lives.
2:20
But we live the way we believe God would have us to live.
2:24
And we do experience this push back and this discomfort.
2:28
So we can find ourselves in this text.
2:32
And I believe in coming years we're going to find ourselves more and more in this text.
2:38
We're going to relate in higher order to these early Christians.
2:44
So I hope you won't set aside the text.
2:46
And believe that it doesn't have anything to say for you today.
2:50
And so this author is writing.
2:55
Last week we looked at.
2:56
To encourage them to press on in their faith.
3:01
And he does so by reminding them of the way they had been faithful in the past.
3:08
He says beginning in verse 32 of chapter 10.
3:11
Recall the former days when after you were enlightened.
3:14
You endured a hard struggle with suffering.
3:17
Sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction.
3:21
And sometimes being partners with those so treated.
3:25
For you had compassion on those in prison.
3:26
And you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property.
3:29
Since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
3:35
Therefore do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward.
3:40
For you have need of endurance.
3:43
So that when you have done the will of God.
3:45
You may receive what is promised.
3:49
He's saying in overly simple words of my own.
3:53
Press on.
3:55
Keep at it.
3:58
Prove yourself to have placed faith in Christ by remaining faithful.
4:05
And then he cites Habakkuk chapter 2 verses 3 and 4.
4:09
In verses 37 and 38 of Hebrews chapter 10.
4:12
He says.
4:12
Yet a little while.
4:14
And the coming one will come and will not delay.
4:18
But my righteous one shall live by faith.
4:22
And if he shrinks back.
4:23
My soul has no pleasure in him.
4:27
He speaks of the coming return of Christ.
4:30
That one day future hope for those who are in Christ.
4:35
And that place of absolute dread for those who are not.
4:40
And then he declares of them in verse 39.
4:44
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed.
4:49
But of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
4:53
So pastoral he says to them.
4:56
But we are not those.
4:58
Right?
4:58
We are those who preserve their souls by faith.
5:03
And it is in this context.
5:06
That he speaks.
5:07
The words and the beginning of Hebrews chapter 11.
5:11
Right?
5:11
The need for them and for us.
5:14
To persevere by faith amidst the cruelty of this world.
5:18
That he begins the glorious chapter 11.
5:21
Where he lays out example after example after example.
5:25
Of people who have gone before with persevering faith.
5:32
He would have them and us unite with the words written in James chapter 1 verse 2 and 3.
5:40
Where James writes,
5:41
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.
5:46
For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
5:53
It produces endurance.
5:56
That we would be faithful to the end.
6:01
And so he begins this chapter about faith.
6:04
And all of these examples of faith by defining what he means by faith.
6:12
So join me in Hebrews chapter 11 verses 1 through 3.
6:18
Beloved, this is God's word to us written for his glory and our good.
6:22
We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
6:29
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for.
6:33
Remember, the conviction of things not seen.
6:36
For by it the people of old received their commendation.
6:40
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God.
6:44
So that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
6:49
If you like to take notes or just like to get some structure in your head.
6:54
The outline, simple outline for this morning is number one, faith's definition.
6:58
Number two, faith's commendation.
7:02
Because I couldn't think of a better word.
7:04
And number three, faith's foundation.
7:08
So faith's definition, commendation, and foundation.
7:13
First, faith's definition found in verse 1.
7:17
Now I think it's important to say that this is not an exhaustive definition.
7:21
There is much that can be said concerning the matter of faith and faithfulness.
7:29
The Bible has a lot to say about this.
7:32
And I think we can be over-reductionary if we just say this is the full and final definition on what faith is.
7:40
But it is certainly meant to be a definition, maybe a description for this context.
7:46
What is he talking about when he uses the word faith again and again and again throughout the rest of the chapter?
7:55
By faith, by faith, by faith.
7:58
You'll see it over and over and over again.
8:01
Think of this definition as a description of faith that perseveres to the end.
8:09
And he says to us that faith is sure.
8:15
It is confident.
8:18
He says it's the assurance of things hoped for.
8:23
Now the word here translated assurance in the ESV translation I think most of us have.
8:30
You may have another.
8:31
You may use a different word.
8:33
It's the Greek word hypostasis.
8:35
Which is a really tricky word to translate into a single English word.
8:42
And all of our very Bible translators do really difficult work to make an ancient language readable in the English.
8:51
And so sometimes they're stuck having to pick a word to describe a word that has much deeper meaning than any single English word can accomplish.
9:04
So some other possibilities you may see in your translation could be substance or foundation or the argument could be made guarantee.
9:20
Now I like the chosen word assurance.
9:24
I am not qualified to sit on a Bible translation board.
9:27
But if I was I think I would have passed my vote here.
9:31
It would have been the dumbest vote in the room.
9:33
But I would have said assurance.
9:34
I think assurance is a good one in this case.
9:37
But it isn't entirely adequate.
9:41
You see the faith being referred to here is not what some would call blind faith.
9:50
It's not a drummed up faith.
9:53
And this is where I think all of these words don't quite expand out enough.
10:00
It's a confident faith.
10:02
It's an immovable faith.
10:05
It's got a foundation laid underneath it.
10:09
When I think of this idea of blind faith.
10:14
Abstracted faith.
10:15
My mind always goes at this point to the Indiana Jones movie The Last Crusade.
10:19
And the phrase that's in his mind.
10:20
Rainier Jones is going in seeking to get the grail.
10:24
The holy grail.
10:25
And he's got notes that his father wrote down in his journal.
10:29
His studies.
10:29
And he's got these phrases in his mind.
10:31
Like only the penitent man shall pass.
10:34
Somehow he survives swinging blades of death.
10:37
By kneeling and rolling.
10:39
I don't know how that came out of the clue.
10:41
But he gets to a spot where there's a chasm.
10:43
Right?
10:43
And there's no visible way to get across the chasm.
10:47
And the phrase that's in his mind from these notes is.
10:51
Only in a leap from the lion's head will he prove his worth.
10:56
And he's standing on a little precipice that looks like a lion.
11:00
And he says it over and over again.
11:01
And he's not sure what to do.
11:03
And what does he do?
11:04
A very strange leap of faith.
11:07
He sticks his foot out and he leans.
11:09
And there happens to be a bridge in this place.
11:12
And if you've never seen this movie you should see it.
11:13
So you understand what I'm talking about.
11:14
As I try to.
11:17
You're going what is he doing right now?
11:19
Yeah.
11:21
No idea.
11:22
Right?
11:23
He has no clue that there's something that will catch him.
11:26
And the picture of faith here is this blind kind of faith.
11:30
Right?
11:31
From a leap from the lion's head.
11:33
He will prove his faithfulness.
11:36
By jumping into nothingness.
11:39
Yes.
11:40
And he's caught by this land bridge.
11:42
This is not the faith that the writer of Hebrews is describing.
11:48
It's a confident assurance.
11:52
It would be as if Indiana knew for a fact there was a bridge there.
11:55
Even though he couldn't see it.
11:57
But he knows that it's there.
11:59
It has a foundation underneath it.
12:02
There's an undergirding.
12:03
It's not a feeling or a hunch or some type of sentimentality.
12:10
The faith of my grandparents.
12:13
Right?
12:13
I have their faith because they had faith.
12:17
Right?
12:17
It has root.
12:20
Something to place the faith in.
12:23
And the next phrase builds upon this to help us further understand that it's also, in addition, the conviction of things not seen.
12:35
The absolute certainty of something yet to be beheld.
12:42
The author of Hebrews tells us that this faith, this persevering faith he's talking about, all in this previous chapter and through the next, is convinced.
12:55
Absolutely convinced.
12:57
Unshakably convinced.
13:00
But in what?
13:03
But in what?
13:04
Right?
13:05
The object of this faith is of great importance.
13:09
That we would actually have faith in something that is a foundation, that is immovable, that is solid, matters immensely.
13:20
So, what are the things hoped for and not seen?
13:27
Promises.
13:29
They're the promises of God.
13:32
All that God has said would come to pass.
13:36
They are the promises of God that find their yes in Jesus Christ.
13:43
This is what we believe in.
13:45
This is the immovable, unshakable object of our faith.
13:52
Not the way we feel about that, but that it is, in fact, true.
13:58
Those promises find their yes in Christ.
14:01
They are sure and worth believing in.
14:06
So, persevering faith is certitude, confidence in the promises of God.
14:15
And this develops out in the rest of the chapter.
14:20
What are some of those promises?
14:22
What are some of those things that we hope for?
14:25
Those things not seen?
14:29
There's a couple.
14:31
First, Christ's return.
14:34
We hope for, as God's people, we hope for Christ's return.
14:41
Have you ever, or have you ever known someone who would have liked to have seen the return of Christ delayed?
14:47
They're either immature in their faith or have no faith at all.
14:52
Those who belong to Christ are desperate for His return.
14:57
We say, come, Lord Jesus.
15:01
Single men and women, don't wait until after you're married for Christ to return.
15:05
We want Him to return now.
15:07
The glory is far superior.
15:11
Titus chapter 2, verse 13.
15:13
We're waiting for our blessed hope.
15:17
The appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
15:22
We are hoping, longing for, believing in Christ's return.
15:28
And because of that, all the things that come with it.
15:32
So, secondly, our resurrection bodies.
15:36
We are hoping for our resurrection bodies.
15:40
Praise God, the body that now carries my soul, my spiritual being, will not be my body forever.
15:48
This body is wasting away.
15:50
It is failing me at a more rapid pace than I care for.
15:56
But praise God, I'm going to have a resurrection body.
16:00
Pain, pain, and death will be no more in my resurrection body.
16:06
Living in the trouble of this world, there will be a more glorious reality for us.
16:14
Peter writes in 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 3.
16:17
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
16:21
According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope
16:25
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
16:29
And we know that because Jesus is raised, we will too be raised.
16:36
We hope for, as God's people, our future glorification.
16:42
1 John chapter 3, verse 2 and 3.
16:45
John writes,
16:46
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared.
16:51
But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.
16:58
And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure.
17:04
We will be set free from the bondage, that bondage that still tugs at us of sin.
17:14
And having been freed from slavery to sin, we still have our body of flesh.
17:22
And we struggle in that.
17:25
This week, we of all, Christ followers, struggle to pursue Christ the way we are meant to.
17:32
We want to be set free from the body of death.
17:37
We want that day to come where we will no longer sin, where we will be righteous in Christ and act righteously forever.
17:48
So we hope for that future glorification.
17:51
And lastly, for now, our reign with Christ.
17:57
Our reign, our ruling with Christ.
18:02
2 Timothy chapter 2, part of verse 12.
18:06
Paul writes,
18:07
If we endure, we will also reign with Him.
18:12
In Revelation chapter 22, verse 5,
18:16
John writes,
18:17
And night will be no more.
18:19
They will need no light of lamp or sun.
18:23
For the Lord God will be their light.
18:25
And they will reign forever and ever.
18:29
So these are some examples of some things that the Christian hopes for.
18:34
Those things not seen.
18:36
That we have confidence in.
18:41
Persevering faith is certitude in the promises of God.
18:46
It is a confidence so unshakable that we will press on through whatever troubles may come to the very end.
18:56
Those who belong to Christ will persevere to the end.
19:03
Hebrews chapter 10, verse 38.
19:06
Again, according from Habakkuk chapter 2.
19:09
My righteous one shall live by faith.
19:14
And we discussed last week how that could also be translated by faithfulness.
19:21
Right?
19:21
By persevering to the end.
19:25
Right?
19:25
And this is a glorious work of God on our behalf.
19:28
Secondly, those faith definitions.
19:32
Secondly, faith's commendation.
19:36
Verse 2.
19:37
For by it, this faith, people of old received their commendation.
19:42
Received their commendation.
19:44
They were approved of.
19:48
What they did accorded a good report.
19:51
Or they received divine approval.
19:56
Through ways of understanding what commendation means.
20:00
They were given a badge of faithfulness.
20:04
Right?
20:04
This one I approve of.
20:06
Right?
20:07
Because of their faith.
20:10
The author of Hebrews is setting us up to receive the list of examples that he is about to give.
20:17
Right?
20:17
He's repeating again and again and again.
20:19
Like, these people of old.
20:22
And the commendation they received because of their faithfulness.
20:26
Right?
20:26
And then he'll say in the beginning of chapter 12.
20:29
Like, because we have such a great cloud of witnesses, let us press on.
20:32
Right?
20:33
Let us prove ourselves faithful like they were faithful.
20:38
One example that he gives is that of Abraham.
20:41
And he doesn't say it here in Hebrews.
20:43
But Paul says.
20:45
Oh, excuse me.
20:45
That's not Paul.
20:46
I was going to quote from Romans chapter 5.
20:48
I wrote down and said Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6.
20:51
Which is what Paul quotes in Romans chapter 5.
20:54
Referring to Abraham.
20:55
And he believed the Lord.
20:58
And he counted it to him as righteousness.
21:02
He was commended because of his faith in God's covenant promise.
21:08
And I'd like to give you another biblical example that's not found in chapter 11.
21:13
Because we're going to spend some time thinking of each of those biblical examples in the coming months.
21:19
Except maybe in the phrase, verse 34, quenched the power of fire.
21:26
Maybe we could find this example there.
21:29
Gary read to us earlier from Daniel chapter 3.
21:33
And I'd like for you to join me there in Daniel chapter 3.
21:37
We look a bit at this story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
21:41
So this is not one of the author of Hebrews' explicit examples.
22:00
Although possibly implicit.
22:03
But it certainly is an example.
22:06
Right?
22:07
Of men who had faith in God's goodness and his commands.
22:11
Right?
22:12
They didn't know with certainty what the outcome of their faithfulness would be.
22:17
They didn't have an unmovable confidence in their deliverance from the furnace.
22:23
What they had an unmovable confidence in was that God was God.
22:27
And that he was good in giving them a command to only follow him.
22:33
And so they did.
22:34
And we'll see the outcome of this.
22:37
So I'm going to read a little bit broader than Gary read previously.
22:40
I'm beginning in verse 8 of chapter 3.
22:44
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has created an altar that's to be worshipped at.
22:49
And if people aren't worshipping at it, they're to be thrown into a furnace.
22:52
Okay?
22:53
So we pick up in verse 8.
22:54
Therefore, at that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews.
23:00
They declared to king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever.
23:03
You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music shall fall down and worship the golden image.
23:13
And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning, fiery furnace.
23:19
There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23:26
These men, O king, pay no attention to you.
23:29
They do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.
23:33
Then Nebuchadnezzar, in furious rage, commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought.
23:40
So they brought these men before the king.
23:43
Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them,
23:45
Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?
23:52
Now, if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music,
23:57
to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good.
24:03
But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning, fiery furnace.
24:07
And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?
24:12
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king,
24:16
O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
24:20
If this be so, our god whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace,
24:24
and he will deliver us out of your hands, O king.
24:27
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.
24:36
Faithfulness. Note here. Faithfulness.
24:41
They're going to pursue their god, regardless of what may come.
24:46
Verse 19.
24:47
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury,
24:50
and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
24:54
He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated,
24:59
and he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
25:03
and to cast them into the fiery furnace.
25:05
Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments,
25:10
and they were thrown into the burning, fiery furnace.
25:13
Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated,
25:16
the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
25:22
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning, fiery furnace.
25:29
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste.
25:33
He declared to his counselors,
25:34
Do we not cast three men bound into the fire?
25:37
They answered and said to the king,
25:39
True, O king.
25:40
He answered and said,
25:41
But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire,
25:44
and they are not hurt,
25:45
and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.
25:51
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning, fiery furnace.
25:54
He declared,
25:55
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God,
25:58
come out and come here.
26:00
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.
26:07
And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors
26:10
gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men.
26:16
The hair of their heads were not singed,
26:17
their cloaks were not harmed,
26:19
and no smell of fire had come upon them.
26:21
Nebuchadnezzar answered and said,
26:23
Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
26:26
who was sent to his angel and delivered his servants,
26:29
who trusted in him and set aside the king's command
26:32
and yielded up their bodies,
26:34
rather than serve and worship any god except their own god.
26:39
Therefore I make a decree,
26:40
any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the god of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
26:44
shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins,
26:47
for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.
26:52
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
26:54
in the province of Babylon.
26:56
So note the faithfulness,
27:00
the extreme, immovable faithfulness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
27:07
And God, in his sovereign purpose,
27:11
decides to save, spare their lives,
27:13
that he would be glorified in Babylon.
27:18
The king himself declares some astounding things about him.
27:22
Blessed be the god of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
27:28
So God uses the suffering of his people for his glory.
27:35
Faith in God's command and in God's goodness
27:40
is what we see here and what we're going to see in the coming months throughout chapter 11.
27:48
Now, the people of old, they received their commendation,
27:53
believing in the promises of God that they would
27:55
someday, somehow, be fulfilled.
28:00
But the way that would happen, the exact way that it would happen,
28:05
was veiled to them.
28:08
What was concealed to them has now been revealed to us.
28:14
We live in an advantaged age.
28:18
God has revealed himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
28:22
We now know how all of God's promises find their yes.
28:29
This is a wonderful thing.
28:31
And because of it, our faith must be placed in Christ.
28:38
You cannot believe that God will fulfill his promises
28:41
apart from the person and work of Jesus Christ.
28:46
We must plead with modern day Hebrew people, right?
28:51
That they would place their faith in Christ.
28:54
If they want any of the promises of the Old Testament to be realized,
28:58
for them, it must be by faith in Christ.
29:04
Now, we're also going to see in the coming months
29:07
that this is a faith that works.
29:13
Not that our works are saving,
29:15
but it is a faith that works.
29:19
And we see this to be true of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
29:22
They don't merely give lip service to their belief in their God,
29:26
but they're willing to not bow.
29:30
This is their activity in that.
29:32
We so believe in our God that we will not bow to your God,
29:37
come what may.
29:39
It's a faith that works.
29:42
And I hope you're hearing week in and week out here
29:47
that for us to be followers of Jesus Christ,
29:50
our lives are going to look different.
29:53
We will be changed, right?
29:56
From one status, lost, enemies, rebels, dead,
30:01
to a new status, right?
30:04
Alive.
30:05
Alive to God in Christ.
30:07
Having his spirit, right?
30:08
Picking up and obeying his commands,
30:11
not perfectly, right?
30:14
But in pursuit of this.
30:17
And you may not realize it,
30:19
but we are constantly stating what we're for here,
30:24
speaking about what we're against.
30:28
And we must be abundantly clear at this point.
30:32
We're going to see it all throughout the next chapter.
30:35
Here, our church believes what some will call,
30:39
and they're doing it when they're calling it a heresy,
30:43
lordship theology.
30:44
It was a bunch of years ago that a young man at the time,
30:49
member of our church,
30:51
was a college student.
30:53
He's now our accountant.
30:54
He would be part of our church if he didn't live far away.
30:57
He came to me and he said,
30:59
my father accused you of being a heretic.
31:03
I went, oh, really?
31:05
And he said, yeah.
31:06
He said, you believe in lordship theology.
31:09
And I said, I don't know what that is.
31:11
I'll have to go do some research on that.
31:14
So I went to Google and I typed in lordship theology.
31:17
And within about 30 seconds, I went, yep.
31:20
That's what I believe.
31:22
That's what I believe.
31:24
And it's simply this.
31:25
I've stated it and we say it again and again and again, right?
31:28
We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone, right?
31:31
But having been saved, we evidence our salvation.
31:36
There are ways you can observe whether or not somebody is in Christ.
31:41
Good trees bear good fruit, right?
31:44
This happens.
31:45
It's the necessary outcome of that.
31:47
We should make our calling and election sure, right?
31:50
1 John chapter 5, verse 4 and 5.
31:52
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.
31:55
And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.
31:59
Who is it that overcomes the world?
32:01
Except the one who believes that Jesus is the son of God, right?
32:05
There will be a change.
32:07
Not merely a mental ascent.
32:12
Not merely someone saying, yeah, sure.
32:17
Jesus died for my sin.
32:20
And then there's nothing that comes from that.
32:22
There's no proof.
32:25
There's no evidencing of regeneration.
32:29
And I think it's really, really harmful.
32:32
Even damning, right?
32:34
That we would teach in that way.
32:36
And I'll let you know that it's called free grace theology.
32:41
Free grace theology.
32:42
Which, I believe in free grace.
32:46
So, you must understand that this title comes together.
32:51
I put it in quotation marks.
32:53
Free grace theology.
32:55
In my notes.
32:56
I think it comes from a misunderstanding of what the Protestant Reformers meant by faith alone.
33:01
Right?
33:02
Right?
33:02
They were not saying, faith alone plus works.
33:08
They were saying, it is by faith we are saved, which is evidenced by our works.
33:15
But they reduced that down.
33:17
And try to explain, I think, how the many myriads who come and respond to invitations given on Sunday mornings are, in fact, Christians.
33:27
Even though we're just not kind of sure what's going on with their lives.
33:29
Right?
33:30
We would call them backslidden or some other unbiblical term to try to explain such a thing.
33:39
Beloved, saving faith is a faith that works.
33:45
Right?
33:46
Not saved by it.
33:47
But it does.
33:48
Because we are changed.
33:51
Because God is working in us by His Spirit.
33:55
We will be able to take a survey of our lives.
33:58
Right?
33:58
And this is a work of the church that we do this together.
34:01
That we help each other in this.
34:04
And say, am I on the path of Christ?
34:07
Am I on the narrow way or am I on the broad way?
34:11
There's two options here.
34:13
And it's evidenced by our fruit.
34:16
So you'll hear that.
34:18
And you'll hear that again and again and again.
34:19
Because it is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
34:24
Thomas Brooks is on your bulletin.
34:27
A 17th century English non-conformist pastor.
34:30
I'd like to be called a non-conformist pastor.
34:36
Said, till men have faith in Christ, their best services are but glorious sins.
34:44
Those who have not been delivered by Christ cannot do anything to earn God's favor.
34:52
But having placed our faith in Christ, our works are the evidence of said faith.
35:00
Right?
35:01
And again and again and again.
35:02
We'll see this in Hebrews chapter 11.
35:05
Okay, finally.
35:05
And I'm going to speed way up here.
35:07
Faith's foundation.
35:09
And this is verse 3.
35:11
I think verse 3 is so strangely placed on first reading.
35:16
It is interesting that he has defined it for us now.
35:19
He said in verse 2,
35:20
For by it, this faith, the people of old received their commendation.
35:24
And it just feels to me like at this point he should launch right into verse 4.
35:28
Talking about the people of old.
35:31
Just go ahead and jump in on Abel.
35:34
And how it was that Abel was commended before God.
35:38
But there's verse 3.
35:41
And he's talking again, the people of old's faith.
35:45
But he says,
35:47
By faith we understand.
35:51
By faith we.
35:52
He's including his original audience as well as us.
35:55
Those who are in Christ now.
35:57
By faith we understand.
36:00
That the universe was created by the word of God.
36:03
So that what is seen was not made out of things.
36:07
That are visible.
36:09
And this, I'll say, is still a bit of a head scratcher for me.
36:12
I don't know that I've fully sorted out why.
36:15
He doesn't say the people of old.
36:18
He's starting at the very beginning of the Bible.
36:20
And you're going to see him walk through the timeline of scripture.
36:24
As he's bringing out these examples in chapter 11.
36:28
But why he says we.
36:32
By faith we.
36:34
Understand that the universe was created by the word of God.
36:37
So that what is seen was not made out of things.
36:40
That are visible.
36:41
Now I do think he's beginning at the beginning.
36:45
And that's why I titled this point Faith's Foundation.
36:49
Starts with understanding that our God is the creator of the world.
36:54
And therefore has the right to rule over the world.
36:57
This is foundational to faith.
37:00
Good gospel presentations begin at this point.
37:02
That we believe that there is a creator God.
37:06
We're created.
37:08
He can demand things of us.
37:10
He gets to make the rules.
37:12
This is extremely important to what our faith builds to.
37:18
To say that God created the world.
37:23
We find out in Colossians chapter 1.
37:24
That Christ.
37:25
Christ created the world.
37:27
That's part of the Godhead.
37:30
And it was by his word.
37:32
Powerful words.
37:33
Mighty words.
37:34
He spoke it into existence.
37:36
Right?
37:37
He didn't need to spin it into existence from some other matter.
37:41
He spoke and it was.
37:44
Right?
37:44
So that what is seen would be known to not be made out of things that are visible.
37:51
The visible created from the invisible.
37:55
Right?
37:55
So a very foundation.
37:56
A very beginning point for that.
38:00
But he says we.
38:02
By faith we understand.
38:06
So on my sabbatical.
38:08
With a number of matters in mind.
38:10
If you're new to the scene.
38:12
I took a sabbatical some weeks ago.
38:14
For about a month.
38:16
I've been reading through the entirety of the Bible.
38:19
With a couple of themes in mind.
38:20
And so I started in the book of Genesis.
38:22
Genesis.
38:23
And I spent a long time in Genesis chapter 1.
38:28
Things stood out to me that just hadn't before.
38:31
And guys.
38:33
I study the Bible a lot.
38:34
Maybe not Genesis 1.
38:35
Nearly as much as I should have.
38:38
Right?
38:38
As both the introduction to our scripture.
38:40
As well as the Hebrew scriptures.
38:44
It's astounding.
38:45
It's an incredible introduction.
38:49
To all of the historical narrative.
38:53
And beyond.
38:54
There's a lot that's established in that very beginning.
38:58
In the narrative.
39:00
Right?
39:00
So I'm going to take a stab at why.
39:02
I think he says by faith we understand.
39:05
I think it's a far reaching thing that he's saying.
39:08
And I could be wrong.
39:09
So I will tell you that.
39:11
I hope that I'm not going too far out of bounds.
39:14
But from time to time.
39:15
I think text requires to have a little bit of theological imagination.
39:19
And be willing to say.
39:20
Maybe this is where he is headed.
39:24
With this.
39:25
Remember his original audience.
39:26
Right?
39:27
These are Jewish people.
39:28
But they're Greek speaking Jewish people.
39:30
But would have been much much more familiar.
39:32
Both I think with the Hebrew text.
39:35
As well as the Greek version of it.
39:37
The Septuagint.
39:38
And we are so far removed from this.
39:40
Right?
39:40
Remember we're always studying an ancient ancient text.
39:43
Text.
39:43
So.
39:44
Sentence structure.
39:45
The language itself.
39:46
We're just.
39:46
It's very lost on us.
39:49
And it takes some digging around for our minds.
39:52
To fully comprehend what could be meant.
39:54
For them.
39:55
I don't think it would have been quite as hard.
39:58
Where would their minds have gone?
40:00
His original readers.
40:01
What would they have thought when he says.
40:03
By faith we understand.
40:05
Would they have been as confused as myself?
40:07
I don't think so.
40:10
And here's a stab at why.
40:13
So if you will.
40:14
Turn to Genesis chapter 1.
40:16
We read in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1.
40:19
You're likely familiar with.
40:21
In the beginning.
40:22
God created the heavens.
40:25
And the earth.
40:28
God created the firmament.
40:31
Right?
40:31
And the sky.
40:33
And everything above it.
40:34
In the beginning.
40:36
God created the heavens.
40:39
And the earth.
40:40
And then we see the.
40:41
Six.
40:42
Day.
40:43
Creation.
40:44
Plus.
40:45
The seventh day.
40:46
Where God rests.
40:47
And that goes through chapter 2.
40:49
And verse 3.
40:51
In our very first.
40:53
Two pages of our Bibles.
40:55
The chapter breaks.
40:56
Already screwed up.
40:57
I think it should have come after.
40:59
Chapter 2.
41:00
And verse 3.
41:02
But here we have it.
41:03
So.
41:03
Genesis chapter 1.
41:04
Through Genesis chapter 2.
41:06
And verse 3.
41:08
Is this initial telling.
41:10
Of how it is.
41:11
That God created the world.
41:13
Ex nihilo.
41:14
Out of nothing.
41:15
Right?
41:16
He spoke it.
41:17
Into existence.
41:18
And it has.
41:20
A really cool.
41:22
Hebrew.
41:22
Literary structure.
41:23
That.
41:24
We just don't see on our.
41:25
English.
41:27
Page.
41:28
And what's extremely significant.
41:29
In its structure.
41:31
Is the number.
41:32
Seven.
41:33
Now I don't have the time.
41:34
And I'm going to spare you.
41:35
The boredom.
41:36
Of hearing all about.
41:37
All the sevens.
41:38
All throughout this.
41:39
Very beginning.
41:40
Intro here.
41:41
But on the surface.
41:41
You can see.
41:42
The first seven.
41:43
Being.
41:44
That there's seven days.
41:46
That the.
41:47
World was ordered.
41:49
In.
41:50
Seven days.
41:52
But more than that.
41:53
A couple others.
41:54
I shouldn't say more than that.
41:55
Others.
41:55
In addition.
41:56
The very first verse.
41:58
In the beginning.
41:58
God created.
41:59
The heavens.
42:00
And.
42:00
The earth.
42:02
In Hebrew.
42:04
Is seven words.
42:06
So it starts out that way.
42:08
Verse two.
42:09
Of Genesis chapter one.
42:10
Is.
42:10
Fourteen words.
42:11
So.
42:12
Two times.
42:13
Seven.
42:14
There's some.
42:14
Things happening with.
42:15
Sevens.
42:16
In the text here.
42:18
The.
42:19
Words.
42:20
In.
42:20
Verse one.
42:22
God.
42:23
Heavens and earth.
42:24
Appear.
42:25
Throughout that.
42:25
Passage.
42:26
In multiples.
42:27
Of.
42:28
Sevens.
42:29
And there are many other words.
42:30
That do the very same thing.
42:31
There's something significant.
42:32
Happening here.
42:33
In this very wonderfully crafted.
42:36
Right.
42:36
God inspired text.
42:37
Telling about the creation.
42:39
Of the world.
42:40
Right.
42:40
We pick up the facts.
42:41
Yes.
42:41
God created it.
42:42
And here's how he created it.
42:43
This is the order in which it was.
42:45
Created.
42:45
But there's.
42:46
Something else going on.
42:47
In.
42:48
The text itself.
42:49
Right.
42:50
They're moving us along.
42:51
In an understanding.
42:53
Of what's happening.
42:54
And I think that it's this.
42:57
On the seventh day.
42:58
God.
42:59
Who is infinite in power.
43:01
Does not get tired.
43:03
He rests.
43:05
On that day.
43:06
He ceases from his working.
43:09
And he.
43:11
Rests.
43:12
Right.
43:12
And that word rest.
43:13
In Hebrew.
43:14
Can.
43:14
Can mean a bit more.
43:15
Than what we think of as resting.
43:17
But it's a.
43:17
It's a settling in.
43:19
It's a.
43:20
Completing.
43:21
Of the work.
43:22
So he both stops.
43:23
And completes.
43:25
So this original narrative.
43:26
Is moving us.
43:27
To an idea.
43:28
Of.
43:30
Completion.
43:31
God creating.
43:32
Out of nothing.
43:34
Void.
43:35
Right.
43:35
The world.
43:36
In which we live.
43:38
Completing it.
43:39
Bringing it to this.
43:40
Place of stasis.
43:43
Right.
43:44
And if we're reading it.
43:45
And understanding it.
43:46
In this way.
43:47
God.
43:48
Finished.
43:49
Right.
43:49
He.
43:50
Rested.
43:50
It was done.
43:51
And he had declared it.
43:52
Very good.
43:53
Over and over.
43:54
And over again.
43:55
This.
43:55
Is.
43:56
Good.
43:58
Then we ought to be in anticipation.
44:00
And why.
44:00
There's a.
44:01
The rest of the book.
44:02
What.
44:02
What happened.
44:03
Right.
44:04
Why does the story go on.
44:05
It would seem that it was completed.
44:07
Well.
44:08
We can.
44:08
Read in.
44:09
Chapter three.
44:10
Exactly.
44:11
What happened.
44:12
Right.
44:13
That.
44:14
That completion.
44:15
That rest.
44:16
Right.
44:16
Was ruined.
44:17
But this original telling.
44:20
Sets up for us.
44:21
What he intends to do.
44:22
Across the entire historical.
44:25
Narrative.
44:26
To bring it all.
44:27
To a.
44:28
Complete.
44:29
And final rest.
44:32
And he sets up.
44:34
A.
44:35
System.
44:36
Right.
44:36
That's picked up.
44:37
In other places.
44:38
In other parts of.
44:39
The historical narrative.
44:41
For how God's people.
44:42
Were supposed to remember.
44:44
This.
44:45
Coming to completion.
44:46
Process.
44:48
Right.
44:49
So.
44:49
He models.
44:50
Right.
44:50
On the seventh day.
44:52
Rest.
44:53
And then.
44:53
Commands.
44:54
Exodus 20.
44:56
That people would remember.
44:57
The Sabbath day.
44:57
And.
44:58
Keep it holy.
44:58
For on that day.
45:00
Who.
45:01
Somebody.
45:02
Rested.
45:03
Right.
45:03
That we would have built.
45:04
Into our regular rhythms.
45:06
A recognition.
45:07
Of.
45:08
Who God is.
45:09
And what he's done.
45:10
And what he is going to fully.
45:12
And finally.
45:14
Do.
45:15
There are other.
45:16
Times.
45:17
And.
45:18
Things.
45:18
Set into place.
45:19
In the Old Testament.
45:21
Narrative.
45:21
That.
45:22
Refer to.
45:23
Seven.
45:24
Like in Deuteronomy chapter.
45:25
Fifteen.
45:26
You can read about the year of.
45:28
Release.
45:29
Right.
45:30
Every.
45:30
Seven years.
45:32
Right.
45:32
Deaths were forgiven.
45:33
Slaves were set free.
45:34
The land.
45:35
Was to rest.
45:37
Right.
45:37
So that it would be.
45:38
Productive.
45:40
And Leviticus 25.
45:41
You can read about the year of.
45:42
Jubilee.
45:43
Which happened every.
45:44
Forty nine years.
45:45
Which is what?
45:46
Seven times.
45:48
Seven.
45:49
Right.
45:49
Building into.
45:50
Our psyche.
45:51
And our understanding.
45:52
That God is going to bring.
45:54
Everything to.
45:56
Completion.
45:58
Now.
45:59
If.
45:59
You.
46:00
Want to get more familiar.
46:01
As I'm.
46:02
In the process of doing right now.
46:03
With this idea of sevens.
46:05
Right.
46:05
We see all throughout the biblical narrative.
46:07
That when sevens are used.
46:08
There's typically a.
46:10
Symmetrical structure.
46:11
And it's supposed to draw our attention.
46:13
To the beginning.
46:14
The end.
46:14
And the middle.
46:16
Something significant is happening in.
46:18
The middle.
46:18
And this was where my brain got going on this.
46:20
Because I was confused.
46:21
Over my sabbatical.
46:23
About.
46:23
The fourth.
46:24
Day.
46:26
Okay.
46:26
On the fourth day.
46:28
God creates.
46:29
The sun.
46:30
The moon.
46:31
And the stars.
46:32
On the first day.
46:33
He's created light and dark.
46:34
This is what got me.
46:35
I went.
46:35
Wait a second.
46:36
God created light and day.
46:38
Like.
46:38
Yeah.
46:39
Excuse me.
46:39
Light and dark.
46:40
Night and day.
46:41
On the first day.
46:44
But then he created the sun.
46:45
The moon.
46:45
And the stars.
46:45
On the fourth.
46:48
Day.
46:48
It's odd.
46:49
Right.
46:49
So there's your first.
46:50
There's your middle.
46:51
And then your seventh day.
46:53
He.
46:54
Rests.
46:55
Right.
46:55
So all of those.
46:56
Have something to do with time.
46:59
Right.
46:59
And those things are given.
47:01
Are ordered.
47:02
Helping us understand.
47:04
This rhythm.
47:05
That he intends for our life.
47:06
To have.
47:07
When you look in.
47:08
Genesis chapter 1.
47:10
Verse 14.
47:12
Says.
47:12
And God said.
47:13
Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens.
47:15
To separate the day from the night.
47:16
And let them be for signs.
47:19
And for seasons.
47:22
And for days.
47:23
And years.
47:24
And we think immediately.
47:25
When we read seasons.
47:27
Of.
47:28
Fall.
47:29
Spring.
47:30
Summer.
47:31
Etc.
47:31
Right.
47:31
Isn't this exactly where our minds go?
47:34
But it could be.
47:35
And would be better translated.
47:37
Before signs.
47:38
And for.
47:39
Feasts.
47:40
So in Leviticus chapter 23.
47:42
There are seven.
47:44
Feasts.
47:45
Right.
47:45
And they all take place.
47:47
Multiples of.
47:48
Seven.
47:49
Right.
47:49
That God's people would be thinking.
47:52
Toward.
47:52
Remembering.
47:54
And thinking toward.
47:55
The final completion.
47:56
That will.
47:57
One day.
47:59
Occur.
48:00
Now.
48:01
Because I'm afraid.
48:02
That I may.
48:02
I've totally lost you.
48:03
Or made you go.
48:04
What is he talking about?
48:05
What is he talking about?
48:07
I think.
48:09
That that's what's happening.
48:10
In Hebrews.
48:11
Chapter 11.
48:13
That the author.
48:14
Has been talking about.
48:15
This enduring faith.
48:18
The persevering faith.
48:19
Through struggle.
48:20
Through trial.
48:21
Then he defines it as.
48:23
The assurance of things.
48:25
Hoped for.
48:26
The conviction.
48:27
Of things.
48:28
Not.
48:29
Seen.
48:31
That.
48:31
Full final day.
48:32
When.
48:33
Everything will.
48:34
Come.
48:34
To.
48:35
Completion.
48:36
Completion.
48:37
He says.
48:37
Provide the people of old.
48:38
Receive their commendation.
48:39
By faith.
48:40
We.
48:41
Understand.
48:42
That the universe.
48:43
Was created.
48:43
By the word of God.
48:44
So that what is seen.
48:45
Was not made.
48:46
Out of things.
48:47
That are visible.
48:48
I think that's what he's doing.
48:50
He's ushering their minds.
48:52
Into the meta narrative.
48:54
Of God's enduring faithfulness.
48:56
And his plan to bring all things to completion.
48:59
And then.
48:59
He's going to step.
49:00
Back.
49:01
In verse four.
49:02
To.
49:03
To talk about.
49:04
Abel.
49:05
And he's going to keep walking through.
49:07
The biblical narrative.
49:08
In that way.
49:09
He's setting up like.
49:10
The thematic element.
49:12
Of the.
49:12
Entirety.
49:13
Of the Bible.
49:14
Before he starts talking about.
49:16
The people of old.
49:17
And the commendation.
49:19
That they received.
49:21
Or.
49:22
He's just talking about.
49:23
The foundation being.
49:24
We should believe.
49:25
That God's a creator.
49:27
Certainly that.
49:28
Maybe.
49:29
The other.
49:30
The other.
49:30
So.
49:31
I'm.
49:31
Putting forth to you.
49:32
Seven represents completion.
49:34
And this introduction.
49:36
To our Bibles.
49:37
And the telling of the creation story.
49:39
Gives us an outline.
49:41
For how we're going to move forward.
49:42
To.
49:43
Completion.
49:44
Right.
49:44
So they would have.
49:46
Had the significance.
49:48
In mind.
49:49
As they picked it up.
49:50
And read.
49:51
This letter.
49:53
To them.
49:54
They may have had.
49:55
The words of Christ.
49:56
In their mind.
49:57
Matthew 11.
49:58
28.
49:58
And following.
49:59
Where he says.
50:00
Come to me.
50:01
All who labor.
50:02
And are heavy laden.
50:03
And I will give you.
50:05
Rest.
50:06
Take my yoke upon you.
50:08
And learn from me.
50:08
For I am gentle.
50:09
And lonely in heart.
50:10
And you will find rest.
50:12
For your souls.
50:13
For my yoke is easy.
50:15
And my burden.
50:17
Is light.
50:18
Can you see that reading into it?
50:21
Like.
50:22
You have suffered.
50:23
You are tired.
50:26
Bear up.
50:27
Right.
50:27
Have faith.
50:29
Show yourself faithful.
50:30
Look to the things that are to come.
50:33
Right.
50:34
They are worth awaiting.
50:36
Find your rest.
50:38
In the surety.
50:40
That all of this will come to pass.
50:43
In Christ.
50:45
And my prayer for us today.
50:46
Is that we would be a people.
50:47
Who would do.
50:48
The very same.
50:49
Let's pray together.
50:50
Let's pray together.