A Living Faith

A LIVING FAITH

Hebrews 11:1-12

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (11:1-3).

All human beings put their faith in something or someone. For some it is finances, others friendship, others family, others good looks and yet for others it is popularity. Faith in a biblical sense is not trust in what one can touch or feel to guarantee a glorious present and future but is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (11:1). Genuine faith changes our whole perspective on life for the reality of the spiritual and eternal world makes “molehills our of our current mountains” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)! “Faith is the foundation of the positive attitude towards the future, which cannot yet be experienced but has to remain a matter of hope.” Faith is not belief that something is going to happen based on one’s abilities or the probability of its occurrence. Faith is living as if one has already been granted a blessing despite knowing it is “humanly” or “by chance” impossible to obtain but guaranteed the moment God speaks it into existence! Faith is not passively asking a holy God to fulfill our every wish and desire but is actively living as if one has already received those blessings that are a present but yet a future reality such as “the world to come (2:5), an eternal inheritance (1:4; 6:12), the heavenly Jerusalem (12:22-24) and the unshakeable kingdom (12:28).” Faith never stops being a living sacrifice by meditating and obeying God’s commands and even if the reward be but a lifetime away one never stops rejoicing because God truly is one’s portion! “Faith is the organ which enables people to see the invisible order” of God’s kingdom and to boldly claim that despite not having seen the creation of this world it was by “His word as an invisible power” that the universe was created out of nothing (2 Corinthians 4:6)! The following sermon is going to review some of the ancients of the Bible to help define what faith truly is: faith is living, action, enduring and an unwavering devotion to Jesus as our Lord, Savior and King!

A “Living” Faith

“By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (11:4-6).

If faith is to be genuinely and firmly grounded in God’s word and love then it must be above all, lived! In Genesis chapter four we are told that in the course of time both Cain and Abel brought offerings to God appropriate to their vocation. While Cain, the farmer, brought “some of the fruits of the soil,” Abel, the Shepherd, brought “fat portions from some of the firstborn of the stock” (2-4). While God looked upon Abel’s sacrifice with favor He did not do so with Cain’s. Since both brothers offered their sacrifices in season and according to their vocations, there has been much debate over why God did not accept them both! Some of the reasons scholars give for the “apparent” superiority of Abel’s sacrifice is “it was living, whereas Cain’s was lifeless; it was stronger, Cain’s weaker, and it grew spontaneously, Cain’s by human ingenuity;” and it involved the shedding of blood necessary for forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22) whereas Cain’s did not. While all these reasons are possible, they are unlikely because they assume both sacrifices were offered for sin which is not indicated, and they ignore the stated reason for God rejecting Cain’s sacrifice as given in verse seven. Cain’s offering was rejected because “sin crouched at his door” and his deeds were evil (1 John 3:12). Abel’s offering was accepted not because it “was animal instead of vegetables,” but since he had a “living faith.” Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable because it was “an outward expression of a devoted and obedient heart!” Without faith it is impossible to please God (11:6) for until one truly trusts one’s unknown future to the known God of Israel one has not truly surrendered that of which one cannot keep to obtain that which one cannot loose. Faith is to be a “living voice” that out of the springs of living water (John 4:10) and the eternity God has placed in one’s heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11), one clings so tightly to the Pearl (Matthew 13:45) one has found in the field. A living faith also is one that willingly and continually invites Christ to take every thought captive and obedient (2 Corinthians 10:5) to He who, by His word, either in this lifetime or the next, will fulfill every promise and give beyond measure unspeakable, unmerited blessings to those who are sinners (1 John 1:10) yet masterpieces of His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9)!