FOUNDATIONAL FAITH-II—Hebrews 10:39-11:3
Attention:
A husband & wife were at a party chatting with some friends when the subject of marriage counseling came up.
"Oh, we’ll never need that. My husband & I have a great relationship," the wife explained.
"He was a communications major in college & I majored in theater arts."
"He communicates real well & I just act like I’m listening."
Such a foundation is probably not the best way to maintain a marriage!
Conversely, the foundation of your faith enables foundational spiritual realities to occur in your life in Christ.
Need:
The writer’s audience was told of the substance/nature of biblical saving faith.
Christians must be reminded of the foundational nature of biblical saving faith.
Why is such faith foundational/essential?
4 abilities/acquisitions making faith foundational.
Last time in Hebrews we found that Foundational Faith enables a Foundational...
1. DISTINCTION(:39)
Today we will delve into the fact that....
2—Foundational Faith enables...
A Foundational FUTURE(11:1)
Explanation: (11:1)
11:1—“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
“Faith” that saves biblically, is faith that “assures” one of what he/she “hopes for.” It is the very “substance” of what is hoped in.
Rom. 8:20-25—“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans & labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
What we “hope for” must be attainable in reality & not merely attainable in our minds only. And for the Christian, it must be attainable in Christ! This is the difference between the faith of Christians versus the faith of non-christians.
Saving “faith” is one’s personal conviction of that which is/are largely invisible. Such “things” are undetectable to the physical eye alone.
God has made us in His image to utilize the physical eye to drink in knowledge—not for knowledge’s sake—but to recognize the God whose physical works testify of Himself & thereby driving us to faith in Him.
“Faith” places these things which are unseen into our hands/lives!
Such faith is NOT sincere faith based on whimsy...
...But rather a sincere faith based on fact, which has been revealed to man from the very beginning & thruout his short history on this earth.
“Faith”—pistiv—1) Conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT Of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God & divine things, generally with the included idea of trust & holy fervor born of faith & joined with it; 2) Fidelity, faithfulness. Strong—Persuasion, i.e. Credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially--Reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly--Constancy in such profession; by extension--The system of religious (Gospel) truth itself.
“Substance/Assurance/Being sure”—upostasiv—N. f.—1) A setting or placing under—1a) Thing put under, substructure, foundation; 2) That which has foundation, is firm—2a) That which has actual existence—2a1) A substance, real being, 2b) The substantial quality, nature, of a person or thing, 2c) The steadfastness of mind, firmness, courage, resolution—2c1) Confidence, firm trust, assurance. Strong—A setting under (support), i.e. figuratively--Concretely, essence, or abstractly--Assurance (objectively or subjectively). Used 5X.
From—upo—1)By, under. &—isthmi—1) To cause or make to stand, to place, put, set.
Used in 1:3 to describe Jesus’ being the express image of God’s very “person”(upostasiv).
“Hoped for”—elpizw—1) To hope—1a) In a religious sense—To wait for salvation with joy & full confidence; 2) Hopefully to trust in. Strong—To expect or confide.
“Evidence/Conviction/Being...Certain”—elegcov—N. m.—1) A proof, that by which a thing is proved or tested; 2) Conviction. Elegcov is a charge which is shown to be true, & often is so confessed by the accused. It has both a judicial & a moral meaning. Elegcw(V.)means to rebuke with sufficient cause, & also effectually, so as to bring the one rebuked to a confession or at least a conviction of sin. In other words, it means to convince. Strong—Proof, conviction. Used 2X.
“Things”—pragma—1) That which has been done, a deed, an accomplished fact; 2) What is done or being accomplished—2a) spec. business, A commercial transaction; 3) A matter, question, affair—3a) spec. in a forensic sense, A matter at law, case, suit; 4) That which is or exists, a thing. Strong—A deed; by implication--An affair; by extension--An object (material). Used 11X. (CONT...)2—Foundational Faith enables...
A Foundational FUTURE(11:1)
“Seen”(See :3)—blepw—1) To see, discern, of the bodily eye; 2) metaph. To see with the mind’s eye—2a) To have (the power of) understanding, 2b) To discern mentally, observe, perceive, discover, understand, 2c) To turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing, to consider, contemplate, to look at, to weigh carefully, examine; 3) in a geographical sense of places, mountains, buildings, etc. Turning towards any quarter, as it were, facing it. Blepw gives prominence to the particular mood or point, & when the physical side recedes, gets a purely outward sense. Strong—a primary verb; To look at (literally or figuratively).
Argumentation:
Jer. 29:11-14—“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace & not of evil, to give you a future & a hope. Then you will call upon Me & go & pray to Me, & I will listen to you. And you will seek Me & find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, & I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations & from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, & I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.”
Joel 2:28-32—““And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons & your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants & on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens & in the earth: Blood & fire & pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great & awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion & in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.”
This has ramifications for our distant past, near past , present, & future!
Mat. 5:11-12—““Blessed are you when they revile & persecute you, & say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice & be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Mat. 6:19-21—““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys & where thieves do not break in & steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
2Cor. 5:1-9—“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body & to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”
Eph. 3:8-19—“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, & to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities & powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness & access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven & earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted & grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width & length & depth & height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Php. 3:20-21—“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
Col. 1:3-5, 9-14—“We give thanks to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus & of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,”.....“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness & conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Illustration:
Saturday we made plans for Supper at On The Border @ Concord Mills/Effected the way we approached our day/An air of excitement/Our decisions about what we would be involved in were weighed carefully in regard to time & money/Faith in what we would do enabled A Foundational FUTURE
Promise of a job promotion/Prepare for it now knowing that it is certain/Make plans for housing based on promotional status/Effects the way you work/Effects your attitude toward the work/Faith in what is promised enabled A Foundational FUTURE
Application:
?Your Faith enable a Foundational FUTURE for you?
?You have a Foundational Faith?
3—Foundational Faith enables...
A Foundational EXAMPLE(:2)
Explanation: (11:2)Followship
11:2—“For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.”
“By it”—by the faith which is the substance, the evidence of things hoped for though unseen.
Thru their trust, “the elders”(men of old/ancients—prophets, priests, kings, people) gained approval(God’s).
These elders were people immediately recognizable thruout Israel’s history. These are particularly recognizable for their great faith. Their faith continues to stand as examples of saving faith. These were thereby, examples of those who did not “draw back to perdition”(10:39).
They rather are recognized for their unshrinking faith which bore them testimony/witness(“obtained a good testimony”).
Some of these ancient witnesses to saving faith are cataloged below in verses :4-12.
“Elders/Men of old/Ancients”—presbuterov—Adj.—1) Elder, of age,—1a) The elder of two people, 1b) Advanced in life, an elder, a senior—1b1) Forefathers; 2) A term of rank or office. Strong—comparative of presbuv(elderly); Older; as noun, A senior; specifically--An Israelite Sanhedrist (also figuratively--Member of the celestial council) or Christian "presbyter."
“Testimony/Good report/Gained approval/Commended”—marturew—V.—First aorist passive(were borne witness)—1) To be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. To affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration. Strong—To be witness, i.e. Testify (literally or figuratively).
Argumentation:
Negative:
1Cor. 10:1-13—“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud & in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, & all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, & that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat & drink, & rose up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, & in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, & were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, & were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, & they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Positive:
Mat. 4:18-22—“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, & Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, & I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets & followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, & John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, & immediately they left the boat & their father, & followed Him.”
Rom. 15:5-6—“Now may the God of patience & comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind & one mouth glorify the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1Cor. 10:25-11:1—“Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the LORD’S, & all its fullness.” If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, & you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, & for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the LORD’S, & all its fullness.” “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks? Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
Php. 3:8-18—“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, & count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ & be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him & the power of His resurrection, & the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind & reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; & if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, join in following my example, & note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, & now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:”
Illustration:
Some people never learn from the mistakes of others—They are bound to repeat them/ Some will only sparingly entertain the victories of others!/They ‘hang around’ or associate with the wrong people/Foundational EXAMPLE/Followship
*My mother used to make Prune Cake for me when I was a kid/Her recipe doesn’t survive/She used dollops & handfuls & cans & boxes & ‘abouts’/ But those things change over time/My recipe book—‘Recipes I Can’t Do Without’/I have written the fruit of my culinary triumphs-victories in a way that will ensure the success of others who may discover my recipes/A Foundational EXAMPLE-Followship
My first car—Hunter Green 1969 VW Beetle/I learned from my father the importance of changing oil consistently/A Foundational EXAMPLE-Followship
Application:
?Your Faith enable a Foundational EXAMPLE/Followship for you?
?You have a Foundational Faith?
4—Foundational Faith enables...
A Foundational FELLOWSHIP(:3)
Explanation: (:3)Worldview
11:3—“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
As with the faithful elders mentioned in :3, so currently our similar “faith” causes us to “understand” certain things.
Without such soul-saving faith, there is obviously a different understanding of the makeup of one’s “world.”
Soul-saving faith immediately accepts that all things were created by God at His word.
Saving faith accepts that time & space had its beginning, organization & destiny from the very word of God. They do not exist via a rearrangement by a demigod from previously existing material. All that is perceivable with the eye(minute to mega) has not been made of previously existing ‘perceivable’(eye observing) material, but instead by the mere “word of God.”
Faith allows us to accept such things that we have never been part of nor can, such as an unrepeatable past event like the creation. It prevents us from becoming party to the idea that all things have been the same from the beginning.
2Pet. 3:3-7—“knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, & saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, & the earth standing out of water & in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens & the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment & perdition of ungodly men.”
“Understand/Apprehend”—noiew—1) To perceive with the mind, to understand, to have understanding; 2) To think upon, heed, ponder, consider. Strong—to exercise the mind (observe), i.e. figuratively--To comprehend, heed. used 14X.
“Worlds”—aiwn—1) For ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity; 2) The worlds, universe; 3) Period of time, age. Aiwn is usually better expressed by age, it is the world at a given time, a particular period in the world’s history. An exceptional meaning for the plural of aiwn is found in Heb 1:2 11:3, where it denotes the worlds, apparently in reference to space rather than time. Strong—properly, An age; by extension--Perpetuity (also past); by implication--Tthe world; specially (Jewish)--A Messianic period (present or future).
“Framed/Prepared/Formed”—katartizw—V.—1) To render, i.e. to fit, sound, complete. Strong—To complete thoroughly, i.e. Repair (literally or figuratively) or adjust. Used 13X.
From—artiov—1) Fitted; 2) Complete, perfect—2a) having reference apparently to "special aptitude for given uses."
“Word”—rhma—1) That which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word; 2) Subject matter of speech, thing spoken of. Strong—An utterance (individually, collectively or specifically); by implication--A matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever.
“Seen”(See :1)—blepw—1) To see, discern, of the bodily eye; 2) metaph. To see with the mind’s eye—2a) To have (the power of) understanding, 2b) To discern mentally, observe, perceive, discover, understand, 2c) To turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing, to consider, contemplate, to look at, to weigh carefully, examine; 3) in a geographical sense of places, mountains, buildings, etc. Turning towards any quarter, as it were, facing it. Blepw gives prominence to the particular mood or point, & when the physical side recedes, gets a purely outward sense. Strong—a primary verb; To look at (literally or figuratively).
“Made”—ginomai—1) To become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being; 2) To become, i.e. to come to pass, happen—2a) Of events; 3) To arise, appear in history, come upon the stage—3a) Of men appearing in public; 4) To be made, finished—4a) of miracles, To be performed, wrought; 5) To become, be made. Strong—To cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e. reflexively--To become (come into being), used with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.).
“Visible/Appear/”—fainw—1) To bring forth into the light, cause to shine, shed light; 2) Shine. Refers to the actual external appearance, generally correct, but possibly deceptive. Strong—To lighten (shine), i.e. Show (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative).
Argumentation:
1Cor. 1:9-10—“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, & that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind & in the same judgment.”
2Cor. 8:1-4—“Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy & their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, & beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift & the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.”
2Cor. 13:11-14—“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; & the God of love & peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, & the love of God, & the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.”
Php. 1:3-6—“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”
Php. 2:1-5—“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection & mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”
*1Jn. 1:1-4, 5-7—“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, & our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- the life was manifested, & we have seen, & bear witness, & declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father & was manifested to us-- that which we have seen & heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; & truly our fellowship is with the Father & with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him & declare to you, that God is light & in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, & walk in darkness, we lie & do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, & the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Illustration:
SBC Associational work/We have commonalities with other SBC churches—based on biblical truths & not social acceptance/A Foundational FELLOWSHIP
Entering into an Apprentice situation/Immerse your life in the work & people associated with it/Make fast friends for life/With some you hold common ideals & interests regarding the work/A Foundational FELLOWSHIP
Application:
?Your Faith enable a Foundational FELLOWSHIP for you?
?You have a Foundational Faith?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Action:
Foundational Faith enables a Foundational...
2. FUTURE(11:1)
3. EXAMPLE(:2)Followship
4. FELLOWSHIP(:3)
1. DISTINCTION(:39)
Presented 05/20/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
