The Gospel of Faith: Hebrews 11:16-19
Introduction: FF. Bruce, in his commentary of Hebrews wrote, “The earthly Canaan and the earthly Jerusalem were but temporary object-lessons pointing to the saints’ everlasting rest, the well-founded city of God. Those who put their trust in God receive a full reward, and that reward must belong not to this transient world—order but to the enduring order which participates in the life of God (299).” That is what this message is about today. What issues, difficulties, or evil do you deal with today? Do you consider it transient? And if so, how can you take part in the life of God?
Propositional Statement: The Gospel of Faith is outlined in the Hebrews 11:16-19. Faith is the means by which we prove God’s mercy, grace, and faithfulness. To illustrate the Gospel in the following passages; I will be presenting God’s Purpose, Our Problem, God’s Plan, and Our Response.
I. (v.16) God’s Purpose: The Last Phrase says, “He has prepared a city for them.”
A. Not Ashamed to be Called Our God: The Old Testament continually points the Israelites into a relationship with God. Abraham, Sarah, and the others listed in Hebrews as people of faith continually were looking for God’s promise; but they never received it during their lifetimes.
“FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:
I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,
AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,
AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. (Quotes from Jer. 31:33)
Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. (Psalms 95)
After Christ came; the relationship that relationship became a relationship with the church. Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways. In these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom also he made the world.”
Transition: While they were out walking, a 14-year old daughter asked her dad to walk ahead a little bit. After a few minutes of walking, the truth came out. Some people that the girl knew from school were walking on the other side of the street and the girl did not want them to see her doing something as so uncool as walking down the street with a middle-aged man, much less her father. Of course, there is the other way around too! When our teenagers have embarrassed us with their crazy antics. Half-dressed, drinking Boxes of Mountain-Dew in that gaming environment that used to be your living room. Or having to take a trip to the principal’s office to hear about the untold actions they have taken at school.
That is why it is all the more striking that Hebrews says, “he is not ashamed to be called our God.” He is not ashamed to be associated with us. That is particularly interesting because of what else it says regarding people, which brings us to my second point:
II. Our Problem: (also in verse 16, is mentioned “desire” While the Saints desired a better country in this passage, we sometimes desire something other than what God has for us. We want what God has warned us about. We want to replace our want and pain for something other than Him.
A. While God was not ashamed to offer you the life of His Son; are you ashamed to be His Child? Some of you might be thinking, ‘he threw that question in to make me feel guilty.’ No, I ask the question simply because it falls within the same vein of what we are talking about. We should consider it.
What is particularly interesting about this question though, is that God does not pose the question to you, like I do. While I will ask you to consider if you are ashamed of Him; he will never ask you!
God offers His mercy, grace, and forgiveness without ever having asked you how you feel about it. Even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son……
B.Simply put though….. we have exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for all kinds of images in the form of corruptible things. We have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served creatures, rather than the Creator of the Universe. One of my most favorite songs by a music artist named Carman speaks about the issue of temptation: The lyrics go:
Well, I grabbed my superman beach towel
QT Tanning lotion
I thought I'd take a cruise
And catch some rays down by the ocean
I had it all planned out
To roast some burgers and some weenies
But, when I arrived everything but the telephone poles
Was dressed up in bikinis
(he mentioned he had seen more cotton in an aspirin bottle)
I knew that there must be a way to please the Lord and still get tan
But I felt so stupid with my big ol' head stuck in the sand
Some people say "let it out"
Some people say "hold it in"
But Jesus says to crucify it
For that thing there is sin,
Transition: Because of the sin that so easily entangles us; God made a plan before the foundations of the world that would conquer evil. Many of us have some kind of evil consequence in our lives caused by primarily us or maybe someone else. Yesterday, I was enjoying the beginning of my day, the weather, and just feeling good; when half of one of my teeth broke off. I also received word that Pastor Jim was dealing with some health issues. That is just plain evil. We are temporarily alien to a world that is not of true desire. Nothing will ever satisfy your desires on this earth. Glorifying Jesus in our lives should be our one true desire! So what about God’s plan?
III. (v.17) God’s Plan: (as we learned, He has prepared a city)
A. Acts 2:23-24 is a particularly interesting verse to me because it indicates that despite the plans of men; God’s plans are sometimes unknown to us. And while we sometimes know a little, we don’t understand a lot. God is infinite and we are finite! In the Acts verse, it clearly states that Jesus was crucified because of the pre-determined plan and foreknowledge of God; yet nailed to the cross by the hands of men. While men had determined in their minds to eliminate Jesus’ ministry; God had other plans. The cross would be Jesus’ victory and ultimate exaltation. How do we reconcile the sovereignty of God and men? Many theologians have argued for centuries about this topic, and there is no contradiction in Scripture; but there is one thing that we must admit…. We only understand of God what he has revealed to us.
B. For years, Abraham and Sarah were promised that their descendents would be innumerable; but how would that happen should their only firstborn be sacrificed? Abraham couldn’t have understood God’s plans when he took Isaac up the mount to be sacrificed; yet we learn in verse 17, that Abraham offered up Isaac when he was tested.
IV. Our Response: There are several things that we can learn from these points made in just three verses here in Hebrews.
A. We Have To Recognize Who God Is… and that we are not Him. Frank Peretti, a Christian speaker and writer; was speaking about other belief systems. One of the largest belief systems in our world today is secular humanism. It glorifies man before God. Frank Peretti said, everybody gets to be God; but Jesus. These words help us remember, along with so many passages in God’s Word; that God is Sovereign over the affairs of men.
B. We Have To Accept His Testing and the Proving of Our Faith- Through Abraham, all of us would accept in faith so that it could be in accordance with grace. Both Romans 4:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9 confirm this: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Although we don’t control our salvation experience, we do accept, or receive what God is doing in us.
C.We Need to Receive His Promises---The Old Testament Saints were not content to think that their inheritance was simply a piece of land; but a future relationship with God. Hebrews 13 says that without receiving the promises, they had seen them and welcomed them from a distance. Paul talks about the life after resurrection and Revelation insists on the ‘heavenly Jerusalem’ that will come down from Heaven to earth. But what an extraordinary faith they would have to have to wait for the fulfillment of those promises. Even though we wait today for the ultimate revelation of Jesus, the Scripture indicates that His coming is soon.
God’s plans have been revealed insomuch as he foreshadowed the sacrifice of His One and Only Son with the plans of Abraham to sacrifice his one and only Son. But while the sacrifice of Isaac would teach Abraham to rely upon God’s promises; it would have been otherwise needless compared to the all-surpassing great sacrifice of God’s One and Only Sinless Lamb of God-Jesus. For there is no other name under Heaven by which men can be saved.
C.During the early 1800’s; “There trudged along a Scottish highway years ago a little, old-fashioned mother. By her side was her boy. The boy was going out into the world.
At last the mother stopped. She could go no farther. “Robert,” she said, “promise me something?”
“What?” asked the boy.
“Promise me something?” said the mother again.
The boy was as Scottish as his mother, and he said: “You will have to tell me before I will promise.”
She said: “Robert, it is something you can easily do. Promise your mother?”
He looked into her face and said: “Very well, mother, I will do anything you wish.” She clasped her hands behind his head and pulled his face down close to hers, and said: “Robert, you are going out into a wicked world.
Begin every day with God. Close every day with God.” Then she kissed him, and
Robert Moffat (a Missionary to South Africa) says that that kiss made him a missionary. And Joseph Parker says that when Robert Moffat was added to the Kingdom of God, a whole continent was added with him. There are critical times in the history of souls. “Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation.”—J. Wilbur Chapman
D. We need to Respond In Faith, Repentance, and Release of Control. While Hebrews here mentions that faith that was required in the Gospel of Jesus’ sacrifice and death; it also mentions a demonstration of the power of God! While Abraham was called to believe the promises of God despite the probable death of His Son; we are called on to believe that and something greater. It says in Hebrews 11:19; that Abraham considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead. John 8:56 says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was able to see my day; (Jesus said) he saw it, and was glad.” Now, while Abraham considered it and counted on God’s power …..God ultimately did it! How much greater faith does it take to believe that Jesus is raised from the dead?
Or in other terms, let me put it like this: How much greater faith does it take for you to put down your sin and be transformed by the power of the Spirit of God because you recognize His power to keep His promises?
• God’s Purpose, Our Problem, God’s Plan, and Our Response…all mentioned in Hebrews is the title of our message today: The Gospel of Faith.
The last statement about Robert Moffett is true of us all. “Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation.” It is fitting of Scripture that this is not a request; but a command to kneel before your Savior and King!” Worship Him!
Now is the accepted time…. If you don’t know how to tell God that you love Him and that you are grateful for the transformation that He is making in your life, then we are here to help you.
Have you confessed and repented of your sin? 1Jn.1:9 and Rom. 10:9-10
Have you released control of your life to Him?
Are you trusting Him?
That is the Gospel of Faith in Hebrews….
