Finding the Faith of Our Heroes
Part 1: Abel - The First Prophet
Hebrews 11:1-4; Genesis 4:1-4; Matthew 23:29-35
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - July 12, 2015
(Revised August 18, 2023)
*One of the hymns I grew up singing said, "Faith of our fathers, living still, In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword; O how our hearts beat high with joy Whenever we hear that glorious Word! Faith of our fathers, holy faith! We will be true to Thee till death." (1)
*That's the kind of faith God wants us to have, and Hebrews 11 can help us, because this great chapter is like a hall of fame for the heroes of our faith in the Old Testament. But as we think about faith, first we need to remember the focus of our faith. And we should always go back to what the Lord said in Mark 11:22: "Have faith in God."
*Christians: Our faith is not in our faith. Our faith is not in our own power or goodness. Our faith is in God! And our faith should be in God, because as Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, "With God all things are possible.'' God is big enough, and good enough to take care of every need we will ever have.
*I love the story Brian Harris told about a little boy who went to the store with his mom. The shop owner was a kind man, so he held out a big jar of suckers and invited the boy to grab a handful. The boy surprised his mother by hesitating. He usually wasn't shy, but he kept holding back.
*Finally, the shop owner pulled out a big handful of suckers for the little boy. When they got outside, Mom asked, "Why were you so shy? Why didn't you take a handful of suckers?" Her little boy answered: "Because his hand is a lot bigger than mine!" (2)
*That's the kind of faith God wants us to have: a big faith in our big God! And Hebrews 11 can help us. But why do we need faith? -- The opening verses of this chapter show us why.
1. FIRST: WE NEED FAITH IN GOD BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY ROCK-SOLID FOUNDATION FOR LIFE.
*Faith in God is the only sure foundation for our future. As vs. 1 says, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for. . ." The original word here for "substance" has the idea of something strong under us, something strong that we can stand on: A firm foundation. And faith in Jesus Christ is the only firm foundation for our godly hopes and dreams.
*"Faith is the substance of things hoped for." What are you hoping for today? I hope you haven't given up on your hopes and dreams, because life would be terrible without hope. There's probably only one thing worse, and that is a life based on false hope. But when we have faith in Jesus Christ, we have a rock-solid foundation for all of our hopes. We have something solid to build our hopes on.
*You see, real, biblical faith is not just positive thinking or having a positive attitude. Faith is not "The Little Engine that Could" trying to get up that hill: "I think I can. I think I can! I think I can!"
*Biblical "faith IS the substance of things hoped for." This means that right now, our faith in Jesus Christ is like a rock-solid foundation under our hopes and dreams. Our faith is something that we can rest on today, knowing that God will bring our godly hopes to pass.
*The original word God used here for "substance" was also the word used in ancient business documents for "title deed." A "substance" then was a legal guarantee of something you already owned. (3)
*And we already own our godly hopes, because Jesus paid the price for them when He died on the cross for us. So our faith in Jesus Christ is based on the perfect character of God, and the reality of what He already did for us on the cross of Christ. Our faith makes it possible for us to stand with Paul in Romans 8:32, and say: "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
*Faith in God "is the substance of things hoped for," and we need faith because it's the only rock-solid foundation for life.
2. BUT ALSO BECAUSE FAITH IS THE ONLY WAY TO SEE THE UNSEEN SPIRITUAL WORLD.
*It shouldn't surprise us that there is an unseen spiritual world all around us, because our physical vision is so limited. Of course we can't see the future. We can't see the past. And our eyes can only see a small portion of the total spectrum that includes light. There are many unseen things around us, but vs. 1 tells us that faith is "the evidence (or proof) of things not seen." Faith gives us a revelation of the unseen world. Matthew Henry explained it this way: "Faith demonstrates to the eye of the mind the reality of those things that cannot be detected by the eye of the body." (4)
*James Merritt explained that "Faith sees what the physical eyes cannot see. Faith sees the invisible, touches the intangible, hears the inaudible, and attempts the impossible. Our vision may be 20/20, but the eyes of faith can see farther, deeper, clearer, and better than our physical eyes will ever see." (5)
*"Faith is the evidence of things not seen." Faith opens us up to a whole new dimension in life. Faith opens us up to the most important things in life, because the most important things can't be seen with our eyes. This is true in the physical world. We can't see air, but we can't live without it. I've never seen my heart, my kidneys, or my liver, and I don't want to see them! But I sure am glad they are in here, doing their important work behind the scenes.
*The most important things in life cannot be seen with our eyes. This is also true of the love, joy, and peace in our hearts. And this is especially true when it comes to the things of God: The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Heaven, angels, and more. We cannot see these things right now with our physical eyes. But faith opens our spiritual eyes, and we can see. "Faith is the evidence of things not seen." And Romans 10:17 tells us that this evidence comes by hearing the Word of God.
*One of the best-known preachers of the 20th century was Peter Marshall. Years ago, they made a movie about his life, and something very special happened while they were filming that movie. It was a scene where the actor playing Peter Marshall was preaching a sermon on faith.
*When the scene was over the cameras kept rolling. Many actors in the pretend church got up to congratulate the actor for a great performance. One of those cast members was a lady named Marjorie Rambeau. As Marjorie walked down the aisle, you could see that she was very emotional. The reason why is because Marjorie was walking, even though she had not been able to walk.
*Marjorie had been injured in a car wreck. And for over a year she had not been able to take a single step. But as she listened to those words of faith, God worked a miracle in her body. Marjorie got up and walked. And she kept on walking. Now a skeptic would say that Marjorie just got caught up in the emotion of the moment. But faith opens our spiritual eyes to see the Hand of God at work, even through an actor preaching God's Word. (6)
*Faith gives us a revelation of the unseen world. This is also important when it comes to creation. Verse 3 says: "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." In other words: This incredible universe and everything in it was made by the invisible God.
*Another great hymn from my childhood said, "This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears, All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought, Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hand the wonders wrought." (7)
*"Our Daily Bread" had a thought provoking devotion that started by saying: "There is no God. All the wonders around you are accidental. No Almighty Hand made two trillion galaxies with untold billions of stars. They made themselves. The surface of our land just happened to have topsoil. Without it we would have no vegetables to eat, and no grass for the animals whose meat is our food.
*The inexhaustible envelope of air, only 50 miles deep, and exactly the right density to support human life, is just another law of physics. Water expands when it freezes, while other substances contract. This makes ice lighter than water and keeps it floating on the surface. Otherwise lakes would be solid ice down to the bottom, and no fish could survive.
*We have day and night because the earth spins at a given speed without slowing down. Who made this arrangement? Who tilts the earth so that we get seasons? The sun's fire does not generate too much heat so that we fry, but just enough so that we do not freeze. Who keeps this fire constant?
*The human heart will beat for 70 or 80 years without faltering. How does it get enough rest between beats? A kidney will filter poison from the blood, and leave the good things alone. How does it know one from the other? Who gave the human tongue flexibility to form words? And who made a brain to understand them? Is it all accidental? Is there really not a God?" (8)
*"This is our Father's world. O let us ne'er forget. That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet!" "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."
*Faith in God "is the evidence of things not seen," and we need faith because it's the only way to see the unseen spiritual world.
3. BUT ALSO BECAUSE FAITH IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRULY WORSHIP GOD.
*Verse 4 says: "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous. . ." Abel's sacrifice was more acceptable, because he had trusted in the Lord, and Genesis 4:1-4 shows us that he was following God's will to sacrifice a spotless, innocent lamb.
*Abel's sacrificial offering was an essential part of his worship, and he offered it by faith. Abel worshiped God by faith, and that is the only way we can truly worship God today. As Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4:23-24: "The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
*But we cannot worship God in spirit and truth without faith. Real worship flows out of our faith in the greatness of God. As David said in Psalm 95:1-6,
1. Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.
4. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.
5. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.
6. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
*Real worship flows out of faith in the greatness of God. It also flows out of our faith in the goodness of God. So Psalm 100:4-5 urges us to "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good, And His truth endures to all generations."
*Real worship also flows out of our faith in the love and mercy of God. That's why in Hebrews 2:9, Christians can say, "We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone."
*Real worship also flows out of our faith in the presence of God. For in Matthew 18:20 Jesus promised, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." And surely the presence of the Lord is in this place, but we can only know this truth by faith.
*Retired teacher Helen Christiansen learned this lesson as a little girl in Sunday School. In Billy Graham's "Decision Magazine," she explained: "As a child trying to grasp the mystery of God, I was given this analogy by my Sunday school teacher:
*'Touch me,' she said. I shyly reached out and touched her arm. 'Oh, no,' she said. 'You've touched my arm. Touch me.' I rose from my chair, stood beside her and touched her shoulder. 'You've touched my shoulder. Touch me.' I stretched out my hand and placed it against her lips. She took my hand in hers and said, 'That's only a part of my face.
*Don't you see? The part that IS ME is my spirit living inside my body. You can't see my spirit or touch my spirit, but you can talk to me. You can't see or touch God's Holy Spirit either. But you can talk to God. You know that I am here. And you can know that God is with you. Just talk to him in prayer. He will listen, and he will answer your prayer. You will know that it is God's Holy Spirit answering you, for He will speak to you and direct your life. If you listen to him, you will know that He is with you.'" (9)
*The Lord was with little Helen that night when she trusted in Jesus Christ, and she knew it by faith. By faith we also know that the Lord is here with us today. Praise the Lord! And we need faith, because it's the only way we can truly worship God.
4. BUT ALSO BECAUSE FAITH IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET A GOOD REPORT FROM GOD.
*In vs. 2, "For by it (that is, by faith) the elders obtained a good testimony," or a "good report" the KJV says. Faith gives us a good report from God. And that's what Abel got in vs. 4. "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks."
*Now, faith does not guarantee us an easy life in this world. Matthew 23:29-35 shows us that Abel was the first prophet, and he was murdered by his wicked brother Cain. Why? Because Cain rejected God's plan of salvation through the blood of a lamb. Millions of those lambs were sacrificed in Old Testament days, and every one of them was a picture of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
*Abel was murdered by his own brother. But faith in God gave Abel a good report. And Abel still speaks to us today in God's Word. Abel did not fully understand it at the time, but his sinless, spotless lambs pointed to the time thousands of years later when God would become a man. Jesus Christ came into the world to die on the cross for our sins. He is the true Lamb of God who died to take away the sins of the world. Jesus took our punishment, so that we could have His righteousness. Then He rose again. So when we put our faith in the Risen Savior, we get a good report from God. But it must come through the cross. It must come through faith in the cross of Jesus Christ.
*Abel got a good report from the Lord. So did a little boy named T.J. Dr. Diane Komp told T.J.'s story in her 1992 book titled, "A Window to Heaven." At the time, Dr. Komp was a pediatric oncologist and retired medical professor at Yale. She was brought to the Lord by the amazing ways God worked as her very-sick patients neared the end.
*T.J. was not one of Diane's patients, but his story echoed what she had seen God do in the hospital. T.J.'s young mother was named Ann, and one day she was perplexed when her little boy tried to give her an early Christmas present. Mom insisted that he wait a few more days.
*Then, T.J. did something else strange. He blurted out, "Mama, I love you more than anything in the world, except God. And I love Him a little bit more!" That really startled Ann, because both she and her husband were atheists.
*These upscale parents had no time for church. Their children had never been to Sunday School, and God was never mentioned in their home. I wish I knew how God got the good news to T.J., and perhaps one day we will. But on that day, he blurted out, "Mama, I love you more than anything in the world, except God. -- And I love Him a little bit more!"
*Two days later, T.J. was playing near a creek when he fell through the ice and drowned. A few days after that, Ann found her Christmas present from T.J. It was a small cross necklace. And in spite of their unbelief, Ann and her husband felt God's presence comforting them. Not long after that, they became Christians, and they started "T.J. Ministries." It was a support service for parents who had lost a child to accidental death. (10)
*Ann and her husband lost T.J. for a little while. But by faith they will see him again, because they put their trust in Jesus Christ. And like Abel, though T.J. is dead, he still speaks about his faith in Jesus Christ. By faith, T.J. gave a good report for God, and he got a good report from God. But it can only come by faith. So what we need more than anything else in the world is childlike faith in the cross of Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION:
*Why do we need faith? Because it is the only rock-solid foundation for life. It's the only way to see the unseen spiritual world. It's the only way to truly worship God, and the only way to get a good report from God.
*Christians: We all need more faith. Let's ask God for it. And if your have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, put your faith in Jesus today. Ask Him to save you now, as we go back to the Lord in prayer.
(1) Words: Frederick W. Faber, Jesus and Mary (London: 1849); refrain by James G. Walton, 1874 - Music: St. Catherine, arranged by James G. Walton in Crown of Jesus Music, by Henri F. Hemy (London: 1864) - www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/a/faithoof.htm
(2) "The Giver’s Big Hands," Citation: Brian Harris, Mt. Roskill, Auckland, New Zealand - Source: SermonCentral illustration contributed by Todd Coget
(3) WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933 - Luke 11:8 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(4) Adapted from "Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible" - Hebrews 11:1-3 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(5) Adapted from Sermons.com sermon "You've Gotta Believe" by James Merritt - Hebrews 11:1-40
(6) From "See You at the Top" by Zig Ziglar, Pelican Publishing Company, p. 18
(7) Words: Maltbie D. Babcock (1858-1901) - Music: Terra Beata, traditional English melody, arranged by Franklin L. Sheppard in his Alleluia, 1915 - www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/i/tismyfw.htm
(8) Sources:
-Adapted from KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 939 - SOURCE: Internet: Http://www.willmar.com/~wag - TITLE: There Is No God - AUTHOR: Michael Jackson, Senior Pastor, Willmar Assembly of God Church
*Note: A few years ago, astronomers thought that there were 100 billion galaxies in the universe. Then the number jumped to 200 billion galaxies. In 2012, scientists thought our universe might have as many as 500 billion galaxies. Then in 2016, Astrophysical Journal reported a new study that estimates 2 trillion galaxies in the universe! Each of those galaxies has hundreds of millions of stars. And God made them all!
-You Tube: The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D
-http://www.universetoday.com/24325/how-many-stars-are-in-galaxies/
-Houston Chronicle, 10/17/2016, p. A2 - Source: "In Other Words" - November 2016 #2 produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry - www.iows.net
-We Were Very Wrong About the Number of Galaxies in the Universe by George Dvorsky - 10/13/16 12:30PM - https://gizmodo.com/we-were-very-wrong-about-the-number-of-galaxies-in-the-1787750693#_ga=2.186129578.267493449.1531754467-3674648492.1521482270
(9) Adapted from Decision Magazine - June 1993
(10) Diane M. Komp, M.D. - "A Window to Heaven" - Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1992, pp. 81-83 - Source: "Dynamic Illustrations" - Oct, Nov, Dec 2001 - Topic: Suffering
