The Hall of Faith

Hebrews 11:1-40

Understanding Faith• Hebrews 11:1-3

– It appears the King James translators got the full meaning of the word “substance” from the rest of the chapter, that is, it is like something which can be grasped

– The American Standard translators similarly saw “conviction” as something based on firm evidence

– People of older times, or elders like Abel, Noah, etc., received a good report from God by exhibiting faith

– Through faith, men who trust God know how this earth came into existence

– The world was made from nothing, spoken into existence by God

Abel’s Faith• Abel’s faith is seen in his actions (Hebrews 11:4;

Genesis 4:3-5; 1 John 3:11-12)– Through that faith, Abel obtained his witness and

God acknowledged his faith– Abel still speaks today through his example of

faithful obedience

• Since faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17), we conclude Abel was obedient to God’s command– Milligan believes it was this obedient attitude which

made Abel’s sacrifice a better one (1 Samuel 15:22), causing him to act “strictly in compliance with the will of God.”

Enoch’s Faith• It appears Enoch was translated to heaven in

much the same was a Elijah (Hebrews 11:5; Genesis 5:21-24; Jude 14-16; 2 Kings 2:1-12)

• God testified that Enoch “pleased” him before he took him up

• Such pleasing can only be achieved by having faith in, or believing, God and diligently seeking to do his will (Hebrews 11:6)

• Further, the one who really trusts in God knows he will be rewarded for such faithful service

Noah’s Faith• Because of his faith, Noah acted as directed by

God and built an ark (Hebrews 11:7; Genesis 5:32-8:22)– This despite the fact that there was no evidence of a

coming flood at the time he began to build

• By his actions of trust, or faith, in God, Noah saved his household

• By those same actions, he condemned the world that did not believe in God’s word

• Those actions also resulted in Noah becoming the “heir of righteousness” (Genesis 9:8-17)

Abraham’s Faith

• Abraham went out when called (Hebrews 11:8-10; Genesis 12:1-7; Romans 4; Galatians 3:6-9)– He was promised the land as an inheritance

• He lived in a land that would not become his people’s homeland for generations (Genesis 15:12-21; Acts 7:5)

• Isaac, his son, and Jacob, his grandson, also lived in tents, rather than cities– They accepted a semi-nomadic existence so they

could receive a better city built by God

The Son of Promise• Both Abraham and Sarah doubted– Despite God’s promise, Abraham questioned

whether a servant would be his heir and laughed at having a child with Sarah (Genesis 15:1-4; 17:15-21)

– They tried to help God through Hagar (Genesis 16)– Sarah’s doubts were overcome by her faith and she

bore the son of promise, Isaac (Hebrews 11:11; Genesis 18:12-15)

• Though dead in the reproductive sense, they had a child (Hebrews 11:12)– His descendants (multitudes) would inherit the land

of promise (Genesis 22:17)

The Hope of Heaven• These all died as they lived, in faith (Hebrews

11:13-16, Milligan)– Abraham only saw the fulfillment of the promises

through the eye of faith– Their actions said they did not seek a country of

their own, though they desired a place to call home– They never exhibited a desire to go back to an

earthly home, but sought a better place, heaven– Because of the things they sacrificed by faith, God

prepared a home for them and was not ashamed to be identified as their God (Exodus 3:15; Matthew 22:32; Revelation 21:3)

Ready to Offer

• God asked Abraham to take the son of promise, Isaac, and offer him up as a sacrifice (Hebrews 11:17; Genesis 22:1-14)– Thus his faith was tested to the fullest since Isaac

was the only one of his kind (Genesis 17:14-21)– Only through Isaac could the promises be kept– “The word translated offered is in the perfect

tense…. The perfect tense expresses the idea that the demands in the sacrifice were fully met, and that, from an ideal standpoint and as far as Abraham was concerned, the offering was a completed action” (Lightfoot).

Received Isaac in a Parable• Isaac was the only child in Abraham’s line of

descent (Hebrews 11:18-19; Genesis 21:12; 25:4-5)

• Abraham believed God could raise him from the dead– The word “figure” is from “parabole,” or parable– “Abraham received Isaac alive from the altar of

sacrifice and death, it was as if he received him from the dead! Receiving Isaac from the altar of sacrifice was a placing of that experience beside what God would have done in raising Isaac from the dead” (Basil Overton)

Isaac, Jacob and Joseph Had Faith

• Hebrews 11:20-22

• Isaac blessed his sons in faith unable to see how their lives would be lived (Genesis 27:27-40)

• Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons, setting Ephraim before Manasseh (Genesis 48:1-20)

• Jacob worshiped believing Joseph would bury him as promised (Genesis 47:29-31)

• Joseph believed God would deliver his people as promised (Genesis 50:22-26– He made his relatives promise to carry out his bones

Moses and His Parents• Hebrews 11:23-25

• Moses’ parents had faith (Exodus 1:22-2:3)– They knew all male children were to be thrown in

the river but hid him 3 months– God rewarded their faith by allowing their son to be

spared

• Moses rejected the Egyptians in favor of his Hebrew brethren (Exodus 2:11-12)– Rather than turn away and let the Egyptian beat the

Hebrew slave, Moses chose to throw off the pleasures of the sinful Egyptians and risk the suffering of the Hebrews

Suffering the Reproach of Christ

• Moses chose the reproach of Christ over the luxuries of Egypt (Hebrews 11:26-27)– Because he looked to heaven, he could endure the

same reproach Christ bore while on earth and bears in his body, the church

• Moses left Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king because he could see the invisible One who keeps his promises (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:14-16)– First fled in fear because he had slain the Egyptian

(Exodus 2:11-15), but left on Exodus fully trusting in God

Israel’s Faith• Hebrews 11:28-31

• The Passover kept by faith (Exodus 12:1-36)– Firstborn spared, Egyptian firstborn died

• Israel passed through the Red Sea and the Egyptians were drowned (Exodus 14:28-29)

• Faith at Jericho (Joshua 6:1-21; 2:1-21)– City defeated in a way only accomplished by faith– Rahab spared because she believed in God’s power

and hid the spies– Rahab became the wife of Salmon and mother of

Boaz, both of whom are in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:5)

A List of Other Faithful

• For lack of time, the author listed several men of faith (Hebrews 11:32)– Barak conquered the Canaanites (Judges 4:4-24)– Gideon defeated the Midianites (Judges 7:1-23)– Jephthah subdued the Ammonites (Judges 11:1-33)– Samson slew the Philistines (Judges 13:24-16:31)– David trusted God to keep him safe from Saul and

did not harm God’s anointed– Samuel served God faithfully, anointing two kings– Various prophets, like Elijah and Jeremiah, served,

though threatened and abused

Rewards of Faith• Hebrews 11:33-35

– Samuel and David “wrought righteousness by public administration of divine justice” (Fudge)

– Canaan was received because of faith– Lions’ mouths were shut for Daniel and fire’s

violence quenched for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

– Elijah, Elisha and Jeremiah all escaped the sword– Gideon was made strong, became valiant and put

armies of enemies to flight– The widow of Zarephath and the Shunamite woman

received their dead raised– Many refused to deny God looking forward to

heaven

Hardships Endured

• Hebrews 11:36-37

• Samson was mocked, while Jeremiah endured beatings, bonds and imprisonment

• Other prophets were stoned, sawn in two, tempted and slain by the sword

• They wandered in poverty, destitute, afflicted and tormented

• Their lives set them above those around them, like Noah

Something Better for Us• Though all these lived lives of good report and

were known for their acts of faith, none of them saw the promised Messiah (Hebrews 11:39)

• The Hebrew Christians who read the book had a better thing provided for them (Heb. 11:40)– Their sins could not be completely removed without

Christ, but neither could the men of faith reach perfection until Christ had died

– Men of faith were faithful to the end, yet we have something better

– So, the author called for his readers to be at least as faithful as those previously listed