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Lesson Three

Hebrews 11:1-3

Hebrews 11:1-31 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Hebrews 11:4-5

Hebrews 11:4-54 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Hebrews 11:6-7

Hebrews 11:6-76 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Focus Verse

James 2:24

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

Focus Thought

Genuine faith leads to a life of obedience and both are necessary for salvation.

IntroductionIntroduction

Several Bible teachers have observed that the Ten Commandments are not merely “ten suggestions.” God’s laws apply universally to the human race, and He intended that mankind would obey His laws. The consequences for disobedience are frequently chronicled for us in the Bible, and we can also observe many contemporary examples around us. Those who fail to heed the warnings of God’s Word will reap the reward of their deeds.

IntroductionThe life of an unbeliever often runs aground like a beached boat. No amount of maneuvering can change the facts of where he is and why he is there. He has chosen to ignore the relevant, eternal wisdom of God and to chart a course for his life that leads to disaster. It is no wonder that shipwreck occurred because all the warnings went unheeded.

IntroductionDisobedience is the bitter fruit of unbelief. Roots of discontent planted in the soil of unthankfulness support this plant of unbelief. Sometimes these plants grow together in small groups and give off a foul, offensive odor. If disobedience is the fruit of unbelief, then obedience must be the fruit of faith. Invisible until it goes to work, faith is love dressed in its work clothes.  

I Samuel 15:22-23“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than

the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he

hath also rejected thee from being king” (I Samuel 15:22-23).

IntroductionA person who refuses to submit to proper authority in his life would rather do just about anything other than what someone has asked of him. The Bible compares rebellion to witchcraft because both of them are manipulative in nature for the ultimate purpose of domination. (See I Samuel 15:23.)

IntroductionGod commissioned Saul, the first king of Israel, to fulfill a four-hundred-year-old promise that He had made to Israel (Deuteronomy 25:19). God said He would destroy the Amalekites because they had attacked Israel in the wilderness. Samuel gave Saul the word of the Lord to destroy the Amalekites completely, but Saul’s incomplete obedience ultimately cost him his life. Ironically, an Amalekite stood over him and slew him on Mount Gilboa (II Samuel 1:5-10). Certainly, our lack of obedience can come back to destroy us later when we least expect it.  

I. Obedience: Outflow of Faith

Obedience: Outflow of Faith

In the second chapter of his epistle, James asserted three different times that faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 20, 26). Faith is not genuine unless a corresponding action accompanies it. Living faith demands living proof. Thus, we show that our good wishes for the poor and needy are genuine only when we actually minister to their necessities. Our wishes alone would lack meaning and be heartless, and our faith without works would be worthless.

I. Obedience: Outflow of Faith

Faith in God is not designed to be a cold generalization, but it is a living principle designed to lead a person to a life of good works. Our faith should produce a holy life—a life of activity in service of the Lord and others.

I. Obedience: Outflow of Faith

A great amount of pseudo charity exists that people express only by good wishes. If we have the means to help and the person needs the assistance, then such verbal expressions are a mockery and aggravate, rather than soothe, the feelings of the sufferer. Such wishes will neither clothe nor feed him and will only deepen his misery.

I. Obedience: Outflow of Faith

This kind of worthless faith is dead—it neither produces good works nor exerts practical positive influence on a life. A person who believes the truth of the gospel and attends a local church would think it an injustice for anyone to speak of him as an unbeliever. However, if no corresponding actions to his faith exist, his life would be the same as if he had never heard the gospel. No evidence of the fruit of the Spirit exists, and his faith is lifeless and worthless. Faith alone, without any accompanying fruits or results, is dead. Faith that is alive demonstrates its life by visible actions that produce an effect, but dead faith produces no effect at all.

I. Obedience: Outflow of Faith

James explained that even belief in one God is not enough to claim salvation—demons believe in one God. Their faith in the one, true, and living God is real, and they demonstrate it by their trembling. (See James 2:14-22.) The Greek word used here for “tremble,” phrisso, occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means “to bristle, stiffen, stand up, to shudder, to be struck with extreme fear, to be horrified” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). If a person’s faith only causes him to tremble about what he believes, it is insufficient to save him. Our faith and obedience to the gospel is the only thing that will save us.

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement A

A. Adam Disobeyed

God asserted ownership of the Garden of Eden by making the rules for living there. Accompanying the privilege of occupying the premises was the responsibility of keeping the rules, or suffering the consequences. God gave Adam only one rule, which should have been quite easy for him to keep.

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement AYou can tell a man that there are billions of stars in the sky, and he will accept it as fact; but if you hang out a sign that says, “Wet paint,” he has to touch it.

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement AThe nature of humanity is such that we often challenge our boundaries to see if the fence really exists. When we challenge spiritual boundaries, we are also challenging the One who made the rules. The apostle Paul declared that the serpent deceived Eve, but Adam’s action was with deliberate knowledge (Genesis 2:17; I Timothy 2:14). Therefore, God could not allow Adam’s open rebellion to go uncontested, for rules are effective only if consequences occur when they are broken.

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement B

B. Noah Built an Ark for Salvation

When God decided to wash the human race off the face of the earth, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). God then gave him specific blueprints for the boat that he was to build—instructions for materials, sizes, and purposes for each area of the ship’s three decks, including one window and one door.

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement B

The righteousness of God demands that He warn of impending judgment and prepare an escape before He metes out the judgment. Noah did his part in preparing the means of escape, and God did the rest. Peter called our attention to the fact that “the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (I Peter 3:20). God waited until the ark was finished and Noah and his family were safely inside before He sent the rain.

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement B

We could draw many parallels between the ark and the New Testament church. In Noah’s time, the ark was the only refuge from the flood of God’s judgment. The message of salvation was simple: God’s judgment was coming on the earth, and He would flood it with water. Those who heard the preaching of Noah had to get into the ark or drown. The only entrance was through one door, and the only view was up through one window in the top.

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement C

C. Abraham Received a Promise

The Lord appeared to Abram and gave him a promise of future blessing with the understanding that he was to leave his country, his family, and his father’s house and travel to a land that God would show him. When Abram arrived in the land of Canaan, his nephew, Lot, accompanied him. God waited until after Abram and Lot separated company to tell him, “Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee” (Genesis 13:17).

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement C

God’s command to Abram was to leave his country and to separate from his family to begin a walk of faith. When the separation was complete, God began mapping out the estate He had planned for Abram and his descendants through Isaac. This promise was restated to Moses and to Joshua when Israel was moving toward their inheritance in Canaan (Deuteronomy 11:24; Joshua 14:9).

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement D

D. Moses Answered a Call

Moses was an example of a reluctant leader. The Lord called him out of hiding after forty years in the desert where he kept his father-in-law’s sheep. Moses had grown content in this quiet place away from everything, but the voice of God from the burning bush shook up his comfort zone and redirected his life. (See Exodus 2:21; 3:1-2.)

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement DMoses had no self-confidence, and he lacked confidence in God. He suggested that God use Aaron, his brother, to be His spokesman because Moses had a speech impediment. God had to prove Himself to Moses through numerous signs and miracles before he would commit to being the leader of the people of God. It is significant to note God’s persistence in pursuing and persuading Moses to go to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh let His people go, and Moses finally relented.

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement E

E. Rahab Feared God

Rahab was a resident of Jericho when Joshua and the people of Israel set up camp on the banks of the Jordan River just below the city. She operated a house of prostitution located on top of the city wall, and the Scriptures refer to her as “Rahab the harlot.” One evening she recognized two men from Israel who were strangers in the city and hid them on her rooftop to protect them from capture and death by the king of Jericho. These men were spies that Joshua had sent to check out the city (Joshua 2:1).

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement ERahab and the inhabitants of Jericho had heard

stories of the Red Sea crossing and the destruction of Sihon and Og, two kings of the Amorites. She said, “For the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11). A chord of fear reverberated throughout the city, and the gates were shut with no one coming in or going out.

II. Obedience: God’s Requirement E

Rahab made an agreement with the two spies from Israel. Because she had spared their lives, she asked them to save her life when Jericho was destroyed. The men told her to leave a red rope hanging out of the window to mark her house on the city wall. Furthermore, she was responsible for gathering her family into her house, and anyone who left the house would meet certain death. They further instructed her not to tell anyone about the spies’ business. Rahab feared Israel’s God, and her life and the lives of her family depended upon her adherence to the conditions stipulated by the spies from Israel.

III. Obedience: Our Response A

Obedience: Our Response

A. Abel Believed and OfferedHis Best to God

When Abel presented an offering to God, “he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering” (Genesis 4:4). This was a form of tithing because it was the “first fruits” of his flock. It was the best he had to give. God accepted Abel’s excellent offering and testified to his righteousness. 

III. Obedience: Our Response A“The record in Genesis simply represents the two

brothers as offering each what he had to offer in accordance with his occupation and pursuits, the only difference being that Abel is said to, have offered his firstlings and the fat thereof, while nothing is said of Cain having brought his first fruits or his best. Then, in the account of the result, we are only told that unto one the LORD had respect, and not to the other, without mention of the reason why. . . .

III. Obedience: Our Response AThe acceptableness of the offering is here simply

attributed, as of necessity, to the faith of the offerer, without any intimation of how that faith had been evinced. And with this view of the matter agrees the record itself, where it is said that ‘unto Abel and his offering the LORD had respect’ i.e. to Abel first, and then to his offering—the offering was accepted because Abel was, not Abel on account of his kind of offering” (The Pulpit Commentary, Electronic Database, Copyright 2001, Biblesoft).

III. Obedience: Our Response B

B. Enoch Believed andWalked with God

In the time just before the flood, the world was full of wickedness, and God was grieved that He had even created mankind. Enoch lived at that time, and his testimony was that he pleased God. The Scriptures could have stated that Enoch had lived for the Lord, followed the Lord, or served the Lord. Instead, the Bible declared, “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24).

III. Obedience: Our Response BThis phraseology reflects a constant, daily

communion with God. God’s faithful children live for Him with the principle firmly in place that they expect to live forever with Him in heaven (Psalm 104:33). To walk with God is to live a life of consistent consideration for what is pleasing to Him. Regardless of the evil in the day in which we may live, it is possible for us to respond with faith and please God.

III. Obedience: Our Response C

C. Noah Believed andMoved with Fear

Noah’s faith prompted him to listen to God’s voice. He conscientiously and reverently prepared an ark for the deliverance of his family. Noah condemned the unbelieving world in his day by responding to the command of God in faithful obedience. Faith has respect for God that motivates us to please Him.

III. Obedience: Our Response D

D. Abraham Believed andOffered Up Isaac

When God tested Abraham’s faith, Abraham had already made up his mind to sacrifice Isaac before reaching the altar. His faith in God’s promise was unshakable. Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac from the ashes of a sacrifice to fulfill His promise. God viewed Abraham’s faith as if he had already sacrificed Isaac. Therefore, Abraham’s faith demonstrated that he loved God more than he loved God’s gift. 

III. Obedience: Our Response E

E. Moses Believed and Chose to Identify withGod’s People

Moses’ faith in God forced him to make a choice between the temporary pleasures of sin in Egypt and the afflictions of God’s people. His choice to cast his lot with God’s chosen ones immediately divorced him from the family of Pharaoh’s daughter and the comforts of the palace. His loss in this world was not comparable to the glory that was yet to come (II Corinthians 4:17; I Peter 1:6-7).

Romans 8:18

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

IV. Obedience: Our Reward A

Obedience: Our Reward

A. Abel Left a Lasting Legacyof Righteousness

Abel’s legacy is that God accepted his offering. He made his offering in faith, which enacted the divine testimonial that he was a righteous man. The Bible implies such impartation in Genesis 4:4: “And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering.” That is, God regarded Abel’s sacrifice as the offering of a righteous man.

IV. Obedience: Our Reward AAlthough Scripture does not indicate His method of

doing so, God immediately made His approval of Abel’s gifts known. Many Bible commentators have supposed that it was by fire descending from heaven to consume the sacrifice. However, we have no evidence of the means that God used to display His acceptance. 

IV. Obedience: Our Reward B

B. Enoch Received Victoryover Death

God gave Enoch a great gift; He translated Enoch without his passing through the normal process of death. Because of his faith in God and his consistent walk with Him, he pleased God. Therefore, Enoch became the pattern for the New Testament promise of the resurrection. The writer of Hebrews used the same Greek word for “translate” that the Septuagint employed in Genesis 5:24—metatithemi. (See Hebrews 11:5.)

IV. Obedience: Our Reward B

It means “to transpose two things, one of which is put in place of the other; to transfer; to change; to transfer oneself or suffer oneself to be transferred; to go or pass over” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). (See Acts 7:16; Hebrews 7:12.) This word properly expresses the removal to another place and is the word that the writer would have used on the assumption that God took Enoch to heaven without his dying. The Word of God further declared, “And he was not” (Genesis 5:24); that is, he was no longer in the land of the living.

IV. Obedience: Our Reward C

C. Noah Saved His Family

Noah was a man who had faith in God. His respect for God’s voice motivated him to prepare an ark according to God’s plans. The salvation of Noah’s whole family was his reward for obedient faith. Noah literally built the salvation of his family with his own hands by obeying God. Someone wisely said, “When we do God’s will God’s way, we receive God’s provision.” 

IV. Obedience: Our Reward D

D. Abraham Gave Birth to a Great Nation

The call of God to Abraham was to give birth to the nation of Israel. The Bible proclaimed, “And he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Hebrews 11:8). God wanted to begin a nation with a man and a woman who had no heirs and were past the ability to have children. Furthermore, God told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the sands of the sea and as numberless as the stars of the heavens.

IV. Obedience: Our Reward D

Abraham’s obedience birthed more than a nation. It was the birth of redemption. Jesus was a son of Abraham. The almighty God inhabited the house of Abraham as one of his earthly descendants to save us from our sins. Abraham’s true descendants, who were as the stars of the heavens, are the spiritual children who are born again by the new birth of the water and the Spirit (John 3:5; Galatians 3:14, 27-29). The Gentiles, who were once strangers and aliens to the house of Israel, now have the privilege of coming under the tents of Shem—the origin of Abraham’s family (Genesis 9:27; Ephesians 2:11-22).

IV. Obedience: Our Reward E

E. Moses Saw Him WhoWas Invisible

Moses’ refusing, choosing, and esteeming caused him to forsake Egypt (Hebrews 11:24-27). God’s convincing call finally became Moses’ passion. His choices reflected his changes, and human limitations did not cloud his vision. By faith, Moses saw the invisible God and was not afraid of the visible pharaoh.  

IV. Obedience: Our Reward F

F. Rahab Became a Motherin Israel

By faith, Rahab was saved from death in the destruction of Jericho (Joshua 6:25). Joshua allowed her and her family to live outside of the camp of Israel at first. She later married a man from the tribe of Judah named Salmon, whose son was Boaz. The man she married was possibly one of the two spies she hid in her house. In the New Testament, Matthew listed Rahab in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). Her faith in the God of Israel not only spared her life and the lives of her family, but it also allowed her entrance into the family of God. 

IV. Obedience: Our Reward G

G. Mankind Will Be JudgedAccording to Works

“And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is

the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:8,

NKJV).

IV. Obedience: Our Reward G“The bride’s array, fine linen, which is explained

as ‘the righteousness,’ requires the translation ‘righteous deeds.’ In other words, the wedding garment of the bride will be made up of the righteous deeds done in life. The bride is the bride because of the righteousness of Christ; the bride is clothed for the wedding because of her acts” (Dr. Charles Ryrie).

IV. Obedience: Our Reward G“Has it ever occurred to you that at the marriage

of the Bride to the Lamb each of us will be wearing the wedding garment of our own making” (Dr. Lehman Strauss, quoted in Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible, p. 575.)

IV. Obedience: Our Reward GPaul wrote to the Corinthians, “For we must all

appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:10). (See also Ecclesiastes 12:14; Romans 14:10.)

IV. Obedience: Our Reward GEvery believer will stand before Christ for the

inspection and testing of his works. Paul compared these works to wood, hay, and straw—the combustible, inferior works of mankind—versus gold, silver, and precious stones—the incombustible, superior works of the Spirit (I Corinthians 3:12). Fire purifies some works, and they become more valuable; fire burns up other works, and they become worthless. Whatever remains becomes the basis for the believer’s reward.

IV. Obedience: Our Reward GThe Great White Throne Judgment, which occurs

after the one thousand years of peace, will be the place where God judges all the wicked dead for their works. Five books will be opened for this judgment: (1) the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15), (2) the book of works (Matthew 16:27; Revelation 20:12), (3) the Word of God, (4) the book of words (Matthew 12:36-37; Romans 2:16), and (5) the book of conscience (Romans 2:15).

Revelation 20:12, 15“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were

opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and

the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the

books, according to their works. . . . And whosoever was not found written

in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12, 15).

Reflections

In his book Strengthening Your Grip, Charles R. Swindoll told the story about spending an evening with former astronaut General Charles M. Duke. He was a crew member of the Apollo 16 mission to the moon. Swindoll asked him, “Once you were there, weren’t you free to make your own decisions and carry out some of your own experiments . . . you know, sort of do as you pleased—maybe stay a little longer if you liked?” He smiled back, “Sure, Chuck, if we didn’t want to return to earth!”

Reflections

Swindoll got the distinct impression that a rebel did not fit inside a spacesuit. An astronaut must have unconditional loyalty to the mission and complete respect for authority. How much more should we be responsible to God for carrying out His mission in the earth? God’s laws are only to protect us and to promote a happy and fulfilled life. His law helps us avoid the traps of sin and encourages fellowship with Him.

Reflections

Our universe is founded upon strict natural laws that control every aspect of life with split-second precision. God made our bodies to function with balance, both psychologically and physically. The laws that govern the natural world are a mirror of the supernatural world. When we learn to work in cooperation with God’s natural order, our lives become physically balanced. Likewise, when we apply God’s spiritual laws to our lives, we become spiritually balanced. Certainly, God’s laws are really an act of His great love for us as His creation.

Reflections

When we consider the eternal benefits of a life of submission to God’s purpose, it changes the appearance of the suffering and difficulties encountered in this life. Paul declared, “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). The glory of heaven will make every difficulty on earth seem microscopic in comparison.