Class Lesson April 2, 2017

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE 

It’s hard to know what to believe anymore. The Internet is filled with “news” on topics that range from politics to medicine to conspiracies, and all the writers tout their stories as truth—even though the “facts” they are promoting regularly contradict each other. Even worse, when you question what you read, someone will inevitably offer this jewel: “I know it’s hard to believe, but just accept it as true. Take it on faith.” 

Really? Is faith just jumping blindly into belief? 

Throughout the Bible, we see a whole different idea of faith. In fact, the author of the Book of Hebrews captured the meaning of faith in a single chapter. In Hebrews 11, we’re reminded of individuals who didn’t just blindly believe something. They had true faith—even when God called them to believe some pretty incredible things! 

Let’s embrace a different understanding of faith from what the world describes. Hebrews 11 shows us real-life examples of people who faced overwhelming situations and yet lived faithfully through them. They were victorious because of their faith.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Hebrews 11:1-3 

1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. 2 For by it our ancestors won God’s approval.3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. 

Let’s start by being real clear on what faith is. Verse 1 describes how faith works and what it does: 

• Faith is an inward conviction. Faith means trusting God and believing (even knowing) that He will do what He says He will do—because He always does. 

• Faith gives us confidence. Faith has substance. It’s an assurance based on the reality of what God has already done and said. 

Want an example? We know the universe exists; it’s here for us to touch, see, and explore. Yet for all we’ve learned and keep learning about creation, science alone simply can’t answer the most fundamental questions about its existence—especially the question “Why?” Is the universe merely a giant cosmic accident? Or is there some purpose or plan? 

Christians know the answer to the “why” question because of our faith: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God.” God created everything we see in order to provide a place where we could enjoy a relationship with Him. We can only understand this dimension of our reality by hearing God’s Word and believing what He said. 

Our universe isn’t some accident of physics; it’s the intentional work of God who reveals Himself first as Creator. God started with nothing and brought all that exists into being from nothing. Therefore, we can be confident and have faith that God will continue to work His will in our world—and in our lives.

Hebrews 11:4 

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith. 

After the writer described true faith in verses 1-3, he gave us several examples of people who demonstrated such faith. These heroes of faith were people just like us who saw God working in their world and found ways—sometimes dramatic and courageous ways—to join Him. We can do the same. 

The first example comes from the life of Abel, whose full story is recorded in Genesis 4:1-10. The tragedy of Cain and Abel is a familiar story within our culture, although it does raise a number of questions that often go unanswered. For example: why did God reject Cain’s offering but accept Abel’s? 

We aren’t told much in the Scriptures about the difference between the two offerings, but the text does offer some hints. For example, Abel was careful to choose the best of his flock to offer to God (see Gen. 4:4). On the other hand, Cain seems to have been careless in what he chose for his offering (see 4:3). In other words, it wasn’t the offerings themselves that made them acceptable or unacceptable; it was the attitudes behind those offerings. 

As noted earlier, faith is confidence and trust in God; it’s a response to who God is, what He says, and how He has worked. Abel expressed that confidence and trust—that faith—through his worship. Cain had no faith in God and, as a result, his offering was a ritual, not a true act of faith and worship. Cain’s offering simply didn’t mean much to him; therefore, it didn’t mean much to God. 

Our confidence that God alone is God and no one is like Him affects our choices and actions. Since no one is greater than God, why would we want to bring less than our best to Him?

Hebrews 11:5-6 

5 By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God. 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 

The author of Hebrews referred to Enoch for his second example of a person who lived by faith. We know very little about Enoch, but what we do know is extraordinary. 

The entire fifth chapter of Genesis is a genealogy that prepares us to meet another man of faith named Noah (see Gen. 6:1–9:29 and Heb. 11:7). As we read through this genealogy, we get the impression that life seemed to go on fairly normally after the time of Cain and Abel: people were born, got married, had children, and died. 

Then there was Enoch (see Gen. 5:21-24). When Enoch was 365 years old, “he was not there” (v. 24). Why? Because “God took him away.” Enoch never died. He simply went from walking with God in this life to walking with God in eternity. 

That’s all we’re told. 

The author of Hebrews noted that Enoch’s faith—his confidence in God’s future—was the key to this new reality. 

Like any good teacher, the writer of Hebrews stopped to emphasize his point: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” The church has often stressed the priority of faith over works, and this passage helps us understand why faith takes priority. Without faith, works would never happen. There’s no motivation to do anything if we don’t “believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” We live the way we live because we know God exists. We do what we do because we are sure God is there. We live to please God because we believe God will reward those who seek Him. 

And what reward do we seek? Riches? Fame? No. We want the victory God gave Enoch—an eternity of walking with God. We seek God because we want the kinds of rewards only He can give. That’s what Paul sought: “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8). 

Faith opens our understanding to find a different reality in the presence of God. We find everything that’s truly important in His presence: peace, love, joy, hope, and more. Faith—confidence in who God is and what His coming kingdom has in store for His people—causes us to live our lives now the way we will live one day in heaven: a life of victory. 

• A faith that pleases God makes us victorious. 

• A faith that is confident God exists makes us victorious. 

• A faith that knows God will reward our pursuit of Him makes us victorious. 

Take time this week to read the rest of Hebrews 11. You’ll find others who lived with confidence in God’s existence, presence, and reward. Life wasn’t easy for any of them—in fact, it was very hard for most of them—but they confidently endured because they knew their faith in God would give them victory. 

Whatever difficulty you are facing, you can be victorious in Christ. The men and women in Hebrews 11 walked down the road of difficulty, too. Whatever challenges confront you, take courage from the way these people responded in faith. Others have stood confidently in Christ—and so can you.

LIVE IT OUT

How will you express your faith in God this week? 

Consider the following suggestions: 

• Trust. Take a moment each day to verbally express your trust in God through prayer. Tell God that you will trust Him throughout the day, and tell Him why you will trust Him. 

• Read. Read the Old Testament stories of the men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11. Read about their lives and find out how they expressed confident trust and faith in God. Consider recording what you learn from each person. 

• Encourage. Even as God uses the lives in Hebrews 11 to encourage us, choose to be an encouragement to someone else. Encourage their faith and trust in Christ by telling them how you trusted Christ in a similar experience. 

Don’t let anyone tell you to jump blindly into any kind of belief. That’s not faith. Choose to trust God because of all that He has done for you and for the world around you. That’s the informed trust that leads to victorious faith. 

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Teacher's Notes

As Christians, we have a hope in what is true, and a faith based on what has been proven throughout history and in our own lives. God always remains true to His promises.

The writer of Hebrews is writing to believers who were enduring hardship and some were on the verge of giving up their Christian confession and going back to the old way (Judaism). The writer is urging them to stand firm in Christ and have a victorious faith. 

What kind of faith is that? Well, let’s see…

I. Hebrews 11:1-3 

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. 2 For by it our ancestors won God’s approval.3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. 

 Let’s start by being real clear on what faith is. Verse 1 describes how faith works and what it does:

• Faith is an inward conviction. That means trusting God and believing (even knowing) that He will do what He says He will do—because He always does. In the NIV it says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” These two qualities need a beginning and ending point: to begin with, we are sure of who God is and we believe with certainty in His promises…that He will do what He says. With that said, we can know that: 

• Faith gives us confidence. Faith has substance. It’s an assurance based on the reality of what God has already done and said. It’s an attitude of mind toward the future and the unseen that is determinative for personal conduct in the present. Faith, based as it is upon the firm word of God, is not at all a ‘leap in the dark’. It assures one of the reality of the invisible world, and of its superiority to the visible, and thereby enables him to make the right choice in the moment of decision.

Having faith in God even though you can’t see Him: No one ever sees the wind, but we still know it is there. No one has ever seen gravity, but we can feel its pull. God’s creation is enough evidence that He exists (Psalm 19:1-4). We must accept His Word on faith. We learn a lot about God and a lot about truth just by looking at nature. This is why science is so important — it helps us understand God and his universe. For instance, by knowing that there are 60,000 varieties of beetles, we learn God likes variety. By seeing a volcano, a tidal wave, or an earthquake, we learn God is powerful. From the delicately balanced ecosystem, we can observe God is incredibly organized. The Bible says, “The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So, nobody has a good excuse” (Romans 1:19-20 MSG).

It’s interesting to note that the writer of Hebrews in illustrating his definition of faith does so in roughly chronological order. He begins with creation: the writer’s only point is that no purely physical explanation of the world is possible. Faith looks for its answers beyond that which is seen.

Next the writer calls many OT saints to witness to the meaning of faith. First in order he discusses those great heroes who lived before the flood: Abel – Enoch – Noah

Abel

II. Hebrews 11:4 

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.” 

If someone were to ask you, “What do you know about Abel?” how would you answer? Most of us would probably say the obvious: he was Cain’s brother and was murdered by Cain. However, would you be able to say much more than that? There is very little written about Abel in the Bible, and yet, there is much that we can learn from the story of Cain and Abel. This is a story of what is in a man’s heart and how that affects his life. As you look at Abel’s life, look to your own heart. Do you have a heart that is righteous and pleasing to God? Is your motivation for doing “spiritual things” right? How would you know if your motivation is wrong?

Why did God reject Cain’s offering but accept Abel’s?

• Abel was careful to choose the best of his flock to offer to God (see Gen. 4:4). On the other hand, Cain seems to have been careless in what he chose for his offering (see 4:3). In other words, it wasn’t the offerings themselves that made them acceptable or unacceptable; it was the attitudes behind those offerings. When are we tempted to offer God less than our best? How do we guard against this?

• Faith is confidence and trust in God; it’s a response to who God is, what He says, and how He has worked. Abel expressed that confidence and trust—that faith—through his worship. Cain had no faith in God and, as a result, his offering was a ritual, not a true act of faith and worship. Cain’s offering simply didn’t mean much to him; therefore, it didn’t mean much to God.

How does the story of Cain and Abel illustrate the concept of faith?

• The writer of Hebrews makes one thing clear: Abel’s sacrifice was the result of his faith. How was Abel’s sacrifice an act of faith? He acted in obedience to God. He recognized God was worthy of such an offering. 

• Read: Believing that God exists is only the beginning, even the demons believe that much (James 2:19-20) “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” God will not settle for mere acknowledgment of His existence. He wants a personal dynamic relationship with you that will transform your life. Those who seek God will find that they are rewarded with His intimate presence.

What can we learn from the example of Abel?

1. Obedience: To begin, we see that Abel obeyed. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering" (Gen. 4:1-4). Why did God respect Abel and his offering? The Bible says that it was because Abel acted by faith. "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" (Heb. 11:4). There is only one way to act by faith. "So, then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Thus, we conclude that God must have spoken. We do not know exactly what God told Cain and Abel about sacrifices. The most logical conclusion is that He wanted animals offered. But whatever He said, Abel did exactly as He commanded. 

I’ve had people tell me, “I wish that I had great faith.” While most of us would like God to just drop that kind of confidence into our laps, it’s not the way He operates. Faith increases as a result of our obedience in little things. We all marvel at Abraham’s willingness to offer up Isaac at the Lord’s command. But have you ever stopped to consider all of his smaller steps of submission that prepared the way for this enormous test?

Throughout his lifetime, Abraham obeyed God. At the Lord’s command, he left his country (Gen 12:1-4), was circumcised (17:10, 26), conceived Isaac in his old age (21:1-3), and sent his son Ishmael away (21:9-14). By the time, he was asked to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, he already knew that his God would always be faithful to His promises. His previous experiences had taught Him to trust the Lord. In the same way, each small step of obedience solidifies our confidence in God. Then, when He challenges us with a more difficult assignment, a firm foundation of assurance enables us to trust and obey Him. Great acts of faith flow from our past interactions with the Lord. By neglecting His simple commands, we miss priceless opportunities to witness His faithfulness. Having trouble trusting God for something big? Maybe it’s because you’ve ignored those “small” and “insignificant” promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Lord considers each of His commands important and promises to reward every act of obedience, regardless of size. Great faith begins with little steps.

2. Suffering: Next, we see that Abel suffered because He obeyed God. In contrast to God's acceptance of Abel's sacrifice, it is said, "But He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So, the LORD said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.' Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him" (Gen. 4:5-8). Why did this event occur? It is an example of the righteous being persecuted by the unrighteous. "Not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous" (1 Jn. 3:12). Cain chose to follow the will of the evil one in offering a sacrifice that was not acceptable to God. Rather than repenting, he continued to listen to the evil one in venting his frustration by murdering his righteous brother. Jesus warned us that such things would happen. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake" (Matt. 5:10-11). 

3. Speaking: Finally, we see that Abel still speaks. "Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?' And He said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground" (Genesis 4:9-10). Even then, though Abel was dead, his blood spoke to God. And remember that the writer of Heb. 11:4 said that he, being dead, still speaks. Though now long dead, Abel still speaks to us because his obedience and suffering for righteousness' sake are recorded in the scriptures, so that Jesus was able to make reference to him (Matt. 23:34-35).

Enoch

III. Hebrews 11:5-6 

“5 By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God. 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.“

Enoch is the second example of a person who lived by faith. We know very little about Enoch, but what we do know is extraordinary. 

• Then there was Enoch (see Gen. 5:21-24). “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

What do we learn about faith through Enoch?

• Proof for Enoch’s faith lies in the fact that he pleased God, for one cannot please God without a faith which clearly sees Him, the unseen, as a living reality, and as one who can intervene in history to reward those who earnestly seek Him. The reward for Enoch’s faith was translation – he was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death.

Noah

The meaning of faith as defined by the writer of Hebrews is most clearly illustrated from the life of Noah, of whom it was said that God warned him of things not yet seen (v. 7). His response showed that, though the flood was still future and perhaps unheard of, certainly unseen, he nevertheless was convinced of its reality because of the divine oracle. This conviction determined his course of action – he obeyed God.

What are the greatest challenges to your faith? (Board)

• Waiting on the Lord: “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.“ Lamentations 3:25-26 (NIV) Why is waiting so hard? If I have all that I need in Christ, why do I try to fix things instead of waiting for God’s timing? “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3 NIV “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 NIV

• Waiting reveals our hearts and how much we want to have control. To wait well, we have to give up that control and stop striving to fix things — and seek Him instead. Our difficult circumstances may not change easily or quickly, but as we wait on God and put our hope in Him, rather than hoping in a change of situation, we’ll find that He Himself is more than enough for us. In Christ, we have all that we need. “Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!” Matthew 8:23-27 NIV

• Being thankful in all circumstances. Are you…Thankful or always complaining? A victim or a victor? A pessimist or an optimist? Have you experienced just how much your attitude about the Lord and others has the power to transform your environment? Your attitude determines your altitude! 

• Believing God’s promises. It’s not enough to know the promises of God, you’ve got to grab hold with all the firmness of the trapeze artist—release what is behind and take hold of what is ahead. That is the greatest show on earth. That is how the greatest faith on earth becomes a reality. God’s promises are not automatic. We must move from knowing the promise, to believing the promise, to actually taking hold of the promise through obedient action in order to make them a reality in our lives. God told Joshua about the Promised Land, “I will give you every place where you set your foot” (Joshua 1:3). He and the Israelites had to “set their feet” to conquer the land; to grab hold of the promise that was theirs for the taking. God’s power, provision, and purposes are for “whosoever will” (Mark 8:34 KJV). Will what? Will let go of all that holds you back from experiencing the abundant life of the adventurous faith and take hold of truth that makes it so. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, and to you and me: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, all that God has planned for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9). Every one of those plans that God has prepared, made, and keeps ready requires us to let go of one thing and take hold of another. It was this truth that gave me the courage and confidence to leave the comfortable land of in-between—to let go and venture into the purpose God had planned for me all along.

How about Tough times: Hebrews was written to Hebrew Christians struggling through tough times. How do you Keep Faith in Tough Times - We grow in our faith, and it takes time. The struggle strengthens us. KEEPING FAITH: Our faith isn’t always tested in the good times; our faith is tested during trials and times of challenge. When we ask, “Where are you, God?” and hear crickets chirping, that’s when we’re left to decide. Will we believe anyway–cultivating a more mature faith? Or will we decide He’s not there, falling back on all the voices we’ve heard in the past? Sometimes we can see the temptation at work in these moments; sometimes we can’t. We take forward steps and backward steps (and side steps and missteps), but we’re growing when our number of forward steps become greater. Taking that forward step is your faith in action.

Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now? The test will either prove your faith right, or it will kill it. Jesus said, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” Matthew 11:6). The ultimate thing is confidence in Jesus. “We have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end…” (Hebrews 3:14). Believe steadfastly on Him and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith. There is continual testing in the life of faith up to the point of our physical death, which is the last great test. Faith is absolute trust in God— trust that could never imagine that He would forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5-6).

3 WAYS TO KEEP THE FAITH RIGHT NOW: 

1. Lean into the Faith You Have - Choose to remain faithful when there is no visible finish line and no feeling of relief. Lean into it and bear through the discomfort that comes from trusting in what you cannot see. It’s not taking a risk–it’s strengthening your faith. 

2. Pray for Strength and Guidance - During the discomfort, pray that God guides your steps and keeps you strong. Temptation will sway in and out to mislead and falsely appease you, but pray right through it. “Watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) And if you fall for it… which we all do at times… start again. Keep choosing God over and over and over. 

3. Remain Planted in Good Soil - When you feel the struggle heavy on your back, bury yourself in more good soil. Surround yourself with loving friends, pop into a church before starting the day, read the Bible, put some encouraging messages where you can see them, attend a service, watch an online sermon, ask someone you love to pray with you or meditate on positive thoughts. Stay in the Word. The tough times will hit us, but we are living for something bigger. “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Luke 8:15)

Why is faith so important in the in between?

1. “For by it the elders obtained a good report” – Other translations say, “For by it the men of old gained approval.” The apostle Paul emphasized that no one has ever found favor with God by keeping the law (Galatians 3:11). Abraham and the other Old Testament heroes found favor with God not by their works, by their faith (Romans 4:1-3; Galatians 3:6-7).

2. Faith is necessary in understanding God. We can never understand God in our own power, so we must accept His revelation of Himself by faith. Through faith, we understand that the entire universe was created by God, and is under His control.

Conclusion: Faith—confidence in who God is and what His coming kingdom has in store for His people—causes us to live our lives now the way we will live one day in heaven: a life of victory.

Hope to see you on Sunday! 

In His Love, 

David & Susan