Rewards of Faith
Notes
Transcript
Credit Where It Is Due
Credit Where It Is Due
The manager of a department store in Wolverhampton, England, wrote a note of commendation to Gwen James, saleswoman at the china counter. He put the note into an envelope and addressed it to “Mrs. James in China.” Two months and 10,000 miles later she received the message. It had traveled all the way to China, was postmarked Peking and marked “Return to Sender.”
Everyone likes a commendation Often times credit is not given where credit is due — and commendation never comes. Worst is when commendation goes to someone else when you've put the hard work in for whatever it is that you're doing.
We don't have to worry about that happening with God. God knows all, and God sees all, and God isn't going to be swayed by hearing one side of a story or another. God gives his commendation where his commendation is due.
Commendation is the theme of the message this morning. We've made this move from chapter 10 to chapter 11 a chapter that is known widely as the faith Hall of Fame. As we continue in upcoming messages you will understand why it is called that if you do not already. — this chapter is a Who's Who list of faithful men and women that were written of in the Old Testament.
Hebrews chapter 10, 11 and 12 are chapters that remind us that when our books of scripture were written they were not written with chapter and verse numbers. Don't get me wrong, chapter inverse numbers are very helpful but they can also get us in trouble if we aren't careful with our study.
Just as the opening versus the chapter 12 begin by calling the readers attention back to the subject matter in chapter 11 so does chapter 11 continue a thought that we really saw fleshed out in the last couple of verses of chapter 10. — you will remember from last week that chapter 10 ended comparing and contrasting those who will endure to the end of their faith to see salvation in those whose faith is false, those who when pressure is put upon them their faith fails.
Verses 35-36 towards the end of Chapter 10 say:
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
This is a warning for us not to abandon our faith, furthermore it is admonition that we need to have patience if we are going to receive the promises of God.
Chapter 11 flips this on its head. It is a chapter giving example after example of faithfulness to prove the point we will read at the end of verse 6.
So if you have your Bibles please turn on the heaters chapter 11 as we read from verse 1 through verse 6.
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Our message this morning is entitled: The Rewards of Faith and is the first in our new series: The Faithful
Let’s Pray
Faith Is...
Faith Is...
Verse one is a very common memory verse. I could probably start the verses and get the completion of the verse without finishing the sentence.
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
I have heard this presented as if it were a definition. Someone would ask the question what is faith? In the response would be the substance of things hoped for. But it's not as simple as taking this word is as a mathematical operator. Hebrews 11 one is not saying faith equals the substance of things hoped for. There's a little more to it than that.
Reality
Reality
The word here translated substance the word ὑπόστασις (hypostasis) is a word that we not only find two other times in the book of Hebrews before this but it's a word that we also find in the writings of Greek philosophers. — Philosophers use this word to distinguish the difference between reality and the appearance of reality. Hypostasis is reality.
A political strategist for the Republican party once said perception is reality. From a political standpoint that is probably true. If you can paint a highly intelligent person to be ignorant in the eyes of the public then it doesn't matter how intelligent that person is, the public will see them as being unintelligent.
Title Deed
Title Deed
We also find this word translated substance, hypostasis, used for a guarantee or a title deed in the other Greek writings. The idea here is that we are talking about some empty promise that may go unrealized.
Here is a unsolicited piece of advice: when it comes to anything financially promised, don't depend on it unless it's in writing. I couldn't even tell you how many people have had two very specific things happen: The first is a promise by a potential employer to increase their pay or provide some sort of bonus or future benefit during salary negotiations. What I have found is that more times than not those promises go unrealized. — the second is a promise that a renter will be able to purchase the house they are renting at some point, and that rent will go towards that purchase price. Again, get it in writing. Till you get it in black and white it is the appearance of a promise written down it is the reality, carries legal weight.
You can see others definition of hypostasis being a title deed works. Someone can sell you a car, and you can give them the money and they can give you the keys. — All of the appearances of the transaction are there. But in reality that car is not your car until the title is in your name.
God isn’t fooled
God isn’t fooled
God is isn’t fooled. If a politician who runs on a platform of morality is really a lying, cheating, scoundrel; God knows. See — you and I — we can be fooled. — But God knows
At the same time if you have a faithful heart and all you want to do is please God yet the politicking of those who will have your name run through the mud has prevailed. You may lose the confidence of men, but God knows your heart.
Things Hoped For?
Things Hoped For?
How is faith the substance, the reality, the title deed? Well, look what it's the title deed for: things hoped for things not seen. — It’s the title deed for true belief
Cockerill in his Commentary on Hebrews sums it up this way:
Faith is living as if the things hoped for are real.
The implication is this:
If you truly believe that God is the creator of all
If you truly believe that you were a sinner and that the wages of your sins — justice for your sins — is eternal death in Hell
And if you truly believe that Jesus Christ is God made flesh and that he died, paying the price for your sins — and rose again
And you truly believe that having repented and putting your trust in Christ as your Lord — That the promise of eternal life, and an eternity in paradise is in store for you
These are all “things not seen”, to quote the end of verse 1. If you truly believe all of that, then you will act faithfully. You will act like all of these heroes of the faith that follow in the chapter ahead — when your faith is tested.
Do you believe?
Do you believe?
Here is the question that is past due in being asked of Christians in our churches today: Do you really believe? — Not just say that you — believe do you actually believe — I’m talking to such an extent in belief that you make decisions in your life in faith, because you believe that much.
Let me give a couple of examples from areas of the Christian walk that we often see belief tested:
Forgiveness
Forgiveness
We are given a pretty direct warning in Matthew 6:14-15
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
I used to know a man who I went to church with and he was active in a lot of different ways. I thought it was a pretty good guy, and he and I were friends. He told me one day he could do a lot never forgive his father for the way that he had treated him. — when I hear of a Christian withholding forgiveness grieves my soul. They are taking this very seriously. They are gambling that Jesus doesn't really mean what he's saying here. — a few weeks ago I was in Las Vegas for business, I didn't gamble, but I walked past the high stakes tables going back-and-forth to my hotel room every day. — I will tell you that they do not have any tables in the casino that have higher stakes than to gamble with withholding forgiveness.
You might say, “but I can't lose my salvation so I don't need to forgive” — she would be missing the point because you're forgiven this is what is evidencing that you are saved. It is the faithfulness and for giving that comes out of your belief.
Assembling
Assembling
We have scripture that tells us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. It was in the last Chapter of Hebrews as a matter of fact
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Being faithful to church demonstrates your belief
Giving
Giving
Our Bible tells us about how we should give and what we should expect in giving
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
People will often make the argument that this being the New Testament directive on giving, that we do not have a need to give a certain amount. No I will point out that the word tide itself does mean a 10th and then there is a great deal of old testament instruction on this subject. And we could say that those instructions are for those who were under the law, but some of the examples that we are given for the model of giving a 10th, pre-dates the law.
But there's a promise here too. If you will so sparingly in your giving then you will not get much back from God but if you give bountifully you will get from God bountifully. — put the end of the verse makes the point that we've been making all along today. God loves a cheerful giver. He doesn't want us to give in verse seven because our arms are twisted or because it's the law, he wants us to give cheerfully because it is faithful giving that comes out of the depths of our belief. — after all, if we believe that we are going to be better off by giving less to God, aren't we just saying that we don't believe that we will reap bountifully if we sow bountifully?
What Our Faithfulness Says
What Our Faithfulness Says
It's funny that when preparing this message I started off with this idea that I will go all the way from verse 1 through verse 16. I didn't want to lose the context as we started to look at these heroes of the faith mentioned in the chapter. — so then I figured I can only cover versus 1-3 as an introduction. — God is so so much and just one verse that is all we have time for today.
This idea of faithfulness that we're talking about this morning is so important that everything from verse two all the way to at least the beginnings of chapter 12.
We find illustrated in this chapter geek faithfulness. And the accounts of men and women whose faith brought them through some of the most amazing things, some of the most terrifying things recorded in scripture.
In closing I would like you to consider again the quote from Gareth Lee Cockerill
Faith is living as if the things hoped for are real.
If you are living faithlessly, If the decisions you make for your life aren’t made from a position of faith in God’s promises, then you need to ask yourself: Do you believe, do you really believe. Do you see putting your trust in God’s promises as a gamble, or a shure thing?
We are going to close in prayer, and after if you know that you have not been living faithfully. If you know that your belief only goes so far — Then I ask you to cry out to God like father of the possessed child in Mark 9:24 Lord, I believe help my unbelief.
Do you have any questions about this message talk to you about anything else about our God and salvation I would be happy to talk to you soon as we close.
Let’s Pray