A STUDY OF HEBREWS 11:1-6 Rolan Monje, BD, DMin Mexico City, October 2011

Quick Facts about Hebrews  Setting  Author  Recipients  Form

Things to watch out for in The Book of Hebrews  Warnings  Comparisons (“Better…”)  Exhortations (“Let us…”)  Old Testament Quotations

There were various temptations to… Drift from God (Chapter 2) Be caught up in sin (Chapter 3) Forget about Jesus (Chapter 4) Forget about what they had learned (Chapter 6) Go back to their old lives (Chapter 8) Return to Judaistic tradition (Chapter 9) Give in to pressure and persecution (Chapter 10)

Losing faith  Result of losing faith  Jesus becomes less than he really is  This is why the writer had to do so much to build up faith in Jesus

God was concerned!  God was concerned about them losing their faith  God used the author of Hebrews to show them, that despite their confusion and sin, they could and should KEEP THE FAITH.

Hebrews 11  They were losing the most important thing – FAITH.  In this letter, the main concern is ‘losing faith’ (and with that, ‘losing heart’)  Note Hebrews 3 – some already had a ‘heart of unbelief’ (3:11-12)

Hebrews 11 is the famous “Hall of Faith” of the book of Hebrews. In just the first few verses, the writer explains what FAITH does for us.

 Heb 11:1-3 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

 Heb 11:4-6 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

The first few verses of Hebrews 11 show us three things that FAITH does for us. (It’s why we should KEEP THE FAITH!)

Focus on Heb 11:1  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for..." (NKJV). “Being sure” (NIV)  The Greek word translated "substance" is hupostasis.  Literally, it means "to stand under", i.e., to be a foundation. Faith is like a foundation.

1 Faith keeps you standing strong  The Hebrews were being shaky in their convictions, unsure of what to do  Faith is our ‘substance’ to stand on

 There’s one thing that God expects us to do, to stand! To remain standing!  How? Through faith!  In the Christian life, the only way we can keep standing is by FAITH.

Leaning tower of Pisa problems with the foundation?

Moving forward from the past  Jesus is superior to Moses  The New Covenant is superior to the Old  The New Life is superior to the Old

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2 Faith helps you see beyond now  Heb 1:1b NIV “certain of what we do not see.” [Grk: elegchos=proof/conviction]  UMT: “certainty of the unseen.”

 Faith allows us to see beyond what other people can

3 Faith gains favor from God  When we look at those commended in the Bible…

The first two names in the HOF: From the Book of Genesis  Abel – just 3 verses about him  Enoch – just 6 verses about him  Heb 11:6 “without faith” it is impossible to please God  God commends FAITH!

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Closing challenges 1. Be concerned about faithlessness. 2. Follow Him on faithbook. 3. Start doing ‘faithful things.’ (things that require you to trust the unseen)

If you are visiting with us today  Thank you for coming to our church!  We encourage you to study the Bible with the friend who brought you here  Find out the faith talked about in the Bible

The Big picture is …that God loves us and deeply cares for us, so he wants us to KEEP OUR FAITH and not let go!

What does faith do? 1 Faith keeps you standing strong 2 Faith helps you see beyond now 3 Faith gains favor from God

Rolan Monje, BD, DMin Mexico City, October 2011