5.1. Since saving faith is so simple
Heb. 11:1
Now
faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were
commended for.
Heb.
11:3 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.
5.2. And since we have seen saving faith
lived out in the Old Testament
5.2.1. in the life of Able
Heb.
11:4 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.
5.2.2. in the life of Enoch
Heb.
11:5 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.
6 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.
5.2.3. in the life of Noah
Heb.
11:7 By
faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to
save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the
righteousness that comes by faith.
5.2.3. in the life of Abraham
Heb.
11:8 By
faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was
going. 9 By faith he made his home
in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents,
as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the
city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Heb.
11:11 By
faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was
enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the
promise. 12 And so from this one
man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the
sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Heb.
11:13 All
these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive
the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And
they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that
they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left,
they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a
heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has
prepared a city for them.
Heb.
11:17 By
faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had
received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It
is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could
raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from
death.
5.2.4. in the lives of Isaac, Jacob and
Joseph
Heb.
11:20 By
faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
Heb.
11:21 By
faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as
he leaned on the top of his staff.
Heb.
11:22 By
faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites
from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
5.2.4. in the life of Moses
Heb.
11:23 By
faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they
saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
Heb.
11:24 By
faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter. 25 He chose to be
mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of
sin for a short time. 26 He
regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures
of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he
persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of
blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of
Israel.
Heb.
11:29 By
faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the
Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
5.2.5. in the lives of Joshua and Rahab
Heb.
11:30 By
faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for
seven days.
Heb.
11:31 By
faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with
those who were disobedient.
5.2.6. in the lives of numerous Old
Testament saints
Heb.
11:32 And
what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson,
Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets,
33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and
gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and
escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who
became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again.
Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a
better resurrection. 36 Some faced
jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in
two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and
goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts
and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
Heb.
11:39 These
were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been
promised. 40 God had planned
something better for us so that only together with us would they be made
perfect.
5.3. And since saving faith endures
5.3.1. Saving faith endures by Christ’s example of endurance
Heb. 12:1
Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of
our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such
opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
5.3.2. Saving faith endures God’s
discipline
Heb.
12:4 In
your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding
your blood. 5 And you have
forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My
son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and
do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because
the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and
he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Heb.
12:7 Endure
hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not
disciplined by his father? 8 If
you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate
children and not true sons. 9
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected
them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and
live! 10 Our fathers disciplined
us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our
good, that we may share in his holiness.
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on,
however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have
been trained by it.
5.4. And since saving faith is lived out in
everyday life
Heb.
12:12 Therefore,
strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may
not be disabled, but rather healed.
Heb.
12:14 Make
every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no
one will see the Lord. 15 See to
it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to
cause trouble and defile many. 16
See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single
meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this
blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he
sought the blessing with tears.
5.5. And since saving faith gives us
astonishing privileges
5.5.1. the privilege of approaching God
without trembling fear
Heb.
12:18 You
have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire;
to darkness, gloom and storm; 19
to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it
begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even
an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am
trembling with fear.”
5.5.2. the privilege of being a member of
the heavenly Church
Heb.
12:22 But
you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living
God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful
assembly, 23 to the church of the
firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge
of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new
covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood
of Abel.
5.6. Therefore we should not refuse to
listen to God’s word with saving faith
Heb.
12:25 See
to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they
refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away
from him who warns us from heaven?
26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised,
“Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 The words “once more” indicate the
removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be
shaken may remain.
Heb.
12:28 Therefore,
since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and
so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
5.7. And therefore we must live out our
saving faith in everyday life
5.7.1. Saving faith changes the way we
relate to others
Heb. 13:1
Keep
on loving each other as brothers.
2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have
entertained angels without knowing it.
3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and
those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
5.7.2. Saving faith changes the way we
think about sex and money
Heb.
13:4 Marriage
should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge
the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content
with what you have, because God has said,
“Never
will I leave you;
never
will I forsake you.”
6 So we say
with confidence,
“The
Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What
can man do to me?”
5.7.3. Saving faith changes the way we
think about church
5.7.3.1. about church leadership
Heb.
13:7 Remember
your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their
way of life and imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
5.7.3.2. about what is taught in church
Heb.
13:9 Do
not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our
hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no
value to those who eat them. 10 We
have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to
eat.
5.7.3.3. about how the world may despise
the church
Heb.
13:11 The
high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin
offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make
the people holy through his own blood.
13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he
bore. 14 For here we do not have
an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
5.7.3.4. about how we worship God in church
Heb.
13:15 Through
Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the
fruit of lips that confess his name.
16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such
sacrifices God is pleased.
5.7.3.5. about church leadership
Heb.
13:17 Obey
your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who
must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden,
for that would be of no advantage to you.
Heb.
13:18 Pray
for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live
honorably in every way. 19 I
particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.
5.8. Concluding prayer and final remarks
Heb.
13:20 May
the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back
from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for
doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus
Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Heb.
13:22 Brothers,
I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a
short letter.
Heb.
13:23 I
want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives
soon, I will come with him to see you.
Heb.
13:24 Greet
all your leaders and all God’s people. Those from Italy send you their
greetings.
Heb.
13:25 Grace
be with you all.
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