Download - Sermon Outline0ab0c94d3eec2f05f5c9-cd41d09d2dc5f346bd3ca955f34eaa26.r62.c… · 2010. 11. 28. · Hebrews ends chapter 10 by saying that all these better things are built on enduring

Copyright © 2010 Scott Stake www.fouroakschurch.com | 1

An Old Milwaukee Beer commercial ends with this comment--“guys, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

That comment is what was being dealt with in the book of Hebrews. This book is written to those who are of a Jewish background and are considering the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Especially as some are dealing with persecution, imprisonment, and great hardship, they are asking a very legitimate question—does it get any better than this? Is the Christian life really worth it? Is Jesus really better? But throughout this letter, the writer communicates that the life of faith in Jesus and His eternal rewards is better. Jesus is better than the prophets (1:1-3), angels (1:4ff), Moses (3:3), Joshua (ch. 4), Aaron (5:3-10), and Levites (7:20-25).

And because of Jesus, we have a better hope, better promises, and ultimately a better reward. This argument has been building for the first 10 chapters, and the writer of Hebrews ends chapter 10 by saying that all these better things are built on enduring faith that it does get better than this…the best is yet to come. Hebrews 10:35 and following…

35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

He is telling them, keep the faith, trust in God, know that all those who endure to the end will be saved (Mt 24:13). There is a better hope, better promises, a better Savior awaiting you. This is exactly what the Hebrews need to hear and this is exactly what we need to hear today. Our culture promises that the pleasures of this life are better, that we should put all our hopes and dreams in today and to say like the Old Milwaukee guys, “it doesn’t get any better than this.” But this is where faith comes in.

Sermon Outline Prodigal Righteousness Meets Prodigal Grace

Luke 15:25-32

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SERMON OUTLINE NOVEMBER 28TH, 2010

SERMON OUTLINE An Enduring Faith Believes

the Best is Yet to Come

HEBREWS 11:1-6


An enduring faith says, “Guys, it does get better than this. The best is yet to come, and it’s found through an enduring faith in Jesus.” But this is a struggle, right?

Do you fear that your faith will not endure? Chapter 11 is called the hall of faith and it provides us with many examples of people with enduring faith who trusted in God and said it does get better than this. This chapter is meant to deepen our confidence in God and His promises so that we turn from the fleeting pleasures of sin and live out the radical kind of love and faith that comes from having our hope in God.

Our text is Hebrews 11:1-6.

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Nature of Enduring Faith—Sees and hopes in better things (verse 1 & 3)

Testimonies of Enduring Faith—Trusts in a better savior (verses 4-5)

Reward of Enduring Faith—Enjoys the better pleasures of God (verses 2 & 6)

Nature of Enduring Faith—Enduring Faith Sees and Hopes in better things

Verse 1: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

The nature of enduring faith is defined by 2 statements.

2nd definition is broader: "Faith is the conviction (or as the King Jimmy puts it ‘the evidence’) of things not seen." The word for "conviction" or "evidence" is not used anywhere else in the New Testament. Outside the New Testament, its normal use is "proof" or "argument" or "evidence" - something objective - about the world.

In other words, faith objectively sees things that aren’t visible to everyone. The writer of Hebrews gives an example of this in verse 3. “By faith we understand that the universe


was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” We did not see God create the world, yet we believe that it happened.

This is why the King James says that faith is the “evidence” of things not seen. Faith looks at the evidence and believes, God made this! But not everyone sees this way. Faith to see the invisible is a gift. Ephesians 2:8—“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Praise be to God who gave us this gift of faith see the invisible.

Faith is seeing things, perceiving things, understanding things with a view towards God. We see things in the past such as creation and say God did this. We see things in the present, even sometimes difficult circumstances, and say, God is in control. We see things in the future, and say, God is returning and will reward those who trust in Him. When we look at the past, we see God. When we look at the present, we see God. When we look the future, we see God. It is a conviction of things not seen. We are convicted in the evidence even though we can’t physically see it.

1st definition: Faith not only sees, it also hopes. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” While faith sees God working in the past, present, and future, the future-oriented aspect of faith is what we call hope. Hope is having faith or assurance that all the promises of God will come true and that leads us to endure. Faith in the future (hope) looks at the present circumstances and says, “Guys, it does get better than this. The best is yet to come.” Through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we have full assurance that God will care for us and bring us to glory and fulfill all his promises to us forever.

This hope in the future changes the way we live today. The King James says, “faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for.” In other words, because we are assured that what we hope for will come to pass, the substance of our lives is different. Our faith endures. It holds on to God’s goodness and His wonderful, gracious promises so firmly that in the faith itself there is the substance of the goodness and grace that is promised. While the fullness of the promises of the future are not yet present, we begin to live in such a way that we enjoy it now. John Piper puts it like this: “Faith's enjoyment of the promise is a kind of substantial down payment of the reality coming.” We are beginning to taste God’s goodness now, and it gives us hope for the future. It leads us to endure.

NOT A FRAIL OR FRAGILE HOPE, BUT AN EXPECTANT AND CONFIDENT HOPE.

This is a gift from the Lord when we live with enduring faith, because it is so easy to get wrapped up in the here and now. If our path is easy and things are comfortable,


we can get caught up in seeking our peace and joy and contentment in our present circumstances. But an enduring faith says that while we enjoy the gifts of God, we must constantly remind ourselves, that we are aliens and strangers in this land. Through faith, we know that the things of this life are a foretaste of things to come.

If our path is difficult, we still often put our hopes and dreams in the here and now, hoping that this life will get better. However, we must fight for faith, instead looking ahead to better things than this life can ever provide. Even if our current circumstances change, we will never be satisfied with the things of this life. Instead, through an enduring faith, we see and hope in better things…the best is yet to come.

Testimonies of Enduring Faith—Enduring Faith Trusts in a better Savior

Now that we’ve looked at what the nature of enduring faith it, that it sees and hopes in better things, we need to examine how this enduring faith is lived out. In Hebrews 10:36, the writer says that the people were in need of endurance, and he gives them a blueprint for how to live with enduring faith by giving them (and us) many testimonies of faith—people who trusted in this better Savior. We’ll focus on 2 men—Abel and Enoch—who saw and hoped in better things because they were trusting in a better Savior.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain (Genesis 4--God had regard for Abel’s sacrifice). Why?

1. Abel’s sacrifice was offered in faith. He trusted in God’s commands and obeyed according to what God instructed him to do.

2. Abel offered a blood sacrifice--the firstborn from his flock. It was a perfect, spotless lamb, which pointed to Jesus Christ. Abel knew that an animal couldn’t save him, as Hebrews 10:4 says—“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Abel knew that the coming sacrifice for sin, the Messiah, alone would save him. So, every time he offered up a sacrifice to God, he in faith looked forward to a better Savior who alone can save us.

In this testimony of faith, we see that our lives must always have the cross in view.

From Erik’s sermon: “The cry of faith is a cry for more faith. The emphasis is not on us but on Christ. It is not the quantity but the quality of faith. Often, our view of faith is


based more on the possessor of it and how much that person has rather than on the giver of it and how great He is.”

The cry of Abel every time he made a sacrifice was, “Lord, I am a sinner, and I am in need of a Savior. I know that this animal sacrifice is not what saves me, but it is a picture of someone who is coming who will as you promised my parents in the garden will be bruised and as a result crush Satan’s head.” He’s the better Savior—the only Savior. It is a life of enduring faith, depending upon God’s grace not on our own merits to save us.

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.

Genesis 5:21-24: 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Enoch shows us another aspect to a believer’s life. Jesus is not just the better Savior because he saves us from sin, but he also saves us for a relationship with God that endures to the end. Enoch walks with God. A believer is not someone who makes a decision for Christ and then walks away from him. No, he is someone who is constantly coming to the cross begging for mercy the way Abel did and based on that confession he communes with God and enjoys a life-long relationship with Him. It’s a life of enduring faith.

Reward of Enduring Faith—Enduring Faith Enjoys the Better Reward of God’s Pleasure

Why should we endure in our faith to the end?

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

By God’s grace, we endure in our faith because we seek the reward of the eternal pleasures of God that are better than any temporary pleasures of this world. In the eyes of the world, Enoch was rewarded but Abel was not. But the focus of the writer is not on the here and now. It’s on the future. We see two paths—one that was hard and one that was (at least it seems) easy. But both men did not look at their circumstances


and hope in them. Their reward was the pleasure of God both here but especially on into the day of eternity.

Verse 6 comes full circle to verse 1. The faith that pleases does two things. It believes that God exists—He is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness—there’s the conviction of things not seen. And it believes He rewards those who seek Him—there’s the assurance of things hoped for.

For both Abel and Enoch, this life was a small foretaste of the life to come. They lived each day for that day when they could see God face to face. Look at the way the chapter concludes.

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Do you see the two paths? According to the world, the one path is full of rewards (conquer kingdoms, enforce justice, quench fire, etc.), but the other is full of defeat (torture, mocking, chains, imprisonment, death). However, both paths are full of reward and they come through enduring faith in the righteous son of God who gave himself up for us and promises the great reward of His presence both here but on into eternity where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. This is why we endure.

Here’s the key. God’s pleasure is not based on the amount of faith that we have. God’s pleasure is based on our enduring faith, however little it might be, in the perfect son of God. The Hebrews and many of us believe that our works are what commend us to God. But it is not our works or even the amount of faith that we have that earns God’s pleasure. No, God is fully pleased in His son Jesus because of Jesus’ righteousness, and if we trust in Jesus, then all His righteousness is credited to our account, and therefore, God is pleased with us.


In these two stories of Abel and Enoch, neither passage in Genesis mentions their faith, but they do communicate that God was pleased with them. So, when the writer of Hebrews concludes that God was pleased with them, he concludes that they must have had faith, because that is the only way we can please God. He sees enduring faith in the stories, not because it is mentioned, but because these men did, in fact, please God, and there is no other way to please him than by enduring faith in His Son and the promises of God.

So, at the end of verse 6, we see that enduring faith does not depend on what we are like, but on what God is like. So, FAITH IS NOT EARNING GOD’S PLEASURE, BUT ENJOYING HIS PLEASURE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN EARNED BY HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST.

I often have tried to earn God’s pleasure. Growing up, I had the mentality that while my sins were forgiven, God was only pleased with me if I obeyed him. But in late college, I came to this verse in Hebrews 10:38-- my righteous one shall live by faith.” Faith is not just trusting in Jesus to take the punishment for your sin; it is also trusting in Jesus to give you his righteousness. We are made righteous through faith.

This is what Martin Luther called the Great Exchange. In faith, we give all our sin, our disobedience, our rebellion to Jesus and He gives us His purity, His perfection, His righteousness. That’s how the righteous lives by faith. If you believe in Jesus, God does not see your sin, He sees His son in whom he is well-pleased and then as a result is fully pleased with you.

God’s pleasure can be enjoyed today, and we can be sure of it. Verse 5 says that before he was taken, Enoch was commended as having pleased God. God was completely pleased with Enoch because of His enduring faith in the Savior and the coming rewards of pleasure with God forevermore. God is pleased with us just as much today as he will be in eternity. We can enjoy and embrace the pleasure of God right now, but we can also look with eyes of faith to the life to come when no sin will hinder our understanding that God is fully pleased with us because he is fully pleased in His Son.

When the writer concludes chapter 11 and all these testimonies of enduring faith, he tells us this…

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand


of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

This is who those with enduring faith look to as our founder, our perfecter, our example. Through Jesus, we see and hope in better things, we trust in a better Savior, and we look to a better reward—the pleasure of God granted to you and to me through faith in his Son.

Believers, this is the gospel; it doesn’t get any better than this. The best is yet to come.

Download - Sermon Outline0ab0c94d3eec2f05f5c9-cd41d09d2dc5f346bd3ca955f34eaa26.r62.c… · 2010. 11. 28. · Hebrews ends chapter 10 by saying that all these better things are built on enduring

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