Living by Faith, Hebrews 11:1-6, Part 3

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. In today's message, we continue through the book of Hebrews with this sub-series on Living by Faith. The word faith can be ambiguous and confusing today. We hear the word often enough, but what does the Bible mean when it calls us to live by faith? In today's message, Pastor Rich teaches from Hebrews 11, 1-6, explaining the difference between biblical faith and positive thinking or hoping blindly on a whim. Sometimes we see faith as a tool to help us feel better or to cope with life's circumstances. But Rich shares the far greater purpose for us to walk by faith, the pursuit of God himself.

Let's listen in. This is the third part of a study from Hebrews 11, 1-6. It was first preached on November 4, 2012. But going beyond to define faith, now faith is defined further not by what it is, but by what it does. This is what faith looks like.

People living by faith, this is what they do. And it begins with Abel, verse 4. 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. What did Abel do? He offered a more excellent sacrifice, and he was declared righteous.

Abel did this. He said, I am following God's prescription for approach. God has said, approach me this way. Abel said, then that's the way I'm going to approach God. I am marching to God's drumbeat, period.

Not anybody else's. I am in pursuit of the vertical. I want to approach God.

He has communicated, and therefore I will approach him in the way that he has prescribed. That was his single ambition. I will pursue God so that he is the reward of my soul. Now we contrast that to Cain. What was Cain's approach? Cain was the first utilitarian in terms of his faith. He had a very much utilitarian faith. I will approach God on my terms.

God will serve my purpose and my end. And Cain was the originator of that song. Frank Sinatra didn't come up with this. Cain did. I did it my way. And that's what got us into this mess.

I did it my way. You see, he did not have that single ambition that his brother did. That was to pursue God. Abel said, I will pursue God.

I'm in pursuit of that vertical relationship. And then we go to Enoch in verse 5. By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him. For before he was taken, he had this testimony that he pleased God. He was taken.

What is this talking about? Abel, Enoch, had uninterrupted fellowship with God. I want you to imagine what that was like, to have uninterrupted fellowship with God.

He probably worked the fields and the farms or might have had animals, something like that. He wakes up in the morning, God Most High, this is a day that you have entrusted to me. I will walk with you today.

I will pursue you in my endeavors. He sits down at the breakfast table, God Most High. You have provided this food. You have given me the strength to eat it, to be nourished by it.

And my family that has lovingly prepared it. And he blesses his family and he says, my dear loved ones, walk with God today. And may God bless you in your pursuit of him. And he worships God together with his family. And he thanks God for his goodness. And he continually has this conversation with God Most High, Elohim, Yahweh, Jehovah, as he is going through the course of the day.

And now he is walking out to the fields and he is walking with his sons and maybe some of his employees that he is walking out there with. And he says, you see this earth, this ground. God is the one who produces and germinates the seed. And we understand from our forefathers that this ground has been cursed which is why we have to work hard at it. But we work hard at it because God is reminding us that being apart from him is a hard thing. And so men of my work force walk with God along with me. And as you are walking, as you are tilling the ground, as you are tending the animals and the beasts, recognize the design of God and his good purpose in these things. And he is working diligently because he is doing so as a matter of the productivity that God designed for him as he gave the same command to Adam and Eve. He encounters his neighbors and he blesses them.

Have you thanked God today? And he has a blessing to them. He encourages them. He reminds them of the goodness of God because he is walking with God. He comes across those that are needy, that do not have the same provision that he has. Maybe because a woman has been left as a widow through the frustrating characteristics of a fallen creation.

The principle of death is at work. And he recognizes that and he weeps over this lady and her small child who is left fatherless. And he says, here take this, warm yourself, feed yourself and be encouraged and my men will provide for you and I will take you to my place and you will have a place that you can stay and somebody will provide for you.

He blesses those and he provides for those who are needy. All of this is an outflow because he is walking with God. And then at the end of the day, he walks back to his home. And as he's walking back, he sees the field and the sun is starting to set and he recognizes the absolute beauty of God's design. And he says, men, you go on home.

I'm just going to walk through the field for a bit. And as he's walking with God, he thanks him. He communes with him. And he says, father, these are the things that are on my heart. And as he's walking, he's just simply having a conversation with his creator.

And all of a sudden, as he's walking along and he's been enjoying the sunset, all of a sudden he realizes that his environment is different now. My God, I am with you. You have taken me from my earthly home and now I'm with you. Anyway, as I was saying, Lord, here are the things that are on my heart. See, the conversation just continues. He walked with God and at one moment he was walking with God on the earth and then God took him and he was gone and he still was just walking with God and enjoying fellowship with God.

Imagine that. You and I were designed for that level of fellowship and communion with God as we walk with him on this earth. And what does the Bible tell us about Enoch? In Genesis, it tells us that he walked with God. In Hebrews, it tells us that he pleased God. Our understandings of the Scriptures tells us that he got it. He got it. That was a successful man. That was a man who knew the meaning of life and the purpose of life.

He got it. He pursued God and he got God. God was the reward of his pursuit. And if you were able to be there in that day and have a conversation with Enoch, you would discover if you were able to walk with him and observe him for 48 hours, you would observe that every occupation of his, every ambition of his, every choice of his, every attitude of his was a pursuit of God. Every study that he made was a study in pursuit of God and his purpose and his design and his character. You would also discover that any occupation or ambition or choice or attitude that obstructed his pursuit of God was abandoned because he'd have nothing to do with it if it got in the way of his pursuit of God. People of faith have a single ambition and that ambition is a pursuit of God.

As verse 6 says, He who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. May we have the ambition in our hearts and minds today of being in pursuit of the one who made us and he made us for himself. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.