Hebrews 11:4-7

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.  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.  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 faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

The three heroes of the faith highlighted in this passage are all said to have been commended by God.  This must be the true purpose of life and goal of our faith.  God’s recognition is far more important than any achievement attained by pleasing men.  Earthly rewards are immediate and tangible.  God’s rewards are eternal and are currently invisible which is why attaining them requires faith.  This passage illustrates in three different ways the byproduct of faith.

ABEL OBEYED GOD: Obedience is a clear demonstration of faith.  When we follow the instructions of another person, in this case God; we demonstrate that we trust that person’s instructions above our own desires.  Cain and Abel were told to bring sacrifices before God as a means of recognizing and dealing with their biggest problem: sin.  Cain was striving to deal with his sin in his way, while Abel chose to deal with sin in God’s way.  God has revealed that the only permanent way to deal with sin is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who was crucified for our sin, and whom God raised from the dead.  Works, religion, rituals, family, self-denial, and any other attempt to deal with sin other than faith in Christ is simply disobedience.  God only accepts the “gifts” He requires.  He demands that we believe in His gift, Jesus, to deal with our sin.

ENOCH PLEASED GOD: We know very little about Enoch other than the fact that he walked with God and lived a life that was pleasing to God.  What this means is that Enoch had faith because “without faith it is impossible to please Him.”  Enoch lived in a perverse generation where everyone seemed to be living to please himself.  Because of His faith in God, demonstrated by living to please Him; Enoch was “raptured” into God’s presence without facing death.  The same promise is made to all who believe in Christ at the time of the coming rapture of the Church as a part of His second coming.  Too often, people live as if there were no God, or in a way that places greater value on immediate rewards as opposed to the eternal ones He has promised. Pleasing God means believing that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him and valuing Him above all else.

NOAH FEARED GOD: Noah, a direct descendent of Enoch, was a man of faith because he believed the warnings of God and lived in the fear of the Lord.  There had never been a flood on the earth, and apparently not even rain.  However, God promised Noah that there was going to be a flood brough on by a long period of intense rain.  None of this had ever been seen before, but Noah believed it.  God’s judgment is coming, and it should strike fear into the hearts of every person on the planet.  However, since mankind would prefer to live for himself and likes to be deluded into thinking that there will be no reckoning with God and even goes so far as to denying the existence of God; very few fear God.  Noah is declared righteous through his faith.  This same blessing is available to all who place their faith in Christ as their only hope for salvation from God’s impending wrath to be poured out on sin.

APPLICATION: Deal with sin according to the way God has specified: faith in Christ.  Live in a way that pleases God by believing that He is a generous Rewarder.  Stand in reverent fear of the Lord and tremble at the seriousness His impending judgment that will demonstrate His wrath towards sin.

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