Hebrews Chapter 11 Verse 4

•Now what happened between Cain and God is very interesting to say the least. Turn over to Genesis Chapter 4 and look at verses 1 – 5. Was there a problem with the offering itself? I’m not so sure about that…I have that written in my notes in my Bible…that Abel’s offering was of faith since the sheep and the firstborn are what he has received from God and Cain’s offering was of the flesh because it was what he produced with his own works…but I’m not so sure that’s what’s going on here…

•1 Samuel 16:7 says that, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance , but the Lord looks at the heart.” I think what’s going on here is a heart issue. We have some clues. Look at Cain’s response. Here is where we see his heart…because the heart is not revealed in the gift, its revealed in the reaction to the reaction…Look at verse 5…Cain became angry.

•You ever give someone a gift and they aren’t really fond of it? If that person is dear to you, what do you do? You feel almost remorseful…I have given April so many lame gifts…and every time I do…I learn and purpose to do better…but have you ever given someone a gift that you don’t care too much for and they don’t receive it…they don’t like it…what’s your response…, “Fine then! I didn’t want to give you a gift in the first place!” Right!?

•Here this word in the Hebrew suggests that Cain began to stew. His displeasure with God kindled within him and you could see it all over him…his countenance. Notice God’s response. “Why? Why are you angry?” Not if you bring a better sacrifice…but if you DO well, will you not be accepted? Very interesting…but Cain was given over to the flesh…because later, as you all know, he killed his brother out of spite. God already knew that and that is why his sacrifice wasn’t respected…because the real thing we bring to God is not our time, our money, our attention, our belief…the real thing we bring, the only thing He truly desires…is our hearts…and the condition of our hearts can be made clearly known through how we live our lives…

•God says something staggering here to warn Cain…”If you do not do well, sin lies at the door…its desire is to have your life, but you SHOULD rule over it!” This is what the life of faith enables. The life that offers not just sacrifices unto God but their hearts…by faith Abel offered…offered what? The sheep? No. His heart…and because of it, he inherited eternal life. And check this out…here in this life…his faith enabled him to rule his flesh…(Link said to me, “I want to be like you….” Nothing feels better than that…well, then he said, “I want to be you, dad”…then he said he didn’t want to be bald…HA)

Hebrews Chapter 11 Verse 5

•Enoch is a mysterious Old Testament character who only appears in the Old Testament very briefly but the message being relayed here is that only by faith can one have such closeness with God that you walk right into heaven…because that is what Enoch did…

Hebrews Chapter 11 Verse 6

•An often quoted verse and as it reads (in terms of translation) it is absolutely true…without faith it is impossible to be accepted by God. Without believing that He is…He is what? He is good and therefore worthy to be trusted and worshipped…it is impossible to come to God and to be respected (as Cain was not)…but interesting in the Greek…this could also read this way…which is equally as true…

•Without faith it is impossible to be pleased with Him…isn’t that interesting…always trying to figure things out…always trying to rationalize your circumstance…God says stop. Stop using your human senses to discern spiritual circumstance. Trust me. You see I have found a life that is pleasing to God and a life that is well pleased with God…how? Why? I trust Him. I believe that He is good and that His ways are better. I never said I understand.

•My little ones go into their rooms and they flick that switch. Those lights turn on. They don’t understand. They grab a toy and sit on their carpeted floors and play. They don’t understand how that toy…that carpet was made or how they got it…they enjoy meals prepared masterfully by our live-in goddess chef…my wonderful wife…they gobble those vittles up and love every bite…they hop in the car and go off to a day of fun with the family…they have no idea how it’s planned, financed…they don’t worry about safety or having enough…they just know that they have all they need because of their father…and so they are well pleased and in that I am well pleased…

•Without faith…it is impossible to be well pleased with God…and if that’s you, then there is a little Cain in your heart. Faith is to believe that He is good…that He is working everything out that comes along to give you a future and a hope…but without diligently seeking Him…no reward of that future…you wreck it.

•Imagine if my kids constantly worried about those lights….constantly complained against that carpet…constantly broke the gifts that I gave them…imagine if they refused to eat the food that I set before them…how miserable their lives would be…and how so many of us have done that to ourselves…faith is good medicine for that…God is waiting on you to trust Him…

Hebrews Chapter 11 Verse 7

•What we are going to see as we trek through the Hall of Faith is that faith is active…it’s on its feet…its industrious, energetic and mobilized. Faith that does nothing is not faith at all…just ask James. We see here, “By faith Noah prepared…” See that? That is action…

•And here’s the issue, hidden for us in the scriptures as to why so many believers fail to walk in faith…the writer tells us why Noah prepared…because he was moved with godly fear. Do you know what that means? He was submitted to God. He believed that what He was being commanded to do…was coming directly from His Creator…and if any of us actually believe that, we will do exactly what he did…we WILL move out.

•The world says “Put your money where your mouth is,” to see if you are willing to stake your treasure on what you claim to believe…but the Bible proclaims, truth proclaims, God and reality proclaim and man I proclaim, “Put your faith where your mouth is…!” In the end, it doesn’t matter what you say, or who you say it to, it matters only what you do and what you make your life into…who you pledge your life to…that’s all that matters and that is perfectly, clearly, consistently shown through what you do…faith activates, period.

•And I’m not talking about works. I’m talking about humility, love, service, wisdom, selflessness…these all mark the life not of a believer, but of the faithful. A life that is pleasing to God…and a life that is just fine and well pleased with Him. Man and so much results from that. Sufficiency, stability, capacity…Paul said in Philippians 4:12, “I have learned the secret to being content (the NIV reads)…in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want…I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” And truly, the joy of the Lord is our strength…and nothing else.

Hebrews Chapter 11 Verses 8 – 10

•Isn’t that interesting? So plainly seen in those few verses…the fact that God often and mostly leads us one step at a time…one step…step one before step two will be revealed…which is difficult because that requires faith on our part in order for us to go…obey…be faithful. This is true faith. Abraham was not told why, he was not told where, he was not told how, he was simply told and he simply obeyed.

Hebrews Chapter 11 Verses 11 – 12

•From barren to a mother of nations. Scientists estimate that there are more than 700,000,000,000,000,000,000 (seven quintillion, seven with 20 zeros after it) grains of sand on the earth. Sarah went from nothing, none, empty, blank, naught, zilch…she went from having nothing to seven quintillion…how? She judged Him faithful. Have you? Or have you made your home in the dark? You tend to get used to dark rooms. Some are used to dark lives…time to repent, change you…only you can do that, and find the secret Paul discovered…