Hebrews: The New Covenant Administration of Christ Max A Forsythe (c) Anno Domini 2005

From the Pulpit at Pilgrim's Rest Presbyterian Church in America

The Antidiluvians

For the Lord’s Day:  the 22^nd of May 2005

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. ”

Introduction:  In our Apostle’s survey of the righteous who lived by faith, we begin with the Antidiluvians, or more simply:  those who lived before the great flood that cleansed the lost world of the great wickedness which had filled the hearts, minds and lives of mankind.  The most we have of that lost world is the testimony of scriptures. 

A wooden ship, once found deep inside an Alaskan mountain, was broken up for its timbers and the artifacts were plundered by ignorant gold rush miners looking for a quick buck.  Since this ship was buried one hundred and fifty feet down, it must have been swept away and lost during the great flood.  The only other possible artifact from that period is possibly the Sphinx – since its outer surface is grooved by some tremendous force of water.  Egyptologists admit that it is of a great age, but cannot account for the water damage:  unless it was flooded at some point in time.

The scriptural record is more secure and long known for its antiquity.  Looking back at that wicked era, the Apostle remembers several of the saints of God, who even in that time and place believed in His Name and gave to Him the honor, glory and praise due His holy name.  Remember, as we work through this chapter long survey – we are not talking about righteous deeds done for the glory of the persons involved.  No indeed, these reports are to be represented more to the glory of God, than the instruments which He used to fulfill the working out of His purpose.

Perhaps, we can think of this listing in this way?  I have found websites devoted to those who won their nation’s highest awards.  Whether those awards be the United Kingdom’s Victorian Cross or our own Medal of Honor – these lists, almost sacred to the military: do indeed honor those who above and beyond the call of duty gave their utmost for the cause of their nations – many dying in the process.  In a like manner, let us consider the honored lists here in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews as such a list:  mere humans doing the work of God in dangerous times, but still laboring on in spite of every obstacle to demonstrate the faith poured into their hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit.  And if mere men be honored here for their honest service, how much more must we honor the God who called and empowered them to serve His eternal kingdom?

Development:  In these short verses for today, we have a list of three saints:  Abel, Enoch and Noah.  The first to be considered is the son of Adam: Abel who was a shepherd of sheep.  In the Genesis record, we find a comparison between him and his brother Cain.  “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.  And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.”

Now much has been written over the years about the acceptability of the sacrifices themselves.  F.F. Bruce writes:  “A more recent variation on these accounts sees the distinction in that Abel’s offering involved the shedding of blood, apart from which, the law knows no remission; but it is nowhere suggested in the Genesis narrative that it was a sin-offering … it was in either case the appropriate presentation of the first fruits of their increase.”

There are other theories of the same sort, but we to often forget the central concern of the scriptures which is highlighted in Proverbs 15: 8 which reads:  “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.”  The key thought to understanding the commendation of Able is in trusting the Lord to acknowledge those whom He will for the faith that manifested itself in them by and through His grace.

The acceptability of Abel’s offering over that of Cain had nothing to do with the material substance of the offering, but the faith by which it was brought before the Lord of all the earth.  Commentator John Brown observes that it is more likely that Abel’s sacrifice is better given from a faithful acceptance of the doctrines of God “as the appointed expression of conscious guilt and ill desert, and of the hope of mercy, and as an act of obedience to the divine will.”  Brown continues with an assessment of Cain, who most probably did “not see and feel the need of expiatory sacrifice, and that his religion consisted merely in an acknowledgment of the Deity as the author of the benefits which he enjoyed.”

More simply put, Abel believing the revelation of God did what God commanded and thereby gave evidence that God was pleased with him and his worship.  Cain, on the other hand: not believing did not do what God commanded, and was given a clear demonstration that God was displeased with him.  Now, the last phrase here about Abel is not only deep theology, but difficult to comprehend as well:  “And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks...“  Again, there several lines of thought to explain this text, however: the simplicity of F.F. Bruce’s final explanation is attractive:  “Abel, by his faith, bears abiding witness to succeeding ages.”

The second Antediluvian saint to be mentioned here is Enoch.  Apart from the genealogical records we can record everything known about Enoch from the Old Testament, in one sentence from Genesis:  “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5: 18)  Our verses for today tell us a little more, while the non-canonical books imply a more extensive record.  The Apostle here reveals that “ before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.

Once again, we should take it for granted that the biblical formula for salvation is all encompassing.  Enoch came to faith, obeyed God and through the fruits of the Spirit demonstrated the reality of faith in his life.  The very fact, that the Spirit conveys this information to the scribes of scripture indicates the reality of God’s love which transforms the soul and guides their witness for His own greater glory.  F.F. Bruce carefully defines Enoch’s relationship to the Creator God.  “Righteousness and faith, as we have seen already, are inseparably associated in his mind.  If [the Apostle] is asked why Enoch should be regarded as a man of faith, his answer is that otherwise God would have had no pleasure in him.”

We will skip a verse to continue our outline of saints, Noah being the third in this short outline.  Noah demonstrates a world defying confidence that what God promises, He will indeed deliver.  And so, he and his sons worked for many decades to build a floating structure large enough to house many box cars of animals.  The worldly cannot have helped but to notice the activity and perhaps were even contracted for some of the materials and supplies?  What a great folly the wicked described in Noah’s demonstration of faith in the midst of adversity.  F.F. Bruce notes that “the great gospel terms righteousness and grace appear first in relation to him, so far as the canonical order of Scripture goes, and the quality of his faith was proved by his prompt obedience:”  “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” (Genesis 6: 22)

John Brown outlines … facts that we should draw out of Noah’s experience.  First, Noah being warned in advance nevertheless counts God’s revelation of things to come as fact enough to stake his worldly reputation and eternal life upon the outcome thereby guaranteed.  How many of you would buy a car that came with some outlandish guarantee sight unseen?  This is the incredible act of faith which Noah took to heart.

Second, Noah  gained from God’s revelation a great and abiding fear of the Living God.  After all, Noah knew well that he and his family were sinners much like the rest of the antediluvian population.  What great thing was the Creator doing in and through him, he may have well asked.  Have you ever appreciated how few the elect appear to be in our society, and then gone on and considered that the Lord God could definitely done better than work with you? 

Third, by the fact of Noah’s obedience his own family was saved from the flood.  This is definitely related to the Apostle Peter’s admonition to the new believers at Jerusalem that “the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”  (Acts 2: 39)

Fourth, by Noah’s faith and works, thereby the world of his day was condemned.  Peter speaks of Noah’s being a preacher of righteousness.  And we should understand that having being given a chance to escape the destruction of the world, he would share that news with his friends and neighbors, even as we must share the good news of salvation.  However, the words of Noah and the revelation of God fell on deaf ears and no one desired to come into his boat until it was too late.

Fifth, and last, Noah became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith.  More simply put, he received the blessing of justification by believing in God’s revealed word.

Application:  Now let us return to verse six, which we skipped over to follow the outline of the faithful.  “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.”

Now, this is where the gopher wood meets the water so to speak, or in our own idiom:  “Where the rubber meets the road.”  One of the things that I must teach my driving students in class is:  how little is their real contact with the road.  If you look at the amount of tread that actually touches the road you will quickly come to the conclusion that the condition and inflation of that tread is of some vital importance.  Perhaps all told there are four sections of six by eight inches, or thirty-two square inches of contact per tire?  Added together that is only one hundred and twenty-eight square inches of contact total.  That is less than the one hundred and forty-four square inches in one of our kitchen tiles.  And you want to zoom down the highway on tires with tread that has sixty thousand miles of wear and tear?

In comparison with the totality of our lives, the amount of time we spend thinking, meditating and praying about our faith is small indeed.  And yet, if it is God given – it is sufficient!  A few years ago, one of the major tire manufacturers was peddling inferior tread and people were thereby dying on the road from unexpected blowouts.  Think of this example in the area of faith as a false religion!  There are very many people who think they are truly religious, but either their faith is so worn and jaded, or they have mistakenly chosen the wrong brand of faith – thinking that choosing a religion is just as easy as deciding where to eat?

No indeed, this is not the kind of faith being explained here in the Apostle’s recitation of Old Covenant saints who were commended for their belief.  It is not just simply a belief that God exists.  After all, Jesus Himself tells us that even the devils believe in God.  Faith must be something more, it truly must be other worldly to point us to the One who is in heaven and only appeared here on earth for a brief time.  F.F. Bruce clarifies this point for us, he writes that it is a “belief in the existence of the God who once declared His will to the fathers through the prophets and in these last days has spoken in His Son.  Those who approach Him can do so in full confidence that He exists, that His word is true, and that He will never put off or disappoint the soul that sincerely seeks Him.”

May this wonderful life giving faith fill your hearts, inform your mind and commend your works, so that at the last day, the Lord will commend you and invite you into the everlasting kingdom.  Amen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PREACHING RESOURCES

 Brown, John.  A Geneva Series Commentary:  Hebrews.
Brown, Raymond.  The Bible Speaks Today:  The Message of Hebrews.
Bruce, F.F.  The Epistle to the Hebrews.
Owen, John:  Commentary on the Book of Hebrews.
The Holy Bible:  English Standard Version.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.
http://www.tulip.org/tac/heb091.htm
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe go to:
http://www.four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/ccrlist/