Hebrews 11:1-16

Hebrews 11:1-16 … Hebrews 11 is one of the chapters you should know and instantly recognize whenever it’s mentioned. The reason: Hebrews 11 is the “Faith” chapter of the Bible. In illustration after illustration, God will model faith for us and show that faith is assurance and faith is certainty. Every verse is important here: note 11:2 … “This is what the ancients were commended for.” We think that’s a reference to Abraham and others (Noah and Elijah, for example) who came to God in faith (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3). The illustrations begin with Abel (v.4) and Enoch (v.5) leading to the wonderful conclusion (v.6) that … “without faith it is impossible to please God!” Each of the illustrations indicates the importance of the Old Testament in providing examples and warnings (1 Corinthians 10:11) to us, even in modern times. And each of the examples mentioned next, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah, understood the perspective of the ages even though they lived at an early time (v.13 says this). I particularly like verse 16 in the light of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 22:32: Jesus, demonstrating to skeptical Sadducees that the resurrection is true, quotes from God’s words to Moses at the burning bush … “‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob …’ He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” To which the writer of Hebrews says (v.16) … “God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he has prepared a city for them.” Faith is not only essential to the believer, it’s the rock solid foundation and conviction that God is real, that He is our Creator, and that He has extended grace and mercy to us in Jesus. Hallelujah!