Heroes of Faith

Heroes of Faith

By W.H. Wood

“One of my favorite sermons”

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen .  For by it the elders obtained a good report .  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.  By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh .  By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found , because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony , that he pleased God.  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is , and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear , prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out , not knowing whither he went .  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.  Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age , because she judged him faithful who had promised.  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead , so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. Hebrews 11:1-12

This brief message is written with the hope that it may be beneficial to someone seeking more light on God’s word.  We sat in the study many hours musing, meditating, and praying that God would reveal to us why these particular individuals were chosen as the “heroes of faith” instead of some of the other great Bible characters.  Surely these were great characters, but there were others who were outstanding in the esteem of the Almighty. 

            We believe after much prayer and careful consideration, we have found a satisfactory interpretation at least for our own mind.  These were men of adventure who were obedient to the inner urge or expressed will of God.  They were men of reverence and faith, willing for their lives to conform to the will of God.  Hence, there sprang from their lives some of the great fundamental doctrines of Christianity.  

Abel:  Coveys to the human mind the doctrine of Christian Giving.

Whether God spoke to Abel in so many words and commanded the offering or whether it was a natural instinct, we aren’t sure, however, we know from the very morning of time the doctrine of Christian giving have been practiced by people who love the Lord.  We read in Genesis 4:4, “and Abel, he also brought of the firstling of his flock and the fat thereof.  And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering.”  So, we see that the doctrine of Christian giving is about as old as the human race.  Therefore, we aren’t surprised that God chose Abel as one of the great “heroes of faith”, because he shared the very first of his wealth with God.  Dear readers, are you sharing your wealth with God, or are you robbing Him of the “tithe and offering”, if so, you better be careful less some misfortune snatch from you even more than the “tithe and offering.”

Enoch:  Conveys the doctrine of the conquering power of God.

In Enoch’s life, we see God exercising His conquering power over death, hell and the grave.  In Hebrews 11:5, “By faith, Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, the he pleased God. “  Enoch walked with God not once a week or once a month, but continually for three hundred years.  What a great life!  My friends, if we are to conjure with God, we must walk with Him.  We see this great truth brought out by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed.”  My friends out yonder some time in the future the righteous dead shall be raised while the righteous living shall be caught up in the clouds of glory to be with the Lord forever.  Then can we say with Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, “Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is thy sting?  O grave, where is thy victory?”

Noah:  Conveys the doctrine of the preparation for eternal life.

Noah being warned by God of the flood to come was instructed to prepare the ark for the saving of his posterity on earth.  For more than a hundred years, Noah labored in building the ark that was to serve as his shield and protector during the awful days of the flood.  During this long period of the construction of the ark, Noah used all his spare time preaching repentance and the preparation for eternal life, but to no avail the people refused to listen, they turned a deaf ear to God’s man just as so many are doing today.  Sin was abroad in the land, the devil had the upper hand, people were marrying and giving in marriage, going all the gates, if you please.   When one day, the clouds lowered the sun, the thunder began to roar, the lightening flashed, the rain descended, the floods came.  For forty days and nights, the rains continued, the streams became swollen, in course of time the lowlands were covered, the people began to take refuge on the mountain sides, the water continued to rise, the people went higher and still higher while the waters continued to follow.  Then it was that the people realized their doom.  No doubt they wailed, the wept, they moaned, they prayed, as they saw the angry water creep upon them.  My friends, those people would have given fifteen million worlds like this one just to have old Noah reach out his strong arm and pulled them into the ark of safety, but it was too late, they had failed to prepare and had to face the consequences.  Fair warning, dear reader, are you prepared for eternity?