1525. The Faith That Pleases God
The Faith That Pleases God
"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him" (Heb_10:38).
The Book of Hebrews does more than give warning of those who fail of the good things to come; it tells us, positively, that only those who believe in the coming things, and who live in the light of them can please God.
The 11th chapter of Hebrews is a great treatise on the events that cluster around the Second Coming of Christ.
1. We have a definition of faith. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb_11:1).
This is the faith of which Heb_10:38-39, speaks; the faith by which the just shall live; and from which, if any draw back, God has no pleasure in him.
This is not a faith that looks back to the Cross and believes unto justification, it is the faith that looks on to coming things and believes unto glorification.
It is the faith that believes that the Prophetic Word is sure and dependable. It is the faith that accepts the Covenants of God as anchors of the soul, both sure and steadfast.
2. We have the Old Testament heroes of the faith. In Hebrews 11 we see Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the rest, who believed God. They all died in faith, "not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb_11:13).
They all received the good report through faith.
It is remarkable that the faith of these old patriarchs included in its vision every great Old Testament foundation truth of unfulfilled prophecy.
The faith of Abel saw the Cross of Christ (see Heb_11:4).
The faith of Enoch saw the Rapture and the Revelation (see Heb_11:5-6).
The faith of Noah saw the tribulation (see Heb_11:7).
The faith of Abraham saw the land of promise (see Heb_11:8).
The faith of Sarah saw two lines of seed (see Heb_11:11-12).
The faith of Abraham saw the resurrection (see Heb_11:17-19).
The faith of Isaac and Joseph saw the earthly inheritance (see Heb_11:20-21).
The faith of Joseph saw the restoration of Israel to the land (see Heb_11:22).
The faith of Moses saw the promised rewards of saints (see Heb_11:24-26).
The faith of Joshua saw the enemies overthrown (see Heb_11:30).
The faith of Rahab saw the overcomers from the tribulation (see Heb_11:31).
3. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. The one who comes to God must believe that God is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (see Heb_11:6).
It was by faith, the faith that believes in coming things, that the elders received a good testimony (see Heb_11:2).
It was by faith, the faith that is the substance of things hoped for, that Enoch pleased God (see vs.
It was by faith, the faith that has convictions of things not seen, that all the Old Testament worthies received a good report (see Heb_11:39).
God has no pleasure in the one who, in unbelief, draws back from the verity of the promises (see Heb_10:38).
All the denials of postmillennialism are displeasing to God. It is not necessary for one to believe the testimony of the premillennialist, but it is necessary for him to believe the testimony of the Bible if he is to be pleasing to God.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR