The Letter to the Hebrews
The Only Way to Please God
Hebrews 11:3-6
Imagine watching a basketball game where the players were dribbling, running, passing, running, dribbling, passing – but never shooting baskets. That would be strange. Because without baskets – it’s impossible to win. You can dribble flawlessly. Pass accurately. Run quickly. But without baskets it is impossible to win.
The same is true in our relationship with God. There’s one thing we must have without which it is impossible to please God. If we don’t have this one thing, then it makes no difference what else we do – we will not please God. We can go to church, forgive others, give our money away – but if we don’t have this one thing we won’t please God.
So what is that one thing? To see that – let’s turn to Hebrews 11. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and we will bring a Bible to you. Hebrews 11 is on page 1007 in the Bibles we are passing out.
So what is the one thing we must have if we are to please God? Look at what the author says in Hebrews 11:1-6.
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.
So the one thing we must have if we are going to please God is faith. And in this passage the author explains what faith is.
But before we dig into those verses let’s get an overview of what the author has been saying. In chapters 5 through the first half of chapter 10, he has told us how we can be forgiven and come to know God. It’s because Jesus Christ is our perfect priest who represents us before God with a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
And in the second half of ch.10 he gives us four commands –
· Draw near to God
· Hold fast to God’s promises
· Encourage each other in faith
· Stir up your faith that God is your better possession
And then in ch.11 the author wants to help us see why faith is so crucial. We saw last week in vv.1-2 that when we have faith, God will gives us times when we feel His pleasure, feel His commendation – and that will give us assurance that God will keep His promises.
So vv.1-2 show why it’s so important that we have faith in God. But where does faith start? Where does it begin? Look again at what the author tells us in v.3 --
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
The starting point of faith is to understand that the universe was created by God. And how do we come to understand that? By faith. So what does that mean? Do we just take a leap of faith in the dark and decide to believe? Absolutely not.
To see how faith gives us this understanding, turn to Romans 1, and read vv.18-20 –
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
So how can people know that there is a God who created everything? The answer is in v.20 – it’s because God’s existence is clearly seen in everything that’s been made. It’s because the universe, the world, our bodies, and everything that’s been made shows there’s a Creator.
Think about your body. Right now you are digesting your breakfast. An incredibly complex chemical process is taking place inside you right now – turning your bagel or Captain Crunch or yogurt into the fuel and protein and nutrients your body needs. All that’s going on inside of you right now and you don’t even need to think about it.
Now every time we see something with such complex design and function – we always assume that someone built it. If you saw a chemical processing plant that was able to turn bagels and Captain Crunch and yogurt into fuel and protein and nutrients -- you would think someone built it. You would not think it just happened. You’d think someone built it.
Same with your food digesting system. That didn’t just happen. There’s a much simpler explanation – someone built it. Someone with amazing power, astonishing wisdom, incredible power. God.
And we are surrounded by evidence of complex design and function – it’s everywhere. And all of this evidence points to God as creator. So why don’t we believe this evidence? Look at v.21 --
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
So why didn’t we believe this evidence? It’s because we did not want to honor God or give thanks to Him. We didn’t want there to be a God. Our sin kept us from owning up to the evidence that’s all around us.
But God loves us. And so, in great mercy, God sent Jesus to be punished in our place for our sin, and God brings His power upon us and gives us faith. And what does faith do? Faith sees the evidence for what it is.
To see this, turn back to Heb 11 and read v.3 --
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
So faith owns up to the evidence. Faith sees the evidence and says -- there is a God. So look at the evidence. Look at your eye and how it works to enable you to see. Look at how cells operate. Look at how the moon brings tides that wash the beaches and how jellyfish have little stingers and paralyze fish for dinner.
So where does faith start? It starts by believing that there is a God. Think about that. There is a God. We are not alone. Someone made us. Someone made you. So faith starts with believing that God is.
But that raises another question -- what difference does it make that God is? Lots of people say they believe in a God. But for most people their belief in God makes no difference. So what difference does it make that God exists?
The author tells us in v.4 by giving us the example of Abel, from Genesis 4. Look at what he says --
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.
Abel and Cain were brothers. They both believed God existed, but only Abel had true faith. Because by faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice. Now to see what that meant, turn back to Genesis 4.
Look at what Moses tells us in vv.3-4 –
3 In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,
4 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 …
Notice that Cain’s offering is just “an offering of the fruit of the ground.” Just “an offering.” Any old pumpkin. But Abel’s offering was “of the firstborn of his flock.”
So he offered the very first lamb that was born. He did not wait to make sure that lots of other lambs had already been born – so he would have lots of reserves; he offered the firstborn. And of that firstborn lamb he offered its fat portion – which was probably the tastiest cut of meat.
So Abel gave to God the very best he had. Now why would you give to God the very best you had? Why would you give God the very best of your earthly possessions?
To answer that turn back to Hebrews 11 and look again at v.6 --
6 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.
It’s because you know that God will reward you. It’s because you know God will reward you with something better than the best of your earthly possession.
And what is it that God will give you? Himself. Through Jesus Christ you can be forgiven for all your sins so you can know God, worship God, behold God. Knowing, worshiping, beholding God will fill you with infinitely more joy than anything else.
So Able believed that God rewards us with the infinitely best reward – God Himself. But don’t misunderstand that word “reward.” It’s not that anything we do deserves rewards from God. No. But it’s that – because of Jesus’ death on the Cross -- in great mercy God rewards our undeserving faith with more of Himself.
Now with that in mind, read v.4 again --
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.
So Abel had faith that God would mercifully reward him with the best reward – God Himself. That faith moved Abel to give to God the best of his earthly possessions. And because of Abel’s faith, God commended Abel as being righteous. And through Abel’s faith, the author tells us that Abel still speaks.
So what is Abel saying? Believe that God rewards those who seek Him.
But notice that in v.4 the author mentioned that Abel died. And that raises a question. How valuable is God’s reward if death can take it away? The author answers that question in v.5 by mentioning Enoch.
Enoch is mentioned back in the book of Genesis in a long genealogy – a long list of fathers and sons and grandsons, generation after generation. And after everyone else’s name is mentioned, Moses tells us they died. Everyone, that is, except Enoch. What happened to Enoch? Look here at v.5 --
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.
God spared Enoch from death, and took him directly from earth to heaven. But how could that happen? Just like all of us, Enoch had sinned against God and faced the curse of death and eternal punishment. But we’ve seen in the book of Hebrews that Jesus paid for sins on the Cross and broke the power of death by His resurrection.
And so, because Enoch had faith in God as his all-satisfying reward, and had faith in God’s mercy to forgive him, Enoch pleased God. And as a result, throughout Enoch’s life he had times when God let him feel God’s pleasure.
But not only that. Toward the end of his life, God rewarded his faith by sparing him from death, and taking him from earth directly to heaven.
So God’s reward is not threatened by death. Enoch is an Old Testament picture of how God’s power can overcome death. Now that’s not the only way God’s power overcomes death. God will overcome death for the rest of us the same way He did it in Christ – by raising us from the dead. But the point is that God’s power overcomes death.
And since God’s power overcomes death, which means the reward God offers us isn’t just infinitely better than anything else in this life. It means the reward God offers us lasts forever and ever and ever and ever.
So this brings us to our last question – how can we please God? There’s only one way. Verse 6 tells us --
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.
Let me give you three takeaways.
First, if you have not yet, then today, trust Jesus Christ and start seeking God for His reward. This is the purpose for the entire universe – the reward of knowing God. To resist this will bring eternal punishment. To embrace this will bring all-satisfying joy – now and forever. So trust Jesus Christ and start seeking God for His reward.
Second, if you are trusting Christ, then seek God for His reward. You can’t please God if you don’t seek Him for His reward – the reward of God Himself. So set aside puny pleasures, inferior satisfactions, temporary joys – and seek God for the reward of God Himself.
Third, if you are trusting Christ, tell someone else this amazing news. God wants to give you the all-satisfying joy of knowing Him through Christ – now and forever. Tell your neighbor. Tell your friend. Tell your children. Tell your parents. Tell everyone.