|
Without Faith
It’s Impossible to Please Him
Introduction (Hebrews 11:4–6)
Faith is the foundation upon which every relationship with God is
built. Without it, there is no obedience, no worship, and no
salvation. Hebrews 11:4–6 presents two powerful examples—Abel and
Enoch—and a clear declaration that without faith, it is impossible
to please God.
The Faith of
Abel
Abel’s faith teaches us the necessity of obeying God as He has
commanded. Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered to God a more
excellent sacrifice than Cain.” From the very beginning, we see that
God revealed the necessity of blood sacrifice. When Adam and Eve
sinned, God clothed them with the skins of animals, showing that sin
required the shedding of blood for atonement (Genesis 3:21). Abel
followed that pattern. He offered an animal sacrifice because God
had revealed that such was acceptable.
Cain, on the
other hand, chose his own way. He offered the fruit of the ground
instead of what God commanded. Though Cain was religious and
worshiped, his offering was not accepted because it did not come
from obedient faith. First John 3:12 says, “Cain was of the wicked
one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his
works were evil and his brother’s righteous.”
Abel’s faith led
him to obedience. Cain’s lack of faith led him to substitute his own
will for God’s. The result was rejection. This remains a warning for
all time. True worship must be offered as God directs, not as we
desire. God does not accept every form of worship—He accepts only
that which is done in faith, according to His revealed will. Jesus
said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
The Faith
of Enoch
Enoch’s faith demonstrates the blessing of walking with God. Hebrews
11:5 records, “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see
death…and had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Genesis 5 tells
us that Enoch “walked with God” for three hundred years. To walk
with God means to live in harmony with His will, to be in agreement
with His ways, and to live daily in fellowship with Him (Amos 3:3).
Enoch’s walk was
not occasional or casual. It was daily, deliberate, and devoted.
Because of his faith and obedience, God took him—he did not
experience death. Enoch stands as a type of the faithful who will be
alive when Christ returns. First Thessalonians 4:16–17 describes
that day: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
shout… and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air.”
Faith brings us
into fellowship with God, and walking by faith keeps us there. Those
who live by faith will one day be with God forever, just as Enoch
was taken to be with Him.
The
Necessity of Faith
Hebrews 11:6 declares, “But without faith it is impossible to please
Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is
a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” This verse teaches two
indispensable truths of faith.
First, one must
believe that God exists. This is the foundation of all belief.
Without a conviction that Jehovah God exists, there is no basis for
obedience or hope. The creation itself testifies of His existence.
Romans 1:20 says that His eternal power and divine nature are
clearly seen through the things He has made, leaving all people
without excuse.
Second, one must
believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Faith is not
passive; it is active, persevering, and obedient. God blesses those
who sincerely and continually seek His will. Proverbs 8:17 says, “I
love those who love Me, and those who seek Me early shall find Me.”
Jeremiah 29:13 promises, “You will seek Me and find Me when you
search for Me with all your heart.”
Faith that
pleases God does not waver, compromise, or grow lukewarm. It hungers
and thirsts after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). It seeks first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). It obeys with
trust and endurance until the very end.
Without
Faith, It Is Impossible to Please God
Faith is more than belief—it is trust that acts. Abel’s faith caused
him to offer as God commanded. Enoch’s faith caused him to walk with
God. Our faith must cause us to do both—to obey God’s will and to
live in daily fellowship with Him.
Saving faith
leads us to repent of sin, confess Christ as Lord, and be baptized
for the forgiveness of sins. Romans 6 teaches that when one obeys
from the heart and rises from baptism, he becomes a new creature—his
old life is buried, and he begins a new walk of faith. Those who
live by faith continue to diligently seek God each day, longing to
please Him.
Without
Faith It’s Impossible to Please Him Sermon Outline:
-
Introduction: Faith as the
foundation of pleasing God (Hebrews 11:4–6).
-
I. The
Faith of Abel (Hebrews 11:4; Genesis 4:3–5)
-
Abel
offered as God directed; Cain offered his own way.
-
Abel’s
faith produced obedience; Cain’s lack of faith produced
rebellion.
-
God
accepts only worship offered in faith and truth (John 4:24).
-
Lesson:
Worship according to divine instruction is essential.
-
II. The
Faith of Enoch (Hebrews 11:5; Genesis 5:21–24)
-
Enoch
walked with God daily; his life was in agreement with God.
-
His walk
of faith pleased God and delivered him from death.
-
Enoch
prefigures the faithful who will meet the Lord in the air (1
Thessalonians 4:16–17).
-
Lesson:
Faith sustains continual fellowship with God.
-
III.
The Necessity of Faith (Hebrews 11:6)
-
Faith
must include belief in God’s existence (Romans 1:20).
-
Faith
must trust in God’s promises to reward diligent seekers
(Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:13).
-
Faith is
active, obedient, and enduring.
-
Lesson:
True faith both believes and obeys continually.
-
IV.
Application
-
Faith
must lead to obedience—repentance, confession, and baptism
(Romans 6:3–6).
-
Continued faith requires diligence in seeking God daily.
-
Only
those who persist in faith will please God and receive
eternal life.
Call to
Action
Let each of us examine our faith. Is it living, active, and
obedient? Are we offering what God has commanded, walking with Him
daily, and seeking Him diligently? God does not reward the careless
or half-hearted but those who seek Him with all their heart, soul,
strength, and mind. If your faith has grown weak, renew it today.
Turn back to God, obey His will, and walk with Him as Abel and Enoch
did.
Key
Takeaways
-
True faith
obeys God’s commands (Hebrews 11:4).
-
Worship must
be offered in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
-
Walking with
God requires daily commitment (Genesis 5:24).
-
Faith that
pleases God believes He exists and rewards the diligent (Hebrews
11:6).
-
Saving faith
always acts through obedience (Romans 6:3–6).
Scripture
Reference List
-
Hebrews
11:4–6 – The foundation and power
of faith.
-
Genesis
3:21; 4:3–5 – The necessity of
sacrifice as God directed.
-
1 John
3:12 – Cain’s works were evil;
Abel’s righteous.
-
John
4:24 – Worship must be in spirit
and truth.
-
Genesis
5:21–24 – Enoch walked with God.
-
Amos
3:3 – Agreement required for
walking with God.
-
1
Thessalonians 4:16–17 – The
faithful will meet the Lord in the air.
-
Romans
1:20 – Evidence of God’s
existence leaves none without excuse.
-
Proverbs 8:17 – God rewards those
who seek Him early.
-
Jeremiah 29:13 – Finding God
requires wholehearted seeking.
-
Matthew
5:6; 6:33 – Hungering for
righteousness and seeking God’s kingdom.
-
Romans
6:3–6 – Obedience through baptism
makes one a new creature.
Prepared by Bobby Stafford of the church of Christ at
Granby, MO
|
The
church of Christ
