Saving Faith

Introduction

Good morning. If you will open your Bibles with me to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. As we consider what does it mean to have faith, to be faithful, to have a strong faith. Hebrews chapter 11 is obviously the passage that we would turn to. It is known by many as the hall of faith. You see, in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 1, now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. In verse 6, you see that, 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, or those who diligently seek him. However, Hebrews chapter 11 is not the place you would expect to find a lesson on the necessity of what Jesus says is a must for salvation.

Of course, this morning, as we discuss the idea of what does God want from me with regards to salvation, how can I come into contact with the blood of Christ? Consider what the author of Hebrews defines in Hebrews chapter 11 as a necessary component. In Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 6, once again, without faith, it is impossible to please him. So we know that faith is necessary. It is a must. You must believe in God, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. But if you look in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 23 through verse 30, you’ll see an interesting section from the Hebrew writer on what faith is. And we’re going to look at the Old Testament counterpart and consider for just a few moments this morning.

What does God want from me? What does faith look like? How does faith act like? In verse 23, by faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents. Because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith, Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking towards the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. Now key in on these next three verses with me, and this is our text for this morning.

By faith he, Moses, kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. You see over and over this phrase, by faith, generally Moses. But even in verse 29, you see, by faith, the people crossed the Red Sea as though it was on dry land. In verse 30, by faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. Consider with me this morning what is a saving faith. We know that faith is necessary. We saw that in verse six.

We know what faith is defined as. In verse one is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. But what does faith look like? The problem is we have we’ve created a controversy over what does it mean to have faith? And is faith different from, is it in juxtaposition with works. In James chapter 2, a passage many know, but in James chapter 2 and verse 18 beginning, the writer says, But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one, you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?

Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And then those who say, Well, you need to obey God, you need to trust in him, you need to do as he says. We close the Bible, we set it down, and we say, There it is. There’s James chapter 2. Faith without works is dead. And yet many don’t see it quite that way.

1. By Faith Moses Kept the Passover

What can Hebrews chapter 11 teach us about a saving faith? I think if we look at Hebrews chapter 11 and we key in on verse 28, verse 29 and verse 30, we’ll see what does it mean to have faith? What does it mean to act faithfully? And in so doing, we will see what God expects from us as his children. Look back at Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 28 for just a moment, and we read about Moses something in particular. By faith, Moses kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. The blood was a sign to the Israelites. Turn back to Exodus chapter 12. As we turn back to Exodus chapter 12, as we leave the New Testament, we’re going back into a time where the descendants of Abraham were found in captivity, you might say.

They were in Egyptian bondage. And Moses went up to Pharaoh, and what’s the phrase that we all know? He demanded of Pharaoh on behalf of God, let my people go. Pharaoh did not acquiesce, and after nine plagues, he still refused to let Moses and the people of Israel leave the land of Egypt. He refused to hear or to see the signs of God, and they’ll recognize him as superior, as better, as the one who is control. Controlling even all of the very nature that he was using against Egypt. But in Exodus chapter 12, we see the preparations for the tenth, the final plague, and certainly the most ferocious. In Exodus chapter 11, even in verse 4, know what Moses says the Lord is going to do.

In verse 4 of chapter 11, Moses said, Thus says the Lord, about midnight, I will go out in the land of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die. From the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who’s behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there never has been, nor ever will be again. This was going to be every firstborn. There would be no exceptions. God was going to wipe out the firstborn of every man and woman, you might say, and yes, even of the beasts. God was going to wipe out the firstborn. The problem is, where were the people of Israel?

In the land of Egypt. Yes, there was a bit of a separation. Yes, you might say they were in Goshen, but they were certainly party to. They were in the location of this great destruction, of this great death, plague that was threatened. In Exodus chapter 12, though, God provides them the antidote for this problem. Consider Exodus chapter 12, and it helps give us an idea of what does God want from us. What does he expect from us if he is going to deliver us? In Exodus chapter 12, certainly you see what he sets out beginning in verse 1. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, this month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.

Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, every man shall take a lamb according to their father’s houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons, according to what each can eat, you shall make your own count for the lamb. Verse 5, your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Now note the specifications coming in verse 7 and continuing.

Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, and roast it on the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roast it its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning. Anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. Verse 11, in this manner you shall eat it with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your shaft in your hand, and you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments.

So God has given them their sign. He has given them their ability to be passed over, their ability to be spared, the looming destruction that would come, that did come.

Did God say, You’re my people, you’re from the lineage of Abraham, just sit back and I’ll go take down everybody around you. That’s not quite what he said. In fact, the Israelites had to keep the sign. In verse 12, he says, I’m going to pass through the land of Egypt, and I’m going to strike all the firstborn of both man and beast, and I will show I am God, executing judgments on all the gods of Egypt. And in verse 13, the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. What is the mechanism here in the middle of verse 13? When I see the blood, I will pass over you. And no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

It’s interesting, God could have done anything he wanted here. He could have allowed the Israelites to be part of the destruction. He could have just spared them. And yet, what did he have them do? Yes, he would take, as verse 5 says, a lamb without blemish a male a year old, and they were to take the blood of that and put it on the lintels of the doorpost. And when he sees the blood in verse 13, what would he do? He would pass over them. He would not destroy them. This was not an option. If the Israelites did not keep the sign, what would God do? Exactly as he did to everyone who did not have that sign of faith. It’s important to note this because many say, as it pertains to repentance or confession or a life in submission to God, or certainly in baptism, people say that that is against faith.

It is working, it is a work of merit. You’re saying you earn your salvation in baptism is just a sign. And yet in verse 13, how does God describe this blood? The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. The fact that the blood was a sign in no way took out God’s hand in sacrificing the people of Egypt and sparing the people of Israel. The fact that it was a sign did not make it any less important or any less pertinent to their survival. They needed to keep the sign. They needed to put the blood on the doorpost of the home. They needed to take the life of the male a year old without blemish. They needed to, yes, have faith that God would deliver them.

But they needed to have faith that if they kept what God had commanded of them, he would spare them as he did. Here is a question, though. Did they earn their salvation? Did they earn the fact that when God did come upon the land of Egypt and did take everyone, including the firstborn of Pharaoh, and he wiped out all the firstborn, even of the beasts of the field, did they earn the fact that they were looked over, that they were passed over? Of course not. In verse 13, you see something interesting. I have to explain it this way.

But I do know this. When it comes to Superman, what is superman’s weakness? Kryptonite, right? We all know kryptonite is superman’s weakness. In verse 13, when God has given all these instructions in Exodus chapter 12, of what type of lamb, what type of year old, what type of blood, where to put the blood, was God saying, if you put this blood up there, when my spirit comes to take the life, it’s just not going to be able to penetrate this blood. It’s not going to be able to get into your home. Not at all. This wasn’t God’s kryptonite. He didn’t give them a secret to his success to where if they put up the blood, they would have stopped God in his tracks. He allowed them to be spared by what?

2. By Faith the People Crossed the Red Sea

By their faith. It wasn’t about some miraculous thing with the blood. The blood was simply a sign for you. And God’s promise was that if you put this blood up, no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. By faith, they submitted to God. They did not earn to be passed over. They did not earn their salvation in this way. But they trusted in God, and when those who obeyed were delivered. Consider back in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 29. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 29. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land. But the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. It’s interesting to see how did they cross the Red Sea?

Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 29 says they did so by faith. Let’s look at Exodus chapter 14 and see exactly how did this Red Sea crossing go? In Exodus chapter 14, what was it that by faith they did? Did they sit on the side of the bank of the Red Sea that was parted? Did they sit there and say, God’s going to deliver us? How was it that they acted by faith? That faith that is necessary to please God. In Exodus chapter 14, beginning in verse 5, when the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, What is this that we have done that we have let Israel go from serving us?

So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him and took 600 chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. Now we know what’s happening after this tenth plague has come. Pharaoh had said, You can go, in fact, you must go. Get out. But as we’ve seen, there’s been a change of heart. And in verse 10, when Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you’ve taken us away to die in the wilderness?

What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt? Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. One of the many, many, many times that the people of Israel would complain and even compare their current state to being better if they were back in Egyptian bondage than trusting in God. And yet in verse 13, Moses gives a clear command fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.

What was Moses’ message from God? They were to stand firm, fear not, but what would happen? The Lord would give them salvation. The Lord would work salvation for the Israelites this day. There it is, it’s done. How are the people of Israel saved from the Egyptians? In Exodus chapter 14 and verse 26, we see how the story goes. In verse 21, Moses has stretched out his hand over the sea, and the walls of the water were divided. But in verse 26, the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea that the water may come back upon the Egyptians upon their chariots and upon their horsemen. So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared.

And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen of all the hosts of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea. Not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. We see a powerful sign of victory from God.

He had offered them the salvation that Moses promised them was coming. The Lord worked salvation for the people. He allowed Moses to stretch out his hand and depart the walls of the Red Sea, allowing the people of Israel to cross through. And he also, the same God with power, allowed Moses to do what? To stretch out his hand and to have the waters collapse back into their normal course, taking the lives of the Egyptians. God spared the Israelites this day in a powerful show of force, a powerful show of who God is and what God is capable of. And the people saw it. Do you see in verse 31, what was the result of this? Israel saw that the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord.

And they believed in the Lord and in the servant Moses. The question is, did they earn their passage through the Red Sea? In Hebrews chapter 11 and in verse 29, what was said about them? When they crossed, by faith, the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land. What do you mean by faith? They crossed the Red Sea as on dry land. What had happened? Well, Moses stretched out his arm, and with the power of God, the Red Sea separated. There were walls of water allowing them to cross, as Exodus chapter 14 says, as though it were on dry ground, on dry land. What was their faith that was shown? They believed that the salvation of God that was available to them. That just as Moses had said the Lord would work salvation for them, and what did their faith do?

Compelled them to go, trust in God. Their faith was not just sitting on the sideline mentally accepting that God exists, that God would have the power to do such a thing. But they answered the call. Yes, they were doubting. Yes, they were murmuring. But when the time came to cross, they had faith. Can you imagine walking through the dry, the dry land of the Red Sea? Can you imagine seeing the sea in pillars and having to walk through? That takes faith. But beyond just faith that the walls wouldn’t come crashing down on them, that the Red Sea would crash on them and take their lives as it did the Egyptians. They had faith that God would deliver them because they saw the power of God. They did not earn their passage.

3. By Faith the Walls of Jericho Fell Down

God did not have to let them separate the Red Sea. Moses did nothing that he could compel God and say, You owe me this, you owe me to part the Red Sea. And yet God delivered them because they were his people. And he promised them passage. Consider in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 30, I think this is one of the strongest examples, perhaps the most well known of the stories. In Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 30, the writer says, By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. I hope you see this. This is really important before we turn back into our Old Testament. In verse 30, by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

Keep that in mind as we turn to Joshua chapter six. In Joshua chapter six, we see what God would promise them. Oftentimes when we say, What do we need to do to please God? We think about faith. What do we need from God? We need to trust in Him. We need to obey Him. But we know God is faithful. And yet in Joshua chapter 6, beginning in verse 1, we read about Jericho, and in verse 2 we read about a powerful promise from our faithful God. In Joshua chapter 6, beginning in verse 1. Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, See, I have given Jericho into your hand with its king and mighty men of valor.

Now stop the reading. And verse 2, what had God promised Joshua and His people? See, I have given past tense Jericho into your hand with its king and mighty men of valor. Does God ever lie? No. God is faithful. He will keep all of his promises. And yet here we find in Joshua chapter 6 and verse 2, and when we come to verse 3, God doesn’t just knock down the walls of Jericho. In verse 3, he says, You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus you shall do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram’s horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priest shall blow the trumpets.

And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him. God promised Joshua, see, I have given Jericho into your hand. This was sure. It was done. Is God greater than the people of Jericho? Of course. Does God always keep his word? Of course. And yet God didn’t stop speaking, and Joshua didn’t stop listening in verses 3 through 6. In verse 6, so Joshua the son of nun called the priests and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of ramhorns before the ark of the Lord.

And he said to the people, Go forward, march around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord. And we see, of course, what would happen in verse 20. So the people shouted and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat. So the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Did God add any conditions to this victory? Yes. Yes, he did. Did that mean that the people earned the walls of Jericho falling down by marching around it? No. Does that mean if they marched around and they blew the trumpets as God said, that that would make the walls fall down?

There was more to it. They had to march around for a set number of times. They had to march around and blow the particular type of instrument a set number of times. And what would they have to do at the end? They would have to shout with a great shout, and the walls would fall down. No good wall falls down when people shout at it. It’s just the way it is. The wall of Jericho was renowned. It was a fortified city. It was not going to fall because God found the loophole, the kryptonite of the wall of Jericho. The wall fell because God always keeps his promises in verse 2, as he said, See, I have given Jericho into your hand. God delivered the people. But God did add a condition.

They were to have Jericho delivered to them if they would what? If they would march around. If they would do what God said. Whether it’s the case of the Passover and putting the blood up on the doorpost and the lintel of the home, whether it’s crossing the Red Sea as though it were on dry ground, whether it’s the walls of Jericho falling down, Hebrews 11 makes it clear, all of these instances, all of these people, Moses and the Israelites did them how? By faith. If you want to call it earning, that’s fine. If you want to say that God delivered them, that’s true. The fact of the matter is, what God says is, I will deliver you. As he told Moses in Exodus chapter 14, today there will be a great salvation available for you.

Conclusion

Could we compel God to send Jesus to die on the cross for our sins? Of course not. That’s why we serve a mighty and loving God. Because despite our sin, despite our rejection of him, despite the fact we misplaced our priorities, God is there for us. He will forgive us our sins. We can turn to him. And Jesus did die on the cross for our sins. We serve a powerful, mighty, loving God. And how is it that we please him? In Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 6, without faith, it is impossible to please him. But we must believe that he is. And that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Isn’t that exactly what we see with the people? Stay with me for just one moment.

Isn’t that exactly what we see in Exodus chapter 12, Exodus chapter 14, and Joshua chapter 6? That the people believed in God. And that they knew he would reward them. Because they trusted in his word. They trusted that when he said, Do something, I will deliver. See, I have given Jericho into your hand. If you will march around, if you will play the trumpets, if you will shout, the wall will fall. And the good news is we have a worse problem than Jericho. We have sinned. But the good news of that is that God will deliver us. He has promised we can be wiped as white as snow. We can be forgiven of our sins. This is a great work of God. This is powerful. And it’s not just some sort of magical formula of words.

It’s no powerful mystical water. It’s because God set the conditions, and we can trust that our God will deliver. Do you trust him this morning? If you trust God, you would do as he said, not just before, not just when it comes to belief, not just when it comes to baptism, but you would walk with the Lord. You would follow in his footsteps, you would live holy lives. You would live a life committed to righteousness, justice, and love. Because our God is righteous, just and loving. We serve a mighty God, who is powerful, who has promised us that we can have our sins forgiven. Do you trust in God? Do you have enough faith to trust in his signs? Many people reject baptism. They say, I need to believe, I need to repent, I need to confess.

But I don’t need to be baptized because that’s a work, because that’s just a sign. Try telling the people of Egypt, who were wiped out in the tenth plague, that the blood on the doorpost, sacrificed from the Lamb without blemish, was just a sign. And that it didn’t matter. If God has said something is so, it will be. And Peter, acting with the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2 and verse 38, said, Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Consider this morning what is faith? Faith is trust. What is faith? Faith is acknowledging God. What is faith? Believing that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Do you trust in God enough to obey this morning? If you are not a Christian, realize that the pathway to obedience is simple. It is a difficult life, but it is a clear path. You trust in God. You believe. You confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You repent, turning from your wrongs, saying, God, be with me. God, forgive me. And you are baptized for the forgiveness of your sins from the sacrifice of Jesus, who is the Lamb without blemish. Or maybe you’re a Christian and you’ve lost your way. You’ve not shown the faith that God requires. Realize that we can pray with you. We can pray for you. As we know from 1 John chapter 1, if we are willing to confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of all our wrong and to make us right.

Trust in God this morning. If we can help you come to Him, restore your relationship with Him in any way. Come now as we stand and sing the invitation song.