Obedient Faith

Obedient Faith

(Hebrews 11:7)

Yearly Theme:  “Love Does…”

Series Title:  Substance of Faith

December 15^th, 2019

Something to think about:

When a skyscraper is built, a lot of work, time, and effort is put into the foundation before any building begins on the floors or walls. The builders want to make sure it will keep standing.

With this in mind, for the believer in Christ, obedience to God is the best foundation to lay when building our lives.

As we consider the ongoing series for this month (“Love Never Loses Faith”), we come to an aspect of faith that blossoms into righteousness (or what we might call “right living”).

Let’s take a look…

Hebrews 11:1-40 (NLT)

⁷  It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

“Peter T. Forsythe was right when he said, ‘The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master.’”[1]

Noah was a man of obedient faith.  Even when the whole world was against him, he took God at his word and did what God had asked of him to do.

The key point this morning is this…

Key Point:  “Righteousness is a result of obedient faith and trust in God.”

How did this play out in Noah’s life?  Let’s take a look…

1. Noah’s faith led him to obedience to God’s word.

Some versions of Scripture note that Noah was moved by “reverent fear” of God, and thus, he obeyed God’s command to build an ark of safety even though the things that God warned him of had never happened before.  This type of reverent fear, or holy “awe,” led Noah to take God at his word.

2. Noah’s faith condemned the rest of the world.

How is this possible?  Did Noah go around and point a finger at his accusers and the rest of society with a voice of condemnation and scorn?  Not at all!  Noah’s faith in God contrasted with the wickedness of mankind was in and of itself a form of condemnation because Noah’s faith in God exposed more fully the wickedness of the world.

3. Noah received righteousness that only comes by faith in God.

The righteousness that Noah acquired came through his unwavering commitment to God in the face of intense pressure, persecution, and mockery from the world.

Something to take home:

Is our faith in God shown through our obedience to God?  There cannot be faith in God without obedience to God.  For to merely have faith in words only makes a mockery of true righteous behavior.  This is why many within the world look at Christians through a lens of scrutiny.  Do we say what we mean and mean what we say, or are our words meaningless and untrustworthy?

Noah was a man of righteousness because of his faith in God and his obedience to God’s word.  Can we say the same?

It’s so vitally important to remember…

Key Point:  “Righteousness is a result of obedient faith and trust in God.”

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Integrity Crisis, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), 22.