These All Died In Faith

Q: What does the Bible say about dying in faith?

The Bible states that those who die in faith, like the figures in Hebrews 11, have confidence in God's promises and assurance of eternal life. Hebrews 11:13 articulates that those who have faith in God can be assured of their eternal state upon death. The passage mentions, 'These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off.' This implies that even though they did not witness the fulfillment of God’s promises during their lifetimes, their faith in the unseen results in hope and assurance in the afterlife. Dying in faith means that believers retain their trust in God's promises until their very last moments, underscoring the significance of faith in realizing salvation and the hope of resurrection.

Q: How do we know faith is necessary for salvation?

Faith is necessary for salvation as it's through faith that individuals are justified before God, as seen in Abraham's case. Salvation through faith is a central doctrine within Reformed theology. Hebrews 11:4 states that 'by faith, Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain.' This passage reveals that our acceptance before God is contingent upon faith rather than works. Additionally, Romans 5:1 informs us that we are justified by faith, granting us peace with God. The evidence of a living faith is seen in the lives of the Old Testament believers who believed God's words and promises; thus, faith not only validates our relationship with God but also assures us of eternal life.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to live by faith?

Living by faith allows Christians to affirm their trust in God's promises and to navigate life's challenges with divine assurance. Living by faith has profound implications for the Christian life. Hebrews 11 emphasizes that faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. This lifestyle fosters a deep-rooted confidence that God’s promises are true, propelling believers to act courageously in the face of uncertainty. When Christians live by faith, they embody a testimony of reliance on God, affirming that He is faithful to fulfill His commitments. Moreover, the Apostle Paul illustrates this in 2 Corinthians 5:7, stating that 'we walk by faith, not by sight,' indicating that the tangible world does not dictate the believer's assurance; faith grips the unseen realities of God's kingdom.

Q: How can faith affect the lives of believers?

Faith transforms believers' lives by guiding their actions, shaping their values, and securing their hope in God's promises. Faith affects believers profoundly, impacting their hearts, minds, and behaviors. Hebrews 11 details how faith transformed the lives of biblical figures, leading them to obedient actions in reliance on God. By believing God, they embraced His promises, confessed their identity as His people, and pursued a relationship with Him. As believers today, faith manifests through assurance of God's providence, courage to share the gospel, and the desire for holiness. This transformed perspective instills hope in believers that the promises of God, such as eternal life and resurrection, are certain and encourages them to remain steadfast amidst trials.

I'd like for you to open your
Bibles today to the book of Hebrews. I'm going to be speaking from
the 11th chapter of Hebrews. I'll be reading parts of the
first 13 verses, Hebrews chapter 11. Now, while you're finding
the scripture, let me make two or three comments. The title
of the message is, These All Died in Faith. These all died
in faith. Hebrews chapter 11. Years ago,
it was a custom to write some words on a person's tombstone. When a person died, the family
or friends would buy a tombstone and put certain words on the
tombstone. Words that had some reference
to this individual, how he lived or or how he died, or what he
believed, or the things he stood for in life. I think maybe this
is what Job had in mind when he wrote in the 19th chapter
of Job. He said, he said, I know that
my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand on this earth
in the latter day. And though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh I'll see the Lord. Now
he said, write this in a book and engrave it with a lead pen
in the rock forever. Write this in the rock on my
tombstone. Write that on my tombstone. I
know that my Redeemer liveth. And though I die, and after the
way of flesh, this flesh, worms destroy this body, yet I'll rise
from the grave and I'll see my Redeemer, whom I shall see for
myself and not another." And that's what I think he's referring
to there. Write this on my tombstone, that my hope and trust is in
the Redeemer, in the Lord's mercy through Christ. I visited the
great preacher's tomb, Charles Spurgeon, over in England years
ago. I went up to the cemetery where they buried Spurgeon's
body back in 1892 when he died. And I noted on his tombstone
that the people who erected this very elaborate tomb in which
Spurgeon's body lays, they wrote on the outside of the tomb this
verse of that song, There is a Fountain. It says, ever since
by faith I saw the stream, thy flowing wounds supply, redeeming
love has been my thing. and will be till I die." And
that was on his tombstone indicating what he preached, what he believed.
The blood of Christ puts away all sin. And that was his message
for 38 years in London, preaching the blood of Christ. I read a
story one time. It said during a flood many years
ago, many, many years ago, there was a great flood in some part
of this country. And after the waters had gone
down, they found the body of a small boy. And no one ever
claimed the body, and they never identified the body. And the
townspeople buried the little boy, buried his body, and they
erected a marker over his grave with just two words, no name,
no dates, nothing. Just the name, just these two
words on his tombstone, on his marker. God knows. God knows. And that tells the
whole story. God knows who he is, and God
knows how he died, and God knows how old he was, and God knows
the whole story. Nobody else knows, but God knows. I think these markers and these
epitaphs and whatever you call it you write on the tombstone,
I think they're very good. And that's what I thought, what
came to my mind when I read the scripture that I'm going to speak
on to you today. It's found in Hebrews 11 verse
13. And it says this, These all died
in faith. That's what's on the marker.
These all died in faith. Now what's this talking about?
These all died in faith. Well, let's go back up to verse
1, Hebrews chapter 11. Let's go back to verse 1 and
see what this is talking about. I believe it's an epitaph. I
believe it's a It's an obituary. I believe it's a statement of
faith. I believe it's what you would
put on the tombstone of these men whose names are here. These
all died in faith. All right, let's go back to verse
1. It says this in verse 1. Now,
faith is the substance of things hoped for. In other words, the
apostle says faith is the confidence and assurance of things for which
we hope. We haven't arrived and we haven't
entered into them and we haven't possessed them yet, but our faith
is the assurance that we will. Our faith is the confidence that
we will possess them. Faith is the assurance or the
confidence of these things for which we hope. And faith is the
evidence of these things that we do not see. We do not see
heaven. We do not see the resurrection.
We do not see the glory of God, not with these natural eyes,
but our faith is the proof of these things that we do not yet
see. Faith is the confidence and assurance of those things
for which we hope, and faith is the evidence or proof to us
that these things exist which we do not see. David said that.
David said, I believe, therefore I speak. I believe, therefore
I act. I believe, therefore I rest.
I believe, therefore I contend for these things. That's why
I rest in them and why I believe, why I speak about them is because
I believe. The faith that God has given
to us is the assurance and proof of these future blessings for
which we hope and which are unseen. And look at verse 2, Hebrews
11. It says, Now faith is the confidence and assurance of these
things for which we hope and which we do not see. And by this
same faith, by faith, these men and women of old, Old Testament
believers, obtained a good report. That's how they obtained a good
report. Their claim to God's favor was
the fact they believed God. They laid hold upon God's blessings
because they believed God. In other words, it's summed up
like this, Abraham believed God. Therefore, it was imputed to
him for righteousness. By faith, these men obtained
a good report. By faith, they obtained favor
with God. By faith, they obtained the mercies
of God. By faith, Abraham believed God
and it was counted to him for righteousness. And then it goes
on and names these various men. In these verses, verse 4 through
10, look at them, follow in your Bible. It says, By faith Abel
offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, and by it obtained
a good report. Abel believed God, and therefore
he offered a sacrifice of blood and obtained favor with God.
By faith Enoch Enoch walked with God and was translated that he
should not see death. Why? He believed God. By faith
he obtained a good report. Verse 7 says, By faith Noah,
being warned of things not seen, being warned of things not seen,
of the impending flood, of the destruction of the world. He
was warned. He hadn't seen, hadn't seen a
drop of rain. It never rained on the earth then. He hadn't
seen a drop of rain. But he believed God, and he moved with fear and
prepared an ark. That's what he's... By faith
these men obtained a good report. They believed God. They believed
God. And it says in verse 8, By faith
Abraham, when he was called, went out, not knowing where he
went. But he left his father's home and went to a land to which
God had directed him, though he hadn't seen it. But he believed
God. Verse 11 says, Through faith
Sarah, being almost a hundred years old, received strength
to conceive a child. These people believed God. And
then in verse 13, it says, And these all died in faith. Abel believed God and offered
a more excellent sacrifice. Enoch believed God. He walked
with God, walked right into glory. Noah believed God. and being
warned of things not seen, he prepared an ark to the salvation
of his household. Abraham believed God, Moses believed
God, Sarah believed God, and these men all died. It says they
died, but they died believing God. The Lord having presided
over the death of all his dear people, and he does, not a sparrow
falls to the ground without your father, and certainly not one
of his loved ones. He watches over their burial,
And the Lord God seems to erect a giant sepulchre in which all
their bodies rest until the day of resurrection. And I believe
these are appropriate words to write over the tomb of every
one of God's people, all who believe God. These all died in
faith. That'd be a good writing to put
on your tombstone, wouldn't it? He died in faith. He died believing
God. These all died in faith. Look
at verse 14. Read the entire verse and then
let's read verse 14. These all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off.
They didn't receive the promises in the fact that they were fulfilled
in their day. Christ never came in their day.
He never died in their day. He never was bared and rose again
in their day. They looked for the coming Redeemer. They saw
these promises afar off, and they were persuaded of them.
And they embraced these promises. And they confessed that they
were pilgrims and strangers on the earth. For they that say
such things declare plainly that they seek a country." Abraham
was seeking a city, a house made by God, a city built by God.
I'm going to ask three questions about this scripture that we've
looked at. These all died in faith. Talking
about Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, Abraham, and Sarah, and all of
these people who believed God. I'm going to ask three questions
about them. First of all, how did they die?
How did they die? It says they died in faith. Well,
what is this faith in which they died? Could you define this faith? And then thirdly, how did this
faith affect their lives before they died? We know they died
in faith, but how did this faith affect their lives before they
died? All right, let's look at these three questions. First
of all, how did these men die? God says they died in faith.
These all died. These all died. These. We're
talking about some of the greatest believers in all of history.
Abel. God said He speaks even this
day. Noah, Abraham, father of all the believers, Sarah, whatever
said about these men ought to attract our attention, shouldn't
it? These all died. These all died. You know, even
though they had faith, they died. Faith will not keep you from
death. Faith will not keep you from the grave. Faith will not
keep you from getting sick someday and dying because it's appointed
unto men once to die. Abel died just like Cain died. Cain died but so did Abel. Moses
died as well as Pharaoh. David died and so did Saul, so
did the Philistines, so did all his enemies. Jacob died but so
did Esau. Peter died and so did Judas.
These all died. And if you're a believer, unless
the Lord Jesus Christ comes again soon, we'll all go the way of
all flesh. That's what Job said, in a few
days I'll go the way of all flesh, the way from which I shall not
return. I'm going to die. It's appointed unto men once
to die. And naming all of these great believers, Abel, Enoch,
Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jacob, they all die. But the difference
is, listen, these all died in faith. They died in faith. In other words, they all believed
God while they lived, they enjoyed the presence and the mercies
and the grace of God while they lived, and they continued to
believe God up to the time they died. They lived in faith, they died
the same way. You see, my friends, the great
foundation of faith is the Word of God. That's right. Abraham believed and was persuaded
that God could do what he promised. Everything he promised, he could
do. He believed the Word of God. He believed God. That's the foundation
of faith. The great object of faith is
Christ. We look to Christ. Looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. But the great evidence
of faith is we die in faith. We continue. Are you getting
what I'm saying? The Bible says the just shall live by faith.
They begin to live by faith. They continue to live by faith.
And if they live again, they'll live by faith. It'll be by faith.
The Apostle Paul says, I have, the time of my departure is at
hand. I've finished my course. The
time of my departure is at hand. I've kept the faith. Therefore
there's laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give to me in that day, and not to
me only, but to all them that love his appearing." These men
died in faith. They never got beyond faith. None of these greatest believers
died trusting their works, depending upon their own goodness. They
never got beyond trusting God, believing God. Do you understand
what he says here? They died believing God. They
believed God, they were converted, they were brought to faith, they
believed God, they died the same way. They never got one foot
beyond believing God. We walk by faith the entire journey. If you meet a new believer, a
brand new believer, who has just been brought by the Spirit of
God through conviction and conversion and faith in Christ, he'll be
singing this song, unto him that loved me and washed me from my
sins. in his own precious blood, and
made me a king and priest to God. Unto him be the glory."
If you meet an old believer, an old believer like this preacher
talking to you now, I've been preaching, believing the gospel
43 years, since 1950. 43 years, I've been believing
God, looking to God, resting in God. I've preached a lot of
messages, thousands of messages, preached all over this country.
But I'm telling you this, you know what my song is right now?
The same song it was 43 years ago. Unto him who loved me and
washed me from my sins in his own blood, made me a king and
priest to God, unto him be the glory both now and forever. And
when I die, I'll be singing that same song. And you know what?
If you could listen in to glory and hear all those people there
from able, righteous able, to this present day, You'll hear
all of them singing the same song, unto him that loved us
and washed us from our sins in his own precious blood. These
men died in faith. They never got beyond believing
God. They never got beyond. They were
born again by faith, they continued to live by faith, they died in
faith, resting in God's mercy and grace. Now, what is this
faith? in which they died. What is this
faith? Could you maybe give us some insight into this faith? Well, it says, these all died
in faith. Now listen carefully. Not having
received the promises, but having seen them afar off. In other
words, God gave them promises and prophecies of the coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth. That's right. He gave
them promises that a savior would come. Like Job said, my Redeemer
shall stand on this earth. God said, Isaiah, he said, behold,
the Lord himself will give you a sign. A virgin shall be with
child and bring forth a son. And you'll call his name Emmanuel,
God with us. He said to Moses, I'll raise
up a prophet like unto you. And he'll declare unto the people
all the truth of God, all the mystery of God. And Isaiah talked
about Him being wounded for our transgressions and bruised for
our iniquities. And the chastisement of our peace
was upon Him and by His stripes we're healed. It pleased the
Lord to bruise Him. You see, the Lord gave all of
these men back in the Old Testament prophecies and promises of Christ's
coming and pictures of His death. Psalm 22 Isaiah 53 all the way
through the Old Testament their promises and pictures, but these
men Never saw these things fulfilled It says here they they they they
received the promises By seeing them afar off not having seen
them fulfilled and they believed God Abel never saw the Abel Adam
and Abel never saw the woman see but they believed it Abraham
never saw Christ, but he rejoiced to see his day. Moses never saw
Christ on this earth, but he wrote of him. Jacob never saw
Shiloh, but he prophesied of his coming. Aaron never saw the
great high priest, but he typified him. Isaiah never saw the man
of sovereigns, but he wrote of him. You see what I'm saying?
These men never received the fulfillment of these promises
and prophecies of the coming Savior, who would be the Christ,
who would be the Redeemer, who would die on the cross, and put
away our transgressions, and be buried as our scapegoat, and
rise as our justifier, and ascend as our intercessor. They never
did see those things fulfilled. But they saw Him afar off, way
out yonder, and they believed Him. And it was counted to Him
for righteousness, for faith. Abraham was fully persuaded that
what God had promised, he was able to perform. Now, actually,
this is true of our faith. I've never seen God, have you? No. I've never seen the Lord
Jesus. I read about Him in the Word.
I see Him with the eyes of faith, but I've never seen Him in person.
He's never spoken to me with an audible voice. He speaks through
His Word, but He's never spoken through a voice. I've never seen
anyone raised from the dead, have you? I've never seen heaven. I've never seen the streets of
glory. I've never seen the throne of God. I've never seen any of
these things. Whom having not seen you love.
But this is the same faith that these men had. It's the same
faith. Having these men died in faith. Not having received the fulfillment
of the promises, but having seen them afar off. Seen them afar
off. You see that? And they were persuaded
of them. And they died in that faith.
Now watch this. How did that faith affect their
lives? Listen carefully. It says, first
of all, it uses three or four words. First of all, they were
persuaded of God's promises. Persuaded, confident. Like Paul
said, I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded he's able
to keep that which I've committed to him. He said in Romans chapter
8, he said, I'm persuaded that nothing can separate us from
the love of God in Christ Jesus. They were persuaded that a Redeemer
would come. That he would die on a cross,
that he would be buried and rise again. They were persuaded of
it. Not only that, but they embraced these promises. Having believed
the record that God gave of his son, they embraced the promises. Like old Simeon that came to
the temple. You remember reading about Simeon?
The Lord told him that he wouldn't die until he'd seen the Lord's
Christ. And he came to the temple one day. And by God's providence,
Mary and Joseph came in and brought the infant, Jesus. And the scripture
says that that old man, Simeon, took up that child in his arms,
and he lifted his voice to heaven, and he said, Lord, now let thy
servant depart in peace according to thy word. Mine eyes have seen
thy salvation. All these years he'd waited,
waited, waited for the coming of the Messiah. And God brought
him in that synagogue, in that temple in Jerusalem, when Christ
was brought in by Mary and Joseph. And he said, I've seen Him. And
these men, Abraham and Abel and Moses and all these men, they
saw him afar off by faith. And they were persuaded that
God would do what he said. And they embraced these promises.
They held tightly to them. Abraham looked for a city. He
never owned a foot of ground. He never lived in a house. He
lived in tents all his life. He journeyed through the wilderness
in tents with Isaac and Jacob. But he embraced the promise.
And then it says they confessed. They confessed. They were persuaded. I am persuaded that what God
promised, He'll do. I'm persuaded. And I've embraced
these promises. I've taken them to myself, to
my heart, and I've confessed them. I'm confessing them to
you right now. I'm confessing. I'm a stranger here. I don't
belong here. I'm not a citizen here. I'm a citizen of the kingdom
of God. I'm a child of the king. I'm
confessing. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Jesus Christ. I'm persuaded that his blood
maketh atonement for our soul. Now look at this. It said, and
they seek a country. Their affections are set on things
above, not on the things of this earth. Their affections are set
on things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God.
That's where their affections were. That's where our affections
are. They're looking for a city. They confessed, they believed
God, and they're looking for a city. Now look at verse 15.
And I'll close with this. It says in verse 15, if they
had been mindful of that country from which they came out, they
could have gone back. In other words, if all these
men, Abraham, Moses, Moses out of Egypt, Abraham out of Ur of
the Chaldees, all these men, if their hearts had still been
back there in that pagan, heathen country, God says they could
have gone back. But their hearts weren't back
there. Their hearts were with Him. Their affections were set
on things above. They left these places. They
walked with God. You see that? How did their faith,
how did this faith in which they died, by which they died, how
did it affect their lives? They were persuaded of the promises.
Are you? What God has promised, God will
fulfill. And they embraced these promises.
They took them to themselves. I don't know, Joshua said, I
don't know about the rest of you, I don't know about the rest
of you, but I can speak for myself and for my house. We're going
to serve the Lord. We embrace these promises. And
we confess them. We're not ashamed of them. We
let the whole world know that we believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God. He's the Messiah. He's the Redeemer.
He's the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the
Father but by Christ. That's not a denominational issue.
That's not a theoretical issue. That's not a theological issue.
That's just truth. Christ is the Son of God. They
embraced them, they confessed them, and their affections were
set on things above. Well, if you want this tape,
write for it. Send two dollars, we'll mail it to you. These all
died in faith. And another message that I'll
bring will be on the other side. Until next week, may God bless
you, everyone.

These All Died In Faith

What does the Bible say about dying in faith?

How do we know faith is necessary for salvation?

Why is it important for Christians to live by faith?

How can faith affect the lives of believers?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

These All Died In Faith

What does the Bible say about dying in faith?

How do we know faith is necessary for salvation?

Why is it important for Christians to live by faith?

How can faith affect the lives of believers?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book