Faith: The Foundation of Our Confidence
Text: Hebrews 11:1-3
Core Idea: Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. May God strengthen our faith so that we will persevere in all circumstances and not give up. May we continue to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith so that we would live a life that is commendable by God our Father.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, Lighthouse. It is delightful to see you. I want to welcome all of you but especially our Tugboat and Anchor friends who will be joining us today for the whole service. As a church, we want to be intentional about worshiping together to remind ourselves that worship is an event for the entire family of God – not just the adults, but the children and youth as well. Now, let me be upfront. This is not going to be easy – there will be many challenges along the way. But I firmly believe that, in the long run, it will help all of us grow as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. So, let’s help one another to do just that faithfully and joyfully today. Three weeks ago, we looked at one of the most famous chapters in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, and we learned that love is the greatest thing because it never fails – it’s eternal. Love will never crumble under pressure and never give up no matter how difficult the situation may be. And amazingly, Paul shares that this is how Christ loves us. Then as recipients of this patient and unending love, we were called to share that love with others as well. Today, we’ll look at another famous chapter in the Bible – Hebrews 11, also known as the faith chapter. Then, with that in mind, please turn your Bible to Hebrews 11:1-3. And I will invite Emmanuel to the front – he will read the passage for us. And after, Pastor Cindy will come up to share a message for our children.
1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Thank you, Emmanuel, for reading the passage for us. And thank you, Pastor Cindy, for teaching us that the true hero of the Bible is Jesus – and that He alone is the source of our salvation. Now, for so many in our world today, faith is understood as something that comes into play when our carefully crafted plans fail, and things move outside of our control. When that happens, we take a leap of faith and hope against all hope that everything works out. But that’s not how the Bible understands faith. Faith is not something that we retreat to as our last resort but the very power that we live by – it’s what sustains the people of God in the good and the bad. In fact, that’s exactly what we see in our passage today. The Book of Hebrews was written to a group of fearful, despondent, and confused Jewish Christians living in Rome – especially those who were contemplating leaving Christ to return to Judaism or abandon the faith altogether because the persecution was getting unbearable. In Chapter 10, the author shares that they were publicly insulted and imprisoned. And if that wasn’t enough, their lives were now being threatened as Nero had given orders to hunt down Christians and kill them – which meant that the temptation to walk away was more enticing than ever before. In fact, the author tells us that some of them have already deserted their faith in fear of death. So, this was his message to the remaining Christians in Rome – Hebrews 10:36-39, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. For, ‘In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay… My righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.’ But [you] do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” In other words, he was saying, “Stay true to Jesus because He will come and rescue you. I heard that some people have turned but I know that you won’t give up because you have been saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, because you have faith.” Faith is vital not only to the beginning of the Christian life but also to the ongoing living of the Christian life. Faith is what keeps us going. Faith is the engine that drives us. Faith lies at the heart of how we flourish as the people of God living in God’s world. Then let me ask you, “Do you feel like the foundation of your life is being shaken because of the trials you’re going through today? Are you tempted to walk away or distance yourself from God because the pain that you’re experiencing feels unbearable?” If so, this message is for you – I pray that it will cause you to reorient your heart and mind to Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith so that you may continue to fight the good fight. Then with that in mind, let me share three things from this passage:
· THE NATURE OF FAITH
· THE REWARD OF FAITH
· THE EFFECT OF FAITH
1) THE NATURE OF FAITH
Verse 1, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Now, this isn’t an exhaustive definition of faith because there’s a lot more that we could say about faith if we brought in other texts from elsewhere in the Bible. But here, we find at least two pieces of information about faith – that it’s confidence in what we hope for and that it’s assurance about what we do not see. Let’s go through them one by one. The word “confidence” in Greek refers to something that stands under and gives it support – like a foundation that keeps us standing. Then what are we standing on? What are the things that we hope for? It refers to all the good things that God has promised to us in Christ Jesus. Listen to how A.W. Pink explains it, “Faith provides a firm standing ground while I await the fulfillment of God’s promises. The heart is anchored and remains steady no matter how fierce the storm nor how protracted the season of waiting. Faith enables the Christian to praise the Lord for future blessings as though he were already in full possession of them.” We don’t have it yet, but we have a strong conviction that one day we will. In other words, faith is the strength to wait for God’s promises with confidence that He will one day come through. Let me give you some examples. By faith, we can be absolutely certain that, if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, everything that we truly need will be sufficiently provided for us (Matt. 6:33). By faith, we can be sure that God “will not let [us] be tempted beyond what [we] can bear. But when [we] are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that [we] can endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13). By faith, we can know that “He who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). By faith, we can be assured that Christ won’t lose any of the people that God has entrusted to Him (Jn. 6:39). By faith, we can have deep conviction that God will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). I could go on and on, but the point is that faith enables us to confidently know that all God’s promises are yes and amen in Christ. Then let me ask you, “If you feel like you’re experiencing a fierce storm in life today, are you holding onto His promises?” I’m not talking about in a general sense – “Oh, I believe that God is good and that He’s in control.” No, I’m asking, “Are you turning to the Bible to look for specific verses to cling to them – earnestly asking God to fulfill them in your life?” In fact, if you feel like you’re constantly being blown and tossed by the wind and the waves, could it be possible that it’s because you’re not anchored to the Word of God – because you’re not standing on His promises? If you’re not familiar with George Mueller, he was a Christian evangelist and the director of an orphanage in England. But the reason why countless books were written about him is because he was also known as one of the most powerful prayer warriors in church history. Now, it’s said that his life verse was Psalm 81:10, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” So, holding onto this promise of God, Mueller desperately prayed every day – asking God to meet the temporal needs of over ten thousand orphans. And that’s exactly what God did. In fact, he recorded over 50,000 specific answers to his prayers – especially whenever they were in dire need of money, food, or clothing. One time, when the food finally ran out, he still gathered the children at the empty tables and gave thanks for the food – and when he finished praying, there was a knock on the door. Someone who was moved by God decided to bring enough food to feed the children. Can you imagine how unwavering his faith must have been after experiencing countless moments like this? He said, “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends. Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.” Think about it. Isn’t this why Noah built an ark even though there was not a cloud in the sky? Isn’t this why Abraham left home even though he didn’t know where he was going? Isn’t this why the Israelites walked around the walls of Jericho for seven days? Isn’t this why we see so many Christians doing radical things with their time, energy, and money all for the glory of God (because they know that it’s much better to invest in eternity than right now)? Brothers and sisters, are you hesitant to humbly surrender your life to God – to have Him use you in any way He desires because you’re fearful that you might lose everything and become a laughingstock? Cling to His promises and be confident knowing that your faith will one day be sight. Then live boldly and love extravagantly – knowing that He will never fail us. That’s the first part – confidence in what we hope for.
Second, assurance about what we do not see. What are the things that we do not see? It refers to the spiritual realities of our world today. So, for example, we might not see with our eyes that Christ reigns over all things, but the Bible clearly tells us that He is the Lord of lords and King of kings. So, we believe it. We might not see with our eyes that Christ is interceding for us in heaven, but that’s exactly what the Bible says (Heb. 7:25) – that He’s praying for us even now. So, we believe it. We might not see with our eyes that Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, but the Bible warns us of this reality (1 Pet. 5:8). So, we believe it. What faith does is give us a deep conviction and assurance about these spiritual realities even though we may not be able to see them with our physical eyes. I love how Andrew Davis explains, “Faith is the eyesight of the human soul. Faith has the unique power under God to receive from Him spiritual truth. It is gifted with the ability to perceive who God is and what He is doing in the world. Like the eye, faith does not create reality, but instead passively receives information from the true nature of things. Many people emphasize faith wrongly, as though by faith we can compel God to do something He is not willing to do or to create something out of nothing (as if we were gods ourselves). But rather, faith is a passive faculty of the soul by which God communicates spiritual realities, and through which He can pour into the believer all the good gifts His love and His wisdom have determined to give.” Faith is the eyesight of the human soul. Now, how does this help us in times of trial? Well, let me share a story from 2 Kings 6 to demonstrate this idea. Here, we read that the king of Aram was at war with Israel – but every time he planned to attack the Israelites, God used Elisha to warn the king of Israel to be prepared for their ambush – causing his plans to fail. Frustrated, the king of Aram decided to directly attack Elisha who was staying in the city of Dothan. So, he sent a great army of horses and chariots and by night, the city was completely surrounded by his soldiers. Let me read from 2 Kings 6:15-17, “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked.” Let me stop here for a moment. Can you imagine how scared and anxious the servant must have been? What he saw was a sight of terror – he must have thought that there was no way to escape this. Then I could imagine him frantically running to Elisha – describing what he had seen, telling him that they were doomed. But Elisha simply looked around and said this, “‘Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’” What was he talking about? There were only two of them against thousands. What did he see that his servant wasn’t able to see? “Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” The servant could not see it with his physical eyes, but Elisha saw it through faith that there was a heavenly host waiting to protect them. So, when Elisha prayed and when the servant’s eyes were opened to see this, his fear melted away. The human army, which a moment ago looked terrifyingly frightening, suddenly shrank into a size of nothingness – they seemed utterly insignificant compared to the army of God. Elisha didn’t create those heavenly armies – he simply perceived their presence through faith. He had assurance about what he could not see with his physical eyes – and he was able to help his servant overcome his fears. Brothers and sisters, we may not see it with our eyes, but God is moving and working for the good of His people. We may not see it with our eyes, but God is fighting for us. We may not see it with our eyes, but God is perfectly orchestrating all things. Do you believe this? Do you have assurance for the things that you do not see? This is what faith is – faith believes in the things not seen and trusts in all that God has promised. Belief and trust – these are the two natures of faith.
2) THE REWARD OF FAITH
Verse 2, “This is what the ancients were commended for.” If the author explained what faith was in verse 1, here, he tells us that the people of God throughout the ages have always lived by this kind of faith. We didn’t get to read it but in the rest of chapter 11, the author gives us a list of faith heroes of the OT – Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and more. And the point is that all of them were confident of the promises of God and assured by the unseen realities. In fact, their lives were proof that they did live this way – their lives reflected their beliefs. And the result was that they were commended by God. In other words, when we live by faith, we will receive God’s commendation. When we live by faith, not by sight, the King will one day say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness” (Matt. 25:23). Friends, this is so important to remember because when we know that this is our reality, that our faith will result in God’s commendation, we’ll be able to face anything in this world. Nothing will faze us. Let hell itself break forth – we’ll still be able to stand firm and continue to fight the good fight because we know that God will stand by us. As Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Brothers and sisters, because of your faith in Christ, God says to you, “I love you. I will never leave you.” Then I pray that this will be a reason for you to live by faith today, not by sight.
Now, I do want to make one thing clear – and it’s that no one on this list was perfect. This is not a list of sinless holy people. Not at all. Just to name a few – Noah was found drunk and naked by his sons. Abraham lied that Sarah was his sister fearing that he might get killed. His son, Isaac did exactly the same thing with Rebecca. Jacob deceived Esau in taking away his birthright and blessing. Moses disobeyed and was disqualified from entering the Promised Land. Samson was prideful. David was an adulterer. I could go on and on, but the point is that they weren’t always exemplary models of faith – they were sinful and at times disobedient. They were deeply flawed. And yet they were commended by God – they were praised as heroes of faith. How? Because of God’s grace. They were lifted up not because they were great but because God had saved them, forgiven them, and used them for His glory – which means that no matter who we are, no matter what we’ve done, no matter what was done to us, we can still be affirmed and used by the Lord. Pastor J.D. Greear said, “In Christ, He takes the ugliest of your life and redeems it for the beauty of His glory.” Then I pray that this list of faith heroes won’t come as a burden (“Oh, I’ll never be like them”) but as a reminder of God’s extravagant grace for us knowing that no matter how much we’ve messed up, no matter how many family secrets we have, no matter how broken we feel, no matter the sin in our lives, if we place our trust in Christ, God is able to use us for His glory. Remember that they were commended not because they were flawless but because they were faithful. If they were able to live their lives in faith with the help of the Spirit, we too can walk by faith, not by sight because the Spirit resides in us as well. Then let me ask you, “Are you living to be commended by God or people? Are you more concerned about what God has to say about you or what people have to say about you?” Remember that God is the One who created and sustains the universe, the One who is wisely and perfectly orchestrating all things in life according to His good purpose, and the One who will come to judge the living and the dead. In contrast, the Bible tells us that we all are like wildflowers – we bloom and die. Then I think it’s pretty clear whose commendation we should seek after. I pray that all of us will live to be commended by God as we walk in faith.
3) THE EFFECT OF FAITH
The author has made it clear that faith is important to our journey with God. Then what does faith do? How does it practically help us? Of course, faith does many things but let me share just one example from our passage. Verse 3, “By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Here, the author tells us that everything in life was formed by the spoken Word of God. God spoke – and out of nothing, everything came to be. In fact, Romans 1:20 even tells us that God’s invisible qualities (namely, His eternal power and divine nature) have been clearly displayed in creation so that people are without excuse to know that God is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe, the King and the Lord of their lives. In other words, anyone should be able to look out into the world and see God’s hand in the creation. But why is it that not everyone is able to see this? Because of our sin. The Bible also tells us that our sin blinds us from seeing this truth – and, as a result, God rarely gets the glory that He deserves. Then how can one come to believe that God created all things? None of us were there at the time of creation. There are no photographs. There’s no movie about this. Then how did we come to believe this portion of the Word? By faith. Then this is what faith does – it allows what we read in the Bible to come alive and transform our understanding. Let’s be honest – there are countless things in the Bible that do not make sense from our logical standpoint. How can Noah build an ark that is big enough to carry two of every kind of bird and animal? In fact, how can it rain so much that it could fill the world with water even above the mountains? How can the Red Sea part wide enough and long enough for the Israelites to pass? How can the sun stand still as Joshua fought against the Amorites? That would’ve screwed up the whole orbit system. How can Mary conceive as a virgin? How can Jesus walk on water? How can He calm the raging storm? How can He feed five thousand with just five loaves of bread and two small fish? How can He cast out demons? How can He heal the sick? How can He raise Lazarus back to life? How can His death on the cross 2,000 years ago bring life to us today? How can God abandon His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, and allow all our sins to be on His shoulders so that we can be forgiven and be made sons and daughters of God? How can we who are utterly undeserving of His love be the object of His unfailing, unchanging, and unconditional love? The Bible is full of things that do not make sense – but we can accept it as true through the gift and power of faith.
Then the most important question is this, “How do we grow in faith? Where can we get more faith?” Ironically, faith comes through the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word about Christ.” Now, if you’re thinking, “How does that even make sense? You need faith to understand the Bible – but faith comes by reading the Bible? How can faith come by reading the Bible if I don’t even believe what it says?” That’s a really good point. But here’s something else you should know. Isaiah 55:10-13 says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it… Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.” For your sake, I prepared a slide with pictures of these. No matter what you do to thornbush, it will never become juniper. You may water it well, plant it in nutritious soil, and give it enough sunlight – but briers will never turn into myrtle. Why? Because they’re two different plants. But this is why what God says is utterly amazing. He’s basically saying that that’s exactly what will happen when the Word of God comes to us. When the Word of God rains on us, we will be transformed into a completely different being. When the Word of God rains on us, it will not return to God empty but will accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it. All that to say, there is power in the Word to transform us and give us faith. Then if you need more faith to believe the truth, to persevere through the storms of life, to overcome doubt, to do radical things for God, yes, do pray like the father of a demon-possessed boy prayed in Mark 9:24, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Our God is a good God – so, if you ask Him, He will increase your faith. But more importantly, turn to the Word. Plant yourself in the Word. Read the Word. Meditate on the Word. Wrestle with the Word. Obey the Word. This is how you can grow in your faith. A Biblical faith is a faith that is rooted and grounded in the Word.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Then my prayer for us is that God would strengthen our faith so that we will persevere in all circumstances and not give up. May we continue to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith so that we would live a life that is commendable by God our Father.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) How do you define faith? How does verse 1 define faith? How does this kind of faith help us to press on and persevere in our trials today? Is there an area of your life right now where you need biblical faith to persevere and endure?
2) Read verse 2. What were these saints from the OT commended for? Who were they commended by? How does this motivate us to live by faith, not by sight?
3) What do you do when you read something in the Bible that does not make sense to you (for example, the creation story mentioned in verse 3)?
4) How can we grow in faith? (Read Romans 10:17 and Isaiah 55:10-13)