A Faith That Pleases God (Pt. 1) 5-10-26 PM

I.            Faith described (Heb. 11:1).

a.      Notice that is not a Webster’s Dictionary type definition of faith.

b.      What it is is a living description of faith – the writer is showing us what faith does in the life and the heart of a believer.

c.      Faith reaches forward to what God has promised, and faith hold firm to what God has revealed, even when our eyes can’t see it.

d.      Faith is the undergirding to what we hope for.

           i.      The word translated substance is a word that carries the idea of something that stands under, a foundation, confidence, or assurance.

           ii.      It pictures for us what holds up a bridge – the supports that allows cars to drive over the concrete on top.

e.      Faith is not a vague wish or blind leap.

          i.      Faith does not say “I hope everything works out.”

          ii.      Biblical faith is a settled confidence that what God has promised is real, even before we receive it.

          iii.      Faith gives present strength because of future hope.

f.       Christians are people who live by hope (Rom. 8:24).

          i.      Biblical hope is defined as desire plus expectation.

          ii.      Hope is tied to salvation because salvation is not only about what God has already done for us in Christ, but also about what God has promised still awaits us.

          iii.      We have  forgiveness now, but we still hope for the final resurrection.

          iv.      We have peace with God now, but we still hope for eternal life.

          v.      We belong to Christ now, but we still hope for the day when faith becomes sight.

g.     This hope keeps us steady.

          i.      Heb. 6:19.

          ii.      Hope is the anchor and faith is the hand that holds to the rope.

          iii.      Faith says, “I don’t see everything God has promised yet, but I trust the God who promised it.”

h.     Without hope, faith becomes weak.

          i.      If there is no resurrection, no eternal life, no heavenly home, no final reward, then suffering for Christ makes no sense.

          ii.      But because God has promised these things, faith gives substance to hope.

          iii.      Faith makes the future promises of God strong enough to hold on to today.

i.       Faith also gives evidence, or conviction, about what we cannot see.

          i.      The word translated evidence means proof, conviction, or persuasion.

          ii.      It is the inward certainty that comes from reliable testimony.

j.        Faith is not believing without reason – faith is believing because God has spoken.

k.      There are many things we cannot see that are still real.

          i.      We cannot see God with physical eyes.

          ii.      We cannot see heaven or forgiveness being recorded in heaven.

          iii.      We cannot see Christ interceding for us as High Priest.

l.       But faith is sustained by the unseen because faith rests on the word of the unseen God.

          i.      2 Cor. 5:7.

          ii.      This does not mean Christians are blind to reality.

          iii.      It means Christians understand there is more to reality than what can be measured, touched, or seen.

m.    A life built only on what is visible will eventually collapse because all that is visible is temporary.

          i.      Health changes.

          ii.      Money disappears.

          iii.      People disappoint.

          iv.      Circumstances shift.

          v.      But, the unseen promises of God remain.

n.     Faith says, God is real, even when I can’t see Him; God is good, even when life is painful; God keeps His promises, even when I am still waiting; God rewards faithfulness, even when obedience costs me.

o.     Faith is confidence that moves us.

p.     This chapter is not describing faith as mere belief in religious facts – the rest of the chapter proves that – by faith is stated 11 times in this one chapter.

          i.      The faith of the people in this chapter did something.

          ii.      Biblical faith is never mere mental agreement – it is confidence in God that moves a person to respond in a positive way to God’s commands.

          iii.      Faith believes what God says about sin, so it repents.

          iv.      Faith believes what God says about Christ, so it confesses Him.

          v.      Faith believes what God says about baptism, so it obeys the gospel.

          vi.      Faith believes what God says about forgiveness, so it keeps coming back to Him.

          vii.      Faith believes what God says about eternal life, so it keeps going when life gets hard.

q.      Faith is never perfection – faith is trusting God enough to act on what He has said.

r.       Faith stands on God’s promises before it sees God’s answers.

s.      So when Hebrews 11 describes a faith that pleases God, it shows us two sides of the same truth: faith gives assurance about what we hope for, and faith gives conviction about what we cannot see.

t.       The world says, “Seeing is believing” but God says, “Believing is trusting Me until you see.”

II.            Faith depicted (Heb. 11:2-3).

a.      The writer now shows us what faith look like in real life and how faith shapes the way we understand reality.

           i.      Faith is not just something we feel.

           ii.      Faith changes how we live, worship, obey, and understand the world.

b.      Faith is depicted in the elders who pleased God.

           i.      Elders here does not refer to the office of elder in the church today.

           ii.      It refers to the faithful ones who lived before us – really, here the men and women mentioned in this chapter.

           iii.      These were not perfect people, as we know, but they were faithful people.

c.       This is important because Hebrews 11 is not about flawless heroes.

           i.      It is a chapter about people who trusted God enough to act.

           ii.      They sometimes struggled, had moments of weakness, had fear, and even failure.

           iii.      But what makes them worthy of this chapter is their faith.

d.      The phrase “obtained a good report” carries the idea of being testified about, witnessed to, or commended.

           i.      In other words, God bore witness to their faith.

           ii.      God testifies to the fact that their lives pleased Him.

           iii.      They didn’t earn their salvation by their own goodness, but God approved the faith that moved them to trust and obey Him.

e.      This is the point of the chapter: Faith is not invisible in the life of God’s people – it shows up.

f.       These elders received a good report because they believed God and acted.

g.     Faith is also depicted in how we understand creation.

          i.      The word for universe points to the whole created order.

          ii.      This means time, space, matter, and everything that exists within them.

h.     Through faith we understand does not mean faith is against reason.

          i.      It means faith begins with God’s revelation.

          ii.      No one was there when the universe began.

          iii.      There were no scientists, philosophers, historians, or preachers standing with God watching Him create everything.

i.       The only way to know the ultimate source of creation is for God to tell us and He has.

          i.      Genesis 1 repeatedly says “And God said…”

          ii.      Ps. 33:9; John 1:3.

j.       Faith looks at the universe and says that this didn’t happen by accident so it must have come from God by His word.

          i.      This is what the last part of verse 3 is saying.

          ii.      This is the concept of creatio ex nihilo, which means creation out of nothing.

          iii.      This means God did not create the universe out of existing material.

          iv.      God did not find eternal matter and reshape it.

          v.      God did not depend on something outside Himself.

k.      God spoke and what did not exist came into existence (Rom. 4:17; Ac. 17:24; Col. 1:16).

          i.      This is the biblical evidence.

          ii.      Scripture presents God as the source of everything created.

          iii.      This is why creation takes faith – we weren’t there and no one else either.

          iv.      We trust the testimony of the God who cannot lie.

l.       This goes beyond more than a debate about origins.

m.    Hebrews 11:3 is here because faith in the Creator strengthens faith in His promises.

          i.      Think about the original readers of this letter, the Hebrew Christians.

          ii.      They were tired, pressured, persecuted, suffering, and tempted to quit.

          iii.      They needed to remember who their God is.

n.     If God can create the universe out of nothing but His word, He can keep His promises He gave with His words.

o.     If God called the world into existence, He can call the dead from the grave.

p.     If God made what is visible from things invisible, He can sustain us when we cannot see the outcome.

q.     If God spoke creation into being, then His word is strong enough to build our lives on.

r.       Faith says, “I may not see the answer yet, but I know the God who spoke the entire universe into existence.

s.      This is the kind of faith that pleases God.

          i.      The elders show us that faith acts.

          ii.      Creation shows us that faith understands.

          iii.      Together, they remind us that the life that pleases God is built on trusting what God has said.