“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 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. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Hebrews 11:1-7)
What does faith look like?
Sonya Bell wanted to run high school track. She needed a coach. She found one and his name was Jack Todd. When Tonya ran a race, he yelled, “Go!” When Tonya hit the curve, Jack would yell, “Curve.” And on the straight parts of the track, he yelled, “Straight away!” And facing the finish line, he yelled, “Kick it – go faster!” During her freshman year in high school for the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind, in 1997, Sonya Bell became the first totally blind athlete to compete in a high school track and field championship in the United States. Ultimately, participating in the special Olympics, she competed in track, gymnastics, speed skating, and figure skating.
Sonya Bell is a picture of the Christian life: listening to God’s voice to guide you—the believer—when you do not know where you are going next.
Faith sustains the believer when he/she is tempted to give up. What can we learn about “faith” from Hebrews 11? We will look at 3 principles.
1. Faith begins with God (verses 3, 6, 11) In verse 3, the author of Hebrews uses the tangibles to prove the intangibles—the created world is beyond comprehension—we believe it by faith. “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”
John Calvin says: “there are two options as we look at the world—we have either faith in God or faith in idols.” Where is your faith focused? In verse 6, faith, is defined in its simplest expression. “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.”
In verse 11 Sarah is given “power to conceive” because of God’s promises. There were no fertility drugs. They “tried a mistress” and that effort failed. But, in time, Sarah and Abraham’s trust in God’s promises resulted in the blessing of son, Isaac.
We had friends in one ministry who could not conceive after a number of years of infertility. But, they hoped in the Lord, and in time, through God’s blessing, eventually had 4 children, including twins! Tested faith often results in the blessing of God in your life.
2. We also see that Faith brings pleasure to God (vv. 5-6)
Pastor Dr. Steve Brown has often made this statement, “God is hardly ever satisfied, but he is often pleased.” It is almost unimaginable that we can trust God in such a way that it pleases Him. In verse 5, we read of the faith of Enoch, a man who pleased God. Genesis 5 states,
“When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.“
Enoch was a man of faith who experienced constant communion with God—this is what I term “sweet faith.”
In my Bible, I have written a quote by Martin Luther; he said, “When the heart firmly trusts God’s promises, it regards Him as faithful and truthful; nothing more excellent can be ascribed to God.” God is our audience: He watches our struggles and our service, hears our prayers and our praise, and sees our worship—we live all of life in order to please him—by faith.
3. Faith includes holy fear (v. 7)
What motivates you to live for God? Is it love, or to glorify Him? Or is it service or duty? For Noah it was the “fear of the Lord! He was warned by the voice of God.
Many years ago, when we lived in Clearwater, Florida, our 6-year-old son wanted to go down the street to visit his best friend who lived just a few houses away. Like a good parent, I stood at the front door to watch him head out. However, he was walking between our two cars parked in the driveway and the cars were taller than he was. In the distance, I saw a young girl – maybe 10 years old or so – furiously riding her bike down the sidewalk and I could tell that she was going to ride right into our son as he stepped out between the two cars. What did I do? I did not quietly warn him – I raised my voice and screamed, “Hunter – STOP!” He did stop and as the girl rode by, the handlebar of the bike just nicked his hand, doing no damage. He was spared from disaster! What made him stop in his tracks? “Holy Fear!” He heard the voice and responded. That is faith!
Noah couldn’t see the flood coming, but God warned him of the danger, and he responded in holy fear. The voice of God warned, and Noah found salvation from the cataclysmic flooding of the earth. The ark is a picture of Christ and our salvation through his work on the cross. Do you have faith in Christ alone for your salvation? Have you responded in faith to the voice of God who declares to you to “Look and Live!”? I hope and pray that you will find Christ as your savior and fully turn from your sins and trust him alone for your hope in the life and the life to come. And if you do, you will be called upon to walk each day by faith.
