March 14 Sermon: From Afar

Consider these questions as we look at Hebrews 11:1-16:

1. How does the Pastor Mark contrast the common cultural understanding of faith with the biblical definition, and what implications does this have for believers?

2. What role does conviction play in how we understand faith, and how does this differ from a blind or uncertain belief?

3. How does the concept of looking forward to the promise shape our understanding of faith, as demonstrated by the examples of figures like Abel, Enoch, Abraham, and Noah?

Transcript:

If some one were to come up to you and ask you to define faith what would you say? What thoughts would you express? Likely you would convey something about what you believe as a Christian but would there be a sense of certainty in your definition? I believe that often our idea of what faith is has more to do with a blind belief that a certainty. Mark Twain said that faith is believing something that you know ain’t true. That seems to be the idea that our culture has fallen for in regards to what faith is. It doesn’t matter if what you belief is true. If you have faith and it helps you feel better then go ahead. That’s how many view the idea of faith.

‌Still others might not agree with that idea but there still isn’t an idea of certainty. Faith is more like the idea of a blind leap or falling back when we aren’t sure that someone is there. We don’t know if we will land safely or if someone will catch us but we sure hope the outcome is good. My point is that, generally speaking, our idea of faith often leaves things up for grabs but that isn’t how the Bible talks about faith. We saw in our passage from Hebrews this morning that faith is being sure of what is hoped for and being certain of what is unseen. There is a deep conviction in the faith that we believe and confess and to show us this the author of Hebrews points back to the heroes of the faith for us to see how their faith looked forward.

‌As we dig into this passage this morning we are going to divide it up into three main points to help us work through it.

‌The first thing we are going to see is what I have just been talking about. Faith involves conviction. We are not blindly stepping off a cliff and hoping we land safely at the bottom. Faith is about knowing the one who makes the promises and knowing that he is good to keep them.

‌Secondly, we will see that without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is a trust and reliance in him and abandoning any hope of saving ourselves. None of our own works can save us and so faith is a requirement if we wish to be pleasing in God’s sight.

‌Finally, we see that faith looks to the promise. All the heroes of the faith that we read about in this passage today never received the ultimate promise. As we’ve been in Genesis last year and part of this year before we came back to Hebrews for a while we saw this truth. The people we read about there believed in the promises of God but they never fully arrived did they. Their faith had them looking to future fulfilment and trusting God.

‌So, let’s drop into verse 1 of Hebrews 11 as we get started today.

‌‌And what we find in verse one is this truth that I’ve already mentioned. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. That is strong language isn’t it. I would guess that if we were to go to the average unbeliever on the street and let them know that to us faith is defined this way they would think that we have something wrong with us. But this is how scripture defines faith for us and it is important that we understand this and desire to live our lives of faith in this way.

‌As we look at this it is important that we stop for a minute and think about how we’ve arrived here. We’ve seen an important case being unfolded for us by the author of Hebrews and especially so over the last several weeks. Remember the book of Hebrews is written to people who are considering returning to the traditions and practices of the Old Covenant and the case being made for them not to return is that Jesus is the fulfillment of that covenant so why in the world would you go back to it.

‌The author of Hebrews has shown us that all the burning of incense, the sacrifices, and even the setup of the temple itself were pointing us to the work that Jesus would do for us. In the last chapter we saw it illustrated for us in posture of the priests. They stand to perform their work. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year. Levite after Levite. Generation after generation. Their work was never done but we see the finished work of Jesus in the fact that he ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. The work of the law was never going to be done but the work of Jesus is finished.

‌And so, where we’re at today has us looking to that truth. The audience of Hebrews could make their way to Jerusalem and see the temple. They could bring an animal and hear them bleating as they were sacrificed. They are being asked to put their trust in the truths we’ve been talking about but they can’t see them. But they aren’t being asked to believe in something not real. There is a deep conviction here and if we look at the second verse here we see that this has always been the case. The stories that are baked into their understanding of God and their ethnic heritage. This is how the people of old received their commendation. They believed in something that they could not see. They were sure of what is hope for and certain of what is unseen. They didn’t hope that maybe God would rescue them. They had faith that relied on him in the face of difficulties and persecution.

‌And as we begin to look at these we are going to see our second point spelled out for us clearly. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

‌And we see the stories that we have been immersed in over the last year. The first thing we see as an example for us is faith we have that the universe was made out of nothing by the word of God. We believe this by faith. No human was there to witness but we know from the word of God that he created it and as it says in Romans 1 that we can see God’s nature in the created order. We are certain about what we have not seen.

‌And then the author of Hebrews continues through some of the most well known stories in scripture and it helps us to understand them in a new light and if you remember back to when we were in these stories I drew this out. The people of faith that are so well known in Genesis were looking forward to Christ. The stories were not just stories. They were pointing us to the Lord Jesus and we see this with aBel. He had faith in God and so his sacrifices were better than Cain’s because he had faith and according to the author of Hebrews even though he died his faith still speaks to us. We also see Enoch mentioned. Enoch is barely mentioned in scripture but we know from a genealogy that he was taken up and did not die. He clearly had faith and we read here our point.

‌Without faith it is impossible to please God. On our own we are unrighteous. We lack holiness but through faith we receive the perfect righteousness of Jesus. This isn’t by our works. Only God can do it and so we need to trust, by faith, that he has done this for his people just as he promised. And notice that it also says here that by faith we trust that he rewards us. The promise that we trust in by faith is that he will not only give us the gift of his righteousness but that we also will be able to go into the presence of a holy God because of the work of Jesus for us.

‌And to continue the point the author goes to a person we know very well. Noah. He is the perfect example of the point he is driving home. Noah built an ark to shelter himself from God’s wrath because he believed the warning that God gave him. It was a still to come, unseen event but he believed God when he spoke. And we read that by his act of faith and trusting in God he condemned the world. Now, this isn’t saying that Noah stood over them in judgment. Instead it is saying that Noah’s act of faith stood in contrast to the unbelief of the world and so we know him as an heir fo righteousness. He is a pillar of saving faith showing us how we too are called to believe the promise of God.

‌And we continue through this passage with an example we are very familiar with.

‌Before we came back to the book of Hebrews we finished up looking at Abraham in Genesis. We saw how he had faith in the promise. He believed God by faith and left his home country and family. Even though he and his wife were old and she was barren they believed that God would give them a child. Now, we know they failed to always trust God perfectly but ultimately they looked to the promise that was far off. We saw it clearly before we exited Genesis to come back to Hebrews when he purchased land in the Promised Land for a grave for Sarah. He believed so strongly in the promise of God that he got himself a piece of the Promised Land. He was sure of his hope of his people dwelling in the promised land and he was certain even though he couldn’t see it. He believed God by faith.

‌And this is the point that we are meant to see here as we move on to our final point and we look at the last four verses we are in for today.

‌All these heroes of the faith died and did not receive the promise. They were looking for what was to come. They understood that they were strangers and exiles here and they were looking to heaven. They were looking to a city that was far off. As humans our natural inclination is to see this world as our home and to focus on what is here in front of our faces. Of course, we don’t abandon and not care for the place that God has given us but it is not our final destination. We are hoping for the new heavens and the new earth when Christ returns and delivers his kingdom to his Father. Like the people we have read about we are desiring a better country. A heavenly one. For he is not ashamed to be called our God for he has prepared for us a city.

‌This is so easy for us to forget. We so quickly can lose our focus and forget the truth of what we are looking for. Remember this is not just the hope of the people we read about in holy scripture. It is our hope too. The people of old were looking to the promise of Christ. They were looking for the promise of Christ and the better city. We have the promise of Christ in fullness and yet we still look for the better city. We are saved by faith in Christ and trusting in the promise and we see here that all those with faith in scripture were looking to the same promise.

‌And so, as we think about how we can apply this passage to our lives today I want us to dwell on two things.

‌First, rest in the certainty of faith. In the Lord Jesus Christ we have a sure and certain promise. Our hope is not that maybe it will be enough. Instead, because the Holy Spirit has given us the gift of faith we know that the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus is enough. Jesus bore the wrath of God for our sins and we have faith in that historical event and we know that it is enough to save us. It is sure. It is certain. When we speak of salvation through Christ and talk of our hope of eternal life it isn’t a roll of the dice and isn’t a blind step off hoping God will catch us. In Christ we are his and he holds us and does not let us go.

‌And with that truth in mind we come to our second application. Knowing that truth look for and desire the better country. As I’ve mentioned, this is difficult for us to do because this is what we see and what is in front of us. And so we remember the stories we have recalled and how they lived by faith. They believed the promise of God and we are called to do the same thing. And while this can be difficult for us to wrap our minds around today we are blessed to experience what we are talking about here in a real and tangible way for us. Today we participate in the Lord’s Supper and we not only do this in remembrance of what Jesus has done for us we also do it in hope. When we take the elements we understand that this is merely a fortaste of the feast that will come when we will feast in the house of Zion. We take the bread and the cup looking forward knowing that it is more than just a small piece of bread and a tiny cup. We look to the forward to a better country and a greater feast.

‌And so, as you participate this morning and as you step out into the world this week may God through His Word and Spirit call to mind this truth and may the certainty of the gospel and the promise of our future hope be what motivates you to live and love in God’s world.