Faith

Rev Gideon Lee

Hebrews 11

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.

4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[c] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[d]

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 12:1-2

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

- Faith is the substance of things unseen.

Hebrews 11 starts off by giving us the definition of faith. All the theological books could not describe God. 

Hebrews 11 show us how faith is like. He starts off by talking about Abel. There are some people we read in this chapter that we won't ascribe to as faith filled people.

23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

The writer of Hebrews is trying to describe to us what faith looks like. 

22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

Joseph saw into the future and knew that God was gonna deliver his people. He was so sure about God's promise. He was secured in God's promises that he commissioned for his people to bring his bones along with them when God's promise to them came to pass, because he looked to the future through the eyes of faith. 

We read of Rahab. She offered her place. By her act, by what she did, she was commended for her faith. Through her, came the lineage of Christ the Messiah. 

Almost towards the end the writer of Hebrews said this: 

36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 

There are those who are commended in this chapter because in the midst of persecution, they hung onto their faith.

37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated

1. Faith is commitment.

Faith is the total commitment of what you are and what you hope to be to the one who gave His one and only son for you.

Faith is more than belief. It is an action of what we believe in. It must be tangible.

Sometimes we have to stand on our conviction. We have to be committed to what we believe in, even if 99% of the time, the world says otherwise.

We have to put our belief into action. 

As a Christian, we are tested on this many times. 

When everyone is looking, it's easy to stand up for your faith. How is it gonna be when no one is looking?

We have to do what is right, even when it costs us.

2. Faith is trust. 

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

As I read the Bible, I am glad some of the persons we have read about went through persecution and even death. I thank God that as I read stories of the heroes of faith, it wasn't all good but they still kept their faith.

In every dark cloud there is a silver lining. God is here for us in every situation. We see that silver lining in every page of the Bible.

When I came back to God, one of the things that God tested me on was on my future. One of the first things that God dealt with me on was my trust in Him.

When you dare to believe in Him, the Holy Spirit comes to give us courage to stand up for Him.

Irregardless of what happens, He is more than able. Your faith has to come with that conviction.

3. Faith is a promise (hope).

When they talked about Abraham, they were looking at a builder, whose architect is God.

We need to put our hope in Him.

Do you put your hope in God? It is seen in your actions.

When you put on the glasses of faith on hopeless issues, the situation becomes hopeful. 

We look at things not yet to come, but as how they can be in God's hands.

Many thanks yet again to the ever-ready Melissa Cheah to transcribe this week's message. We are blessed indeed.