(Hebrews 11:1-3)
Rev. Ronald Burns
Everybody has some type of faith. We have faith in many different things. When we get up in the morning, we have faith that our feet are able to hold us up. We have faith that our doctors know what they’re doing. We have faith in our lawyers to win our case. No one can live without faith. Why? Because without faith it’s impossible to please God. Each of us, regardless of our backgrounds, express faith.
The difference between the faith we exercise in our daily lives and our religious faith is the object of that faith. Everyone places his or her faith in something or someone. The Muslim put his or her faith in the Koran and in Mohammed. A religious person will put their faith in their own good works. In both cases, no one can be saved because the object of faith is wrong.
Our faith is only good as the object in which we place our faith. I don’t know about you, but I believe that our faith and trust should be in God. To understand what faith is we must get past certain misconceptions about faith. Some people as long as they’re sincere about what they believe, then that faith is good enough. If your beliefs are not founded in the right person, it doesn’t matter what you believe.
Hebrews 11 tells us what real faith is. Faith is the affirmative response to God’s will and word. We possess faith when we take God at His word. We don’t need to see something in order to believe it. Faith is the acceptance of something simply because God has said it. Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hope is faith relating to the future.
We haven’t seen the future and don’t know what the future has in store for us. But by faith, we believe that God will allow us to see what the future beholds. True faith is simple obedience to and believing God’s word in spite of circumstances and consequences. Faith is described in a two- fold way. It’s the substance of “things hoped for” and the evidence of “things not seen.”
The word substance means to stand under or to support. Faith is the foundation that gives the believer the confidence and support to stand. Faith is the confidence of things hoped for. Who do you put your faith in and why? How important is it to have faith? Where do we find a faith strong enough to make it through the storms of our lives? Too many times we put our faith in the wrong things and the wrong people. We put faith in money, thinking my money will get us through. But when your money runs out, how much faith will you have?
We put our faith in our jobs, thinking we have job security, only to discover your position has been eliminated. How much faith do you have now? We put too much faith in ourselves thinking everything is alright. And we soon find out that we’re not what we thought we were. How much faith do we have in ourselves now?
When we put our faith in our so-called friends, only to discover that they’ll let you down every time. How much faith do you have in your friends now? If our faith is set upon the people and things of this world, then our faith will perish. When a believer has faith, it’s God’s way of giving the believer confidence and assurance that what is promised will be experienced. As Christians, we ought to show some evidence of our faith. The word evidence simply means “Conviction.” This is the inward conviction from God that what He has promised, He will perform. The presence of God-given faith in one’s heart is conviction enough that He will keep His word.
The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that faith is a very practical thing, in spite of what unbelievers thinks. Faith allows us to understand what God does. Faith allows us to see what others can’t see. As a result, faith allows us to do what others can’t do! People laughed at these great men and women when they stepped out by faith, but God was with them and allowed them to succeed to His glory.
The best way to grow in faith is to walk by faith. We need to learn to put our trust in God and not man. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to put my trust in someone who’ll always be there for me.
· I’m going to put my trust in someone who’ll never let me down.
· I’m going to put my trust in someone that will fight all of my battles.
· I’m going to put my trust in someone that will help me get through my storms.
· I’m going to put my trust in someone who can wipe the tears from my eyes.
· I’m going to put my trust in someone who’ll feed me when I’m hungry.
Who is this someone that will do all of this for you? I’m glad you asked, cause I’m dying to tell you! It’s not Mitch McConnell. Nor is it Andy Beshear. No, it’s not Nancy Pelosi. No, it’s not Barack Obama. And it definitely is not Donald Trump.
His name is Jesus, Mary’s baby, Micah’s mercy, Abraham’s compass, David’s sword in the time of battle.
My wheel in the middle of a wheel.
My Bridge over troubled water.
My money when I’m broke.
My friend when I’m friendless.
He’s the one who disrobed himself in glory!
He’s the one who travelled through forty and two generations.
He’s the one who saved me from my sins when He died on Calvary’s rugged cross.
He’s the one they put in a borrowed tomb.
He’s the one I put my trust in!
And when you put your trust in something you believe in, you know something good is about to happen!
Early! Early! I said early Sunday morning. Before getting up, got up. Before time knew what was going on!
He got up!
He got up!
He got! With all power in his hands!
He’s alright! He’s alright! He’s alright!!!!!!
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