Faith – Part 2

Last time we saw how faith is having a certainty about what we hope for. It’s a hope that has real substance, an assurance and I love how the Amplified Bible puts it as having “title deed confirmation (divinely guaranteed)”.  Faith is the “evidence” of things we cannot see. Other versions say things like “proof”, “certainty”, “conviction” and “reality” of things that we cannot see. Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses.

As I began my journey to discover how I might grow in faith. I began in Hebrews chapter eleven verse one but continued reading the whole chapter and by the end of it I really felt the truth of what is said in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

So, let’s go through the whole chapter. Firstly, in verse two it states that “the ancients”, and in the rest of this chapter, some will be mentioned by name, were all commended for their faith.

Verse 3 (Cross references: Psalm 33:6, Colossians 1:16)

“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.”

This defies the First Law of Thermodynamics that states you cannot get something out of nothing. This is why creation is such an enigma to non-believing scientists. However, I certainly have the faith to believe that out of nothing that is visible, God just spoke and created all that we now see all around us, and even also when I look at myself in the mirror. But here’s the thing. God must have ‘seen’ in His own mind what he was going to create before he spoke it into being. We, as image bearers of God, have this ability in us, all be it very watered down because of the fall. When I see any beautiful architecture or hear any inspiring music, I realise that these things were first birthed in the creators imagination before they actually produced the finished article. This is also why it’s so important to renew our minds. Thoughts can most definitely have material consequences. I feel like putting what the Psalmists would add “Selah”, pause and think about that!

Verse 4 (Cross reference: Genesis 4:1-16)

“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.”

Abel brought to the Lord “fat portions”, from the firstborn of his flock. This indeed must have been a sacrificial offering as it represented the best. It showed that Abel could see beyond the natural way of thinking. He knew he wouldn’t lose out on doing that because he had faith. Cain, on the other hand just gave some of the first fruits of the soil, not just the best. Also, it seems to imply that Abel knew about how important an animal sacrifice would be to the Lord. The Lord looked with favour upon Abel’s offering but didn’t approve of Cain’s. This is of course resulted in jealousy and the first recorded murder in the bible.

Verse 5 (Cross reference: Genesis 5:21-23)

“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.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.”

Verse 6 clearly shows that to please God, Enoch must have had faith. Now, I have no idea why the Lord “took him away” and he didn’t actually physically die. But, what an absolute blessing! I don’t know about you? But, I sometimes long for the Rapture or just wish, on some days, that the Lord would simply take me away; especially on difficult days when there sometimes feels like no point on being here anymore. Enoch must have really had a lot of faith and as I say, what an amazing thing to not have to face a physical death in any shape or form.

Verse 6 (Cross references: James 4:8, Jeremiah 29:13, Hebrews 10:38, Romans 8:8)

“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.”

This is why faith is so crucially important, because without it, we cannot please God. Faith causes us to firmly believe that the Lord will reward me, both in this life and the life to come, if I diligently and earnestly seek after Him (who is of course ‘invisible’).

Verse 7 (Cross reference: Genesis 6:8 to 9:28)

“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.”

What an incredible example of faith is found in what Noah did. Firstly, he was different to all those that were living around him who were so incredibly wicked that God had decided to wipe them all out. Now what makes this even more incredible is that up until this time there had been no rain on the earth, which must have added to the mockery that Noah had to endure as he built an ark, exactly as he was instructed, on dry land. Here’s a funny and ironic thing. As I write, I had to pause and dash outside because I had put my faith in not one, but two weather Apps that said it wouldn’t rain for a few hours, and yet it just poured down! I managed to get to most of my washing in relatively dry still, phew! So, back to the story (or should I say, true life account) of Noah and the ark. He didn’t have an App. But he did have a relationship with God who told him what was going to happen and what to do about it. His physical senses couldn’t comprehend what God was talking about and yet he relied on God’s Word, he had incredible and great faith!

Verse 8 (Cross reference: Genesis 12:1-5)

“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.”

Wow, what an incredible act of faith! Abraham not only heard, directly from God, but acted on it, even when he had no idea of where God wanted to him to go, he just obeyed, headed off and awaited further instructions. This also reminded me of the young Jackie Pullinger who knew she had a missionary call on her life but wasn’t sure exactly where to go. So, she went in faith. She purchased a ticket onboard a merchant ship that was heading off around the globe and trusted that Lord would show her where to get off and indeed He did when she arrived at Hong Kong, and as the saying goes, “the rest is history!”

Also, at this point of Abraham’s life, he was known as Abram, which means “father” and later became Abraham meaning “father of many”. The thing was at the time of his calling, he had no children and yet as part of that calling, he was told that his offspring would become a great nation and through him would come incredible blessing. None of these things were evident at the time of his calling and yet he demonstrated great faith by believing it.

Verses 9-10 (Cross references: Genesis 17:8, Acts 7:6, Hebrews 13:14, Philippians 3:20)

“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. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

This speaks so clearly about us too really. Just like Abraham, we are ‘sojourners’; this place we may call ‘home’ is only our temporary accommodation. We are looking forward to our ‘promised’ land. We, again, like the patriarchs, cannot see what this promised land will be like. We do get glimpses, like a brief estate agents summary,  describing what’s in store for us. But, we like them look forward in faith and maybe we too should demonstrate to the world that we are mere strangers in a, and what most definitely at times seems, a foreign land!

Verses 11-12 (Cross references: Genesis 17:15-22, 18:1-15, 21:1-7)

“And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 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.”

Faith can sometimes really baffle our physical senses. Here we have an account of a couple who were way, way past child bearing age. Poor old Sarah was about eighty and Abraham was one hundred years old. I love what it says in Romans 4:18-21, “As it is written: “I have made you (Abraham) a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

Did you also notice how it says that God “calls into being things that were not”? That is faith in action right there!

Verse 13 (Cross references: 1 Peter 1:10-12, 1 Peter 2:11)

“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.”

For me, this speaks so clearly that some things that we are living in faith for, we may never actually see ourselves. It maybe that some things we start may be finished by someone else. It could be that the fruit of our faith will be produced later when we are gone. These people mentioned here in verse thirteen are, in effect, our family members who are showing the way forward for us to live, again, we are to live as strangers and as foreigners on earth.

Verses 14-16 (Worth considering: Numbers 14:3-4, Luke 17:32).

“People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 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.”

A huge reason to act and behave like we are strangers and foreigners here on earth is so that our thoughts line up with our faith. If we start entertaining worldly or fleshly thoughts, we get tempted to go back, which only in fact results in bondage and captivity, or sometimes even death. Remember Lot’s wife as Jesus urged us to do!

Verses 17-19 (Cross references: Genesis 22:1-19, James 2:21-23)

“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, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.”

As if Abraham and Sarah hadn’t already been through enough! Who would have thought that after receiving such a miracle child that God would then ask Abraham to sacrifice his only son. I think it is quite clear that it was a test and God really wanted to see if Abraham would trust Him enough and thankfully he did. But oh what a test that was! If like me you have a son or daughter you can grasp something of the pain and dilemma that Abraham must have faced. Of course as we read this account we also see how in a way, it foreshadowed how God the Father sacrificed His only begotten Son.

When James in the New Testament recounts this story, he uses it as an example of how faith unless it is accompanied by action (or works) is dead. Abraham showed how willing he was to carry it out and it was only at the point of thrusting the knife down to make the kill that the Lord prevented him from doing this. Again, what great faith Abraham demonstrated!

Verse 20 (Cross reference: Genesis 27:27-40)

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

Isaac demonstrated faith by the way he pronounced blessings on Jacob and Esau, he did it with assurance and certainty, not wishful thinking but a blessing regarding the future that Isaac could only see by faith as he was old and although his physical sight had failed him, his faith was very strong.

Verse 21 (Cross reference: Genesis 48)

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

What is striking about this blessing was that it was usual and customary that the eldest son would have the more significant blessing by having the right hand placed on his head. But here, Jacob crosses over his arms and placed his right hand on Ephraim and by faith proclaimed Ephriam ahead of Manasseh. He did this by faith.

Verse 22 (Cross reference: Genesis 50:24-26)

“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.”

By faith, Joseph knew that the God would come to the Israelites aid after a period of captivity (as prophesied in Genesis 15) and would take them to the land promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac & Jacob and when this happens, not if or maybe, he asked that his bones are to be carried to the promised land.

Verse 23 (Cross references: Exodus 2, Acts 7:20-21)

“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 parents of Moses, saw, by faith, that he was a child who had the calling of the Lord on him. Faith was demonstrated or proved by action. Despite the king’s edict they hid him and then did an incredible act of faith by placing him in a tar and pitch covered basket and placed it amongst the reeds along the bank of the river Nile and then stood at a distance to see what would happen.

Verse 24-27 (Cross references: Exodus 2:5-25, Acts 7:20-29)

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 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. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”

Moses could have had a very comfortable life. He had the best & finest education and lived in the palace of the king. However, he forsook all that as he saw by faith that he had a different and greater destiny. He had to flee, because he didn’t quite understand hs true calling and had tried to take matters into his own hands by killing an Egyptian and as a result had to escape and flee from the king’s wrath. He didn’t know where he was going but still had faith that things would work out. As I was writing this my thoughts went to some of the amazing testimonies I have heard of Iranian Christians who had to flee Iran and ended up in a strange country, many of whom ended up starting fellowships of their own. That takes great courage and faith.

What is remarkable and stands out in this account of the life of Moses in this passage from the book of Hebrews is that it implies that Moses did all this for “the sake of Christ”. He saw “the invisible”, the hallmark of true faith.

Verse 28 (Cross reference: Exodus 12)

“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.”

The faith demonstrated by Moses here reminded me of that of Noah too as both received very specific and precise instructions which were faithfully carried out. In both cases, it was a matter of life and death. Here Moses was warned that an angel of the Lord was going to destroy all the first born in Egypt and that the only way they would be excluded was if they followed what the Lord told them to do, which included sacrificing a lamb without defect at twilight. They had to put the blood of the lamb on the tops and sides of the door frames of every household and when the destroying angel saw the blood, it would pass them by. They also had to eat the lamb in a certain and way and be fully dressed and ready for a hasty escape, and all yeast was to be removed from every household.

Verse 29 (Cross references: Exodus 14:21-22, Nehemiah 9:11, Psalm 66:6)

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

Now, I think it would great faith to even stand by the banks of a river, let’s just say the Thames, or you could think of any great river near you; the Nile, the Danube, the Mississippi, the Rhine, wherever you are right now, and if God told you just to keep on walking because you will get to other side, how would you feel? Would you just do it? I know my senses would be telling me all sorts of things like, “hey, good job you are a good swimmer, coz you are going to need to be”, or “the current here is very strong, I’ll never make it”, or if you are say in Florida, you might be hoping & praying that there aren’t any alligators going about!” So that in itself would be a good test of faith. But! These Israelites had the most powerful army in the world and the world’s finest chariots closing in on them. They had to really trust God and especially Moses. But despite every one of their physical senses crying out to them that they were in an impossible situation, they chose to believe and trust in God and they got to witness and be part of one of the greatest ever recorded miracles that is still being talked about and celebrated to this very day. We all know the story don’t we? The Israelites went over on dry ground, yes, dry! Even though moments before it had been covered in water. Then when they were safely across and the pursuing Egyptian army and all its chariots tried the same but the water came back in such a torrent that they got totally wiped out! Now, if that account doesn’t inspire faith, I don’t know what will!

Verse 30 (Cross reference: Joshua 6:20)

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

Jericho’s walls had some reputation as being virtually impenetrable and because of this the Canaanites must have felt pretty smug and safe as they saw the approaching Israelite army. In fact they might have even found it laughable and odd that they just kept marching around it for a total of 13 times, once for 6 days and then 7 times on the last day. The Israelites certainly had faith to believe that just by doing what God had told them to do, and then blow trumpets at the end, that this would get the job done, but it certainly did!
 

Verse 31 (Cross references: Joshua 2, Joshua 3:15-25, James 2:25 Matthew 1:5)

“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”

This has to be one of my favourite stories, not only for Rahab’s great faith but also for the fact that as a result, this prostitute ended up being an ancestor of none other than the Messiah, Jesus! God certainly proved it here that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him!

I’m not going to add anything else to the last few verses of Hebrews 11 as they really speak for themselves. If you add all that we have just considered to the following as well, I hope and pray that you will agree that “faith does come by hearing, and hearing the word of God”!

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;^[a] 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.

A fitting conclusion to our study is found in the very next few verses after the famous chapter on faith (chapter 11):

Hebrews 12:1-3

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. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Amen!