In the Film Room of Faith

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Ladies Tea - May 20 at 4pm

Brantley’s Baptism - May 21 during Worship Service

Reading

Hebrews 11:1–2 ESV

1 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.

Prayer

We often look to the past to help us figure out what to do in the present.

I know a retired Lt. Col. in the Air Force who taught at Maxwell. He told me that his students, officers in training, spent time learning about warfare. They studied prior battles from all eras, learning the strategies and the tactics that work - and those that don’t - so they can lead troops in a variety of scenarios.

We often look to the past to help us figure out what to do in the present.

When we look at investments, one of the things we look for is past results. Lawyers tell us that those past results don’t guarantee future gains, but a stock or fund with a good track record of “beating the market” is often a good bet going forward.

We often look to the past to help us figure out what to do in the present.

For sports teams, looking to the past often happens in the film room. Players and coaches pour over hours of game film, looking for clues and insights to give them an advantage. What defensive patterns might we see, and how can we target our offensive strategy to exploit their weaknesses? What routes do their receivers like to run, and how can we defend them?

We often look to the past to help us figure out what to do in the present. And in the film-room of faith, we find great help to live by the playbook of faith.

I should note one thing before we roll the film of our faithful fathers…You have an outline on the back of your bulletin. I’ve given you a bunch of points. Don’t worry - we’re not going through all those points this morning! Rather, I want you to spend some time in Hebrews 11 throughout this week. Read slowly about those who have gone before us. Let these points alert you to the work of faith in each of their lives, and how faith can impact you. We’ll focus on one individual in particular, but take the time to mine the riches of Hebrews 11 for yourself, and let the rich history of faith help you live for Christ today and in days to come.

What Is Faith?

When a team enters the film-room, the coach will often direct their focus. He’ll give them guidance on what to look for. Verses 1-2 give us that kind of guidance. The author tells us what faith is, and how to spot it in real time, so we’ll spend some time getting to know faith, then we’ll look at a little bit of the footage to see faith at work. . Look at verse 1:

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Your version of the Bible might have this translated as “the substance of things hoped for” or something like that. Both ideas - assurance and substance - are held by the Greek word hypostasis. It’s a word that’s used for several things: it can be the foundation of a building, the title document of property (or the lease papers), or the settling of sediment in a particular area. It’s a widely used word group.

And if you think about it, faith has all of these kinds of uses. It assures our hopes in the promises of God (after all, in Hebrews hope is always directed at God’s promises). But it does more than just bring confidence.

I think the best picture of what this word means is how we think of water. If you have a pool or an aquarium, you know about testing your water. You have to make sure it has the right balance of chemicals and substances. If the aquarium has too many nitrates or nitrites, the fish get sick and die. If the pool has too little chlorine, algae grows and the water is not good for swimming. To make sure all those levels are right, you have to test the water.

I’ve used all kinds of test kits for various water uses. I’ve shopped at different stores online and in brick-and-mortar stores for different test kits. But I have never found a single test kit to determine how wet water is. Have you ever heard of someone having water that is “too dry?” Of course not!

But why not? Because water is wet! That’s the nature of water - "wet” is the essence of what water is.

Faith is:

The Essence of God’s Promises

That’s the idea the author of Hebrews is using when he says that faith is the hypostasis of things hoped for. Faith is the very essence of God’s promises. It’s not just the thing that gives us assurance or certainty in God’s promises. Faith is to God’s promises what wetness is to water. I used to think that I had to justify my belief in what God has said. But that is not true. When God declares it, it is so, and because it is already true (being declared by God), I can put absolute faith in it. God’s promises are composed of and have the nature of genuine, biblical faith.

That’s not all. Look at the next phrase of verse 1:

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Once again, the word in question is translated different ways. “Conviction” might be translated as “evidence” in your copy of God’s word. I think the idea of “proof” helps us here. Like evidence in a trial proves the guilt or innocence of the accused, faith proves the veracity of those things we have not yet seen.

But proof isn’t just “evidence.” Think about yeast. Have you ever proofed yeast? For yeast to “rise,” it has to be exposed to warm temperature, somewhere in the 100-110 degree range. You can use warm air or warm water - either will work just fine. But outside of that range, and the yeast will not activate - the bacteria will not grow and digest the sugars in the bread. But if you proof your yeast first, the bacteria will begin growing and make for good bread.

Watch this now: when this author says that faith is the conviction or evidence of things not seen, he is telling us that faith is

The Proof of God’s Promises

Without faith, God’s promises remain dormant, just like yeast at room temperature. But when we have faith, that faith activates the promises of God in our lives, bringing those promises to fulfillment both in and through us. And just as yeast expands into the whole loaf through the heat of the oven, so the heat of sufferings and trials begin the reaction of multiplying faith whereby the promises of God rise to the occasion. Faith is the essence and the proof of God’s promises to us.

By the way, that’s true even though those promises God has made to us haven’t yet come about. Faith doesn’t prove what we already have seen - it proves those things that we have yet to see. Skip all the way ahead to the end of the chapter:

Hebrews 11:39–40 ESV

39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Faith does not require validation - faith is the validation. Look for faith that awaits the promises of God and still remains firm as you review the game film from those who have gone before us. One more description of faith occurs in verse 2:

Hebrews 11:2 ESV

2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.

It’s one thing to say that we should have faith: we certainly should. But faith isn’t just the prerequisite. Faith is the commendation. Faith is:

The Reward of God’s Promises

Consider this: look through the gospels for the times when Jesus commends someone. He says multiple times “Your faith has made you well” or “Your faith has saved you.” He admires the faith of the woman with a bleeding disorder who barely manages to touch the hem of his robe. He admires the faith of a centurion who knows that Christ need only say the word for his son to be healed. He admires the faith of a Syrophoenician woman who has enough faith to beg Christ for the scraps of his ministry like a dog begs for crumbs from the dinner table, because she knows even that will be enough to heal her demon-possessed daughter.

And how often does Christ chastise the disciples for a lack of faith? He even asks multiple times “have you no faith” or “where is your faith” or “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” He tells the disciples that if they had only a mustard seed sized faith, it would make all the difference. Jesus does not seem to be impressed with anything at all except genuine faith.

Here’s the secret to getting God’s seal of approval: have faith. That’s what he’s looking for. He’s not looking for good looks or talents or ample resources. He could care less what you have to offer him. All he wants is you to have faith. That’s how the individuals in this chapter received God’s commendation, and that’s how we will too.

As you read through this chapter this week, look for the faith that is the essence of God’s promises. When there is nothing else to hold onto but trust in God, watch as these faithful pioneers hold ever tighter to the God who is sufficient for their needs.

Look for the faith that is the proof of God’s promises. When the promises of God are distant and seem impossible, observe how men like Abraham, Moses, and others allow the faith to proof through adversities, knowing that the promises will rise in God’s timing.

Look for the faith that is the reward of God’s promises. Be amazed at how little earthly praise these individuals need, for they have the reward of faith from the God whom they seek.

Let me only point to one specific example in this chapter - look with me at verse 5. Enoch was one of the patriarchs we don’t often talk about. He appears in Genesis 5, before the days of Noah:

Genesis 5:22–24 ESV

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.

Do you see how Enoch is described? Twice in three verses, he is said to have “walked with God.” That’s almost all we know about Enoch. We know his son’s name and his lifespan. We also know that God “took him.” Now, look at what the author of Hebrews tells us:

Hebrews 11:5 ESV

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.

The phrase from Genesis, that Enoch “walked with God” is not just one of being near God or participating in activity with God. That walk is the way we talk about walking with God - it’s a life lived in relationship and in obedience to God. Enoch walked in God’s ways, loving him and serving him. And as a result, we was commended for pleasing God. There’s faith! No big, special miracles. No hoopla or parades or recognition from men. Just walking with God. Nothing special. Except walking with God is special. He pleased God. Now for what I really want you to see:

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

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.

We often look to the past to help us figure out what to do in the present. Do you want to please God? Then look to the past and you’ll find the only way to please God is by faith. Enoch pleased God by his faith. So did countless others. Read all about them this week. Then go and do likewise.