“ Being True to His name” #Faithfulness

“Is God a Constant in Your Life?” Hebrews 11:1-3; Gen.12:1-3; Gen.15:1-15;Gen. 22:1-3; Gen 26:4

Last we defined the word doubt, which means we lack the confidence or assurance that God will Provide.

Much of our worries and doubts come from the disappointments that we face as humans in our lifetime which places us in a state to not trust easily or at all. That’s why Jesus came, so that we would have life and that we would have it more abundantly with securities and assurances. We as Christians hold onto hope through our faith and that it sustains throughout our lives. Because the book of Hebrews was written in Greek but is filled with Jewish imagery, the recipients probably were Greek-oriented Jewish Christians. Hebrews' essential purpose was to exhort Christians to persevere in the face of persecution. And chapter 11 was written to share examples of faith to help with the discouragement which is the root of our doubt. The Jews and Christians, to whom the Epistle to the Hebrews is addressed were demoralized and discouraged. Christianity has proven difficult for them. It was radical. It set aside centuries of tradition. It emphasized a new but troubling kind of spiritual freedom. In short, it incurred the wrath of the Jewish religious establishment. Many converts were ready to turn back and to leave the uneasy, uncharted waters of faith for the comfortable, familiar life of works and moral effort. This was the choice they faced, depending on the law, following, Jesus, trying to appease God, and trusting in him, a complicated religious system, or a simple relationship with the living God through Christ. After, reminding these immature believers of the Superiority of Jesus Christ, the writer of Hebrews, beginning in 10:19 demonstrate for them, the superiority of faith. Faith means we cannot see the outcome, we are not sure what lies ahead 11:1, but we are convinced of the reality of God 11:6 in other words, we are not sure what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. Faith means cling to the hope that God will eventually triumph. He will come back to earth in judgment. To reward those who have sought after him, and so we obey. We do God’s bidding and even when submission is hard, we continue to hold His name high.

so the question is how do we do this? Let’s back up to Verse 35 of chapter 10 in Hebrews. the bible says this

Hebrews 10:35–39 (NKJV)

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:

(Verse 10:35, to cast away one’s confidence is to lose conviction about the value of one’s Christian commitment. For the recipients of Hebrews to return to the safety of Judaism, would mean a loss of eternal reward at the judgment seat of Christ)

“For yet a little while,

And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.

Now the just shall live by faith;

But if anyone draws back,

My soul has no pleasure in him.”

10:37, 38 These verses focus the attention on a person facing trial on the imminent return of the Lord and the need to endure by faith.

In Hebrews 11 we think this is the definition of faith, but actually here in chapter 10:37-38 it shows us that “Faith is a lifestyle “ , because we are eagerly awaiting the return of Christ

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

and in Heb.11. is a description of what faith does In Hebrews 11:1-3 I know we have heard this passage several times and that faith is something we don't see but believe. But today I want to bring out two things in this verse that I hope will encourage us to not only have faith but sustain it with faithfulness.

Hebrews 11:1–3 (NKJV)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

1st Point- Faith is Substance.

Most people don’t look at it that way. They look at faith as very ethereal. (which means lack of material substance). It’s not; faith has substance. We practice such faith often in the physical world. You log onto Amazon, which probably has your credit card information saved. I know it does mine. Your search for an item place it in your cart and click buy. You receive an email providing you with confirmation of your order. You don’t have the product; you only have a receipt. But with it in hand, you wait confidently for the product you ordered to come. That receipt in hand or inbox is a substance that you hold on to while you wait for the item that you’ve ordered to arrive. Same thing with a hotel reservation: They give you a confirmation number, and with that number, you have faith a room is reserved and waiting for you. The number is the substance that I hang on to while I wait to see if the transaction is completed. Now the spiritual world operates under similar principles. I take a need before God in prayer. My faith, my active confidence in God, is the thing that I hold on to while I wait to see how the Lord is going to answer what I’ve brought before Him. If I have a painful circumstance in my life and I’m asking God to change that or to change me, my faith is the substance that I hold on to while I wait upon the Lord. So our faith is a substance.” “faith does not require your input but your output”

Point 2-Faithfulness is your evidence

“Faithfulness is your evidence. In biblical Hebrew, “faith” and “faithfulness” are grammatically related. Although both concepts are important in the OT, there is no English word exactly equivalent to the Hebrew terms. The most relevant Hebrew verbal root related is a word called “amen” which means to be reliable or trusted and continues to carry meanings such as “strengthen,” “support,” or “hold up.” In 2 Kings 18:16 this word is used as a pillar that provides support for doors (2 Kgs 18:16). Moses used the word when he disclaimed any role as a supporter of the Israelites (Nm 11:12). To be unfaithful is to be unworthy of confidence or belief. In the OT a synonym for “faithfulness” is “truth.” When used of God in the OT, the word “faithfulness” frequently refers to his unwavering commitment to his promises.

The reason that I know the product that I ordered is going to come to my front door is because I’ve done it before. So I don’t feel like a fool every time I walk to my front door and check to see if they have delivered the product yet. I don’t feel stupid, presumptuous, or even silly, because I’ve done this before and I know how it works. So my past experiences are the evidence that I hold on to while I wait for the doorbell to ring.” This is my Amen. The Pilar holds up the roof so the door can open. This is the rock that anchors me down. Keeps me from allowing doubt to run wild in my spirit.

“It starts with your faith but is sustained by your faithfulness”

Faithfulness means a person truly understands God’s perfect loyalty and that it takes consistency in being true to his name, his character, and his word.

So when we say amen to something that is true, in the Hebrew definition, you are saying that your faithfulness is strong enough to uphold God's promise by constantly being obedient. That’s what our faithfulness should look like.

Genesis 15:1–6 NKJV

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Closing

(1) Faith involves bold action.

By faith Abel offered God a superior sacrifice, Noah built, Abraham obeyed by leaving familiar territory, and later offered Isaac, Isaac blessed his sons and one of those sons blessed Isaac’s great-grandsons.    The author spits out action words in rapid succession in vv. 32-34: they conquered, administered, gained, shut, quenched, escaped, became powerful, and routed.  Faith acts out bold confidence.

(2) True faith is an action taken in response to the unseen God and his promises.

The evidence is right in front of our eyes, as long as we know who made it happen.

(3) Faith involves God working extraordinary miracles in the lives of ordinary people.

  For example, Noah got drunk and lay naked in his tent; Abraham lied about Sarai; Isaac lied about Rebekah; Jacob lived the life of a deceiver; Moses committed murder; the people of Israel were a bunch of ungrateful grumblers, Gideon a doubter, and David an adulterer. 

(4) Biblical faith may have a variety of outcomes as well.

Notice that faith sometimes has an immediate, “positive” outcome, as when the children of Israel passed through the sea, the walls of Jericho fell, and widows received their dead back by resurrection.  Yet, we also find that faith can be rewarded with a “delayed” outcome or even a “negative” outcome.  Abel still got murdered.  Abraham had to wait for the son of the promise.  Faith also seems to involve being tortured, mocked, beaten, destitute, stoned, put in prison, generally mistreated, and even mutilated. 

(5)  However, faith is rewarded by God.

.  Faith involves believing “that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

There’s a true movie called Hacksaw Ridge about World War II in which thousands of Americans and Japanese soldiers were killed. Desmond Doss was a skinny kid who enlisted in the army as a combat medic who vowed not to kill, wouldn’t carry a weapon, and carried a small bible in his pocket at all times. The army wanted nothing to do with him. Several of the World War II veterans who were in Doss’ battalion considered him a pest, threw shoes at him while he prayed, and saw him as a slacker, and their weakest link in the chain.

Doss' commanding officer Glover tried to get him transferred. Doss told him “Don't ever doubt my courage because I will be right by your side saving life while you take life.” Glover’s response: “You’re not going to be by my side if you don’t have a gun.”

Doss’ and his battalion climbed a steep, jagged cliff to the top where thousands of Japanese were underground waiting for them. The Japanese called it “the rain of steel’ because there was so much iron flying around.

Under a barrage of gunfire and explosion, Doss crawled on the ground from wounded soldier to wounded soldier. He dragged severely injured men to the edge of the ridge, tied a rope around their bodies and lowered them down to other medics below. Doss stated, “I was praying the whole time. I just kept praying, ‘Lord, please help me get one more.” Doss saved 75 men -including his captain Glover who tried to get him transferred - over a 12-hour period. One of the veterans stated, “It’s as if God had his hand on Doss’ shoulder. It’s the only explanation I can give.”

You’re thinking that’s a lot of courage/faith but God said in Matthew 13:32 and 17:20 if you have faith as a mustard seed which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

As we see A minuscule amount of faith can overcome overwhelming obstacles.

Faith determines where and to whom you turn. Do we turn to some other form other substances to cope or do we take our burdens to the Lord who will give us rest.

Are we living a lifestyle of faith