The Substance of Things Hoped For (Advent 2023)

Hebrews 11:1-3 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. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Faith is assurance.

Biblical faith is not empty, or blind. Biblical faith is in and of itself a foundation that is built which holds up what is unseen, namely what God has promised in the future.

What did God promise to the saints of old?

Salvation, the destruction of the serpent enemy, Blessing, and inheritance…and what were they to do? Trust him. Believe.

Abraham believed God and it was counted to Him as righteousness. He received a promise, but it was just a shadow.

Did any of them ever see what they waited for? Not really.

In Hebrews 11 we see a description of faith that I cannot help being inspired by…but above that is a deep longing. We don’t see a faith that is detached from hope, but a longing that is real, and proven by action, by trust IN GOD!

It begins with an awful scene…arguably one of the worst in the Bible because it was proof that sin had taken root in the heart of all mankind.

v4. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

Abel hoped in the promise of God, and he acted with faith. He offered to God a “More acceptable sacrifice than Cain.” Both affected by the fall. Both capable of evil. Cain brought a good sacrifice. Abel brought a good sacrifice. Able had faith in God. Hope and faith side by side, and God’s commendation by accepting his gift.

This was the old testament way, even before the law demanded a sacrifice to atone for sin.

Surely Adam and Eve spoke of the promise. The hope, and that the way back to God was through the sacrifice.

“After the fall, God must be worshipped by sacrifices, a way of worship which carries in it a confession of sin, and of the desert of sin, and a profession of faith in a Redeemer, who was to be a ransom for the souls of men.” Matthew Henry

And Abel’s blood still speaks today because of his faith. What is it speaking?

Hope.

Sinners can come to God and be accepted by faith. It’s speaking. Hope can be realized by faith in God, and the Son of God whom He sent.

And there speaks a better word than Abel’s blood. It’s Christ’s blood. Hebrews 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Jesus’ blood speaks a more confident word, because Jesus was not offering a sacrifice for His own sins when He died for us, but came as a spotless lamb and perfect High priest on our behalf, and He carried OUR SINS upon His back. When His blood was sprinkled there on the ground beneath that cross, becoming the altar for the ultimate sacrifice, He cried out - IT IS FINISHED. No more sacrifice. No more bulls and goats, ONLY JESUS, the mediator of a new and updated promise from God that says this...

SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

Hebrews 12:25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.

And this is the pattern we are following as we look at the lost of the faithful. They had hope…therefore they had faith. They had faith in the promise of God, therefore their hope had a foundation that could not be shaken.

Look at Enoch

Hebrews 11: 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. 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

The pattern had been set. Enoch is looking ahead to Jesus. What faith did he have? He pleased God, he walked with God. As the world advanced into sin before the flood, Enoch progressed in righteousness. He understood something that we must all remember daily… That It is not our achievements, our morals, or our knowledge that pleases God and allows us into His presence. It is faith that pleases Him, and the one with faith in Christ can draw near and be richly rewarded WITH CHRIST!

Noah built an Ark for an impending flood that was far off. His action was the construction of the Ark. He believed God. He hoped in what had been promised. Surely the race of man could not end here…God had promised to send a righteous seed. HE built the Ark, and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

We have Abraham who obeyed God, and went out from his home country, not knowing where was going. By faith Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob looked for a city who’s designer and builder is God, wandering in the wilderness, hoping in God who made the promise.

What about Moses?

This story of faith began with his parents.

look at v23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

He was looking for the reward. The reward was the promise of Christ. The reward was the hope of a Messiah, and it spurred them on to not fear the king’s edict. It spurred Moses on to choose mistreatment over the fleeting pleasures of sin. His reproach was a foreshadow of Christ’s reproach. Moses suffered to free Israel. Jesus would suffer to free all who come to Him by faith. And when you have a promise from God, that promise is sure, and you can walk through the fire, and endure the hatred.

look at v27. “By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.”

Here’s our connection again between faith and hope. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. It’s not weak, but sure, as through the invisible becomes visible.

And the list goes on.

Abraham offered up Isaac

Moses led Israel through the red seas

By faith Moses instructed the people to sacrifice a lamb and sprinkle the blood over their door posts so that the destroyer might would not touch the first born of that house.

By faith, Israel obeyed the command of the Lord to march around Jericho, not one time, but once a day for 6 days, and then 7 times on the final day. These were the enemies who stood before them after crossing the Jordan and coming in to take the land of promise. They had a promise, and for that hope, God gave them great faith.

Glance with me at v.32 and let’s read down to the end of the chapter.

All of these men and women were commended through their faith, but never received the promise. No doubt they died and rested in the place of paradise because they had trusted in the Messiah to come. But they never saw the day when God became flesh and dwelt among us. There is a contrast that we are supposed to see here.

What does your faith look like?

Is it substantive?

Is there an assurance in your life that witnesses to the world that the promises of God give eternal life, and that you have nothing to fear?

Are you hopeful as you sit here this morning?

Hope is not an empty wish. Biblical hope has biblical faith at its foundation. Biblical hope cannot be dismantled because the foundation of unshakable hope has always been Jesus Christ, the promise from God, the hope of heaven, the victor, the King, the sovereign God over all.

What hope is there for the days in which we live, when the darkness seems to hide the face of all that is good?

What hope do you cling to when the world around you feels like Babylon, it feels like Nebuchadnezzar, Nero and Nimrod are still in power?

Confident Christians who embrace the victory of the Kingdom of Jesus are needed right now.

Where is faith? Where is action? Where is confidence?

Advent is a time to remember that our hope is connected to thousands of years worth of hope, and a record of the faithful who looked to Christ.

Their hope was in His arrival.

There was no hope in human strength, no hope in human government, no hope in money…Christians are not to have the kind of hope that the world has.

Our hope is in a Savior who came as a poor peasant, was rejected, abandoned by the very people who should have received him, but remained obedient to the Father, and died in the place of sinners as a payment for sins against God.

The bible calls him the Author and perfecter of faith. This is His plan we are walking in. Right now in this dark world he is calling the broken, the weak, the spiritually sick and the sinful to himself to find hope in Him.

Scripture says that this multitude of faithful is called the “cloud of witnesses”. Since we have this cloud, this host of witnesses before us, what should we do?

See, the saints of old looked for cities to conquer, and walls to crumble, and land to possess, and enemies to slay…but these are a shadow. Christ has come, and he is the greater Moses to free us from slavery in Egypt, the greater Joseph who underwent suffering in order to come to rule as King and rescue His brothers and sisters from spiritual famine. He is the one who is greater than Able. He also died at the hands of Cain’s jealousy, but His death would crush death itself by rising from the dead three days later.

Advent hope is about faith. And faith is the substance of our living hope, Jesus Christ. We believe because He has caused us to be born again TO that hope. Our victory, our action, our example to the world is to be a cloud of witness, not who conquer lands and giants, but through faith become freed from the sins that beset us.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Today, on this first Sunday of Advent, we remember that His arrival, though a long way off for many, was no less of a surety. We are remember our present day mission, that by looking to Jesus we can run with endurance this race. We look forward in faith to Christ who is coming again, and we have hope. May our hope produce the actions that this world needs to see…Christians who believe the Gospel, believe the Scriptures, Hold fast to what is good, hold fast to the King and the mission He has given is to tell the world…you do not need to stat weary. Christ has come, and now all who are weary can rejoice.