In the midwest there had been a severe drought. The heat was oppressive, crops were failing, and the people were looking anywhere for relief. The local pastor called together the town to pray for the much needed rain. The day came and every seat was filled, the church was packed. Sitting very excitedly near the window was one little boy. The pastor looked out on the gathered congregation and noted the little boy was the only one with an umbrella.

What do you think his attitude was during that prayer service?

As you listened to today’s reading you heard the word faith a lot. In fact in chapter 11 we see that word no fewer than 25 times! 25 times in 40 verses. Clearly the author of the letter is making a point.

Let’s highlight a few of these verses:

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

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

and then in verse 6, we read:

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

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.

This raises for us the first question.

What is faith?

The author of Hebrews gives us one definition above:

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)

Now faith is:

the assurance of things hoped for,

the conviction of things not seen.

Like that boy with the umbrella, we are to live with an assurance - not doubting. Having conviction - even though what we are holding to has not yet been seen.

When I was in college I went on a mission trip to Cuernavaca, in Mexico. Each day we went out in teams to different parts of the city, or to nearby villages outside the city to show the “Jesus Film” based on the Gospel of Luke. Prayer was absolutely central to our mission.

We prayed before we left, we prayed on the buses on our way to the site, we prayed once on site, we rotated taking prayer shifts during the entire time the movie was shown and testimonies were being given.

Arriving at one site I remember distinctly how the clouds were rolling in, dark and heavy. As we were unloading the bus a few very ominous large drops fell. We were showing the film outdoors, if it rained we were done. We prayed convinced God wanted the Gospel to be shared, and positive that we were brought there for such a time as this.

I still remember the only place we could find electricity was a hardware store about half a block away. The owner loaned us several extension cords that we ran down the sidewalk to the town square where we would show the movie. We showed the three hour movie, with testimonies between reels. We shared the Gospel with the people and answered questions after the film.

We had several new professions of faith that night. We were all in a great mood and as we gathered waiting for the bus to come pick us up we thanked and praised God for holding back the rain. The bus came and we loaded all the equipment and got on.

As the bus driver closed the door it was like he released the rain. It came down hard and fast. The sound was so loud on the metal roof of that bus that it was hard to hear. We cheered! Well, most of us, I think the bus drive may have cursed - even with the wipers on high it was difficult to see.

The word that is translated as faith in our passage is the greek word πίστις, (pistis), in other places it is translated as “belief”.

Christianity is largely characterized by it’s emphasis on faith and beliefs. Christians are commonly called “believers” and a commitment to Christianity typically involves a confession of faith.

Paul’s doctrine of our justification by faith demonstrates the Bible’s emphasis on faith. It was based upon Paul’s teaching about faith in his letters to the Romans and the Galatian church, that Martin Luther argued that Christians must understand their salvation as sola fide - “by faith alone.”

Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians 2:8-9

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

So according to Paul our ability to have faith, to believe is a gift from God by God’s grace. It’s not based upon our forcing ourselves to believe.

It’s not Natalie Wood’s character in Miracle on 34th Street where at the end of the movie she’s sitting in the car repeating to herself, “I believe, I believe, it’s silly but I believe.” No, it’s not silly.

And as we believe, its important that we recognize that our faith isn’t pie in the sky thinking. It’s not the art of positive thinking - though it is positive. Having faith does not mean nothing bad will ever happen to you. We read earlier about how some experienced their faith:

Hebrews 11:33–35 (ESV)

who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection…

That’s the prosperity part that many preachers want you to know. “Come to Jesus,” they say, “and all these good things will happen to you.” And so what are these preachers’ followers to say when they don’t? The author of Hebrews has more to say, as we continue in our reading from this morning,

Hebrews 11:35–38 (ESV)

Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

The author actually lists more negatives in this world than positives in our passage.

So, forgive me for saying so, but what’s the carrot? What’s the benefit? Let’s face it, we all want that reward.

Even the author of Hebrews writes: Heb 11:39

Hebrews 11:39 ESV

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

That seems disheartening, they “did not receive what was promised…”?

There are three distinct concepts of faith in Scripture:

CONCEPTS OF FAITH IN SCRIPTURE:

Covenantal faith

Epistemological faith

Eschatological faith

I’m just going to touch on these briefly as entire studies could be done of each one of these.

Covenantal faith: Faith as Covenantal Commitment

The concept of covenant is especially seen in the Old Testament. To have faith in God or Jesus is to be faithful to a covenant bond, which is initiated by God and bound according to the appropriate promises and expectations on both sides.

We think of the covenants made with Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

The command for Christians to have faith is not merely a cerebral exercise or eager wish, but a command with the expectation of fidelity and trust. We see this definition in Josh 24:14

Joshua 24:14 ESV

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

Epistemological Faith: Faith as Spiritual Perception

Paul and others wrote of faith that is opposed to “blind faith”. Paul wrote that Christians live “by faith and not by sight”. With this phrase, he refers to Christians’ capacity for a kind of spiritual perception that allows them to interpret the world in a godly way. God’s people are able to see and perceive His work in the world, while the rest of the world ignores or rejects it.

Eschatological Faith: Faith as the Living Eschatological Expression of Christian Hope

Before I go any further, let me define the word “eschatological”. It’s the adjective of eschatology, which is in reference of the end times and death, final judgment, and destiny.

Faith in the present involves seeing as God sees, eschatological faith is necessary because sin has corrupted human understanding. To see properly is a dimension of present faith, but God promises that all that is hidden will be revealed when Christ returns. On that final day, the righteous will be honored and rewarded.

This concludes your theological lesson for today. (Smile)

To bring it back to us, here’s the point - Faith is trust, belief, and hope.

Throughout the Scriptures we see God as worthy of our faith, and we also see that faith is not just about what we believe, but how we act on that belief.

Blondin was considered at one time to be the greatest tight rope walker in the world. In fact in 1859 he crossed the Niagara Gorge on a tight rope spanning the 1100 foot chasm 160ft above the water. He did this many times doing it blindfolded, on stilts, trundling a wheel barrow across, once sitting down midway and cooking and eating an omelette! After completing one crossing he asked if the people believed he was able to do this with a person on his back.

The assembled crowd cheered in agreement. “You are the greatest!” “You could do it easily” they cheered.

Then he asked, “Who is willing to get on my back?” There was silence. To prove he was able he carried his manager across the gorge on his back.

Faith takes action. James tells us

James 2:14 ESV

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

There’s a story of an old Scotsman who operated a little rowboat for transporting passengers. One day a passenger noticed that the good old man had carved on one oar the word “Faith,” and on the other oar the word “Works.” Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of this. The old man, being a well-balanced Christian and glad of the opportunity for testimony, said, “I will show you.”

So saying, he dropped one oar and plied the other called Works, and they just went around in circles. Then he dropped that oar and began to ply the oar called Faith, and the little boat just went around in circles again—this time the other way around, but still in a circle.

After this demonstration the old man picked up Faith and Works and plying both oars together, sped swiftly over the water, explaining to his inquiring passenger, “You see, that is the way it is in the Christian life. Dead works without faith are useless, and “faith without works is dead” also, getting you nowhere. But faith and works pulling together make for safety, progress, and blessing.”

Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 403). Bible Communications, Inc.

Faith takes action.

In a few moments we’ll be praying together offering praises and needs. As we offer our praises we offer up yet another reason to believe, God has answered our prayers. As we offer our needs let us do so with the faith that God has heard our prayers in the past and responded, as he will in the future.

Faith Has Brought Us Here

God has given us a gift of faith. That faith has brought us here. AS we go from here, let us believe.

Let us believe in God’s love for each one of us.

Let us believe in God’s promises and presented to us in the Word.

Let us believe that God hears our prayers and answers them.

Let us believe that God’s eternal promise will come to fruition.

Let us believe that God is changing us, molding us, transforming us into the people we were created to be.

Let’s pray.