Faith Full

Scripture:

Hebrews 11:1–3 & Hebrews 12:1–2 (ESV)

Hook:

| So a couple of years ago, my wife, Gina, challenged me to learn scuba diving. She’s an advanced diver - and she loves diving. I, on the other hand, hate swimming in the open sea. Swimming pool can. Out in the ocean - hate it. I'm scared of the choppiness, the current, the salty water - just not for me. But Gina said, “why don't you learn so one day, we can dive together.” (we never did btw). But to impress my then-girlfriend-not-yet-wife, I said, “no problem”. Things did not go as smoothly as I imagined. Part of my training was to dive down to 15m depth through a shipwreck, being observed by my guide - who would be side-by-side with me throughout. What was super challenging (and frustrating and terrifying) for me, was I kept drifting away from the guide. Of course I didn't do this purposely. What was happening was every time I got anxious - one thing the body does out of reflex is it takes in more oxygen. When there's more oxygen in my lungs, I could be kicking and peddling frantically to stay close to my guide - but it wouldn't stop me from floating up, drifting away and feeling totally out of control. I was definitely not feeling full of courage or confidence, and I was drifting away from the one person I needed to be close to. So my guide was this Indonesian brother called Jojo. Each time I drifted away, he'd patiently look up, hand signal me to stop kicking (cause the more I kicked, the more air I took in) and focus on him; and the more I did, the more I was able to remain calm and sink down to the depth at which he was at.

I’m most probably not going to dive again. But the experience taught me that when doing something that requires faith, it's not so much how full of faith you feel, it's about WHO you're placing your trust in. |

Big Idea:

It’s not about how full your faith feels—it’s about placing your trust in a faithful God.

We’re starting a new series called | Faith Full Ones. Hebrews 11 is what some people call a Hall of Faith, like a football or basketball Hall of Fame with all the All-stars, but for faith heroes. But why include this Hall of Faith in the book of Hebrews? |

Context:

See: The book of Hebrews was actually written to believers who were tempted to give up on Christianity.

So a long time ago, in the time of the early churches, most of the Christians started off being Jews (means doing all the animal sacrifices and purity laws) - but then decided to convert to Christianity. So they left all their old faith traditions behind and started simply following Jesus’ ways and teachings. But because they were part of a “new religion” - they faced persecution not just from the non-Jews (like the Romans) but also from the Jews that didn’t accept Jesus’ way. And so, many of them were tempted to go back to their old Jewish beliefs and practices, instead of persevering in their Christian faith.

So the TLDR is this: Hebrews is written to a bunch of Christians who were struggling in the Christian faith; perhaps even on the verge of “crashing out” on church and christianity altogether.

Now I wonder if some of us are here - we sometimes feel like that. We grew up as a Christian, learning about the Christian faith because of our parents, grandparents. But truth be told, we’re finding being a Christian a struggle. In school, we feel judged or different because of our faith. At home, we struggle to find time for God - and even when we do, we feel distant from Him. So what’s the point? And then, in life, we got so many responsibilities already - then must add another “go to church” or “serve in church”. For many of us, maybe you’re at this point where - if I can’t get to the bottom of whether Jesus is the real deal - once I get my independence, I’m ready to walk away from church and Christianity altogether. |

The scripture we just read encourages the believers by saying, “you are not alone”. You have this ‘cloud of witnesses’ that have gone before you, and they have stayed faithful to God. So, let’s run the race too—keeping our eyes on Jesus, the One who carries us through it.

Transition: Three points to share about faith. |

Main Point #1: Faith Isn’t Just a Feeling—It’s Confidence in a Faithful God

[1] Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith isn't just good vibes, guys. It's not even just hopeful thinking. Faith is trusting God even when you can’t see everything clearly or don’t have all the answers.

The scripture describes it as a clear assurance and conviction (or confidence) in what God says - what He promises. We trust not in the circumstances but in His character as a promise-keeping, faithful and good God - even when we don’t see everything clearly yet.

One of the men in this hall of faith is Gideon. |

Let's watch this video together: https://youtu.be/L0ds0H4lBNw?feature=shared (2:05-4:43) - 2 mins 38 seconds

So Old Testament times - God’s people were being bullied by the Midianites - now the Midianites had oppressed them for years—they repeatedly stole crops and livestock, leaving the Israelites impoverished and forcing them to hide in caves and strongholds for safety. The Midianite armies were also enormous, so because of their military might, they were bossing other nations around - and everyone was fearful. Gideon was an ordinary young man from the tribe of Manasseh, which was one of the smallest tribes in Israel. Now the Bible also says Gideon comes from a poor and insignificant family. He's pretty much nobody. And so it makes sense that when we first meet Gideon, he’s actually hiding. | Suddenly, an angel appears and calls Gideon a “mighty warrior.” | Gideon is shocked—he feels like the wrong person for the job, even telling God, “Hold up! My family is the weakest, and I am the least in my family!” | But God promises, “I will be with you.”

Now Gideon still had doubts. He asked God for signs just to confirm and double confirm - so that he could make sure he could really trust Him. But you know what? God patiently answered every one of Gideon’s requests. Finally, even though he was afraid, Gideon obeyed God. He gathered his army, but God went yet one step further; made Gideon shrink the army down to just 300 people—way less than the Midianites had—so that it would be clear that victory would come from God, not from Gideon’s strength.

See, Gideon shows us that it's not always about feeling confident, strong or brave. In fact, most of the time, Gideon was scared, fearful! He definitely did not feel full of faith. But that's the thing about faith - it isn’t just a feeling. Gideon learned to put his confidence in a faithful God—One who keeps His promises and stands by us even when we feel like our faith is small.

So Faith Isn’t Just a Feeling—It’s Confidence in a Faithful God. Like Gideon, we don’t need to wait to feel “super spiritual” or super holy to start trusting God. Because it's not about us, it's about who we place our faith in. | When we’re feeling unsure or uncertain about our faith, we can remember:

our feelings can shift, but our God doesn’t. |

Main Point #2: Faith Isn’t always the Opposite of Doubt—Doubt sometimes leads to a deeper faith.

[2] For by it the people of old received their commendation. (Hebrews 11:2)

First of all, “people of old” (v.2) does not mean old people ah (let's just get that straight). They are those Old Testament faith heroes mentioned in the Hall of Faith - they weren’t superheroes though —they wrestled with doubts and failures like anyone else, but the Bible says that God still commended (praised) them for their faith. |

Just like Gideon. You know, Gideon took some time to believe God was for real. He asked, “If God is really with us, why are we in this mess in the first place?” Even after God assured Gideon, Gideon still asked God for a sign - not just once, but twice! If you wanted to be hard on Gideon, you could ask him, “Why didn’t you just believe God the first time!” But God used Gideon’s questions and doubt to reveal more of Himself to Gideon, and that build his trust. By the time Gideon led his tiny army into battle (with just 300 people!), his courage came from a confidence deep down that God was with him. His doubts became stepping stones that led to a stronger, braver faith.

Guys, having faith isn’t always about having zero doubts or questions. Sometimes, it’s just about being honest about what you don’t understand, and choosing to bring those questions to God.

Faith Isn’t always the Opposite of Doubt—Doubt sometimes leads to a deeper faith. |

Are you wrestling with doubt about whether God is the real deal? Let's not crash out on faith just because we’re having doubts. Because God can take our doubts - and use them to deepen our faith. Let's face those questions honestly. This is the place to ask them. Have those real conversations - with your leaders and your small groups. Because doubt can be a pathway to knowing Him more and building a stronger trust in Him! |

Main Point #3: Faith Isn’t a Blind Leap—It’s Clear-Eyed Trust Based on Who God Is

[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. (Hebrews 11:3)

Sometimes people will tell you, “aiya! dont need to study for exam lah, just have faith!” And then for Christianity.. “don't ask so many questions lah.. just believe bro” To them, maybe faith means choosing to believe in an impossible thing for no good reason - meaning you have to ignore evidence, give up on reason, and embrace a ridiculous fantasy that doesn't make any sense. That's not what I think faith in God is.

I think faith involves making a total commitment - yes - total trust and surrender - yes - but faith can be made for very good reasons, reasons we have carefully weighed and thought through. Hebrews 11:3 writes that we can trust in God because we understand that He was there at the very beginning. Because everything started with Him; He created the heavens and the earth, every law of science is designed by Him - if there's anyone that we can trust, it's God. |

Coming back to the story of Gideon - Even though he had his doubts and asked God for signs, he wasn’t just guessing or hoping things would magically work out. God kept showing Gideon that He was real and that His promises could be trusted. As Gideon watched God respond over and over, his confidence grew—not because he suddenly knew every detail of what was going to happen, but because he knew more about who God was.

When it was time to lead just 300 men into battle against a massive enemy army, Gideon's trust wasn’t a “blind leap”—he went forward because he was confident that a faithful God was with Him. That’s what clear-eyed faith looks like: not just randomly hoping in the dark, but entrusting your life to a God who’s given you reasons to rely on Him. |

Faith Isn’t a Blind Leap—It’s Clear-Eyed Trust Based on Who God Is. Are you wondering whether God is really worthy of our trust? Perhaps you're thinking if I believe in God, will he make sure that I'll get a good PSLE score, get into the school that I want, give me good friends? In other words, will He make my path clear and sure? Remember Gideon’s confidence came not from knowing every detail or circumstance, but because He knew who his God was. So, faith is us knowing God and trusting in His character - He is faithful, He is just and He is good. That's where we put our faith in - not the circumstances. |

You know, for this series, a couple of verses that we’re going to try to memorize together is Hebrews 12:1-2. This is really the heartbeat of this series.

Bridge to Hebrews 12:1–2:

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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2a)

Because others have walked the road of faith before us, we're not alone. We run our race by fixing our eyes on Jesus—not our own strength, not perfect faith, not our doubts—but on the One who started it and will finish it. |

Conclusion / Call to Action:

I want to close today's message with just one more faith story. He's not one of the faith heroes in Hebrews 11. In fact, he’s just like one of us. But he's placed his trust in a faithful God. Let's give it up for Mark.

…

Two years ago, Christianity was just a label I wore because my family did. I was a “Sunday Christian” chasing grades, friendships, and using God like a vending machine for blessings. My faith was borrowed, shallow, and convenient.

But in August 2024, everything changed. My NS checkup revealed that I had a tumor in my left lung. That shook me. I was frustrated and afraid, facing the possibility that I could lose between 10% to 25% of my lung capacity from the surgery. I fell into a dark season stretched for months.

But in December, I was unexpectedly asked to step up in leadership at BeTween Worship. Who? Me? No way. So, I told God, “This doesn’t make sense! I have not been Your best disciple… how can I possibly lead others to You?” Then the Lord told me this: “You can only lead others as far as you have gone.”

I knew then that that was God’s prompting for me to get back on my discipleship journey with Him.

In the next year, I took Lent seriously, joined a Bible study, enrolled in BMC, and even did my first mission trip, which I’ll share more about later! Bit by bit, God reshaped me—my thoughts, my words, my heart.

Then came 7 March: the surgery. Going into the operating theatre, I surrendered everything to Him. Though I was shivering on the operation table and doctors were injecting fluids into my veins, I still felt an unexplainable peace. And praise God, the tumor was successfully removed. Later, when the biopsy came back, God blessed me, and the tumor was benign!

Another story of faith I have is from my Medan mission trip! Our objective was to support the local ministry in organizing a youth camp for pre-believing and believing kids!

On the final night of camp, a girl, let’s call her Jane (not her real name), raised her hand during the altar call to accept Christ. It was a beautiful moment of breakthrough!

However, the night turned intense when another girl claimed she saw a ghost and was terrified – pale and shaken. My trip leader prayed with her and stayed by her side until she fell asleep…

Yet just when we thought things had calmed down, wild, hysterical shrieks erupted from another room. My trip leader rushed over and found that Jane, who just accepted Christ, now hollering uncontrollably. She was demon-possessed. The other youth were startled awake and were also frightened. No one slept that night. Fortunately, my trip leader, calm and steadfast, prayed over her throughout the night until the demon left her.

What was even more miraculous was that the next day, at the final altar call to full-time ministry, Jane raised her hand! All glory to God. As everyone started writing their prayer cards, I quietly closed my eyes to pray over them. And when I looked up, I saw the presence of God hovering above the congregation, in the form of a golden glowing mist… and from it, I felt the overwhelming power and holiness of God.

It was a night of warfare, yes—but it ended with nothing short of victory, for God was truly in our midst.

My faith isn’t just my family’s faith anymore. It’s mine. Not inherited, not cultural, but personal. Because I’ve seen the hand of God move in my life, and in the lives of those around me. And I have faith that God is One who readily accept His lost sheep and use our brokenness for His glory.

Thank you, Mark. | So that's the idea of this series - we’re going to hear many faith stories, some from the “people of old”, others we’re going to hear from ordinary Christians today - people like Mark, people like you and me. | We want to hear from these people that have gone before us, wrestled with their own questions and doubts, and yet have witnessed that they've trusted in a faithful God. |

So WHAT does it mean for me? Today, are you struggling with the Christian faith? The hall of faith calls us to press on. Continue running the race and fixing your eyes on a faithful God.

Because it’s really not about how full our faith feels—it’s always been about the faithful God whom we’ve put our trust in.

Can we respond together? Would you put away your sermon cards. Just allow yourself to have a moment with God.

Are some of you struggling with the Christian faith? Perhaps you’re wrestling with unanswered questions - God, why did you allow this suffering/injustice to happen? Are you even real, God? Where are you, God? - are some of you tempted to give up on faith all together? I'd like to pray with you..

Lord, sometimes I have questions and things about you or faith that I don’t understand. Even when I’m confused and struggling, please help me know you more and reveal yourself to me in new ways. Thank you that you’re not afraid of my doubts. Draw me close, help me to base my faith on who you are, guide me as I learn to trust you, even when things don’t always make sense. Amen.

Have some of you here been christian all your life. But it's always been mid for you - when you think about what's it mean to be Christian, like that lor.. just go to church, but it doesn't really impact your life in anyway. You don't feel any different in any big way. Perhaps your faith has never really been your own. I believe our God is inviting you to make this faith personal - my own - because He is a personal God. I want to lead you in this closing prayer. Let's pray.

Lord, I want my faith to be my own, not just something passed on by my parents or grandparents. Today I invite you into my heart in a new way and commit to following you for myself. Please give me your grace and strength to own my relationship with you, and help me walk with you everyday so that my faith is real, close and personal. Amen.