The Priceless Benefits of Your Enduring Faith (manuscript)

Title: “The Priceless Benefits of Your Enduring Faith”

Series: Christ-Centered Endurance

Text: Hebrews 11:1-3

Hebrews 11:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

What is the key word/phrase of the sermon?

Enduring faith

Have you ever experienced a tragic event…when you woke up the next morning you wondered if it was a nightmare or reality? What would you give for it to be nothing more than a bad dream? The benefits of making it go away would be priceless...

What is the goal of the sermon?

To compel the hearers to enjoy the priceless benefits of exercising an enduring faith.

Why is this goal necessary?

Because knowledge is not enough.

Daniel 12:4 “4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

Because of an increasing lack of heart and mind rest.

Matthew 11:29 “29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

Because we value far lesser things as greater than the benefits of an enduring faith.

Romans 1:23 “23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

How will you accomplish this goal?

We will accomplish the goal of compelling the hearers to enjoy the priceless benefits of exercising an enduring faith by pointing out what enduring faith is, does, and requires...

Theme:

Experience the priceless benefits of an enduring faith.

(1) What an enduring faith is Hebrews 11:1

“1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Explanation:

The writer of Hebrews presents what faith IS before he gives what faith DOES, and he presents two truths in particular: (1) Faith is substance and (2) Faith is evidence. These are two dimensions or aspects of faith - assurance of the future and conviction about the present.

The word used for substance means that it is the ground or confidence or assurance of things hoped for or anticipated. Faith is believing in what is yet to come.

Secondly, faith is the evidence. This word means proof or conviction. The idea here is that someone is fully convinced. Hence, faith is not only believing of what is coming in the future; but faith is being convinced of what is unseen.

Illustration: If my wife leave the house, I then have the opportunity to be assured of something that is hoped for. How? She will return in the future. My belief in her return based upon her word is assurance of what is hoped for.

Secondly, I have an opportunity to exercise faith in a present reality that is unseen. Though she is no longer in the house, I believe that she exists though I am presently not seeing her. [reverse this so that I am the one leaving and journeying back towards her…like the Hebrews who are pilgriming until faith becomes sight]

Thus, faith has this two-dimension reality — faith is expecting something to appear or happen in the future, and faith also believes in the reality of what it may not see presently.

Meaning:

In the context of the book, the writer is calling the original audience to believe in the promises of God, to be convinced of what is unseen because of the better Jesus.

Aspect #1 - Assurance of a future glory with Jesus. Hebrews 12:12.

Aspect #2 - Conviction of the present reality of Jesus. Hebrews 12:22-24.

Answer:

Enduring faith is belief in what is coming ahead and conviction about what is presently unseen.

Application:

Know Your Worldview. There are really only two ways to consider our lives and faith, in general. First, there are those who agree that everyone has to exercise some kind of faith — God, science, technology, government, opportunity....etc Second, there are those who are exercising faith but they are unwilling to admit it or unable to see that they are exercising it.

The writer understands what many of us intuitively know, “We are more than material bodies...” Hebrews 10:39 identifies the soul.

The question is, “What are you hoping for in the future?” and “What are you convinced of though you presently do not see it?”

Exercise Double Vision. You must keep your eyes of faith, as it were, on what is yet to come and what is presently real. How? The Holy Spirit by the word, prayer, and faithful brothers/sisters in Christ help our faith to see what is yet to come and what is presently real. I Corinthians 15:51-58.

Indeed faith about what is to come must lead us to consider faith in what is presently real. This should encourage our endurance.

Test your assurance. Does our assurance of salvation lead us to greater devotion to and for Christ or does it lead us to lazy complacency. This test will reveal our faith. If our faith is truly assured of Christ, then we will take the risk. If our faith is only casually assured or in word only, then we go about to assure ourselves through temporary pleasures/means.

Transition:

Faith is that assurance and that conviction…that is what faith is...

(2) What an enduring faith does Hebrews 11:2-3

“2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

Explanation:

The author presents faith as accomplishing two things: (1) commending and (2) understanding.

The phrase “obtained a good report” is one Greek word that means that these individuals won God’s approval. The word “understand” means to perceive. By faith, these individuals won God’s approval and gained meaningful understanding.

These two benefits are given a little description as well. Note: the elders obtained. These are historical figures who won God’s approval. These are individuals to whom we can look and confirm that this is a benefit of exercising faith. Example: Hebrews 13:7.

Secondly, note: 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 do appear.” The writer connects the existence of the material world to the invisible world — which we intuitively know exists. Romans 1:20.

Meaning:

These two benefits highlight two important components of the original audience. By speaking about commendation, the writer is addressing the desire to be accepted or approved. It is a matter of what the heart craves. It is the NEED FOR APPROVAL.

By speaking of perception or understanding, the writer is addressing the mind of the hearers. It is the NEED TO KNOW. Enduring faith has two priceless benefits to the hearers — it brings rest to the heart and understanding to the mind. These are the priceless benefits afforded to those who are exercising faith.

This means that there is no approval with God apart from faith and there is no increased understanding of our own existence, as well as that of all creation, apart from faith.

Illustration:

When a dog hears the approval of his master, he does not just hear it; it experiences it. This experience is real because the dogs ears go up, its’ tail wags, and it draws near the owner with excitement. To have the approval of his master reassures him emotionally. To have the approval of his master assures that his master will provide benefits even beyond the approval.

When a child sense that he has won the approval of his father, mother…when an employee has received the approval of a boss....

How much more should we consider that the approval of our Creator can be won — by the key of faith in Him. There is no greater approval to be won than the approval of God, and it is only attained by assurance of what is to come and conviction of a present reality.

Faith is the means whereby we experience the approval that Christ has secured, and faith is the means whereby we begin to make sense of the material existence.

Answer:

An enduring faith provides the benefits of God’s approval and meaningful understanding.

Application:

First, stop living for the approval of mankind — which shows that your faith is in man; and start experiencing the approval of God by faith.

Second, our lack of heart and mind rest is not due to the lack of knowledge as much as the exercise of faith. Part of our restlessness is that we have much knowledge but we rarely exercise faith.

When you are not exercising faith in God, you are doing so in something that has replaced God. This can only lead to unrest in your affections and in your mind.

Third, a material existence needs an explanation — an origin story. Consider the potential of an endless regress.

All that is seen either has an assumed cause or a calculated cause that leads to an assumed conclusion, both of which are an exercise of faith - cannot be another material or substantive things or you enter an endless regress of asking: “Then where did that substance come from?”

On the flip side, you do enter a regress with God and ask: “Well, where did God come from?” First, we must not equate this regress question to the other because God is invisible versus the materials that produces materials. He is not claiming to be a material Being who created other material.

Second, we should consider that regardless of what you decide, you still will have a faith choice.

Third, if this is all true; then, it means that no one really and completely lives by sight ONLY - they only think that they do. Some are unaware of the kind of faith they are exercising.

Transition:

Faith IS assurance of what is to come and conviction of what is unseen reality....

Faith wins the approval of God and gains for us meaningful understanding about the world...

(3) What an enduring faith requires

Explanation:

One of the dominating themes of the book of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ has been exalted to the right hand of the Father and that he has received the Name - the Son. Hebrews 1:3-4. Hebrews 2:9. Hebrews 4:14. Hebrews 5:5. Hebrews 8:1.

What then does this mean? It means certainly that Jesus has been enthroned, that He has been exalted, that He has authority; but it means that He has been approved by God, that He has obtained a good report.

How did Jesus do this? Woven throughout the passages of Jesus’ exaltation in Hebrews are scriptures which point to his sacrifice. Hebrews 9:11-12. He is not only the High priest, but He is the Lamb which was sacrificed. He gave his own blood.

Jesus, by faith, experienced the disapproval of God so that He might win God’s approval for us. The disapproval of God was the price Jesus endured for our sin.

Meaning:

This means that the only way to gain God’s approval is to either be all that Jesus is and do all that Jesus did exactly as Jesus did. Clearly, we must see the impossibility of this option.

Illustration:

Answer:

An enduring faith requires an ongoing response to Jesus Christ alone.

Application:

Have faith in the Approved One. This is why faith is necessary. We win the approval of God by faith in the Approved One alone. Acts 2:22, I Timothy 3:15-16.

We continue to experience the approval of God as we work from this approval. (as opposed to forgetfulness)

Approval of God comes only when we continue to work from the completed approval we have in Christ. This requires an assumption that we are prone to slip into working for approval rather than from approval.

We continue to experience the approval of God in heart and rest of mind by exercising faith in the Approved One — that is to say NOT merely having the knowledge. is not by faith that is object-less but by faith in the approved One.

Believe in Christ’s Intercession.X We must believe that Jesus is praying for the faith of his followers in deep struggle. Luke 22:31-32. (as opposed to feeling like we are alone in this struggle). What are the requests of Christ’s for his suffering followers? Is it not that our faith would not faith — that our faith in Him would be increasingly strengthened.

Recognize Divine Equipping. Know that the Holy Spirit is given so that we might experience the love of God and assurance of God’s approval.

Conclusion:

We can only imagine the kind of joy that we should have as Christians. It is a joy that is based on certainty about the future. It is a joy that is based on the certainty of the real unseen present. It is a joy based upon what faith IS.

It is a joy based on what faith DOES. It is a joy that is based on the priceless benefit of approval with God and the priceless benefit of meaningful understanding about our world.

Enjoy the priceless benefits of exercising an enduring faith.

RH Response Questions:

I would like to know more about the approval I can have with God because of Jesus Christ.

I would like to study more about what faith is and what faith does.

I need help trusting in Jesus more and more daily.

I am having trouble believing in the unseen realities.

Post-Sermon Discussion Questions:

If faith IS assurance of what is hoped for and conviction about what is unseen, why do we find it difficult to exercise faith?

What are the two priceless benefits of an enduring faith given to us in Hebrews 11:2-3? Which one do you appreciate the most and why?

Who is the Approved One, and how did He obtain that approval for us?

Why is it so difficult for us, as Christians, to know that we are approved of God in Jesus but to continue to experience that approval?

From the message in Hebrews 11:1-3, what should cause us joy?