Faith , The Evidence Of Things Not Seen

We are visual people. We talk about our understanding of the world as we perceive it. We even use the phrase “how we see the world.” Yet, just about everything works around our "sight". How we "see" , "view", or "perceive".

As Christians, we may be blessed with five physical senses, and our sight is at the forefront of those senses, yet we’re called to understand the world not with our eyes, but with our hearts. Seeing past the eye means faith.

Confidence, trust, conviction, belief, and assurance, all mean the same thing....... Faith.

Confidence, expectation, anticipation, courage, optimism, and faith, all mean the same thing...... Hope.

There're only a few things that are more misunderstood than faith. Yet, few things are more important. AMEN

• Have you ever wondered about faith?

• Have you ever doubted you had faith?

• Have you ever wished you had more faith?

• Have you ever "thought" you had faith?

The Lord never leaves us, He never forsakes us and He’ll never fail us.

Hebrews 11:1 states: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

My message today is: Faith, the evidence of things not seen…

We all must have faith in our lives. We must be active in faith because faith works for us only, as we work our faith.

Faith requires doing, being, speaking, living, and loving God and others.

We as a people sometimes fail to realize just how discouragement, fear, and frustration are related to a faulty sense of hope. We fail to realize how that faulty sense of hope drives away our faith.

A person who hopes in God cannot be overwhelmed by the hurts from people, because they are not looking to people for their source of satisfaction. AMEN

When you read Hebrews 11:1 you may hear the following:

• “Faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

• “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

• “Faith is the foundation of things hoped for, it is the rebuke of things not seen.”

• “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" –

Regardless of how we translate it, regardless of how we interpret the structure of the words, the book of Hebrews is trying to make some very basic points about how we “see”.

Sometimes, we can get so caught up in looking for evidence for faith, that we forget that faith doesn’t require evidence – faith is the evidence, it is the very essence of our hope.

What I’d like do today is briefly talk about how we see the world, because how we see the world leads to how we will live in the world.

Consider these things:

• No one can live a single day ..... without exercising faith.

• When you went to the bathroom this morning ..... you flipped a light switch..... and you had faith ...... that it would work.

• When you got in your car...... you turned the key .....and had faith ..... that it would start.

• When the toils of life hold you down, you have faith that you will get back up.

The measure of our faith is NOT our "talk" ..... it is our "walk".

Faith is what we do. It is not what ......we say we will do.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that if you see only with your eyes, you’ll miss out on hope.

One of the mistakes we make in life is thinking that just because we can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. God may not choose to reveal himself through our eyes, but I do know that he calls us to grow up spiritually and learn to trust that he is still up there, and still in charge, even if we can’t see him with our eyes.

Hebrews 11:2 says: for by it the elders obtained a good report.

• The elders are our ancestors, our forefathers

• Their Good report was by witness, or an honorable testimony that was borne to them because of their faith.

Our elders had unwavering confidence in God, even in difficult circumstances

Hebrews 11:3 states: 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.

If you see with your ear, you might begin to hear the story behind what you see.

Sometimes our eyes cloud what a person is really saying. Sometimes our visual expectation of what should be, is lacking the true design, the true purpose.

We’re distracted by visual things, and therefore perceive that all hurt and pain is punishment.

But, God builds our faith by testing it. He builds our faith by putting it to the test, by trying it. Faith is like a muscle, and when it’s worked and stretched and pulled, it develops. When you test your muscles against weights then your muscles develop. And your faith develops as it is tested.