John McArthur in his book; "Reckless Faith" tells the this story: A few summers ago I drove across the country to deliver my son’s car to him. He was playing minor-league baseball in Florida and needed his car for local transportation. The cross-country trip fit perfectly with some previously scheduled ministry engagements on my calendar, so I took my assistant, Lance Quinn, and together we made the journey. As we drove through Lance’s home state of Arkansas, our route took us off the main highways and through some beautiful rural country. We topped one hill and I noticed near a very rustic house a homemade sign advertising hand-sewn quilts. I had hoped to stop somewhere along the way to buy an anniversary gift for my wife. She likes hand-made crafts and had been wanting a quilt. So we decided to stop and look.
We went to the door of the old house and knocked. A friendly woman with a dishtowel answered the door. When we told her we were interested in quilts, she swung the door open wide and ushered us in. She showed us into the living room, where she had several quilts on display.
The television set in the corner was on, tuned in to a religious broadcast. The woman’s husband was lounging in a recliner, half watching the program and half reading a religious magazine. Around the room were piles of religious books, religious literature, and religious videotapes. I recognized one or two of the books—resources from solid evangelical publishers. The woman left the room to get some more quilts to show us, so the man put aside his magazine and greeted us. “I was just catching up on some reading,” he said.
“Are you a believer?” I asked.
“A believer in what?” he asked, apparently startled that I would ask.
“A believer in Christ,” I said. “I noticed your books. Are you a Christian?”
“Well, sure,” he said, holding up the magazine he was reading. I recognized it as the publication of a well-known cult. I took a closer look at the stacks of material around the room. There were a few evangelical best-sellers, materials from several media ministries, a promotional magazine from a leading evangelical seminary, and even some helpful Bible-study aids. But mixed in with all that were stacks of The Watch Tower magazines published by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a copy of Dianetics (the book by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard), a Book of Mormon, some literature from the Franciscan brothers, and an incredible array of stuff from nearly every conceivable cult and “ism.” I watched as he jotted down the address of the television preacher who was at that moment offering some free literature.
“You read from quite an assortment of material,” I observed. “These all represent different beliefs. Do you accept any one of them?”
“I find there’s good in all of it,” he said. “I read it all and just look for the good.”
While this conversation was going on, the woman had come back with a stack of quilts and was ready to show them to us. The first quilt she laid out was a patchwork of all different sizes, colors, and prints of fabric scraps. I looked at it, trying to see some kind of pattern or design in it, but there was none. The color combinations even seemed to clash. The quilt itself was—well, ugly.
I described for her the kind of quilt I was looking for, and she pulled one out that was exactly what I wanted. Her price seemed reasonable, so I told her I would take it.
As she wrapped up my purchase, I couldn’t help looking again at that first quilt she had brought out from the back room. Frankly, it was the least attractive of all her quilts. But she was obviously quite proud of it, having labored over it for hours. It was evidently her personal favorite—and undoubtedly a genuine piece of folk art. But I couldn’t imagine anyone else being attracted to that particular quilt.
Her quilt, I thought, was a perfect metaphor for her husband’s religion. Taking bits and pieces from every conceivable source, he was putting together a patchwork faith. He thought of his religion as a thing of beauty, but in God’s eyes it was an abomination.
Our generation is exposed to more religious ideas than any people in history. Religious broadcasting and the print media bombard people with all kinds of deviant teachings that claim to be truth.
Our faith is based on a multiplicity of non-truths, biblical inaccuracies, error, opinions, feelings, and emotions that makes our faith unbalanced and wavering. If you look around in our modern day Christendom you will notice that many a believers are falling off and giving up their faith in Jesus Christ. Not only that but those of us you still come to church, sing in the choir, usher on the usher’s board, preach in the pulpit, lead devotional service, serve on the deacons board, and any other church function are hanging on by a thin thread that can break at any given moment.
Why is that? Why is it so easy for us to give up and not remain in the faith? Why do we lean to our own understanding rather than trusting God for guidance and leadership? With these questions and others, my answer is very simple yet perplexing all at the same. It’s because our faith is in need of increasing. Not increasing in spiritual experiences, doctrinal errors, and/or spiritual fantasies but increasing based on the Word and it says is and should be like.
Context:
Before we discuss chapter 11 of Hebrews, we need to take a moment to look at its context. Why would the unknown writer pen chapter 11 known as “the Heroes of Faith Chapter”. In the context of this thesis being written by an unknown author, many of the Jewish believers, having stepped out of Judaism in Christianity, want to reverse their course in order to escape persecution by their countrymen. The writer then exhorts them to “go on towards perfection”. So in chapter 6 verse 1, he says to them; “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God”.
His appeal is based on the superiority of Christ over the Judiac system. Christ is better than the angels, for they worship Him. He is better than Moses, for He created him. He is better than the Aaronic priesthood, for His sacrifice was once for all time. He is better than the law, for He mediates a better covenant. In short, there is more to be gained in Christ than to be lost in Judaism. These believers were ready to throw in the towel and turn back to what was easy.
And I’m afraid that some one in here today are in the same position as these Hebrew people. Due to the fact that you’re surrounded with the persecution that comes with being a believer you’re ready to through away the one thing that matters the most. You’re at risk of falling away from the faith. You’re at risk of going back to your old lifestyle of sinful pleasure. You have given up on the church, God, Jesus, pastoral leadership, and Christianity as a whole. Oh sure, you come to church weekend and week out, but you don’t believe anything is working out for your good.
Well, its you I want to the talk to, because I believe no matter what the situation, circumstance, or problem you’re facing, all is still not lost. Your faith has not failed yet it needs to be revitalized and revived because pressing on in Christ produces a tested faith that can stand the test of time. And chapter 11 verse 1 outlines for us 2 Characteristics of Faith:
If you’re going to have a faith that conquers anything, you need:
I. A FAITH WITH SUBSTANCE
Now the context of the writing this letter reveals to us that these believers are at the end of their rope with Christianity due to the increased persecution that they were facing by their countrymen. So, chapters 1-10 serve has a thesis paper so to speak for them. But, now in chapter 11 he makes a switch from being doctrinal to being more practical. And he starts chapter 11 verse 1 with “Now faith…” It’s as if the writer is looking at the audience to whom he’s writing and seeing their expression and demeanor, and says to them if what I’ve said for the last 10 chapters is not good enough for you then I can only boil it down to this one important element of the believer’s life you need to have faith.
See, my dear Christian brothers and sisters, coming to church is not enough. Singing in the choir is not enough. Preaching in the pulpit is not enough. Being a deacon is not enough. Being on the trustee board is not enough. Playing the instruments is not enough. Reading your bible is not enough. Praying daily is not enough. For in order to due all these things you need faith to believe that despite the problems of life you will not give up.
Here’s the problem, many of us have based our faith on the wrong the stuff. In John MacArthur’s book entitled “Reckless Faith” he says and agree with him wholeheartedly that the church today has lead the church in to a subjective faith. And that is a faith based on emotions and feelings. And so our sermons, programs, and ministries are centered on felt needs rather than doctrinal truth that produces stability, soundness, firmness, and foundation. Our faith has now more experiential that factual. The more experiences we have with God, then we feel we have the faith we need. But what I’ve learned is that if you base your faith on experience then you’re on your way to total disappointment because experiences change with the wind. And that might explain why many of us can’t handle the difficulties of life is because we go to and fro looking for an experience.
Lest I keep too long, here’s my working definition for faith as it relates to the text; Faith is the confident assurance that holds the believer together in all situations. More than having your emotional and felt needs met you need a faith that will hold you together when everything else around you is falling apart.
What is it that brings stability and balance to our faith?
A. You need a balanced intake of doctrinal truth - True unity is rooted in truth. Jesus prayed: “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.… For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one” (John 17:17–21, emphasis added). The unity for which He prayed is preceded by and grows out of sanctification in the truth. Fellowship that ignores or glosses over the crucial doctrines of the faith is not Christian unity; it is ungodly compromise.
As doctrine has been deemphasized, the church has moved from preaching the Word to other activities: drama, music, entertainment—things designed to evoke an emotional response rather than enlighten the mind. The charismatic movement has supplanted doctrine with experience. Psychology has elevated “felt” needs over real needs and behavioral theory over revealed truth. All this has accelerated the move away from doctrine and focused the pulpit message on everything but the objective truth of Scripture. Preachers have become comedians, storytellers, therapists, showmen, and entertainers rather than powerful envoys of divine truth.
It was Paul who said to the Romans in Romans chapter 10; “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
B. You need a balanced involvement in difficult times - 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” - 1 Peter 1:6-7
C. You need a balanced inquiry in diverse situations – Ephesians 3:12 says; “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
Bottom line: You need a faith that will hold you together no matter the situations of life.
II. FAITH IS EVIDENCE
Here’s my working definition: Faith is the confident assurance that reveals the testimony of a believer of unseen promises to an unbelieving world. In other words, it is our faith that is proof that God is at work in our lives even though we and others can’t see it. The text says; “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”.
