Faith — The Greatest Power In The World
Hebrews 11:1-3
INTRODUCTION
Politicians run for it. Armies fight for it. Business people try to buy it. Scientists examine it. Hydro companies harness it.
Everyone wants it.
What is, IT?
IT, is Power.
I am told that the greatest power in the universe is a molecule so small and moves so fast it can actually move through solid objects. That it cannot be seen with the most powerful nuclear telescope. It is so small and runs so fast it is believed to be the element which holds the universe together.
But the greatest power in the world is not a molecule, neutron or atom. This power cannot be bought, sold, harnessed or put under a microscope and dissected.
No, the greatest power in the world is FAITH.
Everyone has faith.
A pastor put it this way: "Faith is the heart of life. You go to a doctor whose name you can’t pronounce. He gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen. He gives you medication you do not understand --- and yet, you take it." Now, that is living by Faith!
Faith is a common denominator for us all. Every one alive daily expresses faith in something. No one can live a single day without exercising faith .
When you woke up this morning and went into the bathroom you flipped a light switch and you had faith that it would work. When you get in your car you have faith that it will start and get you to work in the morning. When you mail a letter you have faith the postal system will get it to the right address.( ok, that one might be stretching it)
Every time you walk into this building or any building you are expressing faith in the architect and the workmen.
Each of us regardless of our backgrounds or educations, our social status or our talents can express faith.
The difference between the faith we exercise in our daily routine and our religious faith is the object of that faith.
Again everyone places their faith in something or someone. The Moslem puts his faith in the Koran and in Mohammed. The humanist put his faith in himself. The religious person, in his own good works.
None of these can save, because in each case the object of faith is wrong. Your faith is only as good as the object in which you place your faith. The Bible insists that we personally put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 says,
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Listen to the promises which the believer can claim when you choose to place your trust in Almighty God.
God’s presence -- "I will never leave thee" (Heb. 13:5)
God’s protection -- "I am thy shield" (Gen. 15:1)
God’s power -- "I will strengthen thee" (Isa. 41:10)
God’s provision -- "I will help thee" (Isa. 41:10)
God’s leading -- "And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them" (John 10:4)
God’s purposes -- "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil" (Jer. 20:11)
God’s rest -- "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28)
God’s cleansing -- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)
God’s goodness -- "No good thing will He withhold from them that work uprightly" (Psalm 84:11)
God’s faithfulness -- "The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake" (1 Sam. 12:22)
God’s guidance -- "The meek will He guide" (Psalm 25:9)
God’s wise plan -- "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28)
FOR THE CHRISTIAN, OUR FAITH IS A LIVING FAITH BASED IN A REALTIONSHIP WITH A LIVING GOD
Hebrews 11 is called “The Faith Chapter.” In it, the writer explains what faith is and how it is lived out. Over the next few weeks we will discover as we learn from the lives of some very ordinary men and women what it means to live by faith.
When people talk about faith, they speak of something that they can own or possess. As if it is something that can be bought or earned.
Some suggest that faith is a static thing that you either have or you don’t have.
When the Bible talks about faith, it is referred to as an action as opposed to something we \have’
In other words faith is a quality that is exhibited. We are called to walk by faith, to live by faith, to pray in faith believing, to grow in our faith..
The word faith occurs more often in Hebrews than any other book in the New Testament. In chapter 11 it is mentioned 24 times alone. It is the ACTIVITY of faith, however, rather than faith as a statement of doctrineal beliefs, that is emphasized here.
BUT WHAT PRECISELY IS FAITH
To understand what faith is we must get past certain misconceptions about faith. Let’s take a few minutes to look at what Biblical Faith is NOT:
For one thing: Faith is NOT a blind leap in the dark. Some people think you have to put your brain in neutral to believe in God. The fact is, believing there is NO God requires an unreasonable kind of faith.
If atheists, agnostics, or secular humanists put their faith into words, it might sound like this: By faith, we believe that the universe evolved from mindless matter, so that order accidentally emerged from chaos.
Of course, they are hard-pressed to find any evidence for this statement of faith. Science consistently shows that order does not grow from chaos and that design points to a designer.
I don’t know about you, but I find Hebrews 11:3 much more plausible: 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Christian faith is compatible with logic and reason. It is based on historical evidence. It is supported by the Biblical record, by personal testimony, and by our own experiences.
Another misconception is faith that we can make God do anything we want.
But Biblical faith is NOT the ability to manipulate God. It is not blind faith or positive thinking. Some Christians think Faith is a kind of magic formula. You pray the right words, the right way with the right faith, and BAM, God says BINGO you got it right, what do you want?
Faith is not a formula where you pray the right prayers, say the right words and God is somehow obligated to answer.
That is not faith, it is presumption. It is the presumption that if I can be bold enough, strong enough, good enough God will notice and answer me. That kind of faith won’t outlast the first major disappointment. When a loved one is not healed or a promotion doesn’t come through or unforeseen tragedy strikes, false faith will crumble. Biblical faith does not believe that God will do what WE say. Biblical Faith knows that God will do what HE says. By faith, we rest on the promises of God --- no matter what happens.
Another common misconception is that Faith means knowing all the right facts and learning all the right rules.
But biblical Faith is NOT adherence to a list of doctrines. I believe in doctrine and theology. But the most doctrinally sound people in Jesus day were the Pharasees, and yet for most of them Jesus said he could do no miracles among them because of their lack of faith.
Biblical Faith is a relationship with a personal God. In the Old Testament, God is often referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus taught his disciples to prayer, Our FATHER who is in heaven…
Living by faith stems from a living relationship with a living Almighty God who wants us to enter into a relationship with Him that impacts our very lives for all eternity.
When all is said and done, the simplest description of faith that best summarizes the Biblical position is
True Bible faith is confident obedience to God’s Word in spite of circumstances and consequences.
Read that last sentence again and let it soak into your mind and heart.
This faith operates quite simply. God speaks and we hear His Word. We trust His Word and act on it no matter what the circumstances are or what the consequences may be.
The circumstances may be impossible, and the consequences frightening and unknown; but we obey God’s Word just the same and believe Him to do what is right and what is best.
The unsaved world does not understand true Bible faith, probably because as one theiologion has observed, it sees so little faith in action in the church today.
The world fails to realize that faith is only as good as its object, and the object of our faith is God who never fails. Faith is not some “feeling” that we manufacture. It is our total response to what God has revealed of Himself in His Word.
Or as Leon Morris writes, ‘Faith is trust in God that enables the believer to press on steadfastly whatever the future holds for him ( her)
How does this look in your everyday life? What does living by faith enable you to do?
I. Walking In Faith enables you to Believe When you Don’t See It
Dr. J. Oswald Sanders put it perfectly: “Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen.”
Three words in Heb_11:1-3 summarize what true Bible faith is: The KJV uses the words substance, evidence, and witness.
The word translated “substance” means literally “to stand under, to support.” Faith is to a Christian what a foundation is to a house: it gives confidence and assurance that he will stand. So you might say, “Faith is the confidence or assurance of things hoped for.”
When a believer has faith, it is God’s way of giving him confidence and assurance that what is promised will be experienced.
The word evidence simply means “conviction.” This is the inward conviction from God that what He has promised, He will perform. The presence of God-given faith in one’s heart is conviction enough that He will keep His Word.
This is why a believer, torn by grief can still stand at the graveside of a loved one, and cry on the outside but be bolstered by a supernatural conviction that this is not the end. There will be a time of reunion at the rapture.
Witness (kjv, “obtained a good report”) is an important word in Heb_11:1-40. It occurs not only in Heb_11:2, but twice in Heb_11:4, once in Heb_11:5, and once in Heb_11:39. The summary in Heb_12:1 calls this list of men and women “so great a cloud of witnesses.” They are witnesses to us because God witnessed to them. In each example cited, God gave witness to that person’s faith. This witness was His divine approval on their lives and ministries.
The world laughs when men and women step out by faith, but God is with them and enables them to succeed to His glory.
II. Walking In Faith enables you to Obey When you Don’t Understand It
(Hebrews 11:8) Abraham is a classic example of obeying when he didn’t understand. He was about 75 years old, and God asked him to give up all his security – right at an age when Abraham should have been getting Social Security!
God said, I want you to leave. Pick up everything and get ready for the greatest adventure of your life.
The scary part of it is God gave Abraham no details. Abraham says, "Where are we going?"
God says, You’ve never heard of it.
"How long is it going to take?"
You’ll find out.
"How will I know when I get there?"
I’ll let you know!
Sometimes God will tell you to do something , and you’ll think, "There’s no way this is going to work!" Yet, God says, Do it!
And guess what? It works!" And who gets the glory? God does.
III. Walking In Faith enables you to Give When you Don’t Have It
"By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings" (Hebrews 11:4, NIV)
This truth is most seen in two areas that are connected, worship and tithes.
There are times when life’s struggles make it difficult almost impossible to give worship or our tithes. That is when you need to deliberately set aside your feelings and call out to God and offer the sacrifice of praise.
We are commanded in Hebrews 13:15, Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
It is easy to complain and find fault with the church. It is easy to give into circumstances. But it takes supernatural faith to set you feelings aside, and choose to offer God the praise HE deserves inspite of how you feel.
IV. Walking In Faith enables you to Persist When you Don’t Feel Like It
"How do you develop persistence? How do you develop the kind of persistence that keeps you in a position when God has put you there, when every bone in your body says, "Quit!" Where do you get that kind of persistence?"
Let’s look at Moses:
"By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:27, KJV)
"Notice the key to persistence is that last phrase – he could see the invisible. Only as we see the invisible can we accomplish the impossible. The key to persistence is to keep your eyes on God. Keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ.
[A certain boss was talking to his employee about selling their products and he said,
"The main thing to remember is that repetition is the key. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. If you have a product to sell, keeping harping on it in every possible way and at every possible chance. Cram it down people’s throats if you have to...make yourself sickening, if need be...but don’t forget to repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. It’s the only way to get results."
The employee said, "Yes, sir!"
Boss: "And now, what was it that you came in to see me about?" The employee replied, "A raise in salary! A raise! A raise! A raise! A raise!"]
Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams that He will not stand by us.” — Oswald Chambers
V. Walking In Faith enables you to give Thanks Before you Receive It
A good illustration for this is Joshua. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days. Jericho was the most fortified city in the world at that time. God said, "There’s no way a bunch of slaves are going to take this thing, but here’s what I want you to do: March around the city seven times a day for seven days and then I’ll cause a miracle."
What were they doing seven times a day for seven days? Thanking God in advance. Praising God in advance.
Faith doesn’t mean you believe God can do something. He can do it whether you believe it or not.
Faith doesn’t mean believing He will do something. That’s hope. You hope He will.
Faith is believing He’s doing it! That He’s already doing it. That the answer is already on the way.
(Mark 11:24) "When you pray believe that you have received it and then you’ll be given what you’ve asked for."
Don’t beg. Just thank God in advance.
VI. Walking In Faith enables you to Trust God even If you Don’t Get It
"Walking in faith does not exempt you from problems. We all know that from personal experience.’
" These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,
since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.." (Hebrews 11:39-40, NIV)
"Anybody can trust God in life when things are going great. Big deal!
Real faith is developed in the valleys of life, when the situation looks impossible, when the people look hopeless, when the tide has turned against you, and when you’re tempted to ask yourself, "Why is this happening to me?"
This is a test!
Faith is trusting that if you don’t get it, God has a better idea -- a far, far better idea. In Abraham’s case, it took God five more years to reveal the better idea, but He did. And don’t you think there were some real questions during those five years?
Faith is trusting even if you don’t get it.
Conclusion:
Listen to these sobering words in verse 6 " 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."
Without faith it is impossible to please God—Hebrews 11:6—man cannot operate in the natural realm to please God, but must move into the supernatural realm of faith. Faith is not seeing but still believing. It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.
Do you want to know what the greatest hinderances to faith is?
FEAR
Fear of Gods denial. Fear of embarrassment. But the cure to fear, is actually faith itself.
E.stanley Jones gave some wonderful advice regarding faith and fear.
I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath--these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely--these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, "We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact." But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality. (Dr. E. Stanley Jones.)
So in closing ask yourself,
Am I walking by faith?
Am I believing when I don’t see it?
obeying when I don’t understand it?
giving when I don’t have it?
persisting when I don’t feel like it?
thanking before I receive it?
trusting if I don’t get it?
Or, am I allowing the pressures of life, work, and the world to hinder my obedience and thus not walking by faith?
