Sermon - The Paradox Of Biblical Faith

Subject: The Paradox of Biblical Faith

Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:13-16 "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously, people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

Introduction: There is a faith that receives what it believes, and a faith that believes beyond what it receives. The bible reveals the paradoxical characteristics of faith. It describes faith as both certain yet mystical and obscure, a faith that is free yet requiring an obligation. There is faith that is reasonable, yet faith goes beyond our natural reasoning. Faith is an act, yet faith is also a process. Faith is a gift of God, yet faith requires our participation. This book of Hebrews is one of the keys to understanding the New Testament revelation of the salvation accomplished by God in Jesus Christ at Calvary. Jesus is revealed as a complete revelation of the Father, the express image of His glory, the captain of our salvation, the great high priest and apostle of our profession, the mediator of a new covenant and the author and finisher of our faith.

Hebrews 11 is the center piece of the book. Here we are introduced to the subject of true faith in God, the definition of faith, the power of faith, and the hall of fame of faith and the victories of faith. Hebrew 11:1 defines what faith is and does. Faith brings the assurance of things hoped for and is the proof of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:2-40 we have the fruit of faith and its effect in detail. We hear Abel's offering of faith, whose gift caused God to testify for him after he was dead. We have the account of Enoch's translation, the man who walk with God and was not. An impossible thing was made possible with God. All things are possible to him that can believe. Then we see Noah whose faith led him to believe God’s command and to build an ark which saved his family even though he had never seen rain; Abraham, the father of the faithful, who clung to the promises of God when impossibilities were all that he could see on life’s horizon; Moses, whose faith led him to seek the eternal treasures of heaven without looking back at the treasures of Egypt where he had been a prince! We are given the account of the great stories of the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of Jericho; we learned that God led His people into places where all they could do was look up... and see the Salvation of the Lord. And when they responded in faith, they saw God working mighty miracles on their behalf. I know that many of us this week have looked up to God for strength and guidance. The greatest evidence of a living faith is our ongoing communication with God. If we love God and trust Him, we will always go to Him in times of need.

1. All Faith does not end in triumph

Here in the verses of our text, we come to the paradox of faith. Faith really has two faces, one of triumphant and joy and the other of suffering and sorrow. In this text, we learn that there were people of great faith whose prayers for deliverance were not met with a spectacular miracle, but they believed beyond what they received. It’s easy to trust God when the sea is parting, when the walls of Jericho are falling, when cancers is being heal, lungs are being restored, when we hear the voice of God speaking clearly about our situation. But what about those days when God seems silent? What about those days when the burdens are heavy, the nights of prayer are long and some prayers seem to go unanswered. Though we feel alone and abandoned, these experiences are not new. You will find many examples in Scripture. Remember, Job was a perfect and upright man, yet during his trial of sickness and loss, he says….

Job 23:3-10 “Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hides himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knows the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”