Now faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen. (2) For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. (8) By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. and he went out, not knowing where he was going. (9) By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise (10) for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (11) By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. (12) Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude – innumerable as the sand is by the seashore.

We do not know the author of the letter to the Hebrews. It was written to Christian Jews who were in danger of renouncing Christ because of persecution and trials. The subject in our verses today is enduring faith. Chapter 11 is an explanation and illustration of faithfulness; a study of God’s promises and the reality of the unseen world. Verse 1 is not a definition of faith but a declaration of action and the power of faith – the assurance and settled conviction respecting things hoped for though unseen. What faith is NOT is; not positive thinking, not a hunch, not just hoping for the best. It is trusting God who has revealed Himself in Scripture.

The most important thing about faith is not faith itself BUT the object of faith. Sincere but misplaced faith leads to ruin. It must have as it’s object Jesus Christ. True faith endures and real faith perseveres – faith that does not persevere is not real faith. Spiritual truth and God’s promises are real whether we believe them or not. The spiritual world is more real than the passing physical world about us and we enter this world through faith. The Spirit of God shows us hidden things, the knowledge of which cannot reach our senses. The author writes of Old Testament characters to motivate Christian Jews; as patterns of faith to imitate to suffer for the indemonstrable. We are to follow the example of men of old – this is a direct warning to Hebrew Christians.

I first heard of c.s.Lewis from Stuart Briscoe who died this week after a long and faithful life. Lewis write “To have faith in Christ means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”