WHAT IS FAITH?
(INTRO) TIM KELLER: AN EXAMPLE OF FAITH (Me/We)
[1]WELCOME: Good morning Cornerstone! It’s good to be with you this morning. If you’re new with us on campus or joining us online, my name is Nic Cook. Thanks for choosing to worship with us today. We’re continuing our sermon series on a letter written to Christians that is called the book of Hebrews. We’ve called this…
SERIES: ANCHORED. The people this letter was written to were struggling. They were looking at their lives and their circumstances and were hurt, frustrated, and tired. They were thinking, if Jesus is real, then why hasn’t he done something about my circumstances. As I was prepping to write my sermon this week, I was thinking about people who are a great example of what it means to continue to run towards Jesus no matter how hard things get. It made me think about…[2]
· TIM KELLER: Now he’s probably not on most people’s list of heroes, but he’s on mine. He’s a pastor in New York City and he’s brilliant. I love his sermons because they are both rich in knowledge and wisdom, but ooze with love and relationship to Jesus. He’s read all the books and filled his head, but his heart is deeply enamored with his Savior. A Nerd and a Poet! Maybe now you can see why I think so highly of him. Well, in May of 2020, he found out that he has Pancreatic cancer. He talked about how coming face to face with the fact that he was going to die caused him to evaluate and grow in his faith. He said it’s one thing to counsel others on the hope of the resurrection when they’re facing death, it’s another to lean on it for himself in the same circumstances. He said “I felt like a surgeon who was suddenly on the operating table. Would I be able to take my own advice?” In an article he talks about how the resurrection had primarily been theoretical. He knew there was proof for it. But now he studied it even more because he needed to know it was true in a different way. He talked about throwing himself into praying to and experiencing the God of the psalms who is both “maddening in his complexity” yet tells him there’s hope and that I’m valuable to him. He must encourage himself and talk to his soul, “bless the Lord oh my soul, and forget not his benefits.” And finally, he must look at the costly love of Jesus. That the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is something he needs every day. [3]And he says, “and as I lay down in sleep and rose this morning only by your grace, keep me in the joyful, lively remembrance that whatever happens, I will someday know my final rising, because Jesus Christ lay down in death for me, and rose for my justification.” Tim Keller, even though I don’t know him personally has become a hero to many by [4]showing what it looks like to live life in the tension between what is hard and what is ultimately true. He’s an example of what faith looks like.
AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT FAITH LOOKS LIKE: The writer of Hebrews knew we would need ordinary, average people who could show us what it looked like to trust God and to obey him, even when the circumstances were hard or didn’t make sense. [5]So, he gives us a long list in Hebrews 11. So if you’ll open up your bibles…[Heb. 11:1-40] Let’s pray![6]
(TEACH/APP) RATIONAL, PERSONAL, FOUNDATIONAL (God)
[7]WHAT IS FAITH? As I was growing up, I was taught to answer the question “what is faith?” by saying, “it’s the assurance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.” Now, it was a handy way to get kids to memorize scripture, but I’m not sure how helpful it was. The reason for that is, Hebrews 11:1 is not a definition of what faith is. It’s an explanation of what faith does in us. So let me back up a moment and give a definition of faith then we’ll come back to Hebrews 11:1 and talk about what faith does. [8]FAITH= TRUST IN GOD + ACTING ON THAT TRUST. TO HAVE FAITH MEANS TO “TRUST” & “OBEY” Some of you may remember the old hymn, “trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” While I think trust trusting and obedience doesn’t always equal the worlds mushy standard of happy, the principal is the same. Faith means, I believe this about God, so I’ll live like it’s true! Trust & Obedience. [9]Now, when we go back to 11:1 we see that Faith gives us CONFIDENCE that even though we can’t see the future, we know God can be TRUSTED so we’re willing to OBEY him even if we don’t understand what we’re going through.
I want to acknowledge, that I am stealing from Tim Keller today. I read and studied this passage repeatedly on my own and in commentaries and listened to other sermons, but Keller’s description of what faith looks like is just the best I could find and simply couldn’t say it any better. So, it’s not stealing or plagiarism, if you cite your source! As we look at what it means to have faith in God, we first see that…[10]
· FAITH IS RATIONAL: The writer of Hebrews says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” [Heb. 11:1] That word conviction can also be translated as “validate through evidence”. There’s evidence that there is more to this life that what can be seen and observed. There’s enough evidence to be confident that God is real. Over the last 100 years, those who would like to consider themselves the intellectual elite have told us that there is no rational basis for believing in God. They’ve said it so often and so loudly that it’s just become taken for granted that it’s been proven. But just saying something loudly and repeatedly doesn’t make a lie true. Having faith and trusting in God is not believing fairy tales or wishful thinking. There are really two options. The first is to take the worldly view that this world is all there is. We are a product of chance and are a cosmic accident. Love is a chemical response, your brain is simply a lump of neurons, so your hopes and dreams are a fantasy to keep you occupied, and morality is simply evolutions way of making sure we don’t destroy each other. [11]However, C.S. Lewis says if all of life is simply a meaningless accident, “that by a series of hundredth chances it has (regrettably) produced things like ourselves - conscious beings who now know that their own consciousness is an accidental result of the whole meaningless process and is therefore itself meaningless, though to us (alas!) it feels significant.” He’s saying everything in us says, no love is real, music is meaningful, there’s purpose to life. And if you all you see is the seen world and nothing beyond, you’re either going to commit suicide, or try to have as much fun as possible before you cease to exist, but that will only help so much because you’re just trying to avoid a sense of meaninglessness. Or… you can look at this world, see it’s too complex to be an accident, see that love is more than chemicals, feel a sense of morality that’s more than keeping us from destroying each other, and a longing for the eternal that was placed in us that tells us we were meant for another world, that is not seen yet!Yes, it’s true that there are some Christians that never do the hard work of understanding why their faith can make sense. So, some Christians fall apart when their faith is tested because they haven’t done the work to see why it’s true. But if you want evidence, it’s there. However, intellectual faith will only get you so far. Our…[12]
· FAITH NEEDS TO BE PERSONAL: The writer of Hebrews mentions Noah being “warned” [11:7] and Abraham being “called” [11:8]. They didn’t just know things about God. They entered into a relationship with God. [11:5] Refers to a man named Enoch being “taken” by God. How amazing is that being so close to God that he says, you know what, I like hanging out with you so much? Instead of waiting for you to die, I’m just going to take you with me. Talk about a faith that was personal. They knew experientially that God was real and that he could be trusted. Not everyone’s experience is the same, but at some point our faith has to be more than just information about God. For some, this may be a profound event like in the life of the Apostle Paul. Some major event happens in your life and God shows up and makes himself known. It might come in a moment of clarity from a sermon, or during a song, or while out in nature, but God becomes real to you in a way that goes beyond words. For some of you, it may happen so gradually, that you don’t even notice, you just know that God is real and knowing him and working alongside him is the only thing that matters. [13-14]Again, my hero C.S. Lewis had been friends with thoughtful rational Christians for years, but didn’t want to believe, and simply found himself riding on a bus when he said “I became aware that I was holding something at bay, or shutting something out. Or, if you like, that I was wearing some stiff clothing, like corsets, or even a suit of armour, as if I were a lobster. I felt myself being, there and then, given a free choice. I could open the door or keep it shut; I could unbuckle the armour or keep it on. Neither choice was presented as a duty; no threat or promise was attached to either, though I knew that to open the door or to take off the corslet meant the incalculable. The choice appeared to be momentous, but it was also strangely unemotional. I was moved by no desires or fears. In a sense I was not moved by anything. I chose to open, to unbuckle, to loosen the rein. I say, ‘I chose’, yet it did not really seem possible to do the opposite.” It was a sense, Yes, God you’re real. I choose to open to you. Our faith is rational, but it must move from information we believe to a relationship we enter into and give our “FULL YES!” There’s no single way this happens, but at some point, God quits being something we say we believe in to becoming someone who we place our trust in and give our lives to knowing and living with. Our faith moves from rational, to personal to…[15]
· FAITH IS FOUNDATIONAL TO OUR LIVES: [Heb. 11:10] “For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” The writer of Hebrews points out person after person that entered into a relationship with God made him the center of their lives. God wasn’t an ingredient to mix a little of into their lives to feel better or live better. God wasn’t something to cram into an already jammed calendar on the weekend, once every three or four weeks. No, being in relationship with God become the primary focus of their lives. They quit living their lives for this world. Like Abraham, they said, okay I’ll leave everything behind and trust you. My security, my homeland, my family, I’m yours. Like Moses, I’ll give up being a ruler in the house of pharaoh with all its wealth and riches, and become your servant. Why? Because ultimately, this world will pass away! [16][1 Jn. 2:17] says “17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” It’s the law of entropy! The universe is winding down. It’s in decay. Everything you’ve ever built will crumble to dust and be forgotten. For example, when is the last time you thought about your great grandpa? We’ll all be forgotten by those behind us. I’ve done 4 funerals this month. It’s a powerful reminder that our time is limited. So, what are you going to spend it on? Things that will fail? Or pursuing a God who has laid the foundations for an eternal city that will last for eternity? To become a citizen of a world without end! To invite others to join you on your pilgrimage to our true country! Ultimately, true faith means trust in God that drives your everyday life. It is rational, personal, and foundational. I want to draw to very practical applications. The first is that…[17]
(JC) ENDURANCE AND CONFIDENCE (JC) []UNDERSCORE
FAITH DOESN’T GAURENTEE HEALTH AND PROSPERITY: There are lots of churches and pastors out there taking the heroes of our faith and saying, if you have faith just like Abraham then God will make your dreams come true. If you have faith like David, God will help you slay all your giants in your life. If you have faith like Moses, God will part all of your red seas and deal with your enemies. If you have faith like Joshua you’ll march around Jericho and God will give you victory in every area of your life. If you have faith like Daniel, God will deliver you from the dangerous pits, and faith like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and you’ll enter the fire but not get burned. And the truth is, the author of Hebrews is holding them up as examples of faith and how God did some amazing things in their lives. But Abraham never saw all the promises fulfilled. He was still a stranger in the land he was promised. Moses got through the red sea, but he never entered the promised land. Daniel didn’t get eaten by lions, but he was stuck in exile in Babylon. Having faith doesn’t guarantee us not experiencing pain or promise us prosperity in this life. But each of these heroes of the faith show us that…
FAITH GIVES US ENDURANCE AND LEADS TO ULTIMATE VICTORY: The primary message is that each of these people didn’t quit! They kept going. Sometimes God did amazing things like zip Enoch off into heaven without death. Yes, God can provide children to barren women. Yes, God can part seas and kill giants. Yes, God can heal the sick, and resurrect the dead! But what about the times when he doesn’t? This isn’t pie in the sky, wishful thinking. The author of Hebrews says, have faith in God and trust and obey him. He might do amazing powerful things in your life. Or your life might look like this. [18-19]“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two,[a] they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” [Heb. 11:35-38] You’re not going to see that verse on a Christian coffee mug! Sawed in two! #blessed! Yet, the author of Hebrews is saying, look at these heroes! They took the worst that the world could throw at them and they spit in the eye of death and said, my God is with me and for me! I’ll trust him even if it costs me my life! That’s William Wallace, Braveheart stuff right there! How in the world does one have that kind of faith? Verse 39-40 give us our hint! [20]
· FAITH LEADS TO ENDURANCE & CONFIDENCE: “39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”[Heb. 11:39-40] All these people trusted God but had less to go on than we do! We have a bigger, better picture of what God is capable of. In a few weeks we’re going to celebrate the resurrection. Only seeing the risen Jesus could have made the early church live the way it did! They watched as a perfect man was imprisoned, flogged, beaten, mocked, spit on, tortured, and crucified, then buried. And three days later Jesus rose again and said, is that the best you can do? Only knowing that Jesus was dead but is now alive, made the early church capable of enduring persecution. Every single one of the 12 disciples went to their deaths unafraid, because they had seen Jesus rise from the grave, and they believed his promise that he’d do the same for us. Hundreds of others saw the same thing. And they spread the news! [21]I want to quote Tim Keller again when he said… , “and as I lay down in sleep and rose this morning only by your grace, keep me in the joyful, lively remembrance that whatever happens, I will someday know my final rising, because Jesus Christ lay down in death for me, and rose for my justification.” A modern day hero of faith looking death in the eye and saying, you don’t win! I will rise just like Jesus did. So, I can deal with whatever you throw at me. I’m headed to my true country. I’m headed towards the city whose foundations are laid by God. I’m going to receive my reward that is better than anything that I’ll leave behind in this world. Jesus lives, so shall I! [22]
(NXT/INSP) SO NOW WHAT? (YOU/THE WORLD)
Now, for some of you, you’re fired up! Yes! I can do this! The resurrection gives me the hope I need to keep going! But for some of you, you’re going, I don’t have that kind of faith! I’m full of doubts. I’ve messed up too much! So let me say this, yes, these are impressive examples of faith. But many of them are also impressive examples of failure! I mean Samson is on this list! He was a violent brawler, a womanizer, a drunk, and as arrogant as could be. He ended up blind, imprisoned, and humiliated. Yet he trusted God with the last of his life and he’s held up as a hero! I don’t even have time to go into the other failures of Noah, Abraham, and David. This list gives us hope, that the failures, the abused, and the arrogant, can experience God’s powerful presence in their life. I take great comfort knowing that Jesus said, “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” [Matt. 17:20]
This much! Do you trust me this much? I can do amazing things in you. This much, and I can do amazing things through you. Will you make me the foundation of your life? Will you trust me with the small and the big things? Will you devote your life to knowing and following me? It may not be easy, but I will not let you down. I proved it by beating death! Trust me!
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TIME OF PRAYER:
• PRAY FOR: Knowing God’s presence. An area where you’re having a hard time trusting/obeying.
• BE PRAYED FOR: (raise hand to ask for prayer, or fill out connection card)
• PRAY FOR OTHERS: For those who have not committed to God, for those who are struggling.
• FIX YOUR EYES ON WHAT ENDURES: “For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (11:10)
