Psalm 50:1–8, 22–23 • Isaiah 1:1, 10–20 • Hebrews 11:1–3, 8–16 • Luke 12:32–40

This week’s theme is faithfulness of heart. In our call to worship psalm, we see a theme of what constitutes an acceptable sacrifice to God. Our Old Testament reading in Isaiah recounts God’s confrontation with Israel, declaring that their sacrifices are worthless if not accompanied by a return to right doing marked by justice. In our reading from Hebrews, we are given a definition of faith along with some great examples of faith from Israel’s history. In the Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus lays out the truth that what we treasure reflects our hearts.

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Results of Faith

Hebrews 11:1–3, 8–16 ESV

Last week’s sermon gave us the opportunity to talk about the pattern in Scripture involving indicatives and imperatives. [It’s a good idea to give the explanation from the Proper 13 sermon again.] A simpler way to remember it is the pattern of promises and commands. In short, we discussed how anytime you see a command (imperative) in Scripture you also see a corresponding promise or reality (indicative) that command rests on. In other words, there are no arbitrary commands or commands without a reason given to us by God. They are all supported by something real, a promise you can trust. In this way, we can be enabled and empowered to keep God’s commandments, because we know they come from a place we can trust.

I revisit this dynamic because today we move out of the letter to the Colossians and into the letter of Hebrews. Only we do so near the letter’s conclusion. We will pick up at chapter 11, skipping over 10 noteworthy chapters — these 10 chapters provide the indicatives of the entire book. The author of Hebrews has been building up his claim of the all-sufficiency of Christ for the purposes of feeding the faith of the recipients of his letter. The letter is most likely written to Jewish Christians who have undergone persecutions but are drifting away from God for a variety of reasons.

It seems that over time they became stagnate in their understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done for them. This has led to a deterioration of their trust and dependence solely on the Lord. As a result, they were being tempted to add things to their faith which would result in making Christ secondary or even turning from Jesus altogether. They were on a slippery slope. So, the author’s response is to remind them once again of who Jesus is and what he has done for them, to build up their trust in him once again. He does much of this in the first 10 chapters by displaying Christ as the Son of God as well as the Son of Man. He also gives some warnings about the dangers that come from unbelief and then spends roughly 5 chapters exploring the sufficiency and power of Jesus as our High Priest. All of this lays the ground work for our passage today.

Here the author will refer to some Old Testament examples of faith to remind and encourage his readers to return to the faith they once had. He is seeking to rebuild their faith by reminding them of God’s faithfulness to those who went before them. So, we can see the first 10 chapters of Hebrews lay down the indicatives, the promise and reality that exist on the basis of who Jesus is and what he has done.

Now, beginning in chapter 11, we get an implied imperative to place our trust once again in Jesus. That’s the indicative/imperative or promise/command dynamic played out over the entire letter. In short, God is faithful to us in Jesus Christ. That’s the indicative. Therefore, put your faith, or trust, in him. That’s the imperative.

The fact that we have this letter in our Bibles should tell us that we too need constant reminders of who Jesus is and what he has done. The Bible is indispensable to this end. It is God’s word to us that he is faithful and can be trusted. Each Sunday in our worship we are reminded of this as we focus on God’s word to us, in the songs we sing, the prayers we pray, the scriptures we read, the sermons we hear, and the sacraments we participate in. Today will be no different. We will now look at the passage that flows out of 10 chapters of reminders that Jesus is to be trusted above all. The author will begin by giving us a memorable definition of faith.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Hebrews 11:1–3 ESV

The author wants to establish what faith is in case anyone has a wrong understanding of it. I think this is an important clarification that needs revisiting in our day as well. Thanks to some of the messaging that comes from our culture, faith or belief often gets reduced to some type of inner determination to believe in ourselves to the point that we can do anything we set our minds to. This idea is clearly seen in the popular song, “I Believe I Can Fly.” Here is a sample of the lyrics that indicate the kind of “faith” that has been popularized in our day and time:

If I can see it
Then I can do it
If I just believe it
There’s nothing to it
I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky

This is not an example of what is meant by Christian faith. This is just raw self-determinism. Unless the singer is a bird, no amount of belief in flying is going to enable him to “touch the sky.” What’s missing is a real indicative, or reality. So, let’s look at the definition of faith we have in our passage and compare.

Notice that faith is the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Unlike the lyric, “If I can see it, then I can do it,” this definition does not need sight for accomplishment. The difference is the object of faith. Instead of self-determinism, or believing in ourselves, Christian faith is, well, trusting in Christ. Hence it is a Christian faith. It is not faith in and of itself that is important. It is what that faith is placed in. Perhaps it is clearer if we substitute the word “trust” for the word “faith” or “belief.” That is the essence of faith. It is a trust in something. Christian faith is simply a trust in the God who is revealed in Jesus Christ. Unlike popular notions, belief is not a trust in ourselves, but a trust in one who is far more trustworthy.

That is why the author of Hebrews spends so much time reminding us of who Jesus is. If our trust in Jesus is going to grow, we need to be reminded that he is trustworthy. According to the author’s definition of faith, we have “assurance” and “conviction” of things we hope for and even things we do not yet see. Why is that? Because our trust is in a God who keeps his promises to us. Even when we cannot yet see the promise fulfilled, we have a sure hope because we know who God is, and we know he never fails in keeping his word to us. And we can know that because he has kept his word in Jesus Christ, a word that will never be taken away.

After the author defines faith for us, he then introduces his main point, namely, “people of old.” And he lets us know that these people of old are commended for placing their faith in God. And that is what we can come to understand as well. When we put our trust in Jesus, we will not be disappointed. Jesus is trustworthy and he will always come through. Even when we don’t fully see it or experience it, we know, on the basis of who Jesus is and what he has already done for us, that he will keep his promises. Looking at examples of others in the past where this has occurred can encourage us to remain faithful, to not doubt the one in whom we trust. As we continue, we will also note three things that a faith, or trust in Jesus will bring about. The first one is noted here in verse 3: understanding.

By faith we understand

The author notes that it is by faith we come to “understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Without getting into the topic of creation, what is apparent is that understanding follows faith, not the other way around. Often, we may think that we just need more understanding before we can have faith. But in reality, we must start with faith before we can have true understanding.

This is especially true as it relates to Christian faith because we are dealing with a relationship. Our faith is in a personal God. So, if we are going to understand anything about this personal God who is completely different from us, we must first trust what this God says to us about himself. We will have to trust his word to us. So, we are left to trust Jesus, God’s Word to us, if we are to grow in our understanding of him.

As a parallel, we may think of a marriage relationship. If a man is ever going to understand a woman, or vice-versa, that person must first trust the one they are trying to understand. If he doesn’t trust his wife, then he is not going to understand her even if she tells him plainly what she is thinking. This is true of all relationships that require us to receive from another a disclosure of who they are. Without trust, there will never be proper understanding.

A second result of Christian faith emerges from the next section.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. Hebrews 11:8–12 ESV

By faith we obey

Now the author describes some of Israel’s great examples of faith, and he starts at the very beginning with Abraham. What we see in this first example is that faith leads to obedience. The apostle Paul often refers to this as the “obedience of faith.” Again, this makes sense when we think in terms of the relationship we have with a personal God. Our obedience flows out of a trust we have in him. We typically will not obey someone we don’t trust. Or, at least not in sincerity. We may obey out of fear of punishment or out of coercion, but not out of trust.

If you are walking with someone you trust, someone that you know is for you and loves you, and they bark out a command to “Don’t move,” you are more likely to stop walking. This is because you know that this person is probably trying to protect you from something you don’t see, like a snake in your path. But what if that person has always played the trickster in your life, pranking you and making fun of you by getting you to fall for some set-up? If that person said, “Don’t move,” you may keep walking, because your experience says it is probably best to ignore such commands from such a person. They are probably just setting you up for another laugh. That is the nature of faith and obedience.

We see this played out in Abraham’s life. Abraham was given a promise, and over time God had proven to Abraham that he was trustworthy. God walked with Abraham in such a way over time to help him see who he was. He revealed to Abraham that he was not like all the pagan gods that could not be trusted and were only obeyed out of fear of retribution. The God of Abraham was a God who grew Abraham’s trust by being trustworthy to him. God revealed that he was faithful, and as a result, Abraham grew in obedience, even to the point of obeying when he did not know “where he was going.” That’s the obedience of faith. He was trusting in the faithfulness of God, not in his own knowledge or what he could see and understand.

A third result of Christian faith is displayed in verse 9.

By faith we go

The author recounts that it was faith that got Abraham to go “live in the land of promise.” Faith gets us moving. Or I should say, it is the God in whom we trust that gets us moving. This “going” is connecting to obeying but it shows that faith in God is not a passive activity. It is accompanied by motion, by action. God’s faithfulness gives us the freedom to move into the promises he has for us. We too, like Abraham, are called to “live in the land of promise.” Our lives are to reflect those who seek and pursue the promises of God. He is faithful, so we can boldly move into where he is leading, knowing that he intends to bless us. He never leads us to a place that is not for our good. He is faithful to his promises to us, promises for our good, not our harm.

But living in the land of promise doesn’t mean everything will be easy or even enjoyable. As the example of Abraham shows, he had to live “as in a foreign land” with those who were trusting the same promises. They knew that where the Lord was leading was bigger than the actual territory of Canaan. They trusted that what this God was doing in their “going” would lead to a place beyond any human accomplishment. God was the “foundation” and “designer” of their destination.

One final result of Christian faith can be seen in this section.

By faith we receive

The author now includes Sarah as an example of faith along with Abraham. In this example, we are told that it was faith in the one she considered faithful that enabled her to receive “power to conceive.” And this against all odds. Again, when we understand that faith is putting our trust in another, then we can see how faith leads to the ability to “receive.” It is difficult to receive from someone that we don’t trust. Even when it appears they are trying to give us something good.

Have you had someone you didn’t trust offer to do you a favor? You probably have a hard time receiving such a favor from them. Maybe you know it might be used to obligate you to something in the future or be held over your head as a tool of manipulation in some way. Even good things are hard to receive if we do not trust the one offering the gift.

But Sarah helps us see that when God gives us a promise, we can trust him. Even if the promise looks impossible by human standards. But instead of trusting ourselves, we can trust in the one who stands beyond all human limitations. And as we see in this example, Sarah receiving from the Lord amounted to not just a blessing for her, but a blessing for “as many as the stars of heaven.” When God promises us a blessings, we can also trust it will be a blessing for all.

Now the author is going to conclude this section with a larger perspective.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:13–16 ESV

The author just told us how Sarah “received power to conceive,” and now he is saying that they died without “having received the things promised.” Is this a contradiction? The author clarifies that those who are living in faith, trusting in God, “are seeking a homeland.” They acknowledged “that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” In other words, there were promises that were fulfilled and experienced in the earthly life. But they understood that even those promises kept were signs of the greater promise that God would bring them to their true heavenly home. The author wants us to understand that this is not our final home. When we are tempted to set our eyes on “that land from which [we] had gone out,” we will be tempted to turn from Christ and return to other “homes” that do not offer the granting of the ultimate promise held out to us in Jesus Christ.

Even the good things and blessings we receive in this life are only signs and reminders that God has far more in mind for us, far more than we can receive here and now. But we can live in trust, knowing that we will not be disappointed that we put our full trust in him in everything. Everything else will eventually let us down. We too will close our eyes one day “not having received the things promised,” but having our hands open to receive all the Lord has for us when we arrive at the home “he has prepared for us.”

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