Hebrews 11:1-3

English Standard Version: 1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3By 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.

Amplified Bible: Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

Think about this verse and let it soak in. What is faith? 

  • Faith is the assurance/confirmation/certainty
  • Of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed)
    • By God’s righteous, faithful, true & loving character 
    • His Word (truth and promises that He always keeps)  
    • the word who became flesh, his son Jesus Christ (fully God, fully man) who led a perfect, obedient life of faithfulness to God. He was without sin.
    • Jesus Christ, God the son, who laid down his rights in order to live as a man, obey God the Father to the point of laying his life down to provide the perfect sacrifice that God required as payment in full for all our sins.
    • Jesus Christ died and rose again to restore our broken relationship with the Father. He conquered sin and death through his death and resurrection and provided us the opportunity for redemption and eternal life through a restored relationship with the Father through Him. We are redeemed by His blood and we our made new as His beloved adopted children. (Eph 1)
    • We are given the Holy Spirit to remind us of the Father and everything Jesus taught us. He is our counselor and seal of our guaranteed inheritance of eternal life (John 14, John 16, Eph 1)
    • ETERNAL LIFE!!! NOW ON EARTH, AS WE EXPERIENCE CHRIST THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVING AND WORKING IN US, AND FOREVER WHEN WE ARE IN HEAVEN JOYOUSLY WORSHIPPING AND CELEBRATING HIS RULE AS THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD of LORDS.
  • And the conviction/evidence of things not seen (Romans 1:20, John 3, Revelation 21-22)
  • The rest of Hebrews 11 is known as the Hall of Faith – men in the OT who were broken and flawed, yet lived by faith in what God had promised even though they did not get to see the fulfillment of it during their life. 
  • The fulfillment came in Jesus Christ in (Luke 24:44) Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
  • In light of all this we now focus our faith in Christ as in Romans 12:1-3: 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 
  • KEEP THE FAITH MEN!