Hebrews Study – Lesson 12
As we start chapter 11 of this book, it is good to acknowledge that this is where most begin their study of the book of Hebrews. For some reason we are drawn to success. So, we often begin here in chapter 11. However, Living by FAITH is the payoff of the relationship developed over time with Christ. We are inspired by the accounts that are written in this chapter. We say “I want to be like them. I want to do things like the things that they did.” But, this chapter comes after 10 chapters of Instruction. Trying to apply Hebrews 11 and expecting to drive “The faith machine” without the background of the first 10 chapters is like attempting to drive a high powered machine on the expressway in heavy traffic having had no driving instruction at all. Or, it is like setting out on a sailing excursion to another continent having never sailed before. You may survive it, but it is unlikely. On the journey of faith, we quite frequently do not reach our intended destination. This is a world full of uncertainty and there are many dangers and snares. It is not a journey for the unskilled or novice. And yet, God has called us here. This is why the writer of the Hebrews has set down a foundation before getting here. Faith and our travels in this world are serious business.
The first 10 chapters of the book of Hebrews is all about a relationship, a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. It is not about mere thought and concepts or logic or man’s clever devises and techniques to obtain what we want. Before coming to Christ we do not know Him. Unfortunately, after coming to Christ we do not know Him well enough. The first 10 chapters of Hebrews is relational. It is about Him, and our relationship with Him.
At least 3 different places in the book of Hebrews the writer brings us directly before God. Heb. 4:16, 6:19 and 10:19) In 6:19 he states that the HOPE that we have in the foundation that the Hebrews writer has laid is an ANCHOR for our soul. This foundation is an anchor that will hold during difficult times and rough seas.
The writer of the Hebrews makes it plain that the promises that we obtain by faith do not come easily. Many of the examples in the scriptures of the rewards of faith declared that the promises came to them after years of waiting on God. Often it appeared that there was no way that the promise made could ever be a reality. But, it says that those who had the promise(s) made to them held on to the promise even in uncertain or impossible times because of Who had made the Promise to them. Are we willing to do the SAME?
God had made a promise. That is all that they had. They were persuaded of the Promise. Heb. 11:13 says that they embraced them. That was enough…they waited on God. In Abraham’s case he believed in the integrity of God so much that he was willing to offer up his son (as asked by God) knowing that God would still make good on His Promise to him concerning Isaac. Abraham knew 2 things. He knew the Promise that God had made to him and he KNEW the One who had Promised. THIS IS WHAT THE FIRST 10 CHAPTERS OF HEBREWS IS ALL ABOUT. In the study of the first 10 chapters of this book, I hope that we now have a better relationship and understanding of God. This is ESSENTIAL if we are to obtain the promises that God left to us in His will. It is His will that we inherit the kingdom. His Kingdom. This includes many things, not only in this present world, but also in the world to come. Our GREATEST and most prized possession of ALL that we inherit is Him.
In this world there is a definite disconnect between what is REALITY…i.e. really real or what IS… vs. what we see and perceive with our physical senses, which may not be fully representative of REAL at all. We are often warned in the bible not to be deceived. All of the biblical writers warn us of being deceived by our physical senses, including reason and intellect. This is the message of Hebrews 11. It is clear from scripture that God’s message to us concerning what we see and what we perceive with our senses is that we can and often are deceived by them.
This is not to say that our senses have no value at all. It is just that with our senses we perceive a fallen world through our fallen nature. There is an old adage that says “be careful… your eyes may deceive you”. This is true! We need to be careful what we perceive as REALITY. Our actions and reactions are often based on the interpretation of what we perceive as “REALITY”,… not always what is real. We make these decisions based on information we get through our 5 senses and the use of logic and so called higher thinking. Sometimes our perceptions are wrong.
There are many scripture references that remind us of the illusions of this world and the reality of God’s Kingdom. The world that we live in is insistent in attempting to overpower our thinking saying that only the world that we see with our eyes matters. There is another world that exists that is more real than the one we see with our eyes. That world not this one is reality! Often, our sixth sense, our spiritual sense, is not sharp enough to perceive the other reality of God’s Kingdom.
We also often think of FAITH as an add-on part to our life when things get tougher than expected or…when we want something that we just can’t get on our own. When life goes beyond our ability then faith kicks in. It does not appear that the writer of the Hebrews is saying this .He gives us the idea that FAITH is a LIFESTYLE, and as such should always be in operation. Again, the faith that the writer of the Hebrews is talking about is not a faith in something, but a FAITH in SOMEONE. Faith is our opportunity to see this world through God’s eyes and His perspective.
Faith is not just believing that you can see something happen or that that something can become real that was impossible. Using faith this way it, faith, becomes a selfish self centered tool. When we do this, our faith and our ability to hold on to it becomes the focus, not our TRUST in God’s steadfast FAITHFULNESS. This entire book is built around the central theme of our relationship with God and TRUST or FAITH in that RELATIONSHIP. It is that He is Faithful.
Heb. 11:13-6 (READ) tells us exactly what the writer of the Hebrews wants us to understand! In a practical sense, this is the CENTRAL MESSAGE AND THEME of Hebrews, and the bible for that matter. WE BETTER NOT MISS IT. OUR LIFE IS A “JOURNEY” WITH GOD and FAITH IS THE GAS for the journey. Faith allows us to live our life in COLOR, with God, instead of a black and white existence. Faith adds meaning to our life. It is the window that we look through to see the reality of God’s Kingdom and His will for our life .And, in seeing it we can grab onto it and hold it. It is not the belief in the “I can” of our own invented desires. It is the belief in His ability to accomplish His will in our life.
Faith is opportunistic not just defensive. We are instructed in Ephesians chapter 6 to use the “Shield of Faith” to deflect and protect us from Satan’s attack. However, faith is our SWORD as well as our SHIELD. Heb. 4:12 If TRUTH is the sword, then faith is the SKILL and ACTION behind this weapon. FAITH IS OFTEN OFFENSIVE. Faith prompts action. Confident action. Action that does not fall short or give up.
The examples in chapter 11 are often referred to as acts of faith. James makes it clear that faith prompts works or action. READ Js. 2:17-26. Faith prompted Caleb to be ready to go into the PROMISED LAND. It did not matter what was there waiting there for him. God had promised. That was all that mattered. This was not Caleb’s plan or idea. It was God’s. God was pleased with Caleb’s response. He, Caleb, inherited the Promise…He got the land.
However, we must be careful. Our faith must be based on the REALITY OF GOD and His will for our life. His will for us will always be based on His principles and precepts and not our own ideas alone. Many have journeyed out believing in a cause only to end up shipwrecked doubting and asking God why. It is true that all things are possible with God, but God needs to be the Author of our plans. Again we come back to a RELATIONSHIP.
Most of the examples that we are given in Chapter 11 portray life outside of OUR box. Those mentioned decided to walk with God and Follow His will and ENDED UP IN UNUSUAL PLACES and in UNUSUAL circumstances…for God’s glory, not theirs. This is the Glory of God. That He is pleased with us and that our lives PRAISE Him.
What is God’s will for our lives? We come to this place of discerning God’s will with a lot of past baggage and experiences often not knowing what to think. Even if we have some idea of God’s will in our life, when we begin to act on what we know we are often met with resistance from other sources telling us it won’t work, it can’t be done or surely you must be mistaken because what you are proposing does not make sense. Those examples found in Hebrews chapter 11 began their journey in unusual ways. Their beginnings and destinations were “outside the box” when using the logic of this world. God had called them to another place. The means He, God, chose was unconventional. It is hard even in the Church to find support for a lifestyle found in Hebrews 11. Those examples found in this chapter would not have found much support for what God had called them to do in an average church setting. We are often encouraged to “go for it”, but ONLY so far. When we begin to go past the point of human ability or step into the realm of the unconventional all kinds of comments and advice begins to come our way. This is not necessarily a bad thing because it does remind us to examine our motives and be sure that God is the Author of our plan. But, the practical expression of faith, according to the Hebrew author, is not encouraged in most Christian circles. As a matter of fact, the truth be known, it is often considered unacceptable behavior. Faith based on living in relationship with God is NOT common and is unpredictable by our standards. That makes us nervous. .
As we actually begin chapter 11, if we are going to experience some of what’s talked about in this chapter we must realize that man is unable to really know God except through faith. God is too BIG for us. We can’t understand enough of God with our mind and our physical senses to make much of a difference in our life. Rom. 11:33-4 says that His Judgments are unsearchable and His ways past finding out. It goes on to ask the question, “Who has known the mind of God, or who has been His counselor.” Job 36:26 says, “Behold, God is GREAT, and we KNOW HIM NOT…” and Rom. 11:33 says, “His ways are past finding out.” We are supposed to search God out and try to figure Him out, so to speak, with our mind, BUT IN THE END, WE ONLY UNDERSTAND AND KNOW HIM FULLY BY FAITH. We ask the world to “Believe´ in God and it replies “Show Me!”. It appears to them, and maybe us, that God is hiding behind this wall of faith just for fun, to give us an obstacle to clear. But, God is not hiding behind faith. It seems that God is saying, come and enjoy and experience Me through faith.
We add it up in our mind, using our senses, our experiences and intellect and we say, “It can’t work, it has never happened before, it does not make sense.” However, it does work with God, and faith is the only way to act on it…making it a reality. This is the experience of those found in chapter 11. God’s desire for us is that we do not doubt Him.
Hebrews chapter 11 starts out in v. 1 saying that faith IS SUBSTANCE. (KJV) Think of it, faith and substance in the same sentence. This does not make sense. And yet, this is how he begins. He goes on to say that it, faith, IS EVIDENCE of things not seen, in other words, things not seen or perceived with our physical senses. For a long time I was puzzled by this verse. I would look at it from every angle and finally would just pass it by saving it for some future date of revelation. Substance was tangible matter, faith was not. Faith was/is connected with the intangible. I could not connect them together. Yet, when I began to add God to the equation it began to make sense. I am not saying that it makes perfect sense to me now, but I begin to understand its meaning. With God things are sure and, He IS able to do what He says. Because God is in the equation, faith has substance. Meat. It has weight. It is tangible. It is as SURE as God.
We look at things with our eyes and physical senses and say “I cannot see anything…It doesn’t exist.” Faith, on the other hand, knowing God’s character and attributes, has solid evidence of existence. The writer uses the words “hoped for.” We have nothing else we can do but believe after knowing God in a personal way and God being part of the equation. For those who do not know Christ, not making Him part of the equation, v. 1 does not make sense. Our relationship with God drives our JOURNEY of FAITH.
Faith is the way we can actually see God.
Most of us our decisions are made from what are the “possibilities” instead of what God is telling me to do.
We are inspired when someone beats the odds or a miracle, so to speak, occurs.
Hebrews 11 is not about believing the IMPOSSIBLE, but in actuality is all about believing God.
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