“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Few, if any of us seem to grasp the fact that this is not just a rendition of great acts of faith by heroes of the past.
Hebrews 11 is (1) a warning, (2 a teaching and (3) an encouragement.
(1) A warning for us to prepare for our service to Him as His disciples in these last days. Evil days are upon us and we must be prepared. (PLEASE be prepared)
(2) It is a teaching and training in righteousness and in effectiveness for the coming persecution and apostasy so we may endure the trials we will face and to overcome adversity and the enemy. That, we, The Church, will prevail. We, The Church Victorious!
(3) It is an encouragement that we are His and, nothing outside of His Will, shall touch us nor come near our abode. No weapon formed against us shall prosper.
The Apostle Paul is warning and teaching us about the necessity of having the same faith as Abraham, and Sarah and Isaac. The same faith as Moses and Joshua, as Gideon, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.
Wonder working faith. Miraculous faith. Effectual faith.
Let’s go back, at least, to Hebrews 10:35 to get some context.
“Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
37 “FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE,
HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY.
38 “BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH;
AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.
39 “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith(1) is the assurance(2) of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval.
3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
Let’s first, please take a closer look at several of the words used in verse one through verse three for our understanding.
These words are not what they appear to be at first glance, and their meaning is not the ‘normal understanding’ in the American-English vernacular. These are from the Greek language and original intent.
Shrink back – To draw back, let down, lower, to withdraw as of a timid person. To withdraw one’s self from fear. To hesitate to avow what they believe from timidity or to be unwilling to utter from fear. To Cower.
Faith – Absolute and resolute confidence in a thing or in a person. In this case, the Object of this faith is God. Convincing and convicting.
Assurance – That which has foundation and is firm. That which has actual existence, and substance, is real and has the substantial quality, nature, of a person or thing. The steadfastness of mind, firmness, courage, resolution, confidence, firm trust, and assurance.
Hope – A confident expectation. Confidence in the Author of your hope which is God.
RE-STATED
“Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
37 “FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE,
HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY.
38 “BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH;
AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.
39 “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
We must never shrink back from the Call of God on our lives. We are never to withdraw as a timid person. We must never hesitate to avow what we believe or to be unwilling to speak the Truth, The Gospel from fear. God takes no pleasure in those who cower. Instead…
Our Faith is absolutely and resolutely in God. Our faith in Him is both convincing and convicting. A confidence that is contagious.
Our Assurance has God as its foundation and is firm. Our assurance has substance, is alive, has actual existence and in reality, our assurance is The One True Living God.
Our assurance is demonstrated by our steadfastness of mind, our firmness in word and in our actions. Our assurance is our courage in all circumstance which gives us resolution of will, and our confidence is that God will bring to pass all which He has said.
Our Hope is a Confident Expectation. It is not a wish. Our Hope is demonstrated to others by our confidence in the Author of our Faith. And, the reason for our Hope is because of the Perfecter of our Faith, Jesus.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith(1) is the assurance(2) of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval.
3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
Our Faith is absolutely and resolutely in God. Our faith in Him is both convincing and convicting. A confidence that is contagious.
Now this is Faith
“7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverent obedience, prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
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Faith
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Being Warned
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Of things not yet seen
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By Obedience
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Prepared
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Became an heir of righteousness
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According to Faith
Footnotes:
(1) lamentation with beating of the breast as a sign of grief
(2) conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it
I cannot say anything better than the Apostle Paul says it. It speaks for itself. But, by repeating Paul’s words, by restating these words and meditating on these words, we are hiding The Word in our heart.
“For it is out of the heart, spring the issues of life”, or in other words, for everything you do flows from it.
It is URGENT that we stop being ‘spectators at church’ and BE the Church and by faith we…
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overthrow the kingdom of darkness,
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rule with justice,
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receive what God had promised us
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shut the mouths of lions,
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quench the flames of fire,
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escaped death by the edge of the sword,
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see our weakness was turned to strength
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become strong in battle
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put whole armies to flight
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received our loved ones back again from death
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place our hope in a better life after the resurrection.
Please. Let’s join together. Accept this invitation. (click on The Invitation)
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
Whitestone Fellowship 