The Character of Faith - Hebrews 11:1-10, 23-27, 39, 40

By David Woods

I can still remember vividly that Wednesday night during my college years. I was really discouraged. As I went into the church building, I was handed a slip of paper with a scripture reference. The pastor was having different people read verses at certain appropriate times throughout the service. I looked up my scripture - and I felt as if God was giving me a promise.

That promise has not been fulfilled yet in the way that I originally considered it. However, in a variety of ways that promise has been fulfilled. As the result, I feel very blessed today.

The question, of course, is what to do with those times that our faith does not seem to be rewarded. Has God failed? Or is my faith too weak? I desire to have a much greater faith than I do. So I will choose to believe that God knows what He is doing. He will fulfill His promise to me in the manner and time of His choosing. The central truth for our lesson is:

Big Idea:By faith we appropriate (or, take possession of) the promises of God.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for.” In other words, faith is the reality of that which is not yet reality.

Discussion: How does faith make a reality of that which is not yet reality?

(Frankly, I think many today are afraid to have a faith that considers as reality that which is not yet real in much, excepting salvation and entire sanctification. Consider the first paragraph of the “Key Comments” (which is a quotation from Pulpit Commentary. “Faith is not merely assurance, as Luther taught: It is not only trust, not only moral assent, not only even the resolution to stand or fall by the noblest hypothesis. These are important, even essential elements in faith; but behind all this activity of the will, and justifying it, there lies the profound conviction, deeply embedded in the core of personality, that the objects of faith are real, more real that the world we live in.” Consider what such faith looks like. What would it be to have such concerning the salvation of a lost loved one? In other words, even though the person has not trusted Christ, you consider it reality that he/she has? What would it be like to have such faith concerning God’s provision of our needs? Even though you don’t have the money to pay your upcoming bills your faith is seen in lack of concern about the bills at all, for God has promised and you have “reality” faith. I realize this could be abused, but what does it mean to have a “reality” faith.)

There has been much debate concerning why God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, yet rejected Cain’s. Verse four of our text points to faith as the reason why God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice.

Discussion: If it was by faith that Abel offered a more pleasing sacrifice, does this fact make what was actually sacrificed irrelevant concerning why God was pleased with one and not the other? Why or why not?

(My personal opinion is that God would have been pleased with a sacrifice of vegetables from Cain, if his attitude (and actions) had been right - in other words, if he had given his best vegetables instead of just some of them. However, it could also be argued that Cain’s lack of faith in God was seen in that he offered “whatever he had” (i.e. vegetables) instead of a lamb.)

Discussion: Why was Enoch translated?

(I would suggest it was probably not because he believed God to translate him. Rather, I would suggest his great faith so pleased God that God said, “Come on up here with Me.”)

Discussion: Why is Enoch’s story important for us to know?

(Possibly - it shows how much a great faith in God pleases God.)

Noah and Abraham had tremendous faith. Obedience was the result of their faith. We talk about having faith when praying for needs in our lives. Obedience to God usually is not discussed at the same time.

Discussion: What is the relation of obedience to God and a prayer of faith?

(Believing God to answer our prayer while living in disobedience to His Word is not faith; it is presumption. Furthermore, could you really believe God to answer your prayer while approaching Him with unconfessed sin - and having no plans to confess that sin? Even the prayer of faith for salvation requires obedience to God for God has commanded that if we want to be saved we must repent of our sins and trust in Christ for salvation.)

Discussion: Why do we teach people to obey God’s Law? Do we teach them to obey simply because it is God’s Law or because it is the way to demonstrate one’s faith in God? What’s the difference?

Discussion: What should be more important to us? Is it more important to receive God’s promise or is it more important to have such strong faith that God’s promise is a reality to us even though it is yet unseen? Why?

(Maybe a question we should also ask is: is there a difference between “receiving God’s promise” and “having such a strong faith that God’s promise is a reality to us even though it is yet unseen.)