Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11:1

FAITH Hebrews 11:1. The old themes of Christianity are often the most fruitful to the student. The thread worn terms of the true faith are still so imperfectly understood by the majority of men that their discussion is more than profitable; it is essential. I confess that the word faith has been so often on my lips that I have not stopped to ask if it was understood, if it expressed to me, or conveyed to my auditors well-defined ideas. When I decided to speak on the general theme of faith today, my chief motive was to move myself and others to believe God, and get the blessings consequent upon a fuller trust. But when I began to study my subject, it grew upon me. Therefore, whereas I set out to answer four questions concerning faith, I now aspire to answer but one question, and that one has to do with defining faith. WHAT IS FAITH? In a sermon which Dr. Broadus preached from the text, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1), he expressed the difficulty of defining faith, and declared that an old colored man, preaching in Virginia, had given him the best definition he knew. Somebody had asked Uncle Reuben to explain faith, and the old man had said: “Shuah, chile, I can ‘splain it! In de fust place, fustly, there is faith. What is faith? What is faith?

Why, faith is jes’ faith. Faith ain’t nothin’ less ‘an faith. Faith is jes’ faith—now I done ‘splain it.”Dr. Broadus said: “Really the man was right. There is nothing to explain. Faith is as simple a conception as the human mind can have.”And yet a greater than Broadus speaks in our text, and tells us what faith is.

Paul the Apostle says: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.FAITH IS VS. SIGHT It is “the substance of things hoped for”, and we know that hope has nothing to do with seeing, “for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Romans 8:24-25).There are not a few people who profess to have faith who confound seeing and assurance. There are not a few doubtless who tell God that if He Will give them a sign they will trust Him. They are not satisfied to rest on His naked Word, on His bare promise, but beg proofs that shall appeal to the sense of sight.Thomas was a Christian of that kind. Did it ever occur to you that the speech of Thomas was faultlessly faithless, that it didn’t have the most minute fraction of faith in it? You remember the circumstances of Thomas’ infidelity.

The risen Saviour had appeared to the disciples, when Didymus was absent. When, therefore, the other disciples saw him they said, “We have seen the Lord”.

But he said unto them, “Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).There is no room for believing, there is no chance for the exercise of faith when a man must first see and feel and come to conclusions through the testimony of his physical senses.But Thomas was little, if any, more faithless than his fellow-disciples. There is no evidence that any of them believed. Christ had told them that He would rise again, but they were assured only when they saw Him. That was no faith. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.The man of faith does not ask to see. If God says a thing, that is enough. In John’s Gospel, the fourth chapter, there is an inspired photograph of such a man.

He was a nobleman from Capernaum. He came to Jesus in behalf of his sick son.

Jesus tried his faith by a semi-reproof, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe”. The nobleman’s answer was, “Sir, come down ere my child die”. Jesus said unto him, “Go thy way; thy son liveth”. And it is written, “The man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way”. The sick child was only fifteen miles away, and yet that affectionate father didn’t hasten back to him. He believed Christ, and took his time, returning next day instead, to learn that the child began to mend at the moment of the Saviour’s promise.But the Bible contains another portrait of a believer who was better still.

He was a centurion in that same city by the sea. His servant was sick, and when Jesus proposed to come and heal him, he answered: “I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof: wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed”.

No wonder Jesus marveled and said, “I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Luke 7:6-7; Luke 7:9). He would hunt a long time among modern followers to find a peer in that point. Our loved ones get sick, and with petitions, punctured with doubt, we ask Christ to heal, and then we look to see if He is giving any visible evidence of answer, and if the evidence is wanting, our assurance survives not. There is no faith in us. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Faith says, “God has promised, it standeth fast.”A little Portuguese girl who had been converted was questioned as to how she knew that God would bring her home to Heaven since she could neither see Him nor Heaven. She answered, “God says, ‘Maria, Me do it.’ Me quite sure! No want to see.

God says, and that enough for Maria.”You have heard that old story told by Mr. Cecil of England to illustrate the truth that faith is assurance versus sight. His little girl stood one day on an open cellar door. The father, wrapped in the gloom beneath, could plainly see his child in the light. He called to her, saying: “My dear, jump down and papa will catch you,” and without a tremble, a moment’s hesitation, she plunged into that dark pit, and found herself suddenly safe in the father’s arms. “Where is your faith?” I confess that before the definition of our text my own never seemed so feeble, so unfit for a professed follower of Christ. Oh, that we might have the faith of our text, assurance versus sight, and be able to sing with believing Isaac Watts:“ ’Tis by the faith of joys to come We walk through deserts dark as night, Till we arrive at Heaven, our Home, Faith is our guide, and faith our light. “The want of sight she well supplies; She makes the pearly gates appear; Far into the distant worlds she pries, And brings eternal glories near.” It ought to be said in the second place thatFAITH IS VS. FEELING The disposition to require a sign instead of enjoying assurance, is scarce more strong than the tendency to set feelings in faith’s stead. The world is full of folks who are indifferent to the questions of faith, but ever, alive to subjects of feelings You ask them if they have repented, and they answer: “I don’t know. I have changed my mind about the old method of life, and turned back to God, but I don’t feel right.” “Have you believed?” “Well I thought I had, and made a profession, but I don’t feel as I once did.” “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?” “I am afraid not. I don’t feel as I ought to feel.”I read a parable in the New Testament that tells me about two men who built themselves houses. One laid his foundations on a rock, and one laid his foundations on sand. One house stood against all storms because it was founded on a rock.

The other went down before the first fierce gale because the sands shifted. If ever a soul rested its hopes on shifting sands, he does who puts feeling in faith’s stead. Nothing is less stable; nothing so subject to every wind that blows as a man’s emotions. Until they are steadied by faith they have no more stability than the mercury in thermometers.I want to tell you, beloved, there is something better than that for the Christian. God never meant to have His children lead a spiritual fever and ague existence, shivering one day and scorching the next. That isn’t normal religion.

There is no soul-health in that. It is Satan’s scheme to settle you on such sand hills. God offers you the eternal Rock. God has laid for you a sure foundation in His eternal Word. Build on that, and the waves of unbelief will beat themselves into harmless foam at your feet, and you, can stand in unshaken assurance, proving the “things not seen”.“I believed in God’s wonderful mercy and grace, Believed in the smile of His reconciled face, Believed in His message of pardon and peace, I believed and I keep on believing. “I believed in the works of my crucified Lord, Believed in redemption alone through His Blood, Believed in my Saviour by trusting His Word, I believed and keep on believing. “I believed in the heart that was opened for me, Believed in the love flowing blessed and free, Believed that my sins were all nailed to the Tree; I believed, and I keep on believing. “I believed in Himself as the True Living One, Believed in His presence on high on the throne, Believed in His Coming in glory full soon, I believed, and I keep on believing. “Believe and the feeling may come and may go, Believe in the Word that was written to show That all who believe their salvation may know, Believe and keep right on believing.” Finally, let me say, that if I understand this text,FAITH IS VS. There are a good many things that a man doesn’t see that he enjoys some assurance about. The money hunter doesn’t see the end of his latest investment. It is a matter of faith, and yet a very feeble faith. He has made careful calculations, and has acted in the light of previous experience; he has regarded certain customary laws of finance, and he expects returns because all the evidence favors it. There is no chance for faith to work there! Faith requires a condition of contradictions to do her best. Faith finds a favorable field of operation when the witnesses are against her. Faith takes God’s Word against the world.That is what it did when your soul was saved.

The witnesses were against you. The law said, “You can’t be saved! ‘The soul that sinneth, it shall die’” Your own heart said, “I can’t be saved! My stains and sins forbid it.” Satan said, “You can’t be saved! Your day of grace is already gone!” But over and against this chorus of accusing voices there sounded the sweet sentence of the Saviour, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”.That was faith’s hour. That was the time when the sea of sin could not deter her from saying, “I come! I come!” It is told of Andrew Fuller that he started on horseback to a Baptist Association where he was booked to preach. Half-way he came to a swollen stream, and, being a stranger, he feared its depth and current. A farmer, plowing near, shouted, “Go on, Mr.

Fuller! You will get through all right!” He urged his horse in and half-way across. But every step brought him to deeper waters. They washed his saddle and wet his clothes, and the frightened horse halted and turned wistful eyes back to the bank they had left. The farmer, seeing his fear, shouted again, “Come on, Mr. Fuller; come on! You’ll get through all right. I have ridden across it when higher than that!” Then said Fuller, “I’ll come.

It looks as though I would be lost, but I go by faith.”Oh, sinners, that stream of sin that sweeps between you and the gathered saints of God is a swollen one. It threatens to drown you. It looks as if you could never come safely across, but let me tell you that you can. I got over it all right. There are scores here this morning who made it across, and we did it by trusting the voice calling to us from the farther shore against all contrary evidence, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.You must exercise credence against evidence if you ever serve Christ successfully. He asks you to be unselfish, self-sacrificing.

The witnesses say, “You are foolish if you do that.” That is faith’s chance. The realm of a religious life is replete with opportunities to try a man’s professed faith, and find if it stand or if it be spurious.Christ asks His followers for a portion of their time.

The world, with its myriad of voices, says, “If you give time to Christ’s cause it is just so much lost from your own profits. You could rest on Sunday and be the better prepared for the week’s work if you stayed away from the services of the church. It is to your personal profit, if you want to succeed, to rest that day in recuperating strength for the six to follow.” God says, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things (food, clothing, and so forth) shall be added unto you”.What of your faith? It is on trial there every week. If you can’t trust God you will lie abed when you ought to be about God’s work, and sit at home smoking your soul away on Sunday evening. If you can trust God you will hurl back the world’s lie into its teeth, and go out as B.

F. Jacobs, John Chapman, John Wanamaker went out, and a hundred others we know go out, and prove that God’s Word outweighs all contrary witnesses with you.The same is true in the giving test.

The natural supposition is that saving men are to succeed financially. Over against that stands God’s Word: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over”’.Where is your faith? You say you don’t get much money, and so you can’t spare anything in the way of a weekly contribution to Christ’s cause. Then you don’t believe God when He says that the way to get is to give—“Give, and it shall be given unto you”. The Witnesses of the world are of more weight with you than God’s Word, eh? Where is your faith?

A scrub woman, a member of Dr. McLaurin’s church in New York city, gave $150 a year to the support of native preachers on our mission fields, and she never earned above a dollar a day, and that by working till hands and knees were bony.Where is your faith?

The poorest people are commonly givers. Where is your faith?In the work of soul-saving, Paul’s definition of faith finds illustration. The first essential to success in leading men to the Saviour, is to believe God. I confess that my ministry is fruitless in proportion to the feebleness of my faith. The work of this church is retarded by as much as we fail to trust. A Pentecost will come when we plead God’s promises, nothing wavering.Over seventy years ago Mrs. Maggie Vancott was conducting evangelistic meetings at Stone Ridge, New York. Near the beginning of the meetings she expressed the expectation of seeing two hundred souls saved.

Many mocked the prediction, and accused her of presumptuous sins. A week went by with no apparent interest, and then Mrs. Vancott went into her room and left orders that she should not be called to dinner, nor yet to the service, unless she came of her own will. In a cold room, with a shawl about her shoulders, she knelt, and all day long she pled God’s promise, “Ask, and ye shall receive”. “If ye abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”. “Whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son”. No answer! No peace!She prayed on.

Satan suggested, “Give it up and go to church.” She replied, “Get thee hence, Satan,” and prayed on. The people of the house came into her room and found her with haggard face, cold sweat on her brow, and they begged her to desist and eat.

They said, “God will not answer today.” She replied, “Then today I die.”And again to God she turned: “Oh God, give me my two hundred. Thou hast said, ‘Today is the day of salvation,’ Christ has died to redeem them. I plead His perfect work; I will not yield. Give, oh give the answer.” Then she hushed. A sweet radiance spread o’er her face; assurance came from the Spirit. She rose and went forth, saying, “It is all over and I have His promise.” She saw the altar of prayer crowded by penitent sinners that night, and when the services ended two hundred thirty-five souls had been saved.“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.