GOD’S HEROES

INTRODUCTION

ILLUS: Do you have heroes? Mine: Billy Graham, Dad/Grandpa Butler, Astronauts. Who are your Heroes? Athletes, stars, musicians, politicians, Christian Leaders?

The Bible is filled with heroes of the faith. We are going to spend time this spring and summer in The Great Hall of Fame of Faith chapter - Hebrews 11. These are God’s Heroes. 16 specific individuals are listed, others described.

Potential Titles of this Chapter:	Hall of Fame of Faith
Hall of Heroes	Righteous Record Breakers
Far out Famous Folks	Cool Cats of the Covenant
Dedicated Dudes	Groovy Geezers

Before we get to the names of the Hall of Fame, today and next Sunday look at the intro verses of the chapter - the descriptions of faith.

Today’s Text: Hebrews 11:1, 2 NASV

NLT ‘What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot see yet. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith.’

NCV: ‘Faith means being sure of things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. Faith is the reason we remember great people who lived in the past.’

Dutch ‘Het geloof nu is een vaste grond der dingen, die men hoopt, en een bewijs der zaken, die men niet ziet. Want door hetzelve hebben de ouden getuigenis bekomen.’

1. Faith gives Assurance v. 1

• Faith is described more than defined in the Bible. This verse shows faith operation, it’s function. Verse speaks of faith generally. Two streams:


• ‘Faith is the assurance of things hoped for’ = faith assures us that there is a concrete reality ahead of us, not an imaginary figment of our mind, or something pretend. Though God is not mentioned, faith always has to have an object - FAITH IN. God is the object of faith and hope. What God says about the future is real. Faith gives assurance for hope.


• God has made promises, faith knows He will keep His promises to us.


• ‘the conviction of things not seen’ = faith assures that the invisible things of God are real. There are two worlds: The natural and the super-natural. Faith allows us to cross examine the supernatural, test for it’s validity, examine the evidence. Faith boldly shows that those unseen things of God are really real - not opinion or make believe.


• Uncle John substitute ‘believing in the Word of God’ for word ‘faith’
ILLUS: What is the greatest thing we should hope for? That is invisible to us now? Heaven! Faith takes us to the Bible to research it, and trust evidence. And we are convinced it is real because God said it. Someday the super-natural will be natural to us as it is now already natural to God.

QUOTE: Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, dose the impossible.


• Faith gives assurance that what God says about something is true.


• Faith convinces us that there is reality and proof to things unseen, faith treats them as seen. Faith is present tense it is what we are to live by now.


• So faith is believing God - then seeing.


• That is opposite of the physical world - seeing then believing.
ILLUS: Science has to have it reproduced in lab to believe - next week v. 3


• Yet the people of the world live by faith all the time:
ILLUS: Believe the car will start, food we buy is safe, chair will hold us up.


• Yet many times what we have faith in fails us.
ILLUS: The promises of politicians, news in the media, horoscopes, or lottery/casinos, or pastors when they let you down.


• Things and people are notorious for being unreliable, untrustworthy.


• Middle verse of Bible: Psalm 118:8 ‘It is better to take refuge in The LORD, than to trust in man.’


• When we place of our faith in God, and believe the word of God, faith gives assurance and conviction that what we believe in Bible is really real.

2. Faith gains Approval v. 2

• How to be famous? Have faith in God! (Mark 11:22) God blesses.
QUOTE: A.W. Tozer ‘Faith is the gaze of the soul upon a saving God... Faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God.’ (Pursuit, 89-90)


• ‘men of old’ - 16 names, men and women listed, but others described.


• They were famous for their faith. Various occupations, triumphs and tragedies, little things and big things.


• Hebrews was written to the persecuted church, this great list reminds them of their spiritual forefathers and foremothers who lived by faith like they need to. Encouraging list - if they can make it - you can make.


• The writer is telling the readers ‘Here is the key to success in life.’


• To us today - anyone can have faith, anyone can walk by faith rather than sight, and anyone can live by faith in our unseen all powerful God. These ordinary folks are extraordinary examples to us too.


• ‘gained approval’ God’s heroes. When God does a physical on us He is looking for healthy faith. Not our frame, fame, fortunes, or our feats.


• Here we are today, looking back, those people listed were like us: flesh and blood, frail people with faults and failures. We too can have personal, powerful, and precious faith in God.


• We don’t need to be spiritually weak, wobbly, wimps. But have clear convictions about reality as God says it, living on the cutting edge of faith.


• Do you realize that so many people being praised by the world will not be praised by God?


• Is God praising you for your faith? An example/a hero to others?

CONCLUSION

By faith we come to worship at the Lord’s Table. Faith that what the elements represent is real - Jesus did live and die for our sins and rise again. Someday our faith will be made sight, hope will be realized - in the mean time we have assurance, conviction in the word of God. We too can be approved by God. Do you have personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?