Faith is the Substance of Things Hoped For

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.

Now that we have examined and classified faith, we can look at the reason to have faith in Jesus Christ and nothing else. Even though we have answered the technical question of what faith is, we must answer the question by how the Bible defines it.

How is faith defined? For that answer we will examine Hebrews 11:1 which outlines the definition of how we are to live by faith in everything we do. More specifically, it is faith in almighty God that defines the life in which we must lead. It is faith in the one who is tried and true and has completed everything he has said he would do.

Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is “substance.” What is the basis for faith being classified as “substance?” In the book of Luke the disciples forgot their faith and the power of God. Luke 9:10-12 says:

 

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

 

Jesus wants you to give from your faith. Luke 9:13-15 says:

 

He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everybody sat down.

 

The disciples were thinking worldly. That is exactly what happens in our culture today. We do not expect great things from God. If we are sick we go to the doctor, if we are hungry we go to the government, if we need money we go to the bank. However, God wants us to go to him first.

We have our priorities out of line. We only go to God when the crisis hits. If we are exercising faith, we should go to him first and pray for him to take care of the problem. It may very well be that God will impress on us to go to the doctor or the bank, but if we wait for his leading he will help the crisis to be averted by his power and not man’s.

The American culture today teaches that you can handle everything on your own. People say, “Trusting in God is a thing of the past and an exercise in futility.” Many have bought into the world view that, “Even if there is a god, he doesn’t care about what happens on the earth to the lowly humans.” Nothing can be further from the truth. God is real and he cares about you.

No matter the relationship with God, many tend to forget about going to him first. Why? Because the culture we live in has crept into the Church. The Church has believed what has been told to it by man rather than what God says.

No matter how much one experiences God, one tends to forget to think of him and his power first. There have been many times in my life that I have gone to what I have been taught in our culture first; only to fail and have to pray to God. Now I seek God first on most occasions. Nevertheless, if I am not careful, I will revert to my old way of thinking. It is a process that takes one day at a time.

Most tend to think about God last. It is a response that must be retaught if we are to exercise our faith. Faith grows when we turn to God and see the miraculousness of his answers. The disciples turned to the “power” of their own thinking first. They did not consider what had been done for them throughout the ministry of Jesus. They didn’t even consider asking Jesus what to do. They came to him and offered their own solution to the problem first.

However, Jesus had another lesson in mind. Luke 9:16-17 says:

 

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

 Jesus solved the problem in his own way. His way included meeting the needs, not only of the twelve, but of the thousands as well.

            God answers us in the same way today. He has given us a loving Savior to ensure that we have eternal life. “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty (John 6:35).” God has given us the bread of life. He wants us to witness the Bread and accept his love for us. The Bread wants to feed us and nourish us. In that nourishment is the abundant life that is told to us in John 10:10.

            God wants you to exercise your faith. He wants you to trust him and know that he is still God. The problem with believing God no longer heals or gives the gifts of the Spirit is, where does that leave the Christians of today? It leaves us trusting only in ourselves. There is no one who can take care of us. It leaves the church believing that the key to walking the abundant life resides within itself. Obviously, this is not true.

Everyone who is a Christian believes that God takes care of us. However, to what degree? Are we to believe that God does not want to, or cannot, take care of all of our needs? Would not our needs include infirmities that come on us? If one does not believe God can do what he did in the First Church what is he limited to? Is he limited to healing or blessings? Is he limited to finances? Perhaps then he is also limited in the salvation he gives as well. Why would he not be limited in his most miraculous feat of all?

People rate faith in the same way they rate sin. James 2:10, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (NIV).” In other words, if you gossip, it is just as bad as murder from God’s point of view. The same can be said of faith. We have faith to believe God can give us eternal salvation, yet we have a hard time believing he can heal this body he created for us to live in temporarily.

Matthew chapter eight tells the story of a Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. However, he had the concept of what it is like for one to have authority. He told Jesus to simply say the word and he knew his servant would be healed. Jesus commended him for his great faith.

The previous story is a lesson for us. We must realize that God has the power to work in our lives today just as he did in days past.

The individual in which I spoke about previously on facebook said, “Benny Hinn doesn’t have one confirmable healing.” First, I do not know that Benny Hinn has no confirmable healings and second why would that matter? Why would anyone limit the power of God according to what another man does? Is God limited by man?

John 14:12-14 says: 

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

God did not qualify this verse with the disciples only. His Word is written to all. If it is not then what parts do we remove for today? The aforementioned facebook writer separated the preaching of the Word from the miraculous healing of Mark 16:15-18. He said, “Only the preaching of the Word applies to today. The rest is no longer valid.” Who made that determination?

            There are many instances in the Bible where God tells the believer that he or she shall have miraculous gifts. If one removes all references to the miraculous, one would have to remove most of the Bible.   

    The Disciples were rebuked in the boat for their lack of faith. Luke describes, in 8:22-25, a situation in which the disciples found themselves in a storm. They woke “the Master” and he calmed the storm. When he had finished he asked them why they had so little faith. Why had they not known that he can calm the seas?

Where is your faith? Why do you proclaim the power of God and then deny it in the same breath? Is your God not big enough to meet your needs? If God cannot meet your needs then who has changed? Certainly, not God! Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Why would God give us a taste of his power in his Word only to say you can’t have it? Why would he tell us of the gifts available to us in 1 Corinthians 12 and then say, “Oh, just kidding.”

            The fact is, God has not limited his power to us. We have limited the power of God through our lack of faith in him. We cannot reach a lost world because we refuse to use the gifts he has given to us.

Other parts of the world see the miraculous happen because they cannot have faith in the country in which they live. They cannot expect their government to come to their aid. Therefore, they must trust in something or someone else. That someone is Jesus.

The day is coming when we will see more miraculous things from God. Our government is forsaking the people. Because America has been complacent for so long the government is no longer of the people. Apathy and complacency has led to a government which takes away the power of the people and gives it to a few.

Have you stepped out for God and used your faith lately? What have you believed him for? Jerry Falwell said, “If you are not believing God for something that you can’t do, you are not exercising your faith.” Faith comes from believing in something that is beyond your control. It is beyond the realm of possibility from the human standpoint.

William Carey, a shoemaker turned missionary who is often credited with sparking the missionary movement of the 19th century, felt God calling him to go to India to preach the Gospel, and he went. When he was seeking support for his venture, he famously remarked, “I will go down if you will hold the rope.” Just before leaving he preached a sermon entitled, “Expect Great Things from God—Attempt Great Things for God.”

Carey knew that if he was attempting everything in his own power he would get the glory. However, God wants the glory.

Exercise your faith! God wants us to trust him. We are not to simply leave everything to chance. God speaks to us even today through his Word, through prophecy, dreams and through his still small voice (1 Kings 19:12). We can know his will for our lives by conversing with him in prayer and measuring what his voice is telling us by his Word. God’s Word remains the same yesterday, today and forever and is the measuring stick by what we believe he is telling us.

If what you believe God is telling you does not line up with his Word, it is not from God. Has god told you to kill someone? Then it is not God speaking. He has told us in his Word we should not murder. Is god telling you to divorce? Then it is not God. He has told us to be faithful to our relationships. Has god told you to be unfaithful? Then it is not God. God has told us to honor our word and honor him.

Many do not believe they can know God’s will for their life. Nevertheless, God speaks to us and tells us how we are to live for him and how we are to honor him. God still speaks to his children.

Faith is substance. Faith is something that can be known. If God no longer speaks to his children, how can faith be substance? The answer is obvious. He wants us to know how we are to live our lives. Thus, we can know his will for us. Simply stated, God’s will is that we glorify him in all we do. If what you believe what god has told you to do does not glorify him, it is not from God.

As we go through this book together it is my desire that your faith increase. It is my desire that you understand a loving Father who wants his children to trust him. It is my desire that you understand that you can exercise your faith and expect great things from God. If you trust him, he has promised he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). Therefore, I know that God will speak to you through the words that follow because it is my desire that you grow in Christ through the words he has given me to give to you.