A Sure and Certain Hope

Last week we looked at hope, the anchor for our soul, from Hebrews 6. This week I'm looking again in the letter to the Hebrews, only this time I want to talk about faith.

Hebrews 10:35-11:1 ³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. ³⁸ But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." ³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved [NASB: have faith to the preserving of the soul]. ¹ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Guarantees are supposed to give you confidence that you'll receive what was advertised, that the company will stand behind its product, that you won't be disappointed.

I recently bought a new camera that came with a one-year warranty. In other words, Canon will cover the cost of repairs for anything that goes wrong with that camera—but only for 12 months. After that, if anything goes wrong, I'm out of luck.

However, I managed to purchase an extended five-year warranty. By paying more money, I gained even more confidence that Canon will fix any problems I might have with the camera.

But have you ever read the fine print on a guarantee? If you violate the conditions of the guarantee or fail to meet certain requirements—if you don't fulfill your side of the bargain, then the manufacturer will cancel the guarantee.

I thought about that recently when I took my camera on a canoe trip down the St. Louis River. The fine print on my warranty warns me that damage I cause to my camera won't be covered. Carelessness, neglect, or abusing the camera is not the manufacturer's responsibility. It's mine!

So when we almost tipped going through the rapids, and several inches of water ended up inside the canoe, and my camera was sitting in the water—I thought about that warranty. I knew Canon wouldn't take responsibility for my proficiency with a canoe! I knew if there was damage to my camera, I would have to pay the cost of repairs. The guarantee would be canceled—not because it wasn't a good product—but because of my neglectful behavior.

God has given us a guarantee—a rock-solid guarantee that we can put our confidence in. God's warranty isn't just for a year or for five years. He guarantees his work for more than just a life-time! God gives us a guarantee that lasts forever. It's an eternal promise—and we can count on it!

But the guarantee is only good IF we meet its conditions, IF we don't throw it away! We must hang on to the guarantee and follow the instructions that come with it.

The letter to the Hebrews was written to early believers in Christ, Jewish believers—Hebrews—who were going through tough times. Some had been persecuted; some suffered physically; some were abused and mocked for their faith; some were thrown into prison; some had their homes and property taken away from them because of their commitment to Jesus.

As a result of all their troubles, some of them were beginning to ask, "Is it really worth it? This is costing us everything! Will we be able to make it all the way to the end? Can we really be sure all these promises are true?" Doubts were creeping into their thoughts, attacking their faith.

So Hebrews was written to encourage these struggling believers to not give up, to remain faithful, to believe all the way to the end—until they had received what was promised. That's why it's a good book for us to read when we struggle with difficulties, when we go through hard times, when our faith is being put to the test.

So let's talk about faith. What does faith mean to you? Forget about the spiritual definitions for a moment. In everyday life, who are the people or the things you put your faith in? Doctors, airline pilots, tax accountants, spouse, parents, teachers... chairs, bridges, boats, traffic signals (railroad crossing arm), elevators, buildings...

Based on all of these examples, how could we define faith? Relying fully on something or someone, daring to put yourself at risk of danger where someone or something could harm you, having the courage to surrender to another your sense of being in control...

Faith is defined in the Bible (Heb 11:1):

• Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (NIV)
• Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV)
• Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (NASB, NRSV)
• Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (ESV)
• ...Faith gives substance to our hopes, and makes us certain of realities we do not see. (NEB)
• Faith gives substance to our hopes and convinces us of realities we do not see. (REB)
• Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. (HCSB)
• ...faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. (MSG)
• Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (NLT)
• Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. (CEV)
• To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. (TEV)
• Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. (NCV)

Besides defining faith, the Bible also describes different kinds of faith—little faith, great faith, weak faith, strong faith, short-lived faith, saving faith, dead faith. [A partial list follows.]

• Incomplete faith; partial faith. ..."I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)
• Temporary faith; short-lived faith. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. (Luke 8:13)
• Weak faith. Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment... (Romans 14:1).
• Unstable faith. ...he who doubts is like a wave of the sea...a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (James 1:8)
• Dead faith; inactive faith; impotent faith. ...faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17)
• Little faith. "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" (Matt 8:26); ..."You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" (Matt 14:31)
• Strong faith; great faith. ...I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. (Matt 8:10)
• Working faith. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith... (1 Thess 1:3); ...God's work—which is by faith. (1 Tim 1:4); ...his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. (James 2:22)
• Saving faith. ...faith to the preserving of the soul. (Heb 10:39, NASB)
• Genuine faith; proven faith. ...the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (James 1:3); These [trials] have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine... (1 Peter 1:7)

The writer of Hebrews gives us a definition of faith linked to the difficulties his first-century Hebrew readers were experiencing. That's why I read several verses at the end of chapter 10 before I read the opening verse of chapter 11. He doesn't just open up a new topic on faith in chapter 11. No, he is providing additional context for the things he's been saying up to that point.

So let's go back and see what more we can learn about faith in the preceding verses:

1. Hang on to your confidence (10:35). So do not throw away your confidence.

Faith is inextricably linked with confidence. The two are intertwined. Confidence comes as a result of faith.

You walk across the footbridge in Jay Cooke State Park because you have confidence that will hold you up. Sure, it sways and creaks and bounces as people go across it, but you have confidence that it was put together well. You have faith that the materials used were high quality and have weathered the years well. You are convinced that it will not collapse when you go across. You have confidence in it because you have faith in it.

Now, you might not have as much confidence or faith in another bridge because you see evidence that it has deteriorated. If it's falling apart, then you can see good reason to distrust it.

When we begin to have doubts about how reliable something might be, then, understandably, we may throw away our confidence in it.

But verse 35 challenges us: Don't throw away your confidence! "Throw away" translates the Greek word apoballo—"away from" with "throw" [ballo, the source for our word, ball].

These people had been challenged. They were beginning to wonder if it was all true. The difficult circumstances they faced had begun to erode their confidence. Doubt and fear had begun to undermine their faith.

Maybe you've felt like they did. Maybe you feel that way today. When circumstances become hard, difficult... when things don't work out the way you'd hoped... when what you planned isn't what happens. You expected a fast ball down the middle, but instead life throws you a curve ball.

God wants us to know that things don't always work out the way we expect—but God also wants us to know that's okay. We should learn to expect surprises in this world. It's when things get hairy that we need to kick up our faith an extra notch! It's when we go through trials—especially when we go through trials—that God wants us to come back to him, to recommit ourselves, to replenish our faith, and not throw away our confidence.

(Message) "Don't throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It's still a sure thing!"

2. Dig in your heels (10:36). You need to persevere.

(NASB) For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

Faith requires perseverance. Faith requires endurance. This is the ability to hang in there when things are difficult. (Robert Schuller: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going.")

Hupomone comes from hupomeno meaning "by, under" [hypo-dermic = under the skin] + "stay, abide, remain."

When people say they're doing pretty well "under the circumstances," they're describing exactly what's required of us. Sometimes you can't escape, you can't get away. Sometimes you have to endure, you have to bear up under the weight of difficulties. Sometimes you find yourself under a weight of trouble or concern. Sometimes you are under the circumstances—and that's where you have to stay for a while.

It's like a football game where 11 large, ugly defensive players pile on the guy with the ball. Sometimes life can "pile on." At times like that, perseverance and endurance is the ability to hold up beneath the weight of circumstances and troubles.

We need this ability to endure if our faith is going to stand up to the test and be proved genuine. Troubles may tempt us that it's just not worth the hassle: Let somebody else carry the ball. Let somebody else get clobbered. I'm outa here.

I've never seen a football game where they pile on a guy sitting on the bench on the sidelines. No! They're always looking for the guy with the ball. They're going to pile on him.

On October 7, 1916, Georgia Tech played Cumberland in Atlanta. Tech won 222 to 0, the worst walloping in the history of American college football. Neither team made a first down. Cumberland couldn't, and Tech scored every play it had the ball. Cumberland's total net yardage was minus 28. Late in the game a Cumberland player fumbled the ball. It rolled toward B. F. "Bird" Paty, who later became a prominent attorney. The fumbler shouted, "Pick it up!" Paty replied, "Pick it up yourself; you dropped it." http://www2.cumberland.edu/about/gotc/gamestory.html

Hebrews says "Don't apoballo [throw away] your confidence. You need to hupomone [hang on to your faith even when life piles on].

NCV: You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised.

Message: ...you need to stick it out, staying with God's plan so you'll be there for the promised completion.

Faith, by definition, hangs in there when troubles come our way. It's tested faith that is proven to be genuine faith. I like the way Peter describes faith that is tested through troubles:

⁵ ...through faith [you] are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:5-7)

"Proved genuine" comes from the Greek, dokimos "tested, approved."

Archaeologists have discovered pottery from the first century with a word marked on the bottom: dokimos. When potters would make their pottery, the highest-quality pots were hardened by putting them in the kiln—through the fire. The clay would become hard and durable when it went through the fire.

Sometimes, however, a pot wouldn't respond correctly to the fire, however. It would shrink and twist in the heat and become cracked or damaged. Those pots were thrown away. Destroyed.

But the ones that came through the fire were proven to be the highest quality—and they were marked on the bottom with the word, dokimos. Tested. Approved. It was like the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval."

And this is the same word that Peter used to describe faith that comes through trials and lasts all the way to the end. Dokimos. Tested and approved. Proved to be genuine.

Verse 39 describes those that don't persevere or endure when they go through the fire. They "shrink back." They are not approved; they are "destroyed."

No wonder the writer of Hebrews tells us to be sure to hang on and persevere. Everything is at stake! We must be sure that we are "those who believe and are saved" (v 39); "those who have faith to the preserving of the soul" (NASB).

3. Use your new eyes (11:1). Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Faith is like a sixth sense—it comprehends something you can't grasp through your regular senses. You can't see it, hear it, smell it, feel it, or taste it—but something tells you it's there.

Faith is being sure...certain of what we do not see.

Helen Keller, while still a toddler, was stricken with a disease, possibly meningitis or scarlet fever. The fever that nearly killed her robbed her of her ability to see and hear. She grew up cut off from the world we all know through our eyes and our ears. Everyone thought the fever had also destroyed her mind because she acted as though she had a very low IQ. The truth, though, was that she acted that way because she had no way to learn, no way to take in the world around her.

But then a teacher came into her life, Annie Sullivan, who was able to help her see and hear and learn about her world through her sense of touch. Helen Keller learned an important truth from Annie Sullivan: Just because you can't hear or see something doesn't mean it isn't there. Helen just needed "evidence of things not seen."

That's what we need as well. We need faith—a sixth sense that will enable us to grasp reality that can't be grasped by ordinary means.

(CEV) Faith... gives us proof of what we cannot see.

(NCV) Faith means... knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.

(Amp) [Faith is] ...the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

Let me assure you: There are things far more real than the things around us that we can see and touch and feel. Just because we can't see the final outcome doesn't mean it isn't real. Just because we see and experience troubles doesn't mean that God's promises are not real.

We spend all our energies dealing with the things of this world, but the things of this world are like mere shadows compared to the reality of heaven and eternity! The things of this world have no substance compared to the solid reality of God's promises.

Col 2:17 (NASB) speaks about "things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance [NIV: reality] belongs to Christ."

Most of you remember the story of Peter Pan. Remember when he lost his shadow? He was trying to escape out a window when Wendy slammed it down and caught his shadow. Later, Peter convinced Wendy to sew his shadow back on so it would always go with him.

But how real is a shadow? It's only there because of the real object—a shadow exists only because something standing in the light—something with real substance—casts the shadow. Without the light and without the real object, there is no shadow.

I like to think of the trials, troubles, fears, and difficulties of life as shadows. They're not what's real. They're not what will last. The only reason we can see them is because of the light of God's glory shining brilliantly on his promises. The eternal substance and reality are from God. Disappointments and troubles are shadows that go away.

• Cancer is a shadow; God's promises are what's real.
• Disappointment is a shadow; God's promises are what's real.
• Pain and sickness are shadows; God's promises are what's real.
• Difficult times, economic downturns, financial setbacks, job loss are all shadows; God's promises are what's real.
• Broken relationships, disintegrating homes, marital strife are shadows; God's promises are what's real.

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. It's time for us to look beyond the shadows and through faith and perseverance see things that cannot be seen! Let's see the promises of God.