Hebrews 11: 1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for. 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The Hebrews 11 verse is often quoted, yet, I believe with good reason. It’s so important! It’s also hard to fully understand! So, why shouldn’t we think of it and meditate on it often? 🙂 We call ourselves people of faith, after all! The 2 Corinthians verse echoes the theme: Living by faith means that life isn’t always as it seems, and we cannot judge by what our eyes see.

These both will serve as a continuation of the message from last Sunday and a lead in to this coming Sunday’s message.

What is faith?

–We are SURE of what we HOPE for — i.e. we don’t have it yet, but we’re convinced of it anyway.

–We are certain of what we don’t see — as the previous, it’s as if we “see” what’s invisible.

Wow. That’s kind of crazy. But, if believing God was as easy as knowing a few concrete facts and required no faith, what kind of God would we be serving?? Not One worthy of being served, in my opinion. To look to the All Powerful One SHOULD lead us to EXPECT the impossible and to believe for the unbelievable, right? Beyond that, without faith it’s IMPOSSIBLE to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Well, we better start looking for ways to exercise our faith, don’t ya think? 🙂 Life is more fun that way, anyhow.

Faith is the strength that is unseen. It is completely unmoved by outward circumstance. When circumstances beat us, we can actually find ourselves being RENEWED on the inside! Why? Because we see that all things work together for our good as we love the Lord! So, if He allows trouble to come our way, we can REJOICE because we understand that eternal glory is being worked in us. Our current struggles, be they financial, emotional, relational, physical . . . they are TEMPORARY and will soon pass away.

If we can keep our focus on JESUS, the One who is “unseen”, we will not lose heart, for we will “see” that an eternal reward and eternal glory are being gained by NOT giving up! We must continue to believe and not waver! For, in due time, we WILL see the harvest! We will see the answer! God’s name WILL be vindicated, in every way. He WILL receive all honor and power and glory!

You will never regret what you did in faith, even if you were wrong.

You will regret times that you shrank back out of fear.

Lord, increase our faith!

-Jessie