The Substance and Evidence of Faith

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:1-3
• Sermon
• Prayer of Dismissal

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Sermon Title: The Substance and Evidence of Faith

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3

I. Introduction: Structure of Hebrews 11

A. Context from Hebrews 10:39 — "We are not of those who shrink back… but of those who have faith and preserve their souls" B. Chapter 11 unpacks who those people of faith are C. Overview of the chapter's structure

1. Verses 1–3: Introduction — a description of faith
2. Verses 4–7: Human history — Abel to Noah
3. Verses 8–22: Patriarchal history — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph
4. Verses 23–31: Redemption from Egypt — Moses and the wilderness people
5. Verses 32–38: Judges to the prophets — Gideon, Samson, David, and others
6. Verses 39–40: Conclusion — commended through faith, yet awaiting the promise

II. What Is Faith? — Prior Teaching in Hebrews

A. Hebrews 4:2 — faith relates to hearing the word; the message must be received with faith

1. Cf. Romans 10:17 — faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ B. Hebrews 6:11-12 — full assurance of hope; imitating those who through faith and patience inherit the promises C. Hebrews 10:22 — draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith D. John 1:12 — to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God E. Acts 16:30-31 — "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved"

III. The Environment of Faith — Hebrews 11:1

A. Faith operates amid things hoped for and things not yet seen B. Believers live between the past and the future, called to faithfulness in the present C. Faith always relates to the promises of God in his word

1. Hebrews 11:3 — faith and the word of God in creation
2. Hebrews 11:7 — Noah believed God's warning about events not yet seen
3. Hebrews 11:8 — Abraham obeyed God's call, trusting his promise
4. Hebrews 11:11 — Sarah considered God faithful to his promise of a child
5. Hebrews 11:13 — the patriarchs died in faith, not yet having received the things promised
6. Hebrews 11:17-18 — Abraham trusted God even when offering Isaac, believing God would fulfill his promise through him

IV. The Explanation of Faith — The Word Hypostasis

A. The Greek word hypostasis (translated "assurance" in Hebrews 11:1) is distinct from the assurance/confidence language of chapters 6 and 10 B. Hypostasis also appears in Hebrews 1:3 — "the exact imprint of his nature/substance," the Son as the very impression of the Father's essence C. The King James Version renders Hebrews 11:1 as "faith is the substance of things hoped for" — faith is the manner in which we hold and already possess the promises

1. Hebrews 11:9-10 — Abraham lived as a stranger in tents in the land of promise, yet by faith already possessed it
2. Hebrews 11:13 — they greeted the promises from afar, strangers and exiles, yet the promises were already theirs
3. Hebrews 11:27 — Moses endured as seeing him who is invisible; by faith he already saw God D. Four shades of meaning in hypostasis
4. Substance — faith makes real and gives possession of things hoped for
5. Foundation — faith is the standing-under, the beginning that already contains the end (Augustine)
6. Assurance/confidence — cf. Hebrews 3:14
7. Guarantee — like a trust fund or a named inheritance not yet received but already belonging to the heir E. The second term: conviction/evidence of things not seen
8. Evidence is proof already in hand of what is not yet in hand
9. Cf. 1 Peter 1:3-8 — an imperishable inheritance kept in heaven, already ours; we do not see Christ yet we believe and rejoice F. Already / not yet — believers already enjoy fellowship with Christ and the benefits of sonship, while still awaiting his return in fullness

V. Brief Comment on Verses 2 and 3

A. Verse 2 — commendation: the people of old were declared righteous by faith before God B. Verse 3 — the Creator: if God created the universe out of nothing by his word, we should trust that same word concerning our redemption through Christ C. Galatians 3:23-26 — before faith came we were held captive under the law; now that faith has come we are sons of God through faith in Christ; faith is possession of Christ himself