Burn Your White Flags (Hebrews)Sample

Faith, despite being a central concept in Christianity, is such a misunderstood term. Some suggest that faith means believing in spite of evidence, or the contrived 'hope-so' of wishful thinking. Yet others suggest that faith is blind optimism or mere intellectual assent to theological propositions. None of these are true. So, what is faith? The phrase ‘by faith’ reoccurs 20 times throughout Hebrews 11 . For the next 40 verses the preacher tells stories of faith, the accolades of the spiritual heroes of the past. Hebrews 11 is not so much a definition of faith but a demonstration of it. Yet verses 1–2 would have to be the closest thing to a definition in the New Testament. Faith holds onto that which is promised by God, but is yet to be revealed in our experience. Faith believes the word of God, clinging to what is promised and making it real in our lives. It’s never static, but actively trusts God. Abraham, for example, obeyed God and left his country and family to claim a land he would receive, and God never gave him the map. The preacher of Hebrews walks you through the ‘hall of faith’ to remind you that by faith, you too can live like this. In the face of your pressure and trials, you can live as they did. You see, they weren’t special. In fact, the people listed were pretty messed up. Abraham is held up as a hero of faith even though he himself struggled to trust God at times. When you live by faith, you too can make a significant difference in the kingdom of God. Take God at His word, believe His promises, take risks, and see God come through every time.