BeachCast.TV: Bible Exploration, Apologetics and Church History with Dr. Chase A. Thompson:

Hello friends, and happy Lord's Day to you all! Some of us have the privilege of worshipping together in person today, and some - like us - are still in quarantine. Wherever you fall along that spectrum, I pray that the Lord would bless you and keep you safe - that He would preserve your life and give you a wonderful gathering today. I am excited about our own church gathering, even though it is livestream. At our church - Valley Baptist Church in Salinas - we have had some wonderful times 'meeting' together over the internet - primarily because so many church members have been able to participate. We have great times of interactive prayer and so many encouraging testimonies and words have been sent in - we've even had multiple worship leaders lead us via video. It's not as great as being together in person, but I still look forward to our gathering every week. We'd love to have you join us at 11am Pacific on Facebook live - just go to VBC Salinas on Facebook, like our page, and you will be alerted when we go live...or just check out the recording.

Today, Robert Murray M'Cheyne - the original author of the Bible reading plan we are following this year - decided to get a little bit creative. Creative, or crazy...I'm not sure. Our readings are Numbers 19, Psalms 56-57, Isaiah 8 and 9:1-7, and James 2. Tomorrow the readings are even more, uhm, interesting. Do remember that the next few episodes might be a little shorter than normal, as I am preparing for a brief road trip this week and recording some episodes ahead of time. Yesterday was a fake shorter episode that ended up being average - this episode will likely be shorter. That said - NEVER, EVER trust a preacher's estimate of time, and mine in particular. I'm not very good at estimating how long something will last.

I have found that the Psalms have been particularly comforting to me as we have gone through this pandemic/quarantine time. I don't live and fight daily battles with anxiety and fear, but these past eight weeks have definitely increased the levels of those horrible things in my life, and maybe yours too. As things have progressed, I have found great comfort and assurance in reading through the Psalms and praying through them. I learned from Ben Patterson, via Kevin DeYoung, an excellent way to pray through the Psalms that I'd like to share with us now:

Sometimes it's the simplest things that make the biggest difference. For many years I've used the 3 R's I learned from Ben Patterson to pray through Scripture. This simple tool has helped me pray the Bible more than any other single strategy. I've used in my devotional times and have employed it often in leading others in prayer.

1. Rejoice 2. Repent 3. Request

With every verse in the Bible we can do one (or more likely, all three) of these things. We can rejoice and thank God for his character and blessings. We can repent of our mistakes and sins. We can request new mercies and help.

Source: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/how-to-pray-using-scripture/

Let's take that and apply it to Psalms 57:

Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me, for I take refuge in you. I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings until danger passes. 2 I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. 3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me, challenging the one who tramples me.Selah God sends his faithful love and truth. 4 I am surrounded by lions; I lie down among devouring lions— people whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. 5 God, be exalted above the heavens; let your glory be over the whole earth. 6 They prepared a net for my steps; I was despondent. They dug a pit ahead of me, but they fell into it!Selah7 My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.

I will sing; I will sing praises. 8 Wake up, my soul! Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn. 9 I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 10 For your faithful love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches the clouds. 11 God, be exalted above the heavens; let your glory be over the whole earth.

Psalms 57: 1-11

Hello friends and welcome to the weekend! As a heads up, the next few podcasts might be a little on the shorter than normal side, as I am preparing for a small road trip with my daughter, and will have to record a few episodes to upload while gone. So - the plan is - Lord willing! - for there to be an uninterrupted stream of episodes all next week, but to do that, I'll need to record a few in advance. Rejoice ye podcast saints who like the shorter episodes, but mourn all ye who yearn and hearken with joy unto the longer episodes. This should all return back to normal by next Saturday. Today's Bible readings include Numbers 17 and 18, Psalms 55, Isaiah 7 and James chapter 1, which is our focus passage for today, based on the final verse:

26 If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:27

So - is there a religion that God calls pure and faultless? Yes! And it is James 1:27ism. Thanks for listening to today's show - Godspeed!

Okay, I'm kidding. Shorter, but not quite that short...we haven't even read Numbers yet! One thing to address before we get to the big question. The word 'religion' here in James 1:26-27 is the Greek word 'θρησκεία thrēskeía.' In one sense, 'religion' is a pretty good translation of the word, but to a modern reader, I believe that the word 'religion' means something quite a bit different than what James is communicating here. When most here the word 'religion' they think about all of the various different religions of the world - all of the different practices of faith and beliefs about salvation, etc. That doesn't appear to be - at all - what James is talking about here. I think a better translation of the word is 'God-fearing,' for at least two reasons. #1 Threskia is derived from a Greek word 'θρησκός thrēskós' which means fearful or trembling, and is sometimes used in the context of worshipping God. #2 James isn't talking about all of the religions of the world and how to please their various deities; He is telling Christians how to please God - how to walk in a God-fearing, God-pleasing way. That said, I can't find a SINGLE modern translation that agrees with me, so you should trust the translators and not me.

Regardless, I believe that every modern Bible translator would agree that James 1:26-27 is indeed teaching us what God finds pure and faultless, and there are three elements to it:

#1 To please God, we MUST control our tongues - our words, our speech. The good news is that we don't have to speculate what James was talking about in terms of using our words in a God-pleasing way, because he tells us a few paragraphs later:

9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God's likeness. 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.

James 3:9-10

#2 To please God, we must look after orphans and widows - those who are fatherless, motherless or parentless and those who have lost their husbands. How big of a deal is this to God? I'm glad you asked:

• 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. Deuteronomy 10:16-18
• The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. Psalms 146:9
• "Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.22 "Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. Exodus 22:22-23
• 19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. Deuteronomy 24:18-20
• 28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 14:28-29
• Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. 5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalms 68:5
• "How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? 3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalms 82:2-4 - This is God castigating the other elohim.
• Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow."Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"- Deuteronomy 27:19
• 3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. Jeremiah 22:3-4
• 9 "This is what the Lord Almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.' Zechariah 7:9-11
• But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Psalms 10:14
• Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, 11 for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you. Proverbs 23:9-11

Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. 17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. 18 "Come now, let us settle the matter,"says the Lord."Though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson,they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:16-18

#3 - Pure and faultless God-fearing is to keep yourself from being stained/transformed by the world. James goes on to elaborate on this point sharply as well:

4 You adulterous people! Don't you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God. 5 Or do you think it's without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely

James 4:4-5

As a kid, you sometimes wonder if your parents have favorites. As a youth minister, I definitely saw parents with kids who were their favorites and kids who weren't. As a dad of 5, I haven't really had to struggle with that much, all my kids are very different, but I've not ever had a favorite - they are all my favorite. I wonder sometimes about God, though. Does He have favorites...if He does, I think I know who they are: widows and orphans, and I'm not even kidding.

The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit. Psalms 34:18

Hello everybody and happy Friday to you. After a long and rambly Coronavirus intro yesterday, today's intro is short. I would say short and sweet, but it's actually just short.

Comment: Jesse: I don't see the video Set your eyes that you mention. I will go look for it on youtube. FIXED!

Today's Bible readings include Numbers 16, Psalms 52-54, Isaiah 6 and Hebrews 13. Our focus passage is the famous throne room passage of Isaiah 6, in which Isaiah (in the year King Uzziah dies) sees God high and elevated on His throne, attended and accompanied by these mysterious creatures called 'seraphim' that only appear in one chapter in the entire Bible! Let's go read Isaiah 6, and then discuss what these beings might be.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.

4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 Then I said:

Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies.

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs.

Isaiah 6:1-6

What a fascinating passage! For one, we get some insight into the physical appearance of God, which was covered in depth in episode 69 of the podcast. He is often depicted in the midst of smoke and fire and accompanied by shaking and other marvels. And often there are various and sundry heavenly beings surrounding the throne, including the seraphim we see here.

Fascinating creatures, these seraphim. They can fly, they can talk, and they have six wings - a pair that covers their face, a pair that covers their feet, and a pair for flying. I have been familiar with Isaiah 6 for a very long time, at least since I was a teenager. I suspect - but don't remember - that the pastor of the church I grew up in referred often to this text, because I was very familiar with it in my youth, and it was amongst the more interesting Bible passages out there. What do you picture when you picture the seraphim in this passage - what do these beings look like in your mind's eye? I can tell you that for almost my entire life I just thought of them as six-winged angel looking beings - human looking creatures, probably dressed in white and having two big feathered wings on their back, and a small set of feathered wings covering their faces and feet. Is that an accurate picture? I have no idea - I've never seen a seraph!

However, when you begin to study angels and demons from what the Bible teaches, and not just what is depicted in pop-culture, a different picture of these beings emerges. For one, angels don't have wings. Cherubim and seraphim do indeed have wings, but we nowhere see cherubim and seraphim described as angels, so I believe it is wise to conclude that these are a different class of heavenly beings entirely. Likely related to angels, but different somehow. We are given much information about cherubim, including the intriguing possibility in Ezekiel that Satan himself was possibly a cherubim.

You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you: carnelian, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold; they were prepared on the day you were created. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub, for I had appointed you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you.

Ezekiel 28: 12-15

This is a fascinating passage, but it tells us next to nothing about seraphim. What are they? Well - other than the brief Isaiah 6 description of these beings, literally the only other thing we can know from the Bible about seraphim comes from the etymology of their name. Unfortunately, that is where our mystery deepens, because - based on the name - many scholars believe that seraphim are either burning/smoking/fiery heavenly beings with wings OR they are cobra-like snake beings. And no, I'm not joking about that. The trouble is that the name seraphim can either come from the verb saraph, which in Hebrew means burning, or from the noun saraph, which in Hebrew indicates a venomous snake like creature. (Presumably because their venom 'burns,' when it is injected.) So - which is it? Unfortunately, we don't know from the Bible text alone, so we will turn to an expert on angels in the Bible, Logos scholar in residence, Dr. Michael Heiser, and he writes:

A number of passages in the Bible utilize the concept of fire in depicting the presence of God. Among the most familiar is Genesis 3:24, where Yahweh stations cherubim with flaming swords at the entrance to Eden to ensure the fallen Adam and Eve do not reenter. In nonbiblical portrayals of divine presence (e.g., the tablets from Ugarit), fiery messengers guard the divine presence.

In Isaiah 6, fiery guardians, seraphim, are present in the throne room of God. The word "seraphim" derives from either the noun saraph ("serpent"; compare the Egyptian word seraf) or the verb saraph ("to burn"). The two meanings likely overlap in Isaiah 6. King Hezekiah's relationship with Egypt, which coincided with Isaiah's ministry, influenced the royal iconography during Hezekiah's reign. Seraphim may therefore refer to a cobra and its burning venom (Egyptians considered cobras to be divine guardians). Psalm 104:4 also refers to fiery "ministers" in Yahweh's presence.

Aside from fiery beings, many biblical passages describe both Yahweh's throne room and presence as fiery and full of smoke. In Exodus 3, Yahweh appears to Moses in a burning bush. After the Israelite people have left Egypt, the divine presence moves with them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night (Exod 13:21–22; 14:24). Yahweh at one point descends on Mount Sinai in fire and smoke (Exod 19:18; 24:17; compare Rev 15:8). Other passages create the impression that fire is a stock image in describing the appearance of Yahweh (Deut 4:36; Psa 144:5; 2 Sam 22:7–13). At times a rushing or stormy wind accompanies fire imagery (Ezek 1:4; Isa 28:2; 29:6; 30:27–30; Psa 50:3; compare Heb 12:18). Other passages describe God Himself as a consuming fire (Deut 4:24; 9:3; compare Heb 12:29), and Yahweh uses fiery bursts and lightning bolts as weapons against his enemies (Josh 10:11; Psa 18:7–14; 21:9; 148:8; 2 Sam 22:13–15; Isa 30:30).

This imagery carried into the New Testament, most prominently in the events of Pentecost in Acts 2:

And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And divided tongues like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability to speak out (Acts 2:1–4).

The stormy aura of "a violent rushing wind" accompanied by flaming "tongues" indicates that the gathered disciples are now in the divine presence; the throne room of God has come to them. This fire is associated with the Holy Spirit—the presence of God. As with other prophetic figures, the apostles are commissioned in the divine presence by the divine presence.

Michael S. Heiser, "Fire as a Motif of Divine Presence," in Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016).

Now, Heiser doesn't tip his hand here as to what his best guess on seraphim is - snake-like being, or burning heavenly being, but he does in his book The Unseen Realm:

The seraphim of Isa 6:2, 6 that attend Yahweh's throne may also have been fiery beings if the noun derives from the verb saraph ("to burn"). It is more likely that seraphim derives from the Hebrew noun saraph ("serpent"), which in turn is drawn from Egyptian throne guardian terminology and conceptions. If that is the case, Egyptian imagery relating to the divine throne guardians includes fire as well.

Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015).

So - can it be that the throne of God is attended and protected by heavenly and flying snake-like beings? It is possible, but I would say that I am at about 50-50...maybe even 60-40 in favor of seraphim being heavenly flying creatures that are somehow burning with something that resembles fire. My only reason for leaning in this direction is because of the astonishing prevalence of FIRE in so many of the narratives - Old and New Testament - that describe the setting of the throne room of God, and so few narratives that describe anything serpent-like in relation to God. There's also the feet thing. Snakes don't have feet, but I do believe that Satan - the tempter in the garden of Eden - did have feet before he was cursed, so the being the deceived Adam and Eve was likely some sort of reptile/dragonish creatures - at least at first, and not a snake-like creature.

This is a mystery - one of many - that I look forward to learning personally in Heaven!

Hello everybody, and happy Thursday to you! Today is the beginning of week 8 of quarantine for us in central California/The Bay Area. That seems like a long time. If you had told me at the beginning of the year that my whole city would spend 8 weeks in quarantine this year, and you somehow convinced me it was absolutely true, then after I got over my stunned silence, I guess I would begin to prepare for the end of the world...anything that could keep a whole city/state/country in quarantine for weeks at a time must be horrifying. And yet the reality of what we've experienced has been somewhat less than most Outbreak style movies would depict. It is unnerving, and i don't really think people are exaggerating the coronavirus by and large, at least I don't think the experts are. Some experts seem to consider it slightly worse than the flu and some experts seem to consider it slightly less worse then Captain Trips or XDR Tuberculosis, but when taken in total, the experts seem to paint a pretty accurate picture: Coronavirus is quite serious - more so than flu, but it is not a death sentence to most people. i'd love to know what we will think in a couple of years. Did we overreact or underreact to this threat? Honestly, I think it might be too soon to tell, but my guess is that - in the moment at least - we properly reacted. Two years from now when we are likely to have effective Covid treatments, I suspect that we will will look back and think that we overreacted, but we don't have effective treatments now - at least not in large scale. My money's on Remdesivir, and has been since March. I am not literally investing in it, however, though I would if I could! Well... you didn't come here for the coronavirus musings of a non-expert, so let's get to the meat of the podcast:

Today's Bible readings include Numbers 15, Psalms 51, Isaiah 5 and Hebrews 12. Back to Hebrews for our focus passage, and to Hebrews 12:1-3 for the origin of that question. Honestly, since the pandemic has hit, this has been probably my most comforting Bible passage - Hebrews 12:1-3 or Psalms 34.

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won't grow weary and give up.

Hebrews 12:1-4

As I said, Hebrews 12:1-4 has become a most precious passage to me over these past 8 or so weeks of uncertainty and fear. 7 weeks of quarantine with a family of 7 - all of us eager to be anywhere but home - can be trying and wearying. This passage gives us great counsel on how to get through times of weariness, times of hindrance and times when we just want to give up. What is that counsel? We are to Keep our eyes on Jesus, or FIX our eyes on Jesus. When we consider Him, we will - somehow, someway - have the strength to keep going. It's a great passage, and very spiritual sounding...but the big question is this: HOW (practically speaking) do we keep our eyes on Jesus since He is no longer here on earth, and is invisible to us?

Here's the thing: The Bible is not just giving us spiritual counsel that is impossible to follow in a practical way. I believe there are at least TWO big ways, as we have discussed in part before, that we can keep/fix/focus on Jesus and consider Him.

#1 - We consider Jesus and fix our eyes on Him through His Word - by reading His teachings, His message, and reading the Gospel's description of His life, death and resurrection. This is using what many call our 'mind's eye,' but with the Word of God, I believe it goes beyond mere imagination. We are told earlier in Hebrews 4:12 that God's Word is "living and active," and I'm not sure that most of us have fully apprehended just exactly what that passage means. I am quite certain that it means that the Words of the Bible are far different from the words of other books. When we read Tom Sawyer, we don't encounter Mark Twain, but only his imagination. Likewise reading anything by Shakespeare, Milton, Dante, Lu Xun, Steinbeck, Hemingway or Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. All of these are brilliant writers and minds, but we don't actually interact with THEM when we read their books, because they are all dead. When we read the Word of God, however, we DO encounter God and His living and active presence. I don't know exactly how this works, but John 1 tells us that Jesus IS the Word of God. Revelation 19 tells us that Jesus' name is 'the Word of God.' What does this mean? I don't know for certain, but I believe these passages mean that we actually - somehow, someway - encounter Jesus in His Word. Not merely His teachings, but HIMSELF. We see this a little bit in John 15. Initially, Jesus is talking about His disciples abiding in Him, and He in them/us, but then He shifts in verse 7:

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

John 15:7

It is almost as if the Word of Jesus and the presence of Jesus are...synonymous, similar - I struggle with words here, but I believe the Bible is pointing us to a very interesting dynamic in which the living Word in us is more than a mere remembrance of the teaching of Jesus but is itself the presence of Jesus. The bottom line is this: The primary way we look to Jesus as the author and perfecter/finisher of our faith - and the primary way we consider/concentrate on Jesus is through His living Word.

I also believe that there is a second way, that is somewhat related to the first way. Yesterday, in Hebrews 11, we discussed how faith is SUBSTANCE/REALITY/CONCRETE - the REALITY of what is hoped for and the proof for what is seen. A few days ago, in Hebrews 8 and 9, we saw how Jesus - as the High Priest of Heaven is actively in the Tabernacle of Heaven mediating between God and Man (drawing us and God the Father closer) and interceding for His people. Jesus is - RIGHT NOW - mediating/ministering/interceding in the Heavenly Tabernacle. Ministering before God the Father on behalf of His followers. I believe we can look to Jesus in the Heavenly Tabernacle by faith, in the same way John Piper talked about yesterday in His discussion of faith in Hebrews 11. Since faith is not mere hope, but a concrete assurance of reality - we KNOW that Jesus is in the tabernacle praying for His and mediating for us. As Robert Murray M'Cheyne, the Scottish author of the Bible reading plan we are following says:

"If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me."

Pastor Robert Murray M'Cheyne

And that's it. By faith we BELIEVE with real CERTAINTY that Jesus is praying for His people and mediating on our behalf - and KNOWING THAT gives us perseverance and strength and hope and energy and causes us NOT to quit! In this way, we are SEEING JESUS - LOOKING TO JESUS - CONSIDERING JESUS. Let me close with two more encouraging truths:

"It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life; that He is presenting to the Father those spiritual needs which were not present to our minds and which we often neglect to include in our prayers; and that He prays for our protection against the dangers of which we are not even conscious, and against the enemies which threaten us, though we do not notice it. He is praying that our faith may not cease, and that we may come out victoriously in the end."

Louis Berkhoff - Systematic Theology

Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Romans 8:34

Hello friends and happy Wednesday to you! Today we are covering a Bible passage that many might be familiar with, as this is a favorite for preachers to preach through - and with good reason! Hebrews 11 is rich with meaning and lots depth and encouragement. This passage gives us not only a definition of faith, but a plethora of illustrations that demonstrate to us what faith is, and how it might look in our lives. In addition to Hebrews 11, we will also be reading Numbers 14, Psalms 50 and Isaiah 3 and 4.

Let's go read Hebrews 11 and then return and discuss our major question: What is faith?

Did you catch the Hebrews definition?

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. 2 For by this our ancestors were approved. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

Hebrews 11:1-3

That is a very interesting definition of faith, isn't it? Hebrews 11:1 in the ESV says this, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." and in the NIV, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." and the NLT, "Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see." In the KJV: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" In the Lexham, "Now faith is the realization of what is hoped for, the proof of things not seen,"and the Young's Literal, "And faith is of things hoped for a confidence, of matters not seen a conviction"

All of these translations are expressing the same Greek words in a slightly different way of explanation, but the meaning is clear: faith is not mere hopeful belief that something might happen - "I hope this quarantine will be over soon," "I hope Alabama wins the 2020 national championship," "I hope my doctor visit goes well." It is good to hope, but faith is something different - it is not hopefulness in an uncertain outcome in a wishful sense, but it is assurance, confidence, reality, realization and substance. Faith is a concrete belief in a reality - that is the point of what Hebrews is telling us, and that reality/substance/confidence/assurance/conviction produces actions....and not actions like merely going to church, or going through religious motions. Actions like Noah building an Ark for years in the middle of dry land. Actions like Abraham heading out on a life-changing move of himself and his whole family to a land he didn't know and had never seen. Actions like Rahab welcoming the Israelite spies and risking her life to protect them. Actions like Joshua leading a musical/prayer march around the walls of a well-fortified city that led to its capture. And actions like Moses refusing to live as fake royalty in the house of Pharoah. Hebrews is telling us that faith is a bedrock reality that causes people to make life-changing, life-altering decisions that are risky and stupid if our faith is somehow misplaced. Faith is concrete substance/reality/confidence/assured says Hebrews 11 and faith leads to action and life-change. Here are a few other definitions:

• "Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times." Martin Luther
• "True faith, not head knowledge, is a firm conviction that brings personal surrender to God and His Word." Kay Arthur
• "Faith means being sure of what we hope for now. It means knowing something is real, this moment, all around you, even when you don't see it." Joni Eareckson Tada
• "TRUE faith is reliance. Look at any Greek lexicon you like, and you will find that the word πιστευειν does not merely mean to believe, but to trust, to confide in, to commit to, entrust with, and so forth; and the marrow of the meaning of faith is confidence in, reliance upon. Let me ask, then, every professor here who professes to have faith, is your faith the faith of reliance? You give credit to certain statements, do you also place trust in the one glorious person who alone can redeem? Have you confidence as well as credence? A creed will not save you, but reliance upon the anointed Saviour is the way of salvation." - C. H. Spurgeon, Flashes of Thought (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1874), 146.
• "Faith is the evidence of things not seen"; that is, it is their being evident. This verse is as much as if he had said, "Faith is the being present of things that are to come, and the being clearly seen of things that are not seen." Jonathan Edwards, Notes on Scripture, ed. Harry S. Stout and Stephen J. Stein, vol. 15, The Works of Jonathan Edwards (London; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998), 81.
• "Faith is a grounded, justifiable knowledge, and not a fancy, or ineffectual opinion; having for its object the infallible revelation and certain truth of God; and not a falsehood, nor a mere probability, or 'verisimile.'" Richard Baxter, William Orme, The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter, vol. 12 (London: James Duncan, 1830), 54.
• "We all in one sense 'believe' we are mortal: but until one's forties does one really believe one is going to die? On the edge of a cliff can't one believe, and yet not really believe, that there's no danger? But certainly this real belief in the truths of our religion is a great gift from God. When in Hebrews 'faith' is defined as 'the substance of things hoped for',179 I wd. translate 'substance' as 'substantialness' or 'solidity' or (almost) 'palpableness'." - C. S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, ed. Walter Hooper, vol. 3 (New York: HarperCollins e-books; HarperSanFrancisco, 2004–2007), 751.
• Faith is to believe what you do not see, or to trust words about a hidden thing which truly exists, though you cannot see it with your eyes. About the things that we see we have knowledge, and not faith.Elliot Ritzema, 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Early Church, Pastorum Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).

Great definitions there - let me close with a bit of exposition from John Piper to give us a fuller idea of what exactly faith is:

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Faith is the conviction—or better, the evidence—of things not seen." And then the writer illustrates this in verse 3 when he says that "we understand by faith" that God created the world. In other words, faith is not just a responding act of the soul; it is also a grasping or perceiving or understanding act. It is a spiritual act that sees the fingerprints of God. This does not mean that you believe them into being. That would be wishful thinking—the power of positive thinking. That is not authentic faith. Real faith is based on real Truth. It looks deeply at the world God has made—looks through it, so to speak—and by the grace of God, it sees the glory of God (as Psalm 19:1 says) standing forth off the creation like a 3-D image.

The Substance of Things Hoped For

Now that leaves us just a few minutes to focus on the other part of the definition of faith in verse 1: "Now faith is the assurance—or the substance—of things hoped for." It may be that all this means is that faith is a deep confidence that the promises of God will come true so that we bank on them. That would be enough to free us from the fears and greed and worldliness that block the flow of radical, risk-taking, sacrificial love. If we have a strong conviction that God will care for us and bring us to glory and fulfill all his promises to us forever, then we will be free from self-indulgence and free for serving others.

But I think it means more—or maybe this is just a way of filling up this meaning with all that's really here. The word "assurance" here can mean "nature" or "substance" or "reality" or "essence" in other places, for example, Hebrews 1:3 ("exact representation of God's nature"). If that is what is meant here, then we should think like this.

What could the "substance" or "nature" of things hoped for mean? I think it could mean that faith apprehends the goodness and the sweetness of what God promises so clearly that this goodness and sweetness are substantially present in faith. In other words, faith grasps—lays hold of—God's preciousness so firmly that in the faith itself there is the substance of the goodness and the sweetness promised. Faith doesn't create what we hope for—that would be a mere mind game. Faith is a spiritual apprehending or perceiving or tasting or sensing of the beauty and sweetness and preciousness and goodness of what God promises—especially his own fellowship, and the enjoyment of his own presence.

Faith does not just feel confident that this is coming some day. Faith has spiritually laid hold of and perceived and tasted that it is real. And this means that faith has the substance or the nature of what is hoped for in it. Faith's enjoyment of the promise is a kind of substantial downpayment of the reality coming.

John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007).

As a bonus, here are two other great quotes on faith:

"Let us see to it that we keep God before our eyes; that we walk in His ways, and seek to please and glorify Him in everything, great and small. Depend upon it, God's work, done in God's way, will never lack God's supplies." Hudson Taylor

"Furnish thyself with arguments from the promises to enforce thy pravers, and make them prevalent with God. The promises are the ground of faith, and faith, when strengthened, will make thee fervent, and such fervency ever speeds and returns with victory out of the field of prayer…. The mightier any is in the Word, the more mighty he will be in prayer." - William Gurnall