Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:1-2

If there is ever a time that we need faith in Almighty God, it is now. However, we don’t just need to possess faith, we need faith to possess us.

Adrian Rogers said, “The law says run, but it gives us no legs; faith says fly, and it gives us wings.

Hebrews 11 and 12 are great faith chapters.

Hebrews 11:1-2 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.”

This passage first explains the demands of faith.

Faith is not positive thinking or a feeling of optimism. It is an agreement with God that becomes an attitude of trust, which leads to action. It is the substance of things hoped for, and evidence of things not seen.

Adrian Rogers said, “Faith is your ability to make present substance out of future reality. Faith reaches out into the future and brings the future into the present. It takes the unseen and makes it real in your heart and life.”

This passage also reveals the dynamics of our faith.

“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).

Only after we accept God through faith will we receive the spiritual wisdom to understand His works. Faith is necessary for our ability to worship; the heart will respond to the character of God when it is made right by faith.

Faith is also the source of our spiritual wealth; it is the medium of exchange in the kingdom of God—not fame or fortune.

Finally, this passage reveals how to develop our faith.

It cannot be manufactured or worked up; rather, it must be imparted.

Hebrews 12:1-2 explains that we must be saturated with Scripture, reading the Bible daily, because God gave it to us to build our faith.

We must also get rid of the things that ensnare us and repent of our unconfessed sins, completely dedicating ourselves to Jesus Christ.

Finally, as we run the spiritual race set before us, we must be activated by the Spirit, who enables us to believe in God and grow our faith.

Apply it to your life

Is your faith real, growing and developing through wisdom and worship? Are you saturated in Scripture, repentant of your sins, and looking to your Savior?