Topical · Week 6 of 6

The Faith Worth Having

Hebrews 11:1-6, 13-16

Faith as trust, not certainty

Main Point

Biblical faith isn't the absence of doubt — it's trusting God enough to keep walking even when you can't see the destination.

Application Ideas

Where is God asking you to take a step of faith without full certainty? Take it this week.

Discussion Questions

What does 'the assurance of things hoped for' mean practically? Why did the Hebrews 11 heroes never receive what was promised, and yet they're commended?

Detailed Sermon Outline

Primary Text: Hebrews 11:1-6, 11:32-40

Supporting Texts: Romans 3:28, 1 John 5:4, Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 4:18-21

Big Idea: True faith is trust in God regardless of visible evidence. It's the confidence that what God has promised, he will do, even when circumstances suggest otherwise.

Target Length: 35-40 minutes

Introduction

Hebrews 11 defines faith: 'Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.'

It's not belief without evidence. It's trust beyond what's visible. It's confidence in God's character and God's promises even when circumstances don't yet confirm them.

The chapter then gives examples: Abraham, Moses, Noah, and others who believed God's promises while standing in circumstances that contradicted those promises.

I. Faith Defined (Hebrews 11:1-6)

'Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.'

Faith isn't belief in invisible things. It's confidence in what we hope for. It's assurance about what we can't yet see.

'This is what the ancients were commended for.'
'By 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.'

Faith is the only way to understand the deepest reality: That physical creation came from an invisible God.

'And 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.'

Simple faith: God exists. God rewards those who seek him. Everything else flows from that.

II. Heroes of Faith in Impossible Circumstances (Hebrews 11:8-31)

'By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.'

Abraham didn't have a map. He didn't have certainty. He had God's promise. So he went.

'By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.' Noah was warned about a flood. He built a boat. That's faith acting on what God said, not on what he could see.
'All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.'

They didn't get to see the promises fulfilled. But they kept trusting. Their faith wasn't dependent on seeing results.

That's the kind of faith God honors: Trust that God keeps his promises even when you don't get to see them fulfilled in your lifetime.

III. Faith That Stands Against Circumstances (Hebrews 11:32-40)

'What more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.'

These people achieved victory. Their faith was vindicated. But then:

'Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.'
'These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.'

This is stunning. Some believers were vindicated. Some suffered for their faith and didn't get to see promises fulfilled. But both groups are commended.

Faith isn't dependent on outcome. It's dependent on trust in God regardless of outcome. That's the faith worth having.

Conclusion & Appeal

Faith is not belief that everything will go well. It's trust that God exists, that God is good, and that God keeps his promises—even when we don't see it yet.

You might be in a season where faith is vindicated. Or you might be in a season where you suffer and don't get to see resolution. Either way, you can trust God.

The faith worth having is the faith that can say: God is good. God is trustworthy. Even if I don't understand, I'm going to trust.