By Faith
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3)
By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. (Hebrews 11:4)
By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11:7)
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, (Hebrews 11:17)
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. (Hebrews 11:24-26)
By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. (Hebrews 11:29)
In these crazy times with Covid, political division, shutdowns, death, disunity, and general uncertainty about what is around the corner, what are we Christians to do? We are to live by faith. After all, the righteous live by Faith (Gal. 3:11). What does it look like for you and me to trust the Lord in the difficult things of life? How can we too look like the pillars of faith that we see in Hebrews 11?
What is faith and how do we live by it? As the scripture says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” To say it another way, faith is trusting in the promises of God. Like the promise of future glory for those who have faith in Jesus. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Faith is trusting in the promise that God strengthens those who trust him. “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31). Faith is trusting in the promise that Jesus will not waste the difficult things in your life but instead use them for your good and his glory. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) These are just a few of the many promises we can have confidence in if we do these three things:
Trust the Word of God
The first thing we must do is trust the Word of God. Jesus remembered this foundational truth when being tempted by Satan not to trust God while he was in the desert. He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). We cannot lean on our own understanding because we don’t fully understand. Our perspective is so limited. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
John Piper said, “Living by faith in future grace.” Piper explains that it is through this trust in the future grace God has promised, that we tap into the spiritual power of the Holy Spirt and thus glorify God in our daily lives. It is not us who bring glory to God but Christ in us. Just as Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Make Jesus Your Treasure
Second, we must make God our treasure. He must be the thing we want the most. If we want to live by faith, there can be no one and nothing that we desire more than Jesus. Just as Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). We must want Jesus. We must acquire Jesus. And we must enjoy Jesus. This is what it means to make Jesus your treasure. And when we do that, we will bring glory to God in our lives. I love the famous quote of Piper, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
This satisfaction in Jesus is only possible when we learn to trust God with all the other treasures in our lives. Our family, our work, our possessions, and our dreams must be held loosely in our hands. This last one, our dreams, has been a struggle for me recently. I am a planner by nature and a bit of a control freak, and I want everything to go according to my plans. But this season has made that a non-reality most of the time. And like the saying goes if you don’t learn to be flexible you will break!
The uncertain times we are living in have forced me to assess my priorities in life. What matters to me the most? God’s plan for my life or my plan for my life? By the grace of God, I am getting more and more excited about what God is doing and learning to trust him daily with the other treasures in my life, because he is my ultimate treasure. This is the wisdom that Jesus gave us in the Sermon on the Mount, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). When we desire Jesus above everything else, we start to see everything more clearly.
Take Up Your Cross Daily
Third, we need to come to the feet of Jesus every day and ask him for help. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus is not asking you to do the impossible. He already did the impossible and is asking you to trust him so that he can do the impossible through you. None of us have what it takes in ourselves to be a beacon of faith, but in Christ we can live by faith.
We pick up our cross and follow Him. We surrender to the will of the father, and we say as Jesus said, “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). We take up burdens in life and we carry them not in our own strength but his. We take up our cross and we trust in the promises of God every step of the way knowing that glory awaits us. That one day this temporary suffering will be over, and we will be as we were always meant to be, with God forever!
This is how we live by faith. This is how we glorify God through all the difficult things in life. This is how we, like Able, trust God with the best of what we have. This is how we, like Noah, obey God even when it seems a little crazy to do so. This is how we, like Abraham, trust God with the precious gifts in our life, knowing that he will do what is best. This is how we, like Moses, turn from the easy life of sin and take the hard road that leads to salvation. This is how we tackle all the impossible obstacles and challenges that are before us. We do it by faith!
May God richly bless you as you live by faith,
Pastor Rob
