You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
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Goodness. If you've not been at Southwood before, when the pastor cries before the sermon, it is not a good sign, and you should start praying for him right now.
Now, it's not just appropriate for our graduates, but for all of us who are needing to walk by faith, who are perhaps some of us wondering,
what might it mean to have faith in the God of the Bible?
I'm going to read just the first three verses for now, but we're going through the whole chapter, and I'd encourage you to keep a Bible open.
To Hebrews 11, as we're going to look at a lot of it as we go, but right now, this is the holy, inerrant, infallible Word of God.
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.
God, thank you for your Word.
Lord, would you help us this morning, as your people in this chapter through the Old Testament, as they heard your voice and trusted you and followed you,
would you so help us, speak to us that we would hear you, work in our hearts, spirit, that we might love you, trust you,
and in our lives, that we might follow you all of our days.
We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Seeing is believing is a philosophy that's familiar to many in our world these days.
Scientific naturalism tells you that what you see is all there is.
That's all you can count on.
But think about it more at a street level, the way we encounter it in our lives.
Even in a world where we are skeptical if the video on social media is actually real,
for many of us, it is the things that we see.
Our security comes from numbers we see in our bank account.
Our happiness comes from the stuff we have that we can look at and enjoy.
Our beauty is often seen as skin deep.
Our importance, our value in the world, whether we've been successful in life,
is often seen in the size of our houses,
the type of car that we drive, the location of our office,
building our lives around the things we can see with our eyes, right?
Seems to come natural.
Makes sense.
Except that God's word tells us we are made to walk by faith,
not by sight.
To build our lives quite differently, actually, around unseen realities.
There's so much that we can't see.
I mean, our graduates,
they're preparing to walk into new places,
new people,
new life experiences that are hard for them even to imagine today what's ahead.
Our prayer guide's expectant mothers list indicates quite a few of you are investing lots of energy
and excitement in preparing for a new person who will transform your life,
and you don't even know what he or she is like yet.
Come to think of it,
whether you're awaiting test results,
navigating technological changes,
trying to predict the weather,
even things that we see leave us with lots of uncertainty.
All of us.
Whom and what will we trust?
Hebrews has just quoted at the end of chapter 10,
last week,
that famous line,
the righteous shall live by faith.
That's how we're to live,
by faith.
And so chapter 11 starts by saying,
faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
In other words,
what do those words mean?
And what's it telling us about faith?
It's the confidence of counting on something,
of building my life around something,
of placing my hope in something
that my eyes don't see right now.
Why in the world would you do that?
That sounds crazy, right?
That's blind faith, isn't it?
Well, not exactly.
You're not just insisting on believing something
against all evidence to the contrary.
No, he's actually about to give us story
after story after story
of people who lived like this,
trusting God when they couldn't see.
And it's not an invitation here
when he says live by faith
to check your brain at the door
and just come believe.
That's not it.
Rather, he actually begins the opposite direction.
He begins by saying,
open your eyes.
He turns our eyes,
not only to the real stories,
but also to the real world all around us.
Do you see all this, he says?
Look out the windows.
God made all this from nothing.
All these things your eyes see,
the closer you look,
they have the marks of a designer,
don't they?
I mean, you're thinking,
I didn't see mountains and bugs
and flowers and stars formed.
I didn't see them come into existence.
How'd that happen?
There's a God behind it all.
And people have been trusting him
for millennia now,
even though they haven't physically seen him.
In other words,
it may just actually be
that believing is seeing.
That the clearest vision possible
comes when you set your eyes
on things you can't see.
What could that look like?
That's so weird, pastor.
What are you talking about?
Can I live by faith?
Would I want to?
How would I do that?
That's what this chapter's about.
Though our physical eyes are limited,
the eyes of faith see.
Above all else,
they see a person.
Here's what I mean.
In the classic movie Aladdin,
you've all,
oh, I wish you'd all seen Aladdin.
I'm going to show you just a little bit of it.
Princess Jasmine,
and she leaves the palace, okay,
where she's grown up.
And she finds herself in a marketplace
that she's never seen before.
Completely unfamiliar place.
But the boy who lives there on the streets,
he knows the marketplace.
And they're being pursued,
chased,
and they're trapped now
on the edge of a building.
And she can't see,
has no idea what's over the edge.
She's left with a famous choice.
A leap of faith,
one might say.
But not a leap for no reason.
She trusted the boy,
right?
Later in the story,
that's actually how she recognizes
this boy when he's dressed up as a prince.
Do you trust me?
He's offering to show her the world
on a magic carpet,
and look what happens.
Do you trust me?
I showed you that second clip
because I think God wants us
to recognize him
saying again to us,
do you trust me?
Do you trust me?
There's so much you don't know.
There's so much out there
you haven't seen,
and you can't see,
and you won't understand.
But do you trust me?
That's what it comes down to.
It's interesting as we go through this chapter
how much he talks about seeing.
Notice by faith,
verse 26,
Moses left Egypt,
not being afraid of the anger of the king,
even though the king was right there
in front of him,
and very powerful.
Moses boldly stood before him,
called the king to account.
How did he do that?
How did he stand in front of him?
For he endured as seeing him
who is invisible.
It's a great statement of faith
if you want one to take home with you today.
The eyes of faith see God's person.
Believe that he exists,
verse 6 says,
that you can actually draw near to him
because he's personal.
He wants you to know him.
So how do you see an invisible God?
Believe then that he exists.
Well, verse 3, remember,
told us that God's creation
is a big part of that.
We can see that someone started all this.
Someone incredibly powerful
and creative and orderly
and preexistent.
Someone did this.
We know that Moses
had heard God speak
by this point in his story.
We hear him speak to us, don't we?
In his word.
It tells us who this creator God is.
It explains so much about his world
and about our place in it.
And over time,
people have learned
that his words are trustworthy.
And true.
For example, verse 11,
by faith, Sarah.
What happens to her?
She conceives a child
when to her human eyes,
physically, she's too old.
But she sees God.
She considers him faithful
who had promised.
She hadn't physically seen God, right?
But Sarah had watched for decades
as God led her and her husband Abraham,
as God rescued her
in various situations,
as God helped Abraham grow.
So she saw God
and learned that she could trust him.
He comes through.
Person after person here
acts on things they haven't seen
because they trust God himself.
Do you slow down
to see the invisible God?
If you don't,
it'll just be everything
that comes in front of your face.
That is the very beginning
of the life of faith,
y'all.
Seeing
the invisible God.
If he's real,
and he is,
if he made this world,
and he did,
then you will not be left
without reminders of him
no matter where you live this fall.
No matter how confusing
the path forward appears to you,
you won't be left
without things
that will point you to see him.
You don't have to see the future.
You see the God
of the present and the future.
And you look by faith for him.
And you trust him.
That's living by faith.
Secondly,
we learn the eyes of faith
see God's promises.
Even seeing ahead
to their fulfillment.
This is so remarkable to me.
I hope I can
give you a picture of it.
It made me pray this week.
God, help my faith.
See, one after another
in this chapter,
they hold on to God's promises
to them,
even though for the large majority
of them,
they don't actually get
those promises fulfilled
in their lifetimes.
Their entire lives.
Look at Sarah again,
who believed God was faithful.
And so she and her husband Abraham
become the parents
of descendants
as many as the stars
and the sand.
Amazing.
But did they live long enough
to see that happen?
No.
Verse 13.
These all died in faith,
not having received
the things promised,
but having seen them
and greeted them
from afar.
That's repeated again
after all the people
who suffered terribly
and were commended
for their faith,
but verse 39 says,
did not receive
what was promised yet.
But what did all these see?
What kept them going?
They saw the things
God promised
to the point that they
greeted them from afar.
They were that real.
What faith they had.
They so trusted this God,
believed that He'd proven
Himself faithful,
found being His
so wonderfully worthy
that they could die
without receiving
the fulfillment
of His promise.
Do you believe that?
Look at Moses' story.
It's so powerful.
Verse 24.
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.
Moses had at his disposal
the power,
the prestige,
the influence,
the wealth of the world
in the nation of Egypt, right?
Thanks to God sending Joseph
there to prepare Egypt
for the seven years of famine.
Every nation around
is coming to Egypt.
Egypt.
And Moses lives
in the palace.
But God's people
were enslaved.
And Moses chooses
which one?
To be with them.
Mistreated
with God's people.
Think about it, y'all.
Mistreated
with these slaves
or pleasant
and comfortable
and rich
in sin.
How did Moses decide?
It wasn't just
that he was so holy.
Moses did the math.
It says.
If God is real,
then being on
his team,
even if it hurts
for days
or months
or years,
even if I never
make it to the promised land
before I die
and he didn't,
it's actually
way more valuable
in the long run
than all the gold
in Egypt
which will only
make me feel good
for a little while.
I've got
God himself,
Moses said.
I've got
eternal treasure.
Life is
not all about
what I see
right in front of me
because God
has promised
to deliver
his people.
I can trust
him.
Y'all,
that's hard.
The fleeting
pleasures
of sin
look
exactly
like that.
They feel,
they sound,
they taste
pleasurable.
That's what it says.
And so,
if you're going
to choose
something different,
you have to believe
that God's ways,
God's laws
are sweeter
than honey.
Seeing God
as the ultimate
king,
seeing his words
as trustworthy,
seeing his promises
as true
and things that are
actually able
to be held on to,
that's what enables
you,
for example,
to say no
to sex
before marriage.
Even when it's
increasingly popular
and your head
tells you
it makes sense.
It's what enables
you to say no
to using AI
to cheat
on the project
when everyone
else is doing it
and your grade
will probably be
lower than theirs
if you don't.
It's what enables
you to say yes
to a Sabbath day
when it feels
like you're falling
behind
because God says
it's how you work
best.
It's a gift,
I promise.
He says
just trust me.
Maybe you're
getting ready
to move
to a new place
and you're worried
you're going
to be alone.
You'll struggle
to fit in,
find community.
By faith
you can see
God's promise
that Bill mentioned
earlier,
never to leave you
nor forsake you.
Even when you
feel alone,
you can say
I'll go.
Maybe you're
deeply sad
about being
childless.
Sometimes it
makes you feel
God has
abandoned you.
He's not
given you
the longings
of your heart.
By faith
you can see
God's promise
of brothers
and sisters
and sons
and daughters
in his
family,
even if they
don't come
for a while
in your
lifetime
even.
See,
faith is not
a magic wand
to make your
life better
in the way
and time
you please.
No,
it is a
confident trust
in the God
who will make
your life
best
in the way
and time
he pleases.
That's faith.
Whether you
see it today
or not,
trust him.
God is
keeping his
promise to
you.
He is.
It's who he
is.
He's faithful.
You can count
on it.
It's actually
what Moses
is counting
on.
When it
says verse
26,
he was
looking
to the
reward.
That means
something beyond
this life,
doesn't it?
If only
for this
life,
we have
hope in
Christ.
Y'all,
just listen
to what
God's people
endure
starting at
verse 32.
It sounds
good at
first.
What more
shall I say
for time
would fail
me to tell
of Gideon,
Barak,
Samson,
Jephthah,
of David
and Samuel
and the
prophets,
who through
faith conquered
kingdoms
and forced
justice,
obtained
promises,
stopped the
mouths of
lions,
quenched
the power
of fire,
escaped the
edge of
the sword,
were made
strong out
of weakness,
became mighty
in war,
put foreign
armies to
flight.
Women
received back
their dead
by resurrection.
Some
were tortured,
refusing to
accept release
so that they
might rise
again to a
better life.
Others
suffered
mocking
and flogging
and even
chains
and imprisonment.
They were
stoned.
They were
sawn in
two.
They were
killed with
the sword.
They went
about in
skins of
sheep and
goats,
destitute,
afflicted,
mistreated,
!
of whom the
world was
not worthy,
wandering
about in
deserts and
mountains and
in dens and
caves of the
earth.
And all
these,
though commended
through their
faith,
did not receive
what was
promised.
They didn't
receive yet
what was
promised.
After all
those things,
key line,
verse 38,
of whom
the world
was not
worthy.
It means
that there
was no way
that the
world could
satisfy them.
they suffered
deeply here.
He's honest
about that.
They were
made for
something beyond
this life.
Their faith
saw something
else, even if
they never got
to have it
here.
It saw
God's place.
It's a theme
throughout this
chapter.
Just as God
said to Noah,
verse 7,
build an ark
when you've
never seen a
flood.
Boy, that's
weird.
God also
said to
Abraham, who
was comfortable
and successful,
he was very
prosperous at
home in his
own land,
verse 8,
go out to
the promised
land I'm
going to
give you.
And Abraham
said,
where?
Never seen
it.
Can't look it
up online to
see if I'll
like it.
And then
much of the
rest of
Abraham's
life was
spent
journeying
living.
Living where?
Intense.
Why?
What was
his reward?
Was it the
dirt of
Canaan that
he would
finally get
there?
No.
Verse 10,
he was
looking forward
to the city
with foundations
designed and
built by
God.
Back to
verse 13.
they were
strangers
and exiles
on the
earth.
For people
who speak
thus make
it clear
that they're
seeking a
homeland.
If they'd
been thinking
of that
land from
which they'd
gone out,
they would
have had
opportunity
to return.
But as
it is,
they desire
a better
country that
is a
heavenly
one.
Therefore,
God is not
ashamed to
be called
their God
for he has
prepared for
them a
city.
Listen,
God's got a
place for
you, a
country, a
city, and
it's not even
Auburn or
Tuscaloosa.
Of all of
his promises
that you can
count on
for you,
don't miss
this one.
He's made
a place
for you
forever
with him
so that
even if you
live in a
tent now,
you will
reign with
him
forever.
So that
even if you
don't make
any money
in this
life,
you will
walk on
streets of
gold
forever.
So that
even if you
cry
and suffer
and die
before you
get to
enjoy the
best years
of your
life,
you will
live and
laugh and
love forever.
The best is
always yet to
come.
See, this
world is not
worthy of you,
but the next
one will be.
It will
delight and
satisfy you
forever in a
way that you've
only tasted a
sample of what it's
going to feel
like to be
full on the
glories of
God forever.
That's your
reward, a city
prepared for
you by the
one who's not
ashamed to be
your God.
He's actually
eager to be
seen there
with you
every day.
Can you not
wait for that?
You are there
with God and
he's delighting
in you.
What a reward
he is.
I can trust
him for that
no matter
what else.
I heard
stories this
week of
Iranian
Christians who
could be in
Hebrews 11 as
far as I'm
concerned.
Especially in
the last few
weeks, you
want to talk
about not
seeing what's
ahead?
If they
avoid the
bombs around
them,
increasingly
they might
get arrested,
beaten,
even killed,
for their
faith.
It's one of
several countries
these days where
Christians really
every day have
to ask,
is Jesus
worth it?
And you know
what's happening
in Iran?
The church is
growing like
crazy.
See, faith
sees God
and the place
that he has
prepared for
those who love
him even
if this
one seems
to be
going away
fast.
Maybe most
of you don't
live in Iran.
I also
sat with our
brother Jim
Harris this
week.
He so
encouraged my
heart as he
described his
struggle with
cancer.
He said he's
been fighting the
cancer because it's
bad, it hurts,
but Jim's not
desperately
fighting for
his life.
No.
His life
cancer can't
take away.
His life is
hidden with
Christ in
God,
his Savior
who's gone
to prepare a
place for
him, even if
he doesn't know
when he gets
to be there.
He doesn't see
what tomorrow
holds.
He doesn't
know his
days, but he
sees God and
his promise and
his hope forever.
He has a
place.
Graduates,
is Jesus
worth it?
You're going to
have to answer
that question
many times in
the days ahead,
some small
moments, some
big moments.
all of us
have to answer
that question.
Maybe this is a
reminder that
none of us
sees what
tomorrow holds
for us here.
All of us,
as a result,
face uncertain
futures, new
relationships, new
seasons of life
that we don't
know how to
handle.
Will we walk
by faith
today or
tomorrow because
Jesus is worth
it?
will we just
default to what
we see?
It's what we
know.
It's what we're
safe and
comfortable with.
It's what we
think we can
control.
Is that what
we'll lean
back into?
God's telling
you today, if
you want a firm
foundation, it's
him, his
promises, his
place.
grace.
See, if you
don't know this
yet, every
single one of
us will face a
day when our
next step, our
eternity beyond
this life is
unseen.
And that next
step is based
not on what
college we
attended, doesn't
help.
Not even your
ACT score helps.
Unbelievable.
It's not based
on the amount
of money that
you've made.
It's not based
on the family
you've started,
the beaches
you've visited,
the professional
awards you've
received.
They don't
count.
In fact, none
of them will
catch you when
you're falling
over the edge
on that day.
None of them.
You don't get
points for any
of those things
that you can
see.
That would be
living by sight,
living by faith,
says what
matters on
that day is
did you trust
God?
Did you put
your hope in
His promises?
Did you rest
in His place?
Can He come
through?
It's the
better way,
friend.
It is.
God.
I hope you're
still just a
little bit
unsettled at
all these
people who
sacrificed for
God and
then died
without getting
what they were
promised.
Like, what kind
of advertisement
is that?
God, come
on.
He finally
tells us why
in the last
verse of the
chapter.
Since God
had provided
something better
for us,
that apart
from us,
they should
not be made
perfect.
This is the
last thing.
Something
better.
Southwood,
please don't
get this
question wrong.
I will cry
all day.
in Hebrews,
who or what
is something
better?
Thank you.
Jesus.
When you read
something better
in Hebrews,
it's talking
about Jesus.
Jesus coming.
He is the
better access,
the better
relationship
with God,
the better
sacrifice,
the better
priest.
Here, the
better city,
the better
country.
All of that,
listen, living
by faith is
not as
complicated as
I may have
made it sound
this morning.
It really is
as simple
as seeing
Jesus.
It boils
down to that.
Yes, we can
see the person
of God in
creation and
in his word,
but we
especially and
most brilliantly
see the glory
of God made
flesh in the
face of Jesus
Christ.
and we
know he
exists and
we know that
because he's
come, he wants
us to know
him personally.
The promises
of God
through the
shadows of the
Old Testament,
what's he
promising?
Forgiveness and
cleansing,
deliverance from
bondage into
relationship,
a land for
security.
All of those
promises are
yes and
amen in
Jesus through
his life and
his death and
his resurrection
life.
And your
confidence in
God's place,
though you
have never
seen it,
is in Jesus
as well.
Because he
brings us to
the city where
he has already
gone to prepare
a place for
us where he
is the lamp
and the light
of that city
forever.
Forever.
her.
Please hear me.
Dear graduates,
dear friends,
seeing Jesus
and trusting
him is not
a blind
leap of
faith.
This is
really important.
When Jesus
says,
do you
trust me?
He's not
asking you
to leave
your comfortable,
secure place
and go
somewhere you've
never seen
with your own
eyes unless
he's done
it himself.
It's exactly
what Jesus
does for you,
isn't it?
He leaves
the glories
of heaven.
He suffers
beyond what
any of us
have known.
He dies
on a cross
and he lives
today saying,
trust me,
you don't have
to do what
I've done,
but I know
what's over
the edge.
I know what's
coming next.
I've been
there.
So you
just see
me and
take my
hand and
walk by
faith.
That's
what we're
offered this
morning.
He may be
calling you
to leave
home and
walk by
faith for
the very
first time
today.
I can't
promise you
it will be
easy.
I can promise
you it
probably won't.
But I can
promise you
you'll never
be alone
and eternity
will be
glorious
with your
best days
always ahead
of you.
If you're
going off to
college
unsure of
that,
I'd love to
talk to you
today.
Don't leave
today without
talking to me
or your
parents or
someone you
trust about
that.
God's
but he may
be calling
you to
leave home
and walk
by faith
again
today
because it's
a new
season and
you may be
afraid.
You may be
sad.
You may be
overwhelmed
by all the
things that
you see with
your eyes.
and he
says fix
your eyes
not on
what is
seen.
It's
temporary.
I promise.
But on
what's
unseen.
It's
eternal.
Never
ending.
So faith
is the
assurance
of things
hoped for.
The
certainty
of things
not seen.
Like the
fact.
The fact
that along
with Abraham
and Sarah
and Moses
and all
the saints
of old
you who
suffer now
will be
made perfect
forever.
You haven't
seen that.
It's hard
to imagine
but it's
true and
it is
certain
because God
has something
better
for you.
Even
Jesus.
Let's
pray.
God
thank you
for giving
us
Jesus.
Thank you
that he's
better.
Even
suffering
with him
is worth
more than
all the
treasures
of the
world
and these
saints of
old who
walked with
you and
never tasted
it here.
Oh they
rejoiced
when they
saw Jesus'
day and
so they
celebrate
today and
forever with
him.
they're not
complaining that
they never got
the promises
here.
They are
praising you
that they're
living in your
promises now
and forever.
Thank you
Jesus.
Would you
teach us to
walk by faith?
It's not
natural for
us.
We trust so
many other
things especially
the ones we
can see.
so help us
graduates and
parents and
all your
people to
trust you
and walk
with you
today.
We ask it
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.
For more
information visit
us online at
southwood.org.