When we think about Hebrews chapter 11 and all
the amazing historical, biblical figures that
are contained in it, and we think about the great
acts of faith that they carried out that glorified
God, many times we come to Hebrews 11 and we
think about these single or... distinct acts
of obedience and faith. And that's not wrong.
We ought to think about it in that way. But we
also have to understand that as we come to Hebrews
chapter 11, the author is presenting us with
a worldview to see reality, to see the world
that God has created. And I believe that verse
3, which says, By faith we understand the worlds
were prepared by the word of God, so that what
is seen was not made out of things which are
visible. Is the author's final push for a Christian
worldview regarding life? Regarding faith, regarding
God, regarding all of reality as we know it.
Today we're going to consider this by thinking
and considering about the instrument of true
understanding, faith. The text says, now faith,
by faith, we understand. So we find that faith
informs our understanding. Faith informs our
reason, our thinking. But we're also going to
consider the cosmic content of what is understood.
Creation. The world as we know it. By faith we
understand that the worlds were prepared. by
the Word of God. And we'll consider the unseen
power behind creation, the powerful and mighty,
the sovereign and authoritative Word of the living
God. And lastly, we will consider a conclusion
that those with faith must come to, must arrive
at. The text says, so that what is seen was not
made out of things which are visible. This is
the author making an inference. This is the author
bringing about a conclusion about what he has
previously said. This will be the culmination
of the author's argumentation regarding faith
and regarding... the Christian worldview. So
the first, the instrument of true understanding
for the believer. By faith, we understand. Think
about those words, brothers and sisters. For
the author of Hebrews, faith is foundational
to reasoning. Faith is foundational for comprehension.
Faith is foundational for perception regarding
life and the world and all that God has made.
Faith is the starting point, and faith is that
which informs our understanding. You see, the
human intellect, The human mind and reasoning
has limits to it, brothers and sisters. At least
I know my reasoning has limits to it. I am a
finite, created being. I can only understand
so much. I cannot fully grasp. Certain realities
concerning God and redemption and the work of
Christ. Some things are beyond my logical scope
of understanding and grasping certain things.
That's just the nature of it. Human reason has
limitations. It has restraints set upon it. But
what we find in this text. is that Christianity
is not opposed to the use of reason. It just
presupposes and necessitates that reason be grounded
and rooted and anchored in what? Faith and revelation.
Trust in what God has said. Christianity is certainly
not opposed to the use of the mind. It may be
thought that is the case at times. I'm sure we've
all heard statements such as this. Well, I don't
understand it. I don't get it. I don't grasp
it. I don't even know what it says, but I believe
it. That's not what the text is talking about.
The text recognizes in the Bible promotes the
use of the mind. Christianity and faith in general
has an essential part of it as knowledge and
comprehension. So it requires the use of the
mind, the Christian to think and to reason and
to use logic and to understand and to comprehend
certain realities. And that can be very difficult
at times, can't it, brothers and sisters? Sometimes
you're sitting in front of your Bible. your open
Bible, and you're thinking, Lord, help me understand
what this is saying. Help me grasp, Lord, what
this is. Help me to comprehend it. Help me to
perceive the truth. We're reasoning. We're thinking.
But our reasoning can only go so far. It can
only do so much if we are to see the world rightly.
If we are to have an appropriate worldview of
the world that God has made, it necessitates
and requires that a person possess faith that
trusts in God's revealed Word. We think about
many of the movements in the 18th and 19th century.
they would have been considered liberal or progressive,
rationalistic Christianity. We find a lot of
it associated with what has been termed higher
criticism movements. And what they would do is,
a lot of these figures, they would say, I love
the teachings of the Lord Jesus. I love the moral
example, the moral goodness. The moral purity.
I love the example that the Lord Jesus sets.
So they would accept the Lord Jesus and his teachings,
but they would reject all the supernatural and
miraculous associated with him and his ministry.
Now, when we think about that, what is informing
what? Faith, trusting in revelation, informing
our reasoning and understanding in that scenario.
Or is our reasoning, our intellect, informing
our faith and revelation? Which is being brought
into submission? A man's reasoning is bringing
faith. in divine revelation, and even God in
a sense, underneath his reasoning. This is what
we find in so many of those movements. And this
is why we look at so many historic Christian
institutions that started out so strong in the
faith, yet they have become temples to moralistic
humanisms. Why? Because human reasoning is exalted
and revelation and faith is diminished and brought
down low. One wins out. We may say, well, what's
that got to do with me? What's that got to do
with my life? How do you talking about these
institutions, these Christian institutions and
these historic movements have anything to do
with me and my life? Because if you are here
today and you are an unbeliever in Jesus Christ,
you are doing the very thing that they did. If
you are sitting in a pew, in a chair today, and
you are sitting yourself up as judge over God
and His Word, and you are requiring evidence
and proof that this is true, what are you doing?
You are exalting yourself and your reason and
your intellect and you are diminishing and you
are squashing faith and Christ and revelation.
Unbelievers do the very same thing. The unbeliever's
problem is not information and evidence. The
unbeliever's problem is that they will not humble
themselves under the mighty hand of God and trust
in Jesus Christ. They will not come to the end
of their own intellect and the starting of faith.
You must recognize that you are a finite, feeble,
sinful man or woman and say, Lord, I see what
your word says. Lord, help me to believe it.
Help me to trust it regardless of whether or
not it fully makes sense in my own mind with
my own finite logic and reasoning. Come to the
end of yourself and submit yourself to God. Turn
from your sins and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ
who suffered and died on behalf of sinners. The
instrument of true understanding for the believer
is faith. Now, what is it that faith understands
or aids our understanding in? What is the content
of what is understood in Hebrews chapter 11 verse
3? Well, listen to the words. By faith we understand
that the worlds were prepared by the word of
God. So, I said this is the cosmic content that
is understood. Why? Because the author says that
by faith a person can understand the origin and
the ordering of the universe, of the ages, of
all creation. This word for worlds is actually
the Greek word for ages. It carries the idea
of being all -inclusive regarding all of creation.
Every area, every aspect, every part. and in
an ordering and purposeful manner. So if we understand
that the world is made by God, created by God,
in an orderly fashion, then obviously the world
in creation is going to proceed forth in an orderly
fashion, with purpose. This is a claim that the
believer... can understand the origins and the
ordering of everything that you can see and touch
and feel, everything that is a part of the visible
world that God has created. This is a claim about
how a person can know. The origins of the world.
Where we came from. Where the world came from.
How the world started. Why their structure and
purpose and meaning in this world. This is a
claim about how a person can know these things.
How is that? Because of faith. Because faith
informs our understanding. Obviously, this speaks
of the basis of a biblical worldview. How is
it that we can appropriately view the world around
us according to this text? By faith informing
our understanding and faith that rests and trusts
and looks to divine revelations. By trusting
in the word that God has spoken to us. That is
the foundation and the basis for a Christian
worldview. Only a Christian. can see the world
as it really is. There's a lot of conservative
commentators. There's a lot of conservative commentators
that say a lot of things about the world, about
the nature of society and culture and the world.
But, brothers and sisters, if someone is not
a believer, then their foundations are all off.
They are not steady. They are wobbly. Because
the pillars of their very being are not set in
place. We have to be very cautious about who
we listen to. About what we fill our minds with.
Because according to the Bible, a person that
does not know Jesus Christ and a person that
does not have true, saving, legitimate faith
that works in their life, that person will look
at the world in a skewed and perverted fashion.
Why? Because there is no faith that is grounded
in the Word of God. Revelation is not directing
and orienting their thoughts and their thinking
and their perspective, their view of the world
as God has made it. Now, Christians will be off
at times as well. Christians can have skewed
views. Do you know why? Because we read the Bible
wrong at times. Because we have sin within us.
Because we don't do due diligence in interpreting
what the scripture says. Because we willfully
choose to remain in ignorance. But brothers and
sisters, it is possible for the believer to be
closer and closer to a more and fully accurate
view of the world. As they grow in their understanding
and knowledge of the revelation that God has
given to them. And as they grow in their experience
of that truth. As they grow in the grace and
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ in their life.
Only by faith can one rightly view the world
around them. The absence of faith leads to all
kinds of amalgamations, wicked ideologies and
thoughts and perspectives on the world. If a
person is not being informed by faith and revelation,
they're going to be informed by something. Everybody
is believing something. Everybody is trusting
something in their life. So if a person is not
having their mind and their perspective and their
view of the world fueled by revelation, then
brothers and sisters, they are being directed
and they are being fueled. By something. Some
concept. Some ideology. Some thought. Something
is telling them how to view the world around
them. We don't have to look very far in the culture
to see the negative realities that come from
the absence of faith in a person's worldview,
do we, brothers and sisters? Where does all the
madness and chaos and immorality and the descent
into debauchery in the world and the culture
come from? A person's reason being informed by
any number of things other than the Word of God.
Maybe they're trusting and believing in modern
scientists. How will that go? Maybe they're trusting
and believing and looking to modern science or
the academy today, which changes from one day
to the other. Maybe they're looking to the government
and their leaders and their officials, brothers
and sisters. All of these are poor things to
fill your mind and to lead and guide your understanding
of the world. They're all fallible guides, brothers
and sisters. A person must have their mind and
their worldview and their understanding and their
perspective formed by divine revelation. That
is the only way that a person can see the world
in a biblical capacity. In a biblical capacity.
It's absolutely essential. Now, this is not so
with the Christian, is it? The Christian can,
as we've seen, see the world in a correct fashion.
This leads us to another thing we have to consider.
The unseen power behind creation, the Word of
God. Why can Christians see and understand the
world as it really is? Because the Christian
knows that the world doesn't just simply exist.
The Christian knows that the world is not eternal.
The Christian knows that the world did not bring
the world into existence. The Christian knows
that we are not the start of our own existence.
The Christian looks beyond that. The Christian
can see beyond that and beyond those surface
realities. The Christian has faith to see that
which the eye cannot see. The believer has faith
to see that which cannot be touched. That which
is unseen, that which is eternal, that which
is invisible, that which is lasting and permanent.
The Christian can see the true origins of the
world and the true cause of the world being ordered
and fashioned and structured. And what is that?
The Word of God. did the world come into being?
God created it out of nothing. The doctrine or
the teaching is ex nihilo, out of nothing. God
created everything. We read in Romans chapter
4 verses 17 through 18, as it is written, a father
of many nations have I made you. in the presence
of him whom he believed, even God, who gives
life to the dead, and calls into being that which
does not exist. The Christian doesn't simply
look at the world and understand the world exists.
The Christian looks at the world and recognizes
by faith that the word of God made the world
out of nothing. That there is a sovereign maker,
a sovereign creator, who ordered and structured
and prepared the world for the good of his people
and the glory of his name. How can you believe
that everything came from nothing without faith?
Will your logic and will your reason Get you
to that point? Nothingness. Then all of creation.
At some point in time, a person must step into
the realm of faith in order to understand and
to answer the most pressing questions in our
lives. Otherwise, they will look and look and
look. And never be satisfied with an answer.
Only in Christ. And only as given in the word
of God. Can a person really find the answers
they are looking for. Regarding who they are.
Where they came from. And what their future is.
Regarding their fate. What will take place in
their life. What will come of them. What will
come of the world. What will become. What will
come of all men. There's only one place to look.
You must be in Christ and you must look to the
Word of God. Then you can have meaning and purpose
in your life. And then you can have satisfaction
and peace with the answers that God gives you
in His Word. Only in Christ. And only from the
Word. Of the living God. The Christian understands
the agent. And the cause. Of all things. The
word of the living God. We read in Psalm chapter
33. Starting in verse 6. By the word of the Lord,
the heavens were made. And by the breath of his
mouth, all their hosts. He gathers the waters
of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the
deeps in the storehouses. Let all the earth fear
the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world
stand in awe of him. For he spoke and it was
done. He commanded and it stood fast. The Lord's
sovereign, creative, powerful, authoritative
word is the source of that which we see and that
which we feel. That which is unseen brought about
everything that is visible as the author speaks
of. That's the spoken word, the creative word
of God that brought the world and creation into
existence. But the Bible is also clear. And the
author of Hebrews surely is alluding to and referencing
the fact that it's a personal agent that created
the world. In Hebrews chapter 1, we read this.
In verses 1 -3. God. After he spoke long ago.
To the fathers and the prophets. In many portions
and in many ways. In these last days. He has
spoken to us. In his son. Whom he appointed heir.
Of all things. Through whom also. He made. The
world. We read on. and He is the radiance of
His glory, and the exact representation of His
nature, and upholds all things by the word of
His power. So, it's not just God's authoritative
declaration that brought the world into existence.
Brothers and sisters, it was the Son of God,
through Him, God made the world that brought
all things into existence. Faith tells us these
things. We believe that the Son of God created
all things. That the Son of God, who is sovereign
and powerful and mighty and majestic, the only
begotten Son of God, who would later take on
flesh and dwell among us and die for the sins
of His people and raise on the third day. The
Son of God created all things. How do you understand
and grasp these realities? By faith. And looking
to the revelation that God has given to us. We
understand the creation of the world. Because
of God's written word. Not just his spoken word
at creation. Not just the personal word. We might
say Christ who brought all things. but the written
word of God that he has given to us. We know
of these things because God has given us a deposit
of revelation for us to know these things, to
trust and to believe that our understanding would
be informed by believing these realities, by
believing and trusting these glorious truths.
Faith always believes God's word. Always. That
is the essence of faith in Hebrews chapter 11.
Believing and trusting God's word. What he has
said. And that means that we have to believe
his word in every area. In every aspect of our
lives. If God speaks in this area and he commands
in this area, then brothers and sisters, I must
receive and accept and believe what God says
in this area. And if God says something in this
area or this aspect of my life, even if it's
uncomfortable and hard, then I must believe and
accept and trust. What God says in that area
of my life. Faith believes the word of God. And
it's by believing the word of God that the people
of God are led to obedience in their lives. Think
about all the examples that are given. Think
about Abel. What word did Abel believe? God's
word about sacrifice. Abel believed it. He obeyed.
He sacrificed as he was taught. Likely as his
father Adam had taught him to sacrifice. As God
had taught Adam to sacrifice. He was obedient.
He believed what God had said. What about Noah?
What did he believe? He believed God's word regarding
judgment and salvation to come. Therefore, it
led him to obedience. What about so many others?
Abraham. Hope against hope. He believed what
God said regarding a son, the son of promise.
Therefore, he believed and he believed and he
believed. Why? Because God had spoken and this,
led him and sustained him in obedience and faithfulness
in his life. If you want to be more obedient
and more faithful in your life, Christian brother
or sister, then the starting place is trusting
in God's word with regards to what he says about
your life. If you want to have a more godly and
satisfied marriage, then believe what God says
about marriage. If you want to be a more godly
man or a more godly woman, then go to the Word,
believe what God says about being a man or being
a woman, and then live that way in faith. We
must go back and return. To what God has said
in his word. Time and time and time again. What
do we believe when we come to worship God? What
do you believe as you sit under the preaching
of God's word? Do you come and hear the word
of God proclaimed? Believing that God will work
through the word in your life? Do you come on
Lord's Day worship and sing songs and pray believing
that you are entering into the presence of a
holy and a righteous God and that God will actually
work in your life? Do you come in faith to the
Word of God in worship? Do you come to faith?
Do you come in faith when you go to the Word
of God in prayer in your daily life? Because
it's through believing the word that God brings
about obedience in our lives. It's vitally important.
It's not just hearing. It's believing these grand
and these glorious realities. What conclusion
must the believer come to? based on everything
the author has said in verse 3. What is that
thing which we must infer is to be true or not
to be true based on what the author has said
in verse 3? The conclusion is this. The visible
and that which is seen is... not ultimate in
the believer's life. That which you can see with
your eyes and that which you can touch with your
hands is not the end -all, be -all in the believer's
life. That is not the most fundamental reality
that exists for the believer. What is? That which
is... Unseen. That's why he says in the second
half of the verse, so that what is seen was not
made out of things which are visible. He's emphasizing
the point by negating the opposites. That's what
he's doing in the Greek and that's what he's
doing in the English. The preeminent thing is
not that which is visible. The supreme and preeminent
thing for believers in their faith is that which
is unseen and that which is eternal and invisible.
Remember in verse 1, Now faith is the assurance
of things hoped for, the conviction of what?
Things not seen. The promises are unseen. The
things that God has promised in his word are
unseen. There are things not touched with the
hand and seen with the eye. Now, I can prove
this to you from the text, from what the author
has said, that the unseen is preeminent and supreme.
How do we do that? Well, one, we see that that
which is visible finds its source in that which
is visible. invisible or unseen. The Word of
God. The source is greater than the product and
that which comes about. That's one way we could
look at it. What is seen is derivative of that
which is unseen. Or another way we could think
about it. Everything that is visible and seen
is contingent On what? That which is unseen and
eternal. Everything. The unseen governs that
which is seen. God and the risen Lord Jesus Christ,
reigning and ruling, governs everything which
is visible. Not everything is ultimate. There
are some things which are ultimate, and there
are other things which are not ultimate. There
are some things which are more fundamental to
reality, and there are other things which are
less fundamental to reality. According to the
author of Hebrews, what is... That which is unseen.
According to the author of Hebrews, what is the
most fundamental part of reality? That which
is unseen. The eternal. So what are these things
that are unseen that have the place of preeminence
in the life of the believer and have to do with
faith? As the author of Hebrews is defining it.
Well we could think about the unseen world to
come. That we've talked about in reference. In
Hebrews chapter 11. The unseen world to come
and not this present world. We could think. About
the heavenly tabernacle. Which Christ consecrated.
By ascending to the Father. And sitting down
at the right hand. Not. The earthly tabernacle.
That the Hebrew Christians were being pressured.
To return back to the system associated. With
the mosaic tabernacle. That which is unseen.
We could think about. The unseen new covenant
realities. In the old covenant. There was so
much that was so visible. Even the ten commandments.
But in the new covenant. The law of God is written
afresh on our hearts. It's not visible. It's
not seen. The forgiveness of sins, the true knowledge
and saving faith of God, the new covenant blessings
and graces are unseen realities. The better possession
that the believer in Jesus Christ has not their
earthly possessions. Think about, The relevance
of this for his readers. They were undergoing
persecution. They were literally losing their
homes and property and their possessions and
some of them their very lives. Why is this important
for them to understand? Because they have to
understand what is ultimate and what is not ultimate.
So that their affections and their desires and
their lives can consequently be ordered by that
which is ultimate. That which is unseen. We could
think about the heavenly homeland and no earthly
city or nation. We could think about the reward
and inheritance that is awaiting the believer.
That is touched on and talked about throughout
the book of Hebrews. We could think about the
unshakable kingdom that is coming. The unseen,
unshakable kingdom. And not an earthly kingdom.
Which is ultimate according to the author of
Hebrews. We could think about the once for all
sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That is unseen. Untouchable.
Not earthly. sacrifices that men make that the
Hebrew Christians would have been pressured to
partake in. And most importantly in these preeminent
unseen realities is the risen Lord Jesus Christ
who was our great high priest and mediator of
redemption and salvation that God has accomplished.
We cannot see him. We cannot touch Him. We cannot
lay our hands upon Him. But He is true. He is
real. He is ultimate. The salvation which He
has accomplished is the most fundamental and
ultimate reality for the believer. If I suffer
and die at the hands of persecutors, Brothers
and sisters, my body is not the ultimate thing.
I will die and go to be with the Lord. If you
get sick and you die of sickness or disease,
that's not the ultimate thing. That's not the
most fundamental thing in your life. Do you know
what it is? The transcendent and eternal salvation
which Jesus Christ has accomplished for sinners.
That. is ultimate. You can have any of your possessions
taken from you, brothers and sisters. You can
have your car destroyed. You can have your house
burnt down. And you can be dislocated from your
home. And that is not ultimate. Do you know what
it is? Eternal life and resurrection and the
eternal inheritance that we receive in Christ
and the age to come. These are ultimate realities
and these must orient our affections in this
life. We can endure a great deal. And we ought
to have a great deal of joy and peace and satisfaction
and boldness and zeal in our lives as believers
because these realities are the most fundamental
realities with regards to faith, not that which
is seen and visible.