What is Faith? (Part 1 of 2)

Puritan preachers when they were defining the word would often apply an interesting tactic.

First they would spend time explaining what the word was not that way they could better clarify what the word actually was today untruthful life. Alistair Begg uses the same strategy in order to answer the question what is faith in coming to the first farce of Hebrews chapter 11, which is a farce and section to which we, it is important that we don't divorce it from the section that we have just left the verse must always be understood in the light of the surrounding verses. The chapter must always be understood in light of the surrounding chapters. The chapters must always be understood in the light of the purpose of the book the book in right relationship to the surrounding material and so on. And that way the control that Scripture exercises upon the Bible prevent size from simply taking pieces that and isolating them from the essential purpose of the writer. We've tried hard to make it clear that this book was written. First of all, do an historic situation to a particular group of people who are undergoing peculiar circumstances and the writer has at the end of chapter 10, issued a solemn warning concerning what happens to an individual who deliberately sends and sends and sends after having professed some measure of faith.

He then has issued a reminder in verse 32 of the encouragement that was theirs. When so soon after professing faith in Christ. They had undergone all kinds of struggles and buffeting and he had concluded chapter 10 with an expectation there in verse 35 don't throw away your confidence. It will be richly rewarded. You need to be a persevering individual. Now why does he do this well because some of his readers were growing faint circumstances of their lives were so daunting that they were tempted to return to unbelief.

He'd already warned. Indeed, it is been the theme of the whole book that we ought not to go back to unbelief way back in chapter 3 and in verse 19 he had spoken of those who had been unable to enter the promised land, who had died in the wilderness and the reason they weren't able to enter was simple, it was because they were on believing instead of being men and women of faith faith which persevered continued despite the difficulties they actually reveal themselves to be unbelievers and throughout all of the chapters. He has been concerned that none of his readers should be those who have a sinful unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God, but rather that they should be people of faith the people of faith are those according to chapter 10 in verse 39 who believe and are saved as opposed to those who are without faith who shrink back and are destroying then is a further means of encouragement. He walks his readers through this wonderful portrait Gallery. He's going to do when he gets to chapter 12 make application of all of the discoveries in chapter 11, but for now he says I want you to walk through is it where and look at the portraits of these individuals. These ancient people who have now long gone. I want you to look as it where it know and what we are told of Noah and let that truth sink in.

I want you to consider Abraham and the man that he was on the life that he lived in the decisions that he made and allow that to register think about Joseph and think about David and all these different people. He sets and as you go through and view this portrait Gallery can be a stimulus to you to become individuals of faith and he says I want you to understand that if you do that that these individuals and will come to them in turn continued in their faith despite delay ridicule, persecution and great cost. They wear and they are illustrations of verse 38 of chapter 10 which is a direct quote from Habakkuk chapter 2 verses three and four. My righteous one will live by faith. What does it mean to live by faith while he says let me tell you what it means to live by faith. I rather let me show you what it means to live by faith, and as he leans in to give to as the record of those who are righteous and declared their righteousness in their faith. He provides us with something of a definition now faith he says is being sure of what we hope for and Saracen of what we do not see this definition is not comprehensive but it is useful and it is a reminder to his this morning. The question of faith is absolutely crucial indeed.

Let me ask your question in the ask this question all of yourself this morning as we proceed through this study. It is a simple question hi a man or woman of faith and I am man or woman of faith, a boy or girl or young person of faith.

Now, your response will probably be disabled or depends exactly what you mean by faith, and that is of course an excellent response, which I have anticipated and will proceed on the basis of the anticipation without faith it says in verse six. It is impossible to please God. So this matter of faith is not a marginal issue is not something that we can place far off in a corner somewhere pushing way out in our considerations, but it is of pressing importance in this moment and I am man or woman of faith. Faith is the indispensable channel of salvation. It is faith that is the corridor down which we walked into the experience of what it means to truly be a Christian. For example, in Ephesians chapter 2 verses eight and nine in those well-worn words you read this, for it is by grace you have been saved and then comes the phrase through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast wear to the works come in the works come in as an expression of faith not as a replacement for faith is through faith and even the faith itself is not something self engendered but is a vetting gift from the hand of God. Noah and Seema say what faith is it important for us also to make clear what faith is not in fact the Puritans did this all the time when they preach when they were getting a definition of something they would always spend a long time explaining what it wasn't, so that in finding out what it was and you would move closer to what it was so immediately what it isn't and I think as I tell you this, you will discover that some of the things that you regardless faith are not really faith, a tall what faith is not what faith is not.

First of all, it is not simply a subjective religious feeling is not simply a subjective religious feeling that is divorced from the objective truth that God has made no I may see my a bit of a mouthful, and indeed it is. But it is very very important. Faith is not simply a feeling of being and internal, that a person engenders and says oh yes, I'm a person of faith and you question them as to why our want and then say what he does have strong feeling inside of them. If I didn't have my faith, they would say is it what is this faith is or will I don't really know what it is but I know that it is because is inside of me while when we look at the Bible will relive his definition here in Hebrews chapter 11 in verse one we have to say that what the writer is referring to is not simply a subjective religious feeling that is divorced from objective truth number fanning. For example, to the individual who tells you that they are Christian or yes they say I'm a Christian.

I have a very strong feeling about being a Christian. You do yes. While what you believe. For example, concerning the deity of Jesus Christ.

You believe that Jesus was actually God will know know they say and how annoyed I don't believe that not only that Jesus was God.

Now what about his death upon the cross.

Do you believe that when he died upon the cross, he was bearing the Roth of God which was needed out against all the wickedness and godlessness of men or notices a person no no I do not believe that I don't believe in anything about the Roth of God or anything about an atoning death of Jesus or the blood of Jesus. I just have a very strong feeling that I'm a Christian and what you believe about the resurrection of Jesus, while actually I don't believe in a literal bodily resurrection of Jesus. I believe that the resurrection was something that was experienced in the minds of his followers. They were kind of psyched up for it and so they entered into LIC so you're not a Christian at all.

All yes I'm a Christian. Yes, I'm a Christian. I am a very strong feeling about being a Christian all I see. So then you can simply define what a Christian is on the basis of whatever is going on in your tummy. So the question is whatever we want a Christian to be depending on the strength of subjective conviction about faith, not a tall, why not at all because the Bible says not until indeed, this is what the Bible says concerning individuals who would talk in that kind of way.

First John chapter 2 in verse 22 who is the liar is the man or the woman who denies that Jesus is the Christ.

Such a man is the antichrist, he denies the Father and the son. No one who denies the son has the father. Whoever acknowledges the son has the father also. I suddenly want to point out in this and I don't want to delay on it that New Testament faith is not, then some strong feeling in my tummy that is divorced from the objective truth which is been made clear to rise in the pages of the Scriptures, whatever that is.

It is not biblical faith. Secondly, biblical faith is not the attitude of people who accept something as true. Apart from the evidence and people. These are the people who think that Christian faith has to do with taking your brain out and putting it underneath the seat because you misleading suspicion that if you ever examine the evidence you're going to find that the evidence isn't true, and therefore the only way is to launch into oblivion and so faith has become a leap into nowhere.

It is a leap in the dark it is. It is the conviction that if I believe an often get pumped up enough that I can make something that I know obviously not to be the case to become the case and is a very very prevalent view of faith. When you press people with similar motel me about faith in your life and they will tell you while I believe that this is the case because I believe and therefore it is the case is hogwash and yet it is very acceptable hogwash like the guy who goes to the psychiatrist tells the psychiatrist that he's dead.

The psychiatrist said when you came up the stairs as he said I know that I did but I'm still dead as the psychiatrist were having a conversation does not mean anything to you talk he said absolutely nothing at all. I'm a dead man struggling. The psychiatrist finally fastened on this to dead men bleed most of the men dead men don't delete so he took up and drove it into the guy's thumb, press the blood out on the end of his thumb and as he did so the man said, oh dear dead men bleed after all.

You see, that is the projection of something that I want to be the case even though the evidence says it is in the case of all that is not Christian faith. People who say that all of us. Neither understand what they're saying on the ever really consider the New Testament.

Thirdly, Christian faith is not the kind of positive mental attitude which seeks to make the thing believed in half and the kind of power of positive thinking and this of course is been popularized in the book the power of positive thinking, says Vincent peeling that book according to your faith in yourself according to your faith in your job according to your faith in God this far will you get and no further. So faith in yourself faith in God, faith in your job throw kind of the same business is good to think positively nice to be around people are positive rather than people are negative but positive thinking is not biblical faith. This is the kind of stuff from my what about Bob you know he gets on the morning such as race, I feel good I feel great I feel wonderful and any baby steps and into his life. This is what Norman Vincent Beals as he says, before you get out of your bed in the morning. The parables are thinking if you've read it. He says what you want to do is say out loud in your bedroom.

I believe I believe I believe I didn't see in war-torn whom doesn't really matter. New Testament, it's crucial you see it is the object of faith is the ground of faith which gives it significance, it is not immensity all of our internal sensations so genuine biblical faith is not simply pumping ourselves up to believe that which the evidence precludes the guy fellow 40 story wood window and as he passed the 19th floor, one of the sequiturs hard and charting. So far so good.

People are going through their life just like that while it hasn't happened yet, but I have faith. Yes, I do. I have faith in what and who just faith and faith.

And if you have faith in faith and what is the faith in which your faith is placed stemming where you go with us real faith as Hebrews 11 makes clear is not based on our feelings which are unstable and which fluctuate, but real faith. Biblical faith is reliable since it is based on the trustworthiness and the reliability of God.

That's the reason for verse six 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 in other words we start with God. That's where Genesis 11 starches are not in the beginning God doesn't start with an argument for the super scientific creationism it doesn't start with an argument concerning the existence of God. It says in the beginning God and every individual is being created as being Stan with the very Into the handiwork of God is been made in the image of God is the fool says in his heart there is no God is the ultimate expression of moral waywardness to be an unbeliever that there is enough of God, made known in the creation. As we saw last time.

In general revelation to inculcate within is the fact of an awareness of God. So back in verse one of Hebrews 11. The writer isn't talking about a wistful longing for something that may or not happen. He's not talking about believing in the improbable against chance he is talking about a belief in what God says as opposed to what man suggests this faith. He says creates surety of what we hope for and section T of what we do not see your wonder why it is believer that you believe what you believe or think about that when you get down on your knees and you pray as you get on your laser printers. No one in the and you can see anyone you can hear anything. You still got. I know you hear my prayers. How do I know that, so certain of that au gratin. I know that you know my circumstances and that you mark my steps and every day of my life was written in your book before one of them came to be when I come from God.

I know that when I die I'll go to heaven but I've never seen heaven. I've only got these descriptions which are dramatic in the end of the Bible, and various other places where does all this come from it is a result of God's grace and mercy to us in opening our eyes to the truth of who is in such faith creates certainty not to build an ark know I wanted to submit the chapter, but I'm starting now so continue. No, I want you to build an ark. What I need for no accidents and I said 21 argument is going to rain rain which way it never rained tell the people that are going to have to get into the art okay hey folks, it's going to start raining here real soon and the Lord sent me to tell you better get into the art. No crazy man this is Phoenix, Arizona. It isn't raining here this is gorgeous this is a rain rain made no I Stan him since going to rain is going to flood again so certain about something he never ever seen such an assurance of what with what he was hoping for. The answer is because of faith that believing faith is not a fluctuating notions of a certain kind of subjective die mention within the spirit of a man or woman, but it is that which is and I engendered Dennis as a result of a consideration of what is before us and Sam will examine it and look at this. I am concluding that it takes more faith to believe in nothing that it takes to believe in a creator God. But you see in our foolishness, and in our rebellion and in our disinterest and in our selfishness and in our unwillingness to allow anyone else to take charge of my life. We do not choose to believe in such a God, because such a God will have every right to call me into conformity with his commands, and so rather than have to face that I have broken his commands and I must say sorry for that and that I must accept his forgiveness for that I am not coming to say sorry. I would rather go on my own way and when people asked me about faith LCS RFA.

I have optimism I have credulity but it's not biblical faith. The best they have found and is not brilliant is to think of faith in this way as a title deed to a piece of property to a title deed to a piece of property, and when you're going up E. 9th St. and somebody says the hey what's been happening to you recently say I own an island in Scotland. All you you been there no in my title deed says here's my island and here's my thing on what are you basing your confidence that there's actually an island there and the guy who sold it to me as trustworthy. We understand that I'm going to go to heaven, you are ever seen. No title deed to my pocket. I carry with me. FYI, Carrie have to live military men say prolific and caring. Hopefully my poorly but sometimes I carry no secret of it pretty confidently.

I was telling the truth. And what an absolutely certain he was telling the truth. The one who signed the title deed is infallible, therefore he can be trusted completely.

He's absolutely faithful.

He never quits on his promises.

He is all-powerful and so nothing can frustrate the purposes and when we go through Hebrews 11 is will will will discover that in the 11th chapter. All of these life's lived in faith when like this the hair, the word of God. They hear the story of God, they trusted the promise of God and then they live in the light of the promise some of the city. I understand the story actually hear the promise and I think I believe it but we never to the final step and that's why when we asked the question, are you a man or woman of faith. The answer has to be no I'm not. I'm sorry I'm not what I want to say to this morning is you have to walk out of that building. This building in the same position today, you can any decisive act.

Make certain that you are a man or woman of we don't want anyone posting today to leave this Bible teaching program without making certain that you are in fact a man or woman of faith, Truth for Life is posted a brief video on our website that explains God's plan of salvation, but he was called the story its colorful and creative but Mr. Bolick clearly describes how, in Jesus, our sins are forgiven.

You'll find a TruthforLife.org/story. This is Truth for Life with Alistair Begg while we were preparing for this study in the book of Hebrews, Alister, and the staff at Truth for Life selected a book that we wanted to recommend to you.

It's a book we believe will help you dig deeper into this matter of faith, and particularly what it means for us as believers to be priests in God's kingdom. The book is written by Pastor Ed Welch called created to draw near Ed begins in Genesis and shows us how the Bible portrays believers as members of a royal priesthood dedicated to the service of God in this privileged position were empowered to cultivate a more intimate personal connection to God through our faith in Jesus Christ.

We invite you to order a copy of created to draw near. Today, it's yours. When you give a generous one time gift. You can do that online a Truth for Life.org or you can call 888588788 as we entered we can keep in mind Alister teachers of Parkside church on Sunday mornings. Most Sundays that messages streamed live. If you're looking for a way to supplement the teaching you receive at your local church. We invite you to join us.

See if Alister will be teaching this weekend.

Go to Truth for Life.org/live on Bob Lapine for Alistair Begg and all of us at Truth for Life.

We hope you have a restful, relaxing weekend and hope you can join us Monday as Alister continues his message title. What is faith. Today's program was furnished by Truth for Life. The learning is for