Sermon Three - Faith: Trusting the Unseen
Introduction
I went for a walk today. I saw others walking around. I saw some trees, with lots of different birds in them. I saw a few dogs running around and playing fetch with their owners. I saw all of these things with my eyes, but what did I see spiritually? How can you see anything spiritually?
Much like how our eyes show us the physical world, faith is our way of navigating the spiritual world around us.
__________
What is Faith?
Our first question should be “what is faith?” Well lucky for us, we are given an exact answer in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Biblical faith isn’t wishful thinking, it’s confidence and assurance from God to His people about what we could want, and what we can’t understand. The hope, confidence, and assurances aren’t unfounded, they’re justified through the promises that God has made to us.
Faith isn’t just hope or trust in something, it’s the knowledge that God will provide everything we need through His unwavering nature. It isn’t built on what we can see, but what He has done and what He has told us about ourselves.
Think of something you can’t see. I think of air. You and I can probably agree that air exists, and that it is all around us. That’s what having faith is like. We know that God is around us, doing His work in our lives, regardless of whether or not we can see it.
Think of a plant growing. We can’t see its roots taking hold, and we have no idea whether it’s growing until it starts to sprout out of the ground. We have to have faith that the plant is growing as we hope it does.
———
We know that faith is confidence and assurance, but it’s also rooted in God’s character. There are two pieces of scripture we’ll look at for this.
The first scripture we’ll look at is Numbers 23:19, which says: “God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind.” The second is 2 Timothy 2:13, which says “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.”
Faith depends on the one we trust in. It isn’t powerful because we’re strong. It gains its power through the trustworthiness of God. If God was unreliable, then we would lose faith in God. However, as said in 2 Timothy 2:13, He remains faithful. He is always faithful, even if we aren’t. This is what allows us to have such deep faith in Him.
God’s character never changes. As said in Numbers 23:19, He doesn’t lie or change His mind. His promises are as true now as when they were first spoken. What He says, He will do. It’s as simple as that.
Faith isn’t built on circumstances or things that happen, it’s built on the unchanging nature of God. When we aren’t certain of the world, God says “it’s ok, I have you.” We can trust God because He will never change his mind. We can lose faith in people, because we’re flawed; we’re only human. But God is more, and because of that, He will never change His promises.
———
Faith and belief are two different things — similar, but different. We can believe something to be true without trusting in it. James explains this in James 2:19, saying “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.” James reminds us that demons believe in God, but they don’t love Him, follow Him, or put their trust in Him.
Faith is an active lifestyle, not a passive choice. It’s not an intellectual agreement, it’s trust in a relationship. Faith is what moves something from “I believe this is true” to “I’m going to live like this is true”. If we have faith in God, we should hold ourselves like that and live with that truth in our hearts.
Faith can be scary though, particularly when we don’t know what’s happening. Faith says to rest in what God has promised us. It’s scary to trust something that we don’t 100% know, but that’s the heart of what faith is. We have to trust in God’s plan and direction, even when it costs us comfort and control over our own lives.
———
Faith also isn’t an absence of doubt. Doubt is natural. It’s something that occurs all the time, no matter what we may believe. Many people think that if they doubt what’s being told to them, then they are without faith. Scripture tells us differently though.
In Mark 9, there is a story of a boy who was brought before Jesus and his disciples by his father. The boy had been possessed by a malevolent spirit, and the father was pleading for Jesus to remove it. We pick up at Mark 9:23-24, where it is said “‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” The father doubted even Jesus’s abilities to remove the spirit, and Jesus responded not with hostility, but with compassion and healing.
In Matthew 14:30-31, it says “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’” Peter was on a boat, and a great storm was approaching. Peter got scared, and called out to Jesus. Jesus reached out and saved Peter, despite his faith wavering. That’s what God does for us; He comes to us in our weak moments, and restores our faith.
Having fear doesn’t mean we don’t have faith. We are allowed to be afraid and have faith. We can ask questions and have faith. All we have to do is trust God, and remember that He has a plan for us, even if it scares us.
———
Much like love and grace, faith is something that we choose to do daily, not a one time event. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says “For we live by faith — not by sight.” We live by faith, and by nothing else. We have to make faith a part of every single day, so that we can truly live. Faith can be thought of as the muscle of our soul. It grows stronger the more we use it.
One of the ways we can exercise it is through the Word. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes from hearing the Word of God, saying “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Time thinking about, reading, and praying on the scripture is what feeds our faith, and strengthens our souls. The more we do this, the stronger our faith becomes.
Another way to exercise our faith is through trials. James 1:2-4 teaches us that trials test our faith, and strengthen it, saying “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” God doesn’t waste our suffering, He uses it to make us grow into the people that He designed us to be. He may not cause our suffering, but He will use it for our benefit however possible.
Muscles grow stronger because they are worked out. Working out breaks down the muscle, and it then heals to be stronger. That’s what trials do for our souls and spirits: they break us down to rebuild us stronger and more in God’s image.
Every day, we have to make the choice of whether we will trust in God, or try to control our own way. Sometimes, we may choose to try to control our own ways, but ultimately, we need God, and we have to have faith in Him. Growth will only happen step by step, when we surrender. We have to put aside our pride and ego and say that we need God to work through us.
———
Faith is the lens through which we see the world, but also the engine that drives us through it. Galatians 2:20 reminds us that we live through the faith of Christ, not by our own power, saying “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Christ lives in each of us because of his sacrifice for us, and we now live by the faith that we have in him, and the faith that he had in us.
Faith doesn’t just affect a few things in our lives, it touches every part of how we live, and drives us to be better. It influences our decisions, our response to pains, how we treat others, and our successes and failures. Living in faith means that we don’t live self-sufficiently, but through the faith that we have in God to provide for us, through our surrender to Him.
Jesus is the model for our faith, which is part of the reason we put our faith in him. Hebrews 12:1-2 says “…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Jesus has walked through faith before, and has paved our way. We just have to walk with him, with our faith in him, and we will live faithfully.
Once we can put our own plans aside and surrender our lives to God, putting our faith in Him, our lives are transformed. Our actions, desires, and priorities shift, and we start to act in a way that is more godly and fulfilling. Living by faith isn’t about perfection, it’s about perseverance. If we keep our eyes fixed on Him, then we will find a way to live fruitfully.
———
Now we understand what faith is, but how do we live that? What does it look like to live faithfully? Well, we can find examples in Hebrews 11, also known as the Hall of Faith. We’ll explore some stories of some of the most faithful people in the Bible, and examine how we can take that faith into our own lives.
__________
Faith in Action
Hebrews 11, as stated before, is often called the “Hall of Faith”. It is called this because it goes in depth about stories of extreme faith in God, including Moses, Abraham, and Abel. These stories show us what it looked like to live actively with faith, and how we can continue to do so in our modern age.
———
Hebrews 11 is extremely important to understanding our faith. It is a collection of stories about some of the most faithful people of our faith. Hebrews 11:1-2 explains this extremely well, saying “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”
Verse 2 is crucial, saying: “this is what the ancients were commended for.” They are remembered for their faith, not for their accomplishments. This is why they are such important people for us to remember. They responded to God with trust, even when the callings made no sense for their circumstances. The actions aren’t what matter, it’s that they were so willing to follow God’s word, no matter the consequences.
The stories are here for our benefit, to help us in our own walks of life through faith. They are here to strengthen us and encourage us, especially when faith feels difficult. Hebrews 12:1 even calls these people “a great cloud of witnesses”. They cheer us on by the examples that they left for us to follow and learn from.
These people faced impossibilities, uncertainty, fear, and risk. They faced the same challenges that we do today, but they trusted God in each of them. We are called to learn from their faith and exhibit the same attitude in our own lives. Faith isn’t a private moment, it’s a legacy for others to learn from and follow.
———
The first individual we’ll look at is Abel. He and his brother Cain were giving offerings to God. Cain gave fruit from the ground, and Abel gave the firstborn of his flock of sheep. God preferred Abel’s give, leading to Cain becoming jealous and murdering Abel.
Hebrews 11:4 says: “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.”
God didn’t prefer Abel’s gift because it was a better gift, He preferred it because it was a more spiritual and meaningful gift. The offering was a gift of righteousness and reverence. His faith was expressed as worship, and for that Abel was honored by God.
Faithful worship comes from the heart. It’s not always about what we give, but why we give it. Abel offered out of faith, while Cain offered out of duty or pride. God saw the motive behind the offerings, and therefore preferred Abel’s offering. Jesus says something similar about this in the book of Mark.
Mark 12:41-44 is a story called the widow’s mite. It says: “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
This story is giving the same message as Hebrews 11:4: that no matter what we have, if we give from our hearts, we are giving more than we could ever give physically. The widow gave her money from a point where she may not have had much to give, and as such would be rewarded by God.
As explained before, Cain gave some of his leftover produce, while Abel gave not only the firstborn of his flocks, but the fat portions as an offering. Faith will always prioritize God, and will never give the leftovers. If we give what we have to God, it will be multiplied in our hearts and our souls.
———
Next is Noah, who was called to act on something that nobody had ever seen before, and despite heave ridicule for it, he acted on God’s will. God warned Noah of a great flood, telling him to build an ark, which is said again in Hebrews 11:7: “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”
Like I said, Noah was warned about something that had never before been seen, and was told to build an ark. He was shamed and ridiculed for it, but through his faith in God’s word, he chose to continue as God said, leading to his survival and the survival of mankind.
In today’s day and age, if we saw someone building a massive boat on dry land, no body of water in sight, and said that God spoke to them, we might call them crazy. That’s what the people of Noah’s day saw, and they did call him crazy. Despite this, though, he built the Ark, because God called him to, and he had faith in God. Our faith should work even when the world calls us illogical, because God doesn’t operate by our rules, He operates by His law.
The other thing to remember is that Noah didn’t build the Ark in a week or a month, he took decades to build it. It was a long process that he went on, simply on the word of God. He remembered that having faith isn’t about seeing results, but trusting that the process will take you where God wants you to go. It was approximately one tenth of his life (around 60 years) before the first rain began to fall for the Flood. Despite not seeing any need for the Ark, he trusted what God had said, and built it regardless.
Noah’s faith also lasted far after he died, through his descendants, as well as the stories that we tell of his obedience. Because he had faith, he saved humanity from a great flood, and changed the course of humankind forever through history. While we may not save humanity as a whole, we can change the world with our faith, through smaller acts of grace and love, as God calls us to. We can change one person’s heart at a time, and that changes the world.
———
Abraham is another prime example of unyielding faith in God. First, Abraham was called from his home with only a promise of a new land and a child with his wife. That’s not a lot to go off of to leave everything you know behind, yet he did so willingly.
Hebrews 11:8 says: “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 had nothing except a promise; through faith, that promise was enough to drive him. He was led by a conviction and by trust, though his path was entirely uncertain.
Later in his life, Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Hebrews 11:17-19 says: ““By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice… Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead.” This is the same son that he had waited so long for. Despite this, Abraham willingly took Isaac to be sacrificed, trusting God’s will and word. Abraham trusted so deeply in God’s plan that he would sacrifice his own son -- not out of obedience, but of faith in God. Abraham shows us that faith isn’t about control, but sacrifice. We have to give up our lives to God, and trust that He will handle us in the best way possible. Because Abraham trusted, his faith paved the way for future generations to be blessed by God.
———
Next we have Moses, who chose to turn away from a life of sin, and instead live a life in torment because he remained faithful. Hebrews 11:24-26 says: “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”
Moses was given one of the best hands in life: the son of a pharaoh's daughter. He has a choice of power, prestige, and a comfortable life. Instead, he chose to live with the enslaved people of God. Only one reason really makes sense for the action: Moses had faith in God alone. He chose to act faithfully, instead of taking what was offered to him as a birth right.
Moses wasn’t paying attention to the glory of worldly possessions, rather he knew that the real rewards were found in God’s kingdom, which is why verse 26 says “he was looking ahead to his reward”. Moses reminds us that often faith isn’t about gaining something now, it’s about giving something up. Instead of a reward now, we are rewarded with eternal life in God’s kingdom.
———
Finally we come to Rahab: a prostitute in Jericho who was saved through her faith in the Israelites. Hebrews 11:31 says: “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” Rahab was spared because Jericho was marked for destruction, and two Israelite spies were sent to the city. They stayed with Rahab, and when the king heard about them, he sent messengers to her house. Instead of turning them in, she hid them, and was later spared during the Israelite attacks on the city.
Rahab was far from a traditional christian in those times. She was a Gentile, she was a prostitute, and she was an outsider to God’s people. Yet despite all of these things, she chose to have faith in God’s plan, and helped His people. She hid the spies at great risk to herself, only because she had heard about God. Through this act of faith, she shows that we have to be willing to risk our livelihoods if it means living with God. Because of this choice, she saved not only herself, but her family, and even the lineage that bore Jesus. She shows us that what matters isn’t the right background, but the right trust.
———
As if those stories of faith weren’t enough, Hebrews 11 goes on with verses like 32, 35, and 38, which say “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets… There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection… the world was not worthy of them.”
All of these people, from prophets, to martyrs, to judges and kings lived more in faith than anything else. They chose to live knowing that God had them in mind, and that they were safe. Some of them lived in glory, others faced difficult trials; regardless of how they lived, God’s people relied on faith during every moment of their lives. The faith often wasn’t rewarded in life, but rather with eternal life after death.
Faith is what gives us our reward, whether in this life or the next. Faith is what brings us back to God on our best days and our worst. Faith is the bridge between the people of ancient times and ourselves. We all have faith that God will take care of us and guide us along His path and plan
———
Trusting God Through Trials
Our first story about being faithful in hardship is found in the book of Job, verses 1:20-22, which say: “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’”
We will also look at Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.”
Job’s story isn’t one of glory, but of loss and despair. He lost everything, from his family, to his health and his wealth. These things were taken from him, and his first reaction wasn’t to cry out curses, but to worship God, because he still believed God was worthy of his praises.
Not only did Job lose everything, but God never talked to Job about it, not through any of his prayers or worships. Job cried out and lamented his loss, but through it all he still took the time to praise God. He had faith in God, and didn’t abandon his hope or faith in God and His plan.
Job wasn’t blindly following God, he was clinging to God despite everything going on. “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” is saying just this. He knows that God is choosing to put him through this, but trusts that God knows what to do. It isn’t blind faith, it’s a deep trust in God’s sovereignty.
Faith doesn’t always look like a victory, sometimes it’s just surviving another day. It’s making the choice to push through the pain of today in hopes for a better tomorrow. That honors God just as much as our victories.
———
Jesus talks about this very same point, saying how life will be filled with difficulties and troubles. In John 16:33, Jesus says: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus is saying that despite the troubles of the world, if we have faith in Him, then we will overcome those troubles, as he did.
Jesus doesn’t tell us that life will be comfortable, or that the pains and hardships will disappear. He’s telling us that with our faith placed in Him, we will be prepared for those difficulties. God promises us support, not comfort. He won’t take away the storm, but will guide us through it.
No matter how we live, if we are without faith in God and His plan, we will always be swimming against the current. Faith is what allows us to change our direction, and swim with more ease. It allows us to live in peace, instead of battling the world. Jesus overcame the world so that we could live in peace through our faith in Him, instead of trying to conquer the world ourselves.
———
We spoke earlier about how faith allows us to doubt, or to question what’s going on in our lives. Psalm 13:1 supports this in saying “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” This psalm is about David crying out in pain and confusion, asking God to show Himself to David. He isn’t ashamed to bring his questions to God, he just does it.
Crying out and lamenting to God isn’t a lack of faith, it shows that we trust God to love us even when we question Him. Faith is about bringing every part of ourselves before the Father, not only our praises. Jesus himself cries out to God in anguish when he was crucified, saying “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani”, or “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
God allows us to question Him, and welcomes it as well as ourselves into His kingdom. He doesn’t shame us for asking “why?” He honors our trust and faith in Him by coming to Him with our doubts. Faith isn’t about suppressing our pain, it’s about going to God in the middle of it. Like when Jacob was wrestling with God in Genesis 32:22-32, sometimes faith looks like not letting go of God until He blesses us. We have to hold onto our relationship with God, through the good and the bad because He is still good, and He still loves us.
———
Something we have to remember is that God won’t always give us what we need immediately. When we live in a culture like ours, we expect results to be instant. However, faith calls us to wait. Waiting can be hard. I’m terribly impatient most of the time, but by waiting, we are showing our trust in God and our faith in His plan.
Sometimes, we have to have faith that things are being delayed for a reason, even if we can’t see it. We’re telling God that no matter our level of understanding, we trust in Him.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that His timing is beautiful. “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” It doesn’t say that the timing is fast, or convenient, but beautiful. Waiting may be troubling to us, but by waiting, we get to experience something far more worthwhile.
While waiting is scary, or annoying, we have to remind ourselves that just because there is silence or stillness, it doesn’t mean that God isn’t working behind the scenes to make His plan work. He is putting things in motion that we can’t fathom, whether it is loud or quiet. Trusting the quiet times is what our faith is.
———
Along that same vein, faith is also shown when we praise God, even when we can’t see any reason to. This is done in Habbakuk 3:17-18 which says, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines… yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
Habbakuk is choosing to rejoice and praise God, despite there being no fruits to harvest. There is no evidence of any growth or product of his labors, and yet he chooses to praise God. He does this because regardless of his own circumstances, God is still God: providing and caring for His people.
This is raw faith. It is not emotional, not based on results, or signs, or evidence. It’s a kind of faith that says “No matter what happens, I trust in You.”
One of the greatest acts of worship is when we stand in the darkness, when the only thing we have is our trust in God. This is when faith supports us, and when we are showing a stubborn, gritty trust in God and His character.
———
Living in Faith Daily
Like grace and love, faith is a choice that we have to make every day of our lives. Following in Christ’s footsteps means waking up every day and choosing to believe in Him. Luke 9:23 says “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” The verse says that we have to take up our cross every day, not just once.
Our faith is what drives our lives, so we can’t just have faith on Sunday, or during crises. We have to choose to live in faith, and that will change our lives. As we begin to trust more in God, our minds, relationships, and choices are changed.
Every day that we take up our cross, we aren’t just wearing a symbol of our faith. We have to embrace sacrificing to God, being humble, and depending on God every day. Some days this will be easy, and others it will be difficult. We just have to remember that faith will sustain us through all of those times.
———
Something really cool about our faith is that we’re not called to make it private, but to share it with others. Matthew 5:14-16 explains this really well, saying “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
The way that we love, forgive, and endure hardship in our own lives shows others the power of God’s will. When we live in a way that shows our own faith, and the ways that it helps us in our lives, it draws others closer not to us, but to our God. In this way, we can change the world, one person at a time.
By showing someone how we got through a tough time, we can help them better understand what it is that God does in our lives. By sharing our experiences, it can give them a way of connecting with our own humanity, and leading them to find the way that we have lived. I may be here talking to all of you, but our own lives are testimonies to God’s power, whether we’re preaching or not.
When we live in faith, that is our way of spreading God’s love to others around us. We don’t have to quote bible verses to prove our faith and understanding. Sometimes the most powerful thing that we can do is to reach out and listen to others, and guide them through their struggles from a scripture-based perspective. We should never try to lead others by our own strength, but by the light that God shines upon us every day.
———
One of the most important things to remember about faith is that like how we have to eat to survive, our faith needs to be sustained by the Word of God. Faith isn’t something we feel, but something that we have to feed. Romans 10:17 outlines this in saying “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” This is saying that our faith grows by engaging with the word of God, however we can, whenever we can.
When we’re confused, tired, or lose our way, the Bible reminds us of who God is, what He has done for us, and how much He loves us. It rejuvinates our faith, strengthening us when we’re weak. It sustains us because it is unchanging. It tells us the truth, no matter what; the Word is constant, never failing or fading.
As our faith grows, so does our understanding of scripture. It takes more to sustain us, but luckily, God gave us so much to think about, pray on, and ponder in the Bible. We begin to feed on the Bible’s teachings, and we change as people to our cores when we start to consume what God has provided us. Like a plant in the ground, our roots start shallow in the Word, but will begin to deepen, allowing for more spiritual fueling, and understanding of what God wants us to be like in our lives.
———
Our faith is ever changing as we grow as people. God will allow hardships to affect us for a short while, but not to change who we are eternally. He uses the struggle to deepen our identity as people of faith in Him.. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Our suffering is temporary, but the faith that is forged in suffering is eternal. These trials don’t destroy faith, they expose and strengthen it. The trials we will go through are not forever, no matter how long they may seem to last. When they end, and God calls for us, we will be rewarded for our strengthened faith.
Anyone can claim to have faith, but the true sign of faith is surviving through trials and being stronger through them. Much like how fire reveals the true value of gold, trials reveal the mettle by which our souls are made. God will see our refined faith, and will appreciate it more than anything else that the world has to offer. Gold, while valuable, will perish. Our faith in God, however, will not perish.
———
Faith and the Kingdom of God
When we have faith, we shouldn’t only look back at what has been done for us, but also ahead. Hebrews 11:10 says “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
Abraham had faith in God, not only in his present life, but in a promise for the future. He left his home not only for a new land, but for one built with foundations rooted in God’s design.
Looking forward like that doesn’t only mean in our lives, but looking toward the kingdom that God has created. Our lives on earth are temporary, but our lives in Heaven are eternal. Our faith anticipates coming home to God, not just things happening in our daily lives.
The city with foundation is not a place made by human hands, but by God’s design and will. Faith is what allows us to release our bonds on what’s fleeting, and instead live in the eternal with God.
———
We are not our nationality, our race, or even our past lives. We are citizens of the kingdom of God. Faith is what redefines who we are, and gives us this title. It gives us a new identity, rooted in eternity, not an earthly label.
Living with this new title comes with a set of rules different from those of Earth. We live not as society does, but as people governed by love, grace, and truth. Our loyalty is to God, first and foremost.
We have to live differently because we belong elsewhere. We belong to God. Just like someone traveling a far distance, therefore packing light and focusing on the journey home, we focus on our journey to Heaven. We focus on packing what’s important: a life worthy of God.
———
Faith can often seem pointless. It feels like nothing is happening, and that can be frustrating. Jesus talked about this in a parable, and explained to us why it’s important to always keep our faith. Matthew 13:31-32 says “He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.’”
Like the mustard seed, our faith starts small, and may seem like nothing. However, through the work of God, that small faith becomes mighty. Through small acts of love, grace, and service, we help to expand the kingdom of Heaven. What began as a quiet, personal faith becomes a shelter for those around us.
We plant the seeds of faith in our own hearts as well as others, and we allow them to grow. We don’t force it on others, like we don’t force a flower to bloom too early. Through God, everyone finds their way to His kingdom in time. We are only called to sow the seeds to the people. God is the one who grows those seeds, not us.
———
Faith may cost us everything, but rewards us beyond measure. It treasures the eternal over the temporary. Matthew 13:44 says “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
The man gave up everything, joyfully no less, because the treasure was worth more than everything he had before. That is the kingdom of God. It is worth more than anything we could ever attain in our lives. Our faith allows us to see the value of the kingdom while others may not be able to.
True faith allows us to give things up with joy, as the man did. We are allowed to give in joy, because we have faith in God’s plan and kingdom. Faith transforms our priorities from thinking about ourselves to others, through our giving and sharing. The kingdom becomes our treasure, and we give everything to have it, not only for ourselves but for those around us as well.
———
We represent what it means to be followers of Christ. We show everybody what that’s like through our words, actions, and lives. We are ambassadors to the kingdom. Philippians 3:20 says “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Our lives should reflect how God wants us to live, and how He treats us. We are treated with love, grace, compassion, and truth. We, as ambassadors, should show others what that looks like. We should be slow to anger, we should be quick to forgive, and we should always have an open heart.
We may live on Earth still, and as such we should abide by the customs here. We should not shame others for their beliefs, or their practices. We should simply plant the seeds in their hearts for the kingdom to sprout, and God will work. So yes, we are living on Earth, but we should still live as though we are already in Heaven.
We are given purpose in our lives. We are told to live through Christ. Some days, that might not look like much. In fact, rarely are we given a chance to change the world all at once, but that’s not how God works either. If we talk to one person per day, and show them love, then we are changing the world.
———
Conclusion
Let’s remember that faith is confidence and assurance in what we can’t see, and what we may not understand. The heroes who came before us and lived through faith, giving everything for a promise. How faith may not always look or feel easy in our lives, and how we have to be mindful about our faith in our daily lives. Finally, let’s remember that we’re ambassadors to God and His kingdom.
Faith isn’t about having all the answers, and it’s not about being right. It’s about trusting that God will guide each of us to where we are supposed to be. All that we have to do is be ready to listen to Him. Faith is the compass, not the map. It doesn’t tell us where to go, but it does tell us who to believe in.
Today, let’s each go out and be an ambassador for God. Let’s share His light, and His love to the world. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, it can be something as small as smiling at someone, or buying them a coffee. This week, remember our faith, and walk in it. Have a wonderful week, and God bless!