Hebrews 11 verse 1 says, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We're going to look this morning at the subject of faith. The title of this message is Now faith is. Every so often I feel led to remind us of what faith is. Last Sunday morning I touched on it a little bit and it made me want to touch on it a little bit more. And the reason is because it is so critical as God's people that we have a clear understanding of what the scripture says faith is.

As God's people, it is so critical that we have a true understanding of what the scripture says faith is and what faith does and where faith comes from and who faith is unto. Because, verse one says, faith is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen. Substance means ground or confidence. Faith is the confidence of everything we're hoping for. Faith is the foundation of our hope. Faith is the foundation that our hope stands on. And we're gonna see how true that statement is in just a moment.

Faith is the foundation that our hope is standing on. If we do not have a correct understanding of faith, we can't have any confidence in our hope. We can't have any confidence in our hope. As a matter of fact, A wrong view of faith is what false religions are built on. We can have a wrong view of God, a wrong view of man, and a wrong view of salvation just by not clearly understanding what faith is. Just by that. So this is the reason why every now and then I want to take a minute to look again at what the truth is concerning faith.

And we're going to use Hebrews 11 verse one as our starting point. It says, now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Let's first acknowledge what that does not say. It does not say faith is a work. So many people think that faith is a work. Honestly, that's an understatement. So many people think that faith is a work, a work that needs to be exercised. You ever heard that before? You know, if you go to the Y and exercise, another way of saying that is workout. You ever go workout, you know, exercise? Well, so many people think that faith is a work that needs to be exercised, but it's not. Not at all. It's not a responsibility that needs to be done. It's not an action that needs to be taken.

Faith is the foundation of our confidence in everything we're hoping for. If we see faith as an action, we have no idea what faith is. If we see faith as an action, we have no idea what faith is. I get all kinds of emails and solicitations for religious products. People want to sell churchy stuff, so they solicit all the churches and religious events and programs and just all kinds of stuff. And one that I received this week had this marketing slogan. Everybody's selling something. They call it a ministry. But they're not giving it away for free, you gotta buy it. That's called a business. That's not a ministry, that's a business.

So in this particular business, this was their marketing slogan. Equip your congregation to activate their faith. You buy this from us, you buy this program from us, and you will equip your congregation to activate their faith. Whoever came up with that marketing campaign has literally no idea what faith is. No idea. And based on what was said, that person has no idea what salvation is. That person is lost. And if God does not reveal faith to that person, that person is destined for eternal condemnation. And here is the reason why. Here is the reason why. Verse six right here, Hebrews 11, verse six says, but without faith, it is impossible to please God, Him. A man or a woman can have everything else, but if he or she does not have faith, there is no pleasing God. So this is critical, this is critical.

All right, now what is faith? Let's read a few verses right here and see what Hebrews 11 says faith is. Let me just kind of summarize the verse and then we'll read it, okay? Verse one says that faith is the ground or the confidence, that means the foundation of our hope. And it says it's the evidence, and that means the proof, the manifestation, that's what it means. The manifestation, the proof of what we can't see.

So read verse one. It says, now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Verse two says that faith is how we obtain a good report. That means faith is how we are witnessed and looked on by God as being righteous. Verse 2 says, for by it, by faith, the elders obtained a good report. Verse 3 says, faith is where our understanding comes from to know the truth concerning the things that were and the things that are and the things that are to come. Faith is our wisdom, it's our knowledge, it's our understanding.

Verse three, through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. All right, so let me recap this so far. Faith is our foundation. Faith is our manifestation, faith is our righteousness, and faith is our wisdom. All right, that's where we are so far.

Verse four says that faith is our more excellent sacrifice offering to God, more excellent than the works and fruit of our hands. that God will receive and will testify to its sufficiency in obtaining what it was sacrificed for. All right, verse four says, by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Verse five says, faith is what translates or transports, carries, carries us from this world to glory. Verse five says, by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him. For before his translation, he had this testimony that he pleased God.

Verse six says, faith is how we believe. You know, when you hear faith, people think, well, that's believing God. It is, more specifically, faith is how we believe. Verse six says, but without faith, it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Verse 7 says, faith is how we are saved and how we're made to be heirs, joint heirs. Verse 7, by faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear, preparing an ark to the saving of his house. That was by faith. By the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness, which is by faith. It's by faith.

Verse 8 says, faith is what leads us in the direction we should go. Verse 8 says, by faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should have to receive for an inheritance, obeyed. And he went out, not knowing whether he went. How did he get there? By faith. Faith led him.

Verse 9 says, faith is what keeps us. keeps us dwelling together. By faith he sojourned, stayed, lived, dwelled in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.

Verse 11 says, faith is what gives life. Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who'd promised. And verse 13 says, faith is what all of God's people die in. These all died in faith.

Now, we could go on and on with this, all right? We could literally go on and on with this, but I think we've seen enough to realize what faith is. Do we realize what faith is? Let me just recap it one more time.

Faith is our foundation. Faith is our manifestation. Faith is our righteousness. Faith is our wisdom. Faith is our sacrifice. Faith is our carrier. Faith is our belief. Faith is our salvation. Faith is our joint heir. Faith is our path. Faith is our keeper. Faith is our life. Faith is our death.

What is faith? It's not a what, it's a who. It's a who. Faith is Christ. Faith is Christ. Faith is not a work. Faith is a person. Faith is Christ. Faith is of Christ, through Christ, to Christ. Christ is the author and finisher of it. Christ is the performer of it. Christ is the object of it.

All right, now I'm gonna make a statement, and let me just go ahead and tell you, I'm gonna repeat it, so maybe we can dial in on the first one here. Everything about faith is concerning Christ. Now listen to this very carefully. Nothing about faith is concerning man. When you think about faith, people say, I just got to exercise my faith. I got to get more faith. I got to do better about faith. I got to be better about it.

Now, let me repeat that. Everything about faith is concerning Christ. Nothing about faith is concerning man. Nothing about faith is concerning man. We just said, okay, we just said that faith is our foundation. Didn't we say that? Faith is our foundation. All right, listen to this. First Corinthians 311 says, other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Okay, faith is our foundation. But there's only one, and it's Christ. He's our foundation, he's our ground, he's our compass. On Christ the solid rock we stand. All other ground is sinking sand. Christ is our foundation. Christ is our evidence. Christ is our manifestation.

How do we know these things are so? How do we know heaven exists? God was manifest in the world. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. Who was? Christ was. God. The scripture says, 1 Corinthians 1.30, Christ is made unto us wisdom. Christ is made unto us righteousness. Christ is our sacrifice. Christ is the one who will carry us in his arms. Christ is our belief. He is our belief. We don't believe a what, we believe a who. We believe on Him.

Christ is our salvation. Christ is our joint heir. Christ is our path. Christ is our keeper. Christ is our life. Christ is our death. Faith is Christ. I want to put a big, I want to really circle and draw a bunch of arrows to is. True faith is Christ. Saving faith is Christ. This is the difference in what men think faith is and what true saving faith is.

Faith is Christ. When we see faith as a work that we must activate, man gets the glory. But when we see faith as being Christ, God gets the glory. All right, now let's just read these verses again. Let's substitute the word faith with Christ and see if we can see this, all right? Hebrews 11 verse 1 says, now Christ is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen. For by Christ the elders obtained a good report. That's the only way anyone can obtain a good report. Through Christ we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

By Christ Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. That was the difference. by which he obtained witness that he was righteous. God testifying of his gifts and by it he being dead yet speaketh, by Christ Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God translated him. For before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God. But without Christ it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

By Christ, Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house, by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by Christ. Only one righteousness. It's the righteousness by Christ. Verse 8 says, By Christ Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should have to receive for inheritance, obeyed. He went out not knowing whether he went. By Christ he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Through Christ also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed. and was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable. Verse 13 says, these all died in Christ. Not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed, that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

True faith doesn't consider man in the equation at all. If man has a consideration in it, it is not true faith. People talk about faith, they talk about faith, they talk about faith. If man has any consideration, it's not true faith. They're not talking about a true faith. If man has any role in it, any part in it, any responsibility in it, if any component of it is looking to man or depending on man, if man can take any credit whatsoever, It's not true faith. Faith only looks to Christ. Faith only points to Christ. Faith only ascribes the work to Christ and therefore the credit to Christ and therefore the glory to Christ. Faith cries Christ. That's what it does. Faith cries Christ. Every time faith is spoken of, it is speaking of Christ. Every time. And most of the time, it will even read correctly to us to just substitute the word faith with Christ, like we did just here.

And I want to show you that in a couple of places and then we'll be done, all right? I'll try to be quick about this. Turn with me to Matthew 9. Matthew 9 verse 20, And behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself, If I may but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Be of good comfort, thy Christ hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Be of good comfort, Christ has made you whole. That's what he was saying. Somebody says, no, no, no, it was her decision to come to him that made her whole. No it wasn't because John chapter 6 says no man or woman can come to him except the Father which sent Christ draw that man or woman. That's the only way. So it wasn't her decision it was his decision to draw that woman to herself put that heart in her of faith that heart of Christ for Christ to Christ

It wasn't her doing, it was His doing. I love how He said, daughter. Daughter. Chosen by the Father, adopted by the Son, called by the Spirit. Daughter. Your Christ, your Messiah, your Savior has made you whole. That's what true faith Christ. Who gets the glory in that? Christ does. Where true faith exists, Christ always gets the glory.

Turn over to Luke 22. Luke 22, verse 31. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that thy Christ fail not. And he's not going to. And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. What was the only hope Peter had? Honestly, what was the only hope Peter had? It was that his Christ wouldn't fail him, wouldn't leave him, wouldn't forsake him. That's what true faith Christ.

Turn with me to Romans 3. Verse 19 says, Now we know that what things soever the law saith, that saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets. The righteousness of God manifested is a person. Witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God which is by Christ. That's what faith of Jesus Christ means. unto all and upon all them that believe, for there's no difference. Christ, of Christ, in Christ, on Christ, to Christ, through Christ, Christ.

Look at verse 27 right here. It says, where is boasting then? It is excluded by what law of works? No, but by the law of Christ. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by Christ without the deeds of the law. This is what true faith Christ, not our decision, not our coming, not our believing Christ, just Christ.

Look at chapter four, Romans four, verse 13. For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of Christ. Verse 14, for if they which are of the law be heirs, Christ is made void and the promise made of none effect. Verse 16, therefore it is of Christ that it might be by grace to the end The promise might be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the Christ of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Verse 19, in being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead, when he was about 100 years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in Christ, giving glory to God. That's what faith is strong in, Christ. Look at chapter five, verse one. Therefore, being justified by Christ, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by Christ into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope of the Lord. Do we see this? Let's just listen to Galatians 3.

Galatians 3 verse 1 says, Which one was it? Did God save your soul and set you free through you doing the works of the law or hearing about the finished work of Jesus Christ? That's what faith does. And I had so many places I was going to show you this, but you see it. You see it. Turn to Ephesians 2. Turn to Ephesians 2 verse 8. Ephesians 2 verse 8, it says, For by grace are you saved through Christ. Is that not so? For by grace are you saved through Christ, that not of yourselves, it's the gift of God. Not our work, it's God's work. It's not our will, it's God's will.

Go to Hebrews 10. We'll wrap it up, go in full circle here. Hebrews 10. Verse 22. Let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of Christ. That's where our full assurance is. Full assurance of faith is our full assurance of Christ. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold fast the profession of Christ without wavering for He is faithful, that promise.

Verse 38 says, now the just shall live by Christ. But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Why? It's because chapter 11, verse one says, Christ is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Christ is the substance of everything we're hoping for. Christ, that's the reason why. It all falls on Him. It all falls on Him.

To Him be all the glory. Amen.