All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.  Heb 11:13-14

Living by faith is always in the present tense- the faith you practice now will determine the faith you will have at the end of your life. None of us can control our circumstances, but we can control how we react and respond to them. To cultivate a practice of responding to all things by faith, let us consider the importance of the Christian mind.

Our minds control how we perceive and respond to circumstances. Unless we practice heavenly mindfulness, our response to circumstances will always be based on emotions- fear, anxiety, anger, etc. Faith is a reasoning trust. It is an expression of what is in the mind. Christians have been enlightened with God’s truth by the Holy Spirit- we are now able to see everything through the lens of Jesus Christ. (1Cor 2:14-16; Eph 4:17-18) If we don’t control our thoughts according to Scripture, we will be controlled by our emotions and circumstances.

How can we build up our minds in Christ? The measure of every Christian’s faith is determined by how much he meditates on God’s Word. Those who continually keep their minds in the Word have their love and affections set on heaven, where Christ is. (Col 3:1-2) Meditation allows you to regain control of your mind, by sanctifying your thinking and bringing it into submission to Christ. Meditation takes every thought captive to Christ, as you surrender your mind and yourself to the will of God. (Acts 4:19-20)

As we take control of our thoughts, we will naturally pursue what our minds are fixed on. The Old Testaments saints who had enduring faith sought a country of their own- heaven. They were in a passionate pursuit of heaven because their minds were set on the things above, not on the things of the earth. Faith that comes through meditation on Scripture will make you passionate for the things of God. (Phil 3:7, 9-11)Jesus desires us to live with a passion and love for Him- being lukewarm in faith is a condemnable sin. (Lk 9:62; Rev 3:15-16) Passion drives a Christian to labor for the Lord- without this faith and love, no works will be acceptable to God. (Rev 2:4-5)

Enduring faith comes through a renewed mind and a heavenly pursuit filled with passion. It begins with meditation, and will result in a zeal for the Lord and His kingdom.

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.  Heb 11:13-14

Every Christian- in different ways and at varying levels- goes through suffering. Just as gold is refined by fire, trials have melted away the superficial faith of men who ultimately apostatized from the faith, while in others, trials have brought to surface a divine faith that brilliantly endured to the praise, glory, and honor to God.

The author of Hebrews records how the patriarchs of faith- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob- endured in faith. Though they never saw God’s promise of a great nation fulfilled in their lifetimes, they didn’t die in disappointment or hopelessness- they died in faith. How did the patriarchs endure? What can we learn from their examples so that we preserve our faith to the end?

“…having seen them…”

By faith, though the promise was not yet fulfilled, the patriarchs believed God’s Word and saw its fulfillment with assurance. (Heb 11:1; Gen 12:2) God reveals His Will through His Word- our faith must therefore rest on God’s Word, not on emotions or physical evidence. (Rom 10:17) The most important aspect of Christian life is handling Scripture properly. Everything you see as a problem in your life stems from a failure to hear and believe God’s Word. The Holy Spirit is able to give us understanding of God’s Will revealed in His Word so that we can walk by it in faith. We must therefore seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit by depending on God and recognizing Jesus as Lord in every area of our lives. (Col 2:6)

What are the characteristics of those who see Jesus as Lord?

They know what is of utmost value.

Those who honor Jesus as Lord consider Christ to be the highest worth in their lives. When you value something else more than Jesus, you hurt yourself and the church. We must examine ourselves each day and ask ourselves- What do I value most in my life today?

They worship Christ.

We were all born spiritually blind in sin, but now that we can see Jesus, we worship Him as Lord over all. (Jn 9:25, 37-38) The Christian must make matters distinct in his life- in every situation, we must worship Christ. As we honor Christ, we will not fear the world, man, or our circumstances, because we know what is true. Jesus overcame all things by His death and resurrection, so that we can bravely stand in God’s love and truth amidst all trials. (1 Pet 1:8-9; Acts 4:19-20)

They know who they are.

Those who see God and His Word know they are sinners. The Holy Spirit dwells in those who are broken and contrite in spirit. As we see God, we stay humble, and Christ abides in us, and we in Him.

Jesus blesses those who do not see, yet believe in His Word. (Jn 20:27-29) While the patriarchs only saw a glimpse of God’s promise fulfilled, we have a full revelation of God’s redemption fulfilled in Christ through the complete Scripture. Considering this, we ought to live more faithfully than our fathers of faith, with more joy, and more thanksgiving. Let us truly treasure and obey God’s Word. As we live by what is revealed to us in the Bible, our faith will endure.

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.  Heb 11:13-14

In the life of faith, how you finish matters. Starting is easy- as a young man of faith, you might feel confident to boldly face whatever lies ahead, but to actually fight the good fight, finish the course, and keep the faith requires an enduring faith that only God can endow. Every believer hopes to end well, but most presume their finish line is waiting for them many years ahead- too far to be visible to the eye. But the reality is, we don’t know what tomorrow holds, and for any of us, we may be crossing our finish line tomorrow. (James 4:14) Moreover, we don’t know how man can turn. The Bible says that some will fall away from the faith. (1Tim 4:1) Paul witnessed it himself when Demas, who labored alongside him, suddenly fell away from the faith to go after the world. We may have personally experienced it ourselves, when those whom we believed to be brothers and sisters in Christ abandoned the church and walked away from the faith. They proved that they did not have true faith that endures. Lest we become arrogant, the Bible says let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. (1Cor 10:12) We must all be watchful, and look to God alone who sustains our faith.

How then can we endure during these wicked times? What does enduring faith look like? Hebrews 11:13-14 speaks of the patriarchs- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob- those who were promised a great nation of descendants who would be set apart for God. (Rom 4:16-17) They didn’t receive what was promised in their lifetimes, but they all died in faith, having only tasted the promise through the birth of their sons.

As descendants of the same faith, we face the same challenge as our forefathers. We read the wonderful promises of God, in His Word, but we don’t yet see them fulfilled today. As with the patriarchs, our greatest hope in God is the promise of our salvation. The Bible says we have been predestined, called, justified, and glorified, but we know that in our current state we are not yet glorified. We are in the process of sanctification, and we endure in faith and await our glorification. This is the nature of God’s eternal and immutable promises- it is already, but not yet.

Even though the patriarchs didn’t yet receive the promises, they endured because they knew that the One who promised was faithful. We have eternal life today, because God has promised it. Do you experience, enjoy, and give glory to God because He has given you eternal life? We- along with our forefathers of faith, and with all who have believed- have not yet received the fulfillment of salvation. But we are in the process of it, and as we experience it and enjoy it now, we will live by faith that endures to the end.

..for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Heb 11:10

The first Westminster Shorter Catechism states that man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. As Christians we are quick to focus on the first part. We labor for the Lord, aiming to glorify Him because of the grace we have received in Jesus Christ. But do we enjoy God Himself? When you feel spent and weary from works and striving, where do you find your rest and solace?

Our Lord Jesus enjoyed God to the fullest. After a long day of ministering to great crowds of lost and needy people, Jesus went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. There, He found all His comfort, rest, and delight in His Father. (Matt 14:23)

Only those who have faith are able to enjoy God, because faith rests in Jesus and treasures Him above all else.  If we have indeed died and have been raised with Christ, we seek the things above, where Christ is. The world no longer captivates us, but like Abraham, we live separated from the world, journeying to reach the better country that the Lord has promised to us. (Matt 6:21; Col 3:1-2) By faith, Abraham looked forward to the city of God- the New Jerusalem. (Rev 21:2) He considered himself a foreigner in the world, living in tents and temporary dwellings, going from place to place as he followed God’s call. As Christians we must examine whether we are living this way. If we have the same faith in the same God as Abraham, God has called us out to walk by faith towards our heavenly home. As we continue to look at the aspects of Abraham’s living and active faith, let the condition of our faith be tested by the Word of God.

Abraham saw a city that has foundations. Everything in life is built upon foundations. Whether it be buildings, churches, or marriages, the strength and integrity of all that we build depends on its foundations. Throughout Abraham’s life, as he trekked from city to city, Abraham must have seen the rise and fall of many structures, governments, and men of power. Abraham sought what was beyond the temporary kingdoms of the world, because unlike these, Abraham knew that the city of God was indestructible.

What kind of foundation did Abraham see?

Abraham saw that God is the foundation. No one can overcome what is built upon God- He is unshakeable and unassailable. He is our mighty Fortress, who has even withstood the power of death. (Matt 16:18)

Jesus Christ is the foundation. Jesus is the foundation of the heavenly city. No one can enter it but through Him. Although Abraham lived hundreds of years before Jesus came down to earth, Abraham looked to Christ by faith. (Jn 8:56; Rom 5:1)

The promise of God is the foundation. The New Jerusalem is built upon the promise of God. Our faith is in the promise of God that finds its Yes in Jesus Christ. We can rejoice in all circumstances, because God’s promises are sure.

As Abraham understood this unshakeable foundation of the heavenly city, he became steadfast in faith, hope, and love. This is true for all believers. As we look to our heavenly home founded upon God and His Word, we will become steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, because no toil for the eternal Kingdom of God will be in vain. (1Cor 15:58; Rom 8:18, 24-25)

Abraham saw a city whose architect and builder is God. Everything that God does is good. He created the heavens and the earth, He designed and accomplished our salvation through the gospel. (Gen 1:3-4; Rom 8:29-30) God is the designer and builder of the heavenly city. By faith, we can see this city. Therefore, we must always be wary of the things that hinder our faith- anger and disappointment, fear, and an ignorance of God. When we distrust God and are ignorant of who He is, we become self-reliant, and fall into fear of man, circumstances, or of God as Judge. God is our good and merciful Father, who has given up His only Son to meet our most pressing need- salvation. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? We must therefore trust our Father and be steadfast in faith, so that we can live on earth as those who by grace have received a better country that is to come.

…for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Heb 11:10

Abraham was a faithful and obedient man who lived out the will of God in his life. He was by no means perfect- at times he faltered, hesitated, and trusted in his own ways- but his overall direction in life was heavenwards. How did Abraham come to have such great faith? Verse 10 tells us the answer- while Abraham lived in tents, moving from one place to another, his hope and faith remained fixed on heaven. He continually sought the things above, living in a reality that was unseen by sight, yet was grasped and experienced by his living and active faith. (Heb 11:1; Col 3:1-2)

What were the unseen realities of Abraham’s faith?

The city. Abraham looked for the new heaven and earth- a better country that God has prepared for those who love Him. (Rev 21:1; Heb 11:16) In this city there is a full satisfaction that is not found anywhere on earth- where death, pain, and sadness are no more. (Rev 21:4) It is a secured city, which no enemy could ever approach or penetrate, because it is fortified by the Almighty God. (Rev 20:9,15) For all pilgrims, this is the final city. They enter by faith alone, and they never need to move again, for they are finally home.

Abraham did not perceive this city by an extensive knowledge on theology. He simply clung to God’s Word with living and active faith. No matter what was before him, he humbled himself before God and submitted to His Will by obeying His Word. (1Jn 2:16-17) As we continue to examine ourselves and whether our faith is living and active, we must ask ourselves, Where is my city? In heaven, or on earth?

To be continued…

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise… Heb 11:8-9

Faith enables us to obey, trust, and walk with the Lord through all circumstances. As we continue to consider what Abraham accomplished by faith, let us carefully examine our lives to find the same evidence of having a living and active faith.

By faith, Abraham saw what he previously could not see. 

By faith, Abraham- whose family was once in the business of selling idols- saw the ultimate reality of God’s kingdom. (Jsh 24:2) Though he was a prosperous man, he considered himself a pilgrim in the world, moving from one foreign place to another, until God would call him to his eternal home. He directed himself towards heaven as he walked with God and followed wherever God led him.

If you have living and active faith, you see the world as a temporary place. Christians are heaven bound people, living on God’s borrowed time. Every believer was once blind, but now by faith, he sees and looks forward to a treasure worth more than all the world. (Matt 13:44) While unbelievers desire to settle here forever without God, believers lose joy when they forget the hope of heaven and concentrate only on this present life.

By faith, Abraham knew he had a heavenly home. 

The hope of heaven sustained and strengthened Abraham’s faith as he sojourned through the world. We live with the same hope as Abraham, because Jesus has made us citizens of heaven. (Phil 3:20) Therefore, we must seek the things above and live a simple life on earth by getting rid of the unnecessary things that distract us from living for God and for others. (Col 3:1-2) A simple life aims to be God-centered, putting all things under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Those who live simply are generous, and they do not worry about the things of the world, but seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Living a simple life is not asceticism, nor is it about being rich or poor; it is a matter of the heart- if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. (Matt 6:30-32; Phil 4:11-13; Matt 6:24)

By faith, Abraham lived wisely.

Abraham was able to rightly count the cost of losing the world in order to gain heaven. By faith, he knew to avoid the judgment that was to come, and lived in self-denial to gain a heavenly reward. (Heb 9:27; 2Tim 4:7-8) This is a true test of faith. Abraham received the same promise that we have received from God- the promise of salvation in Jesus Christ. (Gen 12:7; Gal 3:16) If you believe in the same living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and share the same faith, then you will live in the same way as they did.

Throughout Scripture, all believers suffered under the name of Jesus. They refused to live like the world, but rather went against the world and embraced Jesus’s suffering. (1Pet 1:1-2) Those who suffer for Christ in the world are the ones who treasure God’s promise to heal and restore all things in heaven. (Rev 21:4) They count the worth of their heavenly inheritance far more valuable than anything in this world, even their very lives. Therefore, examine yourself. What kind of life have I lived so far? The life that seeks and treasures the kingdom of God reveals a faith that is truly living and active.