Hebrews 11:1-12:2 | Living Now for a Future Promised
Living Now for a Future Promised
We’ve all been there—sitting on a suitcase, "laying hands" on the zipper, and praying for a miracle because we packed way too much. Our Lead Pastor recently shared how he felt exactly like that trying to pack the entirety of Hebrews 11 into a single sermon.
Hebrews 11 is often called the "Hall of Faith," a grand gallery of spiritual heroes. But if we look closer, it’s not a gallery of perfect people; it’s a collection of ordinary, flawed individuals who decided to pack their lives based on a destination they couldn’t yet see.
The tension we often feel in a city like ours is a form of spiritual amnesia. We get so caught up in the "now"—the career ladder, the political climate, the pursuit of self-definition—that we forget who we are and where we are going. We feel isolated in our struggles, wondering if God is actually there when the "immediate" doesn't go our way.
What is Faith, Really?
The writer of Hebrews doesn't leave us guessing. He tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
At its street-level core, faith is living now based on a future God has promised.
It’s not "wishful thinking" or a "blind leap." Think about it: every person in Boston lives by faith in something.
Students study by faith that a degree leads to a career.
Entrepreneurs invest by faith in a market.
Many of us put our faith in a "political savior" or a "therapeutic self-construction."
The question isn't if you have faith, but rather: Is the ground you are standing on steady?
A Hall of "Middling" Heroes
One of the most beautiful parts of the Gospel is who God chooses to use. If you were drafting a "fantasy faith team," you’d probably pick the All-Stars. But the list in Hebrews 11 looks more like the "third-string quarterbacks."
Noah looked crazy building a boat in a desert.
Abraham and Sarah were "as good as dead" (his words, not ours!) when God promised them a child.
Rahab had a checkered past.
Moses had a criminal record.
These were ordinary, unseen, and deeply flawed people. This should be incredibly freeing for us. Access to God has nothing to do with you being impressive; it has everything to do with admitting you aren’t. Our faith doesn't save us because the faith itself is strong, but because it rests on a Savior who is unshakably faithful.
The Nature of Surrender
If faith is the requirement for being with God, surrender is the posture. Surrender isn't a one-time event; it’s a process of choosing God’s wisdom over our own "schemes."
We saw this in the life of Enoch, who walked with God in a wicked generation. For us today, surrender might mean:
Choosing honesty over hiding (confessing a sin you’ve been protecting).
Stepping into a ministry calling instead of the safety of a predictable career.
Choosing God’s definitions of success over the values of our culture.
When the "Immediate" Doesn't Match the "Promise"
This is the hard part. The text tells us that some people saw walls fall and lions' mouths shut. But it also says others were mistreated, imprisoned, and killed.
Does a lack of immediate blessing mean a lack of faith? No.
Sometimes God heals, and sometimes He doesn't. Sometimes the relationship is restored, and sometimes it remains broken. We don't always know the "why," but we do know the "Who." The heroes of faith were looking for a better reward—a city with eternal foundations. They believed that God was no less good just because He didn't show up in the way they expected in the moment.
Running Our Race
We are currently surrounded by a "great cloud of witnesses"—saints of old who are, in a sense, leaning over the banisters of heaven cheering us on, saying, "He is worth it!"
To run our race well, we must:
Lay aside the weights: What sin or "good thing" is actually hindering your walk with Christ?
Run your race: Don't look at the person next to you. Their struggles (loneliness, health, finances) are different from yours. Run the course God put you on.
At City on a Hill, we want you to know that you are never alone in that race. Whether you are turning from sin for the first time or taking a scary next step into a new ministry, we run together.
Visit our website at coahchurch.org and plan a visit to find a community where you are never alone and can grow in a faith that looks toward our eternal home.