How to Live by Faith

How to Live by Faith
Hebrews 11:6-16
February 14-15, 2026

Welcome everyone in the sanctuary. We welcome everyone joining us online. Hey, would you open your Bibles today to the book of Hebrews? We're going to be in Hebrews today. Hebrews 11. We're going to begin in verse 6. We're going to let that guy that teaches on Wednesday catch up to us. He is so slow.

The title of our message is "How to Live by Faith." Very important what God has for us here in Hebrews 11. Let's pray and receive from God's word together. Lord, We thank you. We know that you send Your word to reveal Your heart, Your desire to bless, to show us the way of life and faith, to strengthen us in our walk. God, meet us here by Your Holy Spirit and pour out Your life through Your word, we pray in Jesus' name. Everyone say amen.

How important is faith? Faith is so important that the Scripture says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. He describes in verse 1 of this chapter what faith is. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. The conviction of things not seen. Faith is the key to the victorious spiritual life that God desires for us to have and the foundation on which He will build upon it.

God, in other words, wants you to have faith, victorious faith. We need victorious faith. It's a theme that runs through the entire Bible. We need victorious faith because we live in a broken and evil world, and yet we do not need to be defeated or discouraged. We can have victorious faith. It is believing that God is with us and God is for us. The Scripture says, if God is for us, then who can be against us? This you believe by faith. Then we have the flesh of ours. We were born with this, we will die with this, but it need not master us. We can be victorious in our faith.

Anybody, believe me. God is able to make us victorious, we believe, because we have the faith to understand that God is our Father, our Abba Father, that He has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to the living God through His Son, Jesus Christ. That He has sent His Holy Spirit to strengthen the soul within, to ignite our soul to have life and life to the full. The capstone, I think, of our faith is found in verses like these in Romans 8. "In all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." Love that phrase, overwhelmingly conquer.

For I am convinced, these are the words of faith, I am persuaded, I am convinced that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord. In other words, not just victorious faith, but surpassingly victorious, lopsided victory, like at the Super Bowl.

That kind of lopsided victory, that's the word. Speaking of sports, the Winter Olympics are going on, and there have been remarkable feats of courage, sheer grit, and determination stood out in the annals of sports history. Many sports have a hall of fame. There's the basketball hall of fame, the football hall of fame, the baseball hall of fame, to recognize those who stand above the rest, accomplishing great things. There are others that you've probably never heard of that have accomplished great things. For example, have you heard of Hans Kammerlander? He recorded the fastest-ever ascent of Mount Everest, climbing 29,000-foot summit in 16 hours, 45 minutes, all without extra oxygen.

Then there's Diana Nyad, who swam 112 miles from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, when she was 62 years old. Then there was Dennis Kipruto Kimetto. He is the world record holder of the fastest marathon ever, running 26.2 miles in just over two hours. That is running 13 miles an hour for two hours straight. I couldn't do that on my bicycle. This is amazing. Now, in the Bible, there is also a hall of fame. We call it the hall of faith, and it's right here in Hebrews 11. Those heroes that accomplished great feats, the significance of what they accomplished is eternal, however, in aspect.

There were men and women who made a difference in the world because of their faith. They didn't just believe. No, their faith moved them. Their faith became the driving force of their life. They believed God. They relied on God for what they accomplished in their life. Now, they were ordinary people like you and me. We've got to start with that. Ordinary people like you and me. Not perfect, that is for sure, but they believed God, and that made all the difference in their lives and in the lives of those around them. You know what's interesting is that each of these were common ordinary, you might say common ordinary sinners like you and me, but there's no mention of their failure in this chapter.

There's no mention of their sin in this chapter. God gave them a second chance, and what He celebrates, what He highlights, is the victory of their faith. It might remind you of what we were just studying last week in Jeremiah 31, and also quoted again in Hebrews 10, that aspect of the new covenant where he says, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." Now, see, the good news is that your story isn't over either. Everybody has sin and failure, but you can get up, arise in your faith, and finish well, and what God will highlight, God will highlight and celebrate the victory of your faith in finishing well, your sin and your lawless deeds he will remember no more.

See, people who are strong in faith, in other words, are people who made a difference. Instead of being drawn backward by the people around them, no, they arose in their faith, and they led by their faith, by the example of their faith. They made a difference. That's a great lesson. These heroes of faith inspire us to arise in our faith, and these verses show what living by faith looks like. We're in Hebrews 11. We'll begin in verse 6. We won't read all of these verses, but the key ones, starting with this. "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him."

Then he gives us some of the examples, "By faith, Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence, which means in reverence of God because of his faith, he prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." That verse right there is loaded with amazing depth.

Then, "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, but 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." Notice this, "For he was looking for a city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Not an earthly city, a heavenly one.

Then move down to verse 13. "All these died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them, having welcomed them from afar. Having confessed that they are strangers and exiles on this earth, and those who say such things, make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. Now, if indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have opportunity to return, but as it is, they desire a better country that is a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared such a city for them.

I. Strong Faith Pleases God

These are amazing verses that we want to see how God would apply it to our lives. Starting there in verse 6, strong faith pleases God. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. With faith, with strong faith, God is well pleased. For example, when David faced that Philistine giant by faith, God was well pleased. David said, "You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord God of Israel." By faith, he moved. God was well pleased.

Then later, when David declared, "You are my hope, O Lord God, and You have been my confidence since my youth." God is pleased with faith like that. Faith. This chapter inspires faith. When you see victorious faith lived out in the perils. Difficulties of life. That is faith. God is well pleased with faith like that. Here He displays one hero of faith after the other. Notice, for example, Noah. The name Noah means rest. His parents gave him that name, saying, "This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands." There's a lot of parents that could have named their kids Noah.

By the way, Noah is not a picture of Jesus Christ, as some presume. He's a picture of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, of those who rest in that which God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Noah's ark, however, is a symbol of Jesus Christ. He is the refuge. Jesus is the refuge from the gathering storm that will culminate in the judgment of the world. Jesus is the ark which saves, the Scripture says. I am the way, I am the life, I am the truth, and no man comes to the Father but by Me, Jesus says. Notice then also here, God warns in advance to strengthen faith.

A. God warns in advance; to strengthen faith

Verse 7, "By faith Noah, being warned by God about things that he had seen, became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." See, God warned Noah in advance that judgment was coming on the earth because the wickedness of man was great, and every intent and thought of his heart was only evil continually." Interestingly, Jesus gave a similar warning in Matthew 24, speaking of the latter days. He says that the latter days will be like that of Noah. They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, giving in marriage.

In other words, they were partying and living it up oblivious until the flood came and took them all away, Matthew 24. Because lawlessness is increased, this is the condition of the latter days, most people's love will grow cold, for the coming of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah. Noah was warned by God about things that he had seen. For up to that point, it had not rained, a canopy covered the earth creating the famous greenhouse effect, but by faith Noah, he did God's warning, and then it says, out of reverence, out of faith, he did what God instructed him to do.

Now, even if the world does not end in cataclysmic judgment in your lifetime, the moment you die is the end of the world for you. Are you ready? That's the point. God has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to the living God and have any hope for eternal life. God has made a way for salvation. The ark of God, you can say, is Jesus Christ, and by faith you enter in and become an heir of righteousness, which is according to faith. Then we see this here in a chapter, like by faith influence those around you, by faith lead. See, Noah did not follow the crowd. We know the condition of things in the world, but he did not follow the crowd, which is amazing in and of itself because following the crowd is human nature.

B. Influence those around you – by faith

That's the nature of man. For example, I was thinking many years ago when we were taking regular teams to Russia, and we brought medical supplies, and we had outreaches and concerts and whatnot, but we had downtime. I would go shopping. I wanted to buy some things for the kids, things for the momentos. I would go to these stores, and you never know what's there. You got to just look through all the displays. I noticed that if you just stood long enough and stared at something, that a crowd would gather to see what you're looking at.

The nature of man to follow a crowd. For example also, when I graduated from high school and left for college, went to Oregon State. I left my family behind, my friends behind, I left everything behind, and now I'm alone. I felt a longing to belong to something, to be part of a group and a community, so I joined a fraternity, which is a terrible idea. I do not recommend it because it was a terrible influence. I'm just following the crowd. I'm just at parties every weekend, which was a shock for a country boy like me growing up and going to the little country church, and then going to the university, and there's parties every weekend.

I'm just following the crowd. We're just traveling along the path of destruction together. Then I got elected to be president of the fraternity. I'm not just following the crowd. I'm leaving this thing now. Then I couldn't do it anymore. God just got a hold of my heart, and I just couldn't do it anymore. I remember that day very well. It was a Sunday morning, the night before we had another epic party. I got up, and I was just so empty and just so alone. I remember I just had to go out and get some fresh air. I went out to the front in the sunshine. Had a walk through the smell of the beer and the sticky floors.

I went outside. I stood in the sunshine on a Sunday morning. I said, "God, I miss you." I can't do this anymore. This is no way to live. There's no life in this. I can't do it. I went back to my room to get my Bible. I'm ashamed to say it took way too long to find my Bible. Got in my car and just drove until I found a church. I just walked in the back, sat down, and church was already going. I just sat down and just cried, "Oh, God, it's so good to be home. I just love being in church." Then God made it possible for me to become a pastor and have the privilege of leading many to faith in Jesus Christ.

God has turned this thing around, and God will turn your life around, too. Amen. Can we give God praise? Right. Noah lived in a time of great wickedness on the earth, but not only did he not follow the crowd, he became a preacher of righteousness, and he did it alone. 2 Peter 2:5, "God preserved Noah, preacher of righteousness, with seven others when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly." No, he was a preacher of righteousness. No one listened to what he preached. He's going to stand alone. If you've got to stand alone, you're going to stand alone.

He spoke the truth, even if they wouldn't listen. We're not responsible for whether people receive the truth. God tells us to speak the truth in love and trust God with the results. You never know what impact you could have. Even if you only impacted one person, it would be worth it. I tell you what, if you impacted your children, it would most certainly be worth it. Abraham Lincoln once credited his mother with instilling in him his great character, which we know became famous. The Apostle Paul mentioned to his young son Timothy about his mother and grandmother, calling them by name, their influence.

2 Timothy 1:5, "I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first was in your grandmother Lois. Then your mother Eunice, and I'm sure it's in you as well." One generation spoke the truth to the next generation. Generational impact by faith. Make a difference in this world. Whatever your sphere of influence, God wants your faith to arise. Make an impact. Do you want to make a difference in this world? By faith, lead. Notice what he's showing us. By faith, be men of action. By faith, Noah, thanking God at His word, took action, built the ark.

II. By Faith be Men of Action

Notice verse 8. By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going to a place. Not knowing where he was going. Living as an alien in that land of promise. In other Words, faith moves. Faith does something. Faith takes action. It moves. It makes a difference in the way the life is lived, not just what you believe. It's what you do with that belief. When Abraham was living in the land of Haran with his relatives, God said, "Leave it all behind. Leave that land." Go to that land which God would show him, a place he'd never been before, that place that God would give to his people in Israel, and it's still true today.

A. Walk by faith and not by sight

The impact of what Abraham did is affecting the world today. Abraham believed. That's the point. He trusted. He believed. By faith, he took action. In other words, you walk by faith and not by sight, the Scripture says. Live your life in this way. Walk by faith. Many people, they would love to have a blueprint for how their lives are going to turn out. Give me a chart, God. Let me know in advance how it's all going to work. Send me a memo. Send me a text. Send me a tweet. Is that still a thing? I don't know. Do something, Lord. Tell me how it's going to turn out.

No. God doesn't want it to work that way. He doesn't tell you in advance. He expects you to trust that God knows the way through this wilderness. All we have to do is follow one step at a time, and He will reveal through the ordaining of your way, the steps of the righteous are ordained by the Lord. He moves in your life. For example, in the early days of the church, a great persecution arose against the believers in Jerusalem, and they were therefore scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. God used it for His purpose. Those who were scattered went about preaching the Word.

Now the gospel is going forth. Before that, they were all there in Jerusalem in the first days of the church, enjoying fellowship, enjoying one another, just all together there in Jerusalem. Then a persecution arose, scattered them all to Judea and Samaria, but God used it to bring the gospel forth to the reaches of Judea and Samaria. God used it for His great purpose. This is something I have seen over and over and over in life, that which you think is against you is oftentimes the very thing that God would use to be for you. The things that you think are against you are the things that God would use to reveal His favor in your life.

Oh, I tell you, I have seen it over and over and over, and God's not done yet. Those who believe look for God to order their steps. One of those was Philip. As he was going from village to village preaching the gospel, an angel of the Lord told him to go out onto the desert road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. No explanation. Wasn't told in advance what was going to happen. Just go out onto the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. He's on the road, and he sees a chariot. The Spirit tells him, go up to this chariot, and who should be there? A court official from Ethiopia who had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning on his way back to Ethiopia.

He just so happened to be reading from a scroll of Isaiah. We can see what happened. He went to Jerusalem to worship and obtained a copy of the law. Now, you got to understand, in those days it was a very valuable thing to have a copy of the law. Every copy was handwritten by scribes. Today, if you want the Word of God, you can order it on Amazon. It'll be here in the morning. In those days, very rare, very valuable, handwritten by scribes. This Ethiopian, he has obtained a copy of the law. He's in the chariot reading it out loud. Philip approaches, and he just so happens to be reading from Isaiah 53.

Now, if you know Isaiah 53, you know it is the most amazing chapter in the entire Bible describing that which Jesus, the suffering Messiah, who would, by His scourgings, we are healed, on Him the iniquities of the world would be paid. Oh, it's an amazing chapter. He just so happened to be reading from the scroll of Isaiah. Just so happened to be reading from Isaiah 53. Do you believe things like that just so happened? No, God ordains your way. This is by faith, to believe you will begin to look and see how God is moving in the step along the way.

Philip approaches him and says, ''Do you understand what you are reading?'' The man says, ''How can I unless someone explained it to me?'' Then the man says, ''Is he speaking of himself here?'' The prophet, ''Is he speaking of himself or someone else?'' Philip says, ''I'm glad you asked.'' Beginning from that point, begins to explain Jesus, begins to explain how God sent His Son as the Savior and the Redeemer of the world, and that those who believe in Him would have everlasting life.

As he's explaining Jesus to him, the Ethiopian says, "Oh, I see what prevents me from being baptized?" He baptized him in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. History tells us that Ethiopian went back to Ethiopia, and a great revival broke out. The ordaining of your steps. God will do great things who walk according to their faith. Men of faith are men of action, but they're also men of faith. In other Words, they're men of action because of their faith. They do what they do out of a desire to honor God. I want my life to matter.

I think there are many people in this room that want their life to matter. Faith. Walk by faith. It's not just what you believe, it's what you do with that faith that matters. We walk by faith and not by sight. As we walk by faith, our faith tells us then how to walk. It matters then how we walk. When you walk by faith, you walk by the way of God's character. There is a way to walk. There is a way to walk such that it honors God in how you walk. For example, Colossians 1:9-10, where he says, "We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord," notice, "to please Him in all respects."

God is well pleased when you walk like this, bearing fruit in every work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Some people believe that the end justifies the means. As long as they're accomplishing something, it doesn't matter how they do it. Not so. That is not the way of the kingdom of God. You may have a worthy goal, but if you're hurting people along the way, you're not doing it God's way. Character matters. "As you walk," he says, "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself."

How you walk matters. Character matters. Integrity matters. How you walk matters. To quote the famous Wesley from the movie Princess Bride, "We are men of action. Lies do not become us." I just love that phrase. "Lies do not become us." That's a great word to apply to a believer. Lies do not become those who walk to honor the Lord. Integrity matters. Character matters. You're walking by faith because you're walking because of your faith. Walk in that way that God's heart and God's character is revealed in how you walk. Then we see this.

B. Faith looks to the reward

Faith looks to the reward. It's an interesting, intriguing theme that runs through these chapters, that an aspect of faith, perhaps part of the reason for faith, is looking to the reward. that God has in store for those who believe. Now, I want to run through a number of verses that speak of looking to the reward and then see how that they would mean something important to us, starting with the previous chapter, chapter 10, where He says this in verse 35, "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence." that's another expression of faith, confidence in the Lord. Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Hebrews 11:6, "He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." This is very important where He's moving us. Chapter 11:9-10, "Abraham lived as an alien in the land of promise, dwelling in tents, for he was looking for that city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Not an earthly one, but a heavenly one. Hebrews 11:13-14, "All these died in faith without receiving promises, but having seen them and welcomed them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on this earth, for those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own."

Not on this earth, a heavenly one. They desire something greater, something beyond this earth. We're all strangers here. We're all exiles. This world is not our home. We're just passing through. We have a home, and those who trust in God have their hearts turned toward home. In other words, don't get too comfortable here. This earth is not your home. We're strangers and aliens here. There's nothing on this earth that will satisfy the deepest longings of the soul. There is built into all of us a great looking forward aspect of our nature. What is that? What is that?

There's always a looking forward. As I mentioned, when you're young, you look forward to getting your driver's license. "If I could just get my driver's license, then I'll be free. I can drive. The world will open up to me." Then later, if I could just graduate from high school, I'll be free of my parents. Then later, "If I could just get a career and get a job, I could have some money, and I can do what I want to do. I can spend. I'll be free." Then later, "If I could just retire, then I'll be free." Always looking forward. What is that?

In fact, it's an interesting thing. If people don't have something to look forward to, many find themselves in a crisis. They have nothing to look forward to. Life has lost its meaning, and the world comes crumbling down. Why? Because there's built into the human soul a great looking forward. Why? Because there's a longing in the soul for something beyond this world, something greater. The soul longs to be satisfied looking. I suggest to you that there's nothing on this earth that can satisfy the deepest longing of the soul. Oh, there's things on the earth that appeal to the flesh, but they cannot satisfy.

There's nothing on this earth that can satisfy the deepest longing. The soul longs for something greater than this world. Something better. Let me give you an interesting analogy. In the year 410 AD, something happened that shocked the world. Something happened that people thought could never possibly happen. Rome, the great city of Rome, was sacked, pillaged, brought to its knees, defeated. What? Rome? The people in those days were shocked. Unfathomable. The great Rome? How is that even possible? In fact, it was called the Eternal City.

In a sense, such a shock that Augustine, living in those days, wrote a book in response to this shock. The book is called The City of God. The thesis of the book is, you put your hope in the wrong city. That's what? I suggest to you that there is a modern analogy. The sacking and the defeat of Rome brought to its knees there in 410 AD, has a modern analogy. It would be as if the United States was brought to its knees. Unfathomable. Impossible. The great America? The greatest nation on the face of the world? The great power? The wealthiest nation that the world has ever seen by far?

How is that even possible? There is arising today a change in the world order. There is an alignment of nations arising, Russia, China, and others. I suggest that it has epic spiritual and prophetic implications. Scripture describes that there will be a vast army that comes from the north, more than a million coming against Israel, and that Israel would be defeated if it were not for the intervening hand of God when God sends His Son, the Messiah and Redeemer of Israel, to intervene. How is it possible that such a vast power could arise? I suggest to you, only because that which stands to check it and contain it today, which is America and the West, is brought to its knees.

Unfathomable. Are we not seeing before our eyes the weakening of this nation and the West? Augustine wrote this book, and I suggest to you that his thesis has every implication for the times in which we are now living. You put your hope in the wrong city, Augustine wrote to the people of Rome. If you put your hope in America, you put your hope in the wrong city. He wrote, you can call it a tale of two cities, the earthly city, Rome, and the City of God. It's based on Hebrews 11. That's the name of the book, The City of God. That which says, Abraham longed to see.

The earthly city consists of those who have immersed themselves in the cares and pleasures of this present passing world. They find their greatest treasure is here. It's here on earth that they look to fill the longing of their heart. Those who are of the City of God have fixed their eyes toward heaven. Their greatest treasure is there. They look for that reward, their future, and their hope is fixed there. He means it to be personal, like settle this matter. Those who have their hearts fixed on heaven know that there's something beyond this world, something greater, something glorious, something wonderful, something beautiful. We have a home. This world is not our home. We're strangers and aliens here.

We have a home, and we have turned our heart toward heaven. It's a long walk home from here, but God will walk with you on the way. When you have fixed your heart, you know the direction in which you are walking. Do you know the direction of which you will live? Do you know the direction of which you are walking? It's a beautiful journey from here, not an easy one, because the journey and path is through a wicked and dark world, but I'll walk with you, Jesus says, "I will not leave you. I will not forsake you. I will walk with you on this path, this journey. We will walk it together. It's a long walk home, but it's a beautiful walk when we walk it together.

When you're done walking, you will find yourself home in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and God our Father, the living God, the Almighty." That is where my heart is fixed. I know in whom I have believed, and I have set my course. I know the direction of which I am walking, and there is no turning back. No turning back. Let's pray. Lord, Father, we thank you and honor you for how beautiful it is to walk by faith. Not easy, but how beautiful. For you walk with us in it. God, move upon us now. Help us to settle this matter.

As we're praying, as we're continuing to pray, how many today would say to the Lord, "I know where my hope is found, and it's not here. It's not in this world. My hope is found in heaven. I have turned my heart toward home. I know in whom I have believed, and I have set my course. I am walking home. I know in whom I have believed." Would you say that to the Lord by just raising your hand? You're going to declare it by raising your hand to the Lord.

"God, I want to just say it. I have settled this. I know where my hope lies. I know where my treasure is. I have turned my heart toward home, and I'm just going to keep walking. God, walk with me on this journey. It's a long walk home, but it's a beautiful walk from here. Thank you, God, for walking with me in it." Father, thank you for everyone who's stirred of the Lord, who understands that you are speaking life through your word. We honor you now in Jesus' name, we pray. Everyone said, giving you God praise and glory and honor, Amen.