More. Better. - Faith That Shows Up - September 27, 2026

Hebrews 11 meets discouraged Christians who are tempted to turn around because following Jesus has become costly. The letter has already said that Jesus is more and better: better than prophets, angels, Moses, priests, sacrifices, and every old-covenant shadow. Hebrews now brings forward real people from Israel’s history to show that enduring faith is not impossible. They did it, and ordinary people can too.

Faith is “the assurance of things hoped for” and “the conviction of things not seen.” Biblical hope is not wishful thinking that something might work out. Biblical hope rests on the goodness and faithfulness of the One who made the promise. Faith holds on to God’s promises before those promises can be held in the hands.

Faith does not pretend that visible pain, loss, opposition, or grief are not real. Faith simply refuses to treat what is visible as all there is. The God who cannot be seen spoke the visible world into existence, and the visible world is therefore real but not ultimate. God’s character gives confidence that every unseen promise will be fulfilled.

Abel shows that faith shows up in worship. His offering was not casual or leftover worship, but first and best worship rooted in the conviction that God is worthy. Faith changes the question from “How little can be given?” to a settled recognition that God is God and deserves the first and best of attention, energy, gratitude, resources, and service.

Enoch shows that faith shows up in how a person walks. Scripture gives almost no public accomplishments from his life, but it does say that he walked with God and pleased God. Enoch appears to have lived with the ongoing awareness that God was not merely somewhere out there, but right here, right now. The new covenant gives even greater reason to desire that kind of daily nearness.

Noah shows that faith shows up in obedience. God warned him about a flood no one could see, and Noah built because God had spoken. His ark became a living contrast to a world that carried on as though God had never said anything. His obedience did not earn righteousness, but revealed the faith that directed his entire life.

Hebrews finally turns every faithful example toward Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. Christ endured the cross, despised its shame, conquered the grave, and now sits at God’s right hand. His faithfulness proves that God is trustworthy and gives every reason for faith to show up in real life.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Faith holds unseen promises firmly Faith does not require full visibility before it trusts God. Biblical hope rests in the character of the Promise Maker, not in favorable circumstances or predictable outcomes. God’s promises can be trusted even while suffering, delay, and uncertainty remain in view. [43:05]
• 2. Faith gives God first and best Abel’s offering reveals that worship exposes what a heart believes God is worth. Faith does not approach God with whatever remains after everything else has claimed attention, energy, and resources. God needs nothing from His people, but He is absolutely worthy of their first and best. [51:00]
• 3. Faith lives aware God is near Enoch’s great accomplishment was not public influence, recorded miracles, or a platform. His life pleased God because he walked with God in ordinary life. The presence of God belongs not only to big spiritual moments, but to conversations, work, family life, integrity, and love of neighbor. [55:39]
• 4. Faith obeys before obedience looks reasonable Noah built an ark without visible proof that the flood was coming. His obedience was rooted in God’s word, not public approval, convenience, or a fully explained future. Faith takes God’s warnings seriously and trusts His provision of rescue. [63:41]
• 5. Jesus anchors every faithful life Hebrews does not leave God’s people staring only at Abel, Enoch, Noah, or any other example. Jesus is the ultimate faithful One, who endured the cross for the joy set before Him. His finished work gives forgiveness, hope, and the confidence to keep running with endurance.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:55] - Encouragement Before the Journey
• [30:05] - Columbus and Turning Back Too Soon
• [32:16] - Hebrews Calls Tired Christians to Endure
• [35:16] - They Did It, You Can Too
• [40:30] - Faith Is Assurance and Conviction
• [45:27] - Faith Is Not a Blind Leap
• [48:52] - Faith Shows Up in Life
• [49:23] - Abel Worshiped With His First and Best
• [54:13] - Enoch Walked With God
• [60:20] - Noah Obeyed What God Said
• [66:27] - Faith Pleases God
• [68:37] - What Has Faith Produced?
• [70:43] - Fixing Eyes on Jesus
• [71:25] - Remembering Christ at the Lord’s Supper

Bible Reading

Hebrews 11:1-7
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” [40:44]

Hebrews 12:1-2
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” [01:10:57]

James 5:17-18
“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” [36:44]

Observation questions

1. In Hebrews 11:1-3, what unseen realities are connected with faith, hope, and God’s creation of the visible world? [47:20]
2. What details in Hebrews 11:4 distinguish Abel’s offering from Cain’s, and what does Hebrews identify as the reason Abel’s offering was accepted? [50:24]
3. According to Hebrews 11:5-6, what is said about Enoch’s life before God took him, and what does the passage say is necessary to please God?
4. What had Noah been warned about, what did he build, and how did his response affect his household? [01:00:40]

Interpretation questions

1. How does Hebrews’ description of faith as assurance and conviction differ from wishful thinking or ignoring painful circumstances? [43:05]
2. What does Abel’s example suggest about the connection between a person’s faith and the way that person worships God with time, resources, attention, and service? [51:20]
3. Enoch is remembered mainly for walking with God rather than for public accomplishments. What might it mean for a believer to live with an ongoing awareness of God’s presence in ordinary life? [55:44]
4. Noah obeyed God before the flood was visible and without public approval. How does his example show that obedience reveals faith rather than earns God’s favor? [01:05:11]

Application questions

1. What visible difficulty, loss, delay, or uncertainty is most tempting you to treat as the whole reality right now? What promise of God helps you remember that what is seen is not all there is? [46:12]
2. Abel gave God his first and best rather than what was left over. Where are you most tempted to give God leftovers—attention, energy, money, gratitude, time, or service? What could giving God your first and best look like this week? [52:11]
3. In which ordinary parts of life do you most easily forget that God is near: work, family life, conversations, finances, private choices, or relationships with neighbors? What simple practice could help you walk with greater awareness of his presence? [58:12]
4. Is there an area where you know God is calling you to obey, but you have been waiting for obedience to become easier, more popular, or fully explained? What would a faithful next step be? [01:03:49]
5. Hebrews says that God rewards those who seek him. When you draw near to God in prayer or worship, do you tend to picture him as near and good, or distant and reluctant? How does Jesus help correct a false picture of God? [01:07:29]
6. Jesus endured the cross and now sits at the right hand of God. How does fixing your eyes on Jesus—not merely on your own effort or the examples of other believers—give you courage to keep running with endurance? [01:10:57]