Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Faith Leads Us To Jesus

Faith is the evidence of things that cannot be seen and has always been the core principle of man’s relationship with God. No man has seen God at any time, and yet the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen. Faith gives an assurance of something that is not tangible but becomes a belief that brings hope and peace. The faithful people of God have always believed in the promises of God without visible proof because they look far beyond the moment to a time yet to come with greater blessings.

Man was not created until the sixth day and could not witness the creation of the world. Faith drives the human spirit to believe how the worlds were framed by the word of God. Abel did not have to understand the will of God to offer sacrifices, but unlike his brother Cain, Abel obeyed from the heart. Enoch lived with the hope of eternity to please God in everything. Noah could not imagine a flood that would destroy the world. What is an ark with animals going to do to save humanity? Noah obeyed because he believed in the promises of God. Abraham is the father of faith to leave his homeland for a place he did not know. When God told him he would have a son, could he have imagined it would be twenty-five years later when he was one hundred? He saw afar off the promises of God and embraced them. Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses all exemplified those who called to mind a greater country in the divine with greater promises.

Faith is measured by looking beyond the world to a better place in God’s abode. The knowledge that is not about the here and now but the life that is to come. Everything dies here and remains. The eternal spirit never dies. Faith creates a desire to receive a heavenly place where God is. The Lord has made ready a place, a city, a habitation, and a promise that all who are faithful will receive. There is a blessed assurance that while life is a pilgrimage, a greater day comes when the eternal homeland is found. Faith is a desire. It is a longing to be apart from the trappings of the world. Dying in faith is living in hope.

The Bible is filled with the stories of those who are the faithful, who trusted in God, and who lived with the full expectation of eternal glory. As a great cloud of witnesses, their lives lead all men to Jesus Christ. From time eternal, Jesus is the author and finisher of faith. Abraham shows the way to Jesus. Moses leads the people of God to understand the eternal promise land made possible through the blood of Jesus Christ. Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets all testify to the story of God’s only begotten Son.

Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who sits at the right hand of the throne of God. Faith is assured because Jesus is conqueror. There is no fear in love. Faith is confirmed by the sacrificial love of Jesus to die for all men, taking away the dread of death and the sting of sin. The victory in faith is found in looking for an eternal home. By faith men understand the will of God, embrace the heavenly hope, and live with a view toward a city prepared for them. Live for Jesus.