Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus
The Letter to the Hebrews
Lanse Evangelical Free Church
September 20, 2026 :: Hebrews 11:1-7
Who all loves Hebrews chapter 11? What a glorious chapter of God’s Word!
I was so pleased to realize that we were going to turn the page into Hebrews 11 on Celebration Sunday 2026. What a beautiful chapter of God’s Holy Word!
We often call Hebrews 11, "The Hall of Faith!"
Faith is the subject of Hebrews chapter 11.
The Greek word for “faith” gets used at least 24 times in these 40 verses.
The author keeps repeating it over and over again for effect:
By faith
By faith
By faith
By faith
And then he announces a name, the name of a key person from the Old Testament (he loves his Old Testament, doesn’t he?!), and he gives a snippet of that person’s life story and what they did “by faith” as an example for us today.
He skips through the entire Old Testament in order–just some highlights–to show how faith was at work in the lives of these Old Testament believers, a great cloud of witnesses. We’re going to spend a few glorious weeks working our way down through it. Today, just the first seven verses. From Creation through the Flood.
And there is an important reason for this chapter. The writer to the Hebrews wants to build faith in God inside of his readers. He wants them (and us) to believe. He’s telling them (and us), “You can do this.”
You can do this.
You can do this.
And you should do this.
Believe!
And keep believing.
At the end of the previous chapter, there was a scary warning and a strong encouragement.
He warned the Hebrews against apostasy. He told them, “Do not throw away your confidence” in Jesus because if you do, there will be no sacrifice for sins left for you, and, “It’s a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
A lot of your prayer requests on Tuesday were for your loved ones to turn to Christ or return to Christ because, “It’s a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” A scary warning!
But he also said that he doesn’t think they will fall away. He thinks they are like him (at least most of them) believers. People with genuine faith!
He said, last verse, Hebrews 10:39, “[W]e are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed [in the hands of an angry God], but [we are] of those who believe and are saved.”
That’s us! We are faith-ers. We are those who believe (same word as “faith”)...and are [going to be] saved. And he says, all we have to do is believe, and keep believing, and keep on keeping on believing. He said, “You need to persevere” in faith (10:36).
Now, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. It is simple. Just believe! But it’s not easy. And it’s probably going to get harder.
These Hebrew Christians had, some of them, been insulted and persecuted and lost their homes and property because they had faith in Jesus. Some had gone to prison (Hebrews 10:32-34). And it was probably going to get harder. Maybe some of them were going to die because they had faith in Jesus. It’s harder to have faith when you are facing trouble like that.
Is it getting harder for you to have faith right now? Are you wondering if it’s worth it? Are you wondering if you’re doing it wrong? Because life is getting harder. If you have faith, isn’t it supposed to get easier?]
So this pastor wants to awaken and nurture enduring faith in his readers, and he turns to his favorite place to do just that–the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament of the Scriptures.
And he gives us this beautiful description of faith doing its thing. Chapter 11, verse 1.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
I have four points this morning to try to capture what “Faith Is” from this passage. And I’ve picked out four adjectives to describe it. Here’s the first one, and it was the hardest to come up with:
#1. FAITH IS CONFIDENT.
Not confident in yourself. But confident in God and His Word.
Do you see the confidence words in verse 1? “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
That’s actually kind of a hard verse to translate which you can tell from the various ways the English versions word it. But the general gist of it is pretty clear.
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for...” There is a thing that we don’t have yet. We are hoping for it because God has said that we’ll have it, and we have confidence that we’re going to have it. Your version might even use the word “confidence” there.
The updated NIV (2011) has, “[F]aith is confidence in what we hope for.”
The New Living Translation says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen...”
ESV and the NASB say, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for...”
The underlying Greek word is a very solid word. It’s the word “hypostasis,” and Hebrews used it in very first chapter to refer to the very nature of God (see Hebrews 1:3).
That’s why the King James Version says, “[F]aith is the substance of things hoped for...” It’s the essence of the thing.
Or the CSB says, “[F]aith is the reality of what is hoped for...”
I almost picked the word “solid” for this first point. Faith is solid. True faith rests on something solid and substantial. That’s why it can be so confident!
Same thing with the second half of the verse. The word translated, “certain of what we do not see,” is also a solid word. It’s often translated “proof” (CSB) or “evidence.” King James, “[F]aith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” That’s strong. That’s solid!
These things that God has told us to hope for are not fleeting. They’re not fading. They are not falling apart. They are rock solid and can be counted upon.
And genuine faith...does just that! It counts on them. It rests on them.
It’s almost like it sees them. Faith is like a way of seeing something that you can’t see yet with your senses. It’s like an ability to perceive something very real that you can’t make out yet with your eyes, ears, nose, or skin. It’s like a way of knowing an unseen reality.
Faith is a solid confidence in what is really real.
Now, our faith can be stronger or weaker. Our confidence can be greater or lesser at times. But if it is true genuine biblical faith, it’s really there. And it’s believing something that is really there. It’s a fact.
Even if you cannot see it. Especially if you cannot see it! Look at verse 1 again.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
So faith is not just wishful thinking.
Faith is not just a religious feeling.
Faith is not ignorance about how things really are.
Faith is a deep knowledge about how things really are!
Mark Twain once said something like “Faith is believing what you know ain’t true.”
And that’s the exact opposite of what true faith actually is. True faith is confident in something unseen but totally real.
Now, that’s a lot of words, so let me give you an illustration. Let’s say you’re a little kid and your house catches on fire. That would be scary. But your family has practiced your fire-drills, and you know where you’re supposed to go if there’s a fire. So you go there.
Let’s say you’re supposed to go to a particular window in your house. And you’ve got a big strong Daddy, and he’s got outside first. He’s down on the ground below, and he calls up to you.
And he says, “OK. Come down. Jump into my arms. I’ll catch you.”
But it’s nighttime, and it’s dark, and there is smoke, and you can’t see him.
“Jump into my arms. I’ll catch you.”
Faith jumps. Faith knows that your Daddy is there. He said so. You can’t see him. You haven’t jumped yet. But you know your Daddy.
Faith is a solid confidence in what is really real.
Can you see your Daddy? No, but you can “see” your Daddy! And you jump.
“[F]aith is sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Now faith can be directed forward into the future (that’s what we call “hope”) or backward into the past. There are things we have been told happened, and we believe them by faith, as well. But both kinds of faith are faith in God and His Word.
Most of this chapter is about faith in what God has promised in the future.
And it’s encouraging us to jump into His waiting arms.
#2. FAITH IS COMMENDED.
Look at verse 2.
“This [faith] is what the ancients were commended for.”
Your version might says, “approved” or “obtained a good report.”
And that’s by God! These people were given a good report by God Himself because they had faith.
The “ancients” here are the believers of the Old Testament. They trusted God, and they got an divine “attaboy” or “attagirl!” They jumped into their Father’s arms, and the Father hugged them and said, “Well done, faith-filled servants! Well done, my child.”
Hebrews says this over and over again in this chapter. He says it in verse 2, and in verse 4 (two times there!), and in verse 5. And the whole chapter ends by saying it all over again. Verse 39.
“These were all commended for their faith...”
This pastor can’t get over that. He wants that for himself. And he wants that for them. And I want it for myself, too, and I want it for all of us here, as well. Faith is commended by God!
The faith of these ancient believers was commended by God, and Hebrews commends them to us as examples. (See also Hebrews 6:12-18.)
Today, we’re going to look at the examples of Abel, Enoch, and Noah. They were all commended for their faith.
Now, one of the things I love about these all of these folks in Hebrews 11 is how different they are from one another. Abel, Enoch, and Noah had very different lives from one another. They had very different things they had to do. The whole chapter is very varied!
We, as believers, are not one-size-fits-all. We are different from each other and have different callings in life. But we can all learn from each other and from their ancient examples.
Another thing I love about them is that they were not perfect. Far from it! We don’t know that much about Abel and Enoch and their foibles, but after the flood, Noah got plastered and brought shame on his family. And we’ll see that all of these folks had feet of clay. Some of them had clay up to the neck!
But they also all had faith. And God commended them for it! And we can learn from that.
This makes me think about our ancestors here at Lanse Free Church. Since it’s Celebration Sunday, I think of those 10 charter members who gathered in the home of A.J. Palmquist on February 13, 1892 to start a new church in Lanse, Pennsylvania.
They all spoke Swedish. I wouldn’t have understood a word of that first meeting, but they all had faith. They had confidence in God’s promises. They were sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they did not see.
They couldn’t see us! They couldn’t have known that 175 of us would be gathering this morning and getting our picture taken and talking about them and their faith. But they knew their God! They knew their Daddy, and they jumped! And we can learn from their example.
And I think about the 7 members who “re-founded” our church 61 years ago in 1965. When attendance had dwindled, and they had to decide whether or not to close the doors for good or to reach out in faith.
And we can learn from their example.
And we can be an example to others. Have you thought of that? Those folks didn’t know that they were setting an example for us here today, but they were. And you and I don’t know who is going to follow us in faith. So, just like them, let’s trust God and live for His commendation.
Look at verse 3.
“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
This is the first time of 18 times that he says “By faith,” and interestingly, though it goes back to the beginning, the people who have the faith in verse 3 are...you and me.
“By faith we...” That’s this pastor, the Hebrews, and...us! “We understand...” Faith is a kind of knowing. We are confident. We understand that the universe was formed at God’s command.”
Let me ask you. Were any of you here at creation? When God made the world? Anybody that old here? I’m old, but not that old! This writer was not there. None of the Hebrews were. We all have to take it by faith that God said, “Let there be...” and there was.
The Youth Group just read Genesis chapter one last Sunday.
This is faith directed backwards. It’s not hope because it’s already happened. But it is faith because we can’t see it.
Now, to be clear, there is evidence for this. There’s all kinds of evidence from what God made that God made it. But nobody was there to see it, and He made it out of nothing, too.
“What was seen was not made out of what was visible.”
I believe that. Do you?
And, of course, those who do not believe in divine creation believe whatever they believe by faith, as well. Because they weren’t there either. So the question is, “Who are you going to believe?”
I believe in the God of the Bible and that He created everything that is. As the Creed says, “All things visible and invisible.” Whether it was 14 billion years ago with a “big bang” or 6 thousand years ago with a ready-made fully-formed world in 6 literal days, I believe God commanded it to be, and it was. I’m confident of that. To me, it’s a fact.
Then, he names a first person. He skips over Adam and Eve–probably because of the whole “Fall of Humanity” thing. Not that they didn’t have faith, but they weren’t the best examples to start with it. And he goes to their son Abel. Look at verse 4, and look for that word “commended.” Verse 4.
“By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.”
Now, I could preach a whole sermon on each of the people in this chapter. Each of their stories is worthy of our attention. I think our youth group is going to read Abel’s story tonight! It might be good for all of us to take some time this afternoon and read their stories in Genesis. Abel and his brother Cain are in Genesis chapter 4.
They both brought sacrifices to offer to God. This was, apparently, their God-given form of worship at the time. We don’t know that much about it. It’s before the Tabernacle and Levitical Priesthood and all of that.
But they both brought sacrifices, both from their respective worlds of work. Abel was a shepherd and brought something from his flock. Cain was a farmer and brought something from his field. We don’t know if Cain should have brought a blood sacrifice as well. We are not told.
What we are told in the story was that God was happy with Abel and his sacrifice and unhappy with Cain and his.
And Hebrews says that difference was faith. Perhaps Abel’s sacrifice, as a blood sacrifice, was a better shadow of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ to come. And he knew that and Cain knew better, too. But it doesn’t say that. It says that when Abel brought his, he had faith. He knew God. He saw what was unseen. He trusted God. He had confidence in God’s promises. He jumped into his arms with his sacrifice. And God commended his faith. It says it twice in verse 4. Same word for “when God spoke well of his offerings.” That’s commendation.
But Cain did not have the same faith. And how do we know? Because Cain got angry about it and killed his brother. The first murder was a fratricide–a brother killing.
So let me ask you: Does faith work?
Which one of these guys had faith? Which one lived and which one died? Abel trusts God and gets murdered.
Hebrews is not saying that if you trust God, then everything is going to be okay.
If you trust God, then the cancer will not return.
If you trust God, then the divorce will not be final.
If you trust God, then they won’t take your house.
No, it’s not saying that at all.
Remember, following Jesus is often costly. But it’s always worth it. It’s worth it just to be commended by God! And look what it says in verse 4. “And by faith, [Abel] still speaks, even though he’s dead.” His blood cries out for justice. And his example of faith cries out for us to believe God, too. “Keep going,” Abel says. “You can do this. It’s worth it! Even if you die.”
And then, look at Enoch. This a few generations later, a descendent of Abel’s brother Seth. Enoch’s story is in Genesis chapter 5. It’s our verse 5.
“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.”
There’s that word, “commended” again. Enoch never died. Isn’t that amazing?! The Bible says he lived for 365 years, and at the end of that time, God just took Him up. He just “translated” Enoch into His presence. It’s a mystery and a miracle. Most people in the Bible (except for Enoch and Elijah) died. Chapter 9 said that we’re all destined to die (v.27).
But not Enoch! The Bible says that he “walked with God then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24). And Hebrews says, “That’s faith.” That walking with God for hundreds of years was faith.
Now, which of these guys should we be like? Abel or Enoch?
Both, of course! Be like Abel. Offer a true heart of worship, no matter what. And be like Enoch. Walk with God by faith. You might die. And you might not die. Doesn’t matter. Trust God either way. Jesus died! And He came back from the dead. Enoch trusted God, and he never died. But he was commended. Verse 5. “He was commended as one who pleased God.”
Oh, I want that to be said of you and me! And here’s what it takes to please God. Verse 6.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
#3. FAITH IS ESSENTIAL.
Faith is necessary. Faith is required. He says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” So if you want to be commended, and you want to please the Lord, you’ve got to exercise faith. You’ve got to trust Him. Nothing else will do.
Some people try to impress God by working really hard. Doing good works. Giving money to the poor. Going to church. Keeping their nose clean.
Those things might be things you do by faith. But if you aren’t doing them by faith then they are worthless. It’s not just difficult to please God without faith. It’s impossible. It’s not just that you have to work harder and longer to please Him. It is not something that can be done. Faith is indispensable. Because God deserves the glory. And He gets the glory through our faith. Look at verse 6 and see why faith is so essential.
“...because anyone who comes to [God] must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
To please God, you have to believe that He exists.
That makes sense! If you don’t have a settled conviction that God is real, then He’s not going to be very pleased with you. We can’t see God, but we can be certain of what we do not see!
Do you believe that God exists? Good!
Now, that’s necessary but not sufficient. The demons believe that God exits and they hate it (see James 2:19). But you’ve got to start there. And the second thing you and I need to come to God is to believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Do you believe that?
Do you believe that God is good?
Do you believe that God is merciful?
Do you believe that God is gracious?
Do you believe that God loves you and wants to give you things, things you cannot yet see with your eyes?
Do you believe that God gave His One and Only Son to die for you on the Cross and come back to life to give you life and went through the heavens to present His blood before the throne of God above to save you completely (Hebrews 7:25-26)?
Do you believe that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him?
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded” (Hebrew 10:35).
Do you believe that following Jesus is worth it?
Then, guess what?
You are pleasing God! This is what pleases God! Our faith. God is not hard to please. He just asks us to trust Him.
This is how we get saved! The Bible says, “[I]t is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Trust in God. Trust in God’s Son. Put your faith in Him. Not in anything else, including yourself. And you’ll not just be saved. You’ll be rewarded. And you’ll be pleasing to God!
One more. One more person from the first eleven chapters of Genesis. This time it’s Noah. Look at verse 7.
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
Lot’s of “faith” there. Here’s point number four and last, and it will be repeated over and over again as we go through the Hall of Faith.
#4. FAITH IS ACTIVE.
Faith is obedient. Faith does stuff. Faith takes appropriate action because of the true circumstances.
Noah was warned about the “things not yet seen.” What was that? That’s the flood. Genesis chapters 6 through 9. God saw how bad humanity’s evil had become, and He decided in His just wrath to wipe out the human race. But the Bible says that he found one man with faith. Genesis 6:8, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” He pleased the Lord.
And he did something about it. When he heard what was coming, Noah did what God told him to do to save his family. Build a giant boat. More than football-field long. A great big floating zoo.
And that was...crazy! Had Noah ever seen a flood? No, he had not. But he had “holy fear.” He had faith. He trusted what God told him, and started hammering and sawing out there in the middle of the dry land. And it might have taken a long time for him to do it.
And everyone around him must have thought he was crazy. “That Noah is “Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!” Because it sure didn’t seem like a flood was coming...until it came.
But Noah was active. He didn’t just nod his head and say he believed. He did something. And He had faith in God’s promises and God’s warnings. And He did something.
He jumped!
Our works will never save us, but we do works because of our faith.
We’re going to see this pattern again and again in Hebrews 11.
God says to do something. It seems kind of crazy. The ancient believer does what God says by faith. They are rewarded.
Then again, God says to do something. It seems kind of crazy. The ancient believer does what God says by faith. They are rewarded.
If not at first (like Abel), then at last (like Enoch).
Here’s the question for us to close with:
What seems-crazy thing is God asking you and me to do in 2026?
It might be to forgive somebody who has wronged us.
It might be to call somebody and share the gospel with them.
It might be to text somebody and spur them on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25).
It might be to keep sex inside of the covenant of marriage (Hebrews 13:4).
It might be to visit prisoners or take in strangers, maybe immigrant refugees (Hebrews 13:2).
It might be to give more money than you planned to that Christian cause (Hebrews 13:5).
It might be to meet at the flag pole on Wednesday and self-identify to your peers as a faith-er in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:13).
It might be to sign up for the Fall Retreat even though you don’t know that many people at the church yet.
Or maybe it’s to start a new church like they did back in 1892!
Or a thousand other things that the world might say is crazy.
But you believe that faith in Jesus is often costly and sometimes seems crazy, but is always worth it.
Don’t shrink back. Don’t hang in the window crying in the darkness and smoke. In holy fear, do the thing you know you’re supposed to do.
Jump into His arms.
By faith.
Messages in this Series:
01. "The Son" - Hebrews 1:1-4
02. "Superior to the Angels" - Hebrews 1:5-14
03. "Such a Great Salvation" - Hebrews 2:1-4
04. "We See Jesus" - Hebrews 2:5-9
05. "Flesh and Blood" - Hebrews 2:10-18
06. "Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus" - Hebrews 3:1-6
07. “Today, If You Hear His Voice” - Hebrews 3:7-19
Bonus Historical Message: The Gift of My Rest - A Fictional Letter of Sabbath Theology
08. "A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God" - Hebrews 4:1-13
09. "Great High Priest" - Hebrews 4:14-16
10. "The Source of Eternal Salvation" - Hebrews 5:1-10
11. "On To Maturity" - Hebrews 5:11-6:3
12. "We Speak Like This" - Hebrews 6:4-12
13. "An Anchor for the Soul" - Hebrews 6:13-20
Bonus Message: "Fix Your Eyes on Jesus" - 2026 West Branch Baccalaureate
14. "In the Order of Melchizedek" - Hebrews 7:1-19
15. "A Priest Forever" - Hebrews 7:20-28
16. "Better Promises" - Hebrews 8:1-13
17. "By His Own Blood" - Hebrews 9:1-14
18. "Cleansed with Blood" - Hebrews 9:15-26
19. "Once" - Hebrews 9:27-28
20. "He Sat Down" - Hebrews 10:1-18
21. "Since We Have a Great Priest" - Hebrews 10:19-25
22. "Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence" - Hebrews 10:26-39
