From Joshua's sermon

Hebrews 11:1

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (NKJV)

Hope is special

Some hope is sometimes ‘day dreaming’ or a ‘wish’ e.g.

Hoping you can sleep-in every school day.

Some people hope they can just stumble onto a million dollars on the ground.

Some students hope they can just score high grades without studying.

Hope is good and it’s great. Indeed, God wants us to have hope. The bible talks about ‘a living hope’. A hope that is alive, a hope that is holding on, a hope that is stubborn, a hope that is not giving up, a hope that is unbreakable, the list continues.

Hope is a starting point. A starting point and not everything! God wants us to go a step further.

How?

It is possible to have hope because we serve God, because we love God, because you just know something is going to happen. We’re going to get that job, we’re going to have that wife or we are going to pass that exam, we are going to make huge disciples, etc.

For instance you see your friend’s house and you love it and decide to build a similar one. You hope to build something like it. So off you went and bought a piece of land. But instead of getting some builder or architects you come to the plot of land and you just hope that the house will just appear on the plot of land. So you keep coming there and hoping and hoping that the house will appear.

No, way!

The only way that hope could be effective is if you bring substance to it.

You need to bring substance to that hope. You need to get an architect to draw a plan for you. That is substance! You need to go to a builder so they can bring materials to the plot of land. That is substance! When you add substance to the land the house begin to emerge. Your hope becomes a reality!

The hope in this scripture is connected to something, that is, the substance and this substance is faith! This is bible faith!

The scripture says faith is the substance of things hoped for! I hope for this, good! I need faith to bring it about. Otherwise, it becomes an illusion or something in the air.

This is bible faith- We read in Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing the message and the message is heard from the word of Christ.

That means the substance to put to your hope is the word of God. For instance, you are believing God for your healing. That is a great hope! God wants us to hope. God needs that hope to operate upon.

But the hope amounts to nothing if it doesn’t have the faith which is the substance to that hope.

How do you get this faith which is the substance to that hope? through the word of God!

So you go to the scriptures and you study the word that says for example, by his stripes you are healed. He himself took upon himself all your infirmities and by his stripes you are healed. You begin to take all these scriptures. As you begin to do this you are adding all those substance to that hope and before you know it the house is coming up, amen! Your health is springing forth; your hope is coming to realization!


This is not a blind faith here! Hope is great but you need substance to add to this. So that is why the scripture says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Our faith is the substance of our hope! And our faith can only be accomplished, not from what man says, not from circumstances that surround you, not from the situations that surround you but from the word of God! Simple!


Go into the word of God about those issue friends!

Go into the substance! Add it to your hope! Don’t give up! Don’t lose faith.

Day after day, add substance. Before you know it faith arises. Amen!


That is also pleasing to God. (Heb 11:6)