| BY FAITH |

Hebrews is essentially a 45-minute sermon that holds up Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the glory of God revealed throughout the law and the prophets.

Chapter 11 of Hebrews is known as the hall of faith. It begins with a confession that God is the creator of all things. It then continues with a list of many of the faithful in the Old Testament who trusted in God’s promises. Each of these followed the word of God by faith. More than that, they “all died in faith, not having received the things promised (Hebrews 11:13).” They would have to wait, even beyond death, for the ultimate fulfillment of the promises of God.

You will remember the essential components of God’s promise. He promised that He would fashion a people for himself and that he would be their God. Each of these people trusted in some different aspect of that promise. But it isn’t until we see Jesus that the promise of God is fulfilled. It is for this reason that Jesus is called “the founder and perfecter of our faith.” Jesus endured the cross to bring about the promised salvation to all of those, past, present and future, who would trust in him.

One Gospel for All Time

Notice, in Hebrews 11:26, that Moses looked to Christ for the strengthening of his faith when tempted by the treasures of Egypt. Make no mistake, the Gospel that we have received was not invented by the apostles. Even Moses, thousands of years before Jesus’ birth, knew that God would provide his Christ, his Anointed One, for the salvation of his people. Even Moses knew that the great exodus was not the greatest hope. He longed for “something better”, a land better than Canaan and an abiding one. This possession is found only in Christ.