Hebrews 11:3 - February 15, 2026

When we think about Hebrews chapter 11 and all

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

the amazing historical, biblical figures that

are contained in it, and we think about the great

acts of faith that they carried out that glorified

God, many times we come to Hebrews 11 and we

think about these single or... distinct acts

of obedience and faith. And that's not wrong.

We ought to think about it in that way. But we

also have to understand that as we come to Hebrews

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11, the author is presenting us with

a worldview to see reality, to see the world

that God has created. And I believe that verse

3, which says, By faith we understand the worlds

were prepared by the word of God, so that what

is seen was not made out of things which are

visible. Is the author's final push for a Christian

worldview regarding life? Regarding faith, regarding

God, regarding all of reality as we know it.

Today we're going to consider this by thinking

and considering about the instrument of true

understanding, faith. The text says, now faith,

by faith, we understand. So we find that faith

informs our understanding. Faith informs our

reason, our thinking. But we're also going to

consider the cosmic content of what is understood.

Creation. The world as we know it. By faith we

understand that the worlds were prepared. by

the Word of God. And we'll consider the unseen

power behind creation, the powerful and mighty,

the sovereign and authoritative Word of the living

God. And lastly, we will consider a conclusion

that those with faith must come to, must arrive

at. The text says, so that what is seen was not

made out of things which are visible. This is

the author making an inference. This is the author

bringing about a conclusion about what he has

previously said. This will be the culmination

of the author's argumentation regarding faith

and regarding... the Christian worldview. So

the first, the instrument of true understanding

for the believer. By faith, we understand. Think

about those words, brothers and sisters. For

the author of Hebrews, faith is foundational

to reasoning. Faith is foundational for comprehension.

Faith is foundational for perception regarding

life and the world and all that God has made.

Faith is the starting point, and faith is that

which informs our understanding. You see, the

human intellect, The human mind and reasoning

has limits to it, brothers and sisters. At least

I know my reasoning has limits to it. I am a

finite, created being. I can only understand

so much. I cannot fully grasp. Certain realities

concerning God and redemption and the work of

Christ. Some things are beyond my logical scope

of understanding and grasping certain things.

That's just the nature of it. Human reason has

limitations. It has restraints set upon it. But

what we find in this text. is that Christianity

is not opposed to the use of reason. It just

presupposes and necessitates that reason be grounded

and rooted and anchored in what? Faith and revelation.

Trust in what God has said. Christianity is certainly

not opposed to the use of the mind. It may be

thought that is the case at times. I'm sure we've

all heard statements such as this. Well, I don't

understand it. I don't get it. I don't grasp

it. I don't even know what it says, but I believe

it. That's not what the text is talking about.

The text recognizes in the Bible promotes the

use of the mind. Christianity and faith in general

has an essential part of it as knowledge and

comprehension. So it requires the use of the

mind, the Christian to think and to reason and

to use logic and to understand and to comprehend

certain realities. And that can be very difficult

at times, can't it, brothers and sisters? Sometimes

you're sitting in front of your Bible. your open

Bible, and you're thinking, Lord, help me understand

what this is saying. Help me grasp, Lord, what

this is. Help me to comprehend it. Help me to

perceive the truth. We're reasoning. We're thinking.

But our reasoning can only go so far. It can

only do so much if we are to see the world rightly.

If we are to have an appropriate worldview of

the world that God has made, it necessitates

and requires that a person possess faith that

trusts in God's revealed Word. We think about

many of the movements in the 18th and 19th century.

they would have been considered liberal or progressive,

rationalistic Christianity. We find a lot of

it associated with what has been termed higher

criticism movements. And what they would do is,

a lot of these figures, they would say, I love

the teachings of the Lord Jesus. I love the moral

example, the moral goodness. The moral purity.

I love the example that the Lord Jesus sets.

So they would accept the Lord Jesus and his teachings,

but they would reject all the supernatural and

miraculous associated with him and his ministry.

Now, when we think about that, what is informing

what? Faith, trusting in revelation, informing

our reasoning and understanding in that scenario.

Or is our reasoning, our intellect, informing

our faith and revelation? Which is being brought

into submission? A man's reasoning is bringing

faith. in divine revelation, and even God in

a sense, underneath his reasoning. This is what

we find in so many of those movements. And this

is why we look at so many historic Christian

institutions that started out so strong in the

faith, yet they have become temples to moralistic

humanisms. Why? Because human reasoning is exalted

and revelation and faith is diminished and brought

down low. One wins out. We may say, well, what's

that got to do with me? What's that got to do

with my life? How do you talking about these

institutions, these Christian institutions and

these historic movements have anything to do

with me and my life? Because if you are here

today and you are an unbeliever in Jesus Christ,

you are doing the very thing that they did. If

you are sitting in a pew, in a chair today, and

you are sitting yourself up as judge over God

and His Word, and you are requiring evidence

and proof that this is true, what are you doing?

You are exalting yourself and your reason and

your intellect and you are diminishing and you

are squashing faith and Christ and revelation.

Unbelievers do the very same thing. The unbeliever's

problem is not information and evidence. The

unbeliever's problem is that they will not humble

themselves under the mighty hand of God and trust

in Jesus Christ. They will not come to the end

of their own intellect and the starting of faith.

You must recognize that you are a finite, feeble,

sinful man or woman and say, Lord, I see what

your word says. Lord, help me to believe it.

Help me to trust it regardless of whether or

not it fully makes sense in my own mind with

my own finite logic and reasoning. Come to the

end of yourself and submit yourself to God. Turn

from your sins and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ

who suffered and died on behalf of sinners. The

instrument of true understanding for the believer

is faith. Now, what is it that faith understands

or aids our understanding in? What is the content

of what is understood in Hebrews chapter 11 verse

Hebrews 11:3

3? Well, listen to the words. By faith we understand

that the worlds were prepared by the word of

God. So, I said this is the cosmic content that

is understood. Why? Because the author says that

by faith a person can understand the origin and

the ordering of the universe, of the ages, of

all creation. This word for worlds is actually

the Greek word for ages. It carries the idea

of being all -inclusive regarding all of creation.

Every area, every aspect, every part. and in

an ordering and purposeful manner. So if we understand

that the world is made by God, created by God,

in an orderly fashion, then obviously the world

in creation is going to proceed forth in an orderly

fashion, with purpose. This is a claim that the

believer... can understand the origins and the

ordering of everything that you can see and touch

and feel, everything that is a part of the visible

world that God has created. This is a claim about

how a person can know. The origins of the world.

Where we came from. Where the world came from.

How the world started. Why their structure and

purpose and meaning in this world. This is a

claim about how a person can know these things.

How is that? Because of faith. Because faith

informs our understanding. Obviously, this speaks

of the basis of a biblical worldview. How is

it that we can appropriately view the world around

us according to this text? By faith informing

our understanding and faith that rests and trusts

and looks to divine revelations. By trusting

in the word that God has spoken to us. That is

the foundation and the basis for a Christian

worldview. Only a Christian. can see the world

as it really is. There's a lot of conservative

commentators. There's a lot of conservative commentators

that say a lot of things about the world, about

the nature of society and culture and the world.

But, brothers and sisters, if someone is not

a believer, then their foundations are all off.

They are not steady. They are wobbly. Because

the pillars of their very being are not set in

place. We have to be very cautious about who

we listen to. About what we fill our minds with.

Because according to the Bible, a person that

does not know Jesus Christ and a person that

does not have true, saving, legitimate faith

that works in their life, that person will look

at the world in a skewed and perverted fashion.

Why? Because there is no faith that is grounded

in the Word of God. Revelation is not directing

and orienting their thoughts and their thinking

and their perspective, their view of the world

as God has made it. Now, Christians will be off

at times as well. Christians can have skewed

views. Do you know why? Because we read the Bible

wrong at times. Because we have sin within us.

Because we don't do due diligence in interpreting

what the scripture says. Because we willfully

choose to remain in ignorance. But brothers and

sisters, it is possible for the believer to be

closer and closer to a more and fully accurate

view of the world. As they grow in their understanding

and knowledge of the revelation that God has

given to them. And as they grow in their experience

of that truth. As they grow in the grace and

knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ in their life.

Only by faith can one rightly view the world

around them. The absence of faith leads to all

kinds of amalgamations, wicked ideologies and

thoughts and perspectives on the world. If a

person is not being informed by faith and revelation,

they're going to be informed by something. Everybody

is believing something. Everybody is trusting

something in their life. So if a person is not

having their mind and their perspective and their

view of the world fueled by revelation, then

brothers and sisters, they are being directed

and they are being fueled. By something. Some

concept. Some ideology. Some thought. Something

is telling them how to view the world around

them. We don't have to look very far in the culture

to see the negative realities that come from

the absence of faith in a person's worldview,

do we, brothers and sisters? Where does all the

madness and chaos and immorality and the descent

into debauchery in the world and the culture

come from? A person's reason being informed by

any number of things other than the Word of God.

Maybe they're trusting and believing in modern

scientists. How will that go? Maybe they're trusting

and believing and looking to modern science or

the academy today, which changes from one day

to the other. Maybe they're looking to the government

and their leaders and their officials, brothers

and sisters. All of these are poor things to

fill your mind and to lead and guide your understanding

of the world. They're all fallible guides, brothers

and sisters. A person must have their mind and

their worldview and their understanding and their

perspective formed by divine revelation. That

is the only way that a person can see the world

in a biblical capacity. In a biblical capacity.

It's absolutely essential. Now, this is not so

with the Christian, is it? The Christian can,

as we've seen, see the world in a correct fashion.

This leads us to another thing we have to consider.

The unseen power behind creation, the Word of

God. Why can Christians see and understand the

world as it really is? Because the Christian

knows that the world doesn't just simply exist.

The Christian knows that the world is not eternal.

The Christian knows that the world did not bring

the world into existence. The Christian knows

that we are not the start of our own existence.

The Christian looks beyond that. The Christian

can see beyond that and beyond those surface

realities. The Christian has faith to see that

which the eye cannot see. The believer has faith

to see that which cannot be touched. That which

is unseen, that which is eternal, that which

is invisible, that which is lasting and permanent.

The Christian can see the true origins of the

world and the true cause of the world being ordered

and fashioned and structured. And what is that?

The Word of God. did the world come into being?

God created it out of nothing. The doctrine or

the teaching is ex nihilo, out of nothing. God

created everything. We read in Romans chapter

Romans 4:17–18

4 verses 17 through 18, as it is written, a father

of many nations have I made you. in the presence

of him whom he believed, even God, who gives

life to the dead, and calls into being that which

does not exist. The Christian doesn't simply

look at the world and understand the world exists.

The Christian looks at the world and recognizes

by faith that the word of God made the world

out of nothing. That there is a sovereign maker,

a sovereign creator, who ordered and structured

and prepared the world for the good of his people

and the glory of his name. How can you believe

that everything came from nothing without faith?

Will your logic and will your reason Get you

to that point? Nothingness. Then all of creation.

At some point in time, a person must step into

the realm of faith in order to understand and

to answer the most pressing questions in our

lives. Otherwise, they will look and look and

look. And never be satisfied with an answer.

Only in Christ. And only as given in the word

of God. Can a person really find the answers

they are looking for. Regarding who they are.

Where they came from. And what their future is.

Regarding their fate. What will take place in

their life. What will come of them. What will

come of the world. What will become. What will

come of all men. There's only one place to look.

You must be in Christ and you must look to the

Word of God. Then you can have meaning and purpose

in your life. And then you can have satisfaction

and peace with the answers that God gives you

in His Word. Only in Christ. And only from the

Word. Of the living God. The Christian understands

the agent. And the cause. Of all things. The

word of the living God. We read in Psalm chapter

Psalms 33 · chapter mention

33. Starting in verse 6. By the word of the Lord,

the heavens were made. And by the breath of his

mouth, all their hosts. He gathers the waters

of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the

deeps in the storehouses. Let all the earth fear

the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world

stand in awe of him. For he spoke and it was

done. He commanded and it stood fast. The Lord's

sovereign, creative, powerful, authoritative

word is the source of that which we see and that

which we feel. That which is unseen brought about

everything that is visible as the author speaks

of. That's the spoken word, the creative word

of God that brought the world and creation into

existence. But the Bible is also clear. And the

author of Hebrews surely is alluding to and referencing

the fact that it's a personal agent that created

the world. In Hebrews chapter 1, we read this.

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

In verses 1 -3. God. After he spoke long ago.

To the fathers and the prophets. In many portions

and in many ways. In these last days. He has

spoken to us. In his son. Whom he appointed heir.

Of all things. Through whom also. He made. The

world. We read on. and He is the radiance of

His glory, and the exact representation of His

nature, and upholds all things by the word of

His power. So, it's not just God's authoritative

declaration that brought the world into existence.

Brothers and sisters, it was the Son of God,

through Him, God made the world that brought

all things into existence. Faith tells us these

things. We believe that the Son of God created

all things. That the Son of God, who is sovereign

and powerful and mighty and majestic, the only

begotten Son of God, who would later take on

flesh and dwell among us and die for the sins

of His people and raise on the third day. The

Son of God created all things. How do you understand

and grasp these realities? By faith. And looking

to the revelation that God has given to us. We

understand the creation of the world. Because

of God's written word. Not just his spoken word

at creation. Not just the personal word. We might

say Christ who brought all things. but the written

word of God that he has given to us. We know

of these things because God has given us a deposit

of revelation for us to know these things, to

trust and to believe that our understanding would

be informed by believing these realities, by

believing and trusting these glorious truths.

Faith always believes God's word. Always. That

is the essence of faith in Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

Believing and trusting God's word. What he has

said. And that means that we have to believe

his word in every area. In every aspect of our

lives. If God speaks in this area and he commands

in this area, then brothers and sisters, I must

receive and accept and believe what God says

in this area. And if God says something in this

area or this aspect of my life, even if it's

uncomfortable and hard, then I must believe and

accept and trust. What God says in that area

of my life. Faith believes the word of God. And

it's by believing the word of God that the people

of God are led to obedience in their lives. Think

about all the examples that are given. Think

about Abel. What word did Abel believe? God's

word about sacrifice. Abel believed it. He obeyed.

He sacrificed as he was taught. Likely as his

father Adam had taught him to sacrifice. As God

had taught Adam to sacrifice. He was obedient.

He believed what God had said. What about Noah?

What did he believe? He believed God's word regarding

judgment and salvation to come. Therefore, it

led him to obedience. What about so many others?

Abraham. Hope against hope. He believed what

God said regarding a son, the son of promise.

Therefore, he believed and he believed and he

believed. Why? Because God had spoken and this,

led him and sustained him in obedience and faithfulness

in his life. If you want to be more obedient

and more faithful in your life, Christian brother

or sister, then the starting place is trusting

in God's word with regards to what he says about

your life. If you want to have a more godly and

satisfied marriage, then believe what God says

about marriage. If you want to be a more godly

man or a more godly woman, then go to the Word,

believe what God says about being a man or being

a woman, and then live that way in faith. We

must go back and return. To what God has said

in his word. Time and time and time again. What

do we believe when we come to worship God? What

do you believe as you sit under the preaching

of God's word? Do you come and hear the word

of God proclaimed? Believing that God will work

through the word in your life? Do you come on

Lord's Day worship and sing songs and pray believing

that you are entering into the presence of a

holy and a righteous God and that God will actually

work in your life? Do you come in faith to the

Word of God in worship? Do you come to faith?

Do you come in faith when you go to the Word

of God in prayer in your daily life? Because

it's through believing the word that God brings

about obedience in our lives. It's vitally important.

It's not just hearing. It's believing these grand

and these glorious realities. What conclusion

must the believer come to? based on everything

the author has said in verse 3. What is that

thing which we must infer is to be true or not

to be true based on what the author has said

in verse 3? The conclusion is this. The visible

and that which is seen is... not ultimate in

the believer's life. That which you can see with

your eyes and that which you can touch with your

hands is not the end -all, be -all in the believer's

life. That is not the most fundamental reality

that exists for the believer. What is? That which

is... Unseen. That's why he says in the second

half of the verse, so that what is seen was not

made out of things which are visible. He's emphasizing

the point by negating the opposites. That's what

he's doing in the Greek and that's what he's

doing in the English. The preeminent thing is

not that which is visible. The supreme and preeminent

thing for believers in their faith is that which

is unseen and that which is eternal and invisible.

Remember in verse 1, Now faith is the assurance

of things hoped for, the conviction of what?

Things not seen. The promises are unseen. The

things that God has promised in his word are

unseen. There are things not touched with the

hand and seen with the eye. Now, I can prove

this to you from the text, from what the author

has said, that the unseen is preeminent and supreme.

How do we do that? Well, one, we see that that

which is visible finds its source in that which

is visible. invisible or unseen. The Word of

God. The source is greater than the product and

that which comes about. That's one way we could

look at it. What is seen is derivative of that

which is unseen. Or another way we could think

about it. Everything that is visible and seen

is contingent On what? That which is unseen and

eternal. Everything. The unseen governs that

which is seen. God and the risen Lord Jesus Christ,

reigning and ruling, governs everything which

is visible. Not everything is ultimate. There

are some things which are ultimate, and there

are other things which are not ultimate. There

are some things which are more fundamental to

reality, and there are other things which are

less fundamental to reality. According to the

author of Hebrews, what is... That which is unseen.

According to the author of Hebrews, what is the

most fundamental part of reality? That which

is unseen. The eternal. So what are these things

that are unseen that have the place of preeminence

in the life of the believer and have to do with

faith? As the author of Hebrews is defining it.

Well we could think about the unseen world to

come. That we've talked about in reference. In

Hebrews chapter 11. The unseen world to come

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

and not this present world. We could think. About

the heavenly tabernacle. Which Christ consecrated.

By ascending to the Father. And sitting down

at the right hand. Not. The earthly tabernacle.

That the Hebrew Christians were being pressured.

To return back to the system associated. With

the mosaic tabernacle. That which is unseen.

We could think about. The unseen new covenant

realities. In the old covenant. There was so

much that was so visible. Even the ten commandments.

But in the new covenant. The law of God is written

afresh on our hearts. It's not visible. It's

not seen. The forgiveness of sins, the true knowledge

and saving faith of God, the new covenant blessings

and graces are unseen realities. The better possession

that the believer in Jesus Christ has not their

earthly possessions. Think about, The relevance

of this for his readers. They were undergoing

persecution. They were literally losing their

homes and property and their possessions and

some of them their very lives. Why is this important

for them to understand? Because they have to

understand what is ultimate and what is not ultimate.

So that their affections and their desires and

their lives can consequently be ordered by that

which is ultimate. That which is unseen. We could

think about the heavenly homeland and no earthly

city or nation. We could think about the reward

and inheritance that is awaiting the believer.

That is touched on and talked about throughout

the book of Hebrews. We could think about the

unshakable kingdom that is coming. The unseen,

unshakable kingdom. And not an earthly kingdom.

Which is ultimate according to the author of

Hebrews. We could think about the once for all

sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That is unseen. Untouchable.

Not earthly. sacrifices that men make that the

Hebrew Christians would have been pressured to

partake in. And most importantly in these preeminent

unseen realities is the risen Lord Jesus Christ

who was our great high priest and mediator of

redemption and salvation that God has accomplished.

We cannot see him. We cannot touch Him. We cannot

lay our hands upon Him. But He is true. He is

real. He is ultimate. The salvation which He

has accomplished is the most fundamental and

ultimate reality for the believer. If I suffer

and die at the hands of persecutors, Brothers

and sisters, my body is not the ultimate thing.

I will die and go to be with the Lord. If you

get sick and you die of sickness or disease,

that's not the ultimate thing. That's not the

most fundamental thing in your life. Do you know

what it is? The transcendent and eternal salvation

which Jesus Christ has accomplished for sinners.

That. is ultimate. You can have any of your possessions

taken from you, brothers and sisters. You can

have your car destroyed. You can have your house

burnt down. And you can be dislocated from your

home. And that is not ultimate. Do you know what

it is? Eternal life and resurrection and the

eternal inheritance that we receive in Christ

and the age to come. These are ultimate realities

and these must orient our affections in this

life. We can endure a great deal. And we ought

to have a great deal of joy and peace and satisfaction

and boldness and zeal in our lives as believers

because these realities are the most fundamental

realities with regards to faith, not that which

is seen and visible.