from God's word as we find it in the letter to the Hebrews, chapter 11. This is God's word. Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, for by it the people of old receive their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. By faith, Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commanding him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now, before he was taken, he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith, it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith, Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear, constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith, he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac, and Jacob heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith, Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore, from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. And he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, through Isaac, shall your offspring be named. He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. By faith, Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith, Jacob, in dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith, Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith, Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured, seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. By faith, the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith, the way of the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms and forced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were killed with a sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated. of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Thus far from God's word, and now let us turn to what we confess in Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 7. where we have a summary of God's word about true faith. Are all men, then, saved by Christ just as they perished through Adam? No, only those are saved who by true faith are grafted into Christ and accept all His benefits. What is true faith? True faith is a sure knowledge whereby I accept as true all that God has revealed to us in his word. At the same time, it is a firm confidence that not only to others, but also to me, God has granted forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness and salvation out of mere grace, only for the sake of Christ's merits. This faith the Holy Spirit works in my heart by the gospel. What then must a Christian believe? All that is promised us in the Gospel, which the articles of our Catholic and undoubted Christian faith teach us in a summary. What are those articles? And then follows the Apostles' Creed, which we just sang together. After the sermon we will sing from hymn 81, stanzas 1, 2, 6, and 7, for a thousand songs to sing. Beloved congregation, brothers and sisters, have you ever looked at an old photo album? You can identify many people in the photos. Sometimes you really have to look closely to make sure you recognize someone. And then you ask somebody else, is that really so-and-so? Really? I don't believe it. Just look at how things have changed. And sometimes we look at pictures when our children were still small and you ask, where has the time gone? You long for old times. It makes you feel sad. You long for the good feelings that you had in times past. Our appearances change and so do our likes and then dislikes. What excited us in the past no longer excites us in the same way. They no longer stir up the same feelings. Our love and our feelings for each other also change. You may have been madly in love at one point, but that's no longer the case. Perhaps the same thing is true when it comes to church. Sermons and the singing no longer stir up the same feelings as before. We change. Our feelings change. Our world changes all the time. But especially as you get older, you don't like change. We would rather that things stayed the same as much as possible. However, there's one thing that will never change. It says in Hebrews 13 verse 8 that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. And we must fix our eyes on Him. We must believe in Him. For He is the only constant in our lives. And that's what faith is all about, brothers and sisters. And so, as we will see, to believe is to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. Not in the first place on yourself, not on others, and thirdly, not on your circumstances either. So to believe is to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, who doesn't change. And don't focus on yourself. We all put our faith in something. Now the day goes by without exercising your faith. When you went to the bathroom this morning, you flipped the light switch in the firm conviction that the light would turn on. And when you started your car this morning, you had faith that it would start. Also, when you walked into this church building, you had faith in the ones who built it. You were not afraid that the roof is going to fall on your head. So people have things, have faith in many things. And that's also the case in the spiritual realm. Some people put their faith in Allah, or in science, or in humanity, or in their good works. A lot of people do that. And some people even put their faith in faith. And so the question is, what is true faith? True faith is putting your trust in the right thing. It is putting your trust in something that is absolutely reliable and in something that never, ever changes. The object of your faith is never yourself or any feeling that you may have. No, your faith is objective, not subjective, and it must have the right object. Have you ever been to some church service or spiritual gathering or listened to some Christian speaker on the TV or radio where you were made to feel really close to God? The speaker was dynamic. He mesmerized you with the greatness of God and the miracle of being in God's presence. And the whole experience makes you feel good all over. Perhaps you've been trying to recreate that feeling ever since. And you keep looking for it. And you're disappointed that you can't find it again. You keep looking for that feeling of well-being that God gives you at moments like this. After all, isn't that what faith is all about? Well, it's not wrong to feel that way. It's good to be moved, to feel close to God, and to have preachers who speak eloquently and who can move you. But that's not the end all. Because then the object of your faith depends on the messenger, rather than the message. And then your own good feelings take priority. But you see, that's not what faith is about. For if that's what you think faith is, then think again. Because then you put your faith in yourself, in your feelings, and in those who stir your feelings. But feelings change, and you change. What excited you before is not necessarily exciting anymore or in the future. And therefore our feelings are not reliable. Not that our feelings aren't important. Oh yes, they are very important. But not important enough to put your faith in them. Not if the object of your faith is misplaced. In chapter 11 of Hebrews, we read about the faith of the patriarchs and of many others. It speaks, for example, about the faith of Joseph. Joseph was a man of faith. But how do you think he felt when his brothers sold him into slavery and when he was put into an Egyptian jail? No doubt he felt abandoned. He was removed from family and friends and everything near and dear to him. Yet He believed. He believed in God. That wasn't some warm, fussy feeling that he had. No, it was faith in God. He trusted that God would always be there for him, even though everyone and everything significant in his personal life had been taken away from him. Even though he was in miserable circumstances. Your faith, brothers and sisters, my faith, is only as good as the object in which you put your faith. Light bulbs and light switches will fail you as well, and so will your car, and so will everything else in this world. People will also fail you, including revered loved ones and revered leaders in the church. Although they may be a blessing to you in many ways and are an instrument in God's hand, you cannot put your faith in them. That's why reformers such as Luther and Calvin did not want any church to be named after them, even though that did happen. The church is not about man. It's not about Luther or Calvin, or about Kuiper or Schilder. We're not followers of men. No one and nothing in this world is reliable. We have to put our faith in the right thing, and not in earthly things or earthly men. Of course, they are reliable if they do exactly what God tells us, but that's impossible for us, isn't it? And that's what we tend to do, is we put our trust in people, and we put our trust in things that we can see and touch and feel. But Hebrews 11, verse one says that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Other translations say that faith is the substance of things hoped for. Faith has to do with substance, with something tangible, with something in spite of appearances that is real. Suppose I had two wallets in my hands, one in my left and one in my right. And the wallet in my left hand is old and worn and dirty and stinks and there's nothing to look at. It's so ugly and smelly that you wouldn't even want to put it in your pocket. The other one is, on my right hand, is shiny and new and smells good. Smells of new leather. Which one would you choose? Well, the answer is obvious. You would choose a shiny new one, wouldn't you? Of course, that stands to reason. We look at the outside. But then you would choose the wallet on the basis of what it looks like from the exterior. Suppose that I told you that in that old worn wallet there was a $100,000 bill. If there is such a thing. I've never seen one. And in that new wallet there is some worthless pennies. What would you think then? It's what's inside that counts. It's also what happens with people. Don't look at the outside. What lives within them? Does God live within them? And what is inside is where you find the real thing. And see, and that's the thing with our faith. You have to be careful not to look at external things. Your faith is like that wallet. What's inside your wallet? That is, what lives inside you, brother or sister? What is the substance of your faith? That is, what do you live for? What do you see? Is Christ in your heart? Faith, brothers and sisters, is focusing on Christ. The Bible teaches us that we must put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As it says in Acts 4 verse 12, and there is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Sometimes faith disappoints us, doesn't it? We try to do the right things and faithfully go to church and read our Bibles and pray, but things go wrong nevertheless. We get sick, a loved one dies or becomes seriously ill, our marriage is on the rock, a beloved friend betrays you. Despite your faithfulness, these things happen to you. disappointing, isn't it? Let me ask you, does the Lord Jesus Christ ever disappoint you? Has he ever done anything to hurt you? And you know what the answer is, no. He gave everything he had for you and for me. He gave his life. And you know that. Now, if that is the case, then faith cannot disappoint you either. That is, if you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he doesn't change. He is the same always and forever, and he is always with you, no matter where you are or what circumstances you find yourself in. You and I, we do change. So does the world around us. And so we, as such, are not important, nor are our feelings. Jesus Christ is important. And when you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you realize what he means to you. He came for your sake. He came and suffered and died. He was put into a grave and he rose again from the dead and he did that all for you and for me. But only if you put your faith in him. You and I, we must have our priorities right. Our focus must be on Christ. Otherwise, you're always going to be disappointed. You will be disappointed in yourself, and you'll also be disappointed in others. Second point. In Hebrews 11, we are told about the faith of some of the well-known figures in the Bible. Their faith is held up as an example. What did you think when we read about their faith? Does that make you feel inferior? Do you then think that these people are unique and that you could never attain what they attained? After all, their faith is held up as an example in the Bible. They are exceptional, aren't they? I could never do what they did. But do you think that they are in the Bible so that you can put your faith in them? What about other people in your life, people you admire? Some people stand out. They're good looking. They have an easy way about them and possess many good qualities. And they're active in church and able to display their talents in various ways. And some of them are good speakers and organizers. They're always happy, so it seems. They have their lives all together. Their kids are well behaved. They're also active members of the church. They don't seem to have any bad habits. People like to be around them. And you say, well, that's not me. I would never be able to do what they do. I have a hard time speaking in public and praying in public. I have difficulty carrying on a conversation. I don't look as good. Things get me down. There's lots of things that I do wrong. One or two of my kids have left the church. Compared to others, I'm a failure. Well, let's take a look at some of these people. Let's take a look at the ones mentioned in Hebrews. Noah, for example. Of all the people in the world, he was chosen to build the ark. And why was that? Because of his faith. And yet, what kind of man was Noah? He got drunk. His children found him naked in the tent. That was also Noah. And what about Abraham? He's also mentioned as the father of all believers, even. And yet he lied when Pharaoh wanted to take his wife Sarai as one of his concubines. That wasn't an impulsive moment done in panic. No, that is something that he planned beforehand. The Lord would have taken care of them. But at that point, he did not have faith in God. And many others are mentioned, including David. What kind of man was David? Over and over, he sinned against God. He wasn't the best father in the world. And yet, that's why some of his children were very angry with him. And he committed adultery. He was even a murderer. And yet he was a man of faith. And so it can go on and on, and once again, brothers and sisters, we may not look at the outside. And that is what the Israelites did when they wanted Saul as their king. They looked at the outside. They saw that he was tall and handsome. That was the outside. But we know what lived inside of him, don't we? His heart was dark. We do not know what lives in the hearts of others, only God knows. We do not know what other people's struggles are. Some people are very good at hiding their problems and weaknesses, and good at highlighting the things that they do well. And others, because they feel so inferior, are very good at hiding their triumphs and strengths. Don't look at the outside. Faith always means looking at Christ, not at yourself, not at others. Faith means going to the Lord Jesus with your doubts, and with your faults, and with your insecurities, and with your weaknesses. Those so-called heroes of the faith have the same kind of struggles as you and I have. But they had all one thing in common. They put their trust in God. It's wonderful to see how sensitive the authors of the Heidelberg Catechism were to our own subjective feelings. Caspar Livianus and Zacharias Osinas were young men. Yet in spite of their youth, they understood the difficulty many people have with their faith, especially their faith in a God who would accept them in spite of their weaknesses and shortcomings and feelings. They make it a point to state that we confess that God has granted forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness, and salvation, not only to others, but also to me. And when you fix your eyes on the Lord Jesus, when you put your faith in Him, then all these things are yours. And those are God's gift to you. And when you see it that way, then you do not think first of all about what you lack, and then you don't think about others either, as to what they have, for whatever you have, and whatever they have, is all from God. And therefore rejoice in what God gives you, and in what God gives to others. And then you are not jealous of other people either. No, give God thanks for them. If you see someone being able to provide leadership in the church, then be thankful for that. Because that's God's gift. But you have a gift too. Whatever it is, everybody has a gift. It's because of the Lord Jesus that they are able to do what they do. And the same thing applies to you and to me. God builds his church that way. And that is also how he wants to continue to build the church. He wants to do it on the talents of each and every one of us. Also, on your skills and abilities. Think about what you can do. You'd be surprised. You may not think much of yourself, but there are many things that you can do, and probably are already doing. It is true, of course, that whatever you're doing, you can do it better. Always. But if you first think about your talents as a gift from God, then you will always strive to do better. Because you want to use the fullness of God's gifts. But if you think what you cannot do, and if you think about what others can do, then you're going to be seriously debilitated. And maybe even become a little depressed. You'll be limited. For then you're using your energy thinking about everyone and everything else, and not about the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has given you. You will be surprised at what you can do when you put your faith in Jesus. You'll be surprised how your life changes when you don't go by your feelings or what other people think about you. And it is then that you will also be surprised about how good you actually feel because of God's wonderful gifts to you. And then you don't let circumstances stand in your way either, the third point. Our circumstances also change over time. That is the nature of our human existence. God uses those changes to remind us that nothing is permanent here on earth and that we must look towards eternity. God has given eternity into our hearts. But in the meantime, we have uncertainties, don't we? We live in a peaceful country, relatively peaceful time, and yet what's going to happen? We see all the craziness that's going on all around us with woke-ism and all kinds of isms. We have our uncertainties and anxieties. Parents are always somewhat anxious about the future of their children and grandparents about the future of their grandchildren. What's in store for them? what difficulties will they face when they grow up. When this letter to the Hebrews was written, brothers and sisters, these people found themselves in extremely difficult circumstances. You cannot even imagine that because, as far as I know, none of us here has ever experienced any of that. They were being severely persecuted for their faith. Some lost their property or their freedom and even their life. And they faced an uncertain future. That's why the author gave them these words of encouragement in chapter 11. He wanted to strengthen them in their faith. And he does that by reminding them of the circumstances of the various figures mentioned in the Bible. He tells them about Abraham's uncertain future as he was made to wander as a stranger in a foreign country. And about the uncertainty that he faced regarding his future offspring. And about the faith of Moses' parents, who had to hide their baby Moses from the Egyptian authorities for fear that else he would be killed. Can you imagine? And he wrote to them about the uncertainty of the people of Israel as they were led out of Egypt into the wilderness, into an uncertain future. And then he speaks to them about the promises that God made to them. It is such a moving chapter, and that's why I read that whole chapter. It is a wonderful witness of God's dealings with his people throughout the ages. But they did not receive everything they were promised in their lifetime, did they? Abel made a sacrifice to God in the hope and expectation of a redeemer that the Lord God promised to his parents, Adam and Eve, when he told them that through their seed he would crush Satan. And yet Abel died at the hand of his brother. But God kept his promise, didn't he? What about Abraham? The Lord told him that he would have a numerous offspring. He didn't experience that in his lifetime, did he? And yet God most certainly kept his promise. And so he did to all those he mentions in this chapter. God makes promises also to our children when they are presented for baptism. He promises to give them the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. One thing he doesn't promise is that their life is going to be easy. He doesn't promise that to them or to any of us. He doesn't promise to us either that we will always have these great feelings of contentment and of God's presence. But he does promise to be with us always, even at times when he does not seem to be there. He is. Just like the sun is always shining, even though at times the sun is hidden behind the clouds, God is always there. and he never changes. And he tells us to hang on to him in faith. Facing an uncertain future is not easy, nor is change always easy. And that is why the Lord God tells us to hang on to him in all circumstances of life, for he has a great and wonderful plan for each and every one of us. When we put our faith in the Lord Jesus, we can look forward to a wonderful future. no matter what happens. And so, brothers and sisters, look to Jesus. Focus on him. Fix your eyes on him day in, day out, always. And if you do, you will never be disappointed. Amen.