Hosanna Restoration Church

The substance of something according to Webster is; essential nature: a fundamental or characteristic part or quality. Other translations of the Bible say it is the confident assurance or the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen. Hebrews 11 goes on to lay a foundation for the faith that we have in God. He is after all, our foundation.

By faith we are sure that He did in fact command the universe into existence and the list goes on from there. We also know that without faith it is impossible to please God. This is not because God is hard to please, but rather because it pleases Him to share His world with us and if we do not believe in Him He does not get to do what He so desires to do. His word is full of reminders of how He longs for us to long for Him.

We know that we must believe that God is; and that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Any other kind of faith is going to continually hit a wall of doubt, fear, and despair. If we do not see God as He is, then we see a false god and the leader of all false gods is satan.

False gods are takers. False gods steal hope rather than give it. False gods accuse rather than comfort. False gods steal, kill, and destroy. False gods do their best to keep us from faith in the one true God. False gods above all things desire to keep us from knowing Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Jesus Christ is the substance, the foundation of faith in God, who spoke the universe into existence. He is the only One who claims to have done this. Jesus is the only one who declares that He is the way the truth and the life.

I know that this is pretty elementary, but there are so many things today attempting to steal the substance of faith in God. There are so many trying to dilute the truth and lower it to a level that is comfortable for all. The problem is that it then becomes powerless, helpless and hopeless.

There is so much that we do not understand, but the one thing that will sustain us is faith that God is who God says He is and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Paul spoke of the need to hold on to the simplicity that is in Christ. Jesus said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” People wonder what God is like; Jesus made it clear that He was the exact representation of His Father. Jesus went about doing good and declaring the Kingdom of God. He came into the world to destroy the works of the enemy. He came to reverse the curse.

The foundation of our faith is Christ and all that He is. If we allow the enemy to remove one part, it destabilizes our confident assurance. We must hold fast to what is true. We must discern the wiles of the devil and keep standing in faith. We must be aware that the enemy lurks about looking for even the slightest opportunity to devour our faith and confidence in God. God warns us in His word that many have been taken captive unaware that it was happening. The key then to God’s kind of faith is to keep our eyes on Jesus. Blessed are they who put their trust in the Lord.