Jump Start # 631

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Our verse today comes from that wonderful chapter about faith, Hebrews 11. It is often called the “Hall of fame,” or better still, “the Hall of Faith.” It is a stroll down the corridor of the Old Testament, starting with Abel and concluding with numerous examples of unnamed heroes who walked with the Lord and lived by faith. The chapter is illustrating the call to continue believing in God and staying with Him. The names listed in Hebrews 11 are those who made difficult choices, who struggled and often suffered, and in many ways stood alone, but they stood with God. “By faith,” is the key expression in this chapter. We do well to remember that we walk “BY FAITH,” and not by sight.

Without faith God is not moved. He’s not impressed with what we know, build, acquire or accomplish. Without faith, we journey alone. Without faith, we move and live in the realm of atheism.

There is an interesting expression in our verse. It states, “for he who comes to God must believe that He is.” He is. I’ve often thought that expression wasn’t completed. It seems like a word ought to follow He is. He is what? We must believe that He is something? We know that He is good. He is. We must believe that He is God. He is. We must believe that He is holy. He is. We must believe that He is a righteous judge. He is. He is.

He is—that’s similar to Moses telling Pharaoh that God’s name is “I am.” Both are present tense. He is—I am. It’s not, “He once was,” or, “He used to be.” When you come to know God, He’s at His best. The God that Abraham saw is the same God and at the same level that you know Him. We may see a ball player at the end of his career. He may not be as sharp as he once was. Age and injuries have taken their toll. It’s not that way with God. He never diminishes. He never fades. He never ages. He is.

The expression, “He is,” is also applied to Jesus. Jesus is, just as God is. Consider a few “He is” passages about Jesus:

· He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature (Heb 1:3)

· He is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15)

· He is before all things (Col 1:17)

· He is also the head of the body, the church (Col 1:18)

When the apostle John saw Jesus in the Revelation vision, the face of the Lord was as bright as the sun “shining in its strength.” Brilliant. Bright. Blinding. And John’s reaction to this? The Bible says “he fell like a dead man.” Remember John had walked with Jesus for three years. John saw Jesus transfigured. John was there at the cross. John spoke to the resurrected Christ. But here, in Revelation, in His full glory, John is overcome. He is.

When Moses spoke to God through the burning bush, God told him to remove his shoes for he was standing upon holy ground. The dirt around that bush wasn’t special dirt. It was holy because God was there. When God was in the temple it was holy. The presence of God makes common things, even dirt, holy. God in our hearts, makes us a holy people.

We must believe that God is. That reads positive to me. It’s not, “God can’t.” Nor, is it, God ain’t. Rather, He is. One of the many things that He is, is that He is for you. He wants you to be saved. He wants you to know Him. He wants you to choose Him. He wants you to be saved. He is…

I tend to think that when we walk with Jesus, because He is, we become. He is, and we are. God is—I like that. Don’t give up on God. He is. Don’t limit God. He is. Don’t feel that your problems are too big. He is.

(thanks to a special friend that I heard preach this recently. It helped me to see HE IS).

Roger