Feb. 08, 2026

Hebrews 11:1-3

The Foundation of Hope

"Where is the hope? I meet millions of people who feel demoralized by the decay around us. The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws we pass, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that's where our hope is in this country. And that's where our hope is in life."- Charles Colson 1994

1. The Foundation of Faith (v. 1)

A. People Who Were Struggling and Suffering

Hebrews 10:32-38

Active response - Hebrews 10:39

B. Hope requires integrity

“The rise of teenage anxiety, depression, and suicide is not merely psychological; it is theological. A generation shaped within a diminished theological imagination has been trained to believe they must invent themselves, justify themselves, save themselves. Without the Incarnate Christ, they are left without a grammar for hope. Without the Word-made-flesh, they cannot make sense of their own embodied lives.” -Christopher M.A. Wise “The Word Made Flesh and the Church Made Whole”

C. The Substance

2 Corinthians 11:16-17

Hebrews 1:3

Hebrews 1:3 (NASB1995)

Hebrews 3:14

My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (On Christ the Solid Rock)

1 My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Refrain: On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace; in every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood, support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in him be found:
Dressed in His righteousness alone
Faultless to stand before the Throne. [Refrain]- Edward Mote 1834

D. Hope that Anchors

Hebrews 6:13-18

Hebrews 6:19-20

2. Receiving Approval (v. 2)

A. The “Elders” that came before

B. Bearing favorable testimony

1 Timothy 3:7

Hebrews 11:39-40

C. The Hope You Show

3. God Created Out of Nothing (v. 3)

A. By the Word of God

Genesis 1:3, 6, 9

B. The Evidence in What We See

The Expanse

Psalm 33:6-9

Romans 1:18-20

The Irreducible Complexity

Reflect:

When is the last time you paused to consider God’s creation around you?

How would you measure the hope you possess today and what is that based upon?

Follow UP in the Word through the Week…

Monday:

Read: Hebrews 10:32-38

What struggles have you experienced in life or recently that have caused you to want to draw back from following Jesus? How has that worked out in your life?

Tuesday:

Read: Hebrews 10:39

This is a bold statement by the Biblical writer. Can you truly say that is where you stand today?

Wednesday:

Read: Hebrews 1:3

What does Hebrews identify Jesus as here? How does that add to the “assurance” or “substance” of our faith described in Hebrews 11:1?

Thursday:

Read: Hebrews 6:13-18

Who is our example of hope in this passage? What is said about God that makes our hope sure?

Friday:

Read: Hebrews 6:19-20

What is our hope described as in this passage of Scripture? How has your hope functioned that way in your life?

Saturday:

Read: Romans 1:18-20

What does Paul tell us about creation in this passage? Why would people be without an excuse? How can this perspective help you as you talk to people about Jesus?