THEY HAD NOT YET SEEN, YET THEY BELIEVED

Hebrews 11:39-40

All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.

For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

There was a reason Paul said:

1 Corinthians 15:19

And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

For our time here is short, that which exists after here is immeasurable. It actually matters more than our time here. However, that time after here is a function of our time now. 

So when we talk of faith it is not just for measurable things such as: cars, houses, children, wealth, healing etc but for the intangible, the enduring, this was what Christ was explaining to the Samaritan woman. 

John 4:13-14

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.

But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

These we see in our father's of faith, they were not just focusing on the present but on the far future, which they have been living since the physically left this earth till now. 

Hebrews 11:10,13-16

Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.

Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own.

If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back.

But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Did you read the above verses carefully? You see the characteristics of those great men and women of faith as we are reminded of in Hebrews 11. Their focus was on the eternal home God built for them. A kingdom where God is king. 

Listen ". . .  verse 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.

Compare with this:

Colossians 3:1-2 

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

This was their major secret, and it should be ours too. 

See, we all want to enjoy this life, but we must remember that it is not just the body that we have but more importantly our spirit. I just put my earthly father to rest, so much activities and rites done and more to come, but he has no idea or feel of these things, for his body is DEAD. Is it the decades he has lived that measured more NO, it is the immeasurable decades he will be resurrected to that is the true length. Listen to Jesus. 

John 6:40

For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

So we learn from our elders of old, true victory in life goes beyond all the achievements we have in this life but rests on the eternal life that is to come. Yes we have a life to live here, however the eternal life is much longer, it is ETERNAL. 

So they expected and it has happened, Christ was revealed, we now live in the time of fulfilment. We thus cannot afford NOT to take full advantage. We cannot afford to have salvation right on our hands and then throw the opportunity away. It is inexcusable.

So our faith is not just of what we see but of not seeing yet believing. This is why Christ told Thomas:

John 20:29 

blessed [are] they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed.

Glory to God. 

Our faith is strengthen, we know we are blessed both here and the life to come. Praise to the Heavenly Father. 

He calls us blessed. 

Love 

@the watcher