HEBREWS: "A Greater Faith, pt.2 (Hebrews 11:17-40)" | 11/26/23
Hebrews 11:17-40 | 11/26/23 | Will DuVal
Let me begin this morning by asking you to remember the times in your life when your faith has been MOST tested. No fluffy introduction this week; let’s go straight to the heart of the matter. Last week in Hebrews ch11 we learned the definition of faith: it is “the assurance [or the SUBSTANCE] of things hoped for; [it is] the conviction [or the EVIDENCE] of things not seen.” And we identified the OBJECT of the Christian’s faith: the “thing” that WE “hope for” but “cannot see” is GOD. We relate to God on the basis of FAITH.
So as you think back over your life and the course of your relationship with God, think about those times when it was HARDEST for you to HOLD ONTO your hope in Him, to stand BY your conviction, your assurance of His existence and His love for you.
I know MANY of you have lost CLOSE loved ones - a few of you have even buried your own children; something NO parent should EVER have to do.
Some of you have endured ABUSE at the HANDS of those closest to you - a parent or spouse.
A few of you live, still today, with chronic physical pain - we have one young man here who suffers from a rare condition where he basically feels like he’s having a heart attack, all the time.
My own tests of faith, by comparison, have been pretty innocuous.
My dad left in middle school. Marital and vocational disappointments during grad school. Wrongful termination from my first job.
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Far sadder than any of these circumstances was my RESPONSE to them: each time my faith was tested, I FAILED. 0 for 3. “How could I still trust in a God who would… take my father away, take my hopes and dreams away, take my dream JOB away?!”
Perhaps some of you are asking - honestly and earnestly asking - that same question this morning: “How on earth can I trust in a God who would take my CHILD away? Take my childhood INNOCENCE away? Take my HEALTH, even my LIFE away?”
If that’s you, I have 3 truths to try and reassure you with from God’s word:
First, God can handle your doubts. He is bigger than your doubts. God’s faithfulness is stronger than your LACK of faith in Him.
Second, and related: DESPITE your doubt, God is still at work in your life. If you are listening to this sermon, that means God has not yet called you home, and THAT means you are still a work IN PROGRESS. You may find it IMPOSSIBLE to believe that a story like yours could turn out GOOD if somewhere in the middle there was a chapter like THIS one - your CURRENT ordeal - but our God specializes in the IMPOSSIBLE, in MIRACLES.
But the THIRD and most relevant reassurance I want to offer you is that by God’s grace, Your faith can GROW! Faith is a muscle, a spiritual muscle, that can and SHOULD be “worked out”, and thereby, strengthened over time. That’s one thing that every exemplar of faith we’re going to study this morning in the second half of Hebrews 11 - this famous “Hall of Faith” chapter; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the Israelites, Rahab, Gideon, Samson… they ALL have one thing in common: NONE of them was PERFECT! NONE of them displayed perfect, unwavering faith at every turn, every test of faith along the way. They ALL doubted God.
And yet, 1) GOD proved faithful, even when they didn’t. 2) He ultimately worked their trials together for GOOD in the end anyway. And 3) God GREW their faith in Him, along the way.
And that’s what God wants to do for US this morning as well, through their examples. Maybe you’re NOT in the middle of one of life’s huge storms right now - praise God; even better. It’s really hard to address the CRACKS in your foundation once it’s already started raining, especially if it’s POURING. It’s FAR better to seal, to strengthen, to reinforce PROACTIVELY, while the sun is still out. Hopefully that’s most of us here.
But regardless, we’re ALL gonna be doing some work on our foundations this morning. So let’s start with a quick RECAP:
We already reviewed 1) The DEFINITION of faith, from v1; I also already referenced 2) The OBJECT of our faith: the focus of our faith - v3 - is GOD; the purpose of our faith - v2; our “commendation”, our reward - is eternal life with God, in heaven.
And then we BEGAN to unpack last week 3) The EVIDENCE of faith, in vv4-16 - “What does faith LOOK LIKE?”, in ACTION - by learning from the examples set for us by the faithful believers of old:
a) Abel taught us that By faith we are attested RIGHTEOUS. (4) Our righteousness, our obedience to the Lord, PROVES that we truly believe in Him and belong TO Him.
b) Enoch showed us that By faith we are PLEASING to God. (5-6) “Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him”. But WITH faith, like Enoch, we can “walk with God”, draw NEAR to Him in humble, yet intimate fellowship, which is pleasing to God, who desires a love relationship with each one of us.
c) Noah demonstrated that By faith we are HARD-WORKING. (7) Faith without works is DEAD. Noah poured his blood, sweat and tears into the ARK, the PROOF of his faith. So too, the Bible exhorts us to “work OUT” our salvation (Phil 2:12) - which we RECEIVED (formerly) by grace through faith, but which we MANIFEST (presently) by our ACTIONS.
d) Abraham evidenced that By faith we are TRUSTING. (8-12) Imagine the TRUST it must have taken to leave everything and everyone he’d ever known and loved, and set out for a land God promised… without even knowing where he was GOING! To continue trusting when he GOT there and the land was already OCCUPIED! To trust God’s promise of a CHILD, despite Sarah’s 75 year-long struggle with infertility! A baby in her 90s?! But sometimes faith means trusting in the God of the impossible.
Lastly, e) the Patriarchs revealed that By faith we are HOPEFUL. (13-16) By faith we live THIS life in light of the life TO COME. We walk THIS world as “strangers and exiles” who are “seeking a BETTER homeland, a HEAVENLY one.” And by faith, we trust the Lord to PREPARE A PLACE there for us, with Him. That is our blessed hope.
And to those 5 evidences of faith, we will add 5 more this morning, before concluding with a consideration of the CONSEQUENCE of our faith; what is the OUTCOME of trusting in the Lord? That’s your outline.
But first, let’s read it together, the 24 verses we have remaining. I invite you to stand… Hebrews ch11, v17… the word of the Lord:
“17 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, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
23 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. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.
29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
32 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— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 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. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
[This is the word of God… SEATED…]
#3f - Last week, Abraham showed us that faith makes us TRUSTING; this week he shows us that By faith we are (REALLY!) TRUSTING. (17-19)
You’re gonna notice a fair amount of REPETITION in the second half of the chapter here. As you might know, Scripture uses repetition for EMPHASIS, to emphasize the importance of a point. So it is TELLING that the author of Hebrews would RETURN to Abraham here in vv17-19. He discussed Abraham in vv8-12 last week; then he zoomed out to consider “ALL [those who] died in faith [formerly], not having received the things promised” in vv13-16. But now he RETURNS to Abraham, for emphasis. To drive HOME the point about our NEED to “TRUST in the Lord with ALL our heart, and lean NOT on our own understanding”. That’s what Abraham did; what he HAD to do! The author says, “Before we move on from Abraham, I forgot to mention his GREATEST act of faith OF ALL…”
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac… his only son”
You may remember the story, from Genesis 22: “God tested Abraham and said to him… “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering”. So Abraham rose and went, no IFs, ANDs, or BUTs.
Why? Because Abraham trusted God. Why? What was the BASIS of his faith?
Abraham’s present confidence in God’s future provision was grounded in God’s past faithfulness.
Abraham was CONFIDENT that God would come through. Halfway up the mountain, ISAAC asked, “Dad- where’s the SACRIFICE?” And you remember Abraham’s reply? “God will provide for himself the lamb .” Abraham figured: “This is the same God who promised me this miracle child in the FIRST place, and who made GOOD on that promise when I was 100 years old - if he can do THAT, then surely God can and WILL provide for us a LAMB somewhere between here and the peak of this mountain.
But as they reached the peak, and there was still no lamb in sight, and no further word from God, Abraham’s faith was forced to reach a new depth. All that Genesis tells us is “When they came to the place… Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar… Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son” (22:9-10). But Hebrews reveals what was racing through Abraham’s MIND and HEART at the time:
“He… was in the act of offering up his only son, OF whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”
So AS he’s in the act of picking up the knife, sharpening it, raising it, all the while, Abraham was actively calling to mind God’s PROMISE: “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named. [Through ISAAC, I will make you into a great nation as numerous as the stars!]” But Isaac didn’t have any KIDS yet. THEREFORE, Abraham reasoned, if God really intends for me to go THROUGH with this, the only way for God to remain FAITHFUL, is to SOMEHOW - subsequently - bring Isaac back from the DEAD! That had never HAPPENED before, in the history of humankind to this point, and yet, “[Abraham] considered that God was able even to raise [Isaac] from the dead”, if needed, and which, “figuratively speaking,” God DID. When God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, in Abraham’s mind, Isaac was already AS GOOD AS DEAD. THAT’s how much Abraham trusted in God’s word.
And friends, speaking of remembering God’s past faithfulness as the source of our present confidence in God’s future provision, we would be remiss not to see the subtle but intentional gospel allusion the author of Hebrews is making here: Isaac was a “type”. He foreshadowed another “only son”, who was “beloved” by his father, yet called to carry the wood of his own sacrifice up a mountain, who ALSO cried out for deliverance, and yet THIS time, a lamb was NOT provided in his place, because he WAS the lamb… in OUR place. “The Lamb of GOD, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29).
And while Isaac’s resurrection was only FIGURATIVE - he didn’t have to die; Isaac COULDN’T die, not as a sacrifice; only the perfect Lamb of GOD could atone for sin - and friends, he DID: JESUS CHRIST died in YOUR place, on the cross, to take the rightful punishment for YOUR sins. But that wasn’t the end of his story, because death couldn’t hold Jesus DOWN. His resurrection wasn’t figurative; Jesus LITERALLY rose from the dead 3 days later to prove his POWER over Sin and Hell and Death, and he now graciously OFFERS that SAME power to everyone who would simply trust in Him by FAITH - “whosoever BELIEVES in Him shall NOT perish but have everlasting LIFE”. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”! (Rom 10:9)
That is the most important, eternal implication of this passage, this call to faith. But what about the everyday, practical application for our faith?
Some of us may be trusting God to provide the lamb this morning, when he’s really calling us to trust Him for the RESURRECTION.
You have received your big test of faith - your cancer diagnosis, your infertility, your singleness well into your 30s now, your thorn in the flesh (your lingering battle with addiction, even after giving your life to Christ) - whatever YOUR test of faith may be. And you’ve been trusting God to provide a lamb - a CURE, a CHILD, a SPOUSE, an END to the temptation. But it FEELS like you are nearing the top of the mountain, and there’s still no lamb in sight.
What if God is calling you to REALLY trust Him?
Trust that his grace is SUFFICIENT for you, not just to save you from ever encountering temptations, but to sustain you THROUGH them; that God’s power is made PERFECT in your weakness.
Trust that if God NEVER provides that spouse… that child… that Christ will be ENOUGH for me. That if you “Delight yourself in the Lord,” Psalm 37:4 promises, then “he will give you the desires of your heart.” Because your desire will be for HIM! And God NEVER withholds himself from those who truly seek Him.
Do you trust that even if God doesn’t provide the CURE, if he lets cancer WIN, on THIS side of eternity, will you, like Abraham, “consider that God [is] able even to raise [you] from the dead”?
Friends: we CAN trust. Because God has PROVEN his trustWORTHIness through his past faithfulness. Christ’s death and resurrection are the SOURCE of our present confidence in God’s future provision.
The SECOND evidence of our faith, this morning, 3G - Isaac, Jacob & Joseph demonstrate that By faith we are (really!) HOPEFUL. (20-22)
Once again, we’ve got the repetition of our concluding point from last week, that the patriarchs were HOPEFUL. Though they “died in faith”, they had a LIVING hope that they would nevertheless receive the INHERITANCE they had been promised - if not Canaan, then an even BETTER homeland, a HEAVENLY one.
And it is that stretching-even-beyond-the-grave kind of HOPE to which Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph once again POINT us, in vv20-22:
“By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph… By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus… and gave directions concerning his bones.”
What are they all DOING? They’re all looking AHEAD, beyond themselves, their OWN short time on this earth, because in each case, their hope ran DEEPER than just their measly 70 or 80 or 90 years (or in the case of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph - 110, 147, & 180 years - STILL relatively short, in the light of ETERNITY!). Here they were, on their DEATHBEDS, not looking BACKWARDS, but looking FORWARD… with HOPE. “Son, God promised us this LAND, and he promised to make us into a great NATION. In God’s providence, he has not seen fit to grant me the privilege of personally seeing those promises FULFILLED. So I bless YOU, son - may YOU now take the baton of the faith - quick aside: all through Hebrews, we’ve said faith is like a MARATHON; but did you know it’s also a RELAY?! You get to the end of YOUR marathon, and you’re supposed to pass the torch on to the NEXT generation.
Senior Saints, here at West Hills, that is YOUR calling: not just to gather together with each other for seniors’ lunches and seniors’ life group and seniors’ Sunday school; we’re not just putting y’all out to pasture here… In the same way that TEENS are leaving the church in droves because we exile them out to their half of the building so they never experience the beauty and the JOY of life shared WITH the church… what if the reason it’s so hard to find church LEADERS these days - believers in their 40s and 50s and 60s who are equipped and empowered to take the torch, the baton, and LEAD - is because we’ve done the same thing with our SENIOR saints?! We exile them out to their own ministries, “Can y’all just keep each other busy til God calls you home?” NO! I heard a pastor say once: “There is more undiscovered treasure in our Christian cemeteries than anywhere else on earth.” Seniors: don’t TAKE all your wisdom with you to the grave; “What you have heard from [others]… entrust to faithful men and women, who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Tim 2:2)
Parents: let’s do it with our children. Grandparents: do it with your grandchildren. GREAT-grandparents… you know, we sat at the Thanksgiving table just 3 days ago, and Polly’s grandfather, 92 years old, gave his annual toast to his 3 kids, 10 grandkids, and 6 GREAT-grandkids. And every year it’s the same 2 words of advice: “Family is everything, and strive your hardest to be a good person.” I guess there are WORSE things you could pass on to future generations. But I thought, “Is that really IT?! After 92 years, the best wisdom… the best HOPE you have to offer is: “try to be a good person”??”
Church: we have SO much more to offer, to pass on. You know the difference between Isaac, Jacob, Joseph… June, Sandi, Jan… and Dadaddy? HE is coming to the end, and he’s looking BACK. But they’re coming to the end, and by FAITH, they’re looking AHEAD. To an even BETTER life to come. He is TERRIFIED. Polly’s grandfather wanted to check our vaccine and booster passports for admittance to lunch; he lives every day in FEAR that it will be his last. And why NOT, when you don’t have HOPE in the life TO COME?!
Friends: it need not be SO. Whether you’re 9 or 90, you don’t have to fear death another day of your life; Give your life to JESUS, and you will “be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [and receive] an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you”. (1 Pet 1:3-4)
Third, #3h- Moses & His Parents show us that By faith we are COURAGEOUS. (23-28)
V23 begins by commending Moses’ PARENTS - Amram and Jochebed (although they are left unnamed here):
“By faith, when [Moses] was born, [HIS PARENTS] hid him for three months, because they saw that [he] was beautiful, so they were not afraid of the king's edict.”
The Hebrew word used to describe baby Moses in the original story from Exodus 2 is “tobe” - GOOD - it’s the same word that GOD used 7x in Genesis 1 to describe every day of CREATION - “and God saw that it was GOOD”. The point isn’t that Moses was physically attractive, otherwise his parents might have just decided to DROWN an UGLY baby; NO - In the same way that God looks on HIS creation and sees its “goodness”, Moses’ parents looked on this child that THEY had created and recognized his exceeding WORTH, as an image-bearer of Almighty GOD. How could they EVER let any evil befall this magnificent child, much less at their own HANDS? NEVER! They would sooner DIE! LOVE has a way of making one courageous.
So too does FAITH. What could possibly compel a man to renounce his PRINCESHIP, v24, to renounce all the pleasures, v25, and all the treasures, v26, that this world has to OFFER? And to choose INSTEAD to be mistreated and reproached here, in this life?
We find Moses’ answer in v26: “he was looking [AHEAD] to a [GREATER] reward.”
Remember that game show “Deal or No Deal”? Where they had all these unmarked briefcases filled with different amounts of money, ranging from 1 penny all the way up to 1 MILLION dollars? And the contestant would randomly choose cases to eliminate one by one, and periodically, Howie Manzel would get a call from the mysterious “Banker” offering to cut them a DEAL based on the briefcases still in play.
Well, here’s MOSES’ episode of “Deal or No Deal”: He had ONE briefcase filled with PAIN and PERSECUTION - 40 years of chasing SHEEP around the desert, followed by ANOTHER 40 trying to herd the even MORE stubborn Israelites - suffering rejection at every turn - not just from the world, but from his own rebellious people - only to DIE short of the Promised Land, out in the desert.
And in the OTHER briefcase was uncountable RICHES, unfathomable POWER, unbounded LUXURY, COMFORT, INDULGENCE, a life of EASE right there in Pharaoh’s palace.
And MOSES said, “I’ll take Briefcase #1, please.”
And HOWIE said, “I don’t think you understand the GAME, Moses!?”
And Moses said, “Oh, I understand. But you didn’t read the fine print. The part about what comes AFTER life on THIS earth. Jesus said, “everyone who has left houses or siblings… father or mother… children or lands, for MY name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” in the world to come (Matt 19:29).
Moses said, “I’ll take the BIGGER reward, the ETERNAL reward… LATER. I’m playing the LONG game.”
This world is raising CHILDREN. You know that famous study where they put a marshmallow in front of a kid and told ‘em if they could just WAIT for 15 minutes - exercise a little self-restraint - then they could have TWO marshmallows? The WORLD says, “Ehh, it’s probably a setup. God is a LIAR. We should probably just go ahead and enjoy the one marshmallow we can SEE, right here in FRONT of us while we still can… YOLO…”
FAITH says, “Nah, I’ll wait.” I’m holding out for something BETTER.
That’s the CARROT. How about the STICK? v27:
“By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured [by] seeing him who is invisible.”
What compels a man to defy the most powerful man on planet EARTH?! Eyes of faith - SPIRITUAL eyes - able to see the invisible yet no less REAL king who is standing right BEHIND, towering OVER, the angry but comparatively TINY Pharaoh. The One holding the infinitely bigger stick. “Pharaoh, you can go ahead and do your worst, but there is NO way that I am forsaking THAT king!”
What convinces a man, v28, in the face of the Angel of DEATH, to hold a big family dinner, and sprinkle some BLOOD on the doorpost, and believe “Well THAT ought to protect us!”
It is the COURAGE of genuine FAITH. The kind of courageous faith it takes to DEFY a king’s orders, disown a royal inheritance, renounce worldly treasures, accept hardship and affliction, and bet your life - your ETERNITY - on a God you can’t even SEE.
Friends, that takes courage. FAITH takes courage.
But please don’t miss this: so does UNBELIEF.
Are you really willing to bet YOUR life, YOUR eternity, that the universe was just one big happy cosmic accident?
That there’s probably NOT a God, but even if there IS, SURELY he’s not like the God of the BIBLE, who would be so NARROW and RIGID as to demand that EVERYONE come to Him ONLY on the basis of His Son JESUS?
That IF there’s a God… and IF there’s a Heaven… He’ll probably let you in, because you’re probably “good enough”? Are you willing to bet your ETERNITY on it? That you are “good enough”, for an infinitely perfect, righteous, holy, JUST God?
I tried, but I found that personally, I don’t have the courage for it. I don’t have the FAITH it takes NOT to trust in God. To trust in MYSELF instead?! Trust in SCIENCE? Trust in “humanity’s inherent GOODNESS”?!
Sorry - I don’t have the faith; I’m with Moses - I’m sticking with GOD.
Fourth, the examples of the Israelites & of Rahab show us that By faith we are OBEDIENT. (29-31)
We could probably add another “really!” and just consider this a restatement of his very FIRST point from last week about faith being proven by our RIGHTEOUSNESS. Because Obedience is really just another word for righteousness (that is, when our obedience is to God). So I’ll try and be brief here. V29:
“By faith the people [of Israel] crossed the Red Sea as on dry land… By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they’d been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”
Faith defies LOGIC for the sake of OBEDIENCE.
It is SCARY and ILLOGICAL to walk through a SEA, with walls of water standing as high as you can SEE on either side.
It is SILLY and illogical to walk around a city seven times, blowing a horn, and expect it to produce anything but leg cramps and LAUGHTER, from your enemies sitting up on the wall.
And it is SCANDALOUS - prostitute or NOT - to welcome a bunch of SPIES who snuck into YOUR city to try and figure out how to DESTROY it, to HIDE them, and then LIE to your own people in order to save the enemies.
But FAITH says, “Okay, God- I’ll do it YOUR way.” Not MY will, but YOURS be done.
It must have seemed scary, silly AND scandalous to think that dying a humiliating, criminal’s death on a cross could somehow rescue all of humanity from the curse of sin.
But friends: THAT is the OBEDIENCE of FAITH. CHRIST’S obedience - he was obedient to the Father’s plan of salvation all the way unto DEATH for us; how much MORE so can we… should we… MUST we remain obedient to HIM, unto LIFE - his commandments are NOT burdensome; they bring us LIFE! Psalm 119: “I will never forget your commands, for by them you have given me life.” (v93)
We are obedient, even when it doesn’t make sense.
“God, I don’t understand why you’re calling me to FORGIVE him, to stick WITH him, after EVERYTHING that he’s done; it certainly seems EASIER to just get divorced, clean break, start over - that’s the more LOGICAL option here.”
“God, I don’t understand why you’re calling me to stay in this miserable job, working for this SOUL-less company, where I am surrounded by unbelievers; it feels like I’m the ONLY light and salt in this place!”
“God, I don’t understand why you’re calling me to sacrifice MY plans for retirement, collecting seashells on the beach, and move to a third-world country to spend my “golden years” doing medical missions in the slums instead.”
But not MY will, but YOURS be done, O Lord.
Fifth, 3J: The REST of the OT heroes - these Miscellaneous “Others” that the writer of Hebrews STARTS listing and then just gives UP - they show us that By faith we are MADE to be both MIGHTY (32-35a) AND AFFLICTED (35b-38).
“What more shall I say? [I mean, I could go on and on, but] time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith [did AMAZING things! They] conquered kingdoms… stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword… became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. [They even] received back their dead by resurrection. [THAT’s the kind of POWER that FAITH has! Mighty, MIRACLE-working power!]
And we all shout, “AMEN!”, and break into song:
[*SING*] “I've seen… miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do”
But then the author says, “Wait, wait - I’m not DONE. That’s not ALL that faith can do. Faith doesn’t just win victories; faith can even get you through the LOSSES!” → “Some were tortured… Others suffered mocking and flogging, even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawn in two, killed with the sword… destitute, afflicted, mistreated… wandering about in deserts and mountains, and dens and caves.”
[*PAUSE*]
You forgot to shout, “AMEN!” that time…
You forgot to sing the ALTERNATE, UNRELEASED version of the song:
[*SING*] “I’ve seen… Christians getting TORTURED
Mocked and flogged and homeless
Stabbed and stoned and sawn in two
That’s what faith can do!”
Maybe Kutless focus-grouped that version, but it didn’t sell NEARLY as many records.
But both are TRUE, aren’t they? “Shall we receive the good from God, and shall we not ALSO receive the BAD?” …The Lord GIVES, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”” (Job 2:10; 1:21) Amen?
But we do end with GOOD news this morning. As it is with our LIVES, for those whose faith is in Christ, so it is here in Hebrews 11 as well, that we can be assured of a HAPPY ENDING. Because vv39 & 40 remind us of…
#4- The REWARD of our faith (39-40) - NAMELY, it is By faith that we are SAVED! (39-40)
39 And all these, [Abraham, Moses, David… the great HEROES of the faith!] though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
Brothers and sisters, do we realize that we’ve got something they NEVER had, that makes us (and THEM, by the way, retroactively) PERFECT… we have the OBJECT and the OUTCOME of faith: its great REWARD: we have CHRIST! The OT pillars of faith NEVER “receive[d] what was promised”, they never received CHRIST! And that means they never received the salvation that only comes THROUGH Christ.
But by the grace of God, friends we now HAVE. How much MORE then, are we empowered to PRESS ON in the faith! In spite of whatever circumstances you may be facing this morning - those big tests of faith you thought of at the beginning of this sermon. God can see you through them, and he WILL. Hebrews 11 is the PROOF. I hope these past 2 Sundays have not been merely a tour of a dry and dusty “museum” of faith (“Hall of Faith”) that simply stir us to celebrate the faith of OTHERS in the Bible, but rather, that they have spurred us on to live out our OWN, active and living faith in the Lord. To “pick up our balls” and “run back outside”, to put this kind of faith into PRACTICE in our own lives. Church, we CAN, because we have something even the biblical HEROES of the faith never had - faith’s ultimate reward… JESUS!