Introduction:
Courageous Faith... (Hebrews 11:32-40)
- Gloriously conquers What Seems Unconquerable . (Heb 11:32-35a)
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.
- Steadfastly endures Pain and Persecution . (Heb 11:35b-38)
- Patiently waits for God’s Deliverance . (Heb 11:39-40)
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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00:48-01:20
Alright you can turn your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 11 verses 32 through 40 You this past week. I fell down the rabbit hole of studying all the different phobias that exist in the world and According to Google which is never wrong. There are over 500 listed phobias and the list gets bigger and bigger with each passing year I want to walk through some of the most interesting phobias that I came across and And I worked really hard to nail down the pronunciation of some of these phobias.
01:21-01:21
So hopefully I get them right.
01:22-01:24
First, there's anathediotophobia.
01:25-01:26
That was the hardest one to learn.
01:28-01:29
Who wants to guess what this means?
01:31-01:31
Anybody?
01:35-01:41
It's the fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck or a goose is watching you.
01:44-01:46
I guess ducks can be somewhat creepy.
01:46-01:48
Maybe their eyes are a little bit beady and weird, I guess.
01:51-01:52
What about this next one?
01:53-01:54
Arachibutrophobia.
01:55-01:58
Not arachnophobia, arachibutrophobia.
01:59-02:00
Anyone know what this one is?
02:02-02:08
This is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth or choking on peanut butter.
02:11-02:14
This next one's a little bit easier to guess.
02:14-02:15
Vestophobia.
02:16-02:17
No, it's not a fear of vests.
02:17-02:19
What do we think vestophobia is?
02:19-02:20
Although that's pretty close.
02:21-02:22
What do we think?
02:23-02:25
This is the irrational fear of wearing clothing.
02:27-02:34
Upon a quick scan of the room, I am very happy to report that none of us appear to be struggling with that fear this morning.
02:36-02:39
This next one might actually jumpstart a new fear for some of us, that's fun.
02:40-02:41
There's xenophobia.
02:42-02:44
Does anyone know what xenophobia is?
02:45-02:46
This is the fear of mole rats.
02:47-02:48
Look at this picture, these pictures.
02:50-02:50
You know what?
02:50-02:51
I kind of get this one.
02:52-02:54
These pictures will be haunting my dreams later tonight.
02:56-03:00
You know, some of the parents in the room will be related to this next one.
03:02-03:03
Epibiophobia, epibiophobia.
03:03-03:06
This is the irrational fear of teenagers.
03:08-03:08
(congregation laughing)
03:09-03:16
You know, as a former youth pastor, I can say that I'm both excited and terrified of my kids becoming teenagers someday.
03:18-03:24
But in all seriousness, we all have specific fears, whether they're rational or extremely irrational.
03:25-03:27
Take a few minutes, not a few minutes, a few seconds.
03:27-03:28
Some of you would do it for a few minutes.
03:29-03:36
Take a few seconds to share with the person next to you a fear that you used to have or you still deal with to this day.
03:37-03:38
Take a few seconds to share that.
03:42-03:44
All right, all right, time's up, time's up.
03:47-03:54
You know, maybe, maybe you share with the person next to you that you have a fear of spiders.
03:55-04:03
I would advise you to steer clear of me because my son was looking at my nose the other day and said, "Dad, is there a spider up there?" That made me feel really great, right?
04:04-04:09
Or maybe you'd be terrified to be doing what I'm doing right now.
04:10-04:43
Who is willing to admit that you have a fear speaking and some of you definitely do. You're not raising your hands because you're worried I'm gonna pull you up on stage like this is some kind of magic show or something. Maybe you're like me and you have claustrophobia. Who's claustrophobic? Don't leave me alone up here. I'm pretty sure I can pinpoint why I'm claustrophobic. My older brother used to put a pillow or blankets over my head and sit on me for minutes on end while I screamed but my screams didn't help him "Get off of me." Maybe you constantly worry about finances.
04:45-04:47
How you're gonna pay the next bill or saving for the future.
04:48-04:52
Most, if not all of us, worry about what other people think about us.
04:53-04:56
Fear is a fact of life in a fallen world.
04:57-04:59
It's not a question of, will you experience fear?
05:00-05:04
Instead, it's a question of, how will you handle fear when it arises?
05:05-05:09
This morning we're gonna wrap up our study of the Hall of Faith in Hebrews chapter 11.
05:10-05:17
The author of Hebrews kicks off this chapter with a very simple and clear definition of what faith really is.
05:17-05:37
He says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for "and the conviction of things not seen." Over the past month or so, Pastor Jeff has unpacked this definition and walked through example after example of faith in the Old Testament, ranging from Abraham to Rahab.
05:38-05:46
Our passage today lists a lot of Old Testament figures and accounts that seem to be all over the place, but they are united by one key theme.
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And this key theme is courageous faith.
05:51-05:56
Courageous faith in the power, provision, and promises of Almighty God.
05:57-06:14
And I want us to know that being a person of courageous faith doesn't mean that you're free from any and all fear, being a person of courageous faith means that you willingly trust the Lord and obey him in the face of any and all fear.
06:15-06:29
So I hope that the Lord will use this message to get us off that hamster wheel of worry that leads nowhere, and instead get us on the path of courageous faith, which leads to true and abundant life.
06:30-06:34
So let's begin by reading Hebrews chapter 11, verses 32 through 35.
06:35-07:01
What more shall I say, for time would fail to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah of David, and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign enemies to flight.
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Women receive back their dead by resurrection.
07:07-07:14
So courageous faith, number one, courageous faith gloriously conquers what seems unconquerable.
07:15-07:18
Gloriously conquers what seems unconquerable.
07:20-07:26
And I love how the author of Hebrews jumpstarts this section, 'cause I relate to it so much as a preacher.
07:26-07:44
Again, he writes this, "And what more shall I say, for time would fail to tell me "of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, "of David, Samuel, and the prophets." In other words, I could go on and on with dozens of more examples of faith in the Old Testament, but time is running short on this letter and I have to move on.
07:45-07:53
This reminds me of a morning or late night talk show and they had to cut a celebrity guest or an exciting segment because they're running to the end of their time.
07:53-08:00
Or you ever had this happen to you when you're writing a note to somebody You write way too big early on, and you realize that you have like no space left.
08:00-08:05
You write teeny tiny at the very end, or even worse, a happy birthday banner.
08:05-08:11
You arrogantly write the biggest happy you possibly can, and you realize, oh no, I barely have any room for the birthday.
08:11-08:13
It's like happy birthday!
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You run out of space.
08:17-08:31
As a preacher, the difficult part of giving a message is then figuring out what to say, painfully cutting out what doesn't need to be said for the sake of time and your listeners attention span.
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So the author of Hebrews quickly closes out this hall of faith.
08:35-08:46
Instead of exhaustively covering all these others Old Testament figures, instead he gives us the cliff note version of their successes and their sufferings.
08:46-08:53
So let's slowly work through this list of impossible successes in verses 33, 35.
08:53-09:00
"Who through faith conquered kingdoms." That's true of Gideon, Jephthah, Barak, and David.
09:00-09:05
"And forced justice, obtained promises, "stopped the mouths of lions." Who's he talking about there?
09:07-09:08
Daniel and the lions then, right?
09:08-09:12
"Quenched the power of fire." Who's he referring to here?
09:13-09:18
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace "when they refused to bow down to the statue.
09:19-09:25
"They escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign enemies to flight.
09:25-09:29
Women received back their dead by resurrection.
09:29-09:38
The prophet Elijah brought a child back to life in 1 Kings chapter 17, and his successor Elisha did the same in 2 Kings chapter four.
09:39-09:43
What an incredible list of accomplishments and miracles.
09:44-09:51
But as we read this list, as we study the Old and New Testaments, we can get a little discouraged by our own lives and experiences.
09:53-09:57
Sometimes we can idealize these historical figures from the Bible.
09:57-10:07
We are rightfully blown away by what the Lord was able to do through them, but we put them on a pedestal and act like God can never use us as he did them.
10:09-10:13
But it's important to remember that these men and women were far from perfect.
10:13-10:15
In fact, they constantly failed.
10:15-10:20
They constantly fell flat on their faces just like you and I do every single day.
10:22-10:24
Let's look at some of the names that are listed in verse 32.
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Gideon.
10:26-10:35
Gideon was a cowardly player of hide and go seek when the angel of the Lord found him in a wine press and called him to fight against the invading Midianites.
10:36-10:48
And in Judges chapter six, Gideon tears down an altar to Baal, but at the end of his life, he actually builds a golden ephod, a golden idol that he and his family worship.
10:49-10:52
So the idol destroyer becomes an idol worshiper.
10:53-10:57
Samson, he's a Nazarite judge with super heroic strength.
10:58-11:01
And as you read his story, to be honest, it's really hard to like him.
11:01-11:03
It's really hard to root for him.
11:03-11:07
He thinks he's so smart, but he's so incredibly stupid.
11:07-11:16
He falls for the most obvious of traps and he gives himself over to compromise and sexual sin, which leads to his downfall and his death.
11:17-11:25
Or Jephthah, another judge, whose legacy is tainted by a rash vow that led to him sacrificing his own daughter.
11:27-11:38
Or David, he's famously known as a man after God's own heart, but he's also famously known for committing adultery and then murdering that woman's husband to cover it up.
11:39-11:49
The Hebrews Hall of Faith is filled with men and women used by God to conquer the unconquerable and accomplish that which seemed impossible.
11:50-11:58
But the Hebrews' Hall of Faith is also filled with liars, adulterers, murderers, and idolaters who committed shocking sins.
11:59-12:04
These are messed up people in desperate need of God's saving grace, and so are we.
12:04-12:09
If the Lord used these flawed people, then he most certainly can use you and I.
12:11-12:14
Your past sins and mistakes do not limit God in the slightest.
12:15-12:19
Your weaknesses, inadequacies, and shortcomings are not a hindrance to him.
12:20-12:25
Our God loves to shine his infinite glory through our many weaknesses.
12:26-12:38
This hall of faith shines a spotlight on the reality that is a specialty of our God, to take those who were broken by sin and refurbish them for his perfect purposes.
12:39-12:43
So please, stop acting like you're of no value to anyone around you.
12:44-12:51
Stop sitting on the evangelistic bench and believing that God can never use you to share your faith, to share your testimony.
12:52-12:58
Stop hiding away in your house from your neighbors and avoiding eye contact with them, whatever you see them when you're doing yard work.
12:58-13:03
Stop that feedback loop in your mind that tells you you can never lead your family spiritually.
13:03-13:06
You can never teach your kids the word of God.
13:07-13:12
Don't buy into the lie that you don't have a place in this church, that there's no place for you to serve.
13:13-13:27
If you're a born again believer in Jesus Christ, the same God who stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the fires of the fiery furnace, and dominated an endless list of enemy armies, lives within you.
13:28-13:30
He is in your corner, He is on your side.
13:31-13:37
If you step out in obedience and faith, He can and will use you to do things you never thought were possible.
13:38-13:41
He will use you to do things you never thought you could do.
13:43-13:48
Secondly, courageous faith steadfastly endures pain and persecution.
13:49-13:52
Steadfastly endures pain and persecution.
13:56-14:03
So the author of Hebrews swerves from the successes of the Hebrews Hall of Faith and moves to their many sufferings.
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In verses 35 to 38, let's read about these sufferings.
14:07-14:14
Some were tortured, refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a better life.
14:14-14:18
Others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment.
14:18-14:22
They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with a sword.
14:22-14:31
They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted and mistreated, of whom the world was not worthy.
14:33-14:38
Wandering about in deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth.
14:39-14:41
Once again, this is quite the list, isn't it?
14:42-14:54
The author of Hebrews very intentionally put these lists side by side to show us that courageous faith leads to both peaks and valleys, ups and downs, praise and persecution.
14:55-14:59
If you truly want to be used by God, then pain is unavoidable.
15:01-15:08
Jesus said that his path is narrow, hard, and few find it.
15:09-15:11
But the way of this world is like a smooth sailing HOV lane.
15:12-15:16
It's comfortable, it's wide open, many go by it.
15:17-15:24
We're told in Acts 14, 22, that is through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God.
15:25-15:27
Quite the sales pitch for Christianity, right?
15:28-15:30
Would you put that on the brochure on the front cover?
15:30-15:36
The way to everlasting paradise is paved with pain.
15:37-15:43
But I want us to see and understand that there is victory in what the world views as defeat.
15:43-15:47
There is always the light of hope and purpose in the darkest of situations.
15:48-15:58
Suffering, pain, and persecution are not roadblocks that keep us from experiencing God's best, but are actually on ramps to his greatest blessings and lessons.
16:00-16:04
You know, I recently went to go visit a former youth group student of mine in the hospital.
16:04-16:08
He received a really hard diagnosis recently.
16:09-16:11
And I feel so bad for this young man.
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He's gone through so much in his life leading up until this point.
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And I go to visit him in the hospital and he said something to me that I'll never forget as long as I live.
16:21-16:27
He said, you know, people keep telling me that what I'm going through is tragic, but it's really not.
16:28-16:35
What would be tragic is if I went through my entire life without ever going through anything really hard and having to trust in the Lord.
16:36-16:39
That's an 18 year old saying this, by the way.
16:39-16:44
I went there to bless him, but he instead blessed me beyond measure.
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I was blown away by this declaration of faith.
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That is victory.
16:52-16:59
That kind of courageous faith in the face of the worst that life has to offer is victory.
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So let's work our way through this list of suffering again, but look at these trials through the lens of victory, through the lens of hope.
17:12-17:19
To some were tortured, refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a better life.
17:20-17:29
The Greek word for tortured here actually refers to a barbaric practice of being stretched across a massive drum and beat with clubs until you're dead or close to dead.
17:30-17:38
And we're told that these faithful followers didn't resist death in this moment because they knew that God had something much better waiting for them.
17:39-17:45
While they wouldn't be resurrected in this life, they'd be raised to newness of life in the next.
17:46-17:52
He goes on to write, others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment.
17:52-17:53
They were stoned.
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The prophet Zechariah was killed in this way and church history also tells us that the prophet Jeremiah was as well.
18:00-18:01
They were sawn in two.
18:02-18:05
This is how the prophet Isaiah met his end.
18:05-18:07
They were killed by the sword.
18:07-18:17
We learned a few moments ago that some were escaping the edge of the sword because of their courageous faith, while others met their end by the sword because of their courageous faith.
18:19-18:28
They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated, wandering about in deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth.
18:28-18:44
The prophets of God were hated. They were poor outcasts who often had nothing, nowhere to stay, and no clothes that were acceptable to society. They were ignored. They were cast out. They were rejected.
18:46-18:50
So after going through this list in detail, you might be thinking, well, this sounds horrible.
18:51-18:52
Where is that light?
18:52-18:53
Where is that victory?
18:53-18:56
Where is that hope you were talking about before?
18:58-19:09
As I was studying verse 38 this past week, I became obsessed with the description of these faithful saints who courageously endured persecution for the sake of the Lord.
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Listen to how they're described.
19:10-19:21
"Of whom the world was not worthy." I haven't been able to get that line out of my head all week of whom the world was not worthy.
19:22-19:25
Imagine being described in that way.
19:25-19:29
Imagine leaving behind that kind of legacy.
19:30-19:37
You know, sometimes I think about what my kids will think and say about me once I'm gone someday, which leads me to think of my funeral.
19:39-19:41
What stories will be recounted?
19:41-19:46
What qualities and characteristics will people point to?
19:47-19:52
if my son and daughter are able to in that moment, what will they share about me as their father?
19:54-20:11
Imagine living in such a way that someone stands up at your funeral and says, "This broken and dark world was not worthy "of such a faithful man or woman of God." I hope that you have the same exact question in your mind that's been going through my mind all week.
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How can I become that kind of person?
20:15-20:17
How can I leave behind that kind of legacy?
20:19-20:26
There's only one way, by faithfully and courageously modeling your life after the example of Jesus Christ.
20:27-20:34
His whole mission, his whole ministry revolved around not giving people what they deserve.
20:37-20:43
He left the glories of heaven to stoop down to this earth and become like one of us and pursue after lost sinners.
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He went after those that society labeled as gross or unclean.
20:48-20:54
When he was slandered, when he was gossiped about, when he was reviled, he didn't defend himself.
20:54-20:59
As he hung on the cross, he was ridiculed by his executioners and the religious leaders.
21:00-21:01
Instead of fighting back, what did he say?
21:03-21:04
Father, forgive them.
21:05-21:06
They don't know what they're doing.
21:08-21:15
After he rose again, he didn't bail on his disciples who bailed on him when he needed them the most.
21:15-21:21
Instead, he equipped them, he encouraged them, he loved them, he got them ready for what was to come.
21:22-21:25
This world is not worthy of Jesus.
21:26-21:28
You are not worthy of Jesus.
21:29-21:33
I most certainly am not worthy of Jesus.
21:34-21:38
But he chose to give us his unconditional grace anyway.
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He has lavished the blessings of heaven upon his people and set us up for a future of joy and fulfillment.
21:48-21:59
If the almighty God of the universe can show such care and grace to those who are so undeserving, who are we to withhold our love and grace from other people?
22:02-22:09
Maybe there's someone in this room right now who's harboring bitterness against someone right now, probably many of us.
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Maybe this person wronged you, they hurt you, this person may not even be alive anymore.
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And you know that God calls you to forgive, but you're thinking to yourself, I just can't do it.
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They hurt me too much.
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I can't let this go.
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Listen, I get it.
22:27-22:31
I get that it's hard, but you just don't have that option as a follower of Christ.
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You don't deserve forgiveness either, but God showed it to you nonetheless.
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We can't experience the radical forgiveness of Christ and then refuse to show it to other people.
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If you don't let that go, that hatred, that anger is gonna hollow you out emotionally, spiritually, physically.
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That lack of forgiveness will hurt you way more than it hurts the other person.
22:58-23:06
So ask the Lord for the strength to be someone this world is not worthy of and release that person and let them go.
23:08-23:16
Maybe you have a family member, a friend, a co-worker who gets on your last nerve, gets under your skin, and you snap at them, you're harsh with them.
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Be someone this world is not worthy of and show them patience.
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Show them the long suffering of God who has to put up with us all the time.
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Maybe there's someone in your life right now who's mistreating you.
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They're talking badly about you.
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They're saying things about you behind your back.
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Instead of fighting fire with fire, choose to be a person this world is not worthy of and refuse to stoop down to their level.
23:45-23:54
You know, we live in an overly politicized and polarizing time when it's easy to have an us versus them mentality with those who disagree with us.
23:55-24:04
Maybe you struggle with viewing other people who disagree with you as the enemy instead of the one who holds them enslaved to those beliefs as our one true enemy.
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Choose to be someone this world is not worthy of by praying for the miraculous salvation of those who oppose your beliefs.
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Instead of bad-mouthing them, draw near to them in love and show them the grace of Jesus Christ.
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How sad of an existence it is for believers just to interact with other believers and never get outside of our comfort zone and our bubbles.
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You know, we have millions and millions of brothers and sisters in Christ around this world who are experiencing very similar suffering to what we read in this list.
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They are paying with their freedom and even their lives for Jesus.
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They're paying a high cost to gather together with other believers to share the good news of Christ.
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You know, for a long time, it's been easy and cost-free to be a Christian in this country.
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And the day is fast approaching, and in some ways is already here when it's actually gonna cost you something.
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Are you ready for that?
25:18-25:24
Instead of being surprised that the world hates us, I'm always just laughing at Christians, like, "Why do people hate us so much?
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"Jesus said they would!" Right?
25:27-25:34
Instead of being surprised by that, instead of bemoaning, I wish we can go back to the way things used to be, back in the quote unquote good old days.
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Let's stop wasting our time doing that.
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Instead, let us prepare our hearts and our minds to join the long line of faithful saints throughout history who willingly suffered for the name and fame of Jesus Christ.
25:51-25:55
I don't know if you've studied church history, but this is the time when the church explodes.
25:56-26:08
This is the time when the church thrives under persecution for those who have courageous faith and are willing to trust in a God who turns our worst moments into our greatest victories.
26:10-26:16
Finally, courageous faith patiently waits for God's deliverance.
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Courageous faith patiently waits for God's deliverance.
26:25-26:35
So before closing the chapter on the hall of faith, the author of Hebrews returns to a point that we've discussed many times throughout this series, but we'd be reminded of yet again.
26:36-27:00
He writes this, "And all of these, "all the men and women we studied this morning "and this past month, though commended through their faith, "did not receive what was promised, "since God had provided something better for us, "that apart from us they should not be made perfect." As we've been talking about over the past few months, Old Testament believers were saved in the same exact way that we are today.
27:00-27:03
They were saved by grace through faith.
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They looked forward to what God would do while we look back to what Christ has already done.
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But think about this.
27:11-27:25
Men such as Noah, Joseph, and Joshua had no idea that God himself would become a man and come to this earth, live a perfect life, die a sacrificial death, rise again, and ascend back into heaven.
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They didn't know any of that.
27:28-27:33
These flawed yet faithful saints trusted in the goodness of a God who always keeps his promises.
27:33-27:42
They believed that salvation belongs to the Lord even though they had no idea how these things would happen in the future.
27:43-27:53
Men such as Isaiah and Zachariah prophesied about the coming Messiah, the coming Savior, but they didn't see any of these promises fulfilled in their lifetimes.
27:53-27:56
but they believed that God would keep his word no matter how long it took.
27:58-28:05
These Old Testament believers were in the dark on so many details that we now get to know, study, and enjoy.
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As I said earlier, we often wish we could experience what the Old Testament saints did, right?
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We wish we could see the 10 plagues play out.
28:14-28:16
We wish we could see the Red Sea parted.
28:17-28:20
We wish we could see that wall of Jericho come tumbling down.
28:21-28:22
We have it all backwards.
28:23-28:29
These Old Testament saints long to be in our shoes and know what we now know.
28:31-28:33
Peter talks about this in his first epistle.
28:33-28:35
We should have that on the screen behind me.
28:37-28:52
"Concerning this salvation, "the prophets who prophesied about the grace "that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, "inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them "was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ "and the subsequent glories.
28:52-29:13
"It was revealed to them that they were serving "not themselves, but you, "and the things that have now been announced to you "through those who preach the good news to you "by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, "things which angels long to look into." These prophets knew, this isn't for me, it's for the followers who are to come.
29:15-29:24
How blessed are we to be on this side of the cross, to have the full word of God, to know this story of redemption that we can marvel at, that we can live in light of.
29:25-29:33
How blessed are we to see all of the ways that the promises of God find their yes and amen in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
29:34-29:40
If your walk with the Lord seems boring and uneventful, that's only that way because you allow it to be.
29:41-29:45
We have been gifted with the answers to the greatest mysteries of life.
29:46-29:57
We have been entrusted with the truths of scripture and the mission of being ambassadors and messengers of the Lord of all creation, the Savior of sinners, how can that possibly be boring?
29:58-29:59
Yet somehow we find a way, don't we?
30:01-30:10
These amazing truths should light a fire in our hearts, should stimulate our minds and get us moving to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
30:11-30:19
The best and most exciting life of all belongs to the man and woman with courageous faith in Jesus Christ.
30:19-30:20
Do you really believe that?
30:22-30:23
'Cause many do not.
30:26-30:31
On the other hand, we're in the same boat as His Old Testament saints.
30:31-30:38
We also must live by faith and choose to believe God's promises about our eternal future.
30:40-30:47
I don't know about you, but I've never seen heaven, but I believe it exists, and I believe that God's prepared a place for me.
30:48-30:57
God hasn't circled the date on my calendar saying, "This is when Jesus is coming back." But I know it's gonna happen, even though we've been waiting for over 2,000 years.
30:59-31:05
We must patiently wait for the Lord's deliverance, even though it's extremely hard.
31:07-31:10
I know that we're all struggling in different ways.
31:12-31:19
Some of you are waiting for the Lord's deliverance from an illness that you're dealing with or a loved one is battling right now.
31:21-31:21
You know what?
31:21-31:29
I would love to be able to stand up here and guarantee you that God will heal you and God will heal that person in this life.
31:30-31:33
I would love to do that, but I would be lying if I said that.
31:34-31:38
I know that he can and I know that he might, but I don't know that he will.
31:39-31:50
But I can confidently promise you that there will be total deliverance in eternity from every illness, every disease, every affliction.
31:50-31:58
In heaven, there'll be no cancer, there'll be no Alzheimer's, no heart disease, no chronic pain, no strokes, on, on, the list goes.
32:00-32:02
Others of you are waiting for deliverance from a family issue.
32:03-32:06
You have an adult child who wants nothing to do with Jesus.
32:08-32:12
You're on the outs with a certain family member and you feel like that issue will never get resolved.
32:13-32:16
It's even hard for you to be around your families on holidays.
32:18-32:25
Again, I wish I could promise you that God will definitely give you your desired outcomes for these issues, but I cannot.
32:26-32:32
But I can promise you that one day, there will no longer be any arguments, division, or strife.
32:32-32:35
All these horrible things will be banished from the presence of God.
32:37-32:41
I know others of you are struggling with the reality that you have an unmet desire in your heart.
32:42-32:47
You have a prayer request that you've been praying for years and God hasn't said yes.
32:48-32:54
Again, I would love to say that God's gonna give you that yes someday in this life, but I don't know that.
32:55-33:03
But what I do know is that one day in the presence of God, you will no longer have any unmet longings and desires.
33:03-33:03
That's a guarantee.
33:06-33:07
But again, it's so hard to wait, isn't it?
33:08-33:09
It's hard to trust in the Lord.
33:10-33:15
It's hard to hold on to his promises when life seems chaotic and pointless.
33:16-33:21
It's easy to think, well, if God's not gonna give me the things I want right now, why should I even bother following him?
33:23-33:26
I know many people who've walked away from the faith because of this question.
33:27-33:29
They try to give God ultimatums.
33:29-33:31
God, if you heal me, then I'll follow you.
33:32-33:38
God, if you give me that job, If you give me that family I so desperately want, then I will follow you.
33:39-33:41
But faith isn't a bargaining chip.
33:41-33:47
Faith isn't a wrestling move you can use to pin God down, make him say uncle and give you whatever you want.
33:47-33:51
Faith isn't you jumping in the driver's seat and calling the shots.
33:51-33:58
Faith is you riding shotgun in the passenger seat and willingly going wherever God takes you.
33:59-34:02
Even if it's the bad part of town that you'd rather avoid.
34:03-34:07
even if it's down that dark, dusty, dirty road that's hard to navigate.
34:08-34:12
A person of courageous faith doesn't jump out of the car when life gets tough.
34:14-34:18
A person of courageous faith doesn't give God a list of demands or ultimatums.
34:19-34:24
A person of courageous faith gives God their full allegiance, their full devotion, no matter what.
34:26-34:34
A person of courageous faith trusts that the Lord will bring deliverance, whether in this life or in eternity.
34:36-34:43
Well, at this point in the sermon, you may be thinking, well, Taylor, I would love to be a person of courageous faith, but it seems so far beyond me.
34:43-34:47
I doubt, I stress, I worry, I complain, I mess up.
34:48-34:51
My faith meter goes up and down with each passing day.
34:51-34:55
How could I possibly be a person of courageous faith?
34:57-35:02
Well, if it was up to you, and how much faith you have day by day, you're right.
35:03-35:06
You would be in a hopeless position without any possibility of change.
35:07-35:12
But the most important thing is who you're placing your faith and trust in.
35:13-35:22
If you place your faith in the all powerful, all knowing, and ever present God of the universe, he will embolden you to do things you never thought you could do.
35:23-35:26
He will strengthen you to endure whatever life throws at you.
35:26-35:33
He will equip you to wait on Him and hold on to His promise that He will bring deliverance.
35:34-35:35
Let's pray.
35:39-35:43
Lord, we thank You for all that You've done for us.
35:44-35:50
We thank You for the promises of Your Word that we can hold on to, we can stand upon when life is hard.
35:53-35:59
Lord, I know that all of us are struggling right now, and some of us in very extreme ways.
36:00-36:02
God, I pray that you'd fill us with a sense of your presence.
36:03-36:10
You would fill us with a sense of your nearness, that you would help us to understand that you are closer to us than we could possibly imagine.
36:12-36:18
Lord, instead of running towards doubt, fear, and anxiety, help us to embrace faith.
36:20-36:24
Help us to have a conviction of things we can't see with our own two eyes right now.
36:26-36:31
Help us to live by faith and not by sight this week and every week after that.
36:32-36:34
In Jesus' name, amen.
Small Group Discussion
Read Hebrews 11:32-40
What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
What fears and doubts has the Lord helped you to overcome in the past? What fears/doubts do you currently struggle with?
What is God calling you to do right now that seems impossible?
What does it mean/look like to live as a person “the world is not worthy of”? (Hebrews 11:38)
Breakout
Pray for one another.