HEBREWS 11-12 11:30-12:12009 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Hebrews 11-12 11:30-12:1

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2009. Well, this morning as we finish off chapter 11, we're concluding this segment, this section that the author of Hebrews has devoted to the subject of faith.

He's been talking about faith really as a transition into the application part of his letter. He's been talking about in chapters 10 and prior to that we studied for many weeks and

the doctrine of Jesus Christ and how he is superior to every other religion, to every other ritual, to every sacrifice. He's superior to angels and to every other leader and prophet. That Jesus Christ is far superior, far exceeds

Anything else in this life and anything else that we can imagine. And what we have in Jesus Christ far exceeds anything else that the world has to offer or that any religion has to offer.

The author of Hebrews is writing to these people who they were raised as Jews but they'd come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord but now later on in their relationship with God they're having some difficulty and they have forgotten about the superiority of Jesus Christ and

And they're tempted to because of persecution and difficulty. They're considering going back to the old way of life. They're considering going back to the sacrificial system, going back to the law, to the temple and those things. And they're wanting to, they're being swayed to because it'd be much easier

easier for them if they would go back to those things. It's part of their culture. Society was giving them a hard time. There's some persecution going on. And so there's this great pressure for them to move away from Jesus Christ and go back to the old ways. But the author of Hebrews has been reminding them over and over and over again that

that it does not get better than what you have in Jesus Christ. There's no greater life, there's no greater fulfillment, and there's no greater hope of eternity than what is found in Jesus Christ. And so he's encouraging them to hold fast and not move away.

And in doing so, he's gone into chapter 11 and given an incredible amount of examples of people who have gone before them as well as us. People who have endured. People who have kept the faith and gone through great affliction and difficulty and great victory and the faith that was at work in their lives and what it accomplished and

And so he's been writing to them here in chapter 11 about the importance and the value of faith and what it means for the life of a believer. We've been talking about faith and defining it as obedience to God at His word. That's what faith is. We've seen that in all of the examples over and over again. These men and women of God were obedient to God. They believed.

Heard from God, He spoke to them, He gave them instruction and commands, and they put it into practice. They lived it out, they applied it to their lives, and as a result, they accomplished great feats and they endured great difficulties. As I've been sharing week after week through this study of faith, God does not require of us anything that He has not required of every generation before us.

These examples for us are a reminder that many men and women have gone before us. There's been an incredible amount of those who have gone through life and situations very similar to ours that have been faithful to God, that have walked with God, that have been people who believe God and are obedient to Him. You see, we like to convince ourselves that

that we have it much harder than others who lived before us. We like to convince ourselves that life today as a Christian, it's more difficult than it was for those others who lived well before us. But the reality is God requires of us the same thing that He required of every generation before us, and that is that we walk by faith, that we believe Him and His Word, and that we be obedient to it.

The same thing that God required of Adam and Eve is what He requires of us. Faith. There was Adam and Eve in the garden and God gave them instruction. He issued His command. He said, look, here's what I want you to do. Take care of the garden. Stay away from this tree. Don't eat of it.

What was required of them is for them to do that, to be obedient to God at His word, to walk with Him, to take care of the garden, and to stay away from that tree. But they were disobedient, of course, we know this. But it was the same thing that was required of them, that they have faith, that they be obedient to God at His word. The same thing that was required of Cain and Abel is required of you and I.

That we be people of faith. That we be obedient to God at His word. The same thing that was required of Noah and of Abraham and of Moses and example after example we could look at. It's the same thing that God has required throughout time. And that is that we believe God and that we live accordingly. Whatever point of history you go to, whatever culture you're looking at, whatever nationality, it's always been the same. God wants His people to believe Him at His word.

And live accordingly. To be obedient to God and His Word. And we've seen that over and over again. And today is no different. Today, as we look at the subject of faith, finishing off the chapter, we're looking at five different points about faith. Five different things that we can see here from the text that God wants to challenge our hearts with. And the first thing we see about faith is that faith works well with others.

Faith works well with others. And we find this in verse 30. It says, Here is the author of Hebrews. He's been going down Israel's history.

Starting from the very beginning with Cain and Abel and going down through Noah, through Abraham. He's been going down, working through their history and showing all of these different examples of faith. We now come to the time where the children of Israel are brought out of Egypt, through the wilderness for 40 years and into the promised land and are now about to begin to conquer the promised land that God had given to them, the land of Canaan.

And the first city they come to is the city of Jericho. The first city that they're to conquer, that they're to defeat, is this city, Jericho. Now, Jericho was a fortress. They had two sets of walls. It was well defended and well fortified. And these people, the people of God, you should remember, they're not warriors. They were slaves for 400 years.

They were let go from slavery. They were brought out of slavery by God. And then they wandered in the wilderness. They didn't enlist in the Marines or anything like that. They wandered in the wilderness, griped and complained. They're a younger generation because all the parents and older generation had to die off for them to get into the land. And so they're not warriors. They're not trained for battle. They're coming into the land to conquer the land that God had given to them.

And here they come to Jericho, this well-fortified city, this built-up city. And how are they going to conquer this city when they're not warriors? Well, God tells them how to conquer the city. God gives instruction. He's leading them. He's guiding them, just like He does with you and I. And He says, here's what I want you to do. Now, it's interesting the way that God instructed them to conquer Jericho.

It's instruction that I don't believe has ever been studied by generals to notice the strategy of how God worked. It's not studied by armies like, well, let's study, you know, this is God's instruction and we'll find some great mysteries of war and how we can attack cities. God didn't tell them to build siege mounds or to do anything like that. What He told them to do, the instruction that He gave to the people of Israel,

is to walk around the city once a day for six days. Just walk all the way around it. And then on the seventh day, to walk around it seven times. And then at the end of that seventh time, then they were to shout and to praise God and to blow the trumpets and to scream with all their might. They were just to make as much noise as they can. And then God said, I'll conquer the city for you. The walls will fall down.

And that's what happened. And we find in verse 30, he says, by fate, the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. Now, again, just as I often love to do, just put yourself in their place for a moment. You have to know there was some within the congregation of how many hundreds of thousands of people are there marching around the city of Jericho going, now, what exactly is this going to accomplish?

Considering, okay, we're walking around, there's no swords in our hands, no spears. We're just walking around. We have to be quiet so they couldn't grumble, I think. That was wisdom on God's part. And then at the end of the seventh time, on the seventh day, they shout, they scream, and the walls just fall over. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down. Because God had given them instructions. See, it wasn't a matter of military might. It wasn't a matter of military power.

It was a matter of being obedient to God at His word. And if you and I were in their shoes, well, I'm not sure what we would do. But I hope that we would have the same faith that they had. Now, this is interesting because we're talking about faith not of a particular person as many of the other examples we've been looking at.

We saw the example of Noah, the example of Abraham, so on and so forth. But this is the example of the nation. The nation had to have faith. The nation had to get up in the morning, had to walk to Jerusalem, had to march around the wall, had to walk home, and then the next day, they had to get up again, walk to... I'm sorry, not Jerusalem, Jericho. Walk to Jericho, march around Jericho, then walk home. And then they'd have to get up the next morning, walk to Jericho, march around Jericho, and then walk home. I mean, this was...

Well, this was faith that was required of the whole congregation, the whole nation. And that's why I put it that faith works well with others. Because this is something that God had asked the nation as a group to do, nation collectively to accomplish. And faith is an important part of that context. Faith is...

It's something that works well when you and I are seeking to accomplish something for the Lord together. It's interesting that in Ephesians chapter 6, when Paul the Apostle is talking about the elements of spiritual warfare and the armor that God has given to us, as he's listing out the different things, he mentions the shield, and it's the shield of faith.

And the interesting thing about that is the Roman shields, as Paul would have been chained to a Roman guard, he would have had the full outfit there to contemplate and to be able to use as illustration for those that he was writing to. Well, the Roman shield was one that locked together with other shields.

And the idea was that as the Romans were marching against an enemy or defending themselves against an enemy, that they could link their shields together, they could lock together, they could stand as one unit and they could hold their ground that way or even they could push forward and advance against an enemy by locking their shields together and marching together as one against an enemy as their faith, as their shields are interlocked.

Well, in the same way, this is what Israel was called to do. And there will be those times for us as well that we are called to do that same thing, that we're called to interlock together, that we're not just living this Christian life all by ourself, but there's things and there's areas where God has called us to be a part of a body. And as a part of a body, we're to go forward in unity. In fact, in Ephesians chapter 4 says,

As Paul the Apostle is talking about the body of Christ and the importance of the different elements of the body of Christ, he says these elements are so that we all come together to the unity of the faith. There's to be a unity where we're to grow together, to work as one, to interlock our shields together, to accomplish the work of God together. And there will be those times. There has been in the past.

And there will be in the future those times when God calls this body, Calvary Chapel Living Water, to march forward as a unit, to go and accomplish things for God. And it might seem a little crazy or we might not understand exactly and there might be, just like there was in Israel, those going crazy.

Now what exactly is this going to accomplish? Why are we walking around the property seven times? Is a building going to pop out of the ground? What's going to happen? There might be times where, why are we going to this mission field? Or what are we doing here? But the important point is that God is instructing us that we're walking with Him and that we can lock our shields together and accomplish much for the Kingdom of God as we join together in unity together.

And our faith, as we believe, as we are obedient to God, encourages one another, and it's an important part of faith. So faith works well with others, we find there in verse 30. As we continue on, point number two this morning is that faith is not just for the elite. Faith is not just for the elite. Look at verse 31.

By faith, the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she had received the spies with peace. The author of Hebrews goes on now and he gives us a few different examples. We'll look at a few more in verse 32. But we start off here with the harlot Rahab. And Rahab was not a princess of Israel.

She was not a descendant of royalty, you know, for six generations she could trace it or anything like that. She was, it says right here, by faith the harlot Rahab. She was a prostitute. Not only was she a harlot, but she was a harlot of the city of Jericho. She wasn't even of the nation of Israel. She wasn't part of the children of God. She was a resident of Jericho, but she had faith.

See, faith is not just for the elite. Sometimes we can think that faith is just for, you know, the Billy Grahams or the pastors or the leaders or those missionaries and faith is good for them, but I'm the kind of Christian that doesn't have faith and I'm not required to have that kind of faith. But again, God requires of us exactly the same thing as He's required of every generation before us.

that we be people of faith, that we obey Him according to His word. And the harlot Rahab had faith and so she did not perish with those who did not believe. When the walls of Jericho fell down, when the city was conquered, she did not perish. And why did she not perish? Well,

Before they conquered, before they started to march around the city of Jericho, Joshua sent two spies into the land. And those two spies in the city of Jericho found refuge with Rahab. She hid them from the men of Jericho who were seeking to put them to death. And as she's hiding them, they ask her, why are you doing this? Why are you helping us?

And she responds in Joshua chapter 2 verse 9. She says, I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are faint-hearted because of you. See, the situation was that all of Jericho had heard about the Lord and had heard about the things that God had done in bringing them out of Egypt and now into the promised land. All of the land had heard about that, but...

They did not believe. Rahab, on the other hand, says, I know the Lord has given you the land. She believed God at His word. And then she acted upon it. And that's why she's helping these spies. Because she believes. She believes that God is going to give them the land. She believes that He is the Lord. She believes that He's going to do it. And so she lived her life accordingly. She made decisions in response to that. And she gave them refuge there.

when they needed it. She believed God and acted upon it. Well, it's not just Rahab that we have as an example this morning. Going on in verse 32, we have some more examples. He says, and what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets. And so he gives us some more examples here. And

He says, there's much more that I would like to share. There's many more people I would like to share. There's much more elements of their lives that we could talk about. But time fails me to tell of all these things. We would spend quite a bit of time looking at every person, every individual that showed faith, that acted in faith, that demonstrated the faith that God requires. These are just a sample of those that have walked by faith.

Because faith is not just for the elite. It's not just for the few. It's not just for the exceptions in the people of God. It's for every believer. We are all called to walk by faith, to believe God and be obedient to Him according to His Word. Let's look briefly at a couple of these examples. We have Gideon. He says, Gideon...

What did he do? How was he a man of faith? What was his life like? Well, Gideon led 300 men to defeat an innumerable army of Midianites. The Midianites had been camping against Israel and plundering them and oppressing them for some time. Gideon led an army of 300 against an innumerable army of the Midianites victoriously.

Not just because he woke up one day and felt like it, but because God instructed him to. And because he believed God and acted accordingly and did what God called him to do, he was victorious. Now, Gideon was not a mighty warrior. He was not the one that you would think to look to in the nation of Israel. In fact, when the Lord sent his angel to give his instruction to Gideon, Gideon says, I think you've got the wrong address. I'm...

part of the least family in our whole tribe. You know, we're not the ruling family of the tribe. We're not the one that everybody looks for, for counsel, for leadership. We're just part of the least. And then he goes on to say, not only that, but I'm the least of my family. My family doesn't even look to me. There's no authority. I don't have power. I don't have authority. I don't have nothing. I think you've got the wrong address.

But because God told him and because he was obedient by faith, he conquered the Midianite army with 300 men. Incredible. Incredible work of God there by Gideon. Well, he goes on to give another example. By the way, that's in Judges 6-8. You can read that story of Gideon if you want to check that out. But he gives an example of Barak. In Judges 4, we find this account. And he led...

part of the Jewish people, part of the Israelite army, to defeat the Syrian army, I think it was Syrian, who was led by Sisera. Now the unique thing about the army that they were marching against is Sisera's army had 900 chariots.

Now, 900 chariots doesn't sound very impressive to us, but for them in those days and their methods of war being quite different, it was like having 900 tanks and, you know, all you are is a football team and how are you going to defeat these things? It was an incredible advantage for Sisera and his army to have 900 chariots against Israel. Yet, in obedience to God, because God had instructed him, he went forward with the Israelite army and

And Sisera was defeated. The army was defeated. He also gives us the example of Samson. We find the account of Samson in Judges chapter 13 through 16. Samson, of course, we all know him to be that man of great strength. Incredible feats of strength that he accomplished. Killing a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Pretty impressive stuff that Samson did. At the end of his life,

bringing down the temple of Dagon and killing himself in the process, but killing more Philistines there, that one event at the end of his life than he had throughout the rest of his life, taking care of those Philistines that had been oppressing the people of Israel for a long time. We have the account of Jephthah, or the example of Jephthah. The account is in Judges chapters 11 and 12.

And there in Judges 11 and 12, we find the Ammonites, a nation near Israel. They are oppressing Israel. They're fighting against them. And Jephthah responds back to the Ammonites and says, look, God gave us this land. The Ammonites were complaining that, you know, Israel had taken their land and so they're coming to take it back. But

Jephthah says, he responds to them, look, when our people were originally coming through back with Moses, we asked for permission, you wouldn't give it. And so the Lord gave us your land. The Lord gave us victory over you. We didn't try to accomplish it. We didn't try to conquer it. You came against us and God gave us victory. God gave us this land. And so Jephthah, believing God at his word, believing that God had given them the land, went out to battle against the Ammonites.

And was victorious. He gives the example of David. And man, we could spend quite a bit of time looking at not just an example here or there in David's life, but all throughout his life of how he believed God and was obedient to God. Of course, when we think about faith and the life of David, we probably think about the main story, you know, that is very familiar with all of us in 1 Samuel 17, David and Goliath.

And there David is facing a giant. No one else will fight this giant. He's a Philistine giant, some nine feet tall. And no one else will face him. David, being a young boy, not even able to fit in the armor of a soldier, goes out to Goliath with a sling and five smooth stones. Accomplished great victory on the battlefield that day by slaying Goliath with a sling and a stone.

But that's not the only example of faith that we see in the life of David. David also was anointed king at a very young age. He knew early on that God had called him to be king. But it didn't take place. It didn't happen in his life right away. He spent some time in the palace in the service of King Saul, who was the king of the day. But it ended abruptly when Saul tried several times to kill him and put him to death.

And so David then flees into the wilderness and spends several years running for his life. He's on the run in the wilderness, hiding from place to place, while Saul is chasing him throughout and trying to kill him. And throughout that time, there was two occasions where David had an opportunity, where Saul was defenseless, he was even unaware of David's presence, and David could have right then dealt with it and put Saul to death.

And in fact, the men that were with David tried to convince him, look, this is the Lord. He's told you you're going to be king. The current king who's out to kill you and is unjust and is doing wickedness, he's right here and you could put him to death. I mean, that seems like the work of God. But David was firm in his decision that he would not lay his hand on the Lord's anointed. And he said, the Lord will take care of it. If I'm to be king, as the Lord said, the Lord will accomplish it. And so in faith he waited. He held back. He did not strike.

He did not take matters into his own hands, but he allowed the Lord to do the work by faith. Knowing God told me it's going to happen, and so I don't need to accomplish it for myself, David said. Well, he also gives the example of Samuel. Samuel was a prophet of the Lord during the time of Saul and David. The prophet Samuel faithfully served the Lord, and he's another one. We can look at example after example of Samuel.

how he lived in faith and was obedient to God at his word. But it starts in 1 Samuel chapter 3. We're there when God speaks to Samuel for the first time. God says, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel answers, Speak, Lord, your servant hears. That's really a good snapshot of Samuel's life. He said, Speak, Lord, your servant hears. And then he would be obedient and do whatever it was that God had called him to do.

And so we have these examples and he goes on to say, and the prophets. So all of the specific examples and then a bunch of nameless examples, the prophets. Those who were sent by God to speak to his people, to warn his people, to deliver messages on his behalf. They were obedient to speak what God had instructed them. Many times to their own peril. Many times at great expense they were obedient to God. But the point here is that faith is not just for the elite.

It's not just the select few. We have an abundance of examples of faith because it's what God has required of every generation, of everyone who comes to Him. As we learned from verse 6 of Hebrews chapter 11, without faith it's impossible to please God. He who comes to God must believe that He is, that He exists.

And that He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. God requires of us the same exact thing that He's required of every generation before us. And that is that we would believe Him at His word and that we would be obedient to Him. It's not just for the elite. It's not just for the select few. We have an abundance of examples because there's been many who have gone before us who have been people of faith, men and women of faith.

It's not just for those who are the perfect or for those who are holy. All of these examples, I didn't get into it as we went through chapter 11, but all of these examples, we could go back and look at their story and find, well, they were men who had weaknesses and great failures. They blew it big time in a lot of cases. Yet they were people of faith. Because even though they had blown it, even though they had failed, even though they had messed up, they believed God at His word.

And they were obedient. See, God has made provision for when we mess up. It's not about being perfect. We all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God. And so God has made provision. 1 John 1.9 tells us, if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to cleanse us, to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God has made provision so that when we fail and when we blow it, when we mess up, we have opportunity to get right with God.

To believe God at His word and confess to Him. To believe God at His word and repent. And then continue to walk this life that He's called us to live. All of these guys are examples to us of great faith, but also of great failure. Showing that faith is not just for the elite, but it's for you and I. For every person, God calls us to have faith. So faith is not just for the elite. Number three this morning, faith accomplishes.

And you might say, well, faith accomplishes what? Well, we find some of the things that faith accomplishes starting in verse 33. Who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Now there's some more things that will go on to list. We'll get to those in a second. But here we find some of the things that faith has accomplished throughout history.

Throughout the examples and all the examples that we have, the things that we can look at, the people and the lives that have gone before us, that have had faith, that have believed God and have been obedient to Him, we find that faith in their life has brought forth some incredible and significant accomplishments. Because faith, as we've talked about often, produces action.

As James said, faith without works is dead. Faith causes us to live life according to God's word and to be obedient to Him. And as a person acts in obedience to God, God's work will be accomplished. Just like the children of Israel as they marched around Jericho, it didn't take great effort. All they had to do was walk. And as they were obedient to God to do what God had called them to do, God did the work and the walls fell over.

In the same way, God calls us to act in obedience to Him. And as we take those steps that God has called us to take, He accomplishes His work. And He does what He wants to do. His will is done. And it's not through our great effort and our great, you know, insights, but it's through faithful obedience and God working supernaturally. Well, He says, through faith...

They subdued kingdoms. We have examples throughout history of those who through faith had great military victories. Kingdoms were conquered. Nations were put into submission. And we could look at countless examples. I'm not going to get into them. Mighty battles were won though. Great victories by few. Just like Gideon who conquered the Midianites with just 300 men. There were moral victories that were accomplished. It says that they worked righteousness.

There was revivals that took place and people were getting right with God as men and women of God through faith were obedient to God. It worked righteousness. Things were set right and people were brought into right relationship with God. They obtained promises. They obtained promises through faith. God spoke to them about things that He wanted to do in their lives and they received those promises. They received the fulfillment of those things by faith.

As they were obedient to God, as they walked with God, they obtained the promises of God. As I was considering that point, the man named Simeon came into my mind. Simeon was an old man by the time Luke chapter 2 comes around. Advanced in years, really ready to die, but not yet. Because God had promised him that he would see the Messiah, he would see the Savior before he died.

And so in Luke chapter 2 verse 26, we find it come to pass. Joseph and Mary come to the temple to dedicate Jesus. And there, Simeon is there. He's there out of obedience to God, believing God's going to show me, God's going to bring, and I'm going to see the Savior before I go to be with my Lord. And here comes Jesus walking in the gate. Well, being carried in the gate.

Simeon gets to hold him. The promise is fulfilled. His eyes get to see the Savior that God had been promising before his death. Many other examples, but promises are obtained through faith. He goes on, the last thing he lists here in verse 33 is they stopped the mouths of lions. And of course, immediately we think and we picture, we remember Daniel chapter 6 where Daniel is thrown into the den of lions. A den of lions.

Lions that didn't eat him, which is quite rare, quite peculiar, and I don't recommend you try this at home. Don't try it at the zoo. But the mouths of the lions were stopped. Why? Well, because Daniel, well, he'd been obedient to God. And through faith, those lions did not eat him. He had been faithful to God and obedient to God when the government, the king said, you shall not pray to any other God except to me, the king,

Daniel went home, as he always did, and spent time in prayer with the Lord. And as a result, he was thrown in the lion's den. Going on, verse 34.

This is still in the subject. Through faith they did all these things. Through faith they quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, they became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. And here the first part of verse 35, women received their dead raised to life again. These incredible accomplishments that were done by faith.

Subduing kingdoms, working righteousness, obtaining promises, stopping the mouths of lions. And here in verse 34, they quenched the violence of fire. They stopped the harm that fire normally brings. And of course, this reminds us also of an account in Daniel. Daniel chapter 3 of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Where the king Nebuchadnezzar sets up a statue and says, Everybody worship this statue. So the music plays and everybody bows down. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they won't do it.

King says, if you're not going to do it, I'm going to throw you in the furnace. And they say, that's okay. Our God's able to save us, but even if he doesn't, we're going to be obedient to God first. We talked about that last week as well. But so King Nebuchadnezzar throws him into the furnace, seven times hotter than normal. And the violence of the fire was quenched. They weren't harmed by the fire. In fact, when Nebuchadnezzar calls them out of the fire, the only thing that was affected by the fire was the ropes that had bound them.

Their clothes weren't burned, their hair was not singed, they didn't smell of fire or smoke, just the ropes that had bound them were gone and burned up in the flames. This was through faith. Now again, this is not that all of us should try to do this, but out of obedience to God, as they walked with God and were faithful to what He had instructed them to do, they quenched the violence of fire. Some more examples, they escaped the edge of the sword.

Lots of examples we could look at. One that comes to mind is Elijah as he escapes Jezebel's sword who swore to put him to death because of his ministry as a prophet and what he did with the prophets of Baal. Others out of weakness were made strong. Man, how many examples could we look at this? Those who were weak, those who did not have the physical strength required to do the tasks that were accomplished, well, they were made strong. And they were able to accomplish those things by faith.

By faith they became valiant in battle. It makes me think of David's mighty men. In 1 Samuel chapter 22 verse 2, it tells us that while David was there in the wilderness, people began to gather to him. These became David's army. Now, these were not trained warriors that came to him. It tells us in 1 Samuel 22 verse 2 that it was everyone who was in distress and everyone who was in debt and everyone who was discontented gathered to him.

It was all the outcasts, all the leftovers really of society, all those who'd really blown it and messed up their lives. It was those that went out to David. But they became valiant in battle. They became David's mighty men. They became a great army that accomplished the work of God. By faith, they turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Those nations that were coming against them. Those nations that oppressed them. By faith, they put those armies to flight.

Always at great odds. You know, Israel never had a battle that it was, you know, well, we've got them outnumbered. They thought they did one time and that was at the city of Ai. And they acted inappropriately. They lost because they figured, yeah, we've got them outnumbered. No problem. No, God always put them up with battles that they shouldn't have won. There's no reason why they would have won. Militarily, when you consider might and strategy, a few, the weak.

put to flight the armies of those other nations. And he tells us in verse 35, not only that, but women received their dead raised to life again. You can think of the widow of Zarephath. God sent Elijah to this widow. And this widow had enough food for herself and her son for one last meal. She was going to make it. And then she was figuring we're going to starve to death. But God sends Elijah to her.

Gives her some instruction. Make Elijah some food. Oh, we don't have anything except for what I was going to feed my son. Well, just obey God. And so she makes Elijah some food. And God provides for her. And they all eat. And they all live. And they continue to be provided for. Well, later on, this widow, her son dies. And she goes to Elijah and says, Look, I was ready to die. We were both going to die. But then you said no.

And so we survived, but now my son has died. He became sick and he died. And so Elijah goes in 1 Kings chapter 17, and a miracle takes place. She receives her son raised to life again. Incredible miracle. Now, as we look at all these things, again, the point here is that everything that has been accomplished by God's people has been accomplished by faith. Faith brings some pretty substantial accomplishments in the life of Israel and the life of a believer.

Now, it's important though that we keep in context because 35 doesn't just end there. Verse 35 continues on and we go on to the next point now. Point number four is that faith endures. Verse 35, women received their dead, raised to life again. Hallelujah. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. Now, I've never heard the so-called faith teachers do a series on the second part of the verse.

Or the couple verses following this. Just believe in God and you can be tortured. You can be afflicted and refuse deliverance. But faith is not just about victories and being healthy, wealthy and wise. Because ultimately, faith is accomplishing things relating to eternity and not just limited to this life.

He'll make that point in just a few verses in verse 39 when he says, all these did not receive the promise. Although they obtained some promises, they had some accomplishments and some victories, they didn't receive the promise. The main points or the main object of faith, which is eternity with God, they didn't receive that promise. They hadn't received it yet. They died not achieving and not receiving that promise. Instead,

Well, some were tortured and they did not accept deliverance. See, faith is obedience to God at His word. And for some, that's going to mean some great accomplishments and God's going to work some incredible miracles. And you might have some awesome victories and a very lush and plentiful life with never a want or a worry or a care. But for some, faith and being obedient to God at His word is going to mean that, well, there's going to be some torture.

All the prophets of God were put to death for their message. The prophets that God sent to Israel to speak to them, to warn them, to turn them around and turn them back to God. The kings and the people, they did not receive them. The prophets were being obedient to God, but they were put to death for being obedient to God. They were tortured for being obedient to God. Now, the thing is, they could have been delivered, but

from that torture. They could have been delivered from that death. If only they would have changed their message. So if they would have joined with the other false prophets and said, Oh no, what you're doing is fine. Go forward and be victorious.

They wouldn't have been tortured. They would have been imprisoned. They wouldn't have been treated the same way. They could have delivered themselves by changing the message, by not being fully obedient to what God had said, by compromising a little bit. They could have delivered themselves, but they refused. They would not accept deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection.

Because they determined, it's better for me to be obedient to God because what He has in store for the future is far greater, far exceeds what this life can offer. They were looking to eternity. And so in faith they endured. They endured. Verse 36, Still others had trial of mockings and scourging. Yes, and of chains and imprisonment. Mockings and scourging. Now, mocking is really a different kind of torture.

but can be just as difficult. It puts a person in a state of being isolated and lonely and full of doubt and some great emotional things that go on. But by faith, they endured. They continued on. They persevered. They were obedient to God, even though the people around them, the world around them, was mocking them and persecuting them severely. Trial of mockings and scourging, he says, and of chains and imprisonment.

You could think of Jeremiah the prophet as he was imprisoned over and over again. Many other prophets along with him imprisoned for being obedient to God. Or you could think of Joseph. Now Joseph was imprisoned a couple of times but not because he proclaimed a message that was not popular. He was imprisoned a couple of times never by a fault of his own. He was just living life in faithfulness to God. Doing the best with what

He had to walk with God, doing the best with what he had, whatever context, whatever situation he was in. If he's a slave in a house, he just did his best. He gave it all to the Lord. If he was there in prison, he just gave it all to the Lord and served the prison. He was a servant, really, and he was put in prison. Through faith, he endured that. He didn't give up on the Lord. He didn't disobey God. He didn't turn from the Lord. He was faithful to God.

Verse 37, they were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted and tormented. Just think, if you would live a life of faith, this could be yours. Stoning was the normal method of execution of the Jews. They executed those who had faith, those who believed God and were obedient according to His word. They were sawn in two.

Now, tradition tells us that this was Isaiah, a son-in-two by King Manasseh, a very wicked king. They were tempted. Now, enduring temptation requires faith. We may not think it's as difficult as, you know, being executed, but it does require faith. Because, well, what took place in the garden? There is Eve in the garden, and Satan comes to her and says, Did God really say this?

See, right from the beginning, temptation is about disobeying God, not being obedient to God and His Word. And so, to endure temptation requires faith. To resist temptation requires faith. It requires that we believe God according to His Word and say, no, that is destructive, that will destroy my life, it will bring death in my life. And I do not want to be disobedient to God.

The world around us, our own flesh and our heart that's deceitful and desperately wicked will try to tell us that it's okay, we can participate. The rest of the world is doing it and we can live this way, we can do this or we can do that, contrary to God. But it requires faith for us to believe God and His Word, that it is sin and to turn from it, to repent from it. Or think about Jesus' example. There He is, hungry in the wilderness, not eating for 40 days and 40 nights and

The enemy comes to him to tempt him, to turn the stones into bread, to use his own resources, his own power to meet his needs and not wait for God to do so. It requires faith. It requires that Jesus believe that God would meet his needs and provide for him. In the same way, temptation for us, it requires faith to endure. We have to believe God according to his word.

He goes on, they were also slain with the sword. They were put to death. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins. They were destitute and afflicted and tormented. Not the glorious life that we would hope for, but it's the life that they lived. Verse 38, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth. The world was not worthy. The world is not worthy of those who walk by faith. Of those who believe God...

and are obedient to Him. Well, they're born again. They're of an entirely different nature. And the world is not worthy of them. There's a new nature and a bright future. The world is not worthy of those who walk by faith. And so they wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves. Many times the outcasts of society. They were beaten, they were mocked, they were imprisoned, and they were homeless by faith. Again, not the message that faith teachers will normally preach, but

It is examples of faith for us nonetheless. Faith endures. Whatever difficulty, whatever affliction, whatever situation, faith is obedient to God even in the midst of that. And these examples for us are good examples so that we remember that and that we don't lose heart and don't give up. That we endure, that we press on, that we persevere even now.

If it is difficult, even if there is affliction and pain, even if there is torture and execution, we're to be faithful to God. Faith is obedience to God at His word.

in spite of this life's circumstances. And so point number five this morning as we finish up. Therefore, run by faith. Look at verse 39. He says, And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise. Verse 40. God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

So here's what happened. All of these, these examples that we saw, that we looked at for the past several weeks in chapter 11, they obtained a good testimony, but they did not receive the promise. Let me ask you, will you be satisfied with that? They obtained a good testimony. They're in the hall of faith. They provided a good witness. They testified to the world around them that God is real, that He is alive.

That you can have relationship with Him. They testified to us of those same things and that we can walk by faith. They obtained a good testimony by walking in faith. But they didn't obtain the promise. The thing that they were living their life for, they didn't receive in their life. They died not receiving that promise. Will you be okay with that? Is that okay with you? Are you willing? If in this life, you don't receive the promise,

Are you willing to be obedient to God and walk with Him in order to be a witness to the world around you? If in this life you don't receive what it is you're looking for, are you willing to still endure and to go through affliction and go through difficulty? Are you willing to be obedient to God so that the people around you will have a good witness? That they'll know that there is Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? That there is an opportunity for salvation? Is that enough for you? Because the promise...

Well, the promise is something that we will not receive in this life. And so if you're looking for something that will be fulfilled in this life, you will not find it in faith. He says there in verse 40, God provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. See, God designed it that the promise that he is promising, the thing that we're looking forward to, the thing that we're all running towards, the thing that we're hoping in is eternity with God.

And what He has in store for us in eternity. And God has designed it in such a way that we all receive the promise together. 1 Thessalonians 4 describes for us as Jesus descends from heaven with a shout, with the trumpet. And the dead in Christ will be raised first. All those who had faith throughout the generations before us, they'll be raised first. And then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to forever be with the Lord.

See, God has designed it in such a way that the dead in Christ are raised, we're caught up together, we all receive the reward at the same time. At the same time, we're made perfect together. The new bodies, the glories that are to come, the promise that He has given to us, we inherit it together. So we're not going to receive that promise in this life. But in this life, we can obtain a good testimony by being obedient to God, securing for ourselves a better resurrection.

Because we've been obedient to God. And so he concludes with verse 1. All of this is coming to a point. He's been sharing all these examples of faith.

And he says, therefore, this is where he says, look, this is why I'm sharing these things with you. This is where it applies and this is what you must do as a result. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses, all of these who have gone before us. Now, he's not saying that they're up in heaven looking down on us and watching us and they're witnessing our lives. No, what he's saying is they are witnesses who have gone before us who have testified like a witness in a witness stand. They've testified before.

You can live a life of faith and you can be obedient to God in victory, in defeat, in great accomplishment, under great affliction. By endurance, you can live a life by faith. Their lives are a testimony to us. And being surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, by so many who have gone before us that give us this testimony that prove to us that the life of faith can be lived, he says, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

They've proven to us, they testified to us, you can do it. We've done it and you can do it. See, again, God requires of us the same thing that He's required of every other generation, that we believe God, that we be obedient to Him at His word, that we be people of faith. So He calls us to run with endurance the race that is set before us. The race that is set before us

Well, that's the part where there might be differences. The race that was set before Jeremiah is different than the race that's set before you. And the race that's set before me is different than the race that's set before you. We all have a course that God has called us to, a life that He's laid out for us. It doesn't include exactly the same ministry. It doesn't include the exact same opportunities. And some may be called by God to live a life of luxury. And you say, well, volunteer, me. Right?

And some may be called to live a life of torture and affliction. Either way, it's a life that's called to be lived by faith. Obedience to God at His word. Run with endurance. Now, the author of Hebrews was writing to Christians who wanted to quit. They wanted to give in. They wanted to go back. And so he's telling them, look at all of these examples. We have so many examples so that you would know, that you would learn the lesson. You can do it. You can walk with God. You can be obedient to God.

you can walk in relationship with Him. And you might say, well, how do I do that? I mean, I look at these great accomplishments. I look at these... I mean, these people did incredible things for God. I don't know that I'm supposed to, you know, I don't know of any cities that I'm supposed to walk around and the walls would fall down. What am I supposed to do? How do I accomplish these great things for God? Or how do I endure these great difficulties? Well, I would share with you this morning, you just start with the little things. Don't worry about big things.

Start with the little things. Be faithful in the little things. Read the Bible and put it into practice. Just start there. Just read the Bible, see the commands that God has given, and obey them. Obey God at His word. As He speaks to you, He'll speak to you personally and directly. Be obedient to those things as well. And in time, as you walk with God, as you take those steps, you'll run the race that God has set before you.

James chapter 1 verse 22 says, Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Be a doer of the word. Start with that. Let God work in that in your life. And then you'll get to see the rest of God's plan. The rest of that race that He's called you to live. But whatever it is, don't give up. Keep on going. Run with endurance. Make it all the way to the end.

He told them in chapter 10, you have need of endurance. And so he gave them all these examples and tells them to run with endurance. It's important. You make it all the way to the end. One last thought. He gives all these examples, these different people who walk by faith. And he says in verse 32, at the end of verse 32, he says also of David, Samuel, and the prophets. You know, it's interesting. He says, and the prophets. A group that is specifically left out

are the kings of Israel. David is the only exception. And I wonder if it's because, as you read the account of the kings of Israel, many of them started out well. The kings of Judah, many of them, about every other one of them, started out well. But the majority of them ended very poorly. And later in their life, they turned away. And they compromised. And they were not fully obedient to God. It's often been said, it's not...

how high you jump, it's how straight you walk. It's not how you start, it's how you finish. We need to run with endurance. Be, be a person of faith. Be obedient to God all the way to the end. Don't waver. Even if you've been around for a while or many years from now, don't waver. Don't compromise. Listen to what God is speaking to you and be obedient. Run with endurance the race that God has set before you. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray for our

this body for all of us. Lord, you've given to us many examples of faith and even many more than we've looked at this morning and the past few weeks. The examples of the New Testament as well as all throughout church history and even the examples that you've given, Lord, in our very own generation of those who have believed you and walked according to your word. God, I pray that you would use those things to remove the excuses

the doubt and the questions from our hearts, Lord, that we would follow their example and walk by faith. Help us, Lord, to believe you and be obedient to you at your word. Regardless of what this life may bring and the difficulty it might have or the victories it might have, help us, Lord, to be faithful to you and to be obedient to you. Teach us, Lord, endurance as we run this race that you've set before us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.