Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11:1

In writing his epistles, Paul’s typical method at the outset was to address issues of doctrine and to follow with exhortations to duty. He would talk about positionwho we are in Christbefore he would deal with practicehow we should live and behave. And such is the case in this epistle to the Hebrews. The first ten chapters have been concerned with doctrine, position, and what Christ has done for us. In the remaining three chapters, the author will make practical application. In fact, in each of the three remaining chapters, he will address one of the three great virtues… In chapter 11, we read about the walk of faith. In chapter 12, we are reminded of the wisdom of hope. In chapter 13, we see the way of love. It’s not that the author of this letter is suddenly saying, “Okay, now we’re done with doctrine, so let’s switch gears and talk about something practical.” No it all flows together. Keep in mind the Epistle to the Hebrews was written to keep Jewish believers from being sucked back into religious traditions. That’s why chapter 11 is so essential to the discussion of the first ten chapters. “I know it’s tempting to go back to that which you can see with your eyes, smell with your nose, and touch with your hands. But don’t do it,” the author pleads, “for now you are called to something entirely different. You are called to walk by faith.” The phrase “things not seen” is literally “things not yet seen.” Faith is the substance of what you know is coming your way, even though it is not yet seen. Faith isn’t wishful thinking. No, based upon the Word of God, faith says, “Whether I see it presently, understand it intellectually, or experience it immediately, I know what God says He’ll do, He will do.”

Hebrews 11:2

While faith may sound somewhat impractical, in reality, every single one of us exercises faith constantly. Upon entering church on Sunday, you exercised great faith that the architect and the engineer knew what they were doing. If you didn’t have faith, you’d be hiding under the pew. But even then, you’d be trusting the pew makerthat he knew how to design a pew to support not only your weight, but the weight of all of the people on it. That’s faith, folks! If you drive your car sixty-five miles per hour, you do so trusting the engineers who drew the plans and the workers on the assembly line are men of responsibility and integrity, that the system will work, that when you hit the brake, the car will stop. It’s an amazing thing, this world of faith in which we live. But the irony is that, although we have faith in the boys at Ford and in the maker of the pew; when it comes to God, we get a little iffy and a little shaky. This ought not be. Even though we don’t know how it works or when it will come to pass, we’re to be those who, like the elders in our text, have faith that God’s will shall be worked out ultimatelyand that it will be good. On the other hand, a lot of teachers in the “positive confession” or “hyper-Pentecostal” movement are in great error when they suggest that faith is a force you use to get your will done; that if you learn how to use the force by spoken word, by positive confessionlike rubbing a genie’s lampyou can control your destiny. That is faith in faithand it is foolishness. Faith is in the Father. Faith says, “I trust You, Lord, in whatever You choose to do in this situation.”

Hebrews 11:3

If you believe God spoke the worlds into existence, you lead the parade of those who obtain a good report. The author of this epistle was two thousand years ahead of his time because we now know that everything that exists materially is made of atoms that cannot be seen. “Not so,” you argue, “because now we have electron microscopes and can see all kinds of things previously invisible.” Yes, but when you break down the atom, you enter into the area of energywhich is not material at all. So guess what. The further you get into science, the more you realize everything is made out of that which cannot be seen. Everything is made out of energy. Consequently, the man of faith was thousands of years ahead of the man of science.

Hebrews 11:4

Not only was Cain’s sacrifice of vegetables unacceptable because rather than pointing to the Lamb of God, it spoke of his own effortit was unacceptable because, unlike Abel, Cain did not offer his sacrifice by faith. This realization would stab the Jewish heart because the Jews took great pride in their ceremonies, traditions, and attempts at spirituality.

Hebrews 11:5

Those who believe the church will go through the Tribulationthe period of time when God pours out His wrath on a Christ-rejecting worlduse Noah as their proof. “Although judgment fell with the rain,” they say, “Noah and his family were protected in the arkjust as the church will be protected in the Tribulation.” Not so. Noah is a picture of the Jewish people going through the Tribulation, for truly, they will go through it (Revelation 7) and be saved in it. The church, on the other hand, is pictured by Enoch, who, a few verses before the story of Noah, was “translated"or rapturedbefore the rain came down, before judgment took place. “What must we do to do the works of God?” they asked Jesus. “This is the work of God,” He answered, “that you believe on Him whom the Father hath sent,” answered Jesus (see Joh_6:29). How do you please the Father? You believe on the Son.

Hebrews 11:6

Here are two keys to faith. The first is to believe that God is. “Who do I say You are?” Moses asked God. “I AM THAT I AM,” God answered (see Exo_3:14). In other words, God said, “I am whatever you need.” Are you lonely tonight? God is the friend who’s closer than a brother. Are you confused about what to do? He is the door. Are you feeling like you’re walking in a haze? He’s the Good Shepherd. Faith hopes for the unseen because it believes God is. Secondly, faith believes God is the One who will meet the needs deep within my heart. There are those who believe God isbut they don’t really seek Him. Why must we diligently seek God? Why isn’t it enough just to believe He is whatever we have need of? Because God knows if we diligently seek Him, the very things about which we seek Him will fade in importance as we realize it’s Him we want all along. I believe most of us have no problem with the first of these two keys to faith. We believe God is. But because we don’t believe He rewards those who seek Him, we seek Him haphazardly or half-heartedly if at all. I long for the day when retreat centers are full of people saying, “Lord, we seek Your blessing and Your direction, Your leading and Your provision because we understand You reward those who diligently seek You.” “I don’t have time,” you might be saying. Not true. We have time to golf, time to see the Blazers play, time to water ski, fix the plumbing, and go to the dentist. Every single one of us without exception has time. We do what we want and make time for what is of value to us. Throughout history, the common denominator in the lives of those who have been blessed is that they have all been those who realize God enjoys our company. And when we seek Him, we’re rewardednot because we’re trying to earn brownie pointsbut just because hanging out with the Lord opens the door to fabulous blessing from Him.

Hebrews 11:7

Twenty years before his first child was born, Noah planned the construction of the ark with rooms for his sons and his sons’ wives. In other words, by faith, he said, “My sons and their wives are going to be saved. And I’m providing a place for their salvation.” Every parent should have this verse underlined and by faith say, “With the hammer of intercession in one hand and the nail of instruction in the other, I believe You will use my meager labor, Lord, to save my family.”

Hebrews 11:8

Abraham didn’t know where he was goinghe just started moving. Most of us in his position would say, “Father, I know You’re calling me to leave Ur, and I’ll be happy to go as soon as You give me a map of Mesopotamia.” But the Lord doesn’t work that way in the arena of faith. “Start moving one step at a time,” He says. “I’ll direct you, but I will not give you directions for Step 2 until you first take Step 1. A step of faith is the prerequisite for a man or woman to be used by God. He’s looking for those who will come to the Jordan and get their feet wet (Jos_3:15). My tendency, however, is to say, “Here I am, Lord. Right near the edge, just like You told me to be. Now, Lord, this ark is important cargo. You don’t want to see it get dropped into the river and carried downstream, do You? That’s not practical. So in order to help You protect Your good Name, whenever you part the water, I’ll be thrilled to go across. Here I am, Your man of faith, ready to serve You on the spot.” But without faith, it’s impossible to please God. “Why?” you ask. “Why does God take me to the edge of the Jordan, tell me to put my foot in, and risk my looking like a fool or the ark floating down the river? I don’t get it.” Guess what. You willbecause faith is the lingua franca of eternity. God’s not saying, “I’m going to put you to the test for the fun of it. Let’s see if you step in or not.” The Father has no joy in seeing His kids agonize at the edge of the Jordan. “If this causes you agony,” He says, “it’s because you yet need to become a man of faith. After all, it’s who you are in the arena of faith that will affect how I will use you in the next billion years to come.” You see, gang, if you take eternity out of the equation, the whole life of faith seems like a bad joke. But once you understand that life on earth is to train and stretch, develop and mature you for heaven and the ages to come, you start looking at everything differently. “Okay, Father,” you’ll say, “this is a stretch for me. It’s uncomfortable. It’s not easy. But because You told me to be like Abraham, even if I don’t know where I’m going, I trust You.”

Hebrews 11:9

Why did Abraham embark on such a venture, such a journey? Because he was looking for a city that had foundations, whose builder and maker was Godall the while knowing that what he was looking for would never be found anywhere on the face of this earth. Why is this so important? Because when I moved from San Jose to Applegate, for example, if I had been looking for a city on earth to satisfy me, I would have been paralyzed by fear. I would have said, “What if I get there and discover Applegate’s not it?” But since the longing of my heart was for a city without foundations, I already knew Applegate wouldn’t be it! “What if I go there, and it doesn’t work out?” you ask. Don’t worryit’s not going to work out! “What if I marry her, and she doesn’t fully satisfy me?” you ask yourself. Don’t worryshe won’t! “What if I take that job and it’s not what I hoped?” you speculate. Don’t worryit won’t be! You’ll never be a man or woman of faith if you’re looking for fulfillment here. No matter your ministry, your geographic location, your job, or who you marryyou’ll not find it here. Like Abraham, don’t look for a city that has foundations on earth. Look for eternity, and you’ll experience heaven in your heart, and you’ll be blessed in your soul wherever you are. Had Abraham looked for a city on earth, he would have been stuck in Ur forever. But at some point, God by His grace allowed Abraham to understand that everything on earth is in preparation for heaven. If you don’t see Abraham as a model of faith, you’ll be perpetually paralyzed and completely frustrated. You must understand that God only leads you one step at a time. He doesn’t tell you what lies around the bend. And even when you get around the bend, you must understand it’s not going to be what you were hoping for because what you really crave is heaven. In spiritual life, the Lord will take you as far as you want to goand not one step further. If you choose to take one baby step and stop, God will still love you because His love for you is not based on anything you do or don’t do. But if you choose to walk by faith from Ur of the Chaldees all the way to the land flowing with milk and honey, He’ll be with you every step of the way. People wonder why some folks are so spiritual, why others seem particularly blessed, why others are mightily used. It’s not that God is playing favorites. It’s just that those who seem to have a special relationship with God are simply those who chose to keep going. Whether it’s in expression of praise, gifts of the Spirit, or aspects of ministryhowever far you want to go in spiritual life, God will never say to you, “You’re going a little too far. You’re getting a little too spiritual.” Never.

Hebrews 11:11

When the Lord and two angels came to Abraham’s tent and told him his wife would conceive, what did the wife of the father of faith do? She laughed (Gen_18:12). This encourages me a whole bunch because Sarah’s faith was not real strong. Yet Jesus taught that if we have just a tiny bit of faiththe size of a grain of mustardmountains of barrenness could be removed and miracles could take place (Mat_17:20). Sarah’s story encourages me greatly because sometimes I sense a promise from the Lord being written on my heart, or I read a promise in the Word and I kind of chuckle in disbelief. So did Sarah. Yet the Lord honored the seed of faith within her, and a child whose name means “laughter” was born to her (Gen_21:5-6).

Hebrews 11:13

Although Abraham never saw his offspring number more than the stars in the heavens, in Isaac he saw the beginning of the fulfillment of this promise. Abraham was one who was characterized by two objects: a tent and an altar. He was a wanderer and a worshiper, a pilgrim and a priest. So, too, as I look around this world, I feel like I fit in less and less. Like Abraham, we are strangers because it’s strange around here. And, like him, we realize what we’re looking for and craving is not to be found here.

Hebrews 11:14

If Abraham had been thinking about the stuff he left behind in Ur, he might have gone back. But those things weren’t what he looked for or lived for. He looked for, lived for, longed for a better country.

Hebrews 11:17

Since Abraham had two sons, why is Isaac referred to as his only begotten son? For the same reason God referred to Isaac as Abraham’s only son in Genesis 22 as they climbed Mount Moriah: God didn’t acknowledge Ishmael. This is great news for us, gang, because every one of us has a bunch of Ishmaelsa bunch of reminders of our fleshrunning around. But God doesn’t even acknowledge them. Our sins and iniquities He remembers no more (Heb_8:12).

Hebrews 11:18

How many people had been resurrected from the dead in Abraham’s day? Zero. Therefore, in saying to the servants who waited for him at the base of Mount Moriah, “You stay here while I and the lad go up to the mountain and worship, and we will return again unto thee,” Abraham’s faith was great, indeed (see Gen_22:5).

Hebrews 11:20

As we see Isaac and Jacob bless their sons and grandchildren, please note three components of biblical blessing… First, we see tender affection. A blessing was pronounced while laying a hand upon the child’s head. After investigating the lives of four hundred women who had given birth four or more times outside of marriage, a college professor discovered one common denominator among them. This common denominator was not income, education, race, or religion. The common denominator was that in their childhoods, each lacked being embraced properly and lovingly by a father or grandfather. How important it is, Dad, to consistently, tenderly, lovingly embrace your kids. Second, we see present affirmation. Biblical blessings always contained fitting words of description. One child would be likened to a fruitful vine overflowing its walls. Another would be likened to a lion crouching in strength. And through these meaningful words, children gained access into how their parents saw them. Finally, we see future direction. Kids still need this today… In Orthodox Jewish homes, you might hear the parents say, “Meet my son, Jacob, the lawyer,” or, “Meet my daughter, Sarah, the doctor,“regardless of the fact that Jacob’s eight and Sarah only five. We have the privilege of saying, “You know, son, it wouldn’t surprise me if God uses you in days to come to teach the Bible.” Or, “You have a spirit of adventure about you. It wouldn’t surprise me if you end up being a missionary.” I believe it is imperative for parents and grandparents to dispense blessing constantly. Yes, it takes faithespecially when there’s not a whole lot to bless in your kids. But without faith, it’s impossible to please Godso bless your kids in faith!

Hebrews 11:22

Even though he himself died in Egypt, Joseph knew his people would make it back to the Promised Land. By faith, he knew good things would happen not only for his family but also for the entire nation.

Hebrews 11:23

I suggest it was through the eyes of faith that Jochebed and Amram said of their son, Moses, “This child is going to be special” (see Exo_2:2). So, too, Mom and Dad, if you think your child will never amount to much, that he’ll always struggle or that she’s not quite up to parthat’s simply a lack of faith because faith is the substance of things not yet seen. If you see your kid as a problem child, this will be understood within his soul, and it will greatly hinder what God can do in and through his life. Such was not the case with Amram and Jochebed. Knowing Moses was special, they went to great lengths to make sure his life was spared.

Hebrews 11:24

Not only was he the lawgiver, the deliverer, and the historian of the nation of Israel, Moses was also the meekest man on the face of the earth (Num_12:3). No wonder, then, that the Jewish people to whom this book is written esteemed Moses higher than the angels. In the following five verses, please note seven characteristics of this remarkable man of faith… Moses chose humility. In the original text, the article “the” is absent, rendering it, “he refused to be called son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” Why is this important? Because “Son of Pharaoh,” a title like “Queen of England” or “Duke of York,” carried with it the understanding that the bearer was next in line to the throne. “I’m not interested,” said Moses, “in the prestige or the power, the prominence or the prosperity.”

Hebrews 11:25

Moses chose to suffer. There is pleasure in sin for a seasonbut with every kick comes a kickback that causes great heartache and confusion. You can either give in to your flesh now and have a lifetime of painor you can say no to your flesh, say no to that guy, say no to that thing and experience a little pain now, but a lifetime of pleasure later. That’s the choice. Having been in the ministry over twenty years, I have never once heard anyone say, “I’m sure glad about the sins I committed in college,” or, “I’m so grateful for my adulterous experience.” I have, however, talked to literally hundreds who have said, “I wish I could go back and do it over. I wouldn’t give in. I wouldn’t succumb. I would choose differently.”

Hebrews 11:26

Moses invested in things eternal. Did you see the miracle that took place when the offering was taken at church on Sunday? Baskets were passed, and, contrary to human nature, people put money in rather than grabbing money out. “The tithe is mine,” says the Lord (Mal_3:8). And those who obey, like Moses, discover riches greater than the treasure of Egypt.

Hebrews 11:27

Moses walked out with the world’s wrath. Because Moses grew up in the palace, Pharaoh and his court were actually Moses’ colleagues. The people with whom we are the most familiar are often the people before whom it is hardest to take a stand. Not so with Moses. Moses developed spiritual eyesight. “I don’t believe in blind faith,” the skeptic says. And I agree! Our faith is not blind, folks. On the contrary, we see more than the unbeliever sees, for, like Moses, we see the invisible.

Hebrews 11:28

Moses kept Passover. The Greek word translated “kept” denotes continual action. In other words, Moses “kept on keeping” Passover. Why? To keep the death angel away. Because Christ is our Passover (1Co_5:7), Paul would write, “For this cause many are sick and weak and dying, not giving worth to the Lord’s table” (see 1Co_11:29-30). Why does Applegate Christian Fellowship serve Communion every morning at 6:30 A.M.? And why do people come? For the same reason Moses kept on keeping Passover: To keep away the death angel who would creep into our families spiritually and into our hearts personally.

Hebrews 11:29

Moses kept the ordinance of baptism. Not only did Moses keep the ordinance of Passover, but he kept the ordinance of baptism. You see, according to 1Co_10:2, the parting of the Red Sea was a picture of baptism. The same waters that parted for the Israelites buried the Egyptians. So, too, by entering the waters of baptism, we say, “Bury the Egypt in me, Lord. Drown out the old, the flesh, the world. I’m headed for a new land and a new way of living.”

Hebrews 11:30

To claim the Promised Land, God’s strategy for His people was fairly simple: Drive a wedge through the middle, dividing the north from the south. There was only one problem, however. To do this, they had to take Jerichoa city that seemed absolutely impenetrable because of the thick double walls surrounding it. Certainly as the Israelites marched around the walls once a day for six days, the people in Jericho must have looked down on them and laughed. “That’s their army?” they must have scoffed. “That’s their strategy?” On the seventh day, however, the heretofore-impenetrable walls came down. And the walls came down not brick by brick but by faith. “There’s a wall between my eighteen-year-old daughter and me,” cries the brokenhearted mother. “We’ve gone to counseling. We’ve followed the workbooks. We’ve tried all the techniques. Yet, although a brick or two might get chipped away, within a month there are three more in their place.” “The walls between me and my son are keeping me out of the Promised Land of what I know a Christian family should be,” says the weary father. “I tried to reason with him, but there’s a wall between us.” Perhaps you are looking at a wall in your own family that seems impenetrable, a wall that appears as though it will never come down. The key isn’t counseling, dialoguing, or role-playing. The key is faith. “But I’ve been marching around, working on, going through this situation for a long time,” you say. Greatbecause the longer the wall has been up between you and your husband, you and your father, or you and your daughterthe more you know it can’t be brought down by your own effort. Walls come down when God moves in. But until God moves in, you’ll just chip away, and frustration will fill your heart. Have faith in God, for when you finally realize that human skill or ability is insufficient, when you finally say, “Lord, if anything’s going to happen, it’s going to be because of You"that’s when the wall will fall. Oh, it might take a week or a month, a year or a decade. But by faith in God, the wall will come down. How? In a way you would never have guessed, planned, or predicted. The older I get, the less impressed I am with people’s abilities to solve problems and the more amazed I am at God’s faithfulness if we’ll just believe Him. If you think that’s a cop-out, join the jeerers of Jericho. But if you want to see a miracle, march with the Lord, and see what He’ll do.

Hebrews 11:31

Here, alongside the names of Moses and Joshua, we find a seemingly unlikely member of the Hall of Faith. But I find Rahab’s inclusion particularly pertinent to the culture in which we live… Rahab: Holy or Hypocrite? A Topical Study of Heb_11:31 One of the best-known chapters in the entire Bible, Hebrews 11 is known as God’s Hall of Faith. I find this Hall of Faith amazingas much for who’s not in it as who is. I mean, think who’s missing: Elijah and Elisha, Jehoshaphat and Jeremiah. I would have thought they would have been shoo-ins! But, instead, we find Sarah and Samson, Jacob and Jephthah…and Rahab. Interestingly, Rahab and Sarahthe only two women in the seventeen-member Hall of Faithare both linked to Abraham. Sarah was his helpmate. But, according to James 2, Rahab was his soulmate, for she, like Abraham, had faith that showed itself not just theoretically, but practically. As we look at Rahab, I want you to see her in two ways: both as a picture of the believer, and as a problem for the believer. A Picture of the Believer After wandering in the wilderness for forty years, the children of Israel were ready to claim the Promised Land. Their first obstacle was Jerichoa double-walled city that seemed impregnable. So Joshua sent spies into Jericho, who ended up lodging in the house of a harlot named Rahab. After hearing of the king’s intent to capture them, Rahab hatched a plan to protect the spies. Why? “I know the Lord, Yahweh, hath given you the land,” she said. “We have heard what you did to the two kings of the Amorites. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts did melt. For the Lord, your God, He is God in heaven, and He is God in earth” (see Jos_2:9-11). Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word (Rom_10:17). Thus, even though Rahab neither saw the Red Sea part nor the Amorite kings get wiped out, she heard the Word and she believed. Way back in the Book of Exodus, after the Red Sea parted miraculously, Moses was so thrilled he wrote this song: Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them…Exo_15:11-16 And that’s exactly what happened to Rahab. Not only did Rahab hear the Word about God, she believed in God, and risked her life to serve Him. That is why in the next scene, we see her hiding the spies among the flax on her roof. Perhaps the mention of flax rings a bell, for it is also used in the classic Proverbs 31 description of the virtuous woman. Now if virtuous women worked with flax, what was Rahab doing with it on her roof? I suggest that after hearing about God, she who was previously a prostitute had given up her former occupation. She heard about God. She believed in God. And she was changed by God. “We’ll take care of you and your family,” said the spies. “Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.” “According unto your words, so be it,” answered Rahab (see Jos_2:18-21). When at last Joshua led the people of Israel to march around Jericho and the walls came down, one part of the wall remained: the portion that held a scarlet threadthe scarlet thread of redemption, whereby Rahab’s house was saved. Truly, Rahab is a beautiful example of the believer, for hers was a saving faith indeednot only for her but also for her family. But think with me about another aspect of Rahabfor while she’s a picture of faith, she also poses a problem… A Problem for the Believer Rahab presents a problem for the believer because instead of just trusting in the Lord by saying to the soldiers concerning the spies, “Kill me if you wish, but my lips are sealed,” she said, “They’re not here. They went that-a-way.” In other words, she intentionally, purposefully told a whopper of a lie. En route to Seattle one weekend, I had an intriguing conversation with a well-known author. After interviewing a number of Christian leaders, he came to the conclusion that they’re all hypocrites. Oh no, I thought. Not the age-old hypocrite argument again. “You know, it’s interesting,” I said. “Even though he’s repented of wrong theology and foolish financial decisions, you’d call Jim Bakker a hypocriteyet you’d never say that of Hugh Hefner. Why? Because Mr. Hefner doesn’t have any standards to violate.” Gang, if anyone knows you’re a believer, sooner or later they’ll see you struggle in some area or fail at some point and call you a hypocrite. “Watch me,” you need to say, “and you’ll see me fail. I’m not what I should be, but I praise God I’m not what I used to be, and not what I would be if I had no standards whatsoever.” You see, the higher your standards, the more vulnerable you’ll be to what the world calls hypocrisy. The problem is, the world’s definition of hypocrisy is totally amiss. Who did Jesus identify as hypocrites? Not Rahab, who, in spite of her newfound belief in God lied openly. Not Jim Bakker, whose excesses caused heartache and tragedy. Jesus labeled only one group as hypocrites: Those determined to keep others from the kingdom (Matthew 23) don’t fall into that category. Neither does Rahab. What did God do with Rahab? “Let the critic, the cynic, the skeptic point out her failings, shortcomings, and flaws,” He would say. “But she is one of only seventeen I have chosen to be in My Hall of Faith.” That’s the kind of God we serve. The world finds flaws. Our God finds faith. I know this because when He became a Man in Jesus Christ, He found another loose woman, called her gunea term of respectand said, “Go call your husband.” “I don’t have a husband,” she answered. He didn’t call her a liar. He said, “Thou hast spoken well. You don’t have a husband. You’ve had five. And the one you’re living with now is not your husband” (see Joh_4:16-18). Only Jesus has the ability to extract the precious from the vile (Jer_15:19). The world does just the opposite. The world sniffs out the vile in the precious. The world is quick to point to the failures, shortcomings and inconsistencies in the lives of believers. Why? Because the world is determined to keep people out of the kingdom of God. Thus, by Jesus’ definition, it is the world rather than the believer that is hypocritical. Please remember this, gang, the next time the label of hypocrite is bandied about. It is not the breaking of one’s standards that defines one as a hypocrite but rather the breaking of God’s heart by those whose goal is to keep people from Him. May we learn the lesson of Rahab. And may we all celebrate the grace and mercy of the One who looks past our flaws to find our faith.

Hebrews 11:32

The dead were raised. The fire was quenched. The lions’ mouths were stopped. There was victory, power, and deliveranceall because of faith. But watch out because so-called “faith teachers” will quote this verse saying, “You too can see your dead raised, your sick healed, your bank accounts swell.” The problem is, they conveniently don’t finish the passage, for it goes on… In verses Heb_11:33-35, faith gave people victory over their circumstances. But in verses Heb_11:35-38, faith gave others victory in their circumstances. The latter were those who, because they saw the big picture of eternity, left a lasting impression on the world.

Hebrews 11:39

The promise referred to, of course, is the central promise of the Book of Hebrews, the promise of the New Covenant, the promise of salvation by faith.

Hebrews 11:40

“Oh, to have seen the lions’ mouths stopped, the parting of the Red Sea, or fire falling from heaven,” we say. But in reality, we have experienced something far greater than any of these miracles. The Lord lives in our hearts. He walks with us every moment of every day. He gives direction to us whenever we take time to stop and listen. Although we take all of these things for granted, any one of them would have astounded the Old Testament saints. The heroes of faith who preceded us didn’t experience the perfection or the maturity we enjoy in the New Covenant. How do you receive this New Covenant? By faith, saying, “Lord, I, too, am looking for a better country. And by faith, I’ll see greater things than even these heroes and heroines did because, although they saw awesome events externally, I’ve experienced Your miraculous grace internally, the promise of Your kingdom ultimately, and the promise of Your presence eternally.”