“By Faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous…By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death…Without faith it is impossible to please Him (God)…By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household…By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going…By faith Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God….By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life…Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number and as numerable as the sand which is by the seashore…All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, god is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them…By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac…He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead…By faith Jacob, as he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones…By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents…By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of god than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin…By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen… By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them…By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land…by faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days…By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient…Women received by their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains, and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised because god had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect,” (Heb. 11:4-40, excerpts).
Faith, no better way to describe it than to look at Hebrews 11. Makes us look pretty weak though. It’s hard to stack up against this line up of heroes of the faith. If you use this passage as a standard, you’ll find yourself coming up woefully short. That is my experience. What we call faith is a watered-down version of the perfect example, at best. Faith to us looks like being a regular Bible-reader or a regular at al the church events. It’s a bit pathetic when you stack up your life to this passage.
Abraham was called out of his home. He was called away from his family, the familiar, his fame, and his fortune. He wasn’t living in a horrible home or in awful conditions. It wasn’t like he said; “I am getting the hell out of here.” Nope, he was living the good life. Abram (his name at the time) was enjoying the fruit of wealth and prosperity. His family was wealthy and well known. According to various accounts in history, his family owned an idol shop. His family was polytheistic; they believed in many gods. All that had been set up for Abram had been lost.
Abram’s father Terah, had left the land of Ur, in Northern Mesopotamia, and settled in Haran. He was headed to Canaan and never left Haran. History is unclear as to exactly why.
Abram was soon called on by God to complete this journey to a new land, a land that he did not know. This was a big request. Abram was a city-dweller. This would require him to become a nomad. He would leave the modern conveniences and all that to which he had become accustom. He would then become Abraham “the father of many.” Abram was “high, exalted father.” This new name would be another promise, a promise to be the father of many descendants. This too would not be without incident. Sarah was barren. They both were very old. Faith played yet another part. It would become the common theme throughout Scripture.
Noah was told by God to build an ark. He was ridiculed and persecuted. Noah exercised his faith to its completion. Moses showed his faith by trusting God to use him to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. The list goes on about those who were heroes of the faith. But, we often miss the deep layers of what takes place between the words. These were people of great faith surely. But, they were simply living each day as it came. Sometimes they were wrong. Sometimes they made horrible mistakes. Often they were disagreeable toward God. They spilled milk and cursed. They drank too much on occasion, Noah did. They even murdered, Moses. He even ran from the sin. Get this; his running was God’s plan. God tucked him away for many years to train him so that he could lead the mission to set God’s people free. Isn’t that something? My point is that these were not superhuman people. Most of them got made fun of by their friends and neighbors.
We think that because someone in Scripture is called a person of great faith it means that they did everything right or that they were better than we are. Nope. They were like us. The reason God desired to list them as heroes of faith is because, like you and I, they were weak in their flesh. How can you exhibit faith if you can already do things without God? Faith is a picture on display of your total inability and need to have your Daddy do stuff. If you have great faith, it was likely preceded by great weakness. That sucks the life out grand dreams of being a hero doesn’t it? One more thing, all these people became heroes posthumously. That means they became famous after they died. Sure some of them were known and great leaders. Moses led the Israelites. Abraham was the father of God’s people. But each day they awoke, they faced the normal struggles of leading and serving. We know them as heroes. We need to remember that this quality about them was not just given. It was lived out in a journey of turmoil and struggle.
There were some heroes in Scripture. But, it wasn’t because they were perfect. Faith isn’t always succeeding. Sometimes it is failing and trusting that God can take the wreck, which you have made and do something, great out of it. Is there a greater faith than that? Though these stories of faith are challenging and inspirational. The real story here is between the lines.
“…and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains, and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised because god had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect,”
Several years ago my dad preached a message on a Sunday night. He made a statement that I won’t ever forget. Brad Jones and I talk about this from time-to-time. He said, “And then there were the others.” No one mentions there names; yet, they were murdered, tortured, mocked, scourged, chained, imprisoned, stoned, sawn in two, put to death. They lived in hiding by dressing in the skins of animals. They were poor, broken, afflicted, and mistreated. They wandered around in the deserts and mountains, caves and holes. Scripture says that the were “men of whom the world was not worthy.” These “others" had faith that was known, but a name that was not. Now that is some kind of faith.
Known or not, these men and women exhibited faith though they did not see the promise, the Messiah. Today, we have the gift of the Messiah living in us. It makes me feel like my faith is so weak. Then when I think about it, it isn’t my faith that is weak; it’s my flesh. So, maybe my faith is actually strong. Maybe you and I are more like these than we imagined. “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong,” (II Cor. 12:10).
Your servant, your friend,
Tim
Faith, no better way to describe it than to look at Hebrews 11. Makes us look pretty weak though. It’s hard to stack up against this line up of heroes of the faith. If you use this passage as a standard, you’ll find yourself coming up woefully short. That is my experience. What we call faith is a watered-down version of the perfect example, at best. Faith to us looks like being a regular Bible-reader or a regular at al the church events. It’s a bit pathetic when you stack up your life to this passage.
Abraham was called out of his home. He was called away from his family, the familiar, his fame, and his fortune. He wasn’t living in a horrible home or in awful conditions. It wasn’t like he said; “I am getting the hell out of here.” Nope, he was living the good life. Abram (his name at the time) was enjoying the fruit of wealth and prosperity. His family was wealthy and well known. According to various accounts in history, his family owned an idol shop. His family was polytheistic; they believed in many gods. All that had been set up for Abram had been lost.
Abram’s father Terah, had left the land of Ur, in Northern Mesopotamia, and settled in Haran. He was headed to Canaan and never left Haran. History is unclear as to exactly why.
Abram was soon called on by God to complete this journey to a new land, a land that he did not know. This was a big request. Abram was a city-dweller. This would require him to become a nomad. He would leave the modern conveniences and all that to which he had become accustom. He would then become Abraham “the father of many.” Abram was “high, exalted father.” This new name would be another promise, a promise to be the father of many descendants. This too would not be without incident. Sarah was barren. They both were very old. Faith played yet another part. It would become the common theme throughout Scripture.
Noah was told by God to build an ark. He was ridiculed and persecuted. Noah exercised his faith to its completion. Moses showed his faith by trusting God to use him to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. The list goes on about those who were heroes of the faith. But, we often miss the deep layers of what takes place between the words. These were people of great faith surely. But, they were simply living each day as it came. Sometimes they were wrong. Sometimes they made horrible mistakes. Often they were disagreeable toward God. They spilled milk and cursed. They drank too much on occasion, Noah did. They even murdered, Moses. He even ran from the sin. Get this; his running was God’s plan. God tucked him away for many years to train him so that he could lead the mission to set God’s people free. Isn’t that something? My point is that these were not superhuman people. Most of them got made fun of by their friends and neighbors.
We think that because someone in Scripture is called a person of great faith it means that they did everything right or that they were better than we are. Nope. They were like us. The reason God desired to list them as heroes of faith is because, like you and I, they were weak in their flesh. How can you exhibit faith if you can already do things without God? Faith is a picture on display of your total inability and need to have your Daddy do stuff. If you have great faith, it was likely preceded by great weakness. That sucks the life out grand dreams of being a hero doesn’t it? One more thing, all these people became heroes posthumously. That means they became famous after they died. Sure some of them were known and great leaders. Moses led the Israelites. Abraham was the father of God’s people. But each day they awoke, they faced the normal struggles of leading and serving. We know them as heroes. We need to remember that this quality about them was not just given. It was lived out in a journey of turmoil and struggle.
There were some heroes in Scripture. But, it wasn’t because they were perfect. Faith isn’t always succeeding. Sometimes it is failing and trusting that God can take the wreck, which you have made and do something, great out of it. Is there a greater faith than that? Though these stories of faith are challenging and inspirational. The real story here is between the lines.
“…and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains, and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised because god had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect,”
Several years ago my dad preached a message on a Sunday night. He made a statement that I won’t ever forget. Brad Jones and I talk about this from time-to-time. He said, “And then there were the others.” No one mentions there names; yet, they were murdered, tortured, mocked, scourged, chained, imprisoned, stoned, sawn in two, put to death. They lived in hiding by dressing in the skins of animals. They were poor, broken, afflicted, and mistreated. They wandered around in the deserts and mountains, caves and holes. Scripture says that the were “men of whom the world was not worthy.” These “others" had faith that was known, but a name that was not. Now that is some kind of faith.
Known or not, these men and women exhibited faith though they did not see the promise, the Messiah. Today, we have the gift of the Messiah living in us. It makes me feel like my faith is so weak. Then when I think about it, it isn’t my faith that is weak; it’s my flesh. So, maybe my faith is actually strong. Maybe you and I are more like these than we imagined. “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong,” (II Cor. 12:10).
Your servant, your friend,
Tim
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