As we approach Hebrews, 12, I want you to know that I really love this chapter, and so we are going to spend a couple of weeks on it. This morning, we are going to look at the first 13 verses this morning, and then next week we will finish the remaining 15 verses. So, with that, will you turn in your Bibles with me this morning to Hebrews 12 and we will read verse 1-13.
The word cloud used in this passage emphasizes a large, multitude. Another word would be “throng” – we saw some of those who make up this cloud in chapter 11. The last verse of chapter 11 reminded us how impressive this body of the faithful is. The picture painted for us is one of these faithful champions cheering on Christians who are now running the race of faith. It would be like Mark Allen, 6-time Iron Man Champion running next to Ryan Cash in the Spring Dash cheering him on, saying,“go Ryan! You can do it!" It should inspire us to know that we have these greats who have gone before us “witnessing” what we are doing. They are not spectators, but those who have completed the same race we are running in Christ. They have stood on the victor’s stand and received their eternal reward. Their lives, their stories and their examples should shout to us, “By God’s grace, you can run! By God’s grace, you can make it! By God’s grace, you can have life to the full in Christ!”
In light of their testimony we run – in light of their examples, we endure. How do we do it, though? The writer of Hebrews gives us the first of two exhortations in Hebrews 12. Remember at the root of exhortation is encouragement. It will require obedience and change on our part – but it’s not a negative - the results of our obedience to these exhortations will yield positive results.
So, this first exhortation is, “Let us throw off everything that hinders…” Again, the picture here is of a runner. Have you ever seen what runners wear? Not much. Thin shorts, thin lightweight tank top, lightweight shoes. Have you ever seen a well-trained runner? Through diet, exercise and training, they have trimmed off excess body weight – there’s less to carry – less resistance. They jettison anything that will get in the way of them being able to run freely. How much more then should you and I jettison our entangling sin? All sin needs to be put aside. Picture a runner with his feet caught in vines – picture a runner whose shorts have fallen down around his feet. He trips and falls – sin does the same to us in the race of faith. I should have titled the sermon, “Don’t Run with Your Pants Down” – but that may not have been a good idea. What did the old guy sing on American Idol? "Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground?” Anyway…
When we have thrown aside our sin, thrown aside our distractions, we are able to run with perseverance the race marked out for us – just like this cloud of witnesses ran their races. Isn’t it awesome to know that God has marked out our course? It has been marked out clearly for us through Jesus Christ. Jesus, too, has run this race and has given us the ability to reach the finish line. The superiority of His nature, the superiority of His sacrifice, the superiority of His Priesthood all give us the ability to “finish strong.” That is why these Hebrew believers, and now us, are being told to “fix our eyes on Jesus.” Why? He is the author of our faith – He is the perfecter of our faith. Jesus Christ Himself is the “something better” we have that those who have gone before us didn’t have. To focus on the finish line is to focus on Christ. Abraham and Moses kept their eyes of faith focused on the eternal but invisible goal – you and I need to keep our eyes on Jesus. Jesus became the author and perfecter of our faith through His suffering. Verse 2 says, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The joy in part is being seated at His rightful position with the Father, but it is also in bringing God’s sons and daughters across the finish line into God’s presence. For that reason, He endured the cross. He endured pain, endured shame and death. This is the only place in the New Testament where we are told that Jesus endured the cross. The conclusion of Christ’s endurance was to be seated at God’s right hand. He now eternally resides in the presence of God, through His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection, He has the ability to bring us eternally into God’s presence as well. We fix our eyes on Jesus, because He is the One that grace is available through. He has endured. He makes it possible for believers to have a successful completion to our race. Since Christ has endured and overcome, we, through Him can be victorious. We look to Him for our strength. We look to Him for our supply so that we do not grow weary and lose heart. With His help, we can make the finish line.
Beginning in verse four, the author begins to talk about discipline. He talks about the struggle with sin – but our struggle with sin, doesn’t compare to what Christ went through to conquer sin and death. The Hebrew Christians haven’t yet faced a martyr’s death – but they are in danger – danger of becoming discouraged. So the author reminds them with an exhortation from Proverbs 3:11-12. The original readers, and now us are being reminded that we are sons and daughters of God. God, as our Father, has the right to discipline us, so that we can endure to the end. Warren Wiersbe says, “Chastening [or discipline] is the evidence of the Father’s love. Satan wants us to believe the difficulties of this life are proof that God does not love us, but just the opposite is true. Sometimes God’s chastening is seen in His rebukes from the Word or from circumstances.” Gareth Cockerill says, “The preacher [the author of Hebrews] urges his hearers to endure the sufferings they face as formative discipline because of their status as sons.” All of us have had a father, an earthly father of some sort, and if he was good father, he had to discipline us. I did not have an earthly father who disciplined me – and let me tell you, now that I am a father, I understand and appreciate the difficulties my mom had to go through as single parent, but I understand a lot of what I missed in that critical relationship. If a child is left to himself, he will grow up selfish. My sons receive discipline from me, and one day, I hope they see that this not only proves that I love them, but it proves my diligence to them as their father. God’s discipline is proof that we are indeed His children. Our heavenly Father wants us to learn to revere Him, to obey Him, and be submissive to His will. We endure recognizing that God is instructing us and correcting us. That is the root concept of the Greek word that is translated as “discipline” – instruction and correction. Sports teams have coaches for a reason. Even individual athletes, like the ice skaters skating at the Arena the past week, have coaches – people who instruct, correct, train – people who discipline the athlete and hold them accountable so that they can do their best when the time comes. So we endure whatever suffering, whatever difficult circumstances we face, recognizing it as a form of discipline. We endure as sons and daughters of the Father. When we respond appropriately to God’s discipline, we experience His faithfulness, His grace, His mercy and we find rest in Him.
Discipline is not always pleasant – it is not pleasant either for the father or the children. How many times as a parent have we said or thought, “this hurts me more than it hurts you.” How many of us heard that as children? The Father does not enjoy disciplining His children, but the benefits are evidence of His love. And from that discipline comes a “harvest of righteousness and peace.” The KJV says it produces the “peaceable fruit of righteousness.” Willful rebellion ends, and the child enters a loving relationship with the Father. Discipline also encourages us to “exercise” spiritually. We can have self-discipline through the practice of Bible study, prayer and Christian fellowship. All of this leads to joy in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
The example of Christ and the certainty of God’s love for us should be an encouragement for us to endure the difficulties we face in this “race.” This morning, if you are here and you are in a difficult place - experiencing difficult life circumstances, facing difficult trials, may you experience the assurance and joy of the Father’s love for you. If you have committed your life to Him through Jesus Christ, you are His son – you are His daughter. Endure! Endure with confidence that God is going to produce in and through you a harvest of righteousness and peace.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Tips for New Vonage and VoIP Customers
This is obviously not going to be a theological post in any sense of the word. However, it may prove useful for people who are signing up for Vonage or any other VoIP type phone service.
Our church just switched all of our phone service to Vonage. By doing this, we will save over $700 per year. The signup process with Vonage was simple - we were able to "port" our current number to the Vonage account and add a dedicated fax line, which was something we have never had before. Vonage's customer service is some of the best I have ever experienced - a quality in corporations that is becoming sadly rare. I received my "V-Portal" in the mail, and the clear, easy instructions had my voice line up and running in no time. The fax line, however, was a different story.
The fax machine I use is an HP OfficeJet 7780 - it has been a great printer/copier/scanner for a small office like our church's. We have had it for three years, and have never used the fax capability. With Vonage, we can. I followed the instructions to hook up the fax machine, only to find that when I plugged the phone line from the fax machine into the V-Portal, my fax machine displayed a message telling me my phone was off the hook. So...to the online forums I went. I discovered many common issues, especially with all-in-one printers such as the HP 7780. For many of these machines to work with VoIP, you need to suspend certain features like, "auto correction" and you need to change the "baud rate" to 9600, which is the slowest rate setting. So, I changed these items, and still had the same message - "phone off hook" flashing on the screen. So, I called Vonage customer service.
Again, I was pleasantly surprised with the willingness of the Vonage customer service rep to actually HELP me, and not just read from a script making fake apologies for my technology woes. He actually pulled up the manual for my printer (something that I don't believe HP's Customer Service has even done), and went to work to help me solve the problem. So...what was the solution?
It's really quite simple, and the Vonage rep discovered it within 5 minutes. I was using all 4-pin phone cords for my phones. I didn't even know there were different types of phone cords to begin with. What I needed for VoIP to work correctly were 2-pin phone cords. Apparently VoIP lines require less voltage, and when multiple 4-pin cords are plugged int he V-Portal, it thinks the phone is off the hook. So, I began to scrounge around the office, grabbing every phone cord in sight, and within a couple of minutes found enough 2-pin phone cords to do the job. I switched out the cords, the Vonage rep sent me a test fax and now I am in business. So, here's a list of tips if you are about to make the switch to VoIP (and I highly recommend Vonage simply because of their customer service):
1. Read the instructions that come with your VoIP equipment.
2. Find enough 2-pin phone cords to cover each line you have - both voice and data. I discovered the 2-pin cords in a couple of old modem boxes that I had stuffed in my desk. Most newer phones come with 4-pin cords. If you cannot locate 2-pin cords in your home or office, check out: http://www.cordsforphones.com/ and they will have what you need.
3. Set the baud rate on your fax machine to 9600, turn off "auto correction" and if possible, set it to auto answer after the fewest number of rings possible.
4. Plug in and enjoy saving money with VoIP!
5. If you choose Vonage, it is much easier to sign up over the phone than it is on the web - this was something that came at the suggestion of my Vonage sales representative. So, to sign up over the phone, just call 1-800-486-6037.
I hope this post helps anyone who is discovering the many features that come with VoIP service! Our church is going to enjoy the savings and the added features.
Our church just switched all of our phone service to Vonage. By doing this, we will save over $700 per year. The signup process with Vonage was simple - we were able to "port" our current number to the Vonage account and add a dedicated fax line, which was something we have never had before. Vonage's customer service is some of the best I have ever experienced - a quality in corporations that is becoming sadly rare. I received my "V-Portal" in the mail, and the clear, easy instructions had my voice line up and running in no time. The fax line, however, was a different story.
The fax machine I use is an HP OfficeJet 7780 - it has been a great printer/copier/scanner for a small office like our church's. We have had it for three years, and have never used the fax capability. With Vonage, we can. I followed the instructions to hook up the fax machine, only to find that when I plugged the phone line from the fax machine into the V-Portal, my fax machine displayed a message telling me my phone was off the hook. So...to the online forums I went. I discovered many common issues, especially with all-in-one printers such as the HP 7780. For many of these machines to work with VoIP, you need to suspend certain features like, "auto correction" and you need to change the "baud rate" to 9600, which is the slowest rate setting. So, I changed these items, and still had the same message - "phone off hook" flashing on the screen. So, I called Vonage customer service.
Again, I was pleasantly surprised with the willingness of the Vonage customer service rep to actually HELP me, and not just read from a script making fake apologies for my technology woes. He actually pulled up the manual for my printer (something that I don't believe HP's Customer Service has even done), and went to work to help me solve the problem. So...what was the solution?
It's really quite simple, and the Vonage rep discovered it within 5 minutes. I was using all 4-pin phone cords for my phones. I didn't even know there were different types of phone cords to begin with. What I needed for VoIP to work correctly were 2-pin phone cords. Apparently VoIP lines require less voltage, and when multiple 4-pin cords are plugged int he V-Portal, it thinks the phone is off the hook. So, I began to scrounge around the office, grabbing every phone cord in sight, and within a couple of minutes found enough 2-pin phone cords to do the job. I switched out the cords, the Vonage rep sent me a test fax and now I am in business. So, here's a list of tips if you are about to make the switch to VoIP (and I highly recommend Vonage simply because of their customer service):
1. Read the instructions that come with your VoIP equipment.
2. Find enough 2-pin phone cords to cover each line you have - both voice and data. I discovered the 2-pin cords in a couple of old modem boxes that I had stuffed in my desk. Most newer phones come with 4-pin cords. If you cannot locate 2-pin cords in your home or office, check out: http://www.cordsforphones.com/ and they will have what you need.
3. Set the baud rate on your fax machine to 9600, turn off "auto correction" and if possible, set it to auto answer after the fewest number of rings possible.
4. Plug in and enjoy saving money with VoIP!
5. If you choose Vonage, it is much easier to sign up over the phone than it is on the web - this was something that came at the suggestion of my Vonage sales representative. So, to sign up over the phone, just call 1-800-486-6037.
I hope this post helps anyone who is discovering the many features that come with VoIP service! Our church is going to enjoy the savings and the added features.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Power of Faith, Hebrews 11
Well, we have arrived in Hebrews 11 today. This is probably one of the most well known chapters in the book of Hebrews, because contained within it, we find what has been called the “Hall of Faith.” I have to admit though, that when I talk to people about matters of faith, confusion often reigns. In the dictionary, if you look up the word faith, you will find several meanings for the word. Nine to be exact (I’m inclined to believe that when a word can mean nine different things, people are bound to be confused by it) – nine meanings, at least in the dictionary I was using for my research. The second definition given for the word faith is probably the most commonly known and used – it says, “belief that is not based on proof.” But then, down at definition number 8 the dictionary has this definition: “the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.” I explored a little further beyond the dictionary, and found what Encyclopedia Brittanica says about faith. This is from the 2008 edition. It reads, “inner attitude, conviction, or trust relating man to a supreme God or ultimate salvation. In religious traditions stressing divine grace, it is the inner certainty or attitude of love granted by God himself. In Christian theology, faith is the divinely inspired human response to God's historical revelation through Jesus Christ and, consequently, is of crucial significance.” That’s pretty good stuff.
Faith, as it is discussed in scripture, is a different kind of faith altogether than the kind of faith we have when we step on an airplane or in our cars, or when we make a commitment to someone in “good faith.” By the way, my wife’s plane was late, the battery died on my car yesterday and I’ve had many people make promises to me over the years that have been broken. And I know that even I’ve broken a few. It’s much deeper, and much more important than just blind trust or emotionally driven hope. It’s also much more powerful, and much more concrete. You see the Dictionary does a pretty good job when it says, “the trust in God and His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures…” The encyclopedia does pretty good when it uses words like, “inner certainty.” Here in Hebrews we have read that faith is being “sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” The author of Hebrews talks about faith over and over again in the last three chapters of this great book. What we have here in Hebrews 11 is a description of faith. It’s different than a mere definition of the word, we see here what faith looks like in action. We see what faith does and how it works. Warren Wiersbe says, and those of you who have Facebook may have seen this quote on my page this week. He says, “True Bible faith is not blind optimism or a manufactured “hope-so” feeling. Neither is it an intellectual assent to a doctrine. It is certainly not believing in spite of evidence! That would be [mere] superstition.” Many people, even week-to-week church goers often have this “hope-so” sense when it comes to faith in God. We often put God’s faithfulness on the same level as human faithfulness, and have this attitude of, “God, I sure hope you don’t let me down.” As if He could and as if His job is to do everything you want. We also often go way over to the intellectual side, and try to figure God out on that level. We put as much faith in Him as we have understanding of Him. That too is a mistake. I have to tell you that I do not believe that Abraham’s faith was rooted in superstition or intellect when he walked up the mountain willing to sacrifice his own son, Isaac. I do not believe that any of the men and women mentioned in this chapter who were commended for their faith had a faith that was rooted in superstition, human emotion or human intellect. It goes way beyond that.
Let me tell you what biblical faith is: A person with biblical faith has a confident obedience to God’s Word in spite of circumstances and consequences. Let me say that again, “True Bible faith requires confident obedience to God’s Word in spite of circumstances and consequences.” When God speaks, we listen. “We trust His Word to us and act on it no matter what the circumstances are or what the consequences may be.” Sometimes we don’t understand the circumstances we are facing when we are living in obedience to God. Furthermore, we may face consequences to our obedience to God - but true faith obeys in spite of those uncertainties and fears, because what we are certain of is that God’s way is the best way. We have a certainty that God by nature will not fail – His promises are true and He is completely reliable.
To an unsaved person this is completely illogical. However, when we understand that faith is only as good as the object of our faith, then we can begin to see the importance of faith in God. Faith in God is certain and sure because God is certain and sure. Since God is certain and sure, His Word to us is certain and sure. The object of our faith is unshakeable, God is unshakeable, and so our faith in Him can be certain and sure. Dennis De Haan, long-time editor for Radio Bible Class once said, “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." The Bible makes no attempt to prove God's existence. It assumes it.
Yet three paths are open to the earnest seeker who wants to know if there is a God. The first is nature. Paul wrote, "His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead" (Romans 1:20).
The second path is conscience [which we talked about last week in Hebrews 10], a God-given inner compass that points us to God's standards of right and wrong (2:14-15).
The most convincing path [of faith] is that of putting truth to the test. Those who desire to please God and are willing to obey Him will find that their faith is based in reality, for God rewards "those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Assurance always follows faith.
[He goes on to say] God is too big to be proven. It has been said that a god who could be proven would not be worth proving. But when we trust Jesus as our Savior, His Spirit gives us the assurance that our faith is well-founded. —Dennis J. De Haan” He still often contributes and edits for Our Daily Bread even though he has been retired for quite some time.
Faith means living with the assumption that God’s promises are true, they are real – and believing that His power is at work in the present. It involves recognizing that He is the Living God, active and present in our lives and active, present and at work in the universe.
Verse 4-40 gives us a demonstration of active faith in those who have gone before us. It’s almost a summary of the Old Testament. From Abel to Joshua and beyond, we see the demonstration of faith at work in the lives of each of these individuals. People mocked these men and women when they stepped out in faith, but God used them for His purpose and glory. Abel worshipped in faith, Enoch walked in faith, Noah worked in faith, the patriarchs listed in verses 8-22 waited in faith. Waiting in faith…that is probably one of the hardest. Abraham and Sarah are promised a son, but they wait 25 years for that promise to be fulfilled. God made a covenant promise with Abraham he believed and obeyed God even when he didn’t know when or how God would live up to His end of the agreement. Moses…could have settled for a life of ease in the palace, but chose to identify with God’s people and obey God’s call…in faith. Joshua’s first act of faith was to trust God and cross the Jordan river and thus the city of Jericho was defeated. Rahab the prostitute...experienced God’s redemption because of her faith and obedience. Verses 32-40 talk about many other faith heroes each one unique in their personalities, their circumstances, everything – but each ultimately willing to listen to God and be obedient to His will. None of them were perfect, and many of them did not do a perfect job. Not all experienced a miracle of deliverance – some were tortured, some were martyred, some never got to see what they had hoped for come to fruition. Many simply were delivered from their difficult circumstances, yet God ultimately honored and rewarded their faith. Again, Warren Wiersbe says, “It takes more faith to endure than it does to escape.” What did the world think of these men and women? They did not value them – they tortured them, persecuted them, mocked them, killed them. God’s view of these individuals, however, is completely different – this passage says, “the world was not worthy of them.” Faith gives us the ability to seek God’s will over man’s praise regardless of the outcome. Faith looks ahead to the hope we have in the second coming of Jesus Christ, where the greatest reward is found. The people named in this chapter had “God’s witness to their faith that one day they would be rewarded.”
In spite of our circumstances, we should today give thanks for what we have to look forward to in Christ. We should give thanks to those who have gone before us – they saw some of the blessings of God from a distance, but we get to enjoy many blessings today through Jesus Christ and the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. Hebrews 11 gives us a strong reminder, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” We grow in faith as we engage in God’s Word, listen to Him in prayer and worship. I want to close with yet another Wiersbe quote. He says, “Faith is possible to all kinds of believers in all kinds of situations. It is not a luxury for a few “elite” saints. It is a necessity for all of God’s people.” May the Lord increase our faith this morning!
Faith, as it is discussed in scripture, is a different kind of faith altogether than the kind of faith we have when we step on an airplane or in our cars, or when we make a commitment to someone in “good faith.” By the way, my wife’s plane was late, the battery died on my car yesterday and I’ve had many people make promises to me over the years that have been broken. And I know that even I’ve broken a few. It’s much deeper, and much more important than just blind trust or emotionally driven hope. It’s also much more powerful, and much more concrete. You see the Dictionary does a pretty good job when it says, “the trust in God and His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures…” The encyclopedia does pretty good when it uses words like, “inner certainty.” Here in Hebrews we have read that faith is being “sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” The author of Hebrews talks about faith over and over again in the last three chapters of this great book. What we have here in Hebrews 11 is a description of faith. It’s different than a mere definition of the word, we see here what faith looks like in action. We see what faith does and how it works. Warren Wiersbe says, and those of you who have Facebook may have seen this quote on my page this week. He says, “True Bible faith is not blind optimism or a manufactured “hope-so” feeling. Neither is it an intellectual assent to a doctrine. It is certainly not believing in spite of evidence! That would be [mere] superstition.” Many people, even week-to-week church goers often have this “hope-so” sense when it comes to faith in God. We often put God’s faithfulness on the same level as human faithfulness, and have this attitude of, “God, I sure hope you don’t let me down.” As if He could and as if His job is to do everything you want. We also often go way over to the intellectual side, and try to figure God out on that level. We put as much faith in Him as we have understanding of Him. That too is a mistake. I have to tell you that I do not believe that Abraham’s faith was rooted in superstition or intellect when he walked up the mountain willing to sacrifice his own son, Isaac. I do not believe that any of the men and women mentioned in this chapter who were commended for their faith had a faith that was rooted in superstition, human emotion or human intellect. It goes way beyond that.
Let me tell you what biblical faith is: A person with biblical faith has a confident obedience to God’s Word in spite of circumstances and consequences. Let me say that again, “True Bible faith requires confident obedience to God’s Word in spite of circumstances and consequences.” When God speaks, we listen. “We trust His Word to us and act on it no matter what the circumstances are or what the consequences may be.” Sometimes we don’t understand the circumstances we are facing when we are living in obedience to God. Furthermore, we may face consequences to our obedience to God - but true faith obeys in spite of those uncertainties and fears, because what we are certain of is that God’s way is the best way. We have a certainty that God by nature will not fail – His promises are true and He is completely reliable.
To an unsaved person this is completely illogical. However, when we understand that faith is only as good as the object of our faith, then we can begin to see the importance of faith in God. Faith in God is certain and sure because God is certain and sure. Since God is certain and sure, His Word to us is certain and sure. The object of our faith is unshakeable, God is unshakeable, and so our faith in Him can be certain and sure. Dennis De Haan, long-time editor for Radio Bible Class once said, “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." The Bible makes no attempt to prove God's existence. It assumes it.
Yet three paths are open to the earnest seeker who wants to know if there is a God. The first is nature. Paul wrote, "His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead" (Romans 1:20).
The second path is conscience [which we talked about last week in Hebrews 10], a God-given inner compass that points us to God's standards of right and wrong (2:14-15).
The most convincing path [of faith] is that of putting truth to the test. Those who desire to please God and are willing to obey Him will find that their faith is based in reality, for God rewards "those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Assurance always follows faith.
[He goes on to say] God is too big to be proven. It has been said that a god who could be proven would not be worth proving. But when we trust Jesus as our Savior, His Spirit gives us the assurance that our faith is well-founded. —Dennis J. De Haan” He still often contributes and edits for Our Daily Bread even though he has been retired for quite some time.
Faith means living with the assumption that God’s promises are true, they are real – and believing that His power is at work in the present. It involves recognizing that He is the Living God, active and present in our lives and active, present and at work in the universe.
Verse 4-40 gives us a demonstration of active faith in those who have gone before us. It’s almost a summary of the Old Testament. From Abel to Joshua and beyond, we see the demonstration of faith at work in the lives of each of these individuals. People mocked these men and women when they stepped out in faith, but God used them for His purpose and glory. Abel worshipped in faith, Enoch walked in faith, Noah worked in faith, the patriarchs listed in verses 8-22 waited in faith. Waiting in faith…that is probably one of the hardest. Abraham and Sarah are promised a son, but they wait 25 years for that promise to be fulfilled. God made a covenant promise with Abraham he believed and obeyed God even when he didn’t know when or how God would live up to His end of the agreement. Moses…could have settled for a life of ease in the palace, but chose to identify with God’s people and obey God’s call…in faith. Joshua’s first act of faith was to trust God and cross the Jordan river and thus the city of Jericho was defeated. Rahab the prostitute...experienced God’s redemption because of her faith and obedience. Verses 32-40 talk about many other faith heroes each one unique in their personalities, their circumstances, everything – but each ultimately willing to listen to God and be obedient to His will. None of them were perfect, and many of them did not do a perfect job. Not all experienced a miracle of deliverance – some were tortured, some were martyred, some never got to see what they had hoped for come to fruition. Many simply were delivered from their difficult circumstances, yet God ultimately honored and rewarded their faith. Again, Warren Wiersbe says, “It takes more faith to endure than it does to escape.” What did the world think of these men and women? They did not value them – they tortured them, persecuted them, mocked them, killed them. God’s view of these individuals, however, is completely different – this passage says, “the world was not worthy of them.” Faith gives us the ability to seek God’s will over man’s praise regardless of the outcome. Faith looks ahead to the hope we have in the second coming of Jesus Christ, where the greatest reward is found. The people named in this chapter had “God’s witness to their faith that one day they would be rewarded.”
In spite of our circumstances, we should today give thanks for what we have to look forward to in Christ. We should give thanks to those who have gone before us – they saw some of the blessings of God from a distance, but we get to enjoy many blessings today through Jesus Christ and the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. Hebrews 11 gives us a strong reminder, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” We grow in faith as we engage in God’s Word, listen to Him in prayer and worship. I want to close with yet another Wiersbe quote. He says, “Faith is possible to all kinds of believers in all kinds of situations. It is not a luxury for a few “elite” saints. It is a necessity for all of God’s people.” May the Lord increase our faith this morning!
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