Faith - A Way of Life, Part 2

This teaching is part 2...with the first part posted yesterday.  If you haven't read it you may want to go back and look at that first.

I ended yesterday's blog with a simple premise:  Faith is meant to intersect with every area of our lives.  Jesus' invitation is to "come to me..." and it reminds us that that our lives are meant to experience freedom and joy that comes from a life of faith - trust in our Faithful God.

Today, let's finish this up and go back to Hebrews 11 as it looks looks at the history of mankind.  As we do, remember, it’s always FAITH that makes the difference – whatever the outcome.

Our Faith in Success and Our Faith in Brokenness

Over the last two months, we looked at Faith in some of the great heroes of the Old Testament. 

Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses.  These guys were heroes of Faith in trusting God in really tough places.

The writer of Hebrews now reminds us that the scripture is full of people who acted in faith…BUT, what I want you to notice is that GOD sees our actions of faith.

Some of these represent Faith that is successful…or victorious…and some of these are not – they represent Faith in Brokenness.

First the Faith of the Success:

Hebrews 11:30-40
³⁰  By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.
³¹  By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

The Victorious:

§  Joshua - a leader and warrior who obeyed God to lead his army

§  Rahab - a prostitute who trusted in God and believed in a future with God as her Savior.

Two dynamic individuals from completely difference areas of life.  The list goes on, but we need to note, even though all of these were heroes and successful in what they did, they were all flawed humans.

³²  And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—

·         

          Gideon - a frightened farmer

§  Barak - a frightened warrior

§  Samson - a flawed selfish hero

§  Jephthah - a flawed warrior

§  David - a flawed leader

§  Samuel - a flawed Judge

^§    the prophets - Heroes who suffered and were rejected.

And, what did they do by faith?

³³  who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
³⁴  quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
³⁵  Women received back their dead by resurrection.        

     David certainly subdued kingdoms and wrought righteousness.

 ·         Daniel's faith "stopped the mouths of lions"

 ·         the three Hebrew children overcame the power of the fiery furnace

 ·         Women refers to two stories of Elijah and Elisha’s ministry where children    were miraculously raised from the dead.

All are Successful, Victorious.  If we stopped there, we’d think that this is what Faith seems to be about.

But when we turn to the next set of verses, we’re reminded that not every action of Faith leads to something good.

Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.
³⁶  Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.
³⁷  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—
³⁸  of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

This is a reminder, that God sees not only the heroes, however flawed they might be, but also those who’s Faith didn’t lead to success, the Broken!

Most of us can’t understand how failure can be an outcome of Faith.  We hide our brokenness…BUT God loves you in your brokenness!

But all we have to do is think about the people we know – even ourselves – where we entered into things by faith but things didn't necessarily work out.

·         Many people entered into Marriage by faith, but it didn't work.

·         The Education Goals that many went into and it didn't work out.

·         The Job that you took, but it didn't work out.

·         Our Possessions, Homes, Cars, things…where you bought it with a sense of this is right before God and it didn't work out.

When life’s circumstances hand us painful things, brokenness, things that didn't work out…it does not mean we have to abandon Faith, Trust in God.

³⁹  And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
⁴⁰  since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

We have to be careful not to judge the circumstances of life as the absence of Faith.  Our Faith carries us “through” difficult things with a sense of trust in God…that he cares and he knows what’s best for us.

The Apostle Paul is a good illustration of this truth.  Paul himself described his life like this: 

1 Corinthians 4:9-13
⁹  For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.
¹⁰  We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!
¹¹  To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.
¹²  We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;
¹³  when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

Paul was God's servant to the church and probably the greatest Christian who ever lived but his life wasn't rosy!

Faith enables us to turn from the approval of the world and seek only the approval of God.

If God is glorified by delivering His people, He will do it.

If He sees fit to be glorified by not delivering His people, then He will do that.  

But we must never conclude that the absence of good things happening means a lack of faith on the part of God's children.

Finally, let’s turn the page on this chapter and conclude with something that shows us why we can always have Faith.

The Faith We Have Is Available Because of Jesus.

History is full of Faith Heroes, but no person modeled faith than Jesus:

Hebrews 12:1-3
¹  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
²  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, 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.
³  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

• Look around – I remember my Coach saying:  “You can do this”… “Do this…” because others have done it already...you can do it too.
• Look at Ourselves – Deal with Hindrances, Sin that Entangles, the Need for Perseverance
• Look at Our Savior...he stands at the finish line and knows the power and the difficulties of living by Faith.

Think about the goal of Living…what do you want for your Life?  At the end of Jesus' life, on the night of his betrayal and arrest; he prayed to the Father.  What he says in prayer can be our goal in living by Faith.

John 17:1-5 

¹  After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
²  For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
³  Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
⁴  I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
⁵  And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

 Faith is the committed goal of following Jesus, trusting in His purposes for our lives and deciding to live our lives for a singular purpose - to live for God's glory and completing the work God gives us to do.

Peace