WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:03.000 You have likely read the Bible many times. You have 2 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:06.599 heard the stories of great heroes and massive miracles. But 3 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:10.160 there is one chapter that stands above the rest, often 4 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:14.439 called the Hall of Faith. It is Hebrews eleven. Why 5 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:18.079 is this specific chapter considered by so many to be 6 00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:21.719 the most important chapter in the entire Bible. It is 7 00:00:21.800 --> 00:00:24.719 because this chapter does not just tell us what to do, 8 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:28.160 It tells us how to access the power of God. 9 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:33.439 It reveals the heartbeat that sustains the Christian life. Without 10 00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:36.880 the truth found in this chapter, religion is just a 11 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:40.600 list of empty rules. But with the truth found here, 12 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:45.840 ordinary people become unstoppable forces for the Kingdom of God. 13 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:50.079 To understand why this chapter changes everything, we must look 14 00:00:50.119 --> 00:00:53.479 at how it begins. The writer does not start with 15 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:57.719 a suggestion. He starts with a definition. He tells us 16 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:03.520 exactly what this mysterious force called faith actually is. Now, 17 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:07.680 faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance 18 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:12.439 about what we do not see. This is not wishful thinking. 19 00:01:13.159 --> 00:01:16.120 The world tells you that faith is closing your eyes 20 00:01:16.439 --> 00:01:20.439 and hoping for the best. The Bible says the exact opposite. 21 00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:25.480 Biblical faith is confidence. It is a solid, knowing It 22 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:28.480 is the ability to treat things that have not happened 23 00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:32.040 yet as if they already have. It is looking at 24 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:35.120 a promise from God and believing it is more real 25 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:38.879 than the ground you are standing on. The writer takes 26 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:42.640 us back to the very beginning of time to prove 27 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:46.879 this point. Before there were humans, before there were stars, 28 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:51.680 there was only God. By faith, we understand that the 29 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:55.159 universe was formed at God's command, so that what is 30 00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:59.239 seen was not made out of what was visible. Everything 31 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:02.359 you can touch and see was made from nothing. It 32 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:06.159 was made by the invisible word of God. This sets 33 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:09.039 the stage for the rest of the chapter. If God 34 00:02:09.159 --> 00:02:12.719 can create a universe from nothing, surely he can create 35 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:15.639 a miracle in your life when you have nothing left. 36 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:19.439 The rest of this chapter is a list of witnesses. 37 00:02:20.199 --> 00:02:23.840 These are people who proved that this invisible power works 38 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:27.360 in the real world. The History of faith begins with 39 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:31.080 two brothers. One was named Cain and the other was 40 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:34.319 named Abel. They both grew up in the same world 41 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:38.439 outside of Eden. They both knew who God was. They 42 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:42.800 both brought gifts to the Lord, but only one was accepted. 43 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.639 This story teaches us that religious activity is not the 44 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:51.360 same as faith. You can go to church, sing songs 45 00:02:51.560 --> 00:02:55.039 and give money, but if your heart does not have faith, 46 00:02:55.319 --> 00:02:59.000 it means nothing. Cain brought some of the fruits of 47 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:02.560 the soil. It was a casual offering, but Abel brought 48 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:05.919 the very best he had. He brought the fat portions 49 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:08.840 from some of the first born of his flock. He 50 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:12.599 did not give God his leftovers. He gave God his 51 00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:17.400 best because he trusted that God was worth it. By faith, 52 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:21.280 Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith, 53 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:24.639 he was commended as righteous when God spoke well of 54 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:29.120 his offerings, and by faith, Abel still speaks even though 55 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:33.520 he is dead. Abel died young, his brother murdered him, 56 00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:37.560 but because of his faith, his voice still echoes. Thousands 57 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:40.759 of years later. He teaches us that God looks at 58 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:44.400 the heart, not just the hands. Then the timeline moves 59 00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:47.759 forward to a man named Enoch. Enoch is one of 60 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:50.840 the most mysterious figures in the Bible. He lived in 61 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:55.000 a time when the world was becoming incredibly evil. People 62 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:59.800 were forgetting God. Violence was spreading everywhere, but Enoch made 63 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:03.840 a different choice. He decided to walk with God. This 64 00:04:03.879 --> 00:04:07.280 does not mean he just prayed occasionally. It means he 65 00:04:07.319 --> 00:04:11.439 lived his life in constant conversation with his creator. He 66 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:15.000 was so close to God that he pleased the Lord completely, 67 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:21.399 and then something supernatural happened. He skipped death entirely by faith. 68 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:24.439 Enoch was taken from this life so that he did 69 00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:28.079 not experience death. He could not be found because God 70 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:31.480 had taken him away, for before he was taken he 71 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:36.160 was commended as one who pleased God. This story establishes 72 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:39.800 a rule that every believer must memorize. It is the 73 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:43.879 golden rule of a relationship with God. And without faith, 74 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.319 it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes 75 00:04:47.399 --> 00:04:50.480 to him must believe that he exists and that he 76 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:55.040 rewards those who earnestly seek him. You cannot please God 77 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:58.360 just by being a nice person. You cannot please him 78 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:02.000 just by following laws. You must believe he is real, 79 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:05.480 and you must believe he is good. You must believe 80 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:08.839 he is a rewarder. If you do not believe God 81 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:10.959 wants to bless you when you seek him, you will 82 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:15.879 eventually stop seeking him. As the generations passed, the darkness 83 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:19.120 on earth grew thicker. It reached a point where God 84 00:05:19.160 --> 00:05:22.720 decided to wash the world clean and start over, he 85 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:26.000 spoke to a man named Noah. God told Noah to 86 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:29.199 build a massive boat because rain was coming. But you 87 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:32.600 must understand the context. It had likely never rained like 88 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:36.480 that before. There was no ocean near by. Noah was 89 00:05:36.519 --> 00:05:39.560 not a professional builder. He was just a man who 90 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:44.600 heard God's voice. Imagine the ridicule he faced for decades, 91 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:48.399 possibly up to one hundred and twenty years. He cut wood, 92 00:05:48.839 --> 00:05:52.240 he hammered nails, he gathered pitch to seal the wood. 93 00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:55.720 His neighbors must have laughed at him every single day. 94 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:59.279 They probably called him crazy. They asked him why he 95 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:02.720 was building a giant boat on dry land. But Noah 96 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:05.759 did not listen to the crowd. He listened to God. 97 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:09.959 He cared more about God's warning than his neighbour's opinions. 98 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:14.560 By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen 99 00:06:14.920 --> 00:06:18.160 in holy fear, built an ark to save his family. 100 00:06:18.839 --> 00:06:22.399 By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir 101 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:26.480 of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. Noah's 102 00:06:26.600 --> 00:06:30.560 faith saved his family. This is a powerful lesson for 103 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:34.759 every parent and every leader. Your faith protects those under 104 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:39.279 your care. Because Noah believed his children survived the flood. 105 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:44.279 When the rain finally started falling, the laughing stopped. The 106 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:48.279 doors of the ark were shut by God himself. Noah's 107 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:51.560 faith was vindicated. He proved that it is better to 108 00:06:51.560 --> 00:06:54.839 look foolish to the world and be right with God 109 00:06:54.879 --> 00:06:58.120 than to be popular with the world and wrong with God. 110 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:01.759 The chapter then shifts to the man who would become 111 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:05.959 the father of many nations. Abraham lived a comfortable life 112 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:09.519 in a wealthy city called Er. He had security, he 113 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:12.839 had family, he had a home. But God came to 114 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:16.480 him with a radical command. God told him to leave 115 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:19.759 everything behind and go to a land that God would 116 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:22.959 show him later. God did not give him a map, 117 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:26.600 He did not give him a schedule. He just said go. 118 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:31.480 This is the essence of faith. Faith is obeying God 119 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:35.920 even when you do not know the details. By faith, Abraham, 120 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:38.279 when called to go to a place he would later 121 00:07:38.360 --> 00:07:42.279 receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he 122 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:46.040 did not know where he was going. Abraham packed up 123 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:50.000 his tents, he gathered his flocks. He took his wife Sarah, 124 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:53.959 and his nephew Lot. They began to walk into the desert. 125 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:57.399 He lived in tents like a stranger in a foreign country. 126 00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:00.920 He never built a permanent city for himself because he 127 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:04.839 knew this world was not his final home. For he 128 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:09.079 was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect 129 00:08:09.160 --> 00:08:12.480 and builder is God. But the journey was not just 130 00:08:12.519 --> 00:08:16.959 about land. It was about a promise. God promised Abraham 131 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:19.480 that he would have a son. He promised that his 132 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:22.680 descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. 133 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:28.720 There was just one massive problem. Abraham was old and 134 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:33.399 his wife, Sarah was old. In fact, Sarah was barren. 135 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:36.879 She had never been able to have children, and now 136 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:40.480 she was far past the age of child bearing. From 137 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:44.600 a human perspective, the promise was impossible. Biology said no, 138 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:49.519 medicine said no. Logic said no, but faith said yes. 139 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:54.000 Sarah herself had a moment of struggle. She laughed when 140 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:56.919 she first heard she would have a baby, But ultimately 141 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:00.799 she came to a place of deep belief, stopped looking 142 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:04.159 at her own body and started looking at God's character. 143 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:09.039 And by faith, even Sarah, who was past child bearing age, 144 00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:13.200 was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful 145 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:17.720 who had made the promise. She considered him faithful. That 146 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:21.559 is the key. She judged God to be reliable and 147 00:09:21.720 --> 00:09:27.240 exactly as God said, Isaac was born. The impossible child arrived, 148 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:31.240 a dead womb brought forth life. This teaches us that 149 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:34.960 our limitations are just opportunities for God to show his power. 150 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:38.960 If this message is clear to you, hit subscribe. May 151 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:42.320 the Lord draw us closer to him. God bless you. 152 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:46.159 But Abraham's story did not end with the birth of Isaac. 153 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:50.200 The greatest test was yet to come. After years of 154 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:54.600 watching Isaac grow, God asked Abraham to do something unthinkable. 155 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:58.559 He asked him to sacrifice his son, the son of 156 00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:02.759 the promise, the son he loved. Any other person would 157 00:10:02.759 --> 00:10:05.200 have argued with God. They would have said that this 158 00:10:05.320 --> 00:10:09.080 contradicts the promise. How can Isaac be the start of 159 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:12.360 a great nation if he is dead? But Abraham had 160 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:15.320 walked with God for so long that he knew something 161 00:10:15.639 --> 00:10:19.720 about God's power that no one else knew. He reasoned 162 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:22.799 that God was so powerful that he could raise the 163 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:28.200 dead by faith. Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac 164 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:31.919 as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises, was 165 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:37.200 about to sacrifice his one and only son. Abraham raised 166 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:41.039 the knife. He was fully prepared to obey. He trusted 167 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:44.639 God with the outcome completely, and at the last second 168 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:48.519 God stopped him. God provided a ram in the thicket. 169 00:10:49.080 --> 00:10:52.039 Abraham proved that he loved the giver more than the gift. 170 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:55.519 He proved that real faith holds on to things loosely, 171 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:59.000 always ready to give them back to God. The faith 172 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:03.080 of Abraham was down to his son, Isaac. Isaac grew 173 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.559 old and his eyes became weak. He could no longer 174 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:10.240 see the world around him, but his spiritual sight was sharp. 175 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:14.320 When he was dying, he called his sons, Jacob and Esau. 176 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:18.159 He spoke blessings over them that would define their futures. 177 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:21.360 He spoke about things that had not happened yet, as 178 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:25.960 if they were facts. By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and 179 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:31.159 Esau in regard to their future. Then came Jacob. Jacob's 180 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:34.600 life was full of struggle. He wrestled with men, and 181 00:11:34.679 --> 00:11:37.879 he wrestled with God. But at the end of his life, 182 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:42.279 while living in Egypt, he demonstrated profound faith. He was 183 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:45.279 dying in a foreign land, but he knew his family 184 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:48.360 would not stay there forever. He leaned on the top 185 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:51.759 of his staff, his body weak but his spirit strong, 186 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:56.399 and he blessed Joseph's sons by faith. Jacob, when he 187 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:00.279 was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and worship ypt 188 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:03.279 as he leaned on the top of his staff. Then 189 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:07.440 there was Joseph. Joseph had been sold into slavery by 190 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:10.679 his brothers. He had been thrown into prison for a 191 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:13.960 crime he did not commit. He had risen to become 192 00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:17.799 the prince of Egypt. He had saved the world from starvation. 193 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:21.000 He had every reason to be comfortable in Egypt. He 194 00:12:21.159 --> 00:12:25.639 was rich and powerful. But Joseph knew Egypt was not home. 195 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:28.440 He knew God had promised the land of Canaan to 196 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:32.799 his great grandfather Abraham. As Joseph lay on his deathbed, 197 00:12:33.080 --> 00:12:36.799 he made his brothers promise something strange. He told them 198 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:40.080 that one day God would visit them and bring them 199 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:43.480 out of Egypt, and when that day came, they were 200 00:12:43.480 --> 00:12:47.440 to take his bones with them. By faith. Joseph, when 201 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:50.559 his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the 202 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:54.919 Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of 203 00:12:54.960 --> 00:13:00.200 his bones. Imagine that a dead man's bones waited in 204 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:04.600 a coffin for hundreds of years. Every time the Israelites 205 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:08.399 looked at Joseph's coffin, it was a sermon. It said 206 00:13:08.679 --> 00:13:12.720 that God keeps his promises. It said that we are 207 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:18.600 leaving this place someday. Joseph's faith reached beyond his own lifetime. 208 00:13:19.320 --> 00:13:24.960 Centuries passed, the Israelites became slaves. The Egyptians treated them brutally. 209 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:29.080 The king of Egypt, Pharaoh, commanded that every baby boy 210 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:32.200 born to the Hebrews must be thrown into the Nile 211 00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:35.840 River and killed. It was a time of terror, but 212 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:40.000 one couple, Amram and Jocobed refused to surrender to fear. 213 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:43.600 When their son Moses was born, they saw he was 214 00:13:43.639 --> 00:13:47.039 a special child. They hid him for three months. They 215 00:13:47.080 --> 00:13:50.320 defied the most powerful king on earth because they feared 216 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:54.879 God more than man. By faith, moses parents hid him 217 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:58.080 for three months after he was born because they saw 218 00:13:58.200 --> 00:14:01.320 he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid 219 00:14:01.399 --> 00:14:06.679 of the king's edict. Moses was eventually adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. 220 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:10.080 He grew up in the palace. He ate the best food, 221 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:13.919 he wore the finest clothes, He had the best education. 222 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:17.240 He could have been a prince of Egypt forever. He 223 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:19.879 could have had all the pleasures of sin, but as 224 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:23.399 he grew up, he realized who he really was. He 225 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:26.600 was a Hebrew. He belonged to the people of God. 226 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:31.080 Moses faced a choice that every believer faces. You can 227 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:34.600 have the world and its temporary pleasures, or you can 228 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:38.600 have God and his eternal rewards. You cannot have both. 229 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:42.159 Moses looked at the suffering slaves, and he looked at 230 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:47.840 the rich Egyptians, and he made a shocking decision by faith. Moses, 231 00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:50.519 when he had grown up, refused to be known as 232 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:53.960 the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated 233 00:14:54.279 --> 00:14:57.240 along with the people of God, rather than to enjoy 234 00:14:57.360 --> 00:15:01.440 the fleeting pleasures of sin. Walked away from the palace. 235 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:05.120 He walked away from the power. Why because he was 236 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:10.000 looking ahead to his reward. He saw him who is invisible. 237 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:14.440 Moses knew that the treasures of Egypt would rust and fade, 238 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:18.080 but the treasures of God would last forever. He led 239 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:21.679 the people out of Egypt, but soon they were trapped. 240 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:24.879 The Red Sea was in front of them, the Egyptian 241 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:28.159 army was behind them. It was a death trap. The 242 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:32.399 people panicked, but Moses commanded the people to trust God. 243 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:36.279 By faith. The people passed through the Red Sea as 244 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:39.559 on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do so, 245 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:44.039 they were drowned. Faith opens away where there is no way. 246 00:15:44.360 --> 00:15:47.879 The water stood up like walls. The ground was dry. 247 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:51.879 God made a path through the impossible because his people 248 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:56.279 trusted him. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years. 249 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:00.720 Finally they came to the promised land, but there was problem. 250 00:16:00.799 --> 00:16:04.320 A massive city called Jericho stood in their way. Its 251 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:08.639 walls were thick and high. No army could break through them. 252 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:12.360 God gave the new leader, Joshua, a battle plan that 253 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:16.480 sounded ridiculous. He told them to march around the city 254 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:21.120 silently for six days. On the seventh day, they were 255 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:26.240 to march seven times and shout. No battering rams, no catapults, 256 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:31.360 just walking and shouting. This required immense faith. They looked 257 00:16:31.399 --> 00:16:34.759 foolish to the soldiers watching from the walls, but they 258 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:39.759 obeyed by faith. The walls of Jericho fell after the 259 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:44.399 army had marched around them for seven days. God's methods 260 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:47.480 often do not make sense to our logical minds, but 261 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:52.320 when we obey his strange commands, we see his supernatural power. 262 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:57.279 The walls collapsed instantly. Inside that city, there was a 263 00:16:57.320 --> 00:17:00.519 woman named Rahab. She was not a jew who She 264 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:04.039 was a prostitute. She was a sinner, but when the 265 00:17:04.119 --> 00:17:07.599 Israelite spies came to the city, she hid them. She 266 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:10.839 had heard about their God. She believed that their God 267 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:15.359 was the true God. Because of her faith, she was saved. 268 00:17:16.039 --> 00:17:19.200 While the rest of the city was destroyed. Raehab and 269 00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:23.759 her family were spared by faith. The prostitute Raehab, because 270 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.960 she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who 271 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:30.839 were disobedient. This shows us that faith is not just 272 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:33.920 for the religious elite. It is not just for people 273 00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:37.759 with a clean past. Rahab had a messy past, but 274 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:41.799 her faith grafted her into the family of God. In fact, 275 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:45.480 she became one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ. God 276 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:48.599 took an outcast and made her a hero because she 277 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:52.880 dared to believe. The writer of Hebrews then realizes he 278 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:56.079 has too many stories to tell. He does not have 279 00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:59.359 enough time to go into detail about everyone, so he 280 00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:03.799 begins to list names rapidly. These names are surprising because 281 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:07.759 these men were not perfect. They were deeply flawed, but 282 00:18:07.880 --> 00:18:11.839 their faith made them useful to God. And what more 283 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:14.759 shall I say? I do not have time to tell 284 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:20.359 about Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephtha, about David and Samuel 285 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:24.440 and the prophets. Think about Gideon. He was a coward 286 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:27.519 hiding in a wine press when God called him. He 287 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:31.200 asked God for sign after sign because he was so unsure, 288 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:35.960 but eventually he trusted God. With only three hundred men 289 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:42.839 holding trumpets and torches, he defeated a massive army of thousands. 290 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:47.240 His faith turned his weakness into strength. Think about Samson. 291 00:18:47.559 --> 00:18:51.279 He was strong physically, but often weak morally. He made 292 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:56.920 terrible choices with women. He was prideful. Eventually he was captured, blinded, 293 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:01.440 and humiliated by his enemies, but in his final moments 294 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:05.880 he cried out to God one last time. His faith returned. 295 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:09.359 He pushed against the pillars of the temple and defeated 296 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:12.400 more enemies in his death than he did in his life. 297 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:15.920 God can use a broken vessel if it is offered 298 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:19.559 to him in faith. Think about David. He was a 299 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:22.960 shepherd boy who was ignored by his own father, but 300 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:28.440 he believed God could help him defeat a giant named Goliath. Later, 301 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:34.279 he became king and committed terrible sins, including adultery and murder, 302 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:37.680 but he knew how to repent. He knew how to 303 00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:40.799 run back to God. He is remembered as a man 304 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:44.640 after God's own heart, not because he never sinned, but 305 00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:48.960 because he never stopped trusting in God's mercy. The writer 306 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:52.519 tells us what these people accomplished through faith. It is 307 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:56.960 a list of victories that defies explanation. Who through faith 308 00:19:57.240 --> 00:20:02.039 conquered kingdoms, ad minister justice and gained what was promised? 309 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:06.680 Who shut the mouths of lions? This refers to Daniel, 310 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:10.079 who was thrown into a den of hungry lions because 311 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:13.559 he refused to stop praying. He sat there all night, 312 00:20:13.880 --> 00:20:17.119 but the lions could not touch him. His faith was 313 00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:21.759 a shield that even wild beasts could not break. Quenched 314 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:24.599 the fury of the flames and escaped the edge of 315 00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:28.000 the sword. Whose weakness was turned to strength, and who 316 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:33.079 became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. This refers 317 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:37.400 to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were thrown into a 318 00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:41.680 fiery furnace because they refused to bow to a gold statue. 319 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:44.599 They told the king that their God was able to 320 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:47.799 save them. But even if he did not, they still 321 00:20:47.960 --> 00:20:52.119 would not bow. That is the highest level of faith. 322 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:56.079 It is saying I trust God's ability and I trust 323 00:20:56.119 --> 00:21:00.160 God's will no matter what happens. They walked out of 324 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:03.920 that fire without even the smell of smoke on their clothes. 325 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:08.599 At this point in the chapter, the tone changes up 326 00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:11.799 until now we have heard about victories. We have heard 327 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:17.319 about escaping swords, stopping lions, and receiving babies. This is 328 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:20.359 the kind of faith we all want. We want the 329 00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:24.279 faith that gets us the promotion, the healing, and the miracle. 330 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:28.319 But Hebrews eleven is the most important chapter because it 331 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:31.119 tells the whole truth. It does not sell us a 332 00:21:31.160 --> 00:21:35.480 fake version of Christianity where everything is always easy. It 333 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:38.519 introduces us to a group of heroes whose faith did 334 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:43.599 not lead to escape. It led to endurance. Women received 335 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:47.599 back their dead, raised to life again. There were others 336 00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:50.920 who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they 337 00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:56.079 might gain an eternal resurrection. Some believers were arrested and 338 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.400 told they could go free if they just denied God. 339 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:04.160 They were tortured, but they refused to be released. Why 340 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:08.920 because they wanted a better resurrection. They valued the future 341 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:14.519 glory more than their present pain. Some faced jeers and flogging, 342 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:18.319 and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death 343 00:22:18.359 --> 00:22:21.799 by stoning. They were sword in two. They were killed 344 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:27.960 by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goat skins, destitute, persecuted, 345 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:32.799 and mistreated. Tradition tells us that the prophet Isaiah was 346 00:22:32.839 --> 00:22:36.400 the one who was sword in two. Imagine the agony, 347 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:40.119 Imagine the fear. Yet he did not deny his lord. 348 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:45.359 These people lost their homes. They wandered in deserts and mountains. 349 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:49.039 They lived in caves and holes in the ground. They 350 00:22:49.079 --> 00:22:53.200 had no money, no comfort, and no safety to the world. 351 00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:57.440 They looked like losers. They looked like outcasts. But the 352 00:22:57.480 --> 00:23:01.119 Bible gives us God's opinion of them in a parenthetical 353 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:06.000 statement that is breathtaking. The world was not worthy of them. 354 00:23:06.440 --> 00:23:09.960 The world thought these people were not good enough for society. 355 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:13.599 God says the world was not good enough for these people. 356 00:23:13.960 --> 00:23:17.640 Their faith was too precious for this corrupt planet. This 357 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:21.079 section is crucial because it teaches us that faith does 358 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:25.799 not guarantee a trouble free life. Sometimes faith delivers you 359 00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:29.240 from the fire, and sometimes faith walks with you through 360 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:33.559 the fire. Both require the same power. It takes faith 361 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:36.920 to be healed, but it also takes faith to endure 362 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:41.599 sickness with joy. It takes faith to be promoted, but 363 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:44.920 it takes faith to remain faithful when you are fired. 364 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:49.200 As the chapter draws to a close, the writer reveals 365 00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:55.440 a mystery. He looks back at all these heroes, Abraham, Moses, David, 366 00:23:55.799 --> 00:24:00.880 the martyrs, and he notes something tragic yet beautiful. These 367 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:03.880 were all commended for their faith, yet none of them 368 00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:07.920 received what had been promised. They saw the promises from 369 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:11.279 a distance. They knew a messiah was coming. They knew 370 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:14.640 a savior would redeem the world, but they died before 371 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:17.759 Jesus was born. They had the shadow, but they did 372 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:21.240 not have the substance. They trusted in a payment that 373 00:24:21.279 --> 00:24:24.440 had not yet been made. So why did God make 374 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:30.599 them wait? Why is their story incomplete? Since God had 375 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:33.680 planned something better for us, so that only together with 376 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:37.799 us would they be made perfect. This is the stunning conclusion. 377 00:24:38.119 --> 00:24:40.680 We are connected to them. They were the runners in 378 00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:44.200 the first part of the relay race. They ran with endurance. 379 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:47.960 They passed the baton through the centuries, and now the 380 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:51.359 baton is in our hands. They cannot cross the finish 381 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:54.559 line without us. The work of God is a single, 382 00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:59.400 unified story that spans all of history. Abraham is waiting 383 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:02.960 for you, Moses is waiting for you. The martyrs are 384 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:05.680 waiting for you. They are waiting for the Church of 385 00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:08.240 to day to finish the race, so that we can 386 00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:12.880 all celebrate the victory together. This leads directly into the 387 00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:17.000 first verse of chapter twelve, because Hebrews eleven is not 388 00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:19.960 just a history lesson, It is a set up for 389 00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:24.000 a command. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a 390 00:25:24.039 --> 00:25:27.680 great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that 391 00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:31.759 hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let 392 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:35.200 us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 393 00:25:35.720 --> 00:25:39.559 Picture a massive stadium. The seats are filled with millions 394 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:43.000 of people. There is Noah, there is Rahab, there is 395 00:25:43.079 --> 00:25:46.880 Peter and Paul. They are all cheering and down on 396 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:49.720 the track. It is your turn to run, they are 397 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:53.000 shouting to you. Don't give up. We made it and 398 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:58.000 you can too. God is faithful. This implies that we 399 00:25:58.119 --> 00:26:02.319 are not alone. When you feel discouraged, remember the cloud 400 00:26:02.359 --> 00:26:05.920 of witnesses. When you feel like your sin is too great, 401 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:09.559