Hebrews 11:32-35a Elijah: Widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-23) Elisha: Shunammite Woman’s Son (2 Kings 4:18-37). What is the characteristic that binds all these triumphs/victories together? “Through Faith” As we read on the context is the same. Vs35b-38
There have been many triumphs/victories faith has obtained against incredible odds and we’ve seen that. And there have also been times when the faithful suffered because they chose to remain faithful.
This section deals with unknown men and women who were not delivered from difficult circumstances, yet God honored their faith. The truth is, faith grows more when it endures than when it escapes. These verses show us what faith should produce in those who undergo severe afflictions, adversity, and trials. It produces faithfulness.
Many of the afflictions mentioned here were long-term, some lasting a lifetime. But God gave power “through faith” to see some of His people through their adversities/problems, not to escape them.
Sometimes affliction is escapable; sometimes it’s not. But to the person of faith, no affliction is escapable that requires the denial or the compromise of God’s Word.
These people suffered because of their loyalty to God. These people were: Vs35b “…tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.” Here is the pinnacle of faith, a willingness to accept the worst the world has to offer, even death.
They believed that God would give them a better resurrection if they remained loyal even to death.
Faith in God carries no guarantees you won’t have trials in this world: John 16:33 “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” But faith in God does carry with it great rewards in the only life that ultimately matters, Eternal Life. (faith that sees beyond the world) (Romans 8:18)
John 5:29 “…those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” Everyone will be resurrected…And just like these men and women made their choice, so we to have to make ours…And clearly one is better! The resurrection of life comes only through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Jeers and flogging-Chains and Imprisonment-Death by Stoning-Sawed in two- Killed by the sword-They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
These are great heroes of the faith yet no names are given. A great company of anonymous men and women down through the centuries who remained true to God through persecution and suffering.
Whether they were killed or made outcasts, the point is the same–they courageously and uncompromisingly suffered for the Lord because of their faith. (Rom.3:4 Let God be true..)
Another class of heroes goes unnoticed by the world. They are Christians who live each day with pain and suffering, some struggling with handicaps that make daily tasks a challenge. They would be the last to claim heroism. And it’s not primarily their endurance that sets them apart. Rather, it’s that they have committed themselves and their destiny to God. They have staked their lives on His triumph over evil and continue by faith to see beyond this life.
No one enjoys suffering, nor should we seek it. But when it comes, to the Christian who stays faithful to Christ it carries the potential for great reward.
Many think that pain is the exception in the Christian life. When it occurs, they say “Why me?” They feel as if God has deserted them or they accuse God of not being as dependable as they thought. The reality is, we live in an evil, wicked fallen world filled with suffering. God is still in control.
Rather than asking “Why me?” faith says, “Why not me?” Acts 5 Apostles are arrested and put in prison and beaten. Acts 5:41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. Collision Course
Jesus, who also suffered according to the will of God, understands us and has promised never to leave us. He is interceding for you. In times of persecution or suffering, adversity trust confidently in God, He is faithful.
Verse 38 gives us God’s assessment of those who endure such prolonged suffering for Him at the hands of men. Vs38 “Those of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.”
Their persecutors thought they weren’t worthy of the world, but God says the world is not worthy of them. God says, their character and value are so far elevated above the rest of humanity that mankind is not worthy of them.
God doesn’t promise to deliver His saints from all suffering. But He does promise that by faith in Him and His word that He will enable us to endure and grow through the suffering and then reward us in the resurrection.
Vs39 “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,..”
The promise that all these believers indicated in verses 2 through 38 – was eagerly waiting on what was only manifested in Jesus Christ. Old Testament saints did not experience the eternal inheritance “promised.” They had to live in hope and by faith.
Abraham Vs10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Vs13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
Vs16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Moses Vs26, He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
These faithful saints knew little about God’s plan of redemption for all the ages. But they believed it was coming and they trusted God’s promises. They believed by faith that one day God would do whatever was necessary to redeem them and reward their faithfulness. They all lived and died in the hope of a promise that none of them saw on this earth.
Vs39-40 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
So this chapter closes with God’s glorious purpose which involves Old Testament saints as well as New Testament saints.
Ultimately God will sum up all things in Christ. He will gather all the redeemed of all the ages together in Christ and under Christ. One day we who are waiting will be given our new bodies in our eternal home, and we will all be perfected together. Then we will inherit fully the promise and experience so great a salvation.
In CLOSING
When we believe God, we take Him at His word and walk with Him through whatever He places before us. By faith, we can overcome uncertain futures.
By faith in God, we can glorify our Father in daily living, find and follow His will for our lives, and receive His commendation of Mt. 25:21 “well done, good and faithful servant”
If God is glorified by deliverance, He will do it, if His plan does not include deliverance then He will not. But we must never conclude that the absence of deliverance means they were not worthy or that they lacked faith.
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