"THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS"
Faith That Overcomes The World (11:23-40)
INTRODUCTION
1. What kind of faith leads "to the saving of the soul" (He 10:39)?
a. It is "Faith That Pleases God" - He 11:1-7
1) That has confidence and conviction in things hoped for, in
things unseen
2) That believes God is, and that He rewards those who seek Him
3) That worships like Abel, walks like Enoch, and works like Noah
b. It is "Faith That Embraces The Promises" - He 11:8-22
1) Obeying God when He calls, even it means sojourning as a
pilgrim, or sacrificing that which is most precious to you
(Abraham)
2) Receiving strength from God to do His will (Sarah)
3) Declaring the promises of God from generation to generation
(Isaac, Jacob, Joseph)
2. Saving faith is also "Faith That Overcomes The World", concerning
which...
a. The apostle John wrote in 1 Jn 5:4-5
b. We have many examples in He 11:23-40
[In the last half of chapter eleven, then, we are reminded how in the
Old Testament those with faith were able to "overcome the world". How
such faith overcame the world may vary. To see how, let's begin by
noticing...]
I. FAITH IN THE GENERATION OF THE EXODUS (23-31)
A. THE FAITH OF MOSES' PARENTS... (23)
1. They hid Moses for three months - cf. Exo 2:1-3; Ac 7:20
a. They saw he was a "beautiful" ("good", "proper", "not
ordinary") child
b. They were not afraid of Pharaoh's command - cf. Exo 1:22
2. It was their faith that gave them courage to withstand the
king's edict
-- With such a small beginning, by faith they "overcame the
world" of Egypt
B. THE FAITH OF MOSES... (24-28)
1. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter - He 11:
24-26
a. He chose to suffer affliction with God's people rather than
enjoy sin's temporary pleasures
b. He esteemed the reproaches of Christ more valuable than the
treasures of Egypt
-- Through faith "he looked to the reward" (he had confidence
in "things hoped for", i.e., that heavenly reward)
2. He forsook Egypt - He 11:27
a. It was not the wrath of the king that he feared
b. It was the invisible God he feared - cf. Mt 10:28
-- Through faith "he endured" (he had conviction in "things
unseen", i.e., God)
3. He kept the Passover and sprinkling of blood - He 11:28
a. He believed in God's warning regarding the death of the
firstborn- Exo 12:1-30
b. He had Israel sprinkle the blood of the lamb on the lintels
and door posts
-- By faith, Moses "overcame the world" of Egyptian bondage!
C. THE FAITH OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL... (29-30)
1. They passed through the Red Sea - He 11:29
a. They walked through it on dry land - Exo 14:21-22
b. The Egyptians who followed them perished in the sea - Exo
14:23-28
2. They destroyed the city of Jericho - He 11:30
a. They walked around the city for seven days - Josh 6:1-20
b. Thirteen times they encircled the city, showing their faith
in God rather than in their own military might
-- By faith, Israel "overcame the world" of Egypt and Palestine!
D. THE FAITH OF RAHAB THE HARLOT... (31)
1. She had received the two spies from Israel with peace - Josh
2:1-24
2. Therefore she did not perish with the unbelievers - cf. Josh
6:22-25
-- By faith, Rahab "overcame the world" of sin and unbelief!
[Through faith, Israel receive the promised land as God had told
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Josh 21:43-45). In the process, by faith
they overcame what obstacles the world placed before them. Even a
Gentile sinner like Rahab became a recipient of the promise by her
faith.
But the need for faith did not stop there. As we continue, we see
examples of...]
II. FAITH IN THE LAND OF PROMISE (32-40)
A. A SAMPLE LIST OF HEROES OF FAITH... (32)
1. There is not enough time for the author to describe the faith
of others in detail
2. Such as:
a. Judges like Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah
b. A king like David
c. A prophet like Samuel, and the rest of the prophets
-- But what the author does provide is that which follows...
B. A SUMMARY LIST OF WHAT FAITH ACCOMPLISHED... (33-37)
1. Through faith, people such as these...
a. "Subdued kingdoms"
1) Joshua, in conquering Palestine - Josh 12:7-24
2) David, in conquering neighboring nations - 2 Sam 5:4-25;
8:1-14
b. "Worked righteousness" (administered justice)
1) Samuel, as judge - 1 Sam 12:4
2) David, as king - 2 Sam 8:15
3) Solomon, as king - 1 Kin 3:28
c. "Obtained promises"
-- The nation of Israel, receiving the promised land - Josh
21:43-45; 23:14
d. "Stopped the mouths of lions"
1) Samson - Judg 14:6
2) David, protecting sheep - 1 Sam 17:34-37
3) Daniel, in the lions' den - Dan 6:21-22
e. "Quenched the violence of fire"
-- Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego, in the fiery furnace - Dan
3:23-25
f. "Escaped the edge of the sword"
1) David, fleeing King Saul - 1 Sam 23:19-29
2) Elijah, fleeing Jezebel - 1 Kin 19:8-10
3) Elisha, whom the King of Israel wanted murdered - 2 Kin
6:31-32
h. "Out of weakness were made strong"
1) Samson, after his hair was cut - Judg 16:29-30
2) Hezekiah, who was given fifteen years of life - Isa 38:
1-8
i. "Became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of
aliens"
1) David, in defeating Goliath - 1 Sam 17:50
2) Jehoshaphat, in defeating Edom - 2 Chr 20:1-30
3) Hezekiah, whose faith led to the slaughter of 185,000
Assyrian soldiers - 2 Kin 19:1-36
2. Also through faith...
a. "Women received their dead raised to life again"
1) The widow of Zarephath, via Elijah - 1 Kin 17:17-24
2) The Shunamite woman, via Elisha - 2 Kin 4:8-37
b. "Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, to obtain
a better resurrection"
1) Eleazar, in the Maccabean period between the Testaments
- 2 Macc 6:30
2) Also, seven brothers and their mother tortured by
Antiochus Epiphanes - 2 Macc 7:9-36
-- Such events would have been well known by the Hebrew
readers
c. "Others had trials of mockings, scourgings, chains and
imprisonment"
1) Micaiah, the prophet - 1 Kin 22:24-28
2) Jeremiah, the prophet - Jer 20:1-3; 37:11-21; 38:1-13
d. Some were:
1) "Stoned" - Zechariah, son of Jehoida the priest - 2 Chr
24:20-22
2) "Sawn in two" - the prophet Isaiah, according to
tradition
3) "Tempted" - Daniel, as a youth - Dan 1:8-21
4) "Slain with the sword" - Uriah the prophet - Jer 26:
20-23
e. Some wandered about:
1) "In sheepskins and goatskins" - Elijah - 2 Kin 1:8
2) "Being destitute, afflicted, tormented" - Elijah - 2 Kin
17:2-6; 18:9-10
C. WHAT THESE PEOPLE RECEIVED BY THEIR FAITH... (38-40)
1. Certainly not the praise of the world! - He 11:38
a. Many had to wander in deserts and mountains, live in dens
and caves (Elijah)
b. But in truth, the world is not worthy of them!
2. They did obtain a good testimony... - He 11:39a
a. As stated regarding the elders in He 11:2
b. As stated regarding Enoch - He 11:5
3. Yet they did not obtain "the promise" during their lifetime
- He 11:39b-40
a. They did receive some of the promises, such as the promised
land - cf. He 11:33
b. But they did not receive "the" promise
1) They did not live to see the coming of the promised
Deliverer (Christ)
2) Nor did they experience the "perfection" which Christ
now offers
a) The Law could not make them "perfect" - He 9:9-10;
10:1-4
b) But Christ can! - cf. He 9:11-14; 10:11-14
4. What they did not receive during their lifetime, they did with
the coming of Christ!
a. For Christ died to redeem them as well as us! - He 9:15
b. They are now made "perfect" just as we are - He 11:40; cf.
10:14; 12:22-24
1) Note the phrase "the spirits of just men made perfect"
in He 12:23
2) Those who in the past "should not be made perfect apart
from us" are in Christ "made perfect"!
CONCLUSION
1. Through faith, they truly overcame the world...
a. Sometimes their victory was miraculous; often it was not
c. Their ultimate victory was that they "died in faith" - He 11:
13-16
-- And now, they enjoy the fruit of faith: bliss in the presence of
the Lamb! - cf. Re 7:9-17
2. Through faith, we can also overcome the world...
a. Faith in Jesus as the Son of God will give us the victory! - 1 Jn
5:4-5
1) Victory over the world's temptations
2) Victory over the world's persecutions
b. The victories we win may not be as impressive as those listed in
this chapter, but if we are "faithful until death", the reward
will be the same! - cf. Re 2:10
May this great chapter with its heroes of faith, serve to motivate us
to grow in the faith which...
* Pleases God!
* Embraces The Promises!
* Overcomes The World!
We may not win the praise the world, but we will receive the praise of
God, for such is the faith which leads "to the saving of the soul"!
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