Perfected Together in Faith
Over the last few weeks, as a church we have covered Chapter 11 in Hebrews, spending four weeks really focused on the centrality of faith in the life of a Christian. Chapter 11 gives us a brief tour through the old testament with story after story of how God’s people, by faith, have pleased him and accomplished His plan.
The cumulative effect ought to strengthen our faith and confidence that God will show up for his people, and that he is pleased when we trust him to do so. The final verses we will cover today will only add to that confidence. Chapter 11 is a well organized exposition regarding the faith of past saints. This chapter plays out like a firework display of faith. You can count the first couple sections of the flashes of faith, but at the end it picks up speed and is too much to count, too much to keep up with.
And as we observe this firework display through binoculars. We are going to adjust the zoom and focus of our lens a few times. To help, here is the main outline for you:
First, we are going to look at the circumstances of faith in verses 32-38.
Second, we are going to zoom out and look at three Characteristics of faith that we see threaded through the whole chapter (verse. 1-38).
And third, we will zoom all the way in to look at verses 39-40, and what it means for us.
Circumstances of Faith (verses 32-38)
We have walked through 3 previous weeks that are organized chronologically by sections of history. The first section starts from creation and goes through Noah. Then, in the second section we see examples from Abraham through Joseph when Israel ends up in Egypt. In the third section, we see examples of Moses through the Exodus, and up to the conquering of Jericho. If we are reading along with all these examples it only brings us to the second chapter of Joshua.
We have now reached the grand finale of the authors discourse.
The author essentially says, I could go on and on, there is not enough time to scratch the surface of all the actions done by faith. And as his argument goes on it continues to pick up speed and covers more ground. He moves from specific people, doing specific actions (Noah) to specific people doing all kinds of things (Gideon, David) to all kinds of people, doing all kinds of things. (Some suffered, some mistreated). In part, the author wants us to have many people and many circumstances come to mind.
Despite this being the grand finale, with too much to see and take in all at once, there are two main groups that the actions listed fall into.
First, Those who’s faith ended with success in this life.
This group continues seamlessly with the previous section. It starts simple with Abel offering a sacrifice, then Noah and his family being saved, followed by Abraham receiving a promised child, and then the nation of Israel being preserved from the plagues and led out of Egypt.
Hebrews 11:33–35,
“[There are those] who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 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. Women received back their dead by resurrection.”
Through faith God blesses and defends and prospers his people. We say yes and amen to that! We are probably eager to have faith that can do all those things. I’ll sign up for that! None of this came easy, but to have faith like that seems desirable. We want to have faith that puts in the work, of trusting and waiting, to then see the fruit of our labor. An example, relevant to our church, is to work on a project like this building, but then to see and use it! And if we are honest, we probably wish that this chapter would have ended right their. God can do all these things, including resurrection from the dead in this life! What more is there to say? And yet, the author does not stop, but shows us that our faith can, and may need to dig deeper. The list here takes a turn in the middle of verse 35.
those who’s faith ended with suffering in this life.
While some conquered, were saved, and had loved ones restored back to them, “Some were tortured.”
Hebrews 11:36-38,
“Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 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— of whom the world was not worthy — wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”
While some were saved, others were not, some saw victory, others might have looked like defeat. Some were rescued from the sword, others were killed by the sword.
And saints of old (who modeled faith for us) stepped into various situations where they didn’t know what might happen. Let’s look at one specific model of faith mentioned in the verses above, those who “quenched the power of fire.”
Three men should come to mind when we hear this. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
From the book of Daniel
To setup the story, let’s remember: These 3 men were appointed positions in the kings service. King Nebuchadnezzar created an image of himself for all to worship. A group of men targeted the Jews because they did not bow down and worship the image. The king brings them in and says to them, Daniel 3:15–18,
“Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’”
They trusted God but didn’t know the outcome. They did know that if God did not save them, he had something better for them. They knew that if God chose not to save them they would rise to a better life that he had promised.
They knew God to be a deliverer, but he hadn’t explicitly promised to save them. But by faith, they obeyed by worshipping God alone, no matter what.
In most of our lives there have already been things that we never imagined facing, that we have or are in the midst of walking through. There are 2 groups here with quite different outcomes, but this list does fit together. The difference isn’t that one list had faith, and the other did not. The author is clear that the success and the suffering were done in faith.
Those God chooses not to save are no less loved, nor is their faith less strong.
The author says,
“All these were commended through their faith.”
This is why the list fits together, it is a list of faith, not earthly victory or success.
God makes it clear, “I am pleased with you, and the world that has rejected you is not worthy of you (verse 38).
Living by faith is not living by sight. It should be obvious to us but we have no idea what we are going to face. God does not show us our earthly future nor tell us what tomorrow will bring. We do not know what tomorrow will bring, we don’t even know what this afternoon might bring. We might have an idea, if the Lord allows it to happen, but we don’t know.
Psalm 116:15,
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”
Because his saints are accompanied by promises.
Luke 21:16–19,
“You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.”
He insures every hair is kept.
We do not not know why God allows all that he does, but we do know that we do not suffer because of a lack of love or attentiveness on God’s part. We are precious in his sight and we will rise with Christ to a better and lasting life. By faith we agree with Paul who says, Philippians 1:23: “…to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”
Here we see the depth of faith, to endure suffering even unto death.
Characteristics of Faith (verses 1-38)
I want to zoom out at this point and make sure we are seeing the whole picture, the whole display of faith in this chapter. To see some overarching elements of faith that are threaded through this chapter that I don’t want us to miss.
Faith was the way to please God from the very first breadth of life.
“By faith we believe that the universe was created by the word of God” (verse 3)
Even Adam who walked and talked with God initially in the garden, was called to live by faith. He was not there when the universe was created, and he was to receive God’s word in faith that God was the creator of it all, and that His words in the garden were to be trusted and obeyed.
Prior to Abraham being born, who is described as the man of faith, Abel, and Enoch and Noah, among others, pleased God through their faith and became heirs of the righteousness that come by faith.
Faith is not a new thing for the audience of this book.
We worship and follow a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. They pleased God the same way you please God, by faith.
Faith believes what God has said
We should not look at faith like a super power to be wielded as we wish. It is not faith itself that has the power, but the person in which the faith rests.
And this faith believes and acts based on what God has commanded and promised.
For example, Why did Sara believe she would bear a child in her old age? It doesn’t say she really wanted it and believed hard enough. Nor does it say she thought God was powerful, and she really wanted it so believed hard enough. It says:
“She considered him faithful who had promised”
We don’t name and claim whatever we want. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not go beyond what God had said. They believe what God had revealed to them, no more and no less. They were not surprised by deliverance, but stepped in faith.
Faith is accessible to all
It is as simple as accepting and receiving what God has said. Those who pleased God through faith came from all over the map.
These are highpoint stories of the Old Testament, but lets not miss who God used:
Abel, the younger of the 2 brothers mentioned. Joseph, the youngest brother, sold away by his brother in jealousy/anger. Rehab, who was not an Israelite, but was a prostitute in Jericho. Jephthah, who was the son of a prostitute, and was was excluded from the family inheritance and was driven out by his step brothers. David, who didn’t seem worth being presented by his father as an option to be King. Samuel, was just a boy, maybe 12? But God used a child in a time where the Word of the Lord was rare. Yet he was ready to hear the voice of the Lord and receive his instruction.
This is a rag tag crew. These aren’t your natural picks. This is the kind of people God uses, people in the same category as us.
Those who pleased God still struggled in many ways. It’s not just humble beginnings, but a path with many bumps as well.
Let’s just list a few more examples:
Abraham and Sara, tried to fulfill the promise on their own. Moses, was scared to speak on God’s behalf, even at the age of 80. “I’m slow of speech and of tongue”, yet quick to make excuses. Barak, who seemed passive and was slow to pursue what God had commanded. Samson, who failed many times to follow God’s commands, and at times lived recklessly. David, who took another mans wife and had him killed.
This is the company on which God pours out his grace!
Paul’s description of the believers in Corinth would hold true for the believers in Hebrews as well.
1 Corinthians 1:26–29,
“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
As Pastor David said 2 weeks ago, we shouldn’t see this list of people and think they are way beyond us. This “Hall of Faith” so to speak, can just as easily be called a Hall of Mercy.
Pleasing God does not rest on worldly standard, it does not rest on noble births, or strength or wisdom. It rests on faith in the Son of God. A faith that receives and accepts his Word. And that we can depend on when we act.
We have seen the depth and nearness of faith.
What this means for us (verses 39-40)
First, I want to take a few minutes to recognize the moment, today as we seek to dedicate this space to God and be reminded of all that he has done, adding to the encouragement here in Hebrews. God has written a story for Cities Church as well.
Cities Church timeline
In 2010, by faith, Pastor Jonathan purchased the website domain “citieschurch” four years before he would help plant this church.
By faith on October 14, 2014, four men and their families signed Articles of Incorporation to start Cities Church.
By faith on Sunday, January 18th, 2015, they gathered with several other people and families to meet for the first time as a new church. By faith they sang, and prayed, and listen to the Bible preached, and took communion together.
By faith, the church grew despite being displaced by a gas explosion, meeting in a movie theater, then 2 different college campuses.
By faith this congregation searched for a place to meet, and in February of 2018 signed a 4-year lease at this property.
In faith we signed a 4-year contract, which was a longer time period than the church had existed, and by faith we had our first service in this building on April 1st, 2018 on Easter.
Less than 2 years later, there became a possibility of purchasing this building. And by faith, we put together a team to engage in this process and investigate other options.
By faith on Jan. 15, 2020, we purchased this building. A property that is tucked right between Minneapolis and St. Paul, with a building that can seat close to 500 people.
By faith we made the purchase, knowing that we would inherit a tenant with 8 years left on their lease.
By faith we started the designs for a renovation, and started raising money to improve this property. By faith we worked along side the tenant to find a new location for them.
By faith we continued to trust God and act in integrity as the tenant changed it’s posture towards us.
By faith we pleaded with God and we did not know what to do! But, we trusted that he had led us thus far, and that he would make a way. And through faith, the tenant’s last day in this building was September 31, 2022, 6 years prior to the end of their lease.
By faith we then started renovations the next month and by faith we will see all the construction wrap up this year.
And also during this time: By faith Cities Church met week after week to worship together. By faith weak pastors preached God’s words through the strength that he supplies. By faith Community Groups grew and spread, welcoming others and sharing the gospel. By faith we dedicated children, baptized believers, and planted churches. By faith we meet here again today to worship God, and hear His Word.
Let us look & remember what God has done! And what more might He add to this summary?
May it also be said that by faith we planted churches all over the Twin Cities.
By faith we sent out missionaries all over the globe.
By faith we gave our time and money and talents to God, looking forward to the reward of eternal joy in the presence of Jesus.
What do we have that’s better?
The only thing that matters is what is done by faith in Jesus!!! Extraordinary things done without faith don’t please God, and extremely ordinary things done with faith do please God, and do matter. Our aim is to please God, and Hebrews tell us that if we didn’t do all these things in faith, then they didn’t please God. “[So let us] live by faith in the Son of God, who loved [us] and gave himself for [us].”
We ought to be encourage by the faithfulness of God to the saints of old, and the faithfulness of God to us right now in the present. Especially since God has provided something better for us as Hebrews tells us.
So last, lets zoom all the way in on the last 2 verses.
Hebrews 11:39–40,
“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
Verse 2 and verse 39 bookend this whole thing, but the author adds just a bit more, and gloriously shows the connection we have with the saints of old. Here we see the breadth of faith. Here is a whole new layer added to the encouragement to the audience and us. So let’s answer answer 2 questions here:
What do we have that’s better? And how are the saints of old connected to us?
1 Peter 1:10–12, speaking of Christ having come to save us,
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”
What do we have then that is better? What do we have that they did not receive?
Jesus, and all that comes with Him. All the promises of God find their fulfillment in Jesus. And now that Jesus has come we have him here on earth in a way they did not. Christ has come, and what they greeted from afar we have received front and center!
We have the Messiah, we have the eternal king who was to come and with the king we have a kingdom, one that cannot be shaken and a city prepared for us
We have a High Priest that lives forever, who serves at the heavenly alter, and with the Great High Priest we have a New and better covenant. And through his blood or that covenant, we have forgiveness of sins, we have new hearts, we have consciousness that are now clean.
So how are OT saints dependent on those who received Jesus? Because if the promised Messiah was not sent to this generation, they would still be in their sins.
Remember Hebrews 10:4–10,
“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
Through Jesus, there are 2 ways they won’t be perfected apart from us, or to flip, 2 ways they will be perfected along side of us.
What we find is that as we are looking back at the saints of Old they were actually looking forward to us and the time when Jesus had come, and now that he has come they have been brought forward and now stand as a cloud of witnesses waiting to receive us as we finish our journeys on this earth.
Remember, there was a temptation for them to go back to Judaism. Maybe they thought, I’m going to stick with our forefathers and go back. But the irony is, if they were to go back to Judaism, they wouldn’t be moving towards, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they would be moving away from them!
Now that the Christ has come, they are united to Jesus just like us, their sins are forgiven in Jesus just like us, they have been perfected in Jesus just like us.
And now that Christ has created one new people. He is the vine that by faith both Jew and Gentile are grafted into, that both old testament saints and new testament saints are grafted into.
Hebrews 10:14,
“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
There is no fulfillment for them that is apart from us. And there is no fulfillment for us that is apart from them. There will be one great day when the dead shall rise, we will be glorified and fully embody the perfection that Christ has purchased for us, and our sanctification will be complete. And we together with the saints of old look forward to that consummation that is yet to come. Where we will receive it in its fullness together.
Not only did they make it in faith, but we have something better. And now we are united to them, and play a part in God’s story of redemption that will not be complete until every tribe and tongue, people and language are represented around the throne of the lamb of God.
The Table
Faith that can endure any trial. Faith that is accessible to all of us, not based on personal merit or achievement. A faith that unites us to God’s people for all time, in our salvation and our glorification.
And this bring us to this table. This table is a demonstration of our faith. And we eat and drink together to remember and to wait for the day when we will eat it together with Jesus. There is still a future rest to come for God’s people. And we look forward, along with the cloud of witnesses that surrounds us, to the day when Jesus comes again.