A RESPONSE Of SAVING FAITH-IX—Hebrews 11:3-40
Attention:
Faith’s response to life’s challenges.
We indeed bring something of value to the table when we are saved!
The Hebrews writer sought to encourage & exhort his readers(hearers) by recounting the very practical responses which faith had wrought in their forebears/ancestors.
Saving faith yields practical responses to life, which encourage others.
What are some practical responses to life by saving faith?
How does saving faith respond to life?
In previous weeks we have observed 11 Responses to Life’s Challenge afforded by Saving Faith. These responses have focused upon the “elders”(:2)(patriarchs) but their application is for us.
We have found that Saving faith meets life’s challenge with...
1. A Particular WORLDVIEW(:3)—Concept presented 05/20/2012 with 10:39—11:3 as FELLOWSHIP
2. OFFERINGs Of PECULIAR QUALITY(:4)
3. DESIRE For GOD’s PLEASURE(:5-6)
4. CONDEMNING TRUST(:7)
5. A Particular PLACE(:8-10)
6. A Particular OUTLOOK(:11-12)
7. A Particular VISION(:13-16)
8. A Particular CONCLUSION(:17-19)
9. A Particular BLESSING(:20-21)
10. A Particular PREPARATION(:22)
11. A Particular BOLDNESS(:23)
12. A Particular FEARLESSNESS(:24-27)
13. A Particular DISPLAY(:28)
14—Saving faith meets life’s challenge with...
A Particular PASSAGE(:29)
Explanation:(:29)Escape/Flight
:29—“By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land &, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.”
Ex. 14:1-31—:9-10—“So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses & chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen & his army, & overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, & behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, & the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.”.....:13-16—“And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, & see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, & you shall hold your peace ” & the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, & stretch out your hand over the sea & divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”.....:21-23—““Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; & the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, & made the sea into dry land, & the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, & the waters were a wall to them on their right hand & on their left. And the Egyptians pursued & went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, & his horsemen.”....:26-29—““Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, & on their horsemen.” And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; & when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned & covered the chariots, the horsemen, & all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, & the waters were a wall to them on their right hand & on their left.”
Here Moses’ faithfulness is extended to the entire nation because by it “they passed thru” the Red Sea as one. Moses’ faith influenced that of Israel to the point that they did not flee but instead “passed through.” However this “passing through” “faith” is contrasted with that of the Egyptians, whose pursuit of Israel thru the Sea became an “attempt” only as they all “drowned.” The Egyptian’s faith was in their own abilities, equipment, & in lesser gods. Thereby they failed miserably.
The Israelites “passed thru” the Red Sea on “dry land” by faith. Simultaneously, the Egyptians—not passing thru on faith—“drowned” in that self same sea.
Argumentation:
These verses from Revelation highlight the Passage which all true Christians experience.
Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26-29; 3:5, 10, 12, 21—““He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’”.....““He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”’”.....““He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, & on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’”.....““And he who overcomes, & keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations-- ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’--as I also have received from My Father; & I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”.....““He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, & I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father & before His angels.”.....““Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”.....““He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, & he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God & the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.”.....““To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame & sat down with My Father on His throne.”
Isa. 43:1-3—“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia & Seba in your place.”
John 3:3-7—“Jesus answered & said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb & be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
Num. 14:26-32, 39-45—“And the LORD spoke to Moses & Aaron, saying, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: ‘The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old & above. Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh & Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, & they shall know the land which you have despised. But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness.”.....“Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, & the people mourned greatly. And they rose early in the morning & went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, & we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!” And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. “Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. “For the Amalekites & the Canaanites are there before you, & you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.” But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop; nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. Then the Amalekites & the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down & attacked them, & drove them back as far as Hormah.”
1Thes. 5:1-10—“But concerning the times & the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace & safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light & sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch & be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, & those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith & love, & as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”
Ps. 37:28—“For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.”
*2Tim. 1:8-12—“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us & called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose & grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death & brought life & immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, & a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed & am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”
Jn. 10:27-31—““My sheep hear My voice, & I know them, & they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, & they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; & no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I & My Father are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.”
Illustration:
Years ago we traveled along the Outer Banks to see the lighthouses/We started at Nags Head & headed south to Bodie Island Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse/But after Hatteras, the island ended & so did the road/In order to get to the Okracoke Lighthouse we had to take the Hatteras Ferry/There’s no other way to get the car there!/A Particular PASSAGE
Application:
?Does your life evince A Particular PASSAGE in God?
?How do you Respond to life’s challenge?
?Is yours a Response of Saving Faith?
15—Saving faith meets life’s challenge with...
A Particular CONQUEST(:30)
Explanation:(:30) Directive/Evidence
:30—“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.”
From events recorded in Joshua 6:1-21ff.
The specific incident concerning “walls of Jericho” recalled here was originally recorded in Joshua 6.
Background Synopsis:
Israel(~40,000 men of war(Josh. 4:13) + women & children—implied) had miraculously crossed the Jordan River(Josh. 3:1—4:18) on the 10th of the 1st month(Josh. 4:19). All Israel camped to the east of Jericho in Gilgal(Josh. 4:19). As they camped in Gilgal, Joshua had the men circumcised & remained there until they were all healed(Josh. 5:1-8). Israel also kept the Passover on the fourteenth of the month(?1st month?)(Josh. 5:10). The manna they had experienced for 40 yrs. ended “the day after their Passover” celebration as they all then ate “the produce of the land”(Josh. 5:11-12).
The Israelite “men of war” along with seven priests bearing rams’ horns before the Ark, were instructed by YaHWeH thru Joshua to “encircle”(march completely around) Jericho once for 6 days & then to accomplish 7 encirclements on the 7th day(Josh. 6:1-4) prior to Jericho’s fall. No one was to utter a sound at any time during the seven days marching(Josh. 6:10). Only the trumpets sounded during the march. However on the 7th day & at the end of the 7th lap, & upon Joshua’s order to “Shout,” then all the people simultaneously shouted as the priests blew the trumpets(Josh. 6:15). At that time YahWeH caused "the wall"(singular) to “fall down flat,” allowing Israel to “take the city”(Josh. 6:20). If all the walls(plural-Heb. 11:30) had fallen Rahab would have been lost(contra Josh. 6:17, 22-23; Heb. 11:31) thus it appears that more than one wall fell yet not all of them.
Some(of an unconvinced persuasion) may surmise that the walls fell because of the particular frequency produced thru the voices & trumpets along with their corresponding decibel threshold...
Jericho’s “walls” “fell down” purely by means of “faith.” This happened because God is the only true means by which this could have occurred. Israel merely obeyed God’s command “by faith” which allowed them to be willing observers & participants with God.
Thus one’s “faith” secures 1)God’s design & desire putting His power into action; as well as securing 2)A right alignment of our life with God’s purpose for the moment.
Don’t you know that there were some... perhaps many... in Israel’s midst who wondered why they didn’t encircle the other cities to be conquered...Seeing the procedure as a magic formula for success! This is what empty ritualistic religion does.
“Fell/Fell down”—piptw—1) To descend from a higher place to a lower—1a) To fall (either from or upon)—1a1) To be thrust down, 1b) metaph. To fall under judgment, came under condemnation; 2) To descend from an erect to a prostrate position. Strong—a reduplicated & contracted form of petw;(which occurs only as an alternate in certain tenses); probably akin to petomai[to fly] through the idea of alighting; To fall(literally or figuratively).
“Encircled”—kuklow—1) To go around, lead around; 2) To surround, encircle, encompass—2a) Of persons standing around, 2b) Of besiegers. Strong—To encircle, i.e. Surround. Used 5X.
Argumentation:
2Cor. 10:3-6—“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, & being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Eph. 6:10-18—“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord & in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, & having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, & having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, & the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer & supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance & supplication for all the saints--”
1Cor. 15:54-58—“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, & this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, & the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
2Cor. 2:14-16—“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, & through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved & among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, & to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?”
1Jn. 5:4-5—“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Rev. 12:10-12—“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, & strength, & the kingdom of our God, & the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day & night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb & by the word of their testimony, & they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, & you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth & the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.””
Mk. 13:9-13—““But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
People who are being physically tortured are encouraged to speak what the Spirit of God within them gives them at the moment. Their Conquest is not physical but spiritual. The physical is iffy at best but the spiritual is settled.
Illustration:
The day of my salvation had immediate & lasting personal consequences/At the time I had a BA in Biology & held my dream job @ a Marine Institute in Savannah, GA/My wife had her RN license/We had purchased a home/Our first child had arrived—Everything was good...Life was great!.....
But then Jesus changed my life completely!—I lost interest, not just in my job...but in my career!...it became pointless to me/My purpose for settling in Savannah became meaningless!/To many on the outside, it may seem that I gave up the good life, which I did...if the ‘good life’(without Christ) is all that one relies upon.
BUT...I have never been more certain....more happy...more satisfied...more victorious!/I possess A Particular CONQUEST
Never....Ever Settle for anything less than God(His desire, will, direction)...Don’t settle for Family, Friendship, Work, for the World!
Application:
?Does your life evince A Particular CONQUEST in God?
?How do you Respond to life’s challenge?
?Is yours a Response of Saving Faith?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Saving faith meets life’s challenge with...
14. A Particular PASSAGE(:29)
15. A Particular CONQUEST(:30)
1. A Particular WORLDVIEW(:3)—Concept presented 05/20/2012 with 10:39—11:3 as FELLOWSHIP
2. OFFERINGs Of PECULIAR QUALITY(:4)
3. DESIRE For GOD’s PLEASURE(:5-6)
4. CONDEMNING TRUST(:7)
5. A Particular PLACE(:8-10)
6. A Particular OUTLOOK(:11-12)
7. A Particular VISION(:13-16)
8. A Particular CONCLUSION(:17-19)
9. A Particular BLESSING(:20-21)
10. A Particular PREPARATION(:22)
11. A Particular BOLDNESS(:23)Risk taker
12. A Particular FEARLESSNESS(:24-27)
13. A Particular DISPLAY(:28)
Presented 01/13/2013pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
This sermon was very well received because of the personal testimony(above) shared with fervor.
