There is a faith receives what it believes, and a faith that believes beyond what it receives. Text: Hebrews 11:13-16 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."
This book of Hebrews is one of the keys to understanding the New Testament revelation of the salvation accomplished by God in Jesus Christ at Calvary. Jesus is revealed as a complete revelation of the Father, the express image of His glory, the captain of our salvation, the great high priest and apostle of our profession, the mediator of a new covenant and the author and finisher of our faith.
Hebrews 11 is the center piece of the book. Here we are introduced to the subject of true faith in God, the definition of faith, the power of faith, and the hall of fame of faith and the victories of faith. Hebrew 11:1 defines what faith is and does. Faith brings the assurance of things hoped and is the proof of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:2-40 we have the fruit of faith and its effect in detail. We hear Abel's offering of faith, whose gift caused God to testify for him after he was dead. We have the account of Enoch's translation, the man who walk with God and was not. An impossible thing was made possible with God. All things are possible to him that can believe. Then we see Noah whose faith led him to believe God’s command and to build an ark which saved his family even though he had never seen rain; Abraham, the father of the faithful, who clung to the promises of God when impossibilities were all that he could see on life’s horizon; Moses, whose faith led him to seek the eternal treasures of heaven without a looking back at the treasures of Egypt where he had been a prince! We are given the account of the great stories of the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction Jericho, we learned that God led His people into places where all they could do was look up... and see the Salvation of the Lord. And when they responded in faith, they saw God working mighty miracles on their behalf. I know that many of us this week have looked up to God for strength and guidance. The greatest evidence of a living faith is an ongoing communication with God. If we love God and trust Him, we will always go to Him in times of need.
Here in the verses of our text, we come to the paradox of faith. Faith really has two faces, one of triumphant and joy and the other of suffering and sorrow. In this text, we learn that there were people of great faith whose prayers for deliverance were not met with a spectacular miracle, but they believed beyond what they received. It’s easy to trust God when the sea is parting, when the walls of Jericho are falling, when His voice is clearly coming through to our spirit. But what about those days when God is silent? What about those days when the burdens are heavy, prayers are long and there seems to be no answer? Job was a perfect and upright man, yet during his trial of sickness, he says….
Job 23:3 Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! (4) I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. (8) ¶ Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: (9) On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: (10) But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
The scriptures reveal that there are two faces of faith, one is triumphant, and the other patiently enduring suffering. One side is revealed the face of Jesus of the cross, the other is revealed the face of Christ, as the resurrected King of Glory. Most of us love the faith that always end in triumph and hate and fear the faith that must be patient in suffering. Who wants the suffering of the cross? We all want the triumph of the Resurrection. There is a popular teaching in American Christianity today that focuses on faith as a ticket to the American dream. Emphasizing just one face of faith, the preachers of health, wealth, and happiness tell their congregations: “Claim your rightful place as King’s Kids. Claim your healing now. With enough faith, you can unlock the treasure house of God and live rich and successful lives.” That kind of faith is centered only on me, myself, and I, rather than on the purposeful plan of a loving Father God.
That’s not the faith walk that some are having to endure right now. I have seen godly people suffer loss of family members, endure physical challenges and go through economic setbacks. None of us know all the twists and turn that our life will take. As a young man, I felt like we would all live forever. I felt like I was captain of my soul and the master of my destiny. But not so, I grew older, the more challenges come. There are men and women of great faith who face relentless trial in life. Instead of getting better, like Job of old, conditions grew worse. Like Naomi of old, who traveled to Moab for relief but lost her husband and her two sons and returned home empty. Ru 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.” Please don’t misunderstand; I am not talking about those on the far-left side, who expects little from God. Those who over emphasized the role of suffering in life. Some believers don’t even pray for deliverance or healing. God has become a far way God who abandons His children to tough it out through life by themselves. Both views of faith are off center. True biblical faith is surrendering our lives to God and allows Him to do as He wills with us and for us. Genuine faith trusts Him to accomplish His eternal purposes which are sometimes beyond our finite ability to understand. Genuine faith is a faith that trusts God beyond what we can see. The cross and the crown of faith are inseparable parts of true biblical faith.
You may be wondering why I have selected this passage as our text today. All these heroes of faith were men and women who simply believed God and moved out in obedience. Noah built an ark without ever seeing rain. He believed God and move out to build. Abram believed God and moved out in search for a city whose builder and maker was God. By faith Sarah, who was barren and nearly ninety years old, received strength to have a son when she had no strength and faced impossible odds. Contrary to common believe, these are not super men and women, they were ordinary people who choose to believe God and act on what they believed.
Then we have the words of our text: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
These Old Testament saints died with faith that God had something better in store for them. In their lifetime they did not see the final promised blessing of the redeemed. Their basic hope was for eternal life with God in a heavenly homeland, they fixed their eyes on their citizenship in a new heaven and a new earth. Believers today must likewise persevere in faith and trust God, even when they do not see all the promises of God fulfilled in their lives. The faith that pleases God is a faith that is able to surrender God's promises back to Him for their fulfillment according to His will.
Good Christians have died during the virus who believed that God was a God that loves and cares; a God that heals and delivers and a God that would always take care of his own. Today it is easy to ask, why did God allow this to happen? Why didn’t God heal this time? Or how could this have happened? God is an all-knowing God who sees the total picture. Somehow, even this fit into God's plans. His word assures us that, "All things work together for the good of them that love God and are called according to his purpose; He promises that "the righteous has hope even in death.
Many who suffer are courageous men and women of Faith, who may not have received everything they believed for in this life but lived their lives with the end in view. They all knew this day was coming and made preparation to meet her Lord. They, like all of us, probably was not perfect, but they were believers! They struggled with life’s disappointments, frustrations and delays. Yet Their kept the faith believing that the King of Glory will come back one day, and every eye would see Him, and every knee would bow down with very tongue would confessing Jesus is the Lord of all!
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."
Considering this text, we must understand that there are times regardless of the quality of our faith, the purity of our motives, the righteousness of our hearts and the correctness of our thoughts and actions; our prayers will seem to be unheard and unanswered. Two places in this passage, the Holy Spirit inspired the writer to remind us that even men and women of great faith suffered, and some died in the faith not receiving the promise of God.
You wonder why? In verse 39 and 40, we are given insight into the mind of God. The text says, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. “God having provided something better. . .” In His wisdom and purpose, He looked beyond their immediate comfort and desire and gave them something better. How hard it is for us to accept that our immediate comfort is not God’s highest priority. What good parent enjoys seeing his son or daughter in a tough time in life? When I see my sons wrestling with the consequences of an unwise decision, my first impulse is to rush in and make it better. But, through the years and through trial and error, I found out, if I do that all the time, they never learn. Overcoming difficulties can produce character; and knowledge gain through experience can produce wisdom. So, our Father in heaven sometimes allows us to go through difficult moments when He does not rush in with a quick fix.
In this text, God allows us to see that there is a future place... a heavenly home that we all will share. In eternity, there are no deferred promises. In eternity, there are no delays to answered prayer. In eternity, there are no yesterdays or tomorrows! In heaven, there are no lessons of faith to learn for we will have perfect knowledge. In heaven, there will be no consequences for sin, for sin will be banished and we will be perfectly holy.
In heaven, our Father no longer has to say no to our requests for our minds and His mind are one and all our requests of Him will be perfectly in synch with His purposes! So, how should this knowledge that faith has two faces.... one triumphant, the Crown; one suffering, the Cross ... affect us? What should our response be today?
Heb 12:1 ¶ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (3) For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”
Even though we suffer loss and go through discouragement, Hebrew 12:1-3 urges us to stay in the race. In life we will suffer setbacks, short-term moments of pain, even doubts and frustrations, but stay in the race. Then we are encouraged to look to Jesus, he alone is the author and finisher of our faith. Keep your eyes on Jesus, he will help you endure. Suffering any loss is difficult and painful, Jesus will help us endure. Finally, consider the faithfulness of God. God is faithful. He has always stood by us. You can depend on him. He will see you through. Lanelle Harris, the great singer and songwriter penned a wonderful song, I will close with these words,
“My God is faithful; For not one promise He has made has gone unfulfilled
According to His will, And He is able, for by His grace He supplies
My every need, His faithfulness exceeds Beyond what I can see
And God is worthy, If not another blessing came I'd still give Him praise
The balance of my days And He's forgiving Though I've caused Him much pain Still He calls me friend, His love and grace exceed Beyond what I can see
Beyond what I can see; Beyond what I can see; Though the road's not clear
I will not fear, The way He's leading me. So, until the morning light
When my faith ends in sight, I'll rest assured In whom I have believed
And follow on beyond what I can see!
God is holy, And He delivered me from sin, To be the same And to Him I remain Forever thankful; For though I'd broken His commands, He still set me free His love for me exceeds Beyond what I can see
Beyond what I can see, Beyond what I can see, Though the road's not clear
I will not fear, The way He's leading me, So, until the morning light, When my faith ends in sight, I'll rest assured In whom I have believed, And follow on beyond what I can see!
I must tell Jesus all of my trials; I cannot bear these burdens alone;
In my distress He kindly will help me; He ever loves and cares for His own.
Tempted and tried, I need a great Savior; One Who can help my burdens to bear; I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus; He all my cares and sorrows will share.
O how the world to evil allures me! O how my heart is tempted to sin! I must tell Jesus, and He will help me, Over the world the victory to win.
I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! I cannot bear my burdens alone;
I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! Jesus can help me, Jesus alone. I must tell Jesus all of my troubles; He is a kind, compassionate friend; If I but ask Him, He will deliver, Make of my troubles quickly an end.
