Tana City Church Preaching
Kim Midgley | Hebrews 11 - Commended for faith
So last Sunday we were again going through the book of Hebrews together and we got to the end of chapter 10. If you haven't been following along with that, don't worry. Each week we look at kind of a message on its own so you don't really have to have been here for the whole series but I've been quite enjoying the book of Hebrews, I hope you've been learning something as we go through it and this is how Hebrews chapter 10 ends. It says in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 39 "We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." So the writer is calling for people to persevere and asking the saints not to kind of go back towards their old ways or to their old customs, but effectively says persevere, stand firm in your faith, God's calling us to overcome and we are not of those who shrink back but we are of those who have faith. And this is one of the strong themes of Hebrews is that we as believers are to be a people of faith and Hebrews chapter 11 then goes into a whole, if you like, on a roll list of the heroes of the faith from the Old Testament explaining the great things that God did through these people and it's a whole chapter that's supposed to encourage us, it's supposed to show us a demonstration of people of faith and so I want us to go through Hebrews chapter 11 together this morning, it's a long chapter and it speaks for itself, we should read it because there are little phrases that the rights to the Hebrews has put into this chapter that are meant to just spark excitement in our hearts, little comments here and there that he explains what was going on and why it was significant and so we are going to look at Hebrews chapter 11 as an example of what people of faith are like so that we can then reflect on our own lives and our own faith and understand this is what a life of faith is about, this is how you journey with God through your time on earth, let's pray. Heavenly Father as we turn to your word this morning, I expect you will encourage each one of us here too, understand better what it means to have faith and to persevere in our faith for your glory in Jesus name, amen. So the writer says we are not those who shrink back but we are those who have faith and Hebrews 11 verse 1 and starts, now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, for by it the people of old receive their commendation, so there's a commendation that you receive by faith, now that you live by faith and by living by faith irrespective of the rest of how things unfold, there's a commendation that you receive and that is again for me something quite humbling because it reminds me that God wants me to be faithful even in the face of seemingly unfruitful seasons, even in times where I can't see triumphant victory, so faith is this assurance of things that we hope for, it's a conviction of things not seen, so there's a certainty that's attached to our faith as believers, it is not a wishful thinking, so faith for a believer is not a kind of wishful thinking, many things are going to go like this, maybe they're not, faith is actually something that's built on a promise from God where God has spoken and because he has spoken we believe and we are therefore certain, so faith is believed in God not just hope, it's not just something I want but it's something God has said, faith is believing God, faith is trusting his word and it's trusting his character and I love a line from a rich melon song where he speaks about a rainbow, so he's making reference to Noah who built the ark and then after the flight, got a promise from God that was kind of signed with the rainbow saying I will never again destroyed the earth with water, with the flat and that promise from God, rich melon's refers to in a song and he speaks about the covenant that God made with Noah when he says I can see the covenant colors that the sun and the rain have woven against the blue of the sky, beautiful poetry referring to the rainbow and saying and I know he who made it and I'm sure that he would not lie and that's where your faith should rest, it should rest in him who made the promise and know his character is such that he would not lie and at a base level that's why we need to have the word of God to see what God has said and to know the things that he has promised so that we know in those things, he will never fail us, he will never lie. There are many times I think I might have invented an idea that I want something and wanted God to want the same thing for me and then I've tried to squeeze that faith out of myself to believe for that thing and sometimes it's just disappointing because I don't get what I was hoping for and that's when I think maybe I'm desperately trying to hear God say something because I know he says it I can believe it but if I'm just making up my wishful thinking of course that's not going to work so sometimes you know if you if you're wanting something in life you might write in your journal I think God said this to me but I'm not sure well then you can't really be sure if it's going to come to pass or not maybe you know if this then that or this you know it's going to be the woman I marry or that's going to be the job I get or you know but when God speaks it is so it is assured and so faith is actually assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen because of where the promise came from so faith is not wishful thinking I want to start by making that point that you need to walk with God in order to hear God you need to study his word in order to see what he said and that's where you put your faith and so Hebrews 11 verse 3 says by faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible Hebrews 11 verse 3 is a is a profound verse it starts at the creation and says we believe by faith we understand the universe was created by the Word of God because God's word tells us that's how he created in Genesis chapter 1 God spoke and it was so his word comes to pass and the most graphic demonstration of that is that the universe was created by his word what God says happens so he spoke and it was made I want to tell you faith cannot be let's say superseded by science when people get into debates about science and religion and so on I just for me it's a lot simpler than that faith can go where science cannot science has theories and still no origin story science can only describe the energy that was involved in the beginning of the universe it has no explanation of the source of that energy you're not going to get proof sorry you aren't going to get proof creation itself is the proof the existence itself according to Romans chapter 1 testifies that there was a creator who created everything therefore everyone should know surely there is a creator but you know don't get scientific proof because science cannot go there science cannot explain where the energy came from it can just say maybe there was a big bang maybe but the interesting thing to his therefore faith is not at odds with science we don't have to set up science and faith as enemies of one another we must just acknowledge that science is limited but faith is not faith goes beyond science and at the same time it's not at all irrational when we as a people of faith as Christians are called to give an account for the hope that we have we're not making up fairy tales it's not an unreasonable thing to believe in God it's not an unreasonable thing to look at scripture and history and see how true truth truly is in fact faith goes beyond science and at the same time it's not irrational it is perfectly rational to compute that God created it is more rational to believe in an ultimate source or cause for existence than not to God through his word reveals that he created and creation was made by his word through God the son and God the Holy Spirit and creation was made out of nothing that's what we understand from God's word and this is important because there's not the reshuffling of energy it's not something that was already there that was used to make creation God created out of nothing and this refutes pantheism and all religions that look at life and creation as if they are just opposing forces and energy is requiring rebalancing you see it's important to understand this because otherwise people end up worshiping their creator rather than the creator and there's a lot of that that comes through Eastern philosophies that suggest that you've got you know light and dark co-existing eternally and now it's just the case of getting your energy balanced right so go and get a massage God reveals that he is eternal and uncreated and distinct from creation we are not to worship created things that's why last week I was going so strongly against the idea of rituals like traditions because what's happening there is that something to do with this present earth is being worshiped but God alone must be worshiped so we are people of faith who worship God who is greater than creation and therefore we will not worship our bodies we will not worship clothes and food we will not worship sex we will not worship ceremonies and rituals and the earth we will not worship mammon we will not settle for anything that this world has to offer because there is nothing better than here God and that's why we sing a song like the one we open with the writer is showing that faith is always involved in everything to do with God in the beginning God spoke and we believe and so we see that living by faith obtains God's commendation and so the writer goes on now to introduce us to the characters of biblical history Hebrews 11 verse 4 "By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than came through which he was commended as righteous God commending him by accepting his gifts and through his faith though he died he still speaks so in our first example Abel he honored God by faith presenting something to God which was a better offering than came offering because Abel's offering was by faith so he did everything right and it got him killed so there we are Abel's story of faith is a short way he did the right sacrifice and he was murdered because his brother was jealous it's pretty rough sometimes being a believer on the other hand by faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death so the one guy gets murdered by his brother the other guy he gets raptured like caught up into glory by faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death and he was not found so this is what faith can do as well is that you can walk with God and he can say I like you so much I'm snatching you right out of this world into my presence go Enoch I don't know if that happens to me everyone will be hunting all on earth because they will say there's no ways that guy was going to be going ahead of time anyway now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God so he was already commended he was pleasing to God why because he believed he had faith in God so Enoch walked with God and then he was no more God took him and so the writers juxtaposing two incredible stories Enoch and Enoch the one guy gets murdered by his brother he experiences death because he made a good sacrifice the other guy walks in relationship with God and he escapes death he proves he live in verse six things and without faith it is impossible to please him so there is no way you can please God if you're living in a religious life where you are just following rules and rituals and doing the requirements of some kind of law that doesn't require faith it just it can be mechanical it didn't necessarily require faith which put money in the offering it's more than just following a rule to actually demonstrate faith when you put money in the offering you have to have a sense that you are worshiping God and say God I'm not doing this as a duty I'm doing this as a sacrifice for worship to you there has to be some kind of a sense of I am engaging with God not I'm just doing something because otherwise it's just a mechanical thing it's lifeless it's dead without faith it's impossible to please him for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him now that phrase that God rewards those who seek him it's a fundamental truth that I've built my life one from God's word I understand he exists but just believing that he exists is not enough just believing in God oh yes of course there's a creator yeah there must be a God because look everything I'm a theist but that doesn't make me pleasing to God actually the faith God's looking for is a faith that wants him seeks him and believes and believes that if you seek him you will find him whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him so a lot of Hebrews is actually about commendation about reward it's not about heaven and hell like you lost your salvation or you didn't lose your salvation it's far deeper than that say people walked with God and he was pleased that they were walking with him. That's life by faith. It's saying, "I believe God is there and I believe he rewards those who seek him." Of course, the only reward is actually that you would find him, that you would say, "God, I know you, I know your praises, I know, I know your nearness, I know your mercy, I know your grace, I know your love." So this is not simply those who obey him, but those who, though God is invisible, recognize that he is there and then make their business to seek him. I want you to see that there's a difference between just obey him versus seeking. We don't, as people of faith, just do what God tells us, we actually seek him. By faith, Noah, being warned by God concerning events is yet unseen in reverent fear, constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. In Noah's obedience, he took decades to build a boat that was big enough to do what God wanted to do, save the remnant. Noah's family, those who would go onto the ark, the animals, and then at the same time he condemned, his actions were condemning those to judgment who would not be in the ark, and that was done by faith. And I see in this that faith is not like a one-off test. It's not something that just happens at a defining moment in your life, but it is a diligent obedience over time where you say, "God, I'm going to lay my life at your service, and I'm going to lay, but in spite of what people around me say, and I'm going to carry on for decades believing in something that I haven't yet seen." And Noah believed in a coming judgment. He believed in an unimaginable cataclysmic, never seen before natural event called a flood. I have even seen rain pouring down, and he believed God's word that God would send the flood and judge the world. Now, do you believe in the coming judgment? Do you consciously think this world is going to be tested, purified, judged, and destroyed by the fire of God when Jesus returns? I do. I might not see it in this life. I might only see it after I get raised at the final trumpet, but I believe in the coming judgment. Absolutely the faith that saved Noah was believing God was telling the truth when he said he was going to send a flood, because in that way he built the ark, condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. But faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he was going. Very many times God doesn't give you some kind of clear certain guarantee circumstantially. It's not there that Abraham couldn't, God just said, "Go with me. I'll show you where you're going." And some of us wait too long and hold hedge our bets and say, "That's too risky. I don't know what will happen if I go." Abraham left his father's house and he went with God. On a journey where God over time actually revealed himself more and more to Abraham. By faith he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob is with him of the same promise, for he was looking forward to the city that has foundation since designer and building his God. Again, I find Hebrews interesting. The writer first talks about Noah building an ark, and the very next picture is about God building a city for us. Noah built something for God, but Abraham went further with the revelation that God is building something. And that's where we should have our attention. That's what we should be looking for. It's not just what you are building for God. Too many of us are solely preoccupied about what we are building for God. You should be also living for what God is building for you. That saves you from being caught up in this world and living for the stuff of earth. So Noah built something for God. Abraham saw God building something for him. Can you hold both of those in your life? Can you see yourself as someone who will build something for God? But can you also at the same time see God as building something for you? By faith, Sarah has self received power to conceive. Even when she was past the age since she considered him faithful who had promised. There again is that idea of where does your faith rest? Is it in the size of your faith that you hope? Is it in the power of your faith? No, it is in the character of your God. She considered him faithful who had promised. Sarah was able to believe in the character of God. Therefore from one man and him as good as dead, so she wasn't really looking to Abraham, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the sea shore. So Sarah's faith was in God that he would keep the promise. Hebrews 11 verse 13 says these all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar and having acknowledged that there were strangers and exiles on the earth. There is no completing the project. There is no seeing the finished work. Like your life is part of a story that spends multiple lives and your life is just one part of the whole story. And most of the guys that we're reading about all of these guys died without seeing the full final fulfillment of the promises. Because those promises are only fulfilled in Jesus first when he came two thousand years ago and finally when he comes again. So basically they believed and they looked from a distance and greeted those things. It's almost like I know that's what's coming. I know that's what's coming. Can you live that way? Can you live satisfied that God isn't going to give you everything, that he's keeping an inheritance to share it with everyone. And so as I labor in this context I will labor faithfully for as many years as God allows me and then I will die. In that sense it doesn't matter how spectacular my ministry is. It matters how spectacular God is. He is doing something that we're only going to see at the end. Nothing we see before they will compare. I could have a church of thousands of people like me, maybe some guy. It doesn't compare to what God is building. It's just a little blip in history but it's important because it's part of the journey, part of the story. So greeting from afar, having acknowledged that there were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear they seek no homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they've gone out they would have had an opportunity to return. That is frightening if they had longed for Egypt to these people of faith God would have given them that. Now some of Israel wanted to go back to Egypt and then because of their unbelief they were kept from entering into Canaan and they died in the desert but the threat here is that if you really had it in your heart maybe God would give it to you. If they'd been thinking of that land from which they've gone out they would have had opportunity to return. I wouldn't want to look back like Lot's wife but as it is they desire a better country that is a heavenly one. That kind of challenges me. You want a better country? You're not supposed to want a better Madagascar that way. Yes I want God to bless my neighbours and I want God to help the poor and I want God to uplift society around me but not to make it so nice that I want to live there forever. I don't want South Africa's economy to be booming so that I can just retire there and live forever in South Africa. We should not want anything on earth to be redeemed so that we can have it without God. The city of our God is coming the new Jerusalem where God dwells is the city we should desire and nothing on earth should should compete. They desire a better country. There is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared for them a city. That's what I want Lord. I don't just want transformation on earth. I don't want this world to be a better place. Who's saying that? Michael Jackson, I don't know. Is there a metham or not to quote Michael Jackson in a sermon? I didn't quote him. Hebrews 11 verse 17 says, "By faith Abraham when he was tested often up Isaac and he had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son of whom it was said through Isaac shall your offspring be named. He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead from which figuratively speaking he did receive him back." So Abraham, he had this this time where he was really tested and when it was a tough moment he was unequivocal about who was his God. Not even his own son Isaac was an idol to him even though he was through Isaac that God had promised the promises of descendants and the Savior. But he said if this is necessary for God to fulfill his promise he will raise Isaac from the dead in order to fulfill his promise. So I love Abraham's incredible faith. And then we get Hebrews 11 verse 20, "By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau." That's a short story. That's all that the writer says about Isaac. A lot about Abraham, a lot about Moses, a lot about Jacob and Joseph. But Isaac I've always found Isaac an interesting one of the patriarchs because it's like he just doesn't get his credit, his due does he? I mean if you read the stories you just Isaac was there and then he wasn't. And most of us in digging to try and find more to say about Isaac we look at the role that the servant played in bringing Isaac's wife to him and build a theology of culture. It's like God will bring you your wife or no you must go find her. Even there I think Isaac is a bit of a fail man. He like, come on man up Isaac. But what he did do was absolutely crucial. By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. So some people in the story all that they do is keep moving forward. There was another spectacular story about Isaac. He just got tricked by Jacob and blessed Jacob and so God's purposes are suffering and they propagate from Isaac to to Jacob Abraham Isaac, Jacob. Why do I like that? I like that because you know even if your story is not spectacular your story is spectacularly important. So Isaac's life was maybe not like Daniel in the lion's den. You know we don't tell Sunday school stories about Isaac. But there he is. He did everything that he needed to do just by breathing and finally he was blinded he laid hands on the wrong kid and that that was the purpose for Isaac. So maybe you're Isaac. I don't know. I would hope for more adventure but I'm trying to point out this guy is crucial. He's crucial in the story. So it's like maybe that seemingly insignificant thing you do by faith is highly significant in the purposes of God. By faith you had the courage to get married in an age where people keep hurting each other and there's no trust. God wouldn't use your faith. You see there's a little decision you make. You think it was just part of normal life. It's normal for people to bless their children when they're old but he was fulfilling the purposes of God. Just carry the battle and pass the battle. Hebrews 11 verse 21 and 22 "By faith Jacob when dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph, firing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith Joseph at the end of his life made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones." Can you believe this guy Joseph? He's in Egypt under Pharaoh and he knows Israel is going to live there for generations and so having received promises from Abraham via Isaac to Jacob now Joseph in the fourth generation calls his brothers and he says don't forget don't forget the promises God has made when they come to pass take my bones with you when you leave Egypt. This is how how long were they Egypt? 400 years? That's faith. He's making preparations for something that's going to happen 400 years after his death. He doesn't say take me because he's not even going to be there. This is a declaration of faith over Israel's future of which Joseph's story is finished. He isn't his bones. He says take my bones but he's not going to be there. He's going to be with the Lord absent from the body present with the Lord. Take my bones and he's actually declaring something. He's saying God will not fail to deliver his people from here. This is true faith. He is declaring when God fulfills his promise. There's an acknowledgement and affirmation of the promises given to Abraham about the promised land. Your faith can reach beyond your life. Joseph by saying take my bones was actually saying it's a certainty. I'm actually making plans for your you will face this future. Someone down the line. Remember, guess what Moses did? In the midst of all that fighting with Pharaoh and plagues and the Passover and then the get out leave the Israelites got attacked and fled stealing a bunch of stuff and carrying bones. They went with Joseph's bones. Her faith Moses when he was born was hidden for three months by his parents because they saw that the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king's edict. See when you follow faith you don't care about people even the king. My faith Moses when he was grown up refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He could have got honor and favor but he said no I'm an Israelite choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt for he was looking to the reward. See faith comes with the reward what Moses had was political power pedigree because he was raised in Pharaoh's household and he said no I'm not with that I'm with Israel and he became a thorn in the flesh of Pharaoh. He was ultimately expelled from Egypt by faith he left Egypt not being afraid of the anger of the king for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. Seeing him who is invisible let you see the right to keep throwing in these phrases we need. We need to be a people who see him who is invisible and when you see him who is invisible even if the king is a tyrant you're not afraid of the king even if you have oppression on earth you have failures of government you have corruption around you you have all kinds of unfamous and injustice but you're not destroyed you're not even afraid of the king because you endure as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blade so that the destroyer of the Firstborn might not touch them. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea on dry land but the Egyptians when they attempted to do the same word drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days by faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. Rahab's story is in there briefly just summarized as by faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. You know Rahab did she she at risk of being discovered as a kind of a treasonous person she hung a little scholar you know driven in the window to say it's safe now you can come in whatever and she betrayed her people but why did she really do? She took sides think about it she she decided to extend friendliness towards the spies she gave them safe power and support but that was an act of faith that actually allowed her to be delivered from the judgment that came on her people around her even though she was a prostitute she had plenty of sin in her life she was not worthy of very much at all and what she did was in a very small sense yeah it's like she gave a friendly welcome to the spies so so I know good news with all the junk in your life all you have to do is be friendly to God's people that a good idea well he is he's got a big smile it's on his face right now either be friendly just just be nice to God's people that's all Rahab did she didn't go and start something you know repent of this or repent not she just she welcomed God's people she chose society by grace then she is in the book of Hebrews not only that but she's yeah she is instrumental actually in the whole storyline Hebrews 11 verse 32 what more shall I say see the the writers now want to tell you about everyone so we won't go into these ones we'll just read it time would fail me to tell of Gideon Barak Samson Jafter of David and Samuel in the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms in forced 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 and war put foreign armies to flight incredible adventures women received back their dead by resurrection it's glorious stories that God does with his people and by the way going back from Enoch to Abel some were tortured refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a better life 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 and mistreated of whom the world was not worthy wondering about in deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth so all the time i'm encouraging you to be a person of faith and the writer of this book writing to the Hebrew says when you walk with God you could be just living your life and then you make a simple choice like welcoming the spies or blessing your son and you're accomplishing the purposes of God and the adventure could be massive like you could be involved in like mighty deliverance God does incredible things for you he shuts them out of lines he he delivers you from the furnace or you could be sawn in two you could be mocked you could be imprisoned you could suffer that's true of people who walk about faith it isn't an indication of God's despair it isn't a failure of the gospel to provide blessing in your life it isn't God abandoned in you just because you got sick or got imprisoned or got cut in half none of us have had to experience that i would really not want to but many did John the baptizer beheaded many of the pretty much all of the apostles marched so to wrap this up faith isn't one singular test for some they are defining moments but the defining moment came about as a matter of course it was just a day among many days of walking with God if you look at these people their their stories unfold over an entire lifetime it isn't just one moment that gets referred to so don't think of faith as a singular test think of faith as your daily relationship with God but faith isn't religious routine you see God spoke and he instructed them and faith is their response to God's word but each story is different each story was particular unique so their faith is demonstrated in completely different scenarios for everyone i would hate to see a christian community that believed their faith was all built on the fact that they all get up at 6am and pray that they all do an hour of battle study a day now pray and battle study are good things but during those things doesn't mean you're a person of faith that just means you're a person of good self discipline i want you to be a person of faith a person who says that all the days of my life and all the hours of my day belong to God and when the test comes or the defining moment happens i know i'm going to be ready because i know whom i believe so when that moment comes we don't know what that moment will be but for you it might just be some subtle invitation to take a step into the unknown faith isn't religious routine it's a faithful life and it's a taking sight that's what faith really is it's taking sight and saying i'm with God faith is rational they chose to obey their faith was practical you see it's isn't like we sometimes think of faith for healing if i could have enough faith i could lay hands on the second see them healed no it's not about believing more strongly for an answered prayer it is much deeper than that it is choosing God over everything else it's taking sight it's about whose side you on and where you've taken your stand and the results of faith are incomplete faith results in a multitude of amazing things and a multitude of costly outcomes we read from verse 29 to 35 and then 35 to 38 people being delivered and people being destroyed because of their faith some were blessed some were delivered some died they're all commended they're all commended Hebrews 11 verse 39 and 40 says this and all these though commended through their faith did not receive what was promised since God had provided something better for us then apart from us they should not be made perfect so the idea was God is fulfilling all things in Christ and including all of us the Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints in one body of believers who belong to him and that means your story and my story are interwoven and your faith is not just about your success or your breakthrough or your deliverance but it's about God's plan God's purpose and God's glory and so when we think of faith that way we're not frustrated because God didn't heal someone when we prayed for them we trust God and we pray for those who are sick we're not disappointed when we didn't get the job we wanted we trust God because we know he's able to give us promotion in an instance like Joseph who went from being a prisoner to being prime minister of Egypt so in our lives we walk interesting God we don't constantly look at our circumstances and say oh no God's not with me we look at his word and we see God says I will never leave you or forsake you and we continue by faith you're suffering you lose your job God has fallen his throne he hasn't turned against you whose side are you on it's very easy you just have to take sides Rahab said I'll just welcome these guys feet from the cross said remember me it wasn't very complicated but those are the people of faith because they chose God they said I'm going to believe in him the band can come up when you guys stand I'm going to pray for us Heavenly Father what we see in chapter 11 of Hebrews is an incomplete list where the writer would have liked to name everyone and in doing that attempt at listing so many people the writer is saying to us us too we are a people of faith we're part of the story we're part of something that you are doing that reaches through all of time and all of history God increase our faith increase our faith to trust you our entire lives to trust you even while you're invisible to believe in your faithfulness even when circumstances don't agree help us Lord God to have faith that will stand through our whole lives for your glory let's worship [BLANK_AUDIO]