Hebrews 11:32-40

He is the fulfillment of them, and He is better than them.

And the writer is trying to show his audience that they need to turn to Christ.

!

Just hold your hand in Hebrews 11, but look at chapter 6 really quick, and verse 12.

And I think this is the reason for why He goes through this long, ongoing list of people.

But He introduces faith, and He desires His readers to be like what we see in verse 12 of chapter 6,

to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end.

So that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit promises.

So He's about to give you like examples of those types of people, which is pretty awesome.

So it's great for me to kind of latch on to someone who's real, someone who was broken and fallen like me,

and see how God enabled them to live in this crazy world.

And it says that they went through a lot.

They suffered, but they endured through their faith, and they inherited the promises of God.

So that's what we want to look at today.

If you go back to Hebrews 11, probably one of the theme verses we see in just the first verse of chapter 11.

It says,

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

And so, God used this verse really in a big way in my early Christian life,

as my physical body was fraying away and dying,

and all my hopes that I was really looking forward to, like going to college,

maybe finding a wife, maybe starting a family, maybe going to the military.

All that just was dying.

Like it was like it's not going to happen.

And so, Lord, use this verse to help me realize that there is another world,

an eternal realm that we need to put our minds on.

And the word we see, assurance, the assurance of things hoped for,

translates confidence, conviction.

And this means that faith, biblical faith, is not just wishful thinking.

It's not some sort of really vague, low-key hope that things would just work out the way we want it,

not grounded in imaginary thinking.

Instead, and I gave this definition last week, if you want a definition,

I think of what really describes what our biblical faith is.

It says, it's the definition,

Faith is a settled confidence that something in the future,

something that is not yet seen, but God has promised,

will actually come to pass because God will bring it to pass.

It's a long definition.

Faith is a settled confidence that something in the future,

something that is not yet seen, but has been promised by God,

will actually come to pass because God will bring it to pass.

He delivers upon His word.

He is true to what He says.

He never disappoints.

He never lets down.

If He has promised it, then He will bring it to pass.

So thus, biblical faith is not this leap in the dark,

contrary to actual evidence that we see before us.

It's not a blind faith,

rather a real confident trust in sovereign Almighty God to deliver upon His word.

I hope this is how you view faith.

God will never leave us or forsake us.

And He's promised that what He says about these people in this chapter are also true for the new covenant believer.

The same God that allowed them to endure by their faith,

we now have that confidence as well as we receive Christ.

So, you're going to be happy.

Here's the good news.

There's only two points.

The bad news is they're really long points.

So, but the first point, number one, is that God gives some faith to triumph.

God gives some faith to triumph.

And we're going to walk through our text.

Our text, yeah, I failed expository preaching 101 here.

I didn't read the text first, right?

So, we're going to start in verse 32.

That's where we pick up today.

Verse 32.

It says,

And what more shall I say?

For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepheth, of David, of Samuel, the prophets,

who through their 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.

Some were tortured, refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a better life.

Others suffered mocking, 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.

They were in the midst of the city, wandering about in the deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

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.

So, here's our text.

So, a kind of a turn when we get to verse 35, right?

But, point number one, God gives some faith to triumph.

And we see this in verse 32, through the first part of verse 35.

Time would fail me, he says.

In other words, I could go on and on and on, but I would run out of time and I would run out of ink

to tell you of all the examples of people that God used in this temporal realm to accomplish his purpose through their faith.

A lot of these men who are listed in the first few verses are judges.

Apart from David, who is the only king, and the prophets.

So, as we walk through this, it says, I think that this is significant that he focuses on the time of the judges.

And any of you who know your Bible know that the theme of that whole dark time in the nation of Israel's history

was in those days, everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

That was the theme of that whole time period.

A very terrible, terrible period.

And God, the cycle began of God's people rebelling against him, looking to idols and sin.

God sending in a foreign pagan nation to judge them, to rule over them.

The people would repent and weep over their sin and turn back to God.

God would send a judge to deliver them.

And they would be delivered.

That was just the cycle that just kept going and going.

But I think he's trying to say, in the midst of such an unbelieving, idolatrous, rebellious generation,

these men are remembered.

And so, pay attention to them.

They're remembered while many others have been forgotten.

The first you see in our text, he mentions Gideon.

Gideon, who trusted God, if you remember, against the Midianites,

he had an army originally of about 32,000.

And God reduced it twice until it was 300 men to face this massive, massive army.

And why did God do that?

That's kind of a crazy military tactic.

But in Judges 7, verse 2, this is why.

Judges 7:2

God said to Gideon,

The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into your hand,

lest Israel boast over me, saying,

My own hand has saved me.

So God wanted to set the stage that it would be 100% clear

that if they won this battle, it was because of God,

not because of anything they had.

And so, have you lived a life like that?

That is a prayer that I pray with my wife a few times.

Like, God set this up in such a way that there's no other explanation

for what happened apart from you.

There's none.

No earthly explanation.

Do you pray like that, or do you pray in what is achievable?

What do you think is realistic?

I'm going to pray in those grounds so that I'm not disappointed.

But, as we know, God gave Gideon the victory over the Midianites,

and God took all the credit as he should.

He took tremendous faith.

Can you imagine hearing that?

Like, we're doing something down to 300.

Like, it's a huge, huge feat of faith.

And it wasn't for Gideon.

It was so that God would be glorified.

Barak, or Barak, is the next one mentioned.

He obeyed God's word through the judge Deborah,

and likewise defeated another pagan army that was really mighty,

900 chariots of iron, which would have been a big deal back then.

That would be like saying 900 Abrams tanks coming at you.

And so, he chose to trust the Lord, and God gave him victory during the time of the judge Deborah.

He was faithful to God's command.

That's Judges 4, verse 6.

Judges 4:6

And then we see Samson mentioned, which most of us don't normally think of Samson as a good example of someone to maybe imitate,

because he was empowered by God, but he frittered away that power.

He used it very, at his own leisure, and indulged in some very sinful things that God had forbidden.

And his assumption was, God is with me, so it's going to be okay.

Until God judged him by pulling that strength from him, right?

And humbled him, broke him.

And God had promised originally that he was going to give Samson power to defeat the enemies of Israel and the Philistines.

And he did for a long time.

Until God, again, in judgment, sort of removed that power, Samson is humbled.

As one writer said, there's a subterranean substance to Samson's faith.

I like that.

It's kind of undergirding.

So we just see his mistakes more than anything.

But that's the point of this.

These people aren't supposed to be these conquering heroes that we're supposed to love and worship.

The point is they're screwed up, broken men that God chose to do something through to accomplish his purpose.

So, by faith.

Their faith is what remembered.

So, remember the last little act, Judges 16.

God gave Samson one more feat of strength to take down the Philistines.

And by faith, that was accomplished.

Jephtheth, the next one mentioned.

It's crazy he's mentioned, right?

He's sort of the Hebrew Robin Hood, if you would, who was called back, again, to defend the nation.

And by faith, he did so.

By faith, he conquered.

So, David.

Most of us are very familiar with David.

The only king mentioned in this list, but he grew up, right, in the time of the Judges.

And then was around for the first king.

King Saul mentioned significant man whose name resounds throughout both the Old and New Testament.

David.

The offspring of David.

David.

Tremendous faith.

Trust and confidence in God.

So many of your psalms are written by this man.

So, just hear his heartbeat.

And Samuel, who said of David, right, the Lord has sought out, the Lord has seeked out, pursued, desired a man after his own heart.

And David's faith screamed at Goliath, so that all people would know that the Lord saves, not with the sword or spear.

For the battle is the Lord's.

And he said to Goliath, he will give you into my hand.

So, what gutsy, gutsy faith.

This man has spat upon the honor and glory of my God.

And he's going to die.

Like, poor guy.

Like, he was not really confident in his own ability, but in faith in God.

Samuel mentioned next in our list.

One of my favorites.

His entire life from a young boy, he grew up loving and serving the Lord.

What an example.

In a time of so much corruption in the priesthood and corruption in the religious establishment,

he stood and was faithful.

By his faith.

And he, you might not meet a bolder prophet.

He says some really gutsy things to King Saul, who really in power had the power to kill him.

But he stood toe to toe and was like, thus says the Lord.

Thus says the Lord.

In a humble and bold way.

So, he was faithful in the time of Saul, David, Israel.

Then lastly, he mentions the prophets.

Refers to either the ones who wrote the prophetic books or men that are mentioned in the narratives like Elijah and Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.

They're men who clearly live lives of faith.

But remember that all these men, if you go back and read about them, they're broken.

They did some stuff that you would just think should not be done by a true follower of God.

But then he goes on in our verse, our text.

We see that they have this conquering faith.

It says, through their faith, through the lives of these men.

So, not their status, their authority, or their great deeds.

They conquered kingdoms.

Right?

Just go back and read the great things that were accomplished for God's purposes.

It says that they enforced justice or they worked righteousness.

They, especially during the time of the judges, when so much wickedness and law-breaking and serious stuff was going on,

they enforced the law of God in those places.

It says they obtained promises.

You see that in your text?

So, we see that he added some people, right?

They obtained the promises.

They have the added blessing of seeing the fruit of their faith.

We're not promised that.

Some of you have faith in asking God to do something that you might not really see the result of until the next life.

Are you okay with that?

Some people obtain those promises.

They see them.

And it says, others stopped the mouths of lions.

Which I would think, maybe like to think, refers to humble Daniel in chapter 6.

Like he was thrown into the lion's den.

And by faith, he trusted the Lord to preserve him.

And they stopped the mouths of the lions.

Although, Samson and David also faced lions.

Right?

And others by faith, keep reading, quench the power of fire.

I think, again, this probably refers to the story in Daniel of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego.

Are there Hebrew names?

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

When they were forced to bow the knee to the idol that the king had set up.

And they refused.

They refused.

And they actually said to the king, one of my favorite lines in the Old Testament.

Like, this is what faith does.

If it be so, our God, who we serve, is able to deliver us from your hand.

Like, he has the power.

He is the one who rules right now.

In this moment.

It sounds like Jesus, right?

Talking to Pilate like, you don't have any control here.

You're not the ultimate say-so of what happens.

Our God is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace.

And he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

This is the great part.

But, even if he doesn't, know it to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods.

Or worship the golden image that you have set up.

Daniel 3, 17-18.

Right?

What great faith.

Faith says, I know God can do it.

But, even if he doesn't, I'm not going to give in.

I'm not going to bow the knee to idols of this world.

Crazy, solid faith.

Some prophets, as we keep reading.

Now, don't miss this.

This is going to be referred to later.

Escape the edge of the sword.

Right?

God delivered them from immediate peril.

And, not in their own power, right?

They were weak.

They were helpless.

But, in faith, made strong out of weakness.

All these men were weak men.

Goes on.

One more example of faith that's kind of thrown in here.

The first part of verse 35.

Whoever did the number breaks, this irritates me.

Because, it seems like it would belong like in this next, the previous run.

Chapters and verses are not inspired by God.

Just the text is.

But, helpful.

Helpful all the less.

But, it says, women receive back their dead by resurrection.

So, did you know that?

I've had some modern day faith here where, say, hey, Jesus came so that we could even be raised from the dead.

Like, Jesus ushered in this idea of being raised from the dead.

And, like, God's been doing that way before Lazarus.

Because, it's God's power.

Not the faith of the individual.

Right?

But, more than likely, referring to Elijah, when he was moved by compassion for the widow, Zarephath, when her son died.

And, he interceded and prayed in faith that God would restore the boy.

And, he was risen from the dead.

From the dead.

And, likewise, very similar, Elisha.

We get it, Elijah.

Elisha.

Or, in Ireland, Elisha.

Kind of helps me keep the difference.

It's moved by faith.

He raised the dead son of the Shunammite widow.

Brought her son back from the dead.

That's 2 Kings chapter 4.

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

So, we see resurrection from the dead just didn't start with Lazarus.

But, God is doing such great acts to bring glory to his name long before that time.

But, I want to ask a question.

So, when you and I think about what we desire to be the outcome of our faith.

My hope is in this.

I want this.

This is the result.

I would like my faith to have.

When we think about that.

We want our faith to look like what we just read about.

Conquest.

Walking right over trials and hardships.

All these great things that are just mentioned.

That's where we want our faith to be most of the time.

I don't want to suffer.

I want to be delivered.

I don't want to die.

I want to be healed.

Etc.

But, this gets to point number two.

So, remember the point.

Point number one.

God.

There's point number two.

Sorry.

God gives some faith to persevere.

God gives some faith to persevere.

We see this starting in the first part.

Our second part of verse 35 into verse 38.

So, it's almost like the writer saying.

Lest you think that faith in God means that he always will grant you what you want.

Just in case you think that faith is always going to have a successful worldly outcome.

So, you're not tempted to think that.

Let me tell you about another list that's going to follow.

I love this.

Turn.

So, like you're going, yes, yes, yes.

And you go, oh, gosh.

Like right after this.

See in verse, the second part of verse 35.

God gives some faith to persevere in persecution.

Some were tortured, refusing to accept release.

Others suffered mocking and flogging, even chains and imprisonment.

Many of God's people, right, suffered greatly because of their faith in him.

In the face of beating and tortures, all sorts of things.

What's very interesting is it says they refused to accept release.

So, that makes me think that the key to them escaping their pain was to renounce the faith that was putting them in there in the first place.

They refused.

Instead, they were tortured.

Even in chains, flogging.

Flogging.

They refused to accept release.

So, out on our table, you go out to the hall and turn left and see the little thing right there by the stairs.

There's a whole stack of magazines out there from Voices of the Martyrs.

It's like, after a day, let them all be gone.

They've been there for a while.

Like, pick one up and read about the hardship and persecution of our brothers and sisters around the world.

And see if later on, when you're hungry because you haven't eaten in five hours, if you're, like, considering that true suffering.

It's very hard.

I won't even use the word persecution about myself, you know, when I read about their lives.

And don't miss this.

It says that, so that they might rise again to a better life.

And the literal is obtain a better resurrection.

Meaning that, resurrections in the Old Testament that were just mentioned.

Or just simply having their mortal life restored, which is great.

But a better resurrection is the one that we hope in.

This mortal body is dying.

Earlier, a brother Caleb read in 1 Corinthians 15 that mortal flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God.

This is going to die.

Because of sin.

And I'm kind of glad.

I hate this body.

And it's caused me a lot of trouble.

But God's used it.

So, a better resurrection.

A glorified new body.

They died in hopes that they would receive a better resurrection.

Right?

Going on.

We see that.

God gives some the faith to persevere in death.

Right?

Listen to this.

They were stoned.

They were sawn in two.

And they were killed with the sword.

Wait a minute.

By faith, they were stoned and sawn in two?

The sawn in two part.

More than likely.

It's thinking about the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah.

More than likely.

Extra-biblical literature, historical sources say this was what happened to them.

Jeremiah, who for decades declared God's word faithfully to a perishing, idolatrous nation.

Go read Jeremiah.

Read Lamentations.

He's called the weeping prophet.

Right?

And so, by some modern-day ways of judging successful ministries, numbers, crowds, statistics.

This guy failed.

Jeremiah, they would have fired him on the spot.

Like, dude, you are way too bold.

People are going to run away.

You would say, dude, you're the weeping prophet?

Like, what kind of faith do you have?

Your faith is weak, man.

If your faith was stronger, surely the whole nation would turn in repentance.

But you're screwing it up.

Your faith is too weak.

Not at all.

Not at all.

He was bold.

And he suffered because of it.

Isaiah, probably my favorite Old Testament book alongside Psalms.

Isaiah faithfully spoke the word of God to kings and to the nations of Judah and Jerusalem.

And no other prophet foresaw as much, I think, of the coming Messiah as Isaiah did.

What a faithful guy.

700 years before Jesus was describing him in such language that it almost is even better than any description of Jesus in the New Testament.

Almost.

More than likely, faithful Isaiah was sawn in two by the wicked king, Manasseh.

According to the scriptures, other prophets were stoned.

We know that Stephen, in the very beginning of the book of Acts, was stoned for his faith.

And I want you to catch this.

It says, many by faith were killed with the sword.

Which is astounding is just earlier, if you just look back a few verses, it says some escaped the edge of the sword.

So what's the difference?

So why did the previous mention of the sword, like in verse 34, was their faith greater than the people's faith in verse 37?

So that's why they escaped the sword, was they had more faith?

Nope.

Both faced the sword in faith.

And God, in his own counsel, decided to allow one to live and decided to bring the other one into glory.

Even better reward.

This is such a punch in the face to the health, prosperity gospel.

Right?

God decides.

So God gives some the faith to persevere.

And our next part, in deprivation.

Deprivation.

They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated.

Such were the lifestyles of many of God's faithful, including prophets like Elisha.

Many of God's faithful who wandered about in the deserts and mountains.

So wait a minute.

No mansions.

Expensive cars.

Fine, fine jewelry.

Fancy clothes.

Nice toys.

Nope.

Nope.

Like what a kick in the midriff of that kind of gospel that goes around.

If you just trust God enough, have enough faith, and you do these things, you're going to have all this materialism and all this stuff.

Right?

Such a kick to that kind of prosperity gospel.

It says in Psalm 107, verse 4, talking about God's people.

Psalms 107:4

Some wandered in the desert.

Finding no way to a city to dwell in.

Hungry and thirsty, they fainted.

Their soul fainted within them.

And we look at our last little part of this.

And this is, if I had a title message, I normally don't.

And usually the title of the message is Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

So it's men of whom the world is not worthy.

Verse 38.

So that these people, these men or women who are mentioned, the world was not worthy of them.

Their presence, their very presence in this dark world was itself evidence of God's grace.

For their lives and their witness of God to a sinful people was the greatest privilege that those people could have had.

God gave this broken world such people to look at.

So that is amazing.

They mentioned that they love God so much, right?

So some questions for you.

Do you wish that to be said of you, that the world was not worthy of the kind of life you live by faith in the Son of God?

And could you live such a heavenly, eternal mindset?

When people think about you, that's what they think about.

That person was like from a different planet.

They didn't really, they weren't concerned about the things of this world.

They might have engaged in them.

They might have done some of these things, but they didn't love them.

They didn't, they could have just dropped it and moved on.

Chances are I'll probably watch them in the Super Bowl tonight.

But you know what?

I'm not going to lose any sleep over who loses and who wins.

It's just temporal glory, right?

So if your close friends and family were asked, and they said,

does your lifestyle reveal a great love for this world or for the world to come?

What would they say?

They may say, does he look like a pilgrim passing through this world?

So he uses the things of this world and he engages in the things of this world.

But really his mind and his purpose is in a different direction.

He's setting his place not on the here and now.

Could look in Hebrews 11, chapter 6, or verse 16.

Just rewind a few verses.

And I want you to insert the pronouns you and your in this.

Could it be said of you that you desire a better country?

That is a heavenly one.

And therefore God is not ashamed to be called your God.

For he has prepared for you a city.

Man.

There's so many things in this world that are just like calling for our attention.

Fighting for our affection.

Like invest here.

Are you able to not invest there?

To keep your mind on the eternal and unseen by faith?

Scripture says that we are pilgrims.

We are traveling through a foreign land, which is this world.

And we're going to a sacred place, to Zion.

We are strangers.

We are neither friend or acquaintance of this world.

We're meant to not, though we live in this world, we're not to befriend it.

We are aliens in this world.

Our true home and family and allegiance lies somewhere else other than here.

We're ambassadors.

We represent another king to this other world.

Right?

We are ambassadors for Christ in this foreign land.

So the concluding verses.

Man, running out of time.

This may be one of those times we go over a little bit.

So, sorry.

Verse 39 and 40.

And of all these, the concluding verse,

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.

So all these people, as great as their lives were,

they only received preliminary glimpses of what was promised.

See that in verse 13.

And at the same time, they anticipated something greater that was going to come.

Something greater.

Something better.

Referring to the new covenant realities that we have by faith in the Son of God.

And though we're waiting for our eternal perfection,

it was like they hoped in that eternal perfection.

But now that Christ has come, he's ushered in this time,

and we both are going to be made perfect together in the life to come.

Right?

We look back to Christ, and they look forward to Christ.

And all that is united together in Christ.

So, a lot of other really things I'd like to say,

but remember our definition of faith.

And I would like to just sort of clear up a few things.

I have a few statements here that I will try to run through as fast as I can.

So, the first statement is,

through our faith, God can and does work miracles

to bring practical help and deliverance to his people.

So, he can.

He does.

He works miracles still, even today.

Right?

I have a man who discipled me when I was 18, 19 years old.

And when I first became a believer, his name was Lee,

and he had a wife named Dina.

And when she was pregnant with her first child,

in the first good many number of months of her pregnancy,

the child had a lot of disorders.

Spina bifida was one of them,

and some other things that were going to really hurt the child when she was born.

And they were recommending abortion, like, in her life,

because she's just going to be a vegetable.

And so, they went and saw a specialist,

and, like, the specialist confirmed, like,

yep, all these things are going to happen.

Like, I'm seeing it on the screen.

Do you see?

I'll draw you a picture.

And they didn't know what to do.

They just said, Lord,

we don't believe in any of this child's life.

Like, let's just,

we know that you are powerful,

and we know that you can do as you wish.

So, we're going to ask that you heal our baby in the womb.

And they said, though,

even if you don't,

we're not going to abort this child.

We're going to trust you to provide in the future.

And the next doctor's appointment,

it all had gone away.

No spina bifida,

no serious things that would lead to

a mental disruptive state when they were born.

And they were shocked.

The doctor was like,

this is unexplainable.

They said it's a miracle.

And they said, yeah, it is a miracle.

And they went to, like,

share the gospel with these doctors.

And she was born.

Her name's Allison.

I think she's probably a young teenager at this point.

So, God sometimes does that.

So, number two,

this is what we read about today a lot.

God does not always work miracles

for our deliverance from suffering.

Instead, sometimes, by faith,

God sustains His people through suffering.

God does not always work miracles

for our deliverance from suffering.

But instead, sometimes, by faith,

sustains His people through suffering.

Through it all.

Many people that I look up to,

and I know,

have had a big impact in how I think about this.

I mean, most of you know,

I'm not going to bore you with details,

but cystic fibrosis,

was dying in my early 20s,

and was in the hospital.

God was my only hope.

I was like, I'm ready to die,

I'm ready to live,

whatever you want to do.

But I know that you can,

I trust you to make the right decision.

And I had a person,

a hospital worker,

who also was a believer,

but a part of the Word of Faith movement.

And she told me,

and my mom particularly,

that I was not healed

because of our lack of faith.

Our faith was not strong enough, right,

for me to be healed,

or otherwise,

I would have been.

Not true.

Number three,

getting to this,

let me just talk about this.

God sustains people in their suffering, right?

Number three,

this is a key one,

don't miss this one.

Having enough faith

is not

the ultimate determining factor

on whether or not

you escape suffering.

Rather,

God

and His sovereign wisdom and love,

He's the determining factor.

He is.

T.D. Jakes,

a teacher that I would encourage you

to stay away from,

he said,

the devil is a liar.

True statement.

Healing

is the children's bread.

It's promised to us

by the Word of God,

and God

can do

much better things

than medicine can do.

I had one guy tell me,

quit taking my medicine.

Like, stop.

That's displaying lack of faith

for you to take

medicine.

He told the same thing

to a good brother of ours

in the faith,

my friend Joseph,

who really

knows the Lord.

He quit taking his medicine

and he almost died.

And,

and he was later on like,

you know,

that wasn't really

a display of faith.

That was kind of

a display of foolishness,

but he actually

had the transplant now

and is doing well.

And,

but,

I want to read you

a quote from

one of my heroes.

Pick up this woman's books

and read all of them.

But,

her name is

Joni Erickson-Tada.

She is a

quadriplegic.

Had a diving accident

when she was a young teenager.

Has been in a wheelchair

her entire life.

And,

she ministers to people

ceaselessly

in her weakness.

But,

I love this.

Something she said.

She was on a TV show.

I won't,

I won't bash the network

because you probably know

which one it is

on TV.

But,

she was on that TV show

and she shared her story

like how God was using her

and her brokenness

and her suffering

to display

like how the next life

is better

and that her hope

and trust

is in the Lord.

and then she said,

the TV host

did not seem impressed.

He listened

until the interview

drew to a close

and then

he turned

to address

the small studio audience

as well as the cameras

which was a window

to who knows

how many people

were watching

at that moment.

He explained

to his viewers

that it was obvious

that I had not been healed

but they could.

The viewers

could be healed

even though

I had not been.

He said,

with confession of sin

and enough faith

to believe

they could know

what I was not able

to know.

Yeah.

And he goes on,

the people

in the television audience

who obeyed

this person's

magic formula

could be healed.

Before I could jump in

and like say something,

the cameras

turned down

and another segment

started

I could hardly

believe it.

He had never

read,

has he ever read

all the times

that God specifically

tells his followers

even followers

of great faith

that they will expect

hardship

and suffering

in this world

and how the sufferings

of Christ

are supposed to

overflow

into our lives

and how has he

ever read

Acts 14

that we must

go through

many hardships

and trials

to enter

the kingdom

of God.

And that's just

scratching the surface.

Now I don't mean

to be critical

but I'm sorry

this man was wrong.

I love this part.

God is God

and it is he

and he alone

who decides

who will be healed

and who will not be.

Yes,

faith

is vital

to everything.

Without faith

it is impossible

to please him.

And this is it.

Underline this.

I underline this.

Big bold letters.

But faith's focus

must always be

Jesus.

You see that?

Faith's focus

must always be

Jesus.

No one draws

close to Christ

who doesn't first

share in Christ's

sufferings.

Good.

So,

so what I saw

and these people

who told me this

even though

I'd have more

oil dumped on me

than McDonald's

French fries

and had like

elders from

all over the world

praying for me

in three different

continents.

I fully believe

God could do it.

I really did.

What I learned

is that their faith

is in their faith.

Not their faith

was in Christ.

Can you quantify faith?

Like as a believer

you have faith

ignited in you

when you are born again

and your faith

may do this

at times

but it never

goes away.

Jesus said

duh

faith the side

of a tiny

mustard seed

can move a mountain.

But what really

moves the mountain?

Your faith

or is it really God?

The God

the object

of your faith.

God is the one

who moves

the mountain

not your faith.

Jesus isn't saying

that like you have

this omnipotent power

to like

do as you will

and wield

God's power

for your own

desires and purposes.

Right?

Not our naked faith

but rather

the object

of our faith

is powerful.

At the end of the day

it's not the amount

of faith

that heals

but rather

the God

of our faith.

It's only as good

as the object.

Right?

And so I don't hate

people like this.

I feel sorry for them.

I had a lot of talks

with that woman

who told me that.

I never like

threw my tray at her

and told her not

to come back

in my room again.

But we had a lot

of talks.

You know what?

One day

she's going to get sick

and she's going to die.

What happened?

Did her faith run out?

We're all going to die.

So at some point

I'm not going to

keep going.

Anyway

point number four

and lastly

you know

I promise

wrapping it up.

So here's the deal.

The common feature

of the faith

that escapes suffering

and endures suffering

is this.

So what determines

in other words

whether you escape

or whether you don't escape

both involve believing

that God himself

is better

than what

this present life

can offer.

God is better

than what this present life

can offer.

That's the common feature.

And then lastly

those who love God

more than life

will suffer

willingly

awaiting something better

than what this world has.

Right?

The love of God

those who love God

more than life

will suffer willingly

awaiting something better

than this world can offer.

your thoughts

is on

the eternal

the eternal

and we're going to close

look at 1 John

real quick

1 John chapter 5

1 John 5 · chapter mention

1 John chapter 5

1 John 5 · chapter mention

I want to read

just

two verses

and we'll close

1 John chapter 5

1 John 5:4

verse 4

for everyone

who has been

born of God

true believers

overcomes

the world

and this

is the victory

that has overcome

the world

our faith

who is it

that overcomes

the world

except the one

who believes

that Jesus

is the son

of God

so you may be

tempted in verse 4

to think

oh that's our faith

our faith is overcoming

the world

then it ties you

into the object

of faith

in the next verse

those who believe

your faith is in

Jesus

the son

of God

we will overcome

all things

until

he returns

yeah let's

let's pray together