Faith that Looks to God's Power

I'm going to read from God's word now.

We're going to read from Hebrews chapter 11, verses 29 to 31.

Hebrews 11:29–31

! Just a short reading tonight.

This is God's holy word.

By faith, the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land,

but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down

after they'd 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.

Amen. This is God's word.

As Chris mentioned at the beginning of the service,

we're moving towards the end of the series

in Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

Next week, God willing, Chris will look at the final verses

of the chapter, and then the week after,

God willing, I will look at the conclusion,

which really is to be found in Hebrews 12

and the first couple of verses there.

And as we've made our way through this very famous chapter of the Bible,

I think one of the recurring themes

about living the life of faith

is that it involves seeing or apprehending

that which is invisible.

Faith is the conviction of things not yet seen.

Noah was warned by God about events unseen.

Moses endured as seeing him who is invisible.

And the author of Hebrews wants his readers

to live their lives with their eyes,

with the eyes of faith fixed upon the invisible God.

He wants them to see that city with foundations

whose architect and builder is God.

He wants them to be looking forward

to that promised reward

that is theirs in Jesus Christ,

but still yet to be realized.

And this chapter, as we've seen,

is all about traveling the way of faith.

And according to our writer,

faith is about looking beyond

the limited horizons of this life

to the living God.

Many years ago, the Christian writer A.W. Tozer

wrote these words.

He said,

In other words, for the Christian,

faith is focused on God.

He is the great object of our faith and trust,

and we must not lose sight of Him.

And so, as we make our way around

this portrait gallery of faith,

our author wants to draw our attention

really to two key events

involving the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan.

And now, why is he doing that?

He wants us to get God in focus.

He wants us to be looking away from ourselves.

He wants us to see in these great events

the God whose power is made known

amidst human weakness and frailty.

These Hebrew Christians knew a great deal

about human weakness and frailty.

And our writer is trying to get them

to look to God

and to the God of power and majesty.

So, what do we see of God

in these verses before us tonight?

Three verses,

so it should be a short sermon.

Well, maybe not.

We'll see.

What do we see of God in these verses?

Let me highlight three things.

Verse 29,

Faith looks or sees the God of keeping power.

Faith looks to the God of keeping power.

By faith, the people crossed the Red Sea

as on dry land,

but the Egyptians,

when they attempted to do the same,

were drowned.

So, the reference here in verse 29

is back to the destruction of Pharaoh's army

at the Red Sea,

a passage we find in the book of Exodus

and chapter 14.

The people had fled from Egypt

under Moses' leadership,

but Pharaoh, who had allowed them to leave,

changed his mind

and sent out his army to pursue them

and to bring them back.

And in one sense,

it is a strange illustration of faith

because the Red Sea on the one side,

the Egyptian army coming up on the other,

when you read Exodus 14,

it's not clear that the people of God

demonstrate great confidence in God.

In fact, in Exodus 14,

we're told that they were not full of faith,

but they were full of fear.

So, in Exodus 14, verse 10,

Exodus 14:10

and following,

you read these words.

When Pharaoh drew near,

the people of Israel lifted up their eyes

and behold,

the Egyptians were marching after them.

They feared greatly.

And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.

They said to Moses,

Is it because there are no graves in Egypt

that you have taken us away

to die in the wilderness?

What have you done to us

in bringing us out of Egypt?

Is not this what we said to you in Egypt?

Leave us alone

that we may serve the Egyptians.

For it would have been better

for us to serve the Egyptians

than to die in the wilderness.

Moses said to the people,

Fear not.

Stand firm.

See the salvation of the Lord,

which He will work for you today.

For the Egyptians whom you see today,

you shall never see again.

The Lord will fight for you,

and you have only to be silent.

The people are terrified.

They are grumbling.

They are complaining to Moses.

And in turn,

Moses tells them not to fear,

but rather to stand firm.

He reminds them

that the Lord will fight for them.

And that they,

well,

in colloquial terms,

they should just shut up.

Stop their complaining.

So,

in a sense,

it's quite an unusual demonstration of faith,

isn't it?

People of Israel

backed into a corner,

almost left with no other option

than to trust God.

Only realistic option

was to do

as the Lord commanded them.

So,

it may not have been

great faith

that they demonstrated,

but it was faith.

It was a weak faith

in a strong

and powerful God.

It's by faith

that they passed through the Red Sea,

and the Egyptian army

was swallowed up

and destroyed

after them.

And Exodus 14

really is a passage

all about

the power of God

to deliver His people,

to accomplish His purposes.

The power of God

over His creation,

and the power of God

over His enemies.

Exodus 14,

30 and 31,

we read,

Thus the Lord

saved Israel that day

from the hand

of the Egyptians.

And Israel saw

the Egyptians

dead on the seashore.

Israel saw

the great power

that the Lord

used against the Egyptians.

So,

the people feared the Lord,

and they believed

in the Lord,

and in His servant,

Moses.

That's a passage,

of course,

that's referred to

right throughout

the Old Testament.

Isaiah 63,

the prophet there

speaks of this

as an event

that brings honor

and glory

to God's name,

a demonstration

of God's

sovereign power

over all other

gods and deities.

Isaiah 63,

11,

Then He remembered

the days of old

of Moses and His people.

Where is He

who brought them up

out of the sea

with the shepherds

of His flock?

Where is He

who put in the midst

of them His Holy Spirit?

Who caused His glorious arm

to go at the right hand

of Moses?

Who divided the waters

before them

to make for Himself

an everlasting name

who led them

through the depths.

So, this event

is a demonstration

of God's great power.

But it's not

to be understood

as a kind of

spectacular floor show.

The context here

is very important.

Pharaoh regretted

his decision

to let the Hebrew slaves go.

He wanted them back.

And what was happening

here in this event

was a kind of contest

about ownership.

Who had the right

to claim ownership

of Israel?

This genocidal king

who'd enslaved them

for years,

who had long been

their master,

or their divine king,

Yahweh,

who had come to Egypt

to claim,

redeem,

and deliver them?

It's the future of Israel.

It kind of hangs

on that question.

Who did they belong to?

Did they belong to Pharaoh,

or did they belong

to Yahweh?

And that question

of ownership

that we see here

is still a pertinent

one for us today.

To whom do we belong?

Who has the claim

over your life?

Who are you serving?

Who are you following?

Who are you worshiping?

Yourself?

The gods of this present age?

The prince and ruler

of this world?

Or the one who is

the God of keeping power?

The one who has sent

His only begotten Son

into this world

to claim you

for Himself?

Question one

of the Heidelberg

Catechism

famously asks

the question,

what is your only comfort

in life and death?

And the answer it gives

begins with these words,

that I,

with body and soul,

both in life

and in death,

am not my own,

but belong

to my faithful Savior,

Jesus Christ,

who with His precious blood

has fully satisfied

for all my sins

and redeemed me

from all the power

of the devil

and so preserves me

that without the will

of my Father in heaven

not a hair can fall

from my head.

You know,

sometimes in the Christian life

we can wonder,

are we ever going to make it?

I think the Hebrew Christians

to whom our author

was writing

were struggling

with that kind of issue.

Sometimes we doubt

we can keep it going.

Have we got

what it takes

to endure?

We're weak,

we're fragile human beings.

How can we make it

to heaven?

There's sin within,

there's evil without.

And the answer

of the Bible

is that God

will keep us

by His own power.

He will guard us

and keep us.

He will preserve us

because we are His.

We belong to Him.

Remember what Paul says

to the Philippians

in Philippians chapter 1 verse 6,

Philippians 1:6

I'm sure of this,

that He who began

a good work in you

will bring it to completion

at the day of Christ Jesus.

By His mighty power,

God keeps His people.

And He does this through faith.

He guards and keeps us

through faith,

not apart from faith.

faith.

And so,

we must go on

believing and trusting

in Jesus Christ.

This is why this letter

has been written.

God's power

keeps us

in Christ.

And we must be confident

and assured

of that power

that will keep us

and preserve us

for heaven.

There's an old hymn,

has the verse,

He will keep me

till the river

rolls its waters

at my feet.

Then He'll bear me

safely over

all my joys

in Him complete.

He will not let us

pass out of His ownership.

He will keep us.

He will keep us in life.

He will keep us in death.

Because He has redeemed us

by the blood of the Lamb.

The Lamb that has now

been raised

and exalted

and given the name

above every name,

declared the Son of God

in power

through His resurrection

from the dead.

Remember Isaiah's words,

Fear not,

for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name.

You are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you.

And through the rivers,

they shall not overwhelm you.

When you walk through the fire,

you shall not be burned.

And the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the Lord,

your God,

the Holy One of Israel,

your Savior.

I gave Egypt as your ransom,

Cush and Seba,

in exchange for you.

Because you are precious

in my eyes

and honored.

And I love you.

Faith looks to the God

of keeping power.

Brings me to the second thing here.

And that is that faith looks

to the God of transforming power.

In verse 30.

By faith,

the walls of Jericho fell down

after they had been encircled

for seven days.

So,

the second event alluded to

in these verses

relates not to the Exodus,

but to the conquest of Canaan.

And in particular,

to the fall of Jericho,

which is detailed for us

in Joshua chapter 6.

Joshua 6 · chapter mention

Jericho was a highly fortified city.

It was a city of huge strategic significance.

It presented a great obstacle

to Israel

and to the leader Joshua

as they sought to claim

that the land

that had been promised to them

for God.

The Jordan lay behind them.

Jericho lay before them.

And in Joshua chapter 6,

Joshua 6:1

verse 1,

we're told this,

that Jericho was barred

and secured,

tightly shut up.

No one went out.

No one came in.

The city was a formidable barrier.

Jericho's walls

were apparently impregnable.

And in their weakness,

how could the Israelites

prevail against this great defense

of stronghold?

How could this stronghold

be demolished

and the city taken?

Well, by faith.

By faith in the plan

that God provided.

And Joshua,

we're told at the end

of Joshua chapter 5,

Joshua 5 · chapter mention

has to bow the knee

to the one

who is the commander

of the Lord's armies.

And only then

is he given

God's strategy

or plan.

And it was a very unusual strategy.

In fact,

it appeared foolishness.

It involved God's people,

and you can read it there

in Joshua chapter 6,

Joshua 6 · chapter mention

traipsing around the city

for six days.

And then on the seventh day,

they were to march

around the city,

not once,

but seven times.

And on that final tour

of the city,

the trumpet was to sound,

the horn would sound,

and the people would raise

a great shout,

and the walls would come

tumbling down.

And what Joshua and Israel

were being shown

is that by themselves,

they could do nothing

to conquer Jericho.

Apart from God,

they could do nothing.

It's God

who took the initiative.

It's God

who takes charge,

really.

And God

who outlines

a plan

for taking the city.

Joshua and Israel

are called

to submit themselves

to God's ways.

They're called

to trust

and obey.

And at the heart

of God's plan

in Joshua chapter 6,

Joshua 6 · chapter mention

central to it,

was the Ark

of the Covenant.

It's a great symbol

of God's presence

and power

with His people.

In fact,

I think in that passage

it's mentioned

around nine times.

It was the Ark

that was to be carried

around the walls.

And actually,

when you read Joshua 6,

the narrative

underlines this point,

that it's the Lord

who delivers

His people.

It's the Lord

of hosts,

strong and mighty

in battle

who routes

the enemy.

It's the Lord,

really,

who encompasses

the city.

It's not Joshua

who fits

the battle

of Jericho,

but God.

Sometimes,

in life,

God brings us

to a point

of helplessness

so that we will

utterly depend

on Him.

Sometimes,

He boxes us in

that,

humanly speaking,

there appears

to be no way out.

He brings us

to an end

of ourselves.

That point

where our own

schemes and options

have come to nothing.

All we can do

is cast ourselves

on the Lord,

brought to a place

of utter weakness,

so that we realize

if we do make it through,

it must be of God,

all of grace,

all of His power.

And that hopeless

situation can be

one of many,

many things.

It can be

crippling anxiety

and stress,

it can be a broken

relationship,

it can be a point

where we can no longer

escape or evade

the consequences

of our actions,

it can be ill health,

fear of the future,

all sorts of things.

But however it happens,

we're brought to a point

where we have

no one else

to turn to,

and all we do

is we can cry out

to the living God

for help.

Now, of course,

plans and strategies

are not wrong,

far from it.

But they're not

the most important thing,

because on their own

they achieve nothing

of eternal value.

God's work must be done

in God's way.

Obstacles,

like Jericho,

are never removed

by mere human ingenuity

and skill.

Paul tells the Corinthians

in 2 Corinthians 10,

2 Corinthians 10:3

verse 3 and 4,

For though we walk

in the flesh,

we are not waging war

according to the flesh,

for the weapons

of our warfare

are not of the flesh,

but have divine power

to destroy strongholds.

You see,

there is a strategy

that is foolishness

to the world,

but is God's way

to victory.

The foolishness of God

is always wiser

than man's wisdom.

How has God's work progressed?

Prayerful communion

with God

must always have

a place of priority

in the work of God.

We've got that example

in Exodus 17,

the battle

with the Amalekites

at Rephidim.

The battle raging below.

Moses, Aaron, and her

climb the hill above

and they engage

in prayerful intercession.

Moses' hands are raised.

And when he raises

his hands in prayer,

the Israelites prevail

in the battle.

And when they're lowered,

the Amalekites then

gain the ascendancy.

The course of the battle

determined not actually

by the fighters on the field,

but by the intercessors

on the mountain.

And prayer is an expression

of our weakness

and our need of God.

And all through the Bible,

we discover this.

God choosing weak,

fragile human vessels,

clay pots,

to display the excellency

of His power.

So it doesn't matter

if it's an aged

Abraham and Sarah,

David with his sling,

Elijah with his cloak,

a wee boy with five loaves

and two fishes.

God delights to take

that which is weak

and fragile

and so act with divine power

that everyone will say,

this must be the power of God.

Paul says,

we have this treasure

in jars of clay

to show that this

all-surpassing power

is from God

and not from us.

And the weapon of prayer

is what God uses

to bring down

the strongholds

of the enemy.

Because in prayer,

we express our abject frailty,

human frailty,

and need

before a sovereign

or powerful king.

And it may appear foolish,

stupid even.

Yet it's through prayer

that walls crumble

and the strongholds

of the enemy are defeated.

This is God's way.

He calls us to walk in it.

He calls us to be a people

looking to Him,

depending on Him,

praying to Him.

He calls us to leave

sometimes our own

human methods

and strategies

of which we are so fond,

and to take up His

utter dependence

on His presence

and power,

the way of weakness

and the way of prayer.

And this is how God delights

not only to transform

circumstances,

but to transform ourselves.

This is how He reveals

His transforming power.

He's the God of keeping power.

Look to Him.

He's the God of transforming power.

Look to Him in prayer.

And thirdly here,

you'll notice He is the God

of saving power.

Verse 31,

Faith looks to the God

of saving power.

By faith,

Rahab, the prostitute,

did not perish

with those who were disobedient

because she had given

a friendly welcome

to the spies.

And this final reference here

again relates to

the fall of Jericho.

This time it focuses

on the salvation

of the prostitute Rahab.

We read about her.

Yes, in Joshua chapter 6,

Joshua 6 · chapter mention

but also a little earlier

in Joshua chapter 2.

Joshua 2 · chapter mention

And perhaps a foreign prostitute

is not someone

we would immediately think

of being as a great example

of faith,

but nonetheless,

that's what a writer does here.

Rahab shielded

and harbored

the Israelite spies

that came to Jericho

to find out

what the story was.

And she did that

at the risk of her own life.

She welcomed them.

She hid them

from those who pursued them.

She helped them

make their escape.

Why did she do that?

Well, she did it

because she received

and believed

their testimony.

She had heard

of the great things

that the Lord

had done

for His people.

And so,

in Joshua chapter 2,

Joshua 2:8

verse 8 and following,

this is what we read.

Before the men lay down,

she came up to them

on the roof

and said to the men,

I know that the Lord

has given you the land,

that the fear of you

has fallen upon us,

that all the inhabitants

of the land

melt away before you.

For we've heard

how the Lord

dried up the water

of the Red Sea

before you

when you came out of Egypt,

and what you did

to the two kings

of the Amorites

beyond the Jordan,

Sihon and Og,

whom you devoted

to destruction.

As soon as we heard it,

our hearts melted.

There was no spirit

left in any man

because of you.

For the Lord,

your God,

He is God

in the heavens above

and on the earth beneath.

Now then,

please swear to me

by the Lord

that as I have dealt

kindly with you,

you also will deal kindly

with my Father's house.

Give me a sure sign

that you will save alive

my father and mother,

my brothers and sisters,

and all who belong to them,

and deliver our lives

from death.

And the men said to her,

Our life for years

even to death,

if you do not tell

this business of ours,

then when the Lord

gives us the land,

we will deal kindly

and faithfully with you.

So, Rahab had heard

of what God had done

for His people,

and she formed a conviction

on the basis

of what she'd heard,

and she saw that it was

the living God,

the Maker of heaven

and earth,

and so she sought

refuge in Him.

She cast herself

on His kindness

and faithfulness,

and in turn,

the spies gave her,

as the passage

tells us a little later,

a scarlet cord.

That was to be tied

to her window.

Her house would become

a place of refuge

for all who took shelter there.

And her household,

in a sense,

became a kind of island

of salvation

in the midst of this city

under judgment.

And the story of Rahab

really stands out

as a beacon

of God's grace

and saving power.

She was one of the enemies

of Israel.

She was a pagan.

She was a prostitute.

And yet,

in His grace

and mercy,

God brought her

to faith

and into

God's covenant people.

She and her people

came to settle

in Israel.

On the opening page

of the New Testament,

Matthew 1, verse 5,

Matthew 1:5

we read her name

as one included

in the genealogy

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who would have thought

it possible?

And her presence

in that sacred genealogy

is a reminder to us

that Jesus

has come to welcome

sinners into His family.

He's come

to show

and to demonstrate

God's amazing grace.

He has come

to reveal

the saving power

of God.

Sometimes,

as human beings,

we can be weighed down

with a sense

of our guilt,

our unworthiness.

sometimes,

sometimes,

we're rightly ashamed

of things

that we've said

and done.

Our lives,

we know,

are stained

and unclean.

They're dirty.

How can people

like us

ever belong

in God's family?

How could God

ever love us

after the things

we've done?

We know,

deep down,

that we're not

good enough for God,

that we will never

be good enough.

I mean,

how can Jesus

have anything

to do with us?

Why on earth

would He?

But friends,

that's why He came.

He came to be

the friend of sinners.

He came to welcome

people like us

into His fellowship,

into His family.

That's why the church

isn't a social club.

It's a hospital

for sinners.

It's a shelter

for refugees.

It's a family

for abandoned

outcasts.

for if our Lord

Jesus was happy

to associate

with someone

such as Rahab,

He is happy

even to associate

with someone

like you.

And that's

the power

of God's

amazing

and surprising

grace.

Think of the

Apostle Paul

or someone

like the slave

traitor

John Newton

who wrote

that famous hymn,

Amazing Grace.

Who would have

thought it possible

that they might

be welcomed

into the family

of God?

But it's true

for all of us,

isn't it?

Who would have

thought of it

of us?

It's all too easy

to forget,

but we must

never lose

sight of the

God of saving

power.

God

gets His people

like Rahab

from Jericho,

from the city

of destruction.

This is where

Jesus Christ

claims His people.

He doesn't

get them

from heaven.

He gets them

from the world.

Think of those

words of Paul

to the Christians

in Corinth,

1 Corinthians 6,

1 Corinthians 6:9

verse 9 and

following,

Do you not know

that the unrighteous,

he says,

will not inherit

the kingdom of God?

Don't be deceived.

Not the sexually

immoral,

idolaters,

adulterers,

those who practice

homosexuality,

thieves,

the greedy,

drunkards,

revilers,

nor swindlers,

will inherit

the kingdom of God.

That's what he says.

Then he says this,

And such

were some of you.

Such were some of you,

but you were washed,

you were sanctified,

you were justified

in the name

of our Lord Jesus Christ

and by the Spirit

of our God.

And that is the

wonderful reality

of the gospel.

No matter who we are,

no matter what we've done,

you were washed,

you were sanctified,

you were justified.

That is what happens

when you become a Christian.

That's what happens

when you're united

to Jesus Christ

by faith.

This is what Jesus

offers to all

and everyone

who will come

to him in faith.

He invites you

to come to be washed

from all the guilt

and shame of your sin.

He invites you

to come and belong

to him as a child of God.

He invites you

to come and not only

be forgiven,

but actually be declared

righteous in his sight.

The God

of keeping power.

Don't be a believer

filled with fear

and anxiety

about the future.

Here is the God

who has shed

his blood for you,

whose power

will keep you.

Jesus said,

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.

The God

of transforming power.

Don't be trapped

in despair

and despondency

over what's happening

in your life

or what's happening

in the world.

Here is the God

whose power

can transform

the most impossible

of situations.

With God,

all things are possible.

As the old hymn advises,

take it

to the Lord

in prayer.

And he's the God

of saving power.

So,

no matter who you are,

no matter what you've done,

you can come

to Jesus Christ

and find in him

all that you need.

Don't give up

on that person

who seems lost,

disinterested,

for this God,

his powerful grace,

can save the most

far gone of sinners

and save to the uttermost.

Paul reminds us

in 1 Timothy 1,

he saved even

the worst of sinners.

Help me now

to live a life

that's dependent

on your grace.

Keep my heart

and guard my soul

from the evils

that I face.

you are worthy

to be praised.

Within my every thought

and deed,

O great God

of highest heaven,

glorify your name

through me.

Fix your eyes

on this God.

Look to him,

the God of keeping,

transforming,

and saving power.

Let's pray.

Almighty God,

we bless you

and praise you

that you are indeed

a God of power.

We thank you

for the way

in which you have

revealed your power

in years past

and generations past.

And we thank you

most of all

for the way

in which you have

revealed your power

and your grace

and your love

in the person

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord,

may we be found

looking to him

this evening

and trusting in him.

May you keep us

and preserve us.

May you use us

and bless us

in your service

and for your glory.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.