Christ the True and Better - Hebrews 10:32 - 11:40 - Christ Our True Faith

Good morning, family.

I'm going to finish up chapter 10, going through all of chapter 11.

This will be different than what you've ever heard a faith message to be.

Yes.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

She got me.

So before we do that, we have a congregational reading.

So let us read together.

We believe of saving faith.

This faith is different in degrees, weak or strong, may be often and many ways attacked,

abused, weakened, but gets the victory, growing many to full assurance through Christ, who

is both the author and finisher of our faith, Westminster Confession.

So what is saving faith?

What is faith?

Have we ever really thought about that?

I'm sure you've heard many messages on faith as being sure what you hope for in the evidence

and what you don't see.

Faith is being able to move mountains.

Faith is little and faith is great and faith is all those things.

But I want to share with you that faith is even more than that.

It's one thing to say that you have faith.

Many people have made a profession of faith, yet live faithless lives.

So how can you be a person of faith and yet live as if you have none?

We're going to answer this question because real true biblical faith is a lot more evident

in believers and clearly not seen in unbelievers.

So before we get into that part, I want to build something here and this is the issue

of confidence because what we'll learn in chapter 11 verse 1 is that faith is the assurance

of things hoped for and the conviction or the confidence of things not seen.

And so one of the things I think that the writer does so masterfully in Hebrews is he

builds us up to this point where he says those who claim to be believers yet willingly and

deliberately continue to sin, they are not believers.

And so he leaves us as believers with some very important things we need to understand

and that is where we're at now.

So verse 32 of chapter 10 is where we're going to start.

First principle, when you live in confidence, hold fast, not neglecting one another in love

and walk in obedience and holiness with our King, you will joyfully give everything to

and for him even your life in death and suffering.

In other words, if Christ is your confidence and you are fully convinced that he is and

you hold fast to the gospel, you don't neglect one another, you walk in obedience, you are

willing to give everything to the point of death.

In 1 Peter 1, 6 through 7 says it this way, in this you rejoice though now for a little

while if necessary you have been grieved by various trials so that the tested genuineness

of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be

found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Now when we read this we come to understand some very important things in Hebrews 10,

32 through 34.

But recall the former days when after you were enlightened, in other words remember

the day that you came to Christ, how you were imbued, permeated with the saving knowledge

of Jesus that the saving knowledge of Christ would pour out of you.

Do you remember those days?

You endured a hard struggle with sufferings as a result of understanding that saving grace.

That's the point.

Are you willing to endure struggles and sufferings because of the saving knowledge that permeates

through your life?

Your life is saturated with Christ.

And as a result of understanding that my life is permeated with the saving knowledge of

God and that I have endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes those sufferings

being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction.

How many of you guys can truly say that I am willing to suffer for the cause of Christ?

Put myself out there.

I am willing to go through the affliction for the cause of Christ.

Do we love affliction?

Do we look at affliction and reproach as a badge of honor because we carry the name?

And sometimes being partners with those who are also treated that way.

That would you leave your house seeing that your neighbor who is a believer is being persecuted,

mistreated, afflicted, that you would go out and get on your knees with them and so be

treated the same way?

Got quiet.

Even the kids are quiet.

Like, that's a true statement, right?

So for you had compassion on those in prison and you joyfully accepted the plundering of

your property, would you be happy for someone to pull you out of your house, take your house

and your things and say you are no longer welcome here?

And then beat you in public.

See, they joyfully accepted the plundering of their property.

Their property was not only taken from them but destroyed.

Would you be happy with someone destroying your house?

See, I think in America we would have a serious problem with that.

Because we don't live for the city to come.

We don't really live for our future home.

We are not looking forward to what we will have.

We are looking forward to what we have now.

And if I can make it a little bit better, a little bit more comfortable, do I have the

right stuff?

And so they joyfully accepted the plundering of her property.

Why?

Because you knew that yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

That's one thing I want you to understand is one day when you are gone, your house will

be gone too.

Everything on this planet will burn.

Nothing will be left.

You are not building for a future.

You are building for the kingdom.

That is now and to come.

Now if anyone throws away their confidence, does not hold fast to their hope, neglects

the brotherhood in love, and walks in disobedience and unholiness, they will receive what was

always intended for them, destruction.

God has no pleasure in them.

So there is a distinction between those who believe and hold on tightly to the reality

of their convictions, of their confidence in Christ, than those who say they believe

but yet forfeit and walk away thinking they are still in because they said a prayer.

First Peter 1,7, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, that

perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and

honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Can you say that when Christ comes and that he has been revealed that you will beyond

the shadow of a doubt hear from him, well done my good and faithful servant.

Hebrews 10, 35-39.

Therefore do not throw away, apabalo, throw off, cast off a garment.

This word throw away means to take Jesus off and toss him away.

See for the believer that is an impossibility.

But for those who claim that they are religious and know Christ, it is easy because when they

go under the trial and under the test, they are willing to quickly get rid of it.

Jesus says if you deny me before men I will deny you before my father which is in heaven.

So what the writer is saying here to us is don't be quick, therefore do not throw away,

do not cast off the garment of Christ.

Why?

Because your confidence which has a great reward is him.

That's what it means.

Do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward.

What is your great reward?

Him.

What do you get from him?

A place.

What is the place called?

The city.

What is in that city?

Your home.

Verse 37, verse 36.

For you have need of endurance.

We have to hold on to our confidence because we must learn to endure.

That's one of the problems with the church in America today.

It doesn't know how to endure.

She does not know how to stand under the pressure.

She wants to be told how amazing she is.

They find preachers that tell them you know what, God loves you.

He does.

But God also wants you to be conformed to the image of his son which requires that he

disciplines you and discipline is not pleasurable.

Next chapter, chapter 12.

We'll learn that.

So look what it says, continue to read.

And you have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God, when you have

done the will of God, when you have obeyed, you may receive what is promised.

What is promised?

The kingdom.

What is promised?

Him.

What is promised?

No more crying anymore.

What is promised?

No more disease.

What is promised?

Where he is, you will be.

He is the promised.

Now verse 37, because we live in this earth, yet a little while, only for a little while,

and the coming one will come and will not delay.

Why?

But my righteous one shall live by faith.

You must live by faith.

What is faith?

I'll answer that in a minute.

You the righteous one shall live by faith.

And if he shrinks back, hu pastule means to be timid, to cower, to shrink, or to hesitating

to avow what they believe.

Are you willing to hesitate what you believe, what you claim that you believe?

Are you timid?

Do you cower?

Do you shrink?

What does it mean to do that?

I think many people, when the pressure is on, shrink real fast.

Now here we go.

So and if he shrinks back, my soul who has no pleasure in him, if the person shrinks

back, my soul has no pleasure in him, the Lord says.

My righteous shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I'm not pleased with him at

all.

Isn't that incredible?

What's it mean to have no pleasure?

But we are not of those who shrink, are you?

We are not destroyed, are you?

But of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

That through the power of faith, the gift of faith, we are preserved by the power of

God for all eternity.

Now what is this faith that he's talking about?

Here's my clarification of this definition.

I want you to hear this.

Faith, the gift of God, is to know with firm trust and full assurance in God's word by

which we are fully convinced without wavering.

That's faith.

It's to know what God says is true, to trust him, and to live in action.

Because if I'm convinced without wavering, I do.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing.

What?

Faith.

So here we go.

You guys ready for this?

It's gonna hurt.

I like doing stuff like this.

You guys know?

Faith.

Do dead things talk?

No.

Do dead things breathe?

Do dead things have faith?

Then how come we have a bunch of walking dead people who don't know Christ that are dead

in their trespasses and sins for the wages of sin is death, but yet they say they have

faith?

Because it's my faith.

That's my faith, and I put my faith in Jesus.

You're dead.

What faith are you putting in?

You have no faith to give.

What faith is that?

This is not like a window goes up and it stays up because you believe it's gonna stay.

This is a faith that's beyond you.

This is a supernatural faith.

This is a faith given by God.

Dead people, dead things don't have faith.

So how do we receive faith?

Faith comes by hearing and hearing that of the word of Christ.

So the faith that you have to have to know that God will do what he says he's gonna do

comes from him and that comes through the preaching of the gospel.

There is no other way to receive the gift of faith.

And then when the faith has been deposited in you from the power of the Holy Spirit,

the Holy Spirit regenerates you, renews you, and in response to that gift, you confess

that he is Lord.

You cannot confess without being made alive because dead people don't talk.

Now this gift of faith is not a result of works so that no one may boast.

I can't say it's my faith, it's really God's faith.

I use this analogy a lot.

If you ever watch Frosty the Snowman, he is dead until he receives the power of the hat

by which the first response of being alive is, happy birthday.

I'm alive.

The first response to a believer who has been made alive is, Jesus is Lord.

I'm alive.

If you ever watch Frosty the Snowman, I believe it's a Christian cartoon.

Just saying.

The problem is he keeps losing his salvation which means he's an Arminianist.

See if he was a Calvinist, he'd never lose his hat.

Just saying.

Just trying to be funny.

All right.

Here it is.

All right.

Now let's go, verse two.

So verse one, now faith is the assurance, the firm trust of hope.

See that?

Faith is the assurance or the firm trust of things hoped for.

No.

I like it better this way.

It's not just the things, it's who my hope is in.

Faith is the assurance of my hope, Christ.

For the end, the conviction of things not seen or the conviction of unseen things.

Now what's interesting about this word conviction is it's literally just conviction.

What am I convicted of?

I'm convicted that God is.

And here's the clarification.

The writer clarifies this.

In understanding faith, he gives a very clear declaration of what faith is.

For by faith, by it, the people of old received their commendation.

What did they receive?

What was promised?

Did they see it?

They did not.

They died.

But they still knew, convicted, absolutely knew, and were assured that they would receive

what was promised.

And by faith, verse three, 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.

Now I want you to get this.

I love talking Genesis and creationism, which you guys know.

I've talked a lot about this over my several years here.

So one of the things I want you to see when you see Genesis, Genesis is not just God creating.

Like he speaks in woohoo.

Like Genesis is a masterful piece of art.

So when God speaks, he speaks the things that you cannot see, which become the things that

you see.

How do you know?

Can you see hydrogen?

Can you see oxygen?

Do you know that's what he did after day one?

He separated the waters from the waters.

And he brought together the waters and created the earth.

And out of the earth, he creates land.

Isn't that interesting?

Things you don't see, he creates the visible.

The invisible creates the visible.

And what's interesting about that reality is that is what God created.

He created the very gas of hydrogen, H2O, two oxygen.

And he gathers them together and creates water.

Water is H2O.

And the gathering of together is the oceans.

And that's what you see.

That's what this means.

He speaks it and it happens.

So why is this important?

Why is this so important, especially?

Here's one of the things I want you to see.

So we know what faith is.

But did you know that the way the writer writes chapter 11 is he writes it from the perspective

of several events through history.

And he points out people and events that these people lived in to show you faith in action.

So here we go.

You guys ready?

Good.

This is going to be fun.

So what we see in verses four through seven is faith before the flood.

Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.

And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.

Why?

Because by faith he brings the best of his offering.

Not just the best of his offering, but the firstborn.

Who is the firstborn?

Jesus, firstborn of Mary, the firstborn to break the womb, the only begotten of the Father.

And so what do you see in the very sacrifice of Abel is the gospel.

That's why God had regard.

Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him.

Notice again, Abel lives in obedience by giving the best of what he has, the firstborn.

Enoch walked with God being obedient and God took him because he lived right.

Genesis 524.

And then Noah did this.

He did all that God had commanded him.

Genesis 622.

So what do we see in verses four through seven is that true faith is obedience in action.

If I really believe and trust God and what he says, I will do it.

No questions.

Don't need to figure it out.

Don't need to worry about what reward I'm going to get now.

I see a reward coming, but I'm not doing it for the reward.

I'm doing it for Christ.

Because that's what matters to me.

I love God.

I love his word.

I love his ways.

I love his things.

That's what matters to me.

That's my drive.

And this is what we see.

My faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, though or through which

he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gift through faith.

Though he died, he still speaks.

Isn't that interesting?

Isn't that interesting?

Though he died, his blood still speaks from the ground.

Why?

Because he preached the gospel in offering of the firstborn of his flock.

By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death and he was not found because

God had taken him.

Now before he was taken, he was commended as having pleased God.

Why?

Because he was obedient.

See, faith is obedient.

Without faith, it is impossible to please him for whoever would draw near to God must

believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Why?

Because every good father blesses his children when they're obedient.

That's the point.

Do you see the point?

Do you start, you're starting to see what real faith is.

Look what it says.

Noah, for by faith, Noah being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, 120 years

he built an ark and preached the gospel.

That's what it says.

He preached the good news to the people 120 years as he was building the ark, being made

fun of and teased and thought he was crazy.

Being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear, constructed an

ark for the saving of his household.

What's reverent fear?

Obedience.

By this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by

faith.

You want heaven?

It only comes by faith.

How do you get faith?

It is a gift of the living God.

You cannot get in just by your own quote unquote my faith.

Faith after the flood.

So Abraham went and as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him and Abram was 75 years

old when he departed from Haran, Genesis 12, 4.

So in Hebrews chapter 11, 8 through 12 says this, by faith Abraham obeyed when he was

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

called to go out to the place that he was to receive as an inheritance and he went out

knowing not knowing sorry, not knowing where he was going.

How many of you guys would go and follow Jesus but not know where you're going?

He did.

So by faith he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land.

See, this was his land but he lived there as if it wasn't.

Why?

Because it was what was to come for him.

Look what it says.

Living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise for he was looking

forward to the city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God.

What city?

Not the city of Jerusalem, the city of the New Jerusalem he was looking forward to.

Not the buildings that were built on this earth, it's the buildings that are eternal

that he was looking forward to.

The true foundations, the foundations that will never be shaken by faith Sarah herself

received power to conceive.

Even when she was past the age since she considered him faithful who had promised, you remember

she was in the tent and she makes a laugh and God says why are you laughing?

And she goes I am not laughing.

He says no you're laughing.

I can't help but think that after that moment Sarah sits down and goes oh my goodness I

seen him do all this and I laughed and I told him I didn't.

But she by faith had received power from God to conceive and bear a child from Abraham.

Power from one man and him as good as dead.

Abraham was going to die, he was 100 years old when she got pregnant.

From him were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the inerrable

grains of sand by the seashore.

So I want you to understand that this is not the Jews.

All the stars in the heaven were not all the Jews.

All the sand was not the Jews.

It was all believers.

All believers.

He will be a father of many nations.

That is the grain of sand and the stars of heaven.

Not only is he a father of a nation called Israel but he's the father of us all.

Friends, faith of pre and post flood is the same faith given to us today.

Chapter 11 verse 12 through 16.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your path.

Have you ever read Proverbs 3 and looked at it from the perspective that this is a true

faith statement?

Or do we just stick it on our wallpaper on our computers or put it on the wall of our

house as a picture or a print because we trust in the Lord with all of our heart.

Do we really trust in the Lord with all of our heart?

Or do we really depend on our own understanding?

Do you acknowledge him in all your ways and trust that he will straighten your path?

One of our motto here is to love God, to love his word, love his ways and love his things.

It's very important that we understand that precept.

Why?

Because if we can't love his things we can't love his ways.

Because if you're being obedient by loving his things you're going to love his ways because

that's what being obedient is about.

And you cannot be obedient unless you know his word.

Unless you know what he's telling you you should do.

And Jesus says you can't love me if you don't obey me.

Which means if we love his word then we're loving him.

Love his stuff, love his ways, love his word, you love him.

The greatest commitment, love the Lord your God.

It's a practical way of learning to love God.

So this wonderful post and pre and post flood is the, faith pre and post flood is the same

that we have today.

12 through 16, these all died in faith not having received the things promised but having

seen them and greeted them from afar and having acknowledged that they were strangers and

exiles on the earth.

They saw what they were to, what was to come.

What was that?

Christ crucified.

They saw what was to come.

What was that?

The promised inheritance of eternal life with him.

They saw what was to come.

What was that?

That I will go and prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you I will

come and take you unto myself.

We know what he brings to us.

And more than all those things they knew what was to come and that was him.

As King, look what it says, they lived as exiles on the earth.

Do you live as strangers and exiles on this earth?

What are you really leaving behind?

The house and wealth or Christ and his gospel?

Verse 14, for people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.

What homeland?

Jerusalem?

Nope.

The kingdom of God.

If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out they would have had

opportunity to return.

If Abraham said, you know what, I'm going to go back home, he could have easily went

back home, but they weren't seeking what they had left.

They were seeking what was to come.

Now, verse 16, but as it is they desire a better country that is a heavenly one.

For God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared for them a city.

Though I live in America and I am American, this is not my country.

My country is called the kingdom of the living God.

I have a king.

And as a sojourner walking through this earth, I will live in responsible and show the love

of God by being obedient to those masters by which I am placed under and live as a light

in the country of this temporary dwelling place.

This is not my home.

Our home is eternal.

Be a shining light as you walk through the earth until the Lord takes you.

But don't live here as if this is your final resting place.

You are walking through it.

You are foreigners.

That's what it said previously, that knowing that God is not ashamed to be called their

God for he has prepared a city for them.

I have a home that is far more grand than I can ever imagine, not because he's made

it for me, but because he's there.

He is the beauty of the city.

Godly men of old, by faith, believed God and obeyed.

Knowing all these things, how should I live?

Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day.

He saw it and was glad.

John 8, 56.

Can you imagine?

Take your son.

God says, go, I want you to sacrifice your son, your only son.

You build an altar, you grab the knife, you are going to kill that boy.

And he sees the picture of the crucifixion of the son of God and the resurrected Christ.

That'd be the thing that would draw me to kill him.

If God commanded me to sacrifice my son, Jesus is enough for that.

Why?

Because look at what Abraham does.

I'm not going to kill you.

It's okay, you can sleep.

Don't have to worry, bro.

His face, mama bear like, yeah.

I know where that shotgun is, honey.

By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac and who had received the promises

was yet in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, through Isaac shall

your offspring breathe.

You know why Abraham takes the knife and lifts the knife to kill his son and he was absolutely

going to do it.

It's because God said to Abraham, through Isaac, your offspring shall be.

If I kill Isaac and he does not rise from the dead, no more offspring.

But God, who I have listened to my entire life and obeyed every time he's asked me to

do something, I know that this is true.

I don't see how he's going to provide.

I don't see the ram that's going to be in the thicket.

I don't see any of that, but I know one thing.

If I am going to have offspring through Isaac, he will raise him from the dead.

Look at verse 19.

He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which figuratively

speaking he did receive him back.

Why?

Because in the heart of Abraham, he was a dead boy.

He was going to kill him.

But God stops him, gives him an offering called a ram, and then he raises Isaac from the dead

without even Abraham killing him because in the heart of Abraham, he was dead.

God did.

By faith, Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.

And by faith, Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over

the head of his staff.

Why?

Because by faith, Joseph, I want you to see this, the connection of faith, the thread

of faith from Adam all the way to Joseph.

See the connection of faith, the thread of faith.

It's God's faith.

Look, by faith, Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites

and gave directions concerning his bones.

When you leave, take my bones with you.

Four hundred years later, they take Joseph's bones back home.

He knew it was not his resting place.

Though our bones may be buried there, that is not our resting place.

Faith before the exodus.

Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman.

The woman conceived and bore a son.

And when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months, Exodus 2, 1

through 2.

Notice obedience.

The Levites were required to marry a Levite woman.

And he does that.

This particular man marries a Levite woman.

She then gives birth and she for three months hides the child.

Why?

Because he was different.

Knowing he was different, she hid him.

She did not see what was coming.

She did not know the firstborn of all of Egypt was going to die who were Jews.

She did not know any of that.

But she knew he was special.

So by 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.

So by faith, Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's

daughter unlike Hollywood who makes you think he was happy.

He was a Jew and he knew he was a Jew.

He was not a happy Egyptian.

Choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures

of sin.

Where did we read that?

Oh, we read that in chapter 10, verse 32 through 34.

Interesting, right?

See the connections here.

This wonderful thread of faith.

Look what it says in verse 26.

He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he

was looking for the reward.

Are we looking for Christ or are we indulging in the pleasures of this world that will one

day fall away?

Verse 27.

By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing

him who was invisible.

He knew that God was greater though he could not see him.

And by faith, Moses, he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood so the destroyer,

the Holy Spirit of God of the firstborn might not touch them.

God gives and takes life.

So faith after the Exodus.

And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground and the waters being

a wall to them on the right and the left.

Now I don't know about you, but if I'm being chased by the Egyptians and I come to the

edge of the water and then all of a sudden two walls of water shoot up and the ground

is dry, I don't know if I'm going to walk through that because the water could decide

not to stay.

So by faith, the people, verse 29, crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians

when they attempted to do the same were drowned.

I want you to notice this.

Why weren't the unbelieving Jews drowned?

It's called the elect.

God preserves his elect, but the Egyptians were not.

Isn't that interesting?

The promise that God gave.

So by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been circled for seven days.

I don't know about you, but that's kind of weird.

Walk around walls for seven days, blow a trumpet, last day, scream your head off and everything

falls.

That's kind of cool, but kind of weird.

Maybe if the Eagles do that, they might win the Super Bowl.

So by faith, Rahab, the prostitute, did not perish with those who were disobedient because

she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Why?

Because Rahab had heard of the God of Israel.

She knew what he can do.

It has always been by faith alone.

For you had compassion on those in prison and you joyfully accepted the plundering of

your property since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession than an abiding one.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has great reward.

In closing, verse 32 through 40 says this, and what more shall I say?

In other words, is there anything else I can say?

Because if I continue to share about all the men and women who have walked in obedience

because of faith, I don't have enough time or enough space to write this letter.

So he gives a little sprinkle.

He says, for time would fail me to tell you of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah

and of David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms and enforced

justice and obtained promises and stopped the mouths of lions and quenched the power

of the fire and escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty

in war and put foreign armies to flight.

Men and women of faith do those things, not claim something.

You can claim all day long by faith you're going to get a Benz or buy a $5 million house.

You know what true faith is?

Don't give money to them fools.

Preach the gospel to your neighbor.

You'll do more for the kingdom of doing that than give them money to an idiot who claims

that he knows God and preaches a gospel that's contrary to the very gospel that Christ gave

and then encourages them to live any way they want because it's okay.

Women received back.

They're dead by resurrection.

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

life.

In other words, when a woman loses her family and they're placed in jail, they're dead and

some made it out.

Some had been resurrected and some were resurrected to new life.

Some were tortured, but they refused to accept release so that they might rise again to a

better life.

I'd rather die in prison than lose Jesus.

That's their idea.

Others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment.

They were stoned.

They were sawn in two.

They were killed by the sword.

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

How would you do?

What would you do?

How would you live of whom the world was not worthy?

Can you imagine if you, being believers, could say beyond a sat of a doubt that the world

was not worthy of you?

The world didn't deserve you.

Those who die for the cause of Christ, those who martyr, those who are before the throne

of God pleading the Lord, when will you avenge my blood?

Those are the worthy ones of whom the world was not worthy wandering about in deserts

and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth.

Look what it says in verse 39 and 40, such an amazing statement.

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised.

They hadn't received it yet because Christ hadn't come yet.

Since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us, they should not be

made perfect.

I want you to get this.

There is only one way to be made perfect in Christ.

And that is to be washed by the water of the word because Christ has washed his bride and

she has cleansed her and made her spotless.

That's what this means.

That the day when the church is removed from the earth, when it's finally over, all the

church comes, which includes those who had been waiting for the promise.

It's called the principle of one.

There is one temple.

There is one tree.

There is one people.

One nation.

One body.

We are one in Christ.

And one day he will engraft back in the cultivated branch when the wild branches are done.

They will be made perfect with us because we are one church, one amazing thought.

I pray you enjoy this message.

Really look at chapter 11 from a different perspective now.

Although there are upteen ways to be able to present this chapter, I wanted to present

it in the moments throughout history of how faith was the same from the beginning of time

to today.

The same faith that Adam needed to be saved, the gift of God is the same faith that we

need to be saved, the gift of God through Christ.

Father, I want to thank you so much for your word.

Thank you for your faithfulness and thank you for this amazing gift given to us by the

through the gospel by Christ placed in our heart by which you raise us to new life.

And we receive an amazing inheritance that we are eagerly awaiting.

And that is you.

We praise you and thank you.

Our great reward.

Jesus Christ.

In Jesus name.

Amen.