Sunday Night Bible Study Hebrews 11:28-31 October 2, 1994 Hebrews 11:28-31 Introduction The importance of faith The Jewish believers who were reading the original letter had been going through a great deal of persecution since they started believing in Jesus as their Messiah. Some of them had even been tempted to just give up in trusting in Jesus and go back to Judaism like they were before they were saved. But the writer has over and over again stressed the importance of faith, of trusting and continuing to trust in Jesus. Then the writer defined faith: :1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It's the "title-deed" or the assurance of things that are promised by God, and it's having a conviction about the unseen world. It's that ability God gives us to trust in something our eyes don't see. We'll see over and over how faith was used in the lives of the old testament saints, how they learned to trust in things they didn't see. 28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. :28 through faith In KJV, this kind of sticks out because the translators switched from "by faith" to "through faith". They did this also in verses 3, 11. But in all three instances (11:3,11,28) the Greek is the same as the other verses, we would be better to translate all three instances as the other verses, "by faith". 11:33 is different - it uses a different Greek preposition. It should be translated "through faith". :28 he kept the passover The Passover was another example of a "faith" thing. It was having an assurance of things hoped for. God promised to wipe out all the first born in every family, except those families that kept the Passover. This had never been done before, it was only a "hoped for" thing. The Passover: God had been sending plagues upon the Egyptians to try to get them to set their Israelite slaves free. One last judgment to come on Egypt... Each family was to take a little lamb from the flock, one which was unblemished. On the tenth of the month, you took the little lamb into your house. On the fourteenth of the month you kill it and spread it's blood over your doorway. And on that evening, when the Angel of Death passed through the land, he went from house to house, killing all the firstborn children, except where blood had been shed in the place of the firstborn child. And God accepted the blood of the lamb in place of the blood of your firstborn child. Sound Wierd? Sound Gross? It doesn't matter whether you think it's going to happen, it is. God doesn't depend on who you think He is to exist. He exists whether you wish He did or not. God's judgment is going to fall upon each person. Heb 11:27 - man dies, then comes judgment. If you don't have a Lamb's blood shed in your place, you will face eternal death. Same principle. Same faith. 29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry [land]: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. :29 they passed through the Red sea When the Egyptians let Israel go after the Passover, they had second thoughts. They wanted their Israelite slaves back. They sent the army out after them. God had this unique way of leading this rag-tag nation of slaves, with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God led them away from Egypt, right into a valley that led to the Red Sea. A range of mountains on the left, a range of mountains on the right, and the sea directly in front of them. And then the Egyptians caught up with them. And had them trapped! Sounds like God led them right into a trap! Some God! Sounds pretty incompetent! Exo 14:10-31 The people cry out God opens up the Red Sea The people go through (by faith) Not that the water was over their heads and they just kept repeating to themselves, "this is dry land, this is dry land, this is dry land..." Some "faith" teachers tell you to "claim" your healing, even when you aren't any better. Phooey! It's not that they didn't see the pathway through the Red Sea that demonstrated their faith. They could see the pathway. But who had ever crossed through a sea on dry land before? Who would know if the walls of water would hold up for 6 million people to go through? Lesson: Faith isn't just limited to invisible things, but also never-tried-before-things. We don't like things that we're not familiar with. We like things that have been tried before by others. But if we're unwilling to try new things, we'll never get to live through any Red Sea experiences. There may be times when it seems like God has backed you into a no-win situation. That's when it's time for a Red Sea to part! :29 the Egyptians ... were drowned The Egyptians thought that if the Israelites did it, they could do it to. That's a reasonable assumption if natural laws are at work. But there were supernatural things going on here. Note: For those who try to downplay the miraculous by saying that Israel went through the "Reed Sea", a swampy, marshy land, they have another miracle to deal with. If the water was only 6 inches deep, then how come Israel could get through it with all their women, children, and livestock, while the army of Egyptians drowned? 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. :30 the walls of Jericho.... Note: There's a time gap of forty years between the last verse and this verse. There isn't one thing mentioned about the faith of the Israelites in the wilderness. Heb 3:18-19 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. :30 the walls of ... fell down Jericho was the first city Israel was to conquer in the promised land. God had a unique battle plan to take this city. Joshua 6:1-5. Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, [and] the mighty men of valour. 3 And ye shall compass the city, all [ye] men of war, [and] go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the ram's horn, [and] when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. Jos 6:16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. Jos 6:20 So the people shouted when [the priests] blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. This is not a lesson in applied acoustic principles. There's no reasonable explanation! You can't theorize that the marching weakened the walls, and somehow they blew the horns at just the right frequency, and shouted at just the right intensity, and BOOM! It didn't work that way. God simply told them ahead of time what to do and what would happen. They had the assurance of things hoped for, and so they did it. The order of the march: (how do we apply this to our lives?) Armed men, priests with trumpets, then the Ark, then the rear guard of armed men. Some have taught how this is a picture of the power of praise. I could see that if the Ark was out in front. Jehoshaphat is a picture of the power of praise (2Ch 20). This is simply their marching configuration. Army in front and back, with the ark in the middle. The trumpets are there to let everyone know who's coming, to send out marching instructions, maybe even to remind everyone just Who is in the midst of the army (God)! Lesson: The power of God in the midst of His people. Isa 12:6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great [is] the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. Zep 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. God has given us much authority and power through His name. It's not the power of nuclear bombs or jet airplanes. It's an invisible, authoritative power that affects not only the invisible realm of the spirit, but also the physical dimension around us as well. And it's NOT OUR power, but HIS power that can tear down walls. The Israelites didn't get up and push the wall down. God did. Application: If you need more power in your life, put God in the center of your life! Don't put Him off on the outskirts of your life when He wants to get at your very heart! You'll see it at work, if you "take the Lord with you in your midst". Things will happen. People will wonder what's going on. Sometimes God wants our hand involved in seeing things happened. Sometimes He wants us being active and doing His work. But sometimes we don't have to do anymore than just walk around our problems and He is able to tear down the walls all by Himself. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. :31 Rahab perished not Jos 2:1-8 Two spies sent in by Joshua (instead of twelve!) They go to the house of a harlot in Jericho. When the king's men come looking for the spies, she hides them and send the king's men on their way. She sticks out her neck for the two spies. Her statement that demonstrates her faith: Jos 2:9-13 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that [were] on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we had heard [these things], our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he [is] God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token: 13 And [that] ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. She was able to see that God was doing something in these people. She wanted to be a part of it. She wanted to be on God's side, not against Him. Jos 2:14-21 The spies make an agreement with her As long as she doesn't tell on them, they'll save her and all in her house. She's to tie a scarlet thread outside her window on the city wall to identify her house. Everyone in her house on the last day will be saved. Kind of sounds like the Passover - all within the house with the blood on the doorway were saved. Just like Noah's Ark - everyone who came inside the Ark was safe. Kind of sounds like Salvation - all who come into the house of Jesus will be saved from the day of judgment. Some Bible scholars refer to the "Scarlet Thread of Redemption" that runs through Scripture. That God saves those who trust in Him! Did it happen? Jos 6:22-25 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. 23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. 24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that [was] therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel [even] unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. In fact, not only was her house saved, but as Rahab and her family married into the people of Israel, we find her name popping up elsewhere as well. Mt 1:5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, Apparently Rahab was the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth, from whose line came David, from whom came Jesus! God took a harlot, and showed great love and mercy toward her because she was willing to believe. How can I have more faith? We can identify with the man who brought his son to Jesus for healing: Mr 9:23-24 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. It's great to see all these champions of faith believing in God. But for me it gets kind of tough sometimes. How to gain more faith: 1. Soak in God's Word Ro 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Get into God's Word, look at His great deeds Psalm 77 - a real depressing Psalm! Ps 77:10-12 And I said, This [is] my infirmity: [but I will remember] the years of the right hand of the most High. 11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. 12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. As you continue to spend time in God's Word, you also get a better glimpse at God's heart of love for you. 2. Stick out the trials 1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: The words "trial" and "tried" speak of the testing of precious metals, which is done by fire. The trials we face are the heat under the smelting pot of our faith. God needs to keep the heat on us from time to time to refine our faith. As the heat continues, the impurities come to the surface, where God as the master goldsmith can remove them from our lives. Baby giraffes...birth of a giraffe... In a View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond tells about the birth of a giraffe: "The first thing to emerge are the baby giraffe's front hooves and head. A few minutes later the plucky newborn calf is hurled forth, falls ten feed, and lands on its back. Within seconds, he rolls to an upright position with his legs tucked under his body. From this position he considers the world for the first time and shakes off the last vestiges of the birthing fluid from his eyes and ears. The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over her calf. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heals. When it doesn't get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts...Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs. Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible in order to stay with the herd, where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy young giraffes, and they'd get it too, if the mother didn't teach her calf to get up quickly and get with it... I've thought about the birth of the giraffe many times. I can see its parallel in my own life. There have been many times when it seemed that I had just stood up after a trial, only to be knocked down again by the next. It was God helping me to remember how it was that I got up, urging me always to walk with him, in his shadow, under his care."