An Obedient Faith (Part 2): The March Conquers
Greater: The Supreme Author • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Hook:
Hook:
Last week we opened the sermon with this idea of a death march. As for believers we too are on a march, a heavenly march. This is why Paul would state:
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Where as the world abandons the church’s “faith march” exhorts. We defined it as: A march in which those unable to go on are encouraged, exhorted, and strengthened with the Word of God and the testimony of His people.
This morning as a church we are to run the race together:
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
We are not racing each other, but we are racing seriously, with focus to bring glory to God.
Recap:
Recap:
Last week we looked through the lives of a few flawed by faithful men.
Gideon felt unqualified, yet he boldly destroyed his family idols. He nagged with uncertainty but overcame because He trusted in God and His promises. This would lead him to a huge victory over the Midianites, and God would be the only one credited with the victory.
There are going to be times where you are going to doubt your worth before God, but:
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Barak was a man reluctant to believe God’s Word. And many of us will struggle with this very same things too. Know that there will be consequences for unbelief, for Barak he wouldn’t be all the rewards that God initially wanted Him to have. Family let us not miss out on what God has for us because of sin or fear. Trust God for He is trust worthy.
Samson in spite of being a carnal judge was still used by God. In fact in spite of all of his sin he would still believe in the promises of God. There would be some major consequences for Samson, but it should encourage us that God can still use men and women despite them.
“True faith is acknowledged and accepted, even when mingled with many failings”—Matthew Henry
Jephthah taught us that no matter what our upbringing was like, Jephthah being rejected by everyone in his life, God can and will use you. After all:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
David believed God throughout his whole life. From child to man to king. He wasn’t perfect but God doesn’t need perfect people to follow Him… He needs humble and obedient men and women.
Introduction:
Introduction:
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the Gospel is under attack in a multitude of ways. There are attacks on the reliability of Scripture, assaults on biblical values (with the promotion of homosexual marriage, abortion “rights,” the confusion of gender identity, etc.) Even the embrace of religious pluralism and the growing threat of progressive Christianity.
All of these things, on the surface, look intimidating and scary. However, Christian… by faith, we can be sure that God’s kingdom will march forth.
vv. 33-35a) Victory over circumstances
vv. 33-35a) Victory over circumstances
Look at these believers, they were people of faith:
33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
these demonstration of faith, it would seem, are with reference to those who were mentioned in verse 32 with a specific reference to the prophets. The point our author is making is quite clear, that by faith, major conquests were experienced through faith.
Of course, God was the one who did these amazing things, but He did so in accordance with the faith of those involved. It is absolutely trust that God is sovereign, but it is equally true that He has sovereignly determined that He will work through means. And faith is prescribed means towards His ends.
Let us note some of the specific conquests that occured by faith, and make some important applications.
Subdued kingdoms: The Greek word for “subdued” is: katagonizomai literally means to conquer to defeat, or to overcome. In the case of those mentioned in verse 32, this is precisely what they faced, and yet the Lord brought down the kingdoms because He was establishing His kingdom. Men such as David, Joshua, and the judges to mention just a few.
We should find courage here that God is still extending His kingdom and no earthly kingdom is a match for Him. We should expect such great things then, like Gideon, go forth in faith, expecting the nations to bow the knee to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Worked righteousness: This probably is speaking of righteous judgements. Meaning that these were characterized by righteousness. Kings like Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Hezekiah , and Josiah are remembered for reigns of righteousness which were not perfect.
Our world is full of injustice and it is no small feat to:
Micah 6:8 (NKJV)
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Family when we obey God’s Word, and do what is right because we trust the judge of all of the earth, then we can overcome the evil that surrounds us. To do so is to conquer injustice.
As the salt of the earth and the light of the world, we make a difference, one grain and one particle at a time. But as Christians we do make a difference, in spite of it not looking like we do.
Obtained promises: These people of faith obtained promises, what these promises were specifically, we cannot say with certainty, but clearly when God makes a promise, our faith embraces what we expect will eventually happen.
The prophets heard promises from God, some positive and some negative, and believed God would bring those to pass. And they did. Some others are: Caleb, Gideon, and Barak.
What promises can you find in the Bible concerning your life?
Promises of God:
God promised salvation to all who believe in His Son, and there is no greater blessing than the free gift of God’s Salvation.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
God promised comfort in our trials. He has a plan, and one day we will be able to share the comfort we receive.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Jesus promises persecution for His followers:
19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
These are only a few of the many promises that we find in Scripture. Also the Word states this:
20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire: Immediately our minds go to Daniel and his three friends: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Of course, they didn’t stop the mouths or extinguish the flames, but their God did.
They didn’t know how god was going to work. Nevertheless, their defiance of an evil edict exhibited their faith, their confidence, and their ultimate allegiance to God.
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
As we will see again later, the Bible doesn’t promise miraculous deliverance from the pressures and perils of this life in return for our faithfulness to the Lord. As believers, we need to understand and come to terms with what God chooses to do is good.
With that in mind we do what is right, trusting God with the outcome. And when we are faithful, we are often rewarded with a favorable outcome.
Escaped the edge of the sword: I thought of Elijah, who escaped the sword of Jezebel, and many other prophets, like Jeremiah. I think Rehab should be added to this list too.
Out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens: It would seem that Gideon was a prime example of this. I love the that record of him hiding from Midianites when the Angel of the the Lord greeted him as “might man of valor.” And the way that the Lord transformed Gideon into a mighty man of faith, who experienced a great conquest over their enemies.
Be encouraged with this:
“It doesn’t take much of a man to be a man of God; but it does take all of him.”—Oswald Sanders
What is stopping you from giving your all? Give God your all and trust Him with your all, for He is your all.
Women received their dead raised to life again: There are two such instances in the OT record: 1 Kings 17 with Elijah and the widow of Zarephath; and 2 Kings 4 with Elisha and the Shunammite mother.
What a marvellous display of power of God to conquer the enemy of death! Ponder for a moment the joy in those homes as these beloved children were brought back to life.
Application: The point I want to draw from these accounts is that, in the face of insurmountable difficulties, faith marches on from generation to generation because the Lord does not change:
6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Just as the people under the old covenant were conquerors by faith, so those under the new covenant are more than conquerors as we believe the same God. The past faithfulness of God to reward responses of faith should encourage us that He can and will do the same today.
vv. 35b-38) Victory under circumstances
vv. 35b-38) Victory under circumstances
This is where author describes those men and women who were faithful to God but did not get to see their faith victories over their circumstances. No less faithful though. The point i really want to highlight in these section of Scripture is this. These faithful saints had full confidence in what God had promised, and therefore they remained committed to Him in the face of terrible hardship.
They refused to compromise because they looked to the reward and ultimately to the one who rewards. They could not fight, but they could be faithful. I once heard a pastor state, “it often takes more courage to hold on than to fight on, and where there is need for more courage there is need for more faith.”
Family this is why we need the Gospel. Because the gospel, with its associated promise of the resurrection to life, empowers true believers to face difficulties with confidence. It empowers us to face even threats of death:
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Tortured: This is a brutal word in Greek that carries the idea of being beaten with sticks. Because of their faith in the Lord, some were subjected to cruel torture. If they would have renounced God, they would have been released; but to them it was better to die and be raised again to heavenly glory than to continue this life as traitors to God.
“So this is also a result of faith, not that it brings deliverance to a man, but that sometimes, when deliverance is offered, it gives him a fine courage to refuse it. There are seasons when faith shows itself in taking. There are seasons when it is witnessed in refusing. There is a deliverance that faith embraces. There is a deliverance that faith rejects. They were tortured, not accepting deliverance—that was the sign and seal that they were faithful. There are hours when the strongest proof of faith is the swift rejection of the larger room.”—Morrison
So, how does one develop such confidence? It’s actually quite simple.
By growing in our knowledge of God. Look what Daniel had to say:
32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.
Family we are to: read, study, and meditate on Scripture. Love and get to know God, and as you know God you will love God and will desire to please Him, regardless of the cost. Our confidence in Him will grow to the degree that our communion with Him develops.
The journey we find ourselves on with God can be confusing. These believers have suffered for their faith apparently without experiencing any reprieve.
Had trial of mocking and scourgings, yes, and of chains and of imprisonments: Jeremiah, was imprisoned from preaching God’s Word. And our author points out that some, “were stoned:”
20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ ” 21 So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.
Sawn in two: Tradition records that Isaiah was placed in the hollowed out trunk of a cypress tree and then sawn in two.
Were tempted: Not only were these faithful saints experiencing terrible physical tortures, they were tempted to throw in the towel.
“It does not say how. If one form of temptation had been mentioned, we should have surmised that they did not suffer in other ways, but when the statement is, ‘they were tempted,’ we shall not be wrong in concluding that they were tried in any and every form.”—Spurgeon
Were slain with the sword: Such as the eighty-five priest murdered by Doeg, or the prophets murdered in the days of Elijah.
Wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins: Elijah, wore this kind of humble clothing and did not mind the humility or the discomfort.
Being destitute, afflicted, tormented: David, Elijah again, and prophets under the leadership of Obadiah were all forced to flee and hind in caves.
Application: Family Scripture doesn’t promise a rose garden to you—not yet, that is. One day, the roses will bloom without end and the fragrance will delight our senses uninterruptedly. Yet, in the meantime we may have our fill of poverty, affliction, loneliness, and even torment.
Do not by into this notion that faith and fortune have to be conjoined because that simple isn’t alway the case. Faith and hardship seem to be what we find more of in the Bible.
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
The only reason there is confusion about this is because of really bad teaching, false expectations and shallow evaluation. You see, if we expect this broken world to be the home of our happiness, we will be disappointed.
We have to properly evaluate all we have in Christ. Look to the promise future of perfect glory, and if we do we will be able to joyfully sing, “this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.”
These OT saints seemed to understand:
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
They looked forward to this. This kingdom perspective kept them from getting too comfortable in this world, and this guarded them the confusion when their commitment to the Lord resulted in a whole lot of suffering. We need this same perspective. We are not a marching band; rather we are a marching army.
vv. 39-40) Conclusion: All the more reason
vv. 39-40) Conclusion: All the more reason
Remember the author’s goal of encouraging these Jewish believers and us today, to keep on believing! He exhorts them and us by these OT examples of faith.
They obtained this good testimony, they did not receive the promise, the testimony of the completed work of the Messiah on their behalf. If these followers of God were steadfast without receiving the promise, those who have received the promise have even more reason to continue on through our trials and difficulties.
[40] perfect: here is the notion of being complete. They could not be made complete until the work of Christ. They looked forward to Jesus and His work, we look at it from behind.
Their faithfulness makes our faith a little easier. Our author started this chapter with speaking of faith in the present tense: Now faith is… By faith we understand.
the end of the chapter reminds us that faith is and it is for we who follow in the footsteps of the faithful men and women of previous ages.
Application: As we close up I want to bring to light one more sort of unspoken application. There might be this notion that you cannot have the same amount of faith and these men and women mentioned.
You see, these believers resemble the like of us: sinful believers.
“There was none of them whose faith did not falter… In every saint there is always to be found something reprehensible. Nevertheless, although faith may be imperfect and incomplete it does not cease to be approved by God. There is no reason therefore why the fault from which we labor should break us or discourage us provided we go on by fait hin the race of our calling.”—John Calvin
Please hear me on this point family: at the end of the day, the issue is not the quality of our faith or the quantity of our faith but rather the object of our faith.
Because again at the end of the day, all the credit and glory goes to the one who makes faith possible.
So, will you believe God and take Him at His Word?
What a blessing and privilege to join the people of God through all the centuries in this march of faith.
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’