Faith Over Desire

Introduction

Its hard to read Hebrews 11 and not become convicted. These individuals epitomized faith in a way that separate them, not only from those of their time, but from mankind in general. They were simply great! Forget trying to be like Jesus; most of us cant even be like these in Hebrews 11. Why were they this way? **Survey Hebrews 11.**

There's a story about a proud young man who came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the muscular philosopher and said, "O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge." Socrates recognized a pompous numbskull when he saw one. He led the young man through the streets, to the sea, and chest deep into water. Then he asked, "What do you want?" "Knowledge, O wise Socrates," said the young man with a smile.

Socrates put his strong hands on the man's shoulders and pushed him under. Thirty seconds later Socrates let him up. "What do you want?" he asked again. "Wisdom," the young man sputtered, "O great and wise Socrates."

Socrates crunched him under again. Thirty seconds passed, thirty-five. Forty. Socrates let him up. The man was gasping. "What do you want, young man?" Between heavy, heaving breaths the fellow wheezed, "Knowledge, O wise and wonderful..."

Socrates jammed him under again Forty seconds passed. Fifty. "What do you want?" "Air!" he screeched. "I need air!"

"When you want knowledge as you have just wanted air, then you will have knowledge." (M. Littleton in Moody Monthly, June, 1989, p. 29.)

There is something to be said about the individuals that are featured in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11:38 states,

Hebrews 11:38 (CSB)

38 The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

The biblical narrative is filled with examples of people, of whom, the world was not worthy of, because as Socrates advised, they realized they wanted the promises of God as one who is drowning desires one last deep breath of air.

Here’s a practical lesson for us: People of faith are often subjected to things that don’t deserve them.

Some of you have been subjected to careers, experiences, relationships and a whole lot of stuff that didn’t deserve you, and while you have sought to take the easy way out, the only way out is believing your way through it.

Point #1: Faith-living people are individuals who endure things that are not worthy of them, because they believe there’s a better promise ahead.

Point #2: Faith is about managing your desires.

Hebrews 11:13–16 (CSB)

13 These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.

14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.

15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return.

16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Point #3: Faith-living people do not look back and will not go back (Hebrews 11:15).

You cannot live in faith and regret at the same time.

Many of us have been tricked into living in regret about things we thought our bad decisions got us into, but when properly examined it was our faith that did it.

What do you do when faith gets you into trouble?

Israel had a terrible practice of preferring the what they thought was the comfort of the past over the hope of the future.

**Nostalgia** For some of us, our memory is our greatest enemy. We are wrestling with that demon called nostalgia.

Consider how they opposed Moses after leaving Egypt,

Exodus 14:10–12 CSB

10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and there were the Egyptians coming after them! The Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord for help. 11 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 by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Faith people respond as Moses did,

Exodus 14:14 CSB

14 The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet.”

Call To Action

Build your faith in a way that it is stronger than the evil desires that distract you from receiving what God is willing to give you.

Desire is good! Yet, desire for the wrong things is detrimental. Jackson Brown said this in describing the inability of man to be satisfied with things,

I've learned that if you give a pig and a boy everything they want, you'll get a good pig and a bad boy.

When we get every bad thing we want, it does something to us. It turns us into bad people. These people of Hebrews 11 were good people, because they denied things that were outside of the promises of God.

Revisiting Hebrews 11:13-16, we find that these individuals were simply dissatisfied with the world they lived in.

They looked for a better home, God is calling us to build a better home.