Hebrews 11-13: Epic Faith

We walk through Hebrews 11–13 to trace what faith is, why endurance matters, and how hope in an unshakable kingdom reshapes daily life. From Abel to Moses to Jesus, we follow a throughline of trust that moves us outside the camp and into practical love.

• defining faith as confidence in the unseen
• portraits from the Hall of Faith
• endurance as the way to receive the promise
• fixing our eyes on Jesus amid hardship
• discipline as training that yields peace
• Sinai versus Zion and an unshakable kingdom
• everyday holiness, hospitality, and contentment
• going outside the camp with courage
• praise, generosity, and trusted leadership
• bearing with the exhortation to be changed

Chapters

• 0:00 Setting Hebrews In Context
• 1:26 Defining Faith In Hebrews 11
• 5:31 Abraham, Sarah, And The Promise
• 9:46 Moses And Costly Obedience
• 13:31 Triumphs And Suffering By Faith
• 16:32 Run With Endurance, Fix On Jesus

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:11

Hey, welcome back to the Out Loud Bible Project Podcast. This is Mike. We're in the book of Hebrews together, and we've been looking at how the author of Hebrews has been pointing to numerous things in the Old Testament, prophecies and Old Testament examples and other characters we read about in the Old Testament, and using that as a basis for how to live now in light of Jesus and his ministry and his sacrifice and the new life that we have through him. So when we last left this sermon of Hebrews, at the end of chapter 10, the author made this point: you need endurance in order to do God's will and so receive what's promised for just a little longer, and he who is coming will arrive and not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I take no pleasure in him. But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith and preserve their souls. You with me, you tracking with me, all right, we're building up to something big here, and in comes one of the most famous chapters in the entire Bible, Hebrews 11, sometimes called the Hall of Faith. We often recognize it as it kind of stands alone, but now that we can see the context of building up this argument of like, hey, look at what all of the Bible has been pointing to up to this point, and recognize that Jesus' life and his death and his resurrection demand a response from us. What is that response? Faith. What is faith? Well, let's get into it. This is Hebrews 11, and we're going to read through the end of the book through chapter 13. Now, faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we don't see. For by it the people of old received God's commendation. By faith, we understand that the worlds were set in order at God's command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible. By faith, Abel offered God a greater sacrifice than Cain, and through his faith he was commended as righteous because God commended him for his offerings. And through his faith he still speaks, though he's dead. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he didn't see death, and he was not to be found because God took him up, for before his removal he had been commended as having pleased God. Now without faith, it's impossible to please him. For the one who approaches God must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith, Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard, constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went without understanding where he was going. By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land as though it were a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise, for he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, he received the ability to procreate because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy. So in fact, children were fathered by one man, and this one as good as dead, like the number of stars in the sky, and like the innumerable grains of sand on the seashore, these all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw them in the distance, and welcomed them, and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return, but as it is, they aspire to a better land, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he's prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises, yet he was ready to offer up his only son. God had told him, Through Isaac, descendants will carry on your name, and he reasoned that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense, he received him back from there. By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. And by faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff. By faith, Joseph at the end of his life mentioned the Exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his burial. By faith, when Moses was born, his parents hid him for three months because they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be ill treated with the people of God than to enjoy sin's fleeting pleasure. He regarded abuse suffered for Christ to be the greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on the reward. By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king's anger, for he persevered as though he could see the one who's invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched around them for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped to the destruction of the disobedient because she welcomed the spies in peace. And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtha, of David and Samuel and the prophets. Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight, and women received back their dead raised to life. But others were tortured, not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life, and others experienced mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawed apart, murdered with the sword, they went about in sheepskins and goat skins, they were destitute, afflicted, ill treated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and openings in the earth, and these were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised, for God had provided something better for us so that they would be made perfect together with us. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely and run with endurance the race set out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and he has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed in your struggle against sin. And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons? My son, do not scorn the Lord's discipline, or give up when he corrects you, for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son he accepts. Endure your suffering as discipline. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father doesn't discipline? But if you don't experience discipline, something all sons have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. Besides, we have experienced discipline from our earthly fathers, and we respected them. Shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the father of spirits and receive life? For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit that we may share his holiness. Now, all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but healed. Pursue peace with everyone and holiness, for without it no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one be like a bitter root springing up and causing trouble, and through it many become defiled. And see to it that no one becomes an immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that later when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance, although he sought the blessing with tears. For you've not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind, and the blast of a trumpet, and a voice uttering words such that those who heard it begged to hear no more, for they couldn't bear what was commanded, even if an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. In fact, the scene was so terrifying that Moses said, I shudder with fear. But no, you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel's does. Take care not to refuse the one who's speaking, for if they didn't escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less shall we if we reject the one who warns from heaven? Then his voice shook the earth, but now he's promised I will once more shake not only the earth, but heaven too. Now this phrase once more indicates the removal of what has been shaken, that is, of created things, so that what is unshaken may remain. So, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let's give thanks, and through this let's offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe, for our God is indeed a devouring fire. Brotherly love must continue. Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them, and those ill treated as though you too felt their torment. Marriage must be honored among all, and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers. Your conduct must be free from the love of money, and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you. So we can say with confidence the Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can people do to me? Remember your leaders who spoke God's message to you, reflect on the outcomes of their lives and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Don't be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings, for it's good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals which have never benefited those who participated in them. We have an altar that those who serve in the tabernacle have no right to eat from, for the bodies of those animals whose blood the high priest brings into the sanctuary as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore, to sanctify the people by his own blood, Jesus also suffered outside the camp. We must go out to him then, outside the camp, bearing the abuse he experienced, for here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let's continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. And don't neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work. Let them do this with joy, and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you. Pray for us, for we're sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to conduct ourselves rightly in every respect. I especially ask you to pray that I may be restored to you very soon. Now, may the God of peace, who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen. Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, bear with my message of exhortation, for in fact I've written to you briefly. You should know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon, he'll be with me when I see you. Those from Italy send you greetings. Grace be with you all. Such a great book, isn't it? Such a great ending to this letter as well. And look, I don't know what struck you today. Maybe there was something about the discussion of faith. Maybe there was something about the Lord's discipline that you needed to hear. Maybe there was something toward the end there about living as a Christian that that kind of struck you as maybe something that we got to change or tweak or pray about. Whatever it is, let's just point to verse 22 of that last chapter of Hebrews, where the author says, Bear with my message of exhortation. Bear with it. That means endure, tolerate, suffer with it a little bit. We need to let God's word be uncomfortable sometimes. We need to wrestle with it sometimes. That is part of this faith that this book was talking about. We have to have faith that this book is living and active and relevant and useful for teaching and correcting and rebuking. Otherwise it's just, I don't know, some words on a page and who cares? If you only rely on what you see, then that's not faith, and without faith it's impossible to please God. But if we believe in the unseen power of this book to reshape our hearts, to transform us to be more like Jesus for our salvation and for the salvation of others, well then we're living by faith. And that might be a little uncomfortable, but we look forward to a time when all of these earthly comforts and all of these earthly pains will be simply memories that we look back on and laugh because we will be living in the reality we've been looking forward to our entire lives. Hey, I will see you there. And until then, join us next time. That's the Thinking Out Loud thought for the day.