WEBVTT 00:00:01.360 --> 00:00:04.320 Welcome to the North Iron Church podcast. 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:09.759 Our mission is to take the gospel from the upper peninsula to the ends of the earth. 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:14.240 We pray this message will inspire and encourage you in your faith journey. 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:20.559 Enjoy our hero series where we dive deep into the lives of heroes in the Bible. 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:28.480 So when it when it comes to missions in God's economy, some go and some send. 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:30.879 They're going, that means we get to send them. 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:44.560 I didn't get to tell them this, uh, but we uh have decided to support this family uh on a monthly basis as they proclaim the gospel, make disciples, and and plant the church in sensitive area of of Eurasia. 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:53.200 So it's it it really is it really is our our privilege to uh partner with them. 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:56.799 So they have a table set up uh on uh in the lobby on this side. 00:00:56.880 --> 00:01:04.959 So stop by the table, grab one of their prayer cards, sign up for their newsletter list, and uh let's let them know that we're behind them in what they're doing. 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:05.920 So good morning, everybody. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:06.959 My name is Mike Murray. 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:10.000 I have the privilege of serving Northiron as executive pastor. 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:11.280 I want to say welcome. 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:14.400 It's great to see all of you here in Ishbeming this morning. 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:20.159 Welcome as well to those in Antonagon and Lance and Marquette across the UP. 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:24.799 And I also love the idea that we could have an international audience today as well. 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:29.200 So if you're watching in Ulan Batar in Cairo in Helsinki, welcome as well. 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:33.599 That's a that's uh that's a faith declaration that that the word of God's going around the world. 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:43.040 So I have uh I have the honor this morning of wrapping up our sermon series on uh heroes of the Bible or heroes of the faith. 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:50.000 So we've been in in Hebrews chapter 11 looking at great examples of the faith of God's people. 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:55.920 And we're gonna turn to that section in uh Hebrews 11, the final nine verses this morning. 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:01.439 If you have your Bibles, you can turn to uh Hebrews 11, 32 and get a head start. 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:02.560 We'll get there in a few minutes. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:08.479 If you don't have a Bible, uh just let one of these gentlemen know and we'll uh we'll make sure you have one. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:20.479 So what we've seen so far in Hebrews chapter 11 is one example after another of God intervening in the lives of his people. 00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:41.599 We've we've looked at people like Noah and Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Jacob and uh Joshua, and last week we looked at Rahab, and what we've seen is there are times when God steps into a dire circumstance and changes it to great victory. 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:49.520 And I think if you've been a follower of Jesus for any length of time, you can look back at moments in your life where you've seen the same thing. 00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:53.199 You said, I need, I need God's hand in my life. 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:54.960 I need miraculous provision. 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:58.159 You've called out to him, and he's answered that prayer. 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:05.360 I like to refer to this moment as when our faith intersects with God's faithfulness. 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:12.080 So we're looking at great examples of faith, but really the basis of this whole chapter is the faithfulness of God. 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:15.199 It really isn't about us or or our worth. 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:20.159 Scripture says that our faith itself is a gift from God. 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:24.400 So if you have faith, it's because God gave you faith. 00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:28.240 It's all a gift, it's all grace. 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:40.719 There, so there are probably moments in in your life where you can look back and see that exhibit of God's grace, the outpouring of his provision and protection in your life. 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:43.439 And I can certainly look back at my own life and see examples. 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:48.080 And I want to start out this morning by telling you about one of these cases. 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:53.599 So we're gonna have to like jump into our time machines and go back to when I was a teenager. 00:03:53.840 --> 00:04:04.639 I was like 16 or 17 years old in this church, and I knew that God at some point in my life would call me to serve him overseas as a missionary. 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:08.319 So I was 16 or 17, and I looked forward to that time. 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:18.720 So all through my 20s, I was I was looking ahead to that time, looking ahead to that moment, preparing myself, letting God kind of form me and transform me so that he could use me. 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:22.399 And that moment came a little over 20 years ago. 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:25.519 I was in my early 30s, I was married by that point. 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:35.360 We had two preschool aged kids, and we sensed that God was telling us, now is the time, and Kyrgyzstan is the place. 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:39.920 And it was it was a very clear direction from God. 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:44.000 Uh so, all right, we said, all right, we're gonna obey, God's calling us, we're gonna do this. 00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:46.399 So we put in our application for appointment. 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:52.240 And I know you've heard Pastor Mark talk about this process of getting approved. 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:55.199 And when I say process, I mean ordeal. 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:58.800 Uh it there's all kinds of stuff involved. 00:04:58.879 --> 00:05:11.279 There's committees, paperwork, wiretaps, surveillance drones, private investigators, like maybe not all those things, but it felt like it. 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:17.279 And one of the things we did in those days, I'm not sure if they still do this, is uh a psych evaluation. 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:19.279 We did some psychological testing. 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:24.879 And what people told us was they want to make sure you're not crazy. 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:30.879 And having served in that organization, I want to say that's partially right. 00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:32.879 So they say, yeah, we'll make sure you're not crazy. 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:38.160 What they really want to know is you're not too crazy, but just crazy enough. 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:46.319 There's there's a sweet spot they're looking for, a pocket that they want everybody, because there are some countries, if you're not a little crazy, you're not gonna make it there. 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:49.199 So they so they're looking for not too crazy, just crazy enough. 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:56.079 So when we have kingdom forward partners uh with us, you know kind of that's the pocket that they sit in. 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:58.160 Just crazy enough, right? 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:04.079 So uh so now you know a little bit about our uh our guests today, you know a little bit about me. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:07.680 You've known this a long time about our lead pastor. 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:10.480 Just crazy enough. 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:28.959 So we we went through this process and they look at uh they look at your history, your education, they dig into your finances, they they want to see uh credit reports, bank statements, and they ask kind of sensitive personal questions about your spending sometimes, like, uh you seem to spend a lot of money at KFC. 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:31.040 Can you explain this? 00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:33.839 That that might have happened to somebody I know. 00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:39.360 So they uh so we went through this process and they said, All right, we sense that God is calling you. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:42.639 Uh, you're just crazy enough, you can go to Kyrgyzstan. 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:49.439 And we felt great for a day and a half, and then the panic settled in. 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:56.800 Because the next step in the process is we had to go out and raise all of the support that we were going to need for three years. 00:06:56.959 --> 00:07:00.639 They said, you need to get this this much in commitments every month. 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:08.560 And it was a big number, and I knew what the average commitment at the time was, and I figured that we would need 100 financial partners. 00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:12.639 So, some combination of churches, families, individuals, businesses. 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:13.839 We needed 100. 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:14.879 That was the target. 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:17.920 So I sat down and said, All right, how many pastors do I know? 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:18.480 Who can I call? 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:21.519 And I started to make a list, and it was a very short list. 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:27.759 I knew a total of five pastors in our network, Wisconsin and the UP. 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:28.959 I knew five. 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:35.600 And I was I was very confident that three of them liked us and would support us, and they did. 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:40.160 A fourth one, I was hopeful that he would return my calls, and he eventually did. 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:45.920 And the fifth one had been one of my youth pastors growing up in this church. 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:51.920 So he knew some things about me, and I wasn't sure if I would ever hear from him again. 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:58.240 But you know, at that point, I had already quit my job as a sports writer. 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:05.519 They'd already hired my replacement, which didn't make me feel great because they had somebody in the wings waiting for me to leave. 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:08.319 Uh so there was no turning back at that point. 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:10.800 Have I mentioned the panic? 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:19.360 Uh early in that process, it would have been like the first week of January in 2005, so that's how long ago this was. 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:33.279 I was attending a retreat with a bunch of other ministers, and I was I was so consumed with this idea of raising the support, I couldn't even pay attention to the speaker. 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:40.000 Like this support-raising mountain in front of me, I was thinking, how how in the world am I gonna make this happen? 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:52.240 And in the middle of that retreat, actually, in the middle of a message, I could show you where I was sitting in the retreat center in Spencer Lake, the Holy Spirit spoke to me. 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:56.639 And it wasn't an audible voice, but it was unmistakable. 00:08:56.799 --> 00:09:03.919 The Spirit of God spoke to me and said this: I've called you and I will provide. 00:09:04.559 --> 00:09:06.480 I've called you and I will provide. 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:11.759 And along with that word, God gave me just enough faith to believe it. 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:21.039 So I got home the the following night, just kind of excited to get out on the on the support raising trail like our friends are today. 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:23.840 And before I went to bed that night, I checked my email. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:33.679 Just wanted just jumped in before I went to bed, and there was a message there from a couple that I hadn't talked to in years, probably hadn't even thought of for years. 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:36.080 These were old acquaintances from college days. 00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:41.840 And I looked at that email, opened it up, and they they had somehow heard about our plan to go overseas. 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:55.759 And they said, We love missions, and for for a time they thought that they would serve themselves, but they said we've come to the realization that instead of going and serving ourselves, God is calling us to serve as senders. 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:57.279 That's their exact phrase. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:05.679 We're gonna serve as senders, meaning they're gonna stay here, they're gonna work hard, they're gonna make a lot of money, they're going to give sacrificially so people like us could go. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:08.080 And I'm reading this going, this sounds great. 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:17.840 Kept going through, and they they said in this email that they were committing to a figure that amounted to 10% of our total budget. 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:19.039 10%. 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:37.120 This is, I had to read that thing three times to make sure I it wasn't, I wasn't just seeing things through through faith lenses, but I read that thing and and I just sat there and said, one email 10% of our budget from somebody I wouldn't even have thought to ask. 00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:46.159 And and the voice of the Holy Spirit kind of echoing in my heart, not for the first time, not for the last time. 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:49.279 I've called you and I will provide. 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:58.480 So my tiny, puny faith intersected with God's immeasurable faithfulness. 00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:11.200 And I think you can look back at times in your life where you've seen the same thing, and I'm confident that these heroes of the faith that we've been looking at in Hebrews 11 would say the same thing. 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:20.000 Because they they realized their need for God, they cried out to him for help, and he answered. 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:27.440 That's that's the story that we've seen so far in the first 31 verses of Hebrews 11. 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:34.480 Now we get to the end of this chapter, uh, beginning in verse 32, and there's a there's a transition. 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:40.720 The writer realizes uh I need to land this plane so I can start talking about some other things. 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:42.960 So let's let's read that that passage. 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:45.360 Hebrews 11, 32 through 35. 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:47.519 How much more do I need to say? 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:54.879 It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 00:11:55.120 --> 00:12:03.679 By faith, these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:12.320 They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:18.000 Their weakness was turned to strength, they became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:22.320 Women received their loved ones back again from death. 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:24.639 We love this, right? 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:26.799 We love it. 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:34.320 So the writer is saying, uh, I'm running out of paper here, or parchment, or papyrus, whatever the technology is. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:37.360 I'm running out of room, I'm running out of time, I need to wrap this up. 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:43.759 I could say a whole lot more, but you already know the stories of Gideon and David and Samuel. 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:47.440 It's more of what we've been hearing through this whole chapter. 00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:51.919 It's stories of God's victory, his miraculous provision. 00:12:52.159 --> 00:13:00.240 And then right here in the middle of verse 35, there's a change of tone, there's a plot twist. 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:09.519 But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:14.000 They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:27.600 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips, others were chained in prisons, some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:33.840 Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:43.840 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:47.519 That's quite a that's quite a shift. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:49.679 Things turned quickly here. 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:57.120 How did we get from mountaintop, miracle, God's provision, to this? 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:01.200 Torture, prison, swords. 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:08.240 I'm I'm sure you noticed this part that some were sawed in half. 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:12.799 That kind of jumped out at me, so I did a little research. 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:18.240 This, according to Jewish tradition, is what happened to the prophet Isaiah. 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:22.480 So Isaiah was doing his job, he was simply doing his job, right? 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:27.039 Speaking God's truth to the evil king Manasseh, just over and over again. 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:32.000 And Manasseh was really evil, so Isaiah had a lot to say to him from the Lord. 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:39.440 And Manasseh got sick of it, and he ordered his men to stuff Isaiah into a hollowed-out tree. 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:46.720 And then he ordered his men to cut that tree in half, with Isaiah still inside. 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:52.000 So that's that's a big shift, that's a major plot twist. 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:59.519 And I think the writer of Hebrews realizes at this point that we might be experiencing a little bit of whiplash. 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:21.120 So I think when we when we come to a point like this when um when there's such a dramatic shift, and when there's something so shocking and surprising that it makes us kind of pause, it's helpful if we just take a breath and then ponder a very important theological question. 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:23.039 And that question is this. 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:24.399 Wait, what? 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:26.399 Wait, what? 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:29.279 Like, where where did this come from? 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:32.960 If you go to seminary, they refer to this as theological reflection. 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:36.879 I'm gonna reflect on my circumstances based on what the truth I know about God. 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:38.159 Theological reflection. 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:39.360 Wait, what? 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:42.080 What's happening here? 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:45.039 How did we get from victory to this? 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:57.279 So I think the the writer realizes that there's been a major shift here, so then he moves into the final two sentences of this passage, verses 39 and 40. 00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:08.240 He writes, All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:14.559 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:22.240 Okay, I'm gonna admit here, this is a little convoluted, a little opaque, maybe like clear as mud, right? 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:25.200 Uh there's there's a lot here, we're gonna work through it. 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:39.039 But what the writer really wants us to know, and this is this is crucial for us as we consider life in this world, it's authentic kingdom faith is not based on our circumstances. 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:42.080 It's not dependent on our circumstances. 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:51.919 In fact, it very well might be that our greatest expression of faith comes in our suffering. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:55.120 Think about that. 00:16:56.080 --> 00:17:03.039 The way we most clearly and obviously express our faith could be in our suffering. 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:04.960 So we're gonna look at this. 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:09.599 This is this is you know, this is one of those hard sections of scripture. 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:13.920 We love the victories, we love the miracles, but this is part of it too. 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:15.359 So we're gonna we're gonna look at that. 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:21.599 What is it what does it mean to live a life of faith in a fallen world? 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:26.640 And I think there are three phrases in this passage that that we're looking at today. 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:36.480 I want to dig into three three different phrases and kind of give us an idea of uh of how to live how to live a life of faith in this world that we're in. 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:39.519 In the good times and the bad times. 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:41.279 So three phrases I want to look at. 00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:50.319 The first one comes from verse 39, the first part of that verse, it says, All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith. 00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:54.079 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith. 00:17:54.160 --> 00:18:01.359 And we're talking about when when the writer says all these people, he means all the people that he's already mentioned in the whole chapter. 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:03.440 The named people, the unnamed people. 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:12.559 He's talking about Abel and his offering, Noah and his boat, Abraham and his sacrifice, Rahab and her legacy, David and his armies, Daniel and his lions. 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:18.319 They all experienced that miraculous hand of God and they were commended because of their faith. 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:20.400 They earned a good reputation because of their faith. 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:23.119 But then there's also this other group. 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:27.119 There are those who were wandering around in animal skins. 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:31.920 Now, here at Northiron we have a ministry called Royal Rangers. 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:36.400 And occasionally you will see men and boys wandering around in animal skins. 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:39.759 That's out of personal preference. 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:44.400 These people had to do that because they weren't welcome in towns and cities. 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:47.599 They had to wear the clothes of animals. 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:52.799 Also, those who refused to turn away from God and were tortured because of it. 00:18:53.519 --> 00:19:00.079 And then we have poor Isaiah in his hollowed-out tree sitting there going, wait, what? 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:07.119 The writer says, all of these people earned a good reputation because of their faith. 00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:09.519 They were all commended because of their faith. 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:21.440 So what we see here are two distinct groups of people who are showing us two very different expressions of faith in God. 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:27.519 So we and I want to look at it, just kind of frame it this way. 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:32.319 One of the groups shows us faith that God is bigger. 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:42.079 Just the belief that God is bigger, and the second group shows us faith that God is better, a belief that God is better. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:43.599 And we're gonna talk about both of those. 00:19:43.680 --> 00:19:45.839 So starting with the first one, God is bigger. 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:59.200 This is this is the kind of faith that we see when we face an obstacle that's so much greater than we are, that we have to call out to God to deliver us from it. 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:03.359 And this is what we've been talking about these last couple of months in this series. 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:09.680 Just the belief that God is bigger than whatever that thing is in front of me right now. 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:24.079 And I'll say this: if you are a follower of Jesus, if you've committed your life to him, if you've trusted him for salvation, you've already experienced a God is bigger moment. 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:34.559 Because this is the faith that draws us, pushes us, compels us to call out to him for salvation in the first place. 00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:49.759 This is faith that says, I'm a mess, I can't do this on my own, I'm dead in my sin, I can't pay my debt, I can't revive my dead heart. 00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:52.799 Only you can do that for me. 00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:54.720 That's faith. 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:58.480 That's faith that God is bigger. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:11.200 So we we look at this, and the the apostle Paul in in Romans chapter 10 tells us, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:20.799 I don't know if we if we realize a lot of times that the the fact that we are following Jesus, we're in the kingdom of God, that is a miracle. 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:24.480 You are a miracle, it's a miracle of resurrection. 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:30.960 We were dead in sin, and God reached down and plucked us out of that and gave us life in his kingdom. 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:39.279 So God credits the perfection of Jesus, he credits the righteousness of Jesus to our account. 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:45.839 So when God looks at us, he doesn't see us in our in our mess, in our sinfulness, our selfishness, our pride. 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:46.720 He doesn't see that. 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:49.519 What he sees is the perfection of Jesus. 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:54.559 And then he blesses us with the power of his resurrection. 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:58.880 Every salvation is a miracle of resurrection. 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:17.200 This kind of faith shows us God is bigger than our sinfulness, He's bigger than our financial need, He's bigger than our health concerns, He's bigger than our relational difficulties. 00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:27.440 I want us to never lose sight of the fact that we serve a miracle-working God, and God has never stopped performing miracles. 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:30.319 So we should never stop praying for them. 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:36.720 The writer of Hebrews, a little bit later in this letter, in chapter 13, said this. 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:43.359 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:44.960 What a promise that is. 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:45.920 I love A. 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:46.160 W. 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:49.119 Tozer's kind of paraphrase or explanation of this. 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:51.920 He said, anything God has ever done, he can do now. 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:56.079 Anything God has ever done anywhere, he can do here. 00:22:56.799 --> 00:23:06.400 He can do it in North Lake and National Mine and Palmer and Tronic and Autrain and Diorite and even Humboldt. 00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:08.880 It's like, Pastor Mike, you're just naming small towns that you know. 00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:09.759 Yes, that's true. 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:10.960 But God can do that here. 00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:16.559 And then he said, and anything God has ever done for anyone, he can do for you. 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:20.559 And I'll add this anything God has done for you before, he can do again. 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:23.200 It's a great promise. 00:23:23.359 --> 00:23:25.519 One more, uh, one more favorite quotation here. 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:34.240 This one's from Hudson Taylor, uh British missionary to China in the second half of the 1800s into the into the early 1900s. 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:35.279 He said this. 00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:40.640 There are three stages to every great work of God. 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:47.920 First, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done. 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:49.920 This is faith. 00:23:50.160 --> 00:24:00.319 This is faith that God is always at work transforming the seemingly impossible into reality. 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:07.680 So let me ask you this: where do you need to see this kind of faith in your life right now? 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:09.839 Where do you need to trust him? 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:18.640 Maybe another way to ask this is where does God want you to trust him for a miracle? 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:22.480 Because he can do it. 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:31.200 Maybe you're praying for a son or a daughter, maybe you're praying for a health crisis that you're going for, a financial need. 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:39.119 Maybe you're praying because you know that God is calling you to something that's far bigger than yourself and you're scared to death. 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:40.960 So let's let's call out to him. 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:47.200 Let's ask him to give us faith to realize that God is bigger. 00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:49.839 So that's that's the first expression of faith. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:51.119 God is bigger. 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:53.519 The second, God is better. 00:24:53.759 --> 00:24:58.880 So the first one, obviously God's bigger than any obstacle in our way. 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:01.359 God is better. 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:07.759 This this shows that God is better than anything that we could get on earth. 00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:14.640 He's better than anything life can give, and anything better than death can take away. 00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:16.160 It's so much greater. 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:18.480 So, what does this what does it look like in our lives? 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:23.519 So, think about that thing that you've been praying about, that that obstacle, that mountain in front of you. 00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:29.680 You're in that mess, you're in you're you're in that difficulty, you're in that mud. 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:45.359 So instead of acting and reacting with fear and anxiety and resentment and anger, God gives us his spirit and gives us the ability to live in a different way. 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:50.400 So this is this is how the apostle Paul put it in Galatians 5. 00:25:51.200 --> 00:26:05.039 God gives us his spirit, and then the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:10.160 And the thing with the fruit of the spirit is it's never out of season. 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:18.559 Like we have seasons where it's a good time to get oranges, good time to get cherries, it's always a good time for the fruit of the spirit. 00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:29.519 This this the spirit can produce this fruit in our lives in every season, in every circumstance, not just when it's all lollipops and rainbows and cotton candy. 00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:44.400 And the amazing thing is when we when we can exhibit this kind of fruit in our lives, when we're in the middle of it, whatever it is you're you're going through, you're in the middle of the pain and the sorrow. 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:52.559 When we can exhibit this kind of fruit in our lives, it shows the world around us that God's way is better. 00:26:55.119 --> 00:27:05.039 One uh one little uh I want I want to talk about joy, one of the fruits of the Spirit, uh, just as an example of how God's wisdom is greater than the world's. 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:11.279 And I want to compare, contrast joy and happiness, because a lot of people get these confused. 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:13.839 Joy is not the same as happiness. 00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:15.119 These are these are different things. 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:24.880 Happiness is is uh a temporary state, a temporary emotional state based on how we feel about our circumstances. 00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:28.880 So um bank accounts looking good, I'm happy. 00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:33.039 Car hasn't had to go into the shop for months, happy. 00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:35.759 The fish are biting, happy. 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:39.200 Uh the blueberry bushes look like it's gonna be a great year. 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:40.079 Happy. 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:43.200 Sometimes I get to preach to my mom about blueberries. 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:45.920 Blueberries coming soon. 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:46.319 All right. 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:49.839 So this is this is all circumstantial. 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:51.440 Happiness is circumstantial. 00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:58.720 But on the other hand, we see joy, true biblical kingdom joy that is a fruit of the spirit. 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:08.799 And and this is a deep, lasting, abiding peace and contentment, regardless of the circumstance that we're in. 00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:18.000 I think it's important to note that uh the Bible never promises constant happiness, at least in this life. 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:18.720 Right? 00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:27.680 There's a place in the gospels where Jesus just flat out tells his disciples, in this world, you will have trouble. 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:32.880 And then he says, you know, but don't worry, I've I've overcome the world. 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:36.799 But this is the promise that we're we'll face trouble. 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:44.880 But this but the Bible also shows us that there is joy, true lasting joy through the Spirit. 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:54.079 So don't settle for chasing momentary happiness when abundant joy is available. 00:28:54.559 --> 00:28:57.519 And this is this is the fruit in our lives. 00:28:57.680 --> 00:29:23.200 Uh one so when when we when we can live in in this fruit, when we can flow in this fruit, when we can demonstrate this fruit in our lives in every circumstance, I think it can be more powerful than a miraculous answer to prayer and building our faith and letting people around us see God is better. 00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:32.000 So God is God is better, God is bigger. 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:38.400 Um I think also there's there's a there's a sense that when we see people live this way, it builds our own faith. 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:42.079 So uh I I as a believer, this builds my faith. 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:51.039 When I see other believers experiencing joy in the midst of pain, I see that and I don't always understand it, but it builds my faith. 00:29:51.279 --> 00:29:57.039 When I see hope in the midst of tragedy, peace in the midst of chaos. 00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:02.480 When we talk about God is better, this is the kind of faith we're talking about. 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:07.839 The the the work of his spirit and his fruit in our lives. 00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:15.440 So wrapping up this point, all these people, all these people earned a good reputation because of their faith. 00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:22.559 And then the second part is uh of this verse is yet none of them received all that God had promised. 00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:25.599 This is the second part of verse 39. 00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:32.799 So we're still in this point referring to everybody that the writer has mentioned in this chapter, in Hebrews chapter 11. 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:39.440 They've all uh been commended because of their faith, but none have received all that God has promised. 00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:48.000 And then this can be a little confusing because a little earlier in this passage, I think it was verse 33, it says, they received what God had promised. 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:49.759 You know, it's right there. 00:30:49.920 --> 00:30:54.319 So what we see here though is a partial fulfillment of the promise. 00:30:54.640 --> 00:30:58.319 Noah really was saved through the ark. 00:30:58.640 --> 00:31:00.799 He received that part of the promise. 00:31:01.119 --> 00:31:05.039 Sarah really did give birth to a son who became a great nation. 00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:07.680 Partial fulfillment of that promise. 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:11.680 Joshua actually did conquer the city of Jericho. 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:14.400 Again, a partial fulfillment of the promise. 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:26.880 But none of these Old Testament figures received all of God's promise because the fulfillment of that promise was still off in the future. 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:30.799 The fulfillment of that promise had not yet arrived. 00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:40.720 So we can we can look at um these displays of God's power. 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:52.319 Miraculous healings, divine interventions, provision, these are kind of like down payments on the greater promise that was still to come. 00:31:52.880 --> 00:32:03.839 And where we stand in the year of our Lord 2026, the place we stand in history, we can look back and identify what that great promise is. 00:32:04.160 --> 00:32:12.799 It's this God Himself has come to rescue and renew all creation through the work of Jesus Christ. 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:18.160 God Himself has come to rescue and renew all creation through the work of Jesus Christ. 00:32:18.319 --> 00:32:20.160 And this is the gospel. 00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:31.759 This is the gospel, this is what the Old Testament figures figure they sensed was coming, they knew something was coming, and we have the privilege of hindsight and where we are in history and looking back. 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:39.440 Saying, God Himself has come in a powerful way through the work of Jesus Christ. 00:32:39.519 --> 00:32:40.799 So this is the gospel. 00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:49.839 And in the next verse, verse 40, we see that God actually has a place for us in this great purpose, in this great plan. 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:59.119 So verse 40 says, For God had something better in mind for us, so he's writing to followers of Jesus, and down through the centuries, this applies to us as well. 00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:01.200 So we are now in this passage. 00:33:01.759 --> 00:33:14.079 We've kind of been uh, you know, folded into this passage, for God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection or completion without us. 00:33:14.960 --> 00:33:18.559 So so here's an image to help us understand that. 00:33:18.720 --> 00:33:21.680 The work of faith is like a relay race. 00:33:22.160 --> 00:33:29.039 So when I was a kid, middle school, high school, I was a fast runner, I was a sprinter, I got to run sprint events, I also ran relays. 00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:33.519 So imagine I'm I'm the first runner in the 1600 relay. 00:33:33.680 --> 00:33:44.880 So I have my baton at the start line, the gun goes off, I run my lap, I hand the baton off to the next runner, I go off to the side and retch a little bit because the 400 is a brutal race. 00:33:46.480 --> 00:33:55.119 My portion is done, but my work hasn't reached its full completion yet because my team is still out on the track. 00:33:55.359 --> 00:33:55.759 Right? 00:33:55.839 --> 00:34:02.880 It's it's the same thing with these people of the Old Testament, this uh this faith that we're talking about. 00:34:03.200 --> 00:34:20.079 So the the baton goes uh to Noah, who passes it on to the next generation, and passes eventually makes its way to Abraham and David, and we are all uh part of this as well. 00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:29.280 So there's a question like, how does our work, how does our faith bring the faith of Abraham to completion or perfection? 00:34:29.760 --> 00:34:34.400 It's because we're still carrying the baton that he passed on. 00:34:35.039 --> 00:34:42.800 Like he's he's on the infield of the track, his portion is done, but the team is still out there running this relay. 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:52.320 We are still taking part in God's great purpose of redeeming all of humanity through the work of Jesus Christ. 00:34:52.800 --> 00:35:04.159 And until this gospel of Jesus is proclaimed and believed throughout the world, his promise is still unfulfilled. 00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:08.000 So we get to run our leg. 00:35:08.400 --> 00:35:13.280 So when we understand this, it changes, it changes everything, it changes our perspective. 00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:21.599 So when we understand this, that God has a purpose in the world, that we're part of it, that we're running a leg of this relay, it changes how we view faith. 00:35:21.760 --> 00:35:26.159 We stop seeing that the point of faith is to make my life easier. 00:35:26.719 --> 00:35:33.679 And there's some truth in that, that uh if you follow the wisdom of God, your life's gonna be easier in general than people who don't. 00:35:34.639 --> 00:35:44.880 But it helps us to see that the point of faith is showing people, showing the world the power and worth of God revealed in the gospel. 00:35:45.280 --> 00:35:49.119 So this changes how I frame everything I experience. 00:35:49.920 --> 00:36:05.199 If I'm going through a circumstance and it feels like I'm walking through the suburbs of hell, no matter what circumstance I'm in, I can ask this question: how can I use this to glorify God? 00:36:05.599 --> 00:36:11.760 How can I use this moment to point people to the gospel? 00:36:12.639 --> 00:36:15.840 And this will require a shift in perspective for many of us. 00:36:16.000 --> 00:36:20.079 It'll require us to stop seeing ourselves as the center of the universe. 00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:24.800 Like there was a time in human history where we thought the earth was the center and the universe revolved around us. 00:36:24.960 --> 00:36:29.440 I think sometimes we act and think in ways that keep us at the center. 00:36:29.679 --> 00:36:34.320 So we need to get off the throne of our lives and let Jesus take his position there. 00:36:34.559 --> 00:36:36.880 So, one way, one way to illustrate this. 00:36:37.280 --> 00:36:40.400 Imagine that you are at a family reunion. 00:36:40.559 --> 00:36:51.920 Okay, you're you're down at Van Riper, you spend the day with cousins and aunts and uncles, and you're on the lake tubing and fishing and eating, and then people start to get ready to leave, and somebody says, Oh, wait a second. 00:36:52.079 --> 00:36:53.280 We haven't taken a picture yet. 00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:54.880 We got to get a group photo. 00:36:55.119 --> 00:36:58.239 So the organizer says, All right, line up, tall people in the back. 00:36:58.400 --> 00:37:01.199 Twelve phones make their way to the front. 00:37:01.920 --> 00:37:04.400 Photographers, you know, snapping shots. 00:37:04.719 --> 00:37:11.920 Then later that night, you're home taking care of your sunburn, and you come across your cousin's social media feed. 00:37:12.400 --> 00:37:14.559 And uh what do you do? 00:37:14.800 --> 00:37:16.559 You see that picture of your family on there. 00:37:16.639 --> 00:37:17.119 What do you do? 00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:19.599 First thing, you look for yourself. 00:37:19.920 --> 00:37:20.880 Tell me I'm lying. 00:37:20.960 --> 00:37:22.320 You look for yourself, right? 00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:28.239 You want to make sure your your eyes are open, make sure you don't have a finger up your nose. 00:37:28.719 --> 00:37:33.199 You need to make sure that you're not grinning like sloth in the Goonies. 00:37:34.320 --> 00:37:34.880 All right? 00:37:35.119 --> 00:37:38.719 And if and if you laughed at that, it means you're you might be a Gen Xer. 00:37:38.960 --> 00:37:42.480 So that's my that's my Gen X dog whistle, Goonies. 00:37:44.719 --> 00:37:45.519 So this is true. 00:37:45.599 --> 00:37:46.880 This is this is human nature. 00:37:46.960 --> 00:37:54.559 We put ourselves in the center, and we we filter every experience in life through how it affects us. 00:37:55.119 --> 00:38:03.599 And the writer of Hebrews is telling us, and really all of scripture is telling us, yeah, yeah, you're you're in the movie, but you're not the star. 00:38:04.719 --> 00:38:10.000 That's that's not your name on the marquee, that's not your picture on the poster. 00:38:10.239 --> 00:38:15.440 We we have a part to play in this movie, but we are definitely not the star. 00:38:15.519 --> 00:38:17.119 We're not the main character. 00:38:17.360 --> 00:38:22.320 This is it's an invitation to step into the story of Jesus. 00:38:22.559 --> 00:38:33.199 The life of faith is an invitation to join with these great men and women of Hebrews 11 in a larger story about Jesus. 00:38:33.360 --> 00:38:36.239 It's it's a story in which we have a role to play. 00:38:37.039 --> 00:38:39.280