The Courage of Faith – part 3 (Overcoming Your Fears)
Hebrews 11:23-31 (30-31)
February 21, 2016
Someone once noted that there seems to be 4 kinds of faith.
There is the faith that RECEIVES
It is the kind that comes to Jesus empty-handed for salvation.
There is the faith that RECKONS
It is the kind that counts on God to do things on our behalf.
There is the faith that RESTS
It is the kind that sits back with confidence in the midst of hardship or pain.
There is the faith that RISKS
It is the kind that moves forward in God’s power daring to do the impossible.
(sited in: MacArthur, John [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Hebrews, Moody Press, Chicago, Ill. 1985] pg. 362-363)
Obviously we are currently dealing with
The type of faith here that RISKS
We are discussing the type of faith that requires great courage.
The writer of Hebrews is writing to a group of Jews
Who are literally risking everything to follow Christ.
We already read back in chapter 10
• How some were in prison
• How some were ill-treated
• How some had their property confiscated.
THAT IS RISK.
We can almost hear the logic of the nay-sayers in that situation.
• You better not become a Christian you could lose your farm.
• You better not become a Christian you could go to jail.
• You better not become a Christian, you’ll be a laughing stock.
Throughout history the risk of following Jesus has always been very real.
And indeed you face very real risks for following Jesus even today.
Granted, you may not be thrown in prison or have your home seized
If you decide to follow Christ; at least not yet.
• But I’ve seen firsthand the call for some to go and live as missionaries in
countries where that could happen today.
• I’ve seen men and women choose to follow Christ and their unbelieving
spouse not share that desire, and life becomes difficult.
• I’ve seen men and women and teenagers wake up every day and go to work
places or school filled with non-believers who seemingly crave the
lowest forms of depravity and carnality and suffer the antagonism and
reproach that comes with not going along with the flow.
THERE IS ALWAYS A RISK INVOLVED IN FOLLOWING JESUS.
Jesus Himself said:
Matthew 10:21-22 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
And that means that if you are going to be serious about following Christ then YOU WILL NEED COURAGE.
You will need the type of courage that COMES ONLY from genuine faith.
And that is what we are currently talking about
Here in the 11th chapter of Hebrews.
• We’ve seen the REWARD OF FAITH
• We’ve seen the FOCUS OF FAITH
• We are currently looking at the COURAGE OF FAITH
To illustrate it the writer has taken us back to a time of slavery.
He has taken us to a time when God asked the weakest of the world
To defy the most powerful nation on earth and move on to a new land.
Everything asked of those people
Would require the courage that only comes from faith.
We’ve seen a few already
#1 THE CHOICE OF A SLAVE
Hebrews 11:23-26
• We saw Amram and Jochabed defy a king’s order and spare the life of their son simply because they saw God’s hand on the child.
• We saw that child 40 years later choose to leave the comforts of the king’s palace and embrace the life of a slave simply because he believed the reward of God to be greater than the reward of this life.
They were both scary decisions and yet these had the faith to make them.
Last week
#2 THE COMMITMENT OF A SERVANT
Hebrews 11:27-29
• There we saw Moses, 40 years removed from Egypt, be commanded by God to go back and confront Pharaoh.
Moses was obviously afraid, and yet he overcame his fear and
Stood before Pharaoh 12 times before he actually led the children of Israel out.
• We saw that nation partake in the Passover and maintain the faith that if they would paint the blood on the door post then God’s death angel would pass over them.
• And we saw that nation have the courage to walk through the Red Sea even though the sight must have been terrifying.
God’s salvation required facing their fears and walking by faith,
And that is precisely what they did.
They didn’t give up just because it was scary,
They pressed on and saw the Lord’s deliverance.
This morning we move on to the third example of the courage of faith here.
#3 THE COMPLIANCE OF A SOLDIER
Hebrews 11:30
• The first example dealt with a time of slavery
• The second dealt with the event of the Exodus
• Now we have obviously moved on to the Conquest
For those of you who know the history of Israel,
You know that the writer has again fast-forwarded 40 years.
And the reason he had to do that
Was because again there was a hiccup that occurred.
If you’ll remember he also skipped 40 years between verses 26 and 27.
In verse 26 Moses walked out of Pharaoh’s court.
In verse 27 he stood before Pharaoh and demanded Israel’s release.
But there was 40 years between those two events
Because Moses acted in fear.
He took matters into his own hands and killed an Egyptian and then ran for his life.
It delayed the deliverance of God for 40 years.
Here we find that history has repeated itself.
Israel demonstrated great faith by leaving Egypt and passing through the Red Sea, but then they also operated in fear.
• God led this nation directly to the border of this new land of promise.
• And when they reached the border God commanded that 12 spies be sent out
to survey the land.
When the spies returned, here is what they said:
TURN TO: NUMBERS 13:25-33
It is not hard to recognize the fear that swept over the nation of Israel.
“we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
They threw their faith out the window and decided to shrink back in fear.
We learned in Ch. 10 what God thinks about those who shrink back.
Hebrews 10:38 “BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.”
And God was true to His word.
His response to their fear was severe.
Numbers 14:20-23 “So the LORD said, “I have pardoned them according to your word; but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD. “Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.”
God caused Israel to wander in the wilderness for 40 years
Until that entire congregation died off.
We were even warned early on in the book of Hebrews
Not to be like those people.
TURN BACK TO: HEBREWS 3:7-4:2
The faith they showed initially was great,
But the fear they fell in to was extremely costly.
Well, here we are once again back at the border of the Promised Land.
Once again they are facing the giants.
I shouldn’t have to tell you that courage is required.
In fact, listen to the charge given to Joshua as their leader.
Joshua 1:1-9 “Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Did you pick up on the encouragement?
“be strong and courageous”
GOD DID NOT REMOVE THE GIANTS.
God promised to deliver them when they faced the giants.
Courage would be required.
Well, here we are.
40 years later facing the same challenge
That caused their parents to run in fear.
Israel entered the land and the first challenge they faced was JERICHO.
You all know about Jericho’s infamous wall.
Jericho was a frontier type city and so a wall was a necessary line of defense.
Historians have told us that this wall was thick enough to drive two chariots
on it side by side.
Defeating this town (if possible) would take years.
Typically the means was to surround a city like this,
Cut off their supply, and starve them out.
And that only worked if you actually had the manpower to win the battle.
This was not the opponent they were hoping to meet
Right off the bat.
(Because we know people)
Don’t you know everyone had an idea as to how they were to defeat them?
But God has His own plan.
Joshua 6:1-5 “Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. “You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. “Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. “It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.”
THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT
Anyone remember how much trouble this congregation gave Moses?
• They grumbled at everything.
• No leader in the history of the world was second guessed more than Moses.
And now you have a new leader.
• He’s just now trying to earn his stripes.
• He’s the man with the plan for taking the Promised Land.
And his first plan is to march around this city for 7 days and the walls will fall down?
Do you think it took courage to pitch that idea?
IT CERTAINLY TOOK COURAGE TO OBEY IT.
Listen, circling a wall was not a safe thing to do.
Perhaps you remember this story:
Judges 9:50-53 “Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it. But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the leaders of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up on the roof of the tower. So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire. But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.”
That incident became notorious in Israel.
Later when David was on a mission to make sure Uriah died in battle:
2 Samuel 11:18-21 “Then Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war. He charged the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, and if it happens that the king’s wrath rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? ‘Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ — then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'”
In order to make sure Uriah was killed in battle, Joab drew near to the wall,
But it caused the death of many other soldiers.
Joab expected to have such a tactic questioned,
Because frankly it wasn’t good military procedure.
And that’s the point.
Not only is this command far-fetched, it is dangerous.
And yet the writer of Hebrews reveals
The faith of Joshua and the children of Israel.
(30) “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.”
These soldiers obeyed the commands of God.
OBEYING GOD TAKES COURAGE.
When God says “go and make disciples of all nations” it takes courage.
Jesus told His disciples:
Matthew 10:16-20 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. “But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
Think about your relationships:
1 Peter 3:1-7 “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Your adornment must not be merely external — braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear. You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.”
• Peter there speaks of a Christian woman married to a disobedient man.
• He speaks of a Christian man married to a contentious woman.
He asks the wife to submit and
The husband to lead in an understanding way.
That takes enormous faith and courage to obey commands like that.
What about when God asks you to give sacrificially?
What about when God asks you to confront a sinning brother?
Remember a couple of weeks ago Paul telling Timothy that he left him in Ephesus to stop those men from teaching strange doctrines…courage.
2 Timothy 1:6-8 “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”
There was nothing easy about what Paul asked Timothy to do.
Faith is absolutely necessary if you are going to obey God.
Because obedience is often times a scary proposition.
Now think about these Hebrews who were receiving this letter.
What they faced was scary.
And the writer asked them to face it anyway.
You must demonstrate the courage of faith.
The Choice of a Slave
The Commitment of a Servant
The Compliance of a Soldier
#4 THE CONFIDENCE OF A SINNER
Hebrews 11:31
I have to tell you that of all the stories listed in the faith chapter
This one probably blows my mind more than any of them.
That is not to make light of Noah’s boat building or Abraham’s excursion
Or even Moses’ rejection of Egypt.
But I must say I am really amazed at this story.
We have here a woman known as “Rahab the harlot”
Just let that name sink in for a moment.
We don’t even know her last name.
Imagine being known by the worst sin you’ve ever committed
Well, that’s “Rahab”. She is “the harlot”
She is a prostitute.
She is a woman who makes her living off of sexual immorality.
And to make matters worse she is a harlot in a “disobedient” city.
She lives in a city full of sinners and she is one of the worst.
Jericho, as you know, had the wall.
You may not have known that they were a pagan city who worshiped false gods.
They also placed live babies in jars and mortared them into the wall as sacrifices to the wall gods.
They were backward, they were corrupt,
And Rahab was a hooker in that city.
Well Joshua, prior to the siege of Jericho, had sent spies into the land.
And the writer of Hebrews reminds you that Rahab
“welcomed the spies in peace.”
Not only did she welcome them, she hid them.
TURN TO: JOSHUA 2
(READ 2:1-7)
It is one thing to welcome these men,
But she actually put her life on the line in order to hide them.
One might wonder why she would do such a thing.
Her answer is remarkable.
(READ 2:8-11)
Did you catch her motivation?
• She had heard about God.
• She had heard about what God did.
• She had an enormous amount of fear regarding Him.
And she found herself caught in a moment of decision.
She could either give in to her fear of God and help His spies,
Or she could give in to the fear of the men of Jericho and expose them.
SHE FEARED GOD MORE
This fear also led her to an enormous request:
(READ 2:12-14)
This is amazing to me.
She was one of the most immoral people in a notoriously immoral city
And yet she stepped out in faith that this God who had ravaged Egypt
Would be merciful to her.
Scripture reveals that the courage of her faith paid off.
“Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient”
When faced with a scary dilemma she chose to fear God more.
It is from incidents like this that we get the concept of being
“God Fearing”
“He was a God-Fearing man” or “She was a God-Fearing woman”
Well I think I can confidently say that in our world today
This is a disappearing sentiment.
Romans 3:18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”
In Romans 1 Paul said:
Romans 1:28-32 “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”
It is one thing to be immoral.
It is quite another thing to know God disapproves and still not care.
There is a level of audacity and arrogance there
That is absolutely unthinkable.
To know God strictly forbids something and yet simply not care.
To know God promises to punish something and yet do it anyway.
That is what it means to not fear God and our society dwells there.
BUT NOT RAHAB.
She feared God more than those around her.
And it was actually her fear of God
That gave her courage to face a scary situation.
She was so afraid of God that she no longer feared men.
Jesus spoke to this type of attitude:
Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
Do you hear Him remind you that the Son of Man is coming to judge?
• Yes you will lose this life, but that isn’t what you should fear.
• He is telling you what you ought to really fear.
Listen to His parables on the kingdom.
(we read a couple two weeks ago)
Matthew 13:36-43 “Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Matthew 13:47-50 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Both of those are parables of certain judgment.
• The tares may currently think they are safe, but they don’t even realize judgment is on the way.
• Those fish are already caught in the dragnet and it is already being pulled to land, the fish just don’t know it.
JUDGMENT IS COMING.
Jesus asked people to understand and fear judgment more than hardship.
RAHAB DID
She feared God and this caused her to throw herself at His mercy.
And it payed off!
Is it hard? Yes.
Is it hard to turn your back on your culture? Yes
Is it hard to be the lone person of faith in your city? Yes
But the courage of faith is required.
1 Peter 4:1-5 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”
Peter could have been writing that to these very Hebrews here.
He could have been writing it with Rahab in mind.
Yes it’s hard to leave a life of sin, other sinners tend to frown on it.
But have courage, fear God more, run to Him in faith.
And so this morning, we conclude this section on the courage of faith,
AND I’M ASKING YOU TO DEMONSTRATE IT.
• TRUST GOD’S PLAN like Amram and Jochabed even when obedience could be costly.
• CHOOSE GOD’S REWARD like Moses, even if it means leaving the comforts of this world behind.
• TRUST GOD’S SALVATION like the children of Israel did when the painted the blood on the doorpost and walked through the Red Sea, even when God’s salvation could prove to be costly.
• OBEY GOD’S COMMANDS even when they don’t seem to make sense, or seem like it could put you in danger.
• FEAR GOD’S JUDGMENT more than you fear the wrath of humanity, knowing that God rewards those who trust in Him.
This is what the writer of Hebrews wanted from the Hebrews
And it is what God wants from us.
It takes courage to live for Jesus in the midst of a corrupt society.
Place your faith in Christ
And demonstrate the courage that comes along with it.
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
