II Corinthians: Triumph in Trials

Study Notes
Ed Underwood
Hebrews

Selected Legacies of Faith! 

(Hebrews 11:32-40)

“The world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:38)

The key Greek term hypomone, endurance (10:36; 12:1, 3), which occurs nowhere else in Hebrews, brackets Hebrews 11. The Greek word pistis, faith, occurs 24 times in chapter 11, begins and ends the chapter. The refrain “by faith” emphatically teaches Christians that faith in God is essential if we want to endure in our service to Christ. After celebrating the character of faith in chapter 11, the writer invites the reader to the endurance that secures the reward our redeemed heart desires (12:1-13, see also10:34-39).

First Century Jews viewed history as the story of the God of Israel working through the heroes of the Old Testament to move His plan forward. Now the writer tells them why these heroes were great. It wasn’t their ancestry or their performance. Behind every act that God commends is a heart of faith. It’s a list that would surprise and maybe even embarrass these Jewish Christians. But it’s a list of those who lived great lives from God’s perspective because they believed what He said, even when they couldn’t see it. 

The story of God’s people in the Scripture is a collection of individual stories of those who walked through life believing God for things great and small. In spite of their pain, in spite of their doubts, in spite of the opposition and persecution, their reality was what God said rather than what people said or life looked like. Hebrews 11:1-12:13 is an invitation to all who read these words to live our own story, and a reminder that the story of God’s redeeming work is not complete without new stories of faith. The stories are categorized by epochs of Israel’s past. The second period is the patriarchal era.

Chapter 11 ends with a seemingly random selection of Hebrew heroes of faith from the rest of Old Testament history. A closer look reveals that what they all had in common was their faith in God in the face of suffering and death. The writer then presents a bullet list of the deeds of these who lived by faith. Finally, there’s a reminder of our privileged status as new covenant followers of God. The perfection of faith these Old Testament heroes looked forward to (the coming of Messiah) was actually postponed by God until we could share in the blessings of the promise: 

Faith lives for something. 

Faith recognizes that it is the future, and not the past, that determines the present. 

Enduring faith resolves to live for the world to come, even when this world threatens suffering and martyrdom.

I. Faith that endures continues to trust and obey God in spite of suffering that tempts us to turn away from following Christ (Hebrews 11:32-40).

A. Three characteristics of faith (1-3) Faith is a way of viewing life.

B. The writer illustrates this faith he just described with stories of some heroes of the Old Testament from eras of Israel’s history subsequent to the conquest of Jericho. 

1. The Heroes ( 32): Using a literary device (And what more shall I say? Time will fail me….) the writer lets the reader know that he could go on and on as he explains Israel’s glorious history by the faith of individual Israelites. Then, he catalogs some of those, letting us know that they are merely representative. These individuals were far from perfect, yet God commended them because of their faith. Three sets of men from different eras are presented in teams of two, the more famous coming first: Gideon (300 Israelites defeated 32,000 Midianites, Judges 6) and Barak (Israel’s general who defeated a Canaanite army with 900 chariots, Judges 4), Samson (champion who defeated Philistines, Judges 13) and Jephthah (Gileadite who led the Transjordan tribes against the Ammonites, Judges 11), David (strong reliance on God against overwhelming odds through his life), Samuel (last judge and first of the prophetic line (1 Samuel 7).

2. The Deeds (32-38): Now the writer simply starts listing deeds that would be familiar to every Hebrew Christian. Some are related to the individuals in v 32 and others are not. “The digest of deeds of men and women of faith during the biblical and post-biblical periods in vv 33-35 appears to be spontaneous and unstudied.” (Lane, Hebrews 9-13, p. 385) What they have in common is the faith they exhibited in the face of suffering and martyrdom. Some were spared, but others weren’t. The outcome of their faith isn’t as important as their courageous faith when they didn’t know the outcome.

They conquered kingdoms (David, Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, Samuel)…administered justice (Samuel, David)…gained what was promised (Gideon, Barak, Samson, David)…shut the mouths of lions (Samson, David, Daniel)…quenched raging fire (Daniel’s three friends)…escaped the edge of the sword (David, Elijah, Elisha, Jews in Exile, Esther 3:13)…gained strength in weakness (Samson, Hannah)…became mighty in battle and put foreign armies to flight (Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, David, Samuel, Maccabeans in the time of Antioches Epihanes)…and women received back their dead raised to life (Elijah raised the widow of Sidon’s son, 1 Kings 17), Elisha raised the Shunammite widow’s son, 2 Kings 4). But others…were tortured (pictures the torture of the rack during the Maccabean era and during 1^st Century under Roman persecution), not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life… And others…experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment (Jeremiah). They were stoned (Zechariah, son of Jehoida, 2 Chronicles 24, Jeremiah, oral tradition)…sawed apart (Isaiah, oral tradition, Romans during the Jewish wars)…murdered with the sword (Uriah, 1 Kings 18); they went about in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated… (many generations of faithful Israelites who fled to the wilderness to escape persecution). Injustice: So-called civilized society was unfit for these sufferers and martyrs of faith.

3. Our Privilege (39-40): They never experienced all that God had promised (Messiah’s rescue) because God wanted us to be a part of the New Covenant deliverance.

II. If you want your life to count in ways that please God, then you must live by faith. You must draw near to God with enduring faith.

A.The Crux: A legacy of faith is built upon thousands of momentary decisions to trust in what God has said to me rather than what I’m feeling, thinking, or fearing in light of what this world is saying to me. 

1. Your legacy of faith will begin with a commitment to God to live by faith every day and a plea for the strength to follow up on that commitment. This may involve emotions because it usually is accompanied by repentance—a turning from your own strength to God’s strength. 

2. However, that big emotional moment will not last. You need to also commit to God’s resources that will help you in the determining moments of life—when you are faced with a decision and what God says about that decision does not make sense. You will need: The Word of God, The Spirit of God, and The People of God.

3. What you decide when faced with the trials, confusion, disappointments, hurts, and messiness of life will determine what those you love remember about you. Your decision either wounds them so that they are vulnerable to repeat your legacy of self-care and bitterness or it will equip them to face life with the faith that endures.

“…for [Moses’] eyes were fixed on the reward” (Hebrews 11:26).

We’ve come to a great transition in the Book of Hebrews as the writer moves from teaching to application. He has masterfully presented Jesus Christ’s superior ministry (6:13-10:18). Having proved that Jesus is better than any and every alternative and cautioned them against forsaking him and his followers, the writer begins this section with a stern warning: Do not sin willingly and persistently because God severely judges his New Covenant people! He then moves on to motivate them to draw near to God in enduring faith by connecting the believer’s faith to the believer’s endurance.  

Ed Underwood
Study Notes

(Hebrews 11:23-31)
Faith in the Mosaic Era! 

The key Greek term hypomone, endurance (10:36; 12:1, 3), which occurs nowhere else in Hebrews, brackets the section. The Greek word pistis, faith, occurs 24 times in chapter 11, begins and ends the chapter. The refrain “by faith” emphatically teaches Christians that faith in God is essential if we want to endure in our service to Christ. After celebrating the character of faith in chapter 11, the writer invites the reader to the endurance that secures the reward our redeemed heart desires (12:1-13, see also10:34-39).

First Century Jews viewed history as the story of the God of Israel working through the heroes of the Old Testament to move His plan forward. Now the writer tells them why these heroes were great. It wasn’t their ancestry or their performance. Behind every act that God commends is a heart of faith. It’s a list that would surprise and maybe even embarrass these Jewish Christians. But it’s a list of those who lived great lives from God’s perspective because they believed what He said, even when they couldn’t see it. 

The story of God’s people in the Scripture is a collection of individual stories of those who walked through life believing God for things great and small. In spite of their pain, in spite of their doubts, in spite of the opposition and persecution, their reality was what God said rather than what people said or life looked like. Hebrews 11:1-12:13 is an invitation to all who read these words to live our own story, and a reminder that the story of God’s redeeming work is not complete without new stories of faith. The stories are categorized by epochs of Israel’s past. The second period is the patriarchal era.

Moses and the heroes of the Exodus from Egypt and conquest of Jericho exemplify a faith that overcomes hostility and persecution. The commonality of the acts cited is to believe God instead of fearing the king. This would have been important to the struggling little assembly of Jewish Christians facing severe persecution: 

Like those God used to lead the Exodus and conquer Jericho, overcome hostility and persecution by keeping your eyes fixed on what God has promised. 

Enduring faith lives for what God has promised in the future rather than what the world offers today.

I. Faith that endures believes God in the face of powerful hostility and persecution, just like the heroes of the Mosaic era (Hebrews 11:1-3; 23-31).

A. Three characteristics of faith (1-3): Faith is the confidence that views things yet future and unseen as if they will turn out just the way God has said they will (1). Faith pleases God. It’s clear from the Old Testament that God commends men and women who walk by faith (2, see the rest of the chapter). Faith looks forward because it understands that the God of the Hebrews put everything that is in motion by His word. This means that all that we have seen, are seeing, and will see is due to His unseen power. Faith knows that God creates all that is visible from His word, which is invisible. Faith is a way of viewing life (3).

“Faith is thus an effective power directed toward the future. It springs from a direct, personal encounter with the living God. The forward-looking capacity of faith enables an individual to venture courageously and serenely into an unseen future, supported only by the word of God.” (Lane, Hebrews 9-13 in Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 47B, p, 329)  

B. The writer illustrates this faith he just described with stories of some heroes of the Old Testament from the Mosaic era (Exodus 1-Joshua 2, 23-31).

1. Moses’ parents exercised faith that overcame their fear of a tyrant (23).

2. As a young man Moses chose the reward associated with the promised Messiah over the temporary fame, power, and wealth associated with Pharaoh’s promise to make him an heir (24-27, Cf. Exodus 2:11). Note: The verb translated “for his eyes were fixed” was used of keeping one’s attention fixed on something, as an artist fixes her attention on the object or model that she is reproducing in painting or sculpture. The imperfect tense means that this was a continuous action, a series of deliberate decisions to turn his attention from his fear of Pharaoh and desire for what the king offered to his faith in the promises of God concerning the future Messiah.

3. By faith Moses inaugurated the Passover (28; Cf. Exodus 12:7, 15).

4. By faith the Exodus generation stepped onto the dry ground and crossed the Red Sea (29).

5. By faith the next generation followed God’s absurd instructions to conquer Jericho (30).

6. By faith the prostitute Rahab overcame the hostility and threats of her king and welcomed the spies of Israel to escape destruction (31; Cf. Joshua 2:9-11). Note: The whore Rahab’s simple faith (I know that the Lord has given you this land.) was greatly honored by God. She was grafted into the line of Messiah (Matthew 1:5, wife of Salmon, mother of Boaz), held up as an example of faith (Hebrews 11:31), and lifted up as one whose good works demonstrated a faith that glorifies God (James 2:25).

II. If you want your life to count in ways that please God, then you must live by faith. You must draw near to God with enduring faith.

Question:
What do all of these heroes of faith during the Mosaic era have in common? Answer: They all exhibited a faith in the power, care, and promises of God that overcame their fear of hostility from a king and the persecution believing God invited into their lives. 

1. Throughout history authentic Christianity has been unpopular with the rich and powerful. Most generations of Christ followers and most Christian communities have been persecuted for their faith. 

2. In many parts of the world it’s as costly to follow Christ today as is was for original recipients of the letter to the Hebrews. Their faith is not celebrated and it is not a political right. Their faith is persecuted and they live in fear of hostility and persecution from the culture and the authorities.

B. We live in a world that is becoming increasingly dangerous for followers of Christ. Cultural antagonism, legal opposition, state-sanctioned persecution, and anti-Christian terrorism are on the rise. Only those who are trusting in what God has said about His power, love, and the destiny of His children will endure the challenges, fears, and horrors of persecution.

Join us as we hear the stories of the Women of COD.

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Hebrews 11:1-7

A Q&A with Ed as we move towards Hebrews 11.

Ed Underwood

Don’t Throw Away Your Confidence and Reward! (Hebrews 10:32-39)

“My righteous one shall live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38).

We come to a great transition in the Book of Hebrews as the writer moves from teaching to application. He has masterfully presented Jesus Christ’s superior ministry (6:13-10:18). Proving that Jesus is better than every and any alternative and cautioned them against forsaking him and his followers, the writer now offers the most stern warning: Do not sin willingly and persistently because God severely judges his New Covenant people! 

The key Greek term parresia, confidence (vv 19, 35; 4:16) brackets the admonition. The message being that though true believers should live with a healthy expectation of judgment for contemptuous lifestyles that dishonor God and insult the Spirit of grace (v 29)—all who truly believe should desire the confidence that faith in Christ brings to our lives.

These paragraphs have a greater purpose than simply warning those who are tempted to walk away from Jesus. They’re designed to encourage all of us to draw near to God in enduring faith. We’ve already considered the first paragraph (19-25) that teaches us to draw near to God in community by resourcing our New Covenant blessings in Christ. We then looked at the warning itself: Do not be disloyal to Christ because God sternly disciplines His New Covenant people.

Now we close out our study as the author transitions from the consequences of walking away from Jesus to a reminder of the days when they were faithful. He’s hoping that these memories of the joy of serving Christ in sacrificial ways will spark repentance. He reveals his shepherds heart in this desperate plea to return to their past faithfulness and the joys they shared in community. 

Plea: We’ve come so far together; don’t throw away your confidence and reward.

The final paragraph recalls more faithful times when the joy of serving Jesus surpassed the pain of persecution, and then reminds them of what they’re throwing away if they walk away from the Lord.

I. Plea: Remember the joy we shared in serving Jesus in hard times? Don’t throw away your confidence and reward! (Hebrews 10:32-39)

A.The shepherd of this community reminds them of former times of faithfulness in spite of the pain as they lived for what really matters to the redeemed (32-34).

1.But remember the former days…after you were enlightened. This is speaking of those days following their belief in Christ when they served the Lord no matter what the cost.

2.You endured suffering, humiliation, and injustice. You risked visiting those who were thrown into prison for their faith (Matthew 25:36) while authorities and mobs were confiscating your belongings.

3.But, you did this gladly because you looked forward to what really matters—the better and eternal possession (I take this as the believer’s inheritance in the kingdom!).   

B.Now he pleads with them not to throw away their confidence and reward, but rather to have the faith to endure by doing God’s will as they look for Jesus’ return. In this context God’s will means faithfully serving Christ in spite of the cost. (35-39)

1.Those about to walk away should understand what they’re throwing away—their confidence (4:16; 1 John 2:28) and reward (Hebrews 1:14; 3:6, 14; 9:15; 10:19; Matthew 6:20; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10). 

The eternal inheritance laid up for them was so real in their eyes that they could lightheartedly bid farewell to material possessions which were short-lived in any case. This attitude of mind is precisely that 'faith' of which our author goes on to speak." (F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 270)

2.The author speaks for himself as one of them who will continue to do God’s will with enduring faith as he waits for the soon coming of Jesus. He knows that God’s righteous ones (How could he be more clear that this is a warning to believers?) should not shrink away from living by faith. The alternative is to become God’s disappointing child. 

3.The author is counted among those who do not timidly shrink back from the cost of following Jesus and thus live wasted lives, but he is among those who have the faith that preserves physical life (soul is frequently to mean “physical life,” cf. James 5:20). I believe that the word translated perish (NET Bible), perdition (NKJV), destruction (NASV), is picturing the path that those who draw back decide to walk. The path toward destruction, I believe, in this context is loss of physical life. The Greek word speaks of waste. What a waste of a life when a New Covenant child of God refuses to live for the Lord Jesus.

II. There are five categories of people we will meet in life and the church:

A.In 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3, Paul describes three spiritual categories of human beings.

1.The natural man, or unbeliever (2:14). This person cannot receive the things the Spirit of God is teaching believers because only the Spirit can discern these messages. They do not have the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9), therefore the only message the Spirit is enabling them to believe is the gospel (1 John 2:2).

2.The one who is spiritual, or maturing Christian (2:15). This person is lead and taught by the Spirit and can scrutinize issues in life. He or she is accessing the mind of Christ as the Spirit teaches them the Scriptures in the context of community.

3.The people of the flesh, or carnal (flesh-dominated) Christian (3:1-4). This person continues to act as a mere babe in Christ, his or her mind dominated by self-centered thoughts that result in divisive behavior. 

4.The infant in Christ (3:1-4), who simply needs to grow out of the self-centered and divisive ways of the world.

5.In Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus warns us against an extremely dangerous person we may encounter, the tare. The tare is a person sown into the wheat field of God’s people to do harm and disrupt. We can’t tell the difference between these stealthy insurgents and true believers until the end of the age. Note: Their behavior will be virtually identical to that of a carnal, or flesh-dominated Christian. 

III. Hebrews 10 and You! How should I respond to those who claim Christ while rebelling?

A.Rebuke. Warn them against the loving but severe discipline of the Father.

B.Remind. Recall stories of the joy of service when they first believed.

C.Re-evaluate. If this doesn’t resonate, consider the possibility that they are unsaved or a tare.

D.Resolve. To love them well, but do not trust them with your life or your community.

Hebrews 10:26-31

No notes for this episode. 

Special Guest Pastor David Anderson takes us on a wild wide through this section of Hebrews.