There are many things in life that are uncertain, but the writer of Hebrews wants their listeners to know with certainty how ‘the mountain of joy’ is unshaken.

I’m not sure what you made of this Hebrews passage. There is a lot in these verses and on first read this passage can appear confusing. 

What is the writer getting at and what does that mean for us? If we look at it closely and remember the history of the Hebrew people then it becomes easier to understand.

This passage can be looked at in two sections.

 In the first section  v18 – 24 the writer compares two mountains and although the first isn’t named,  because of what is said in those verses we can see that in this passage there is a comparison between Mount Sinai a historical place in the ot where Moses was given the Ten Commandments and the Mount Zion – which is often the name used to describe the location of Gods presence for eternity, heaven as we often call it.

Then in the second section v25-29 there are comparisons between the earthly and heavenly location of divine warning (12:25),  between the shaking of things on earth and the shaking of things in heaven (12:26), and between that which is shakeable and that which is unshakeable (12:27–28).

Comparisons are a tool used in the bible to try and get serious points across. When we were studying the book of proverbs we saw there the use of  comparisons between the fool and the wise person for example. And so we know that the writer has carefully crafted these comparisons to communicate something really important to their hearers.

After Jesus’ death, his rising from the dead and going back into heaven Many of Jesus’ followers had expected Jesus to return soon, definitely in their lifetimes. 

When he was with them He’d told them about his death and rising and that he would return On a  final day of judgement and they would enjoy eternal life in Gods heavenly kingdom forever. Yet more and more of Jesus’ friends, those who had walked the earth with him, were dying.

Jesus had not yet returned, and the writer of Hebrews wants to encourage them to keep going. Even in persecution and the day to day circumstances, he wants them to keep their eyes fixed on The prize of eternal life. As we saw earlier on in the letter, the Hebrews writer was telling his readers to persevere, to keep running the race – to keep trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus who brings eternal life. He wants them to reach the prize – eternity with God, made possible because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Today’s passage gives a sense that maybe the people this letter was written to are struggling with the intangibility of eternal life and are getting discouraged. And this passage is looking to address that. To renew their confidence in their faith and the future hope. 

What does intangible mean? If something is intangible it means it can’t yet be touched or experienced. It’s far off beyond our reach. Maybe seems beyond understanding. Whereas if something is tangible we’ve held it, experienced it right now. It meets the needs of the present moment and can be understood.

I saw a post on facebook yesterday that said it’s 127 days until Christmas – I don’t know if that excites you or fills you with dread. For me Christmas is way too far off to think about yet. The thing is with Christmas We know it’s coming but 127 days seems so far off – you could say it’s intangible. It doesn’t feel quite real. A lot is happening in the here and now. And we can’t think that far ahead. And yet sometimes looking ahead is essential otherwise we get to Christ,as day, no cards have been sent, food has been bought or presents given.

Just before the passage we read this morning the writer uses the example of Esau in the Old testament to introduce the section we’re looking at.- Esau and Jacob were Isaac’s sons. Esau as the oldest son had that birthright of being the oldest son, but his brother was sneaky. One day Jacob had made a stew, it was a good stew and Esau was hungry, he wanted some. He asked Jacob for some stew, but Jacob said I’ll give you some stew in exchange for your birthright. Not a fair exchange. But Esau wanted that stew. He traded something intangible—his birthright—something way off in the future that meant nothing to him in the here and now – for something tangible—a single meal. He couldn’t see past his present hunger to appreciate the true gift of his intangible birthright.

In using this story It seems that Eternal life for the hearers of the letter to the Hebrews might have seemed like it could be far off, or difficult to understand and comprehend, they were caught up maybe in the circumstances they were in. But the writer wants them to be confident in their faith in Jesus, to know the promise of eternal life, that it is true and is coming. And is worth looking ahead to and being prepared.

This will become clearer as we look more at the passage and remind ourselves of some of the history of the Hebrew people and then we can look at what that means for us today

In v18-25 we have a comparison between the mountain of fear and the mountain of joy. 

To describe the first mountain the writer uses words that conjure the senses – fire, darkness, storms, trumpet sounds – imagine a cacophony of noise and visual stimulation –

It takes the hearers back to the Old Testament when God met with Moses at Mount Sinai to give him the ten commandments and his presence engulfed the mountain with thunder and lightning, smoke and the sound like a trumpet 

This was too much for the people of Israel and they were filled with fear and begged not to hear God’s voice as they found his presence overwhelming (Ex 20:18)

They were also fearful of his anger. In the Old testament we read that God had chosen the Hebrew people to be his special people and that all that had to do to enjoy God’s presence was to be obedient and faithful to God. At yet we read that when Moses was receiving the ten commandments up mount sinai the Israelites got impatient waiting for Moses to return and so got Aaron his brother to make a golden calf for them to worship.

God got angry with their disobedience. He had chosen to reveal his presence to and instantly they turn their backs –  In Deuteronomy 9:19 – Moses tells the Israelites that when they did this He feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for God was angry enough with them to destroy them. Which is why the Hebrew writer quotes Moses in this section saying that Moses- “trembled with fear.” v 21

The first mountain is fear, its a mountain of disobedience or rejecting God’s presence and yet the writer is saying that his hearers need to remember they are not of this mountain of fear but they are of the second mountain.

They are to not fear God’s judgement because they are of the second mountain

What is the second mountain? This is the mountain they belong to – mount zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, And in that place they join innumerable angels worshipping God, As well as all of humanity who are enrolled in heaven, through belief and trust in Jesus’s sacrifice and offer of forgivness.

And Whilst acknowledging God is the judge of all, and that there will be a final day of judgement when Jesus comes again, the writer reminds his hearers that Jesus, is the mediator of that judgement. In bringing in the new covenant, his sacrifice was perfect, his blood shed perfected any previous sacrifices. When Cain killed his brother Abel in the Old Testament the act is to be condemned but Jesus blood does not bring condmenation but salvation. 

 And so, there is confidence for the hearers of this that on the day of judgment his hearers will join the angels and those already departed to worship God for eternity. Because of JEsus’ perfect sacrifice. There is joyful fellowship on the second mountain. And It is interesting that although the writing is about eternal life the tense used is the present – ‘you have come to mount zion’. Not that you will come, or that on that final day of judgement you will come but that you have come. It may seem like a far off thing but actually the writer is saying eternal life is not so intangible- it starts when you’ve trusted in Jesus sacrifice and. Forgiveness.

But why did the writer want to make this comparison between the mountain of fear and the mountain of joy?

We might get the answer from the second section of our reading. Which has a few more confusing comparisons. But After the comparison between the mountain of fear and the mountain of joy, he writes……. See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.

Remember we’ve said that at Mount Sinai the fear had stopped the Hebrews from listening to God’s voice – they didn’t want to hear it and so in this section the writer is warning his current hearers to guard against this attitude and to not stop listening to God. 

He doesnt want them To fall into the trap of the Hebrews at Mount Sinaii and let fear and distractions pull them away from following Jesus’ way, from listening to his voice, his guidance, his way. He wants them to keep their eye on the prize.

These verses 25-27 – that talk about warnings from earth and warnings from heaven – show that there is accountability for the way the hearers are living their earthly life, in how they run the race of faith –  

Those earlier believers have to continue in their faith and can do so with confidence in JEsus’ perfect sacrifice and so need to listen to him.

And because of that they can be confident that when heaven and earth shake – an image of judgement, using imagery from the prophet Haggai indicating God’s final judgement (2:6) their relationship with God through Jesus will remain – they will remain in his presence.

One commentator said that this section in Hebrews shows that Jesus kingdom gives stability that his sacrifice is firm foundation to build faith and it cannot be shaken. Jesus is Unshakable, unchangeable 

And so because of that the Hebrews writer says the only response is worship. He says these words,

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.

Meaning – God is awesome in the true sense of the word – he is powerful and mighty and worthy of our praise, of our lives.

So we have seen that in this passage the writer is trying to help his readers grasp the truth that following Jesus assures them of eternal life, a kingdom that can never be shaken and results in joy and worship. And so they are to continue to obey Jesus having accepted him as the author and perfector of their faith. The writer doesn’t want them to think of eternal life as a intangible far off thing or to give in to any current circumstance that might keep them from Jesus promises but keep the eye on the prize – eternal life, living confidently in Jesus kingdom in the here and now and forever .

And The message is the same for us today. Just like Christmas is coming We can be confident that in the final judgement we can stand firm through Jesus’ sacrifice. But we are accountable. 

We can know that Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith – and that through his death and resurrection he has paid the debt for our sins, once and for all, offering forgiveness and eternal life. 

That he has paid the price for the judgement deserved. we can be confident of Gods eternal kingdom -and that we are not not stop listening to his voice, not rejecting Jesus ways.

What does that mean for us?

That might mean asking Jesus into your life for the first time. If that’s you, do let someone know. 

It might mean acknowledging areas of our lives where we are not listening to Gods voice

It might mean shifting our perspectives from seeing life the way the world sees it and seeing it through Jesus’ eyes

Gods kingdom is unshakeable – we can be confident of who Jesus is and so let’s live lives of confidence and worship in gratitude for all God has done through Jesus. Amen

The Christian life is often compared to running a race. But how are we to run that race in order to claim the prize that God offers to all who finish?

Most famous runners?

If I was to ask you who were the most famous runners you could think of, I bet most of you would come up with Usain Bolt and Mo Farah. They have both been incredibly successful. Mo Farah has won more global championship golds in long distance track running than anyone else and Usain Bolt is an eight tie Olympic gold medalist and holds the World Record for 100m, the 200m and the 4x100m relay!

They are also both big personalities and famous for the signs they make when they win races: Mo Farah has the Mobot, and Usain Bolt, the lightning bolt.

They are both inspirational characters. So how are they so successful? A couple of quotes might give us some clues:

Usain Bolt: “Do not think about the start of the race, think about its ending.”

Mo Farah: “Look at my success. I didn’t achieve it overnight. It has been the product of many years’ struggle…”

To be a top runner, you needed to be someone dedicated to be focussed on ending the race on winning the prize, but you also need to be prepared to face struggles. The same can be said about being a Christian.

Let us run the race…

Indeed, in our reading today, the writer to Hebrews uses the image of running and racing to make this point. He says:

“Let us run the race…”

This image shows us that to be a Christian is not a passive thing, it is active and dynamic. It’s not about buying the t-shirt and watching from the stands, but being in the race and running on the track. We’re not to be couch potatoes, but busy bees. Our faith shouldn’t just be a vague afterthought, but the driving force of every aspect of our lives.

The writer makes this point after chapter 11, where he has reminded us of some of the heroes of the Christian faith. People who has worked through great struggles in life, in order to pursue the greater prize that God had promised them. They are the kind of Christians that we are called to be.

The Christian Race:

So, how are we to run the Christian race?

Focus on the Promised Prize

Firstly, we are to focus on the prize.

The writer says,

“let us run the race set before us…“

We are not to just focus on the next step, but to consider the whole race and particularly the end of the race!

The writer began chapter 11, where he reminds us of the great heroes of faith by saying:

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (11:1)

Faith is about hope, it is about confidence that God will give us what he has promised.

When Usain Bolt or Mo Farah run a race, they hope to win. The difference for us as Christians, is that we run the race, we know we will win the prize. Unlike a sporting event, the Christian life is not a competition, where only one or two win, because as the writer has already made abundantly clear, Jesus has already won the prize for us and God has promised us that there is an amazing future waiting for us.

The examples of faith in chapter 11, includes mention of those who were heading for the Promised Land. The Israelites who had been slaves in Egypt were promised by God, their own amazing land to live in. So, they set off on a journey. It was not an aimless wandering, but one with a goal in mind, the land that God had promised. Their faith drove them on towards the prize, with amazing miracles as they crossed the Red Sea on dry land and defeated the stronghold of Jericho, with just a shout!

In the same way, as Christians we are to live our lives, with an aim to reach the promises that God has ready for us. To receive the gift of eternal life and a place in his eternal home knowing him fully and ruling with him for ever.

• Baptism is in a sense the starting line of this Christian race. In baptism we are given those amazing promises of the prize that Christ has won for us.

But we can’t just be baptised and think that is all there is to being a Christian. It needs to be accompanied by faith and faith drives us on to the prize.

Too many people are baptised as Christians, but that is as far as their Christianity goes. They are like racers who go to the starting line and sit down. There is no concern to complete the race no desire to gain the prize. If that is you, then you need to get up and run the race set before you!

Keep Going through the Pain

But we don’t just need to start the race, we need to keep going. And sometimes that can be hard and tough.

I spoke at the beginning about two runners, Mo Farah and Usain Bolt. Usain is of course a sprinter, he runs short very fast races very quickly. The 100m is all over in just 10s! Not much time to even think.

Mo Farah on the other hand is a long distance runner. That’s a very different kind of race, which needs an attitude and a mindset that will persevere and endure through the pains that come along.

The Christian life is not a sprint, it is more of a marathon, more Mo Farah than Usain Bolt.

The writer to Hebrews says,

‘let us run with endurance…’

He is writing to Christians who have started the race well, but as the race goes on the pain seems to be setting in and the temptation is to give up to stop racing and forget the prize. But he wants to encourage them to keep going, to continue the race so that they do reach the prize.

At the end of chapter 10 he says:

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” ( 10:36)

In his list of great heroes of faith in chapter 11, he reminds us of the kind of things that the heroes of faith had to endure. It is a reminder to the Christians he was writing to, that their pain and suffering is nothing new or unique to them:

“Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawn in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and ill-treated– the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” (11:36-38)

Just as in long distance running, if you want to win the prize you need to go through the pain. There will be suffering on the way to the goal. We need to run with endurance, we need to keep going through the pain.

• There are sadly many who start off as Christians and run the race well, but when the going gets tough, they give up, they forget the prize and withdraw from the race.

Perhaps you know that is you. Maybe you have been a keen Christian in the past, but you gave up because it felt too much of a sacrifice or there was too much pressure or ridicule from non-Christian friends or family or perhaps you just grew weary  or bored of it.

Or perhaps you are in a place where you are about to give up for one or all of those reasons.

Don’t give up. Yes, it can be painful to be a Christian at times, but this race is worth completing, the promised prize is worth more than anything else and so many others have faced the same pressures and difficulties as you – and probably far worse, but have kept going through the pain to win the prize.

Throw off Sin

So, to run the Christian faith, we need to focus on the prize and keep going through the pain, but there is one other thing that the writer tells us we need to do:

‘throwing off … the sin that so easily entangles’

When you watch Mo Farah run, he wears a t-shirt, shorts and trainers and that is it! Runners do not wear much! In ancient times, when Hebrews was written they actually ran completely naked!

And of course they do not wear much. You are not going to win or even complete a long distance race, wearing wellington boots, jeans, and a big coat! If you want to run to win the prize, you need to strip down and wear the bare minimum!

When it comes to running the Christian life, it is not too many clothes that are the problem, but sin. That is the attitude, speech and behaviours that go against God’s will for our lives, that act more out of our selfish and warped desires than out of love for others or God.

If we want to run the Christian life, so as to win the prize we need to throw off our sin or else it will trip us up and we will come crashing down.

In the list of heroes of faith, we are told about Moses. You may know the story, that although he was an Israelite in Egypt, he was brought up in Pharaoh’s palace. He could quite easily have continued with that life, ignoring God and ignoring the plight of his fellow Israelites, whilst enjoying the sinful pleasures that being a part of Pharaoh’s court would have given him.

Yet, because of his faith, his desire to grasp the prize that God had promised for him and his people, it says,

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” (11:24-26)

He knew that to run the race of faith, he had to throw off the sin that so easily entangles. We need to do the same thing, if we are to run the Christian race.

• Many may start the Christian race, but they find themselves caught up in sin that pull them away from faith. Drink and drug addictions, sexual flings, anger issues, jealousy, laziness or just become too proud of their own achievements to humbly accept their need for God.

It may be that that has happened to you in the past. It’s not too late, Jesus’s death on the cross, means that those past sins can be forgiven. You may have been tripped up by them in the past, but seek his forgiveness, throw them off, pick yourself up and start running again that you might gain the promised prize!

Our Greatest Example:

So, to be a Christian, to live by faith, means to look to the prize, endure the pain and throw off our sin. There are many examples in the Bible to show us how to do this, but there is of course one great example: Jesus.

The writer says, if you want to run the race, to gain the promised prize, fix your eyes on him!

Greatest Saint

Not only was he completely sinless, but in throwing off sin, he scorned the shame of the cross. The cross was designed to be the most humiliating form of punishment, an attempt to ridicule, belittle and humiliate the enemies of Rome. Yet Jesus scorned its shame, so that he could be obedient to the Father and so not sin. Jesus was the greatest saint.

Throwing off sin may seem like a sacrifice, but it is nothing compared to the sacrifice Jesus was prepared to make to deal with your sin.

Greatest Pain

Yet, in dying on the cross to bear our sins, he also endured the greatest pain.

You may struggle to run the Christian life and face great pains, but they will be nothing compared to the suffering and pain, Jesus endured for you on the cross.

Greatest Prize

Yet, Jesus endured the greatest pain to win the greatest prize. He did it all for the ‘joy set before him.’ He did it to win our salvation and to welcome us into his home as his brothers and sisters.

Are you up for the race?

Jesus is indeed, the author and perfector of our faith! Will you fix your eyes on him, get up and run the Christian race that God has set before you?

Heroes of Faith (Hebrews 11:1-16)

What super power do we need to persevere as Christians, even when there is pressure to give up? Faith! This was the super power of the heroes of the Old Testament according to the writer of Hebrews.

Heroes:

Super Heroes

Super heroes are really popular with people today. The Marvel film franchise has been incredibly successful in recent years with super heroes as diverse as Spiderman, who can climb up walls to ant man who can reduce his size to an ant. From Captain America, with his amazing discus shield to Thor with his all-powerful hammer and from Captain Marvel, an American astronaut who gains the ability to fly and superhuman strength to the Black Widow a former Russian spy with enhanced powers due to a super-soldier serum.

The list of fantasy superheroes is endless, we cannot get enough of them, perhaps because they are relatable as normal human beings like you and me, yet are somehow take us out of the hum drum realities of day to day life.

Historic Heroes

Yet, there are also real heroes. Historical or present figures that inspire us with their extraordinary achievements or qualities. We can look back to great leaders like Churchill or military leaders like Nelson. We can admire the grit and determination of sporting heroes like the Lionnesses, the England women’s football team that won the Euros last Sunday.

These kind of heroes can inspire us and set us examples to follow. Indeed,  the Lionnesses will no doubt inspire many young girls to take up football in the coming years.

Heroes of Faith

In our reading from Hebrews today, the writer begins a list of great Biblical heroes. They too are there to inspire us, to encourage us to follow their example, but in a sense they also have a superpower that points us beyond our everyday lives to something far greater. They are heroes because of their faith and the writer wants us to like them have a faith that endures.

The Importance of Faith

As you read through the whole of Hebrews, you pick up that one of the writers main concerns is to encourage the readers to hold on to faith.

Early on he says:

“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12)

Through the heart of Hebrews he is seeking to show, probably Christians who had converted from Judaism, that following Jesus was indeed the better way, because Jesus offers a better salvation that the old ways of Judaism were only meant to point forward to.

And what are they to do because of this, Bruce showed us last week from Hebrews 10:

• Draw near to God
• Hold on to God
• Spur one another on

The call to ‘hold on’ perhaps picks up the writers main concern. As we go on in chapter 10, he provides warnings about the dangers of giving up and encouragements to keep on making the sacrifices that being a Christian entails.

Yet, it was hard to hold on for the Jewish Christians then and it is hard to hold on as a Christian today:

In today’s world to be a Christian may mean that others think us weird, odd or just simply wrong. We can lose the approval of others and face criticism for our beliefs. When this happens we can feel the pressure to give up.

In today’s world we are bombarded with lots of conflicting and contradictory messages and we no longer know who we can trust. In such a setting it is easy to stop trusting in God’s word and give up on faith.

In today’s world to be a Christians can feel like you are in a minority, different and distinctive from those around you, almost like a refugee in your own home. You can feel the pressure to give up on God and make the world your home.

So, how can we hold on? The answer is that we need the super power of faith.

Faith, the Super Power (11:1-2)

The writer ends chapter 10 by saying:

‘We do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” (Hebrews 10:39)

It is faith that stops us shrinking back and helps us hold on to be saved.

One of Superman’s powers is that he can see through walls, he has a kind of x-ray vision.

In a similar way, faith’s super power is to help us to see beyond our immediate situation.

Hebrews 11:1 says:

” Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

and certain of what we do not see.”

Faith takes us beyond the present to the promises God has made for us in the future, it takes us beyond our immediate struggles and fears to the God who is control. Faith enables us to see beyond and in doing so to be able to behave and act differently. In particular it enables us to see beyond the pressures of today’s world to the God who is there for us and has a brighter future prepared for us.

This is what the heroes of the Old Testament were commended for. They are to be our example to follow and live by. So, let’s dive in and see what he says about them.

*Faith sees beyond the world’s approval to the approval of God

The heroes of faith were commended by God, because of their faith! Their focus was not on the approval of the people around them, but on wanting to live to please God.

The three characters first mentioned are from the early chapters of Genesis. Abel was Adam’s son along with his brother Cain. Enoch is a more obscure character and Noah is probably the best known of the three!

Abel (11:4)

So, Abel by faith offered a better sacrifice than Cain. He wanted to give the best to God and was not afraid of upsetting his brother. Yet, Cain out of jealousy killed Abel. Abel became the first martyr, but his word and his example endures because of his faith.

Enoch (11:5-6)

Enoch was so keen to please God, that he did not even die. God just took him away from the world to be with him! Why did Enoch please God? Because he had faith both that God was real, but also that God rewards those who truly seek him. Fundamentally, because of these basic beliefs in the character of God, Enoch lived to please him. The rest of the Bible and the coming of Jesus underline these truths about God far more powerfully, how can we not have the same faith as Enoch and want to live to please God?

Noah (11:7)

Whereas Enoch believed God existed and rewarded those who sought him, Noah believed the flip side of this, that God will act in judgement on those who continue in rejecting him. So, he obeyed God’s warning about the judgement and so saved himself and his family by building an ark and being rescued from the flood. In so doing he had to reject the attitudes and outlook of the people around him and follow the path God had put out for him and so in a way condemned the world. No doubt the world of his day would not have approved of this condemnation, but Noah lived by faith and looked beyond their approval to God’s.

• Application: From whom do you gain approval?

So, one test of the reality of our faith is to ask the question:

• ‘From whom do you gain approval?’

There are different groups we can look to for approval:

Friends or followers on social media

Colleagues at work

Old friends

Parents or grandparents

Our children

Husband, wife or girlfriend or boyfriend

God

Most of the time these groups will approve of most of the things we do. The crunch comes, when we have to choose between a behaviour or action that one group approves of and another does not. Whose approval do we most value then?

If we truly believe God exists, that he is the ruler and judge of the universe who rewards those who seek him, then surely we will chose to value God’s approval above all others.

We will want to act as God wants even if it risks the disapproval of others who matter to us. That can be hard, but that is what faith enables us to do.

Faith sees beyond today’s world to the word of God

So, faith sees beyond the world’s approval to God’s approval, but it also sees beyond today’s world to the word of God.

Creation (11:3)

The idea of the word of God is actually introduced first, in verse 3, when the writer starts with Creation. The faith he talks about here is the kind of faith shared by Jews and Christians, but which marked them out as different from Greek thought.

Greeks believed that the basic matter of the universe has always existed, but that god had shaped the matter to create the world we now live in. The Jewish faith, however, had a distinct view, that God is the one that has always existed and created the universe from nothing.

How did they believe that? By faith! They believed the word of God about this in the Holy Scriptures. For Jewish Christians, the idea of faith that God can bring something out of nothing by his word is a fundamental concept they have grown up with. They know that God can bring about what at present is unimaginable by his word.

Noah understood this when he heard the word of warning about the flood. Although there was no sign of a flood, he built the ark, trusting in God’s word despite the reality of his own world and God’s word proved true.

Abraham (11:8, 11-12)

Similarly, Abraham acted out of trust in God’s word, even though the present reality showed no indication that what God was saying could be true.

So, God told Abraham to leave his home to receive an inheritance, even though the reality of leaving everything you know must have felt very risky and Abraham did not even know what the inheritance was that God was promising, he trusted in God’s word.

Similarly, to Abraham and his wife Sarah it seemed impossible that they could ever have a child, because she had never been able to have children and they were both old and passed it. Yet, God’s word proved true and they had Isaac in fulfilment of God’s promise.

Why did Abraham have such faith? Because he trusted that God is faithful. In encountering living God, Abraham trusted that what God said would always prove true, even if the reality of his present world seemed to suggest otherwise.

• Application: Whose word do you trust?

So, whose word do you trust? Whose word will you allow to guide you in life?

Again there are different sources we look to for guidance in life:

• Friends and family
• Teachers or bosses
• Google searches
• Newspapers
• TV
• Books
• The Bible

Much of the time their advice won’t contradict or conflict with each other. Yet sometimes they will. When that happens, which will you listen to? Which will you believe?

If you have encountered the living God revealed by Jesus and have faith in him, and believe that he is faithful, then surely you have to trust, his word, the Bible as the most trustworthy guide, even if it conflicts with what everyone else is saying.

This is what it means to live by faith.

Faith sees beyond the problematic present to the better future of God

Faith then, trusts the word of God, but for Abraham that word was mainly promise, and for us a lot of the good news of God is about promise, promise of eternal life. It points beyond our problematic word to the better future of God, it offers us hope we can be confident in.

Abraham (11:9-10)

Abraham followed God and moved to the promised land. Yet, at that time it was not his land. He was literally a foreigner or a migrant there. So much so that he lived in tents rather than having a settled house.

Yet, Abraham’s faith saw beyond the problems of his present existence to the better future that God was promising. He saw beyond his own death to the ultimate hope that God was holding out. He saw beyond his existence in tents to the city that God himself would build and provide.

Welcoming from a distance (11:13-16)

Indeed, this looking for a better future was what all of these heroes of faith were commended for. Faith is not about having the best life now, but in welcoming with joy the hope of a much better life to come.

When it becomes difficult to be a Christian it does not give up and go back to the old ways, which may have been a bit better, but pushes on and holds on for the better future that God promises. Faith sees the heavenly country that God promises as our true home!

• Application: Where is your home?

Again this raises a question. Where do you call home? Home is the place where we can feel most comfortable and relaxed.

Yet, as Christians we should not be surprised if living for God, can be uncomfortable. At times we will brush up against people that disagree with us, face the disappointment of those we love not holding on to the faith or coming to faith, feel the pressure to behave in ways that dishonour God and find that the truth of God’s word has been drowned out by the multitude of other seemingly more entertaining voices.

As a Christian this world may well not feel like home, but that is because our true home, our much better home is yet to come. Faith sees that better future and welcomes it, because it knows that no matter how good or bad the present is, God’s planned future for us is far better!

Faith sees beyond…

So, have you got the super power that the heroes of the Old Testament had. Have you the faith that sees beyond this present world to seek the approval of God, to trust the word of God and long for our home with God?

Will you hold on to faith?

Are you a hero or a zero?

Jesus has brought about a massive change. The Old Testament has been fulfilled in his once and for all sacrifice. But how are we to respond? Bruce Stokes gives some insights from Hebrews in this sermon…

Life has changed a lot since I started work 50 years ago.  I moved up to London when I was 18, and started work for the Midland International Division on a salary of £666-a-year!  Banking was very different then.  Managers went to work wearing bowler hats.  You paid for things by cash or cheque.  There were no ATMs in the wall.  If you wanted to track your spending, you had to wait for your monthly statement.  These days there’s telephone banking and, of course, you can do almost anything from your smart phone app  –  check your statement, pay a bill, set up a standing order, transfer money between accounts.  The only thing you can’t get is a face-to-face appointment with a human being!  We’ll soon be a cashless society, with everyone tapping their cards or phones in the supermarket.  There are still a few businesses that insist on cash, but they’ll probably go out of business.

Every so often societies go through major upheavals.  When the railways came along in the mid-19^th Century, canals suddenly seemed a ridiculously slow way to move freight.  When smart phones were marketed in the early years of this century, the revolution seemed even bigger than computers.  So imagine what it must feel like to straddle such seismic shifts.  You start life living with one reality and then everything changes.

Now cast your mind back to the 1^st Century.  In those days Jews were brought up with the old covenant, the one associated with Moses, but the life, death and resurrection of Jesus offered a new and better way.  Imagine yourself straddling such a seismic religious shift.  And it was huge.  The great apostle Paul, himself a Jew, said that the ceremonial aspects of Judaism had been fulfilled by Jesus and were no longer necessary.  The temple, the priests, the sacrifices  –  Jesus was effectively all of these things and was now the one who brings us to God.  Forgiveness and reconciliation were to be found in him alone.

Some Jews hated Christianity and wanted Paul dead.  Other Jews converted to Christianity, but many wanted to hang on to some of the old ways (e.g. circumcision, dietary laws, Sabbath observance) and even impose them on non-Jewish converts.   These were the ones Paul described as Judaizers (see Galatians 2).

So what you have in the Letter to the Hebrews is a superb piece of scholarly craftsmanship.  It’s the kind of thing Paul could have written, and in the early centuries of the Church, it was assumed that he had written it, although modern experts say that it’s too well written to be Paul’s!  Regardless of the author’s identity, s/he lays out a detailed argument for Jesus replacing Judaism.

Anyway, linger with the thrust of the letter for a moment.  All those ceremonial systems  –  the temple, access to God’s presence, priests, sacrifices  –  all of them gone.  Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, the great High Priest, the temple in which God’s presence can be encountered.  He is the way, the truth and the life.

So, says the writer, in light of all that, there are three things to attend to:

DRAW NEAR  (verse 22)

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

He highlights two things  –  sincerity and confidence.

Sincerity, not ceremony

The writer has already said in the earlier verses of Hebrews 10 that God doesn’t look for burnt offerings or sacrifices  –  He looks for a genuine, sincere heart.  He doesn’t care how you’re dressed or whether you can speak the queen’s English.  Jesus told a story about two men who went up to the Temple to pray, a Pharisee and a tax collector, and the Pharisee looked down on the tax collector and said “Thank you that I’m not like him!”  The truth is that the tax collector rightly came before God humbly and full of regret, and not with the Pharisee’s self-congratulation!

Assurance, not fear

When I was at school, it was a terrifying prospect to be summoned to the headmaster’s office.  To be called in was a sign that you had been found out.  It was a terrifying prospect.  But God is a father, not an old-style headmaster.  He loves us, wants the best for us, and sent his son to save us.  Even though we may turn our backs on Him, He never turns His back on us.

HOLD ON  (verse 23)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

In his brilliant book “The Cross of Christ”, the great preacher and thinker John Stott talks about the two beasts of Revelation 13 and the great harlot of Revelation 17.  They represent, he says, three ways in which Satan will try to get you to let go of Jesus  –  persecution, deception and seduction.  There is some evidence later in Hebrews 10 that persecution was a real issue for Jewish Christians.  But if it’s not persecution for you, then Satan has those two other cards up his sleeve.  Jesus Himself, when he told the parable of the sower, described not two but four soils.  The two in the middle refer to people who start out well but don’t last.  And Paul himself spoke of those who had worked with him in the gospel, but who had later abandoned him (2 Timothy 1:15).  Hold on, he says, because in Jesus you have someone worth sticking with, and someone who will be faithful to you.

SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON  (verses 24-25)

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another  –  and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Back in the days when we all had coal fires, preachers used to say that if you take a piece of coal out of a fire, it will cool rapidly, but if you leave it in, it will burn right through and do its job.  It was a comment about the importance of Christian fellowship.  People say that you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian, but it certainly helps.  In my experience the fellowship of God’s people has been an essential aid to growth.  So, says the writer, encourage one another, and the best way to do that is with words.  Words can be very powerful.  The parent or teacher who said “You’ll never be any good” has a lot to answer for.  So when someone does something well, or even half-well, tell them.

Draw near, hold on, spur each other on.  May God help us all as we endeavour to fulfil His destiny for us!