Hebrews 11 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. It reads like an all-star team of redemptive history. It is filled with sinners who, by faith, followed hard after God despite many reasons not to. Abraham left his family and his security not knowing where he was going and then once he arrived, he was willing to sacrifice his one and only son because he believed God could raise him again. Moses gave up all of the riches of Egypt because he considered the reproach of Christ to be of greater value. Rahab gave welcome to the enemies of her hometown because she was struck by the reality of the living God. All of this was risky.
We are all familiar with these great stories of faith, but sometimes we forget the nameless throng of people thrown in at the end of the chapter. The writer of Hebrews, in an effort to encourage his readers, mentions the multitudes of saints who “suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword.” He goes on to write, “…of whom the world was not worthy.” I love that phrase. They were so captivated by the Lord that they lived their lives in such a way that the world was not even worthy of their presence. What makes this stand out in the passage is that they were ones who had given up homes, clothing, and riches for the sake of their confession. It was the homeless and destitute that were too valuable for this world!
This chapter is both encouraging and convicting for me. I am encouraged as I see the example of others who finished their race, and this is precisely the goal of the writer since he immediately tells us in chapter 12 that “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and run with endurance the race set before us, looking to Jesus…” His point -follow their example as we look to Jesus in the same way that they did.
But, I read it with conviction too. Let me ask you a hard question: how is your life harder because you choose to follow Christ? In other words, how would your biographer finish his statement: “By faith (your name)…”? What has following Christ cost you? Where has following Christ led you? Notice that in every example these believers did something. Their proclamation compelled action. They sacrificed positions of honor. They left homes and security. They made tough decisions that cost them their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Is that something that we are doing? Is that even something that we are willing to do? Is your life easier or more difficult because you choose to follow Christ in enemy territory?
In a culture that prizes security and comfort, it is my prayer that we are as enamored with the beauty of Christ as those saints were. I am guessing that most of us will not die for our faith, but the problem is that many of us are not living for it either. Fighting the good fight is a lot harder than watching television. Fleeing sexual immorality is more difficult than consuming every indiscreet image that comes across our computer screen. Praying at all times takes far more discipline that scanning Facebook for the latest gossip. My point is that the life of faith should be hard, uncomfortable, and sacrificial. So let me ask you again, how would you finish the phrase, “By faith (your name)…”?
Pastor Nate
