The Overcomers
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The Overcomers
The Overcomers
Last week we talked about the faith of the Patriarchs, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob. They walked by faith, awaiting the promises of God. Those promises they did not see but they saw the foundation of. They and their faith were the foundation of the promises that we can now see. We can see what God has done through their faith. We can see the fulfillment of the promises that God made to them and yet we still await the promises that we have and we must stand firm in our faith awaiting them. There are millions if not billions who have stood in faith through the millenniums. In this chapter of Hebrews, we see just a fraction of the stories of faith that have stood the test of time. How is your faith? How are you holding up amidst the pressures of the day? How WILL you hold up between now and the end? Remember throughout the first chapters of Hebrews that we have been admonished several times that we must hold firm to the very end.
Let's look again at the definition of faith that we find in , Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. NKJV Then we must also follow up this with , But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. NKJV
If you don't get anything else out of this study of Hebrews, and I hope you do, at least get these two ideas; Faith is the substance of things hoped or waited for, and the evidence of things not seen and without that faith, it is impossible to please God because you wouldn't even believe in Him to begin with.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. NKJV If you don't get anything else out of this study of Hebrews, and I hope you do, at least get these two ideas; Faith is the substance of things hoped or waited for, and the evidence of things not seen and without that faith, it is impossible to please God because you wouldn't even believe in Him to begin with.
Let's continue in .
, By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command.
24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned. NKJV
Now we see Moses, the leader of God's chosen people out of bondage from Egypt. His life started as the faith that his parents had for him. He was born in a time when the Egyptian Pharaoh had decreed that all the Israelite male children were to be cast into the Nile and drowned. This would serve a two-fold purpose for the Pharaoh. The Nile was considered sacred and this would be a sacrifice of sorts to the Gods and also, it would stop the propagation of the Jewish people. So Moses was born and was evidently an extraordinarily beautiful enough child that his parents felt that he was destined for something great by God. They defied the king's command and hid Moses for three months. If you know the story, you will know that Moses was put into a basket into the river's edge where he was found by the daughter of Pharaoh and was raised as her own.
Moses had it made. He could have lived a prosperous life as the grandson of Pharaoh. But in the story we know that he was nursed by his own mother (Read ). During that time or at some point, Moses discovered his true identity and had compassion when he saw his people being mistreated. He chose to become his true self as opposed to the easy life of a ruler in Egypt. This verse is not meant to be missed by those who read it now. Verse 25, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. We too must look unto that; that we would reject the temporary pleasures of a sinful life for the calling of God upon our lives. Looking as Moses did to the eternal reward as opposed to the temporal pleasure.
Moses fled Egypt after killing the Egyptian that was beating a Hebrew and he was indeed then, in fear of the king, Pharaoh. But verse 27 stands on his return as the sent messenger of God to free the people of Israel and take them out of Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. By faith he did as God had commanded him to do. By faith he faced Pharaoh who likely was either his adoptive father or brother. He faced Pharaoh with no fear, trusting instead in the power of God and the promises that he received.
By faith Moses trusted in the Passover that God declared for all those who painted their doorposts with the blood of the lambs that had been slaughtered. By faith he trusted that the Lord would pass over the houses of those who believed. He trusted that God would deliver fully what Pharaoh could not back when Moses was a child. No firstborn would escape, both human and animal.
Moses continued on in his faith as the found themselves against the Red Sea as Pharaoh's army was bearing down on them. By faith he trusted the Lord and the Lord delivered as promised the escape and the destruction of the Egyptians.
, By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. NKJV
As the chosen people of God saw the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and entered the Promised Land, we see more evidence of faith in what is not seen. Joshua as he faced the mighty impenetrable walls of the city of Jericho, came face to face with the pre-incarnate Jesus, the physical manifestation of God. This is one of most favorite passages.
, And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”
14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”
15 Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.
6 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.” NKJV
With God, His promises mean that what He says has already been done! "See! I HAVE GIVEN (past tense), Jericho into your hand!" We don't need to wonder if God really will, because as far as He is concerned, He already has! God looks on from outside the limits of time so He sees the future as easy as the present. Joshua had no idea what was meant by what the Lord said to him. But he knew that he could trust in the Word that he was promised. The walls still stood and the city was still closed up, and the king was still in command and the mighty men of valor still stood to defend the city when the Lord declared that the city had been given into Joshua's hand. So, when he was commanded to walk around the city six days and seven times on the seventh day, who was he to argue. Once again we see that the faith carried through in spite of Joshua not knowing how God would deliver Jericho. All he knew and all he cared was that the Lord promised him the fallen city.
Rahab showed her great faith in hiding the two spies that Joshua had sent into the city. She told them that she knew that the Lord had given them the land. She knew they would be successful because she had heard the stories of what the Lord had already done for the Israelites. She probably had more faith than most of the Israelites!
In , concerning the genealogy of Jesus, we see that Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab. Now never does it say in Scripture that this was Rahab the Harlot of Jericho, but the times are right and we see in the genealogy that the only women who are mentioned are very special women; Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba (Tamar an incestuous affair, Rahab, a harlot, and Ruth a Moabite, and Bathsheba an adulterous affair and yet all used to bring about the birth of the Lord). And of course there was Mary, the virgin mother. God was all-inclusive in the birth of His Son, our Messiah.
, And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again. NKJV
Gideon, another man who shows the identity of us in heaven and with God is not the same as what we may think we. Barak, through faith in God followed the orders of a female, Deborah the Prophetess (judge) and saw great victory in battle. We all know the story of Samson and his strength. His faith was shown through his great many battles by himself slaying many. Then there is Jephthah. Most of you may not know that story but you can read it in . His faith, even though he was an outcast, led him to victory after victory over the enemies of Israel. Even in his mistaken haste to make a vow to the Lord, he kept his faith knowing that he would have to keep his vow no matter how horrible it was for him. You'll just have to read that one for yourself if you don't know. Great study on being careful what you say.
King David, Samuel and all the prophets stood in their faith time and time again along with many others, men and women alike.
, Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented — 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. NKJV
How many others would be rightfully added to the list here of those who stood firm in their faith? Their faith not swaying even in the midst of the things described here. Being tortured, scourged and imprisoned, stoned, and my favorite, sawn in two (believed to be Isaiah), tempted, and slain by the sword. No matter what they were threatened with, they stood firm in their faith of the promise of God. The promise that there is something better awaiting each and every one of us who believe and stand as they did.
For many, it cost them all they had in the world, their homes, their wealth, their comfort, their pride and their position. Prophets wandered about such Elijah and Elisha, Jeremiah and John the Baptist, eating locusts and wild honey and wearing only camel hair and a belt.
The author tells us of these great people of faith, that they gave up all the world had and the world was not worthy of them for it. Great is faith and great are those who practice it! It may cost you all you have but gain you more than you could ever dream or imagine!
We finish the great chapter of faith with , And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. NKJV
All of those with great faith gained a great testimony through that faith. That testimony being that they were commended and approved and their faith was counted unto them as righteousness. They did not receive the promise that had been given to Abraham in the beginning, that of a heavenly rest, a real Promised Land, homeland forever. They died without seeing the Messiah fulfill His mission to bring salvation unto the world.
God has created this perfect system. It is made up of several dispensations or orders of things through time. There were believers before the flood, after the flood, believers that came under the law and those since the law that are under the Gospel dispensation. This is where we are. All of these times and believers make up the one church, the Body of Christ. We and the Gospel time are the final step in the completion of the promises of Abraham. The only part left is moving from this wilderness unto the Promised Land of heaven, our home. The fulfillment of the promises for the ones spoken of here cannot be complete without us.
Faith, faith, faith...it's all about faith unto the end. We can overcome, just as they all did, everything that is thrown at us if we remain in our faith. Remain unto the end. Look around, being a Christian isn't getting easier, it's getting tougher. Nevermore than now do we need the encouragement to remain in the faith.