FAITH OF AN OVERCOMER<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hebrew 11:30-40<\/p>\n\n\n\n
INTRODUCTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Good morning everyone! It’s great to be with you this today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n TRANSITION:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have your Bible, please pull it out with me. Today we\u2019re going to wrap up our study of Hebrews 11.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The bulk of this series has been spent examining some of the great heroes of our faith (as listen in this chapter). During this series, we’ve taken time to define the kind of life God has called us all to live. And to be clear — it’s an extraordinary life, not an ordinary one. Nothing average here. Rather, the life we’ve been called to is a victorious one. An OVERCOMING<\/strong> life!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As we’ve studied this chapter, we’ve examined some pretty amazing stories. Series of people who lived wildly impressive lives. But it\u2019s possible that studying their stories <\/strong>may have left you feeling a bit small and insignificant in comparison. After all, their stories were amazing. The things they accomplished are nearly inconceivable. Their lives sound more like characters out a Stan Lee comic <\/strong>or Marvel movie <\/strong>than they do the real life events in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And in comparison to their lives, our lives can seem small and inconsequential. But here\u2019s the thing, their stories weren\u2019t intended to overwhelm you, but rather to inspire you. Because, THEIR<\/strong> stories AREN\u2019T REALLY ABOUT THEM!<\/strong> Their stories are really about the greatness of God, and the amazing things HE did through them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So this morning, I want to encourage you \u2014 and help you discover how to LIVE AS OVERCOMERS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n MESSAGE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we look at Hebrew 11<\/strong>, I want to look at something the apostle Paul<\/strong> said in Romans 8<\/strong>. In verse 35<\/strong>, he defines the relationship we have with Christ<\/strong>. And here Paul<\/strong> says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 35 <\/em><\/strong>Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? <\/em>36 <\/em><\/strong>As it is written: \u201cFor your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.\u201d <\/em>37 <\/em><\/strong>No, in all these things <\/em>we are more than conquerors <\/em><\/strong>through him who loved us. <\/em>38 <\/em><\/strong>For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, <\/em>39 <\/em><\/strong>neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Romans 8:35-39 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you catch how Paul<\/strong> described the lives of those who serve Jesus<\/strong>? He said,\u201cwe are more than conquerors\u201d<\/em> \u2014 that phrase in Greek<\/strong> literally translates as \u201cOVERCOMERS<\/strong>\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul says, \u201cwe are overcomers\u201d <\/strong>in this world.Well, if we are to live as OVERCOMES \u2014 then how do we it? Well, look with me at Hebrews 11<\/strong> and let\u2019s see how the writer describes the path to living that kind of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow along with me as I read. Beginning in verse 30<\/strong>, we\u2019re told:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 30\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>By faith the walls of <\/em>Jericho<\/em><\/strong> fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. <\/em>31\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>By faith the prostitute <\/em>Rahab<\/em><\/strong>, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.<\/em> 32\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about <\/em>Gideon<\/em><\/strong>, <\/em>Barak<\/em><\/strong>, <\/em>Samson<\/em><\/strong> and <\/em>Jephthah<\/em><\/strong>, about <\/em>David<\/em><\/strong> and <\/em>Samuel<\/em><\/strong> and the <\/em>prophets<\/em><\/strong>, <\/em>33\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, <\/em>34\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. <\/em>35\u00a0Women<\/em><\/strong> received back their dead, raised to life again. There were <\/em>others who were tortured,<\/em><\/strong> refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. <\/em>36\u00a0Some faced jeers and flogging<\/em><\/strong>, and even chains and imprisonment. <\/em>37\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated\u2014 <\/em>38\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.<\/em> 39\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, <\/em>40\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>since <\/em>God had planned something better for us <\/em><\/strong>so that only together with us would they be made perfect.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hebrews 11:30-40 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wow, what a passage. The writer defines the victorious, or OVERCOMING<\/strong> LIFE, as one defined by faith. <\/strong>A life that firmly believes what God<\/strong> has said, and expects God<\/strong> to keep His<\/strong> Word<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we want to be victorious and live as an OVERCOMER, then we have to <\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. WE MUST LIVE <\/strong>IN<\/strong> FAITH!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I mean by that \u2014 is that more than a trust in yourself, or a trust in your wealth, or a trust in your political party, your life must be defined by your FAITH IN GOD<\/strong>. And that faith must be ACTIVE.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often we equate faith with a mental assent to the facts. Faith, however, is synonymous with action: apart from action, there is no faith.\u00a0Faith is a conviction expressed in a choice. It starts with belief, but if this \u201cbelief\u201d does not lead to obedience, it is not yet faith.\u00a0Your \u201cbelief\u201d does not become true faith until you act upon it in obedience.\u00a0<\/strong>Faith is belief in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In verse 30, we read:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 30 <\/em><\/strong>By faith the walls of <\/em>Jericho<\/em><\/strong> fell, after <\/em>the army had marched around them for seven days<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This story is told in Joshua chapter 6. And it\u2019s an amazing one. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s really crazy though. Because, the way the army of Israel faced and defeated the fortified pagan city of Jerhico, was to march around like a marching band, to blow their horns, and shout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It was like a half-time show at a high school football game. And as crazy as it sounds to you and me \u2014 it must have also seemed ridiculous to the nation of Israel. And yet, God had spoken. He had directed. And their faith wasn\u2019t in their horns or shouts \u2014 their faith was in God to keep His Word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because, FAITH is only as strong as the one in whom it\u2019s placed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 That\u2019s why faith in a person will disappoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 And faith in the economy will always leave you with anxiety and stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 And faith in politics or government will leave you wanting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, faith in God is the greatest faith you will ever know. Because God will never let you down. He will never disappoint. He will never break His Word and forget His promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what He says \u2014 He will do. And when He commanded the Israelites<\/strong> to march around the city<\/strong> of Jericho,<\/strong> and He promised to make them victorious in battle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I think it\u2019s worth noting that God had really good things planned for His people long ago. He had taken them out of bondage and had prepared a good place for them. Canaan was literally the land of promise. It was filled with good things. Fresh Water. The bounty of fruit and fertile grounds. Cattle and pastures and so much more.\u00a0 But before the people could take hold of it, they first had to overcome the WALLS that stood before them. So, when God spoke \u2014 and they believed\u2026the next step was to OBEY!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what it looks like to LIVE IN FAITH! It\u2019s believing, and obeying!<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the people if Israel, THEY<\/strong> BELIEVED<\/strong>! They trusted God. And they obeyed. The lived out their faith in that moment by doing just as God had said. And God made them OVERCOMERS<\/strong>! And just as God wanted the walls in their lives to fall \u2014 He wants the same for you. He wants\u00a0 your wall to come down too. But, it will require faith\u2014just like it did for the Israelites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many times the obstacles we face stand before us like Jericho\u2014fortified walls that seem impossible to conquer. However, when we LIVE IN FAITH \u2014 when we trust and obey God, He will give us victory as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The question for you today is: Are you acting on your faith in God and His Word?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I challenge you today to LIVE IN FAITH! <\/strong>Trust in God, believe His Word, and walk in obedience. Because the more confident we are of the promises in God’s Word, the more we’re inspired to obey Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 We must live in faith!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second thing this passage teaches us about living as overcomes is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. WE MUST BE DEFINED <\/strong>BY<\/strong> Faith.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This passage tells us about another hero who lived by faith \u2014 and her name was Rahab<\/strong>. In verse 31<\/strong> we read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 31 <\/em><\/strong>By faith the prostitute <\/em>Rahab<\/em><\/strong>, because <\/em>she welcomed the spies<\/em>, was not killed with those who were disobedient.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hebrews 11:31<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s kind of fascinating that Rahab is held here as a woman of faith. She was a Gentile. She is the second of only two women in the chapter, the first was Sarah. There\u2019s quite a contrast between the two. Sarah was the wife of Abraham \u2014 that great patriarch. But Rahab was a prostitute and ran a brothel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We have this tendency amongst ourselves of grading on a curve when it comes to our own feelings of religious worth or shame. We tend to try to calculate our spirituality by looking to the left and the right rather than up. We say, \u201cAt least I\u2019m not like that guy over there. Look at him! He\u2019s a lot more messed up than I am.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n But one of the bright glories of the gospel is that grace<\/strong> makes ruin of all of our efforts<\/strong> to grade on a curve. Grace laughs at our tendency to justify our sinfulness, and forces us to turn to God in faith.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Faith is the means by which we are saved<\/strong>. Its the pathway to cross of Jesus. It\u2019s how we embrace the gift of salvation and forgiveness. It\u2019s the way we are justified (being made JUST AS IF we have never sinned). And one day it will be the way we are glorified (and enter into the wonder of eternal life in Christ). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Through faith, we are entrusted with the light of life \u2014 and the wonder of Salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve probably heard the story and wondered if it really happened. It really did. Ken Sande writes in his book entitled, Peacemaker, that when Thomas Edison and his staff were developing the incandescent light bulb it took literally hundreds of hours to manufacture a single bulb. One day, after finishing a bulb, Edison handed it to a young errand boy and asked him to take it upstairs to the testing room. As the young man turned and started up a flight of stairs, he stumbled and fell, and the bulb shattered on the steps. Edison reassured him that it would be alright and turned to his stunned co-workers and simply ordered that they begin again. It was completed several days later and to the surprise of his staff, Edison took the bulb, walked over to that same errand boy and said, \u201cPlease take this upstairs to the testing room.\u201d And this time, without incident, he did. \u2014 Ken Sande, The Peacemaker (Baker Books, 1997)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I love that story. But the surprising part of the story, at least to me, isn\u2019t so much that Edison trusted that errand boy the second time \u2013 it\u2019s that he trusted him the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I mean, what are you doing giving the light bulb to an errand boy in the first place?! I would have expected Edison to carry that precious light bulb up the stairs himself, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Isn\u2019t it wonderful to consider the fact that God uses errand boys \u2013 He uses ordinary people to carry His light; He uses run-of-the-mill people to demonstrate His power through their unspectacular, common-place, speckled with failure . . . lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Rahab, she had heard about the God of the Israelites \u2014 and she believed. So much so, that she chose to act in faith and courageously hide their spies when they came to town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She had faith to trust that God was ultimately in control of her world. And so, she believed in Him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She trusted that if she reached out to Him for help \u2014 that He would save her. And He did. He saved her from the dangers around her, but more importantly\u2026from the sin within her heart and life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone once described her story by saying, \u201cGod took Rahab from the house of shame \u2014 to the hall of fame.\u201d<\/strong> And that\u2019s so true! <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s amazing to see how God would include someone like her in this list of OVERCOMERS. But, know this \u2014 your past doesn\u2019t have to determine your future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But it\u2019s not just the story of Rahab<\/strong> \u2014 it is also my story, and probably your story. And if it\u2019s not \u2014 it can be. Because, God redeems the lives of the worst of us by the work of FAITH in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God can take anyone willing to trust in Him and bring them into His family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God placed this story in this chapter to remind us of His power to redeem our brokenness, our sin, and shame. But like everything else in He offers, we only receive it though faith. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The big question for you is HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN DEFINED BY FAITH? If not, what\u2019s holding you back?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overcomers are those who been adopted by faith! Grafted into God\u2019s family. Have you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 We must live in faith!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 We must be defined by faith!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, the third thing this passage teaches us about being overcomers, is that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. WE MUST DEPEND <\/strong>UPON<\/strong> FAITH.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Faith turns our weaknesses into strength<\/strong> (34-35)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look at the end of verse 34 into verse 35. Here were told that those early overcomes were those: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026<\/em>whose <\/em>weakness was turned to strength<\/em>; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. <\/em>35 <\/em><\/strong>Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released <\/em>so that they might gain an even better resurrection<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What we learn through these men and women of faith, is that they didn\u2019t triumph on their own. THE ROOT t<\/strong>hat produced THE FRUIT<\/strong> of victory<\/strong> within their lives \u2014 was THEIR FAITH<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, it was a relentless faith IN the greatest of GOD! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a key principle of faith: faith is willingness to obey God, even when it seems hopeless.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As verse 34 <\/strong>tells us, it was through their faith that made the difference. Not their intelligence<\/strong> or giftedness<\/strong>. Not by human strength <\/strong>or wisdom<\/strong>. Not by great wealth<\/strong> or resources<\/strong>. Not by extraordinary political scheming<\/strong> or power<\/strong>. No, BY FAITH!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, many times God<\/strong> uses people like you and me in His good work in order to bring Him even greater glory,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul<\/strong> says in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29<\/strong>, that God uses the \u201c\u2026weak things\u2026the base things\u2026and those things which are despised\u2026to shame the strong things in this world.\u201d <\/em>And\u2026\u201cAs a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.\u201d<\/em> And let\u2019s be clear, God delights in using the small and insignificant things to do His work. All we need to be is faithful. To live for Him and trust in Him. And as we do, we will gain the victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your weakness doesn\u2019t hinder God\u2019s performance through your life.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Often our problem is not that we are too weak, but that we think that we are strong in ourselves. So God\u2019s plan for victory always leads us to humility so we can point to Him and His great power at work in us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Oswald Sanders<\/strong> once said, it doesn\u2019t take much of a man to be a man of God; but it does take all of him. So give God your all and trust Him with your all, for He is your all.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So God\u2019s means for victory always involves faith, because faith acknowledges our inability and God\u2019s total ability.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n John<\/strong> tells us in 1 John 5:4, <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n