The Testimony of Tested Faith
081008 The Testimony of Tested Faith
Hebrews 11:1-ff
Tim Franklin
Introduction:
· We have been looking at the subject of faith for the past two months on Wednesday nights.
o We have looked at the testing of your faith
o We have looked at Building Tested Faith
o Tonight we will start looking at the Testimony of Tested Faith
· Everyone likes a good testimony. We love to hear how God has touched someone’s life and we love to share our own testimony of what God is doing and bring Him glory.
o I like Regeie Jacksons testimony: “I’m a nobody telling everybody about somebody who will save anybody who will call on him.”
o Another great testimony: At a Wednesday evening church meeting a very wealthy man rose to give his testimony.
"I'm a millionaire," he said, "and I attribute it all to the rich blessings of God in my life. I can still remember the turning point in my faith, like it was yesterday:
I had just earned my first dollar and I went to a church meeting that night. The speaker was a missionary who told about his work. I knew that I only had a dollar bill and had to either give it all to God's work or nothing at all. So at that moment I decided to give my whole dollar to God. I believe that God blessed that decision, and that is why I am a rich man today."
As he finished it was clear that everyone had been moved by this man's story. But, as he took his seat, a little old lady sitting in the same pew leaned over and said: "Wonderful story! I dare you to do it again!"
· What makes a good testimony is a good test that gets overcome by great faith. Hebrews chapter 11 is a Faith Hall of Fame. To get in it you have to be greatly tested/tried.
1. Between Quitting and Running!
a. Your testimony begins between the place where you can quit and the place where you can throw off the weights and run.
i. The Call to Endure. Heb 10:35-36 therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: NKJV
1. The word confidence in vs. 35 is parrhesia and it means:
a. Freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech. (Thayers) What you are confident of you will speak. It is your confession of what you believe. If you really want to know what you believe just listen to yourself when the pressure is on. Rom. 4:17
b. Free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage.
2. Notice the reward for not casting away confidence. The Greek word implies receiving a fee for working. John 6:29 "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." NKJV
3. You have need of endurance (hupomonee). It is the same word in James 1.
4. Greek—hupomonee
a. steadfastness, constancy(standing firm, endurance James 5:11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord — that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. NKJV
b. a patient, steadfast waiting for;
c. a patient enduring, sustaining: 2 Cor 1:6 (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
5. Bob Sorge—“Patience is faith sustained over time in the midst of pain.”
ii. The Call to Run. Heb 12:1 since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, NKJV
iii. The point between these two places decision. You have to make a decision as to what you are going to do. If you are wavering your decision is not made. If you are looking back you will end up like Lot’s wife—salt.
2. Faith is defined between these two points.
a. It is the “in between” point that bogs us down. We get weary. We question God. We get depressed. We start asking if it is really worth it. We are tempted with, “What is the use?” This is where the people of Hebrews are. Hab. 2:3 is quoted because Habakkuk was having the same problem. They are discouraged because of persecution. This is where faith has to be defined for a person to make. This is why chapter 11 exists—to define faith.
i. The Hebrew writer literally defines it
ii. Then he clearly illustrates faith thus defining it further.
iii. You actually could take chapter 11 out of Hebrews and the flow of thought would not be interrupted. Look at it between 10:39 and 12:1
b. Faith defined.
i. Now faith is: you could stop right there and preach. Faith is. It is current. It is now. It is! And you do not need Bill Clinton to define that for you.
ii. The heroes of the faith are people who simply took God at his word and directed their lives accordingly. Their future was present by faith and things outwardly unseen were seen by the inward eye.
iii. Substance/confidence. Gr. Hupostasis-used in 1:3 and 3:14. In the former it is used in an objective way that implies substance or essence. In the second, it is used in more of a subjective way and means confidence.
1. In classical usage the word has been used to speak of foundations of a house. You cannot see it but you know it is there. It is what gives the house strength. You cannot see the word of God either but it is what gives the person/house strength. Mt. 7:24f build your house on the rock.
2. It can also mean the title deed. If you have a title in your hand to a car or to a property it is only words on page but it is the substance of your ownership of the thing.
3. Physical eyesight produces conviction for visible things and faith produces the inward sight to see the invisible order of God.
c. Testimony—Martureo—to bear in mind, one who remembers and can tell about something.
i. Chapter 11 is a chapter of people who made it out of the middle!
ii. But before the writer goes there he makes one more attempt to define faith. Vs. 3
1. The worlds were framed by the words of God. Ages as used in 1:2 and in 11:3 means the universe of space and time. It is everything between the beginning nd the end.
2. It was the utterance of God that formed the worlds.
a. Rhema-is that which is produced by the living voice.
b. God’s word created something out of nothing. Gen. 1:3 He spoke and it was. Thus the visible came forth by the invisible. How do we know? By faith!
c. Ie. You cant prove God exists and you cannot prove He does not exist.
3. Get me out of Here!
a. Make the decision to get out. Faith is a choice.
b. Do not throw away your confidence/your confession.
c. We need endurance/patience to get to the intended end of the Lord.
d. 12:1 We are surrounded by Champions
e. 12:1 throw off everything that holds you back. Ie. Ankle weights.
Conclusion:
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