Seeking for the help of the Lord
I direct your prayer for attention to Hebrews chapter 11 and reading
for our text part of verse 34. Just the words out of weakness
were made strong. The whole verse reads And if
we read from verse 33, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword,
out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned
to flight the armies of the aliens. So Hebrews 11 verse 34, out of
weakness were made strong. And this chapter is setting forth
a catalogue of those, not a complete one, but a sample of those that
through faith were able to see the Lord Jesus Christ, that He
would come and that faith then was evidenced in their lives
in different ways. We must not lose sight that though
in this chapter there is evidences of faith that are practical things,
that are real things, that are done, like Ark made by Noah or
Abraham leaving Ur of the Chaldees, yet the reason why They did these
things, faith that they had, it came from the Lord, the Eternal
Son of God, the author and finisher of our faith, that's in chapter
12. And these things that they did,
it evidenced the reality of their faith in Christ. Now we must
be Sure on that, whatever other faith we have, if it is not centering
in Christ, and the help and strength that comes from Christ, it is
of no worth to us at all with our text. If we could find those
that out of weakness were made strong, but it had nothing to
do with Christ's power, with blessings that flow from His
blood, nothing to do with the faith that He has given, then
what good, what promise would it have of eternal life? But
when we view this as an evidence of what comes from Christ, as
Paul says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
me, It's very clear that that strength is coming through our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Now in Paul's letter to the Corinthians,
his second one, there is a very remarkable passage in verse 13,
in chapter 13. We read of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul is saying to the Corinthians
how that they were seeking a proof of Christ speaking in him, this
verse three, which to you, Lord, is not weak, but is mighty in
you. That is, our Lord Jesus Christ,
when he was preached, the benefits of his death, his resurrection
were coming through the preaching to the people And he makes then
this statement, for though he, that is Christ, was crucified
through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also
are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of
God toward you. The people of God, especially
the ministers of God, Well, we are also dead with Christ. We
are crucified with Him. We take up the cross. We are
dead to the world. Our Lord Jesus Christ, though
He was all-powerful, the eternal God, made Himself of no reputation. He was brought down in weakness,
and we see evidences of that. We see Him asleep in the ship. We see Him wearied on the well,
Jacob's well. And we see times of great power
when he rises and stills the winds and the waves. And our Lord Jesus Christ, when
he suffered himself to be taken and by wicked hands crucified
and slain, when he was taken by Pilate, he said to Pilate,
Thou couldst have no power against me at all, except it were given
thee from above. Our Lord voluntarily submitted
himself, became weak, unable to resist or not willing to resist
that the Scriptures might be fulfilled, unwilling to call
for twelve legion of angels as he said he could well do. But
how then could the Scriptures be fulfilled? And when we view
then our Lord Jesus Christ and how He has brought in an everlasting
righteousness, how He has shed His blood, how He has settled
our debt. What He has done was through
weakness, through voluntarily submitting Himself to death and
to those sufferings into the hands of the Jews, into the hands
of the Romans. And it was through that way that
He bruised Satan's head, that way. He redeemed his people,
not by force, not by strength, not by power, but by doing that
which was required, bringing himself under the law and suffering
under the law. And though he had all power not
to do so, yet as he said in the garden, nevertheless not my will,
but thy will. be done. And so we have a beautiful
example right at the start of what blessing has come through
first being weak and then being strong. Raised again from the
dead, death have no more power upon him and be able to then
to say all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. He is seated at right hand of
the Father. He is exalted in the Church of
God and amongst His people. And all this came through a path
first of weakness. So on to this evening. Firstly at the different kinds
of weakness and strength of God's people, just to consider those
various ways that this can be seen. And then secondly, consider
what God did in the people of Scripture, bringing forth a people
from weakness to be strong. But firstly, in what ways? What different ways is it that
God is pleased to bring about this text and to perform this
act of faith in His people out of weakness made strong, we're
made strong. as physical weakness. We may
be physically very weak, have no strength of body, but then
be given that strength of body to be able to do what otherwise
we could not do. One example of that may be with
Elijah, who, when he fled from Jezebel, he requested that he
might die, He lay sleeping under the juniper tree. The angel came
and strengthened him and gave him food and he was strengthened
to be able to go 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Sinai into
Mount Horeb and there to receive fresh commission from the Lord. Then we can have numerical weakness
and strength. We have many examples, and we'll
look at some of those a bit later, but whether it is in armies,
often that is the case, or whether it is in the seed, whether there
is a multitude of people or no people, numerically, right through
scripture, we have the examples. of being strengthened, though
beginning very, very small. The next is spiritually. We might
be spiritually very weak, and we are by nature, we come into
this world, we are spiritually dead, when we are yet without
strength. In due time, Christ died for
us, and in that sense, Every one of God's people are brought
from a position of weakness, spiritual death to spiritual
life, and it is through our Lord passing by them and bidding them
live, giving them faith. It is through faith that they
are given that spiritual life, or they're given spiritual life
and faith at the same time. Another way is doctrinally. People
can be, and many of the Lord's people, when they're first converted,
doctrinally, they are like children. Paul says that they're like those
that need milk, they're babes, and they can't stomach their
strong meat, doctrinal meat. And so that is another way that
the Lord brings this about through faith, faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God, that as the word is opened up,
then the doctrines become plain and they become clear in those
teachings. We could add faith in this, those
that are weak in faith, the little faiths, and yet have their strength,
their faith strengthened. The apostles, they said, Lord,
increase our faith. And so in that way, we can be
weak, and yet through that weakness then be made strong. We read that the trial of your
faith being made much more precious than gold, that perisheth though
it be tried, With fire shall be found unto praise and honour
and glory at the appearing of our Lord. And it is through the
trials, the tribulations, that faith is strengthened. So our weakness were made strong. Another way is in providence. We might have very Poor circumstances
in Providence. We might be like the children
of Israel in Egypt. They were, in effect, prisoners. And they had no strength to extricate
themselves or to bring themselves out of that bondage. So providential
circumstances, we can be in a very weak position. not able to extricate
ourselves from a particular situation and a providential path that
is appointed for us. And yet, out of this, the Lord
can and often has made strong. We said physical, but also we
think of in health, We read of Hezekiah that was sick unto death
and from that he was raised up and strengthened and given 15
years added to his life. Again, in weakness and yet made
strong. Many of these things are joined
together, like with Hezekiah, Not only was he made strong physically
and lengthened in his days, but also he was strengthened through
that in a spiritual way as well. So it's not just one aspect,
but in both aspects. The Sama says, it was good for
me that I was afflicted. Before I was afflicted, I went
astray, but now have I kept thy word. And there's been a benefit,
a blessing, in affliction, a strengthening through it. Sometimes it can be viewed in
a balanced way. So when we read in our text that
out of weakness we're made strong, the strengthening is not in the
same way as the weakness. But in another way, and I'm thinking
in that way, where we read that though our outward man perish,
yet the inward man is renewed day by day. So on one hand you
have weakness, on the other hand you have strength. You have weakness
of body, weakness in the flesh, and eventually to be laid in
the grave, but you have strength in the soul, in the inner man. And so this word here, this evidence
of faith, is not always to be strengthened in the same way. Sometimes it is that the weakness
is in a physical way, but through that weakness, spiritual strength
is given. And so We need to consider and
think when we come to such a word as this, an evidence of faith,
that it's not just in one aspect or one way. If we are to be able
to discern whether the Lord has given us faith or not, whether
we come under this blessing or not, then we need to consider
how it is. in a very real and practical
way, out of weakness, were made strong. Well, this passage is
pointing and has in mind those that are recorded in Scripture. And so I want, with the Lord's
help, to look at some of those that are recorded. out of weakness were made strong. We mentioned Hezekiah, and I'll
begin with him as we read that portion in Isaiah 38. Really, all of us have the sentence
of death. As we were reading it, I thought,
well, Hezekiah's been given 15 years. But in the end, he must
die the same as all of us. It is just putting off what must
come to pass. But, of course, what was the
case with Hesekiah, there were several things. Firstly, they
had the Assyrian army against them. He was the commander-in-chief. He was sick. It was at that time
he needed to be strong. There was those things to be
done in the kingdom. The second thing was that he
didn't have a child and he knew that he was in the line to Christ. He was of the tribe of Judah
and the line of the kings. And without that added 15 years,
then he would not have that child. It is one of those things which
God's purpose was always that he should have a child, that
that line should not be broken. Was it just up to Hezekiah to
turn the Lord again? Or was the Lord doing this to
bring Hezekiah to pray and then to have an answer to prayer?
And in one sense, and I know Hezekiah wouldn't have lived
to see this, But the children of Israel, as having recorded
just what we have here, when Manasseh, who was the child born
in that 15 years, proved to be a very wicked king, only converted
at the end of his life, they would have looked back and thought,
well, in a way, this was a child that, unless Hezekiah had been
spared and strengthened and given life, he wouldn't have come into
being. There was that which was special
about his birth, even though his life would have filled those
with grief who knew what his godly father was like and who
knew the Lord. But Hezekiah was strengthened.
The Lord gave him those 15 extra years. But like we said, one
of those ways of strengthening is not just in one aspect alone. We read in verse 16 of Isaiah
38, Ezekiel is saying in prayer, O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these things is the life of my spirit. So will thou
recover me and make me to live. Behold, for peace I had great
bitterness, but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it
from the pit of corruption, for thou hast cast all my sins behind
thy back." He had a blessing in this trial, a blessing that
was bound up with it. And so in that way, which began
in great weakness, ended up not only physical strength, but spiritual
strength and a spiritual blessing in it as well. May we think in
our lives when that has been the case, the Lord has used something
which we had no power, no strength, the Lord has answered prayer,
he's appeared for us in that, and he's given us some blessing
in our souls as well. This then, word of our text has
then been fulfilled in two ways. We've been strengthened physically
and spiritually. The next one I'll bring is that
of Paul. We spoke of our Lord in 2 Corinthians
13, but in the previous chapter we have the case of the Apostle
Paul, who had been given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of
Satan, to buffet him. The reason was, lest I should
be exalted above measure. I believe this is referring to
the wonderful vision that he had on that Damascus road and
he was given then this thorn on the flesh and he sought three
times that it might depart from him. But the Lord said, my grace
is sufficient for thee For my strength is made perfect in weakness. And Paul's version of that, for
Paul's verdict, was most gladly, therefore will I rather glory
in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. And he says at the end of verse
10, for when I am weak, then am I strong. Therefore I take
pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. And the strength was through
the grace that was being given. We might perhaps draw an illustration
that God has that power, an ability to give physical, spiritual strength
to his people, but he needs a situation to show that against. Sometimes it is when he converts
the ungodly and the heathen, Like when Barnabas at Antioch
he saw the grace of God and was glad, that which the Lord wrought
in turning from open wickedness and idolatry to him was known
and read of all men, it was to the honour and glory of God.
We've used illustrations before here of where we may have power
in the building, electricity, but we only see that when we
join to it a light bulb or you join to it a heater, and then
those things are used to demonstrate what that power is capable of
and that it is actually there. And so with our Lord, He has
all power, He has all might, He has all grace to give, and
He has chosen to use sinners. And He takes the weak, the foolish,
the things that are not, And he uses them to show his power,
to show his grace, what he is able to do. And so with the Apostle
Paul, in that infirmity that he had, that messenger of Satan
that was not going to be taken away, day by day, year by year,
the grace God gave him to bear that was a real evidence of the
power and goodness of God. We might look upon a person and
wonder how they can ever endure the things that they do, endure
and yet still give God glory and still worship Him. And it
is through that grace, and the Apostle Paul said, I am what
I am by the grace of God. I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me. For that to be magnified, he
had to be brought low and have this constant need. What an encouragement
to those who have constant infirmities, constant weaknesses, constant
afflictions, day by day, not taken away, but help in them,
help in them to continue, help in them to do what Otherwise
they would not be able to do. So when we read in our texts
that our weakness were made strong, we can certainly think of the
Apostle Paul himself, who many believe that he wrote that epistle. He knew certainly personally
what it was to be strengthened when weak. We think of Samson, Samson that
was given immense and wonderful strength from the Lord, and yet
because he was deceived by a woman and lost his hair, lost his strength,
lost what God gave him, he then lost his eyes, he ground
in the prison house, He was not able to be delivered from that. He had no strength, just the
same strength as any other man. But then at the end of his life,
when they brought him forth with all of their thousands in the
building where he was held, where they were making fun of him and
glorying over their power over him, He asked the young lad that
was with him that he might feel the pillars of the house and
then he prayed to the Lord that the Lord would give him strength
just one more time and that he might then die with the Philistines
and the Lord gave him that request and he achieved more at his death
and in his lifetime and died with the Philistines. Our Lord
Jesus Christ was like that in his death. He accomplished more
in his death than he did in his life. That which he did in his
death, redeemed all of his people, set them all free, delivered
them, bruised Satan's head, was a greater act than any miracle
that he'd performed in his lifetime. Let me think of Abraham. We mentioned
one of the ways of being strengthened was numerically. With Abraham
it was emphasized that he was called alone, then his wife,
she could not bear, then at a hundred years of age, He was given faith
and strength, and she was, that Isaac was born. And yet even
then, the Lord had promised him that his seed should be as the
stars of heaven, the sand of the sea for multitude. And yet
he just had one child, or two if you counted Ishmael, but the
promise was through Isaac. And then when Isaac married Rebekah,
they only had two children. And of those two, the line was
not through both of them, but through Jacob. But then Jacob,
he has 12 children. And from them, the 12 tribes
of Israel. But it started off very weak,
very low. with none, as it were, and then
a miracle that he had one child. And so, a real reminder at the
very beginning of the promises leading in the line to Christ. We have weakness, and then we
have strengthened, and strengthened especially in the coming of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Another one is Jehoshaphat. Godly
Jehoshaphat, as king over Judah, had those of Moab, Mount Seir,
come against him. He prayed to the Lord, neither
knowing what to do, but our eyes were upon thee. He testified
that they had no strength or might against that multitude. And yet the Lord said through
his prophet, that they would not need to fight in that battle. The Lord would fight for them,
and he did. The Lord wrought a wonderful
victory. Jehoshaphat and his people were
greatly strengthened, and the Lord got honour and glory to
his name. Another example of where, through
faith, through looking to the Lord, that is what faith does.
It looks to the Lord. The psalmist says, my help cometh
from the Lord which made heaven and earth. We mentioned another aspect of
weakness is that in circumstances or providence. In this we have
Joseph. He was given the dreams and understood
what God would do for him and raise him to a position where
his family were to bow down to him. And yet in Joseph's life,
if ever there was an example, the one that never needed direction
as to what to do or where to go, because providence took care
of it in every time. He obeyed his father, went to
see how his brethren did. His brethren stripped him, threw
him into a pit, and then sold him to the Ishmaelites. Then
he was sold as a slave to Potiphar, working in his house. Then he
was falsely accused and sent into prison. Then he was forgotten
there, and at last he was called for and brought suddenly is to
Pharaoh's presence and then exalted to the next unto Pharaoh in all
of the land. From a position of weakness,
completely dependent upon others for all that happened in his
life. He was not charting his course. He was not deciding what the
best degree or what the best house or best land or position
would be. He was all taken out of his hand. And yet he went from weakness
as a prisoner, right to strength as next unto Pharaoh, just in,
you might say, a few hours. Until his time came, the word
of the Lord tried him. But with Joseph, Adam's weakness
were made strong. I believe there was much faith
and exercise right through Joseph's life, and yet that faith was
severely tried, severely tested, but no one, no one would dispute
that out of that weakness, he was made strong. Another one would be Hannah.
Hannah, who had no children, the other wife, had many children,
and how distressed that she was, how she poured out her heart
unto the Lord at Shiloh. Eli marked her mouth, he thought
she was drunken. But from that position of weakness,
from having no ability to bring forth children, the Lord answered
her prayer, gave her her petition, and Samuel was brought forth.
The Lord gave her other children afterwards. But it's wonderful
to read in that first book of Samuel, chapter 3, of the thanksgiving
and praise and glory that she gives to God. She'd said to Eli,
for this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition
that I asked of him. How many times that way this
text is worked out in the lives of God's people. They come from
a position of weakness. They have not. They are praying.
They're seeking for help. They're seeking for strength.
They're seeking for the Lord to appear. And the Lord does
appear. And it strengthens them in how
He appears for them, but it strengthens them also in their faith, their
belief, their trust. in the Lord. We think of Peter. Peter, he
began thinking that he was in a position of strength. Though
all men forsake thee, yet will not I. The Lord said, Satan hath
desired to have thee, to have you, to sift you as wheat, but
I prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. And Satan does, he
desires all of the people of God. But the Lord had prayed
for Peter, and the very thing that he prayed for was that his
faith did not fail. And though he is brought so weak
to deny the Lord before a maid, before those that stood by, even
with oaths and curses, yet the Lord has said to him, when thou
art converted or restored, Then strengthen thy brethren. But
Peter himself was to be strengthened. The Lord meet with him. The Lord
commission him, feed my sheep, feed my lambs. The Spirit to
be upon him at Pentecost. And the great strength that he
had then to clearly set forth the teaching and doctrines of
the Church of God. A fallen Peter, a restored Peter. What a difference there was.
You can't fail to see the difference that was wrought in him. We think of the Ethiopian eunuch,
had been up to Jerusalem to worship, was returning in his chariot
reading, but he couldn't understand what he was reading. He obviously
had not got what he wanted at Jerusalem, but God sent to him
Philip. And he asked that question, the
one question that found out where he was, understandest thou what
thou readest? How can I except some man guide
me? He said one of those aspects
of being strengthened was strengthened in doctrine. And he didn't know. that the Lord was in that passage. But by the time Philip had finished
preaching, he knew, and he believed, and he wanted to follow the Lord.
What a different unit at the end of that sermon than at the
beginning. It's a good thing when that charge
that God gave to Peter, strengthen thy brethren, is realized through
the preaching of the Word from many a pulpit that the brethren
of the Lord are strengthened in their souls, strengthened
in what they believe, why they believe in, encouraged in the
way. Many times we might say, I've
not heard anything new today, but He has confirmed me, He has
strengthened me, and we need that. And as we said, faith it
cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of the Lord. That is
how the Lord strengthens his people. And this then is the
evidence of faith that is given here. Out of weakness we're made
strong. What an encouragement when we
feel our weakness. What an encouragement we have
in this passage. to look unto the Lord and to
expect that this is how the Lord does work, to not give up, not
be discouraged, at the very point where we may feel our weakness,
that that be our strength. We read if one of the cases of
the martyrs when they were brought for their faith to be locked
up and to be tried, There was two in her jail and they spent
the night together and afterwards to be brought before their accusers. And one of them, he was so certain
he would stand, he would not buckle, he would not renounce
his faith. And he was quite sure of that. The other one felt very much
his own weakness and spent the night in prayer and wrestling
to the Lord. that he would strengthen him,
that he would not deny the faith, that he'd be able to stand if
he was called to suffer a martyr's death and be burned to death
at the stake. Well, the next day, it was the
one who was so full of confidence that denounced his faith, that
buckled under the threatened fire and torture, was the one
that was so fearful, the one that felt his weakness was much
strengthened and was able to yield his life rather than to
give up his faith. It is when we feel our weakness
that then we look for that strength and help from the Lord. To be able to say with the psalmist,
my help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
If we are so full of strength, we may be able to do the same
things as other brethren, but we give the honour and glory
to ourselves and we don't have a clear token of where that help
and where that strength came from. You might look at things
in your life and you say, well, so-and-so can do much more than
me, they're much more knowledge of doctrine, they might have
much more physical strength and mental strength than me. But
if we've come from a position of real weakness and then been
helped to do, yes, less than others, but we have been strengthened
to do what we have done. We read in scripture, she had
done what she could. The Lord didn't speak badly. of the widow woman who only threw
in her little mite, but he did of those who had much strength
in wealth and yet cast in of their abundance. He said, she
hath cast in all that she had. We must not measure ourselves
from one another, but measure and see from what position of
weakness The Lord has been pleased to give us strength, and we trace
that to Him, and give Him thanks, and give Him the glory for what
He has done, and what He has given, and it may be we go day
by day like this, strengthened day by day, day by day, giving
the honour and glory to our God. May the Lord then number us amongst
this catalogue of those that walk by faith, that look to the
Lord for his help here below, and look for that blessing that
centres in the Lord and receives from him every blessing and every
favour, even eternal life. These are tokens of those that
looked to and were strengthened in the Lord Jesus Christ. Out
of weakness we're made strong. Amen.