Go with me, if you would, back
to Hebrews 11. Our brother just read from verse
32 to the end, and we're going to read back through these verses. And as we do, let's keep this
in mind, okay? As we read one more time through
these verses, keep this in mind. Verse 40 says, God having provided
some better thing for us. God provided some better thing
for us. Everything that's recorded in
Hebrews 11 points us to something spiritual. Everything that's recorded, Cain
and Abel. That's law and grace, isn't it? Man's works, God's grace. That's
what that is. Noah's Ark that points us to
he that hath the son hath life. He that hath not the son of God
hath not life. In the ark safe, out of the ark
damned. That's simple. Abraham sacrificing Isaac that
points us to the fact that God will provide himself a lamb for
sacrifice. Jacob and Esau, that tells us
that God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. Moses leaving
Egypt, that is the condescension of Christ. He made himself of
no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant. The walls
of Jericho falling down. He shall not fail. Don't you love it how when our
Lord goes into battle, generally, there are not any swords involved.
He uses things like trumpets. That's the preaching of the gospel.
And all of a sudden the walls fall down. Our Lord saving Rahab the harlot
alive, that tells us he keeps his promise. He made a covenant
promise. He's the covenant God. He will
not, he cannot lie. Now, as we read these verses
again, let's keep those spiritual eyes on, okay? Those are the
spiritual eyes of each of these verses. Verse 32, it says, and
what more, and what shall I more say? For the time would fail
me to tell of Gideon and of Barak. And both of those men brought
deliverance to Israel. They, they brought them out of
bondage. The Lord used both of those men.
They're wonderful stories. Verse 32 says, and of Samson. And I'm sure you know the story
of Samson. It's the story of strength. God given absolute strength.
Verse 32 says, and of Jephthah, that's the story of covenant
keeping promise. We may look at all these sometime,
but right now time will fail us. Verse 32 says, David, that's
the story of the King. That's God's anointed King arise,
anoint him. Verse 32 says, Samuel, that's
the story of God's prophet. Verse 32. He said in all the
other prophets, who do all these men point us to? They point us
to Christ. They all point us to Christ.
Everything they did is a spiritual picture of what Christ did. Everything they did. It's a spiritual
picture of what Christ did for his people. Now, what did they
do? Verse 33 says who through faith subdued kingdoms, whole
kingdoms. Wrought righteousness. Created righteousness, earned
righteousness. Obtained promises. obtained them. Stopped the mouths of lions,
roaring lions, seeking whom they may devour. Stopped the mouths
of lions. Quenched the violence of fire,
that fiery wrath. Out of weakness were made strong
from the grave all the way to the throne. Waxed valiant in fight. about the victory. Turned to
flight the armies of the aliens. What wonderful pictures and types
those are of Christ. Can't we see as we just read
it? Can't we just see Christ in it? We just see Christ in
it. But do you know that God has provided us something better
than those types and pictures? He's provided us Something better. Verse 35 says women received
their dead raised to life again. How amazing is that? That's amazing. What assurance and what confidence
that would bring in the power of God and the ability of God,
what faith that would put in the heart. But do you know that
God has provided us something better than that? Something better
than having our own children raised from the dead again. These next few verses tell us
the amount of faith that God put in some of his people at
a time they truly needed it. Verse 35 goes on to say others
were tortured, not accepting deliverance. They were offered
deliverance. If you will just renounce Christ,
We'll stop doing this to you. If you'll just deny Christ, you
stop saying he's God almighty and we'll stop torturing you.
They would not accept deliverance. We won't accept it. That they might obtain a better
resurrection. Verse 36, others had trial of
cruel mockings and scourgings. Yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment."
John Bunyan was in prison for 12 years. All he had to do was
say, I deny Jesus Christ. That's all he had to do. He said,
if you will deny Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, we will
let you out of this cell. For 12 years he said, I can't
do it. Can't do it. Verse 37, they were stoned. They were sawn asunder. Can you
see two men standing on each end of a bow saw saying, you're
about to be sawn asunder, deny Christ and you won't be sawn
asunder. They were sawn asunder. They were tempted with money. Not only will you not be sawn
asunder, we'll give you riches. We'll give you titles. They were
slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheep
skins and goat skins being destitute, afflicted, tormented of whom
the world was not worthy. The world persecuted them and
the world was not worthy of them of them. And the reason is because
they were God's chosen people. There was nothing worthy in and
of themselves. They were sinners in and of themselves. The only thing that made them
worthy was the one who chose them. The one to whom they cried,
thou art worthy. But verse 38 goes on to say,
they wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and
caves of the earth, and these all Having obtained a good report
through faith, received not the promise. Now, what does that mean? They
received not the promise. That means they did not physically
receive their eternal deliverer. They did not physically receive
their strength, the one who would keep the eternal covenant, their
king, their prophet, and their priest. All they were ever given
was a picture. That's what it means. That's
all they were ever given. They were looking to a picture,
all of them looking to a picture. We are not looking to a picture. God has provided something better
for us. He has now provided the man himself. Our faith is not in a picture.
It's in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ of glory. Our all is in
a person. Our all is not in a picture.
Verse 39 says these all having obtained a good report through
faith received not the promise God having provided some better
thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect. Now let me see if I can illustrate
how much better this is. How much better what God has
now provided is. My grandfather, his name is Gerald
Stoniker, and he owned a seafood restaurant in Alexandria, Louisiana. And he was a hands-on business
owner. During business hours, he always
ran the cash register. At the end of the meal, the people
would come up and pay. Well, one night, this family
comes up to pay, and this little, little boy, tiny little boy,
Had a death grip on a corn cob. He had literally eaten everything
you could eat off of that corn cob. I mean, it was done. It was raw. And he was holding
on to that thing with all of his might. And my grandfather
made a comment on it. And the father of that little
boy said, he won't let go of it. We can't even get him to
loosen his grip. We can't get him to let go. We've
tried, but that little boy, this is mine and I'm not letting go
of it. So my grandfather reached behind
him and grabbed a Hershey's bar and held the Hershey's bar up
to that little boy. And that little boy dropped the corncob
and grabbed the Hershey's bar. And my grandfather told his family,
all you have to do is give him something better. He'll let go
of it. All you have to do is give him
something better. God has provided for us something
better. He has given us the person of
Christ himself. He is worth. And I want to tell
the world this. I'm so thankful for every avenue
God has given us to preach the gospel. I want to tell the world
this. He is worthy of letting go of
every type and picture there is. He's worth letting go of the
types and the pictures for that makes sense. Throughout the book
of Hebrews, the apostle tells us what better things we have
in him. That's the theme of the whole
book. He's better. That's the theme of the entire
book. And he keeps telling us what better things that we have
in him. I just want to take a minute
and look at them. Just go through and look at each one very, very
briefly. The first one is in Hebrews seven. Hebrews 7 verse 19, it says,
for the law made nothing perfect. Wouldn't you love it if somebody
got a hold of that? The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better
hope did. by the which we draw nigh unto
God. If I have to look at how well
I am keeping the law in order to have hope, I'm never going
to have hope. If I have to look at how well
I'm holding on to that law, In order to have hope, I will never
have hope. Never, never. But if all I have
to do is look to Christ and how well he kept the law, that's
a better hope. I have a better hope. The Old
Testament saints, they could never have the hope we have.
Never. They were hoping in the picture
of the one to come. All their hope was in the picture.
We're hoping in the person of the one who came. The apostle
said, it's better. It's just a better hope. All
right. Look at Hebrew seven verse 22. By so much was Jesus made a surety
of a better Testament in Christ. We have a better hope. In Christ
we have a better testament. What does that mean? Hold your
place here in Hebrews and go to John chapter 1. John chapter 1 verse 17 says, For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Just like that little
boy holding on to that corncob. That's the image all the way
through this message. That little boy holding on to
that corncob. Those Old Testament saints had to hold on to the
law. They had to. This is the testament
we have been given. The male children have to be
circumcised on the eighth day. They have to be. We have to observe
the feast of the Passover every single year. We have to. Every bit of that continued until
Christ came. We don't keep the feast of the
Passover anymore. We don't get in a plane once
a year and fly to Jerusalem in order to observe the feast of
the Passover. Why don't we do that? It's because we don't need a
memorial feast to remember the Passover. We have the Passover
himself. Jesus Christ is our Passover. He's the very one who passed
through Egypt that night. I am passed through Egypt and
Jesus Christ is I am. And he said, I'm providing you
a new Testament. When he came, he said, I'm providing
you a new Testament, not the Testament of my law anymore.
I'm providing you the Testament of my blood, the Testament of
grace. the testament of a free gift.
He said, I'm going to put away the first and I'm going to establish
something better. I'm going to give you something
better. That's the next thing that said back in Hebrews. This
time go to chapter eight. Hebrews chapter eight. Verse
six, but now hath he obtained a more
excellent ministry by how much also he is the mediator of a
better covenant, which was established upon better promises before Christ
came. This is all God's saints were
told before he came. This is all they were told. Do
and live. That's all they were told. Do
and live. After Christ came, this is what
God's saints were told. Done and live. That's better. That's the message now. Done
and live. That's way better. Better promises. Those who are still trying to
hold on to the law, which is almost everybody, OK, here they
have it. Those who are still trying to
hold on to the law have not yet seen the better hope. They have not yet seen the better
testament, the better covenant, the better promises. Why would
anybody want to hold on to their own self-righteousness when the
righteousness of Christ is right there? Why would anybody want
to do that? You want to go meet God on your
own self-righteousness, your own filthy, sinful, worthless
rags of righteousness, or do you want the righteousness of
Christ? Look at Hebrews nine, verse 23 says, it was therefore necessary. that
the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with
these. And I want to read that again.
It was necessary that the patterns, those types and those pictures.
Of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the
heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. What do you mean better sacrifice,
better sacrifices in these? You you mean the sacrifices of
all those bulls and goats? Something better than the sacrifices
of all those bulls and goats for thousands of years, all that
bloodshed. Chapter 10, verse four says,
it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins. Wherefore, when he cometh into
the world, he saith sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not,
but a body has thou prepared me. Verse nine, he said, then
said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the
first, that he may establish the second. By the which will
we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily
ministering and offering the same sacrifices, which can never
take away sins. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified." That's better. That's better. Why would anyone want to make
their own sacrifice? Why would anyone want to make
their own sacrifice before God when the sacrifice of Christ
himself is right there? Those who have not yet seen this
better sacrifice are still trying to do what Israel did in picture. They would sin and they would
run to slay a lamb. They would sin and they would
run to slay a lamb. Sin, run to slay a lamb. It's
sad to say, but we're still sinning. Today we still sin, but we don't
run to slay a lamb anymore. And it's because our Lamb has
already been slain. Already been slain. God has provided
for us a better sacrifice. It's the sacrifice of His own
Son. Through that better sacrifice,
Hebrews 10 verse 34 says, For you had compassion of me
in my bonds and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods Knowing
in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance. King Solomon was given a substance
by God, more riches than any other man on earth will ever
know. As vast as those riches were
though, they honestly, that substance that he was given, it will never
compare to the unsearchable riches of Christ himself. Never, never. The unsearchable substance that
God's people receive in Christ. It's so vast. It's so immeasurable. It's unexhausted. You can't it
can't run out. And he said you were willing
to give up all the substance this world could offer you. You
were willing to give every ounce of it up because you know that
you have a better and enduring substance waiting for you in
Christ. Isn't that so? God's people are. They just are. That goes right
along with the next one. Chapter 11 verse 16 says, but now they desire a better
country that is in heavenly. Wherefore, God is not ashamed
to be called their God for he had prepared for them a sitting. Before Christ came, God's people
were looking for a promised land on this earth. All of them. Right up to the time that Christ
came, hold your place here and go to Acts chapter one. Acts chapter one, this is when
our Lord is leaving. He's about to ascend back up
to glory and he's speaking to his disciples. And it says in
verse four that they were assembled together with them. He commanded
them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for
the promise of the father, which saith he, you have heard of me
for John truly baptized with water. But you shall be baptized
with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence. Verse six, he said,
when they therefore were come together, they asked of him saying,
Lord, will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to
Israel? Are you going to set up your
throne again in Israel? Are you going to enter your kingdom?
Is that where all your people are going to be gathered right
here on this earth? That is the country that that
God's people were looking to for thousands of years, right
here on this sinful earth. Now. In Christ, with Christ,
God has prepared for us. The view of a better country.
We're not looking for a country on this sinful earth anymore,
we're looking for a new earth. Just listen to this. This is
second Peter three, verse 13. Nevertheless, we, according to
his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness. They all said, Lord, are you
about to you about to set up right in the middle of all this
mess? Are you going to set up your kingdom on this earth? God has now revealed to us he's
provided something better for us. I'm not trying to get to
Israel. I'm trying to get to Israel.
It's better. I'm telling you it's so much
better. So much better. Last one. Go back to Hebrews
11. Hebrews 11 verse 35. Women received their dead raised
to life again and others were tortured not accepting deliverance
that they might obtain a better resurrection. God raised Lazarus
from the dead just like he did for many other people. Lazarus
though died again. Raised him from the dead. But
he died again. He was a picture of a better
resurrection. How amazing would it be if God
on this earth raised us from the dead or raised a loved one
from the dead? But God has now provided a better resurrection. A resurrection to eternal life,
eternal life. We don't have to see that in
Lazarus or in Jairus's daughter or in any of those other people
that were actually raised from the dead. We get to see it in
our ever living Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. We get to look
to him. The one who ever lives. Go with
me over to first Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 19. If in this life only we have
hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is
Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them
that slept. For since by man came death,
By man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every
man in his own order, Christ the first fruits, afterward They
that are Christ's, and I want to emphasize those last three
words, at His coming. All right? At His coming. Now,
this was a blessing to me. Go back to Hebrews 11. Everything goes in order. Christ,
the first fruits. After that, they that are His,
at His coming. Hebrews 11 verse 39 says, And
these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received
not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that
they without us should not be made perfect. Here's what that
means. They in the Old Testament, did
not receive the final perfection they were hoping for on this
earth. And the reason is because they
had to wait on us. They had to wait on us. Now,
we have not yet received the final perfection that we are
hoping for right here on this earth because we have to wait
on them. And we have to wait on those
who will be saved between right now and the day he returns. We're all waiting on each other.
You know, when our Lord served that table, he said, I want everybody
to wait on each other. Don't just go and start eating.
Don't you just come and grab some and on your way, he said,
everybody wait on each other. We're all going to partake of
it together. All right, now I can't explain this. To be absent from
the body is to be present with the Lord. All I can do is declare
that and now declare this. I cannot explain it. But on the
day he returns, all of us, those before us, us, and every soul
after us, all of us are gonna finally, ultimately be perfected
together. All of us will close with first
Thessalonians four. First Thessalonians four. Verse
13 says, but I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning
them, which are asleep, that you sorrow not even as others,
which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them also, which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. They're with him and he's bringing
them with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall
not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and
with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with
the Lord. And for all eternity, we're all
going to be crying. This is better. This is better. So much better. Verse 18 says,
wherefore comfort one another with these words. May the Lord
bless us with these better things. Let's all stand together.