I have enjoyed this, I hope you
have, looking at these many examples of faith. The next chapter, chapter
12, begins with wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with
so great a cloud of witnesses, so many examples of people, men
and women just like us, even young people like David, Samuel,
though sinful, though weak, living in a wicked world full of temptations
and troubles and trials, yet seeing God give them faith, giving them the grace
of faith to endure so very much what all they went through, he
says, let us run. Let's run the race for us. And
again, we need to be reminded that these examples are not that
we might admire men and women, but to glorify our God who gives
common, ordinary weak, sinful men and women, this faith that
enables them to endure, to endure. For it is God, Scripture says,
that worketh in us both the will and do of his good pleasure.
So to God be the glory. And these examples should be
great encouragement to us and exhortation to us, that seeing
that God's grace was sufficient for them, it will be sufficient
for us, no matter what we go through. We have a great cloud
of witnesses. I watched some football on TV
yesterday. Last night I was looking at that
Michigan What's the name of that Catholic
school in Indiana? I don't know. I hate to mention them. Anyway, they call it the big
house in Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. I don't know how many
thousands, over 100,000 people, 110,000 in those stands. It's a sea of people. To watch
what? To do what? I mean a game. A ridiculous game. But in heaven, right now, and
in eternity, there's going to be a sea of people. It's called
a cloud. So many people that no man can
number. What are they attesting to? What
are they witnessing? Who are they watching? Oh my. I want to be in that crowd, don't
you? I want to be in that great cloud.
And so look at these examples back in Hebrews 11, verse 35. It talks about the women. Women,
Hebrews 11, 35, women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting
deliverance. that they might obtain a better
resurrection. I'm glad our young people are
in here this morning to hear some of these things about the
martyrs, the early church martyrs. They went before us and God used
them to give us what we have now, the freedoms that we have
now. Many people actually laid their
lives down that we might have the truth. And God used them
greatly. And God, in His book, honors
them. He writes this down for us to
read. Women. Let's not forget the women. We've
been looking at Abraham and Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Noah, Enoch,
Abel, and so forth. But the women, it said. Many,
many, many. women who suffered, endured,
and walked by faith. Abraham had a wife, you know,
named Sarah. She endured what he went through.
Right? Isaac had a wife named Rebecca.
She endured what Isaac went through. Jacob had two wives, Rachel and
Leah. They endured the same. Moses
had a wife. She went forty years. Zipporah
went forty years in the wilderness with him. Endured the same things.
Same thing. It says the women here received
their dead raised to life. That's the story of the widow
and Elijah, the prophet. Go back there, 1 Kings 17. We're
talking about faith. And this is a wonderful example
of faith. Elijah the Tishbite went to this
widow of Seraphthah, or Seraphath. This is a wonderful story. We
looked at this not too long ago. I enjoyed looking at it again. This was one poor widow woman
in Zarephath or Zarepta, this town, and God sent His Word to
this woman. God in His discriminating grace. Is that article No, it's in next
week's bulletin. Discriminating grace. Not meaning
that God is not fair to some, but discriminates as we know
it. But rather, God chooses whom He will. God maketh us to differ. Thankfully, or we would be without
hope and without God. This woman, the Lord chose her. Our Lord Jesus Christ stood up
before the Pharisees, the Jews, one time and said this. He said
there was one widow, not a Jew, but a Gentile woman whom the
Lord sent Elijah to on the day of famine. And they got mad at
him, didn't they? That's election. They got mad
at him for that. But he did. And I know at least
one woman who was glad for God's sovereign election. This woman. God sent His Word, sent a prophet
to her in sovereign mercy and sustained her life in time of
famine. And are we not living in a time
of famine right now? That Amos prophesied of, chapter
8, verse 11, there will be a famine, he said, not of bread, but of
the hearing of God's Word. the hearing of God's Word, the
truth as it is in Christ. And there are some women in here.
We have some widows and some women who the Lord sent in mercy,
sent His gospel to. Sent not a prophet, but a preacher
anyway to preach the truth. And it says that God gave her
grace and faith, faith and grace, grace of faith to sacrificially
support this prophet. She didn't have very much. You
know the story, don't you? Down in verses 13, Elijah said,
well, verse 12, he asked her if she had any bread. She said,
I just have a handful of meal and a barrel and a little oil
and a cruise or a bottle and I'm gathering two sticks and
I'm going to fix just what's left and my son and I are going
to eat it and we're going to die. That's it. It's over. It's all... And Elijah said,
fix me something first. He's not being selfish. He's
trying her faith. And the Lord said, if I were
hungry, I wouldn't ask you. Didn't He? And God's preachers
are not beggars or covetous, but the Lord tries His people
the same way. First day of the week, lay aside,
as God has blessed you. To do what? Support the gospel,
which will support you in time of famine. This is the bread
which you live by. We're going to have bread. God
has promised us bread to eat, physical bread. But this bread,
it's hard to find. It's rare. It's so invaluable.
that your life depends upon. Was that article in the bulletin?
No, that's the next one. I should have put it out this morning
about the Word of God. Bread. We live by it. Well, she
did. God gave her this faith to believe. And she did. Still, she gave
this prophet first. She gave him first. And what
did that leave her? Nothing, I guess. And she thought, now what are
we going to live on? You don't give to God and Him
not give back with interest. Huh? Look at it. In verse 22,
it says, no, not 22, but verse Verse 14, the Lord God of Israel
said, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither the cruise
of oil fail, until the Lord's sin reigned on earth. And she
went and did that. And it says, She and he, that
is her son, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal, how long?
A year. That's how long the prophet said
that. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruise
of oil fail, because the Lord said it wouldn't. God's the same. He doesn't change. And the trial of faith is the
same. It sure is. Give, and it shall
be given to you. Now, you know I'm not saying
that because I need anything. I'm not doing that at all. I
don't have any need. But that's the trial. Well, verse
22, her son died, and the Lord heard the voice of the prophet
who prayed, and the soul of the child came again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, brought
him down, and delivered him to his mother. See, thy son liveth. See, God's good. God's merciful. He's supportive. Seek ye first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you, even your dead children. And there are some people in
here who have received their sons back from the dead. Steven,
your mama did, didn't she? John and your wife? Hurlene? You received your son
back from the dead, didn't you? You try this and see if you don't
get brainlocked. That's right, God hadn't changed.
He hadn't changed. He promised. All right, go back
to the text. It says that in chapter 11, women received
their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting
deliverance. So many stories of martyrs in
early church history who died for the truth's sake. So many,
too many to name and to talk about, and I was going to give
you some examples. A man named Fox wrote a book
that told of many of the early church martyrs, Fox's book. of
martyrs, which is well worth reading. There were great persecutions
in the early church from the time of the apostles on, beginning
with Stephen being one of the first martyrs. You know, really,
Abel was the first martyr, wasn't he? Abel was killed by his brother
for the truth's sake, with Stephen and others. But let me just tell
you how church history It gives the account that Matthew, the
apostle, was slain with a sword. Mark was dragged through the
streets and died from his injury. Luke was hanged from a tree.
John was tortured and then put on the Isle of Patmos in exile. And the legend has it that he
was crucified upside down. James the less was thrown down
from the temple and then beaten to death at the club. Bartholomew
was flayed alive. It means cut up. Andrew was bound
to a cross. at such a length he died. Thomas
was run through with a lance. Jude was shot with arrows to
death. Matthias was stoned and then
beheaded. Barnabas was stoned to death. And Paul was beheaded. Those
are just the apostles, beginning with them. And there are so many
examples of early martyrs, even the women, who because of their belief in the
Lord Jesus Christ. And they say, and it's true,
that the buried dirt or dust in the Roman Colosseum where
the people would gather, as they do now in football games, the
Romans would gather to watch sport or plays or events in that
Roman Colosseum, that the buried dirt of that floor is made of
the martyrs believers, Christians, who were thrown to the lions
as sport for people to watch. In the time of Nero, Nero is
that lion of whom Paul wrote to Timothy, said, the Lord gave
me mercy at his hands, the lion. There was never a more ruthless,
tyrannical, bloodthirsty ruler than Nero up to that point, but
they did get just as bad. And you remember the story of
Nero fiddled while Rome burned and all of that? It's true. It's
true. And they would throw early believers to the lions and the
people would watch it like we watch sport. Why? Why? For saying that Jesus Christ
is God and that all need to bow to Him or perish. It's the truth. And they would not accept deliverance. And the horrible torture that
they would go through, being offered, and I was going to read
you a story, but not enough time, offered life or death to just renounce the Lord Jesus
Christ. Life or death. What would you
do? Well, by faith, they refused
to accept deliverance. And you would, too, if you had
this faith. Are you worried? Do you ask yourself, would I
die for Christ's sake if I was being persecuted to death, if
I was threatened with torture? Don't you ask yourself that?
Yes, you would, if it came to that. They did. And these weren't
supermen, superwomen, superhuman beings. No, they were just like
us. But God. So this proves who God is. Their
faith proves who God is. He said, My grace is sufficient.
He said, I'll be with you. I will never leave thee. So here's
a man standing in the face of the lion. Or here's a woman who's
They're holding her child, and we're going to kill your child
if you don't renounce Jesus Christ. And she said, I can't do it.
That's God's grace, isn't it? That's the power of God, isn't
it? No human being, nobody would do that. A mother wouldn't do
that, would they? By nature? But by faith he would. By this grace of faith he would.
And you would too. We would too. It may come to
that. It may come to that under the Obama regime. Did I say that? I did say that, didn't I? I love this story. Many examples
of horrible deaths of believers that they died in peace, they
died in peace, that passeth understanding. How could they do that? I know
how. I know whom. Paul said, I know
whom. I believe. It's a person. A doctor doesn't support you
in time of death. A person does. I mean a real person. You can't
see him. He's there. He's there. I love the story
of Stephen. Oh, you have a good name. Oh,
I love that story of Stephen. You know how it goes. Stephen
was... preaching and he just preached
the whole counsel of God, the whole Old Testament, Christ whom
they crucified. And they all got mad and ran
on him and began to stone him with stone. And the Scripture
says Stephen said he looked steadfastly into heaven. He said, I see,
I see him, I see the Son of God standing at the right hand of God. I see.
Now Christ is seated, isn't He? After he by himself purged our
sins, didn't the Scripture say he sat down at the right hand
of God? Well, when Stephen was being
stoned, when Stephen was standing up before all those persecuted,
before all the unbelieving world, gnashing their teeth with rocks
in their hands, going to bash his brains out, Christ is today. Jesus Christ stood up and said,
now look to me. And they could knock his brains
out, Max. And you know what he did? You
know what he did while they were bashing his brains out? He prayed
for them. The very people that were hating
him and killing him, Roberta, he was praying for them. He said,
I lay not this to their charge. Now, who could do that? We, nobody. With man, it's impossible. You
see, and what have we got to fear? What have we got to face? Who? What? That our Lord said
that His grace is not sufficient for what? Nothing. We have not
and will not probably face what they did. So look to him. That's the next
chapter, looking unto him. But if we did, if it did come
to that, he'd give us the grace. Verse 36, others had trial of
cruel mockings and scourging, bonds and imprisonment. Jeremiah
was often imprisoned. Read the story. Daniel, as you
know, was thrown to the lions. Azariah, Meshach, and Hananiah. more well known as Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego. They were thrown in a fiery furnace,
heated seven times. Remember what happened to them?
Nothing. Because somebody was in there
with them. He stayed in. They came out alive. Paul told his story in 2 Corinthians
11 of what all happened to him, didn't he? Stoned three times. I was beaten. Forty stripes saved one. Shipwrecks. On and on it goes. Perils of
this and perils of that. He came through. How? The Lord
brought him through it. We're immortal until he's through
with it. Our Lord is all according to his word anyway. He said to them, you shall be
hated of all men for my name's sake. And as I said, it may come to that.
Our society is becoming less and less tolerant of the declaration
of the truth. Less and less tolerant. It really
is. And it may come. It may. generation or time, it
may come to the point where they say, you cannot say that anymore. Will we? Absolutely. Here at Martin Luther,
here I stand. I can do no other. And verse 37, they were stoned,
sawed asunder, tempted, slain with a sword, went wandering
about in sheepskin. Goat skins, being destitute,
afflicted, torment, so many examples of people being tied literally
to the stake and being burned to death, burned alive. True story. Verse 38, and incidentally,
most of that persecution came at the hands of Roman Catholicism.
They denied it. You know they denied it? They
denied it. It's a fact. Of whom the world
was not worthy, it says. The world was not worthy. You
know we're not worthy in ourselves, don't you? You know that. We
know that. Christ alone is worthy. That's what everybody in heaven
says. Thou art worthy. Because it's true. But when God
makes a new creature, when God creates a new creature in the
Christ image, Someone like Christ, and with the fruit of the Spirit,
love, joy, peace, peacemakers, salt of the earth, gentle, kind,
Christ-like people. This filthy, wicked, God-hating
world is not worthy. It's not worthy of them. There must have been some real
saints who walked this earth, and our Lord God said, the world
is not worthy of this. Not worthy. nor of these I'm
looking at. And they wandered in deserts
and mountains and dens and caves of the earth, wandered. And these
all, all of them, verse 39, every one of them, every one of them,
it says, obtained a good report through faith. They obtained
a good report. I want to have, I want to obtain
a good report, don't you? After it's all, we spend our
lives as a tale that's told. It's already been written. It's
already been written, and it's going to be told eventually. And I want my epitaph to be,
John, don't you? I want my epitaph to be, He died
in the faith. He died in the faith. These all
died in the faith. Attained a good report. Died
in the faith. That's what I want. I want to
be in that number, in that cloud. And he says, they received not
the promise. These, in past days and years,
received not the promise. God, verse 40, having provided
some better thing for us, that they without us should not be
made perfect. They didn't receive the promise. They lived, is God's
grace sufficient? Jesus Christ hadn't come yet.
They're looking to someone that had not yet existed, but had
not yet come. Well, what were they living on?
God's Word? Promises. Promises. Well, they believed Christ in
promise. It should be easier for us to believe. Because he's already come. We
know he has. No one will deny it. Even the unbelieving world
will not deny that he came. Cannot deny that he came. The
whole world acknowledges that he came. Okay? We know who he
is. The next hour we're going to
look at who is this. That's why we meet. We know who
he is. We know who it was that came. He revealed himself to
them. And so they just believed in
a promised Christ. We believe in a Christ in person. He came. John said, we've touched
Him, we've handled Him, we've saw Him, we've held Him. He made
flesh. They believed by types and shadows
and pictures and symbols and all that. A body, flesh and blood,
a man came. They looked to Him who was to
come. We look to Him who has come and is coming again. They
looked at lambs, turtle doves, bullocks and all
this, and by faith would see that that's Christ. John one
day said, there He is, the Lamb. The Lamb of God. There He is
in the flesh. That they would, it says, without
us should not be made perfect, nor we without them. All generations,
here's what this is saying. That all generations and all
dispensations are one general assembly. One church. Church
of God. Church of Christ. First them,
and then us. Then us. And then it's over. And then it's over. And Christ came to save us all. And this is what it says in Ephesians
1. It says that in the dispensation of the fullness of time, when
it's all over, when it's all been dispensed of, that God's
going to gather together in one from Abel to Zerubbabel. to the last elect, going to gather
them together in one, all things in Christ, both in heaven and
which are in earth, even in Him. And it's all going to be to the
praise of the glory of His grace, that in the ages to come He might
show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward
us in Christ Jesus.