God Remains Faithful (Hebrews 11:32-40)

This is a sermon I preached in chapel at Maranatha Baptist University on 2/14/2022 as part of a series on Psalms called "Planted and Productive: Living a Blessed Life."

Introduction

Before we can delve into this closing section of Hebrews 11, I think we need a reminder of the historical context surrounding this book. The epistle of Hebrews was most likely written to Jewish believers, probably in Rome, during a time of great persecution; to escape that persecution, the Jewish believers were tempted to turn back to Old Testament Judaism and away from Christ, since the Jews were not being persecuted severely. In this context, the author of Hebrews urges them repeatedly to “Hold fast to the confession” (3:6; 4:14; 6:18; 10:23), pointing out the superiority of Christ to everything in the Old Testament system. This is why I chose the song “His Robes for Mine” for us to sing today: it rehashes for us the major tenets of the Gospel and urges us as a result to “cling to Christ” and live for Christ.

Part of the context is grasping the argument of the passage; when we read the Bible, we are easily distracted by people, as if the main reason God wrote Scripture was for us to know about ancient dead people. Remember that in Scripture God reveals himself and how we can know him, so the first question we ask about any passage is: “What does this passage tell me about God?” Then we ask: “How does that truth affect how I live?”

Unfortunately, I think a popular song has skewed how we read this passage: the song “Faithful Men,” says: "Faithful men are my witness who have struggled and died, now they watch from the grandstand in the skies." This makes it sound like the “cloud of witnesses” in 12:1 is witnessing us, but the whole point of the passage is that they witness to the faithfulness of God, who kept his promises to them, so we should hold fast to Christ because he will fulfill his promises to us as well! 

When we see the little phrase “by faith” in Hebrews 11, I want you to read into it the full picture. It is not “because of something in them they were able to do great things;” rather, when you see “by faith” understand it to mean: “because they believed God’s promises based upon his proven faithfulness …” they did such-and-such (11:10). So, I believe the key theological truth we need to glean from this passage is that God remains faithful!

God remains faithful

Why do we need to hear the message that God remains faithful? Well, like the original recipients of Hebrews, we sometimes feel weary and torn in suffering and so are tempted to walk away from Christ - do you find yourself there? Maybe you have doubt about God and whether he is really good because of your suffering. Maybe you wrestle constantly with fear of rejection or harm or death or loss. Maybe you find yourself desperately looking for satisfaction, and church doesn’t work. Maybe you struggle with discontentment and hate having to wait so long for something good. Maybe you are in the middle of deconstructing your faith because ‘Christians are hypocrites.’ Maybe you have been severely hurt or abused by people who claim Christ and want to get out. Whatever your sorrow, whatever your hurt, whatever effects of the Curse are at work in your life right now, I can tell you that God remains faithful – his promises can be believed, his words are true, and he will never fail to do what he has promised; there is no other place you can find that level of certainty. This is why we sang “Great is Thy Faithfulness” this morning.

Hebrews not only tells us that Christ is better but also warns us of the consequences of rejecting Christ in continual sin: chastening! While believers will never experience God’s wrath since it has been taken by Christ at the cross, there are consequences for walking away, since God will draw you back by whatever means necessary.

The main point of this passage is twofold, since we need to be reminded of God’s faithfulness, but the point of this letter is to urge the Jewish believers to action: “cling to Christ, don’t fall away!” Just like these OT believers in Hebrews 11 were “commended by their faith” (1:2) or “received a good report.” Because God is always faithful, does not change, and does not fail to keep his promises, we need to remain faithful to him, believe what he has promised, and act upon those promises. Many of our sermons in this series have focused on the second half of my main point – “remain faithful to God” – but today I want to encourage you by focusing on the first half: “God remains faithful.”

God remains faithful, though you may be faithless

The first six people named in v.32 are those described in v.33-34. These first three names in the list are slightly surprising to me – the Judges Period is not my go-to place for examples of faithfulness to God. Let’s examine what their stories teach us about God’s faithfulness.

1. Gideon (Judges 6-8): When God raised up Gideon to deliver Israel, he doubted that God could use him – the least person in a small house in the weakest clan (6:15) – and so he demanded signs to test God’s ability. When Gideon believed, God whittles the Israelite army down to 300 against innumerable enemies. They followed God’s plan and routed the Midianite army. Afterward, Israel sought to make Gideon their king, which he turned down saying that God is their king, not he or his sons; but then he takes tribute, starts a harem, names his son Abimelech (meaning, “My Father Is King”), and kind of starts a cult: he made a golden “ephod” which he and his family worshipped for years after. Now, I do not say all of this to discredit Gideon – God used him mightily because of his faith! – but at times he was faithless, yet in spite of that God kept his promises because God remains faithful!
2. Barak (Judges 4-5): At an earlier time in the Judges period, Israel was oppressed by Canaan, but when they cried out to God, God raised up Barak and the prophetess Deborah to deliver them. However, when God called Barak, he refused to obey God’s command unless Deborah would go with him, which resulted in his losing the acclaim of the victory. In the end Jael – a Kenite and not an Israelite – kills Sisera by luring him into her tent to hide and driving a tent spike through his head while he sleeps. Again, this is not to disparage Barak – God used him mightily because of his faith! – but at times he was faithless, yet in spite of that God kept his promises because God remains faithful!
3. Samson (Judges 13-16): God raised up Samson as a judge to free Israel from the Philistines. His parents were repeatedly told that their son would be a Nazirite – dedicated to God – and so forbidden to drink alcohol, touch dead things, or cut his hair as a sign of devotion to God. In his life, Samson broke all of these rules, along with marrying a Philistine woman, then a prostitute, and then Delilah, another Philistine. After many miraculous feats of destruction against the Philistines, Delilah deceives Samson, he is captured by Philistines and his mighty strength is taken from him as he gives up the last superficial vestige of his devotion to God: his long hair. Again, this is not to discredit Samson – God used him mightily because of his faith, and in the end Samson prayed that God would avenge him, and he killed many more Philistines in his death than in his life! – but he was often faithless, yet in spite of that God kept his promises because God remains faithful!

Now, clearly all of these men were “commended by their faith” as that is the thesis of Hebrews 11, but they all also had significant flaws and failings. And yet, their failure to trust God or obey God in certain situations did not negate God’s promises – God remains faithful!

The same is true for you: God’s faithfulness is not dependent upon your having perfect character, a perfect track record of fighting sin, or perfect faith in every circumstance. Now, if you are not fighting sin at all, that may mean you are not truly a believer, but if you find yourself fighting and at time failing in your struggle with sin, you are like these men who were “commended by their faith.” You too can be commended by God by believing God’s promises based upon his proven faithfulness. God remains faithful, so remain faithful to God!

God remains faithful, though people will fail you

The first three characters demonstrate to us that God remains faithful even when we are faithless; these next three look outward and help us to know how we should live when those we look up to live faithlessly. This next list of names is markedly better than the last set. Let’s examine the lives of these men and what they teach us about God’s faithfulness:

1. Jephthah (Judges 11): Jephthah’s story actually starts out quite well: though formerly rejected because of his illegitimate birth, the people called upon him to lead them in war against the Ammonites. In his confrontation of the Ammonite leaders, Jephthah preached a sermon about God’s faithful care and provision for Israel as well as his promises to give them the land. Unfortunately, he made a rash vow to sacrifice whatever first came out of his house when he returns victorious, and at his return it is his daughter who appears first. Rather than realize that this is a sinful vow that God would not want him to keep, he sacrifices his daughter. This does not mean that Jephthah had no faith – God used him to free Israel from its oppressors! – but as a leader he ultimately failed to demonstrate faithfulness to God, yet in spite of that God kept his promises because God remains faithful!
2. David (1 Sam. – 2 Kgs. 2; 1 Chr.): What introduction does David – the man after God’s own heart – need in a setting such as this? And yet, it is important to remember that the difference between David and Saul is not that Saul sinned while David never did; rather, it is that David repented when confronted with his sin, while Saul made excuses. David’s ultimate failure was murdering one of his mighty men – Uriah – to cover up his affair (though it was probably more like rape) of Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. While he did repent when confronted, the consequences did not go away. This failure does not disqualify David from this list of those “commended by their faith” – God used him mightily against Goliath, the Philistines, and other foes of Israel, and he wrote most of the Psalms, which served as Israel’s hymnal! – but as a leader he ultimately failed to demonstrate faithfulness to God, yet in spite of that God kept his promises because God remains faithful!
3. Samuel (1 Sam.): How does Samuel fit in this list? How did the prophet who was better than Eli the high priest and his sons, who anointed the first two kings of Israel, who led Israel in its early successful campaigns against the Philistines, who at the end of his rule as judge asked all Israel if any of them had a complaint about his leadership and they all said he was above reproach – how did this man fail as a leader? For all of his godly influence on the nation, his sons did not follow in his footsteps: 1 Sam. 8:3 his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. This (in part) led to Israel’s demanding a king like other nations. This is not so much a slight against Samuel’s character but more an admission that no human leadership is perfect. Yet in spite of that God kept his promises to deliver, protect, and care for Israel because God remains faithful!

As I said before, I want to clarify that each of these men were “commended by their faith,” so my point is not that these men are failures, but merely that – like all human beings – they were fallible. If you were an Israelite looking up to these men to be godly 24/7, you would have been disappointed. And yet, despite the frailty and fallenness of his servants, God remains faithful!

The same is true for you: if you have been deconstructing your faith because of something a follower of Christ did to you, know that you are committing a grave error; you cannot judge God by the evil actions of those who claim to serve him, especially since God himself gives us the Bible which is full of the failures of his people contrasted with his own faithfulness. Do not give up on God because people have disappointed you; God remains faithful, so remain faithful to God!

God remains faithful, though this world is fallen

The next group mentioned in v.32 is “the prophets,” people who were generally righteous and sought to both obey God and faithfully communicate his word to Israel. Unlike the first group, which highlights God’s faithfulness in spite of our faithlessness, and the second group, which focuses on God’s faithfulness even when people fail, this third group reminds us of God’s faithfulness even in suffering. The next group mentioned is simply “the prophets,” and it seems many are referred to in v.34-38:

1. Daniel (v.34) – “stopped the mouths of lions”
2. Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah (v.34) – “quenched the violence of fire”
3. Elijah & Elisha – “Women received their dead raised to life again:”
4. Jeremiah – “and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:”
5. Zechariah – “they were stoned”
6. Isaiah – “they were sawn asunder”
7. Many under King Ahab – “were slain with the sword”
8. All prophets – “they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

Why did these prophets suffer such derision and torment? Jesus many times referred to the fact that Jerusalem rejected the prophets because of their hard hearts. This world is not yet restored as it will be in eternity, but we know that restoration will take place (1 Pet. 1:3-6).

And so, even in the midst of the sorrows of this life, we must remember that God remains faithful, and so we must remain faithful to God! The prophets and all these other people were “commended by their faith” because they believed the promises of God and acted upon them, even though they never saw the fulfillment of the ultimate promise in this life. They believed that: “He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6), and as the chapter says earlier, “But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11:16).

You can be commended by God for your faithfulness to him in response to believing that he is faithful. “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Heb. 6:10).

But remember that the Prosperity Gospel kills faith. If you believe that following Christ means that this life will go well for you, then you will be sorely disappointed and tempted to walk away from Christ and find something with more reliable promises. Beware! God has not promised you happiness, health, wealth, and prosperity NOW but in ETERNITY! Don’t reject Christ because he does not meet your flawed expectations – hold to his promises, not your fantasies!

God remains faithful, though his timing seems off

That brings us to the final section of the passage before making some application. We have seen that God remains faithful in spite of our faithlessness, the failures of those around us, and the fallenness of this world. But what about when God himself seems to fail us? What about when it seems God could have acted but did not, leading to our present suffering? What about Mary and Martha, who famously said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died? Or maybe for you, “Lord, if you had protected me, I wouldn’t have been abused!” Or, “Lord, if you would just glorify me, I wouldn’t have to fight and fail in this sin so often!” What then?

The final section of this passage reads: “And these all, having obtained a good report” – that is, they were “commended by their faith” (1:2) – “through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” This is a summary statement encompassing everyone who has been mentioned in Hebrews 11 (except Enoch): Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtha, David, Samuel and the other prophets. Though they saw the fulfillment of specific promises made to them about surviving the Flood, receiving a child, escaping oppression in Egypt, attaining victory in battle, and so on, they did not receive the ultimate form of the promise.

What is that promise? Following the argument of Hebrews, I think it is Christ’s completed work as suffering Messiah and the completed salvation we have through him. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son …” (Heb. 1:1-2). As Peter puts it, “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; which things angels desire to look into” (1 Pet. 1:10-12). 

Notice that Hebrews does not say that these Old Testament saints will never receive the promise, but that they would not receive it apart from us – the church. “… He is the mediator of the new testament [i.e., covenant], that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament [i.e., covenant], they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance” (Heb. 9:15).

It is the blood of Christ at Calvary that seals the New Covenant (9:15), that propitiates his own wrath for those who die in faith (2:14-18), that opens the way to the Holy of Holies (10:19); and it is his continuing role as High Priest that gives us confidence to approach the throne of grace (4:14-16), that assures us of our continued right standing with God (7:24-26), and that users us into the new and living way (10:19); this is the Savior who "shall appear the second time … unto them that look for him … without sin unto salvation" (9:28). This was not clearly revealed to these OT saints, but they reap the benefits of Christ’s work now with us, and we will all receive the inheritance of that eternal kingdom together.

But why the wait? Why did they have to “die in faith?” Why did God not reveal it to them and give them the promises in their lifetime? Why did he allow the prophets to experience such horrendous suffering? Why does he make us wait for the fulfillment of those same promises, as we suffer the effects of a fallen, broken world in which sorrow, evil, and death reign? Why does he not resurrect our loved ones who have died? Why does he not glorify us now and save us from the fight against sin?

The answer is found throughout Scripture. At times we are told that the restoration of all things is delayed so that more people might believe (2 Pet. 3:9), at other times we are told that suffering refines us (Jas. 1:2-4), and at still other times God simply tells us that we need to trust that his plan is best. While the answer may not make sense to us, the solution is that we can trust God because he remains faithful and will keep his promises, not only to fix all things, but to use them for our good (Rom. 8:28).

God remains faithful, so remain faithful to God!

In closing out Hebrews 11, and in preparation for Dr. Anderson’ final sermon on 12:1-3, we have focused on the faithfulness of God to keep his promises. But what effect should that have on our lives? Remember that Hebrews was written to Jewish believers tempted to walk away from Christ in the midst of suffering. We, too, are in danger of walking away rather than clinging to Christ. So what? God’s faithfulness is the indicative – the theological truth – of this passage, but the imperative – the command – comes from the whole book.

1. Believe his promises – “Hold fast to the confession” (3:6; 4:14; 6:18; 10:23)
1. God will empower you to fight temptation & sin now (4:12-16).
2. God will reward your good works (6:10).
3. God has forgiven your sins forever (9:24-27).
4. Christ will return to finally save you (9:28).
5. God has no wrath for believers, only sanctifying discipline (12:4-11).
6. God will fix everything in the future kingdom (12:18-29).
2. Obey because of his promises – “lest any man fail of the grace of God” (12:15)
1. Prayer – Pray, because God will hear and answer! (Heb. 4:14-16).
2. Church – Exhort others, because God uses them to keep you from falling away (Heb. 10:24).
3. Holiness – Seek it now because God will finally glorify you! (Phil. 1).
4. Evangelism – Do it, because God will use it and any opposition to it for his purposes (Phil. 1).
5. Ministry – Be faithfully pouring into people, because God will honor it (Heb. 12-13).
3. Heed his warnings – “Beware an evil, unbelieving heart” (3:12)
1. Beware refusing to believe and act (as did Gideon, Barak).
2. Beware seeking other sources of stability (as did Samson).
3. Beware demanding blessing without submitting (as did Jephthah).
4. Beware persisting in unrepentant sin (as did David).
5. For believers, these lead not to eternal judgment, but to discipline; it may be grievous, and the temporal consequences for prolonged sin may not go away with your repentance (12:15-17).
4. Follow Jesus’ example (I will not cover this point today since it will b covered in the closing sermon of the series).

Conclusion

Let me remind you again: the main point here is that God remains faithful, so remain faithful to God! You too can be commended for your faith! But instead of extemporaneous prayer, let pray over you the prayer with which the author of Hebrews ends his letter: 

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21)

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All Scripture verses come from the KJV.