In chapter 11, the author of The Letter to the Hebrews reminds his readers of the faith of their fathers and to follow their examples in the difficulties they face daily. He cites the faith of Noah, who knew the Almighty and heard and believed God’s warnings, resulting in him undertaking such a huge shipbuilding project, which without faith, seemed to others like the height of madness.

Then Abraham obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. Abraham’s faith journey is a brilliant ‘type’ or pattern for that of each believer in God. We do not know precisely where we are going—so much is unchartered waters for us. We too are like strangers in a foreign country. We together also look forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God.  We can only very poorly imagine what it will be like. However we can see all around us the altogether superb creation in the good Earth and the heavens. His design work, though spoilt by human greed, ignorance, carelessness and exploitation, enough beauty and grace remain for us to enjoy and give thanks for, to lift our sights to the day that is coming, the day of renewed heavens and a renewed earth. Fantastic architecture. Unmatched design. Can hardly wait.

Let this sink in. For Sarah, God’s promises seemed just as impossible for them as it was for Noah. Yet they were delivered as promised and we are reading this because those words from God were trustworthy. She is singled out as considering God faithful. Result? All around us, right through history, countless descendants of Abraham and Sarah.

And all these people were still living by faith when they died. So, they did not receive all the promised things, they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.

Right to the very end, they lived by faith, and so must we! Many of God’s promises may not be literally delivered before we pass on. Yet we can welcome them from a distance. God is not watching from a distance but keeps constant watch on our walk of faith—and boy, does that please him! Continuously.

Our author has highlighted Abraham’s traumatic and dramatic test of faith believing that God could raise his son Isaac from death, so sure was he of God’s trustworthiness to make a people of countless number. Imagine the trial of his faith! The agony the struggle against doubt!

And note the marvellous parallel here with God’s one and only Son and his steady, determined stride towards a dreadful and shameful death in Jerusalem and then, a raising to life, in a transformed and glorious body.

Our author then reminds us of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, patriarchs who believed God, often in the most dramatic circumstances, and changed the course of history.

In verses 24 to 29, Moses’ personal faith journey is then described in terms rather reminiscent of the calling of Jesus’ followers. And he could not leave out the Exodus story as a supreme example: a whole people group marching forward in faith through the sea. Moses could see and hear the invisible God and so he persevered. Nothing can beat perseverance. Press on!

He ends this long catalogue of men and women of faith, who all had a kind of knowing based on the character of their LORD God who speaks to his people, by reminding his readers, and us, that although these people were commended for their faith, yet many of the greatest promises were not received in their lifetime!

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,  who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,  quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.  Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.  These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Heb 11:32-40)

What a list of gallant, believing, persevering humans, continuing to the end in faith, despite the suffering, the opposition!

So also for us as well, much that God has promised remains as yet un-received by us. We wait in faith for his return, with suffering, and for the final consummation of his reign of his people on a re-newed earth, this wonderful world renewed in unimaginable delight and splendour for a renewed people who desire above all else that “your will be done!”

They, this great crowd of witnesses coming before us, will with us all experience sure completion in accordance with God’s perfect planning and design. We wait, as they did, living by faith.  God has not forgotten his Ancient people.

God’s planning, His timing : better for them and better for us.

We are making our way through the Letter to the Hebrews and we now look at chapter 11. This section is full of references to wonderful stories of real people exercising faith in physical and historical situations recorded in the Old Testament.

Though we have seen that in this new deal, the “New Covenant”, everything seems to have changed, God’s character and purposes have not changed. Faith, hope and love remain supreme as our means of hearing His voice, knowing His promises and understanding His plans. So our author digs deep into the past to encourage his readers to stick in there with active faith despite the difficulties they face.

The chapter begins,

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand (CEV ‘know’) that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Heb 11:1-3, NIV)

Faith is a way of knowing something, of being certain. The Contemporary English Version has faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.

That’s because it is based on evidence of the integrity, the absolutely perfect character of the One who promises, who makes covenant with His people, the One who cannot lie.

The study of how we know is called epistemology. We have here biblical epistemology which is based on knowing a person—the living, speaking, listening God. We can know because the One who has spoken in geographical space and earthly time has given us revelation and is absolutely trustworthy. So here in chapter 11 of the Letter, we have a lengthy list of actual historical persons who had this kind of knowing in real situations.

The scientist has a different approach to knowing, based on evidence in the observed physical world, and she sets out to demonstrate by ‘proofs’. But even scientists have to start with faith that something unseen must be there to be discovered. In fact to do any science, they need to believe that something unseen is there, such as the ‘laws of nature’, in which they may place confidence even though there is no guarantee that these same invisible laws will be in force tomorrow.

But we know that God is unchanging and his promises are sure and without any danger of being revoked!  ‘Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will never pass away’, Jesus said.

We have now reached the end of the great teaching about the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus and his high-priesthood for us presented by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews. From chapter 11 to the end of the letter, he will deal with how his readers should then live in the light of what has happened. indeed everything has changed for these Jewish people who are encouraged to follow their Messiah. For next time.

So it is fitting that I end this section (chapters 1 to 10) with this illuminating message which my dear life-long friend Ruth wrote to me some time ago.

A message from Ruth

I wanted to share with you the wonder as I have been praying and listening to Joe Focht, from his commentary on Daniel, and as he spoke about the sacrifices made in Israel prior to Jesus Christ coming to earth.

He talked about how the person bringing the sacrifice was never examined, but the sacrifice was always examined!

It hit me. How often have I heard about the need for us to examine ourselves, and indeed Paul says that, and also King David in his ‘search me, oh God and see if there be some wicked way in me”.

But here I saw too, that in bringing an offering, the focus was on the sacrifice – would it be acceptable?

I thought of how, when I bring my sins to God, I need to stop and ponder if what I bring, is truly acceptable to God, and if so, as indeed it is, why would I, or anyone else who comes in the same way, ever be doubting that our sins are completely forgiven?

It highlights for me again the assurance with which we can tell others. They too can come to God through that perfect sacrifice, and know their sins are completely and perfectly forgiven.

More than that, it renewed to me that, that sacrifice, our Lord Jesus, was examined and was found perfect!

He was absolutely the only One who ever lived who could have been the sacrifice, for He alone was and is perfect.

Therefore the Word of God is perfect!

The living Word and the written Word, as God spoke it to be!

In my life I have had occasions when I have had to lay aside my doubts and questions and make a choice:

 1. To accept God and His salvation as offered, and sufficient for my sins.

 2. To know He has sent us His Holy Spirit to dwell in us, and His gifts are for today.

 3. To experience that His Word is perfect and I will choose to believe it – as we used to say as young people:  ‘His Word is true no matter what challenges it’.

What joy and liberty all three have brought to me!

And what cost, as others have been offended by this, especially Christians.

What untold confirmation He brings to these facts.

Tonight I rejoice again when I think, yes! it matters not what state I come to Him. What matters is this: Is the sacrifice perfect?

What a Saviour!

Ruth

Some more comments I want to add-on my posting The Sacred Cow of Going to Church which arose since that article especially about ‘sacred’ buildings.

I think any place or practice may become a sacred cow when we hold that thing somehow different to other things and kind of sacred, whether it be a building or an enclosed space or high mountains or deserts or ceremonies or rituals or whatever and we then treat them as important, even essential.

When we begin to think for a church to be authentic that it must be in a dedicated special place, that idea also becomes a sacred cow. But as Hebrews 10 shows, what authenticates real assembly in Jesus is encouragement and upbuilding of one another in love. But the practice of ‘going to church’ becomes a sacred cow. It’s untouchable.

In John 4 we read Jesus’ conversation with the woman of Samaria –he told her that the only true place of worship was not in Samaria or even in Jerusalem but in spirit and in truth. He went on to show that he was THE true place of worship. Remember also the Transfiguration episode when Peter wanted to venerate that place with 3 booths/ memorials but the solemn word from God was This is my Son—listen to him!

People talk about “the institutional church”. But what is this fictitious creature? However I think we can speak of institutionalism. Institutionalism has largely replaced the Holy Spirit. Shame.

Jesus did not intend his followers to copy the models of the world, of Judaism, of the Roman empire, or of any of the mystery or pagan religions. I believe he meant us to model faith communities on his example, like a family, a household, where everyone in his house were regarded as brothers and sisters. He taught them to love one another, forgive etc. He modelled and taught them the ways of the Holy Spirit. New wine demanded new wineskins. And a new outlook on the whole world.

I understand Jesus is present always with his people wherever they meet. However,

are we always truly present to him?

We can be present just to a group or meeting dynamic or to ‘worship’ or a ‘service’ or the often superb music or corporate singing, or great oratory or even an inspiring building –all of which can become an end in themselves. When the entertaining on-stage performances or dreary up-front ritualistic, repetitive program ends, everyone can then happily go home and get on with all the other (important?) aspects of their lives— compartmentalising which is encouraged by buildings and services, special places. God in a box. Worship of worship.

And we call it worship! Lord, help us.

I am not hung up on buildings. I think buildings can be very useful. After all as an architect I have designed many buildings and most of these were intended to provide hospitality, refuge, encouragement and kindness.

However, I am in agreement with Jesus, the apostles and the original followers who met wherever they could to teach and discuss the implications of the gospel. They avoided having special buildings for “worship”. That was not necessary when unselfish, Spirit-led believers opened their homes and Jesus’ family life was embraced in a new brotherhood with eating, drinking, thankfulness and encouragement.

Sure. I too know about some little home groups which can be as toxic and off-track as institutional set-ups with awful manipulation and leader domination of the people. Sadly. However these groups are invariably small in size and the damage is small and limited compared to the corporate, multi-national organisations with their huge budgets, marketing techniques and paid support staff. If the man at the top, the CEO, is in error or misbehaves, thousands are led astray. Wolves are common, but they do far more damage where there are bigger flocks.

There are huge drawbacks with having special religious buildings for ‘worship’, a concept unknown in followers of Jesus until the 3^rd century when the rot of Christendom really set in.

They are costly, they use valuable land, they are used wastefully and spasmodically, they shout ‘look at us’, they perpetuate a spirit of grandeur and triumphalism. They preach the wrong message –dominance instead of servanthood, the remoteness of God instead of his present love.  Their architectural form does not fit the function of one-anotherness everywhere emphasized in the New Testament. Their programs often encourage laziness, an attitude of being served, self-righteousness, exclusiveness, conservatism and mystery. Preaching? Well, that is another sacred cow.

Ekklesia (translated ‘church’ in most English bibles) in the New Testament means people gathered around Jesus to encourage one another. Buildings were irrelevant. Time and place were incidental. ‘Programs’ were unknown, except for those breathed upon them by the Holy Spirit.

How the Letter to the Hebrews reflects these concepts! Remarkable, because it is such a Jewish approach without Gentile influence.

Is it not from habitual adherence to dead tradition that we continue to desire holy places instead of holy people? Maybe it is even disobedience, not hearing what God truly wants for his gathered ones.

Father, your will be done here on earth just as it is in heaven.

This is the first day

This is the first day of the rest of your life!

It can be a new beginning.

He makes all things new

So

May this day you have been entrusted with and the day after and the day after that, and so on into eternity,

be fruitful in terms of the Kingdom of God,
Jesus’s movement of liberty, love, light and life.

Jesus said:

“whatever my Dad has not planted will be rooted up”

More from the Letter to the Hebrews. Here’s yet another dire warning from the author (Heb 10:26-31):

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”( Deut. 32:35) and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

We may sin accidentally but to keep on sinning deliberately now that these so-precious things have been made ours for the asking, the taking, is to invite judgment, to court disaster.

Now our author is not talking about the things we often worry about –is this act a sin or is that one? No way.

He speaks here of the unspeakable sin, that of wilfully, deliberately turning away from Jesus, as we have observed previously in chapter 6. The context of this chapter (especially verses 33 to 35) make this plain. In such a state how can there be any sacrifice that can really bring forgiveness and wholeness?  If we reject the ultimate gift, the treasure beyond our wildest imagination, the security apart from which there is no security, the unfathomable love that sent His Son into the hands of corrupt and malevolent mankind and the dread horrors of the cross, …. what then is left for us? Utter darkness. No salvation. No loving assurance. No hope.

Think of a lover who has done all for the beloved but then the beloved one spurns that great love and openness and turns away, spits in the face of the lover. It is the ultimate outrage.

Such is the general state of the human race. The offer of life must be received, taken hold of.

Think about this: the offering Jesus has made is a single offering. It is sufficient for all time, for all people, for all sins! It is totally sufficient. It cannot be repeated. It will not be repeated. That would be totally unnecessary, unlike the ceremonial rituals which pointed to the real and have now been replaced. Finally.

Yet this immeasurable offering cannot be taken lightly, frivolously. We cannot assume God’s grace, take it for granted, not feel the despair, the dread it replaces.

This grace is such astronomically great news. Our refusal of that gift is breathtakingly stupid, insane, suicidal.

Yet even such a decision by an individual is respected by the Lord God, the loving Father –a decision to put oneself far away from all that is good and solid, all that is real and true, so valuable is our personhood, the image we bear, that we can never escape from. Our freedom to turn away from such love remains eternally.

As followers, we may find ourselves sinning again and again after believing, because of our constant fallibility. Yet his great sacrifice remains for us. Jesus’ words about the 7 times 77 forgiveness reminds us we may be forgiven again and again and again. His forgiveness is inexhaustible. Remember, we are taught to forgive others who sin against us after that pattern in Jesus’ so-called Lord’s Prayer.

But if we take all this grace for granted without feeling the horror, the dread, the enormous cost to the Son of God in his offering, our hearts will be progressively hardened and the point may be reached when we fall away from that wonderful provision of grace and mercy. So hardened, that we may lose all capacity to turn to our loving heavenly Dad. We will have insulted the Spirit of grace.

What then is appropriate for us now, as we read these words?

In God’s purposes, it is never too late. We must enter, truly, deliberately, decidedly, determinedly, enter God’s household, by His design –by the blood of Jesus. There is no other way, no other name is given under heaven to save us. This is also the consistent affirmation of the apostles Paul, Peter and John.

No other way. Some may introduce another way— “my way”. When we face judgment, accounting for our lives, our words, our actions, our thoughts, will you be confessing “Your will be done”?

Or will your song be “I did it my way”?