WEBVTT

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 Our scripture reading is from the New Testament, from Hebrews chapter 11, verses 32 to 40.

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! And at the very beginning you're going to see in Hebrews 11, verse 32, that the author's going to say,

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! And remember that Hebrews is a sermon, and so he's saying something like, do we have enough time to talk

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 about all these great people here? And so that's what he's saying to us as we begin this reading.

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 So let's read together, Hebrews 11, 32 to 40.

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 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release

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 so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging,

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 and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were killed with the

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 sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated, of whom the world

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 was not worthy, wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

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 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

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 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

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 This is God's holy word.

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 Well, it's lovely to see you all this evening as we come to the end of our chapter that we've been

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 working through for a couple of months. The end of the chapter, not quite the end of our series,

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 because David's going to just borrow the first few words, the first few verses from chapter 12

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 next week as he rounds off our series. But what have we been looking at throughout the past few weeks

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 as we've been going through Hebrews chapter 11? Well, we've started off by thinking about

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 these Old Testament heroes of the faith who were commended by God for their faith, for their trust in him,

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 how they lived their lives that way. And the writer's taken us chronologically. He's taken us right from

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 the beginning of the Bible. He begins talking about Cain and Abel, the sons of the first man and woman.

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 And then we move to Enoch. Enoch was, you'll remember if you were here, taken by God, not seeing death,

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 taken up. We moved on to Noah. And Noah, of course, followed God and he was saved from the mighty flood

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 that took away the world along with his family. We saw that we moved then on to Abraham. Abraham,

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 to whom was made incredible promises to him personally, and that through Abraham and through his seed,

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 the whole world was going to be blessed. We moved through Abraham and his wife, Sarah, to his son,

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 Isaac. And you'll recall, God tested Abraham's faith. And we moved on to his grandson, Jacob,

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 and then his son, Joseph, who was taken as a slave into Egypt. And he rose up, didn't he, Joseph, with God's help.

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 And then we're in Egypt. And we thought about Moses, who led God's people back out of Egypt,

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 out of slavery. God took them out and to the edge of another land. And then we thought about

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 the Israelites taking the city of Jericho as they looked for a city of their own, and how

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 a prostitute called Rahab was saved because she put her faith in God. An extraordinary tale, a family

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 saga that spans many generations. But you'll notice that this family is not a family of blood. There's

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 some other people in there who are not direct lineage of Adam or Abraham or others. So this isn't a family

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 based on who you're born to. This is a family based on who your faith is in. Now, the writer of Hebrews 11

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 writes by faith 19 times. And he's used by faith every time he's introduced a new historic figure or

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 introduced the things that they became known for, renowned for. And that's really important because

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 none of these people achieved these things that they achieved on their own strength in and of themselves.

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 They were able to accomplish any of these things because they lived by faith. They lived the way

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 that they lived. They did the things that they did because they had faith in the promises that God made

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 to them. So the writer to the Hebrews is saying to his audience the same thing that he's saying to us

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 tonight. He's saying, I know you've had trials. I know it's difficult. I know that following Jesus is

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 not always easy. But look how these amazing heroes of the path kept their faith in God despite the

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 things that they went through. The good things that they went through, the hard things that they went

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 through. Look at what they did and look forward to the fulfillment of what God has promised. So that's a

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 recap of how we've got to where we are tonight. Tonight we're going to look at that short passage

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 that Corey read, verses 32 to 40. And I think it divides nicely, for my purposes at least tonight,

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 into three parts. So first of all, we're going to think about the good things that living by faith

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 accomplished. And then we'll see the bad things that living by faith allows people to endure.

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 And then we'll read about the perfect reality Christians living by faith look forward to.

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 The good, the bad, and the perfect. Okay, let's start with the good. The good living by faith

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 accomplished. So as Corey already said, the writer begins with, what more can I say? If you've ever

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 been to like more than one church sermon, the minister's probably said, the preacher's probably said,

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 I can't fit all of this in. I'd love to say more about this. I just can't say it all.

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 And the writer to the Hebrews is saying the same thing. He's not saying I've run out of material.

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 These are all the guys that did really well, all the people that live by faith. And I don't know what

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 else to say. He's saying, I couldn't possibly fill the pages that I have because of the amount

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 of incredible things that God did through people who lived by faith. So instead, what he does is he

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 skips from giving us brief stories about the individuals to giving us a list. And he lists

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 names Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel. And then he uses a collective term prophets,

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 which encompasses another whole group of people. And he doesn't explain who these individuals are.

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 These are household names. Everyone knows. Everyone he's writing to, they know who these people are.

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 They don't need an introduction. Maybe for us, Gideon was called by God. And he went into his town

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 and he tore down an altar and an idol that was made to the false God. And then later on, maybe you'll

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 remember if you've read in the book of Judges, God gives him an army of only 300 men. And he wins an

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 incredible battle against 135,000. And then Samson, or Barak, sorry, was next. And he obeyed God's

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 command when he was told to go and attack the mighty Canaanite army. And then Samson is the guy,

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 maybe we know, he had incredible strength. He killed a thousand people who were oppressing his own people.

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 He didn't even have any proper weapons. He just used whatever he had to hand. And then even at the end

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 of his life, he relied on God to give him his strength. And he brought down a whole bunch of

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 other enemies as he was dying. And then Jephthah, he was a mighty warrior. He won a great victory over

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 another group of people, the Ammonites. And his victory was so impressive that he destroyed,

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 or he had victory over 20 villages and towns and cities. David's probably the best known of all.

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 He was the king of Israel. He famously killed a giant. He led the people to many great victories and

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 many great things. And then Samuel the prophet, he offered the people the words of God, offered great

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 wisdom to Israel as they lived before God. These icons of the Old Testament, they all achieved

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 spectacular things, supernatural victories in some cases. But the message, as we've already touched on,

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 is not, look at how great these guys are. You should try and train like Samson did. You should

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 study like Samuel did. The real message is, look how powerful living by faith is.

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 Because when we scratch a little bit further beneath the surface of each of these individuals,

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 and the stories are all there for us in the Bible to look at, we see that these are not

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 perfect people. They've not got super faith. When we make Gideon, he's hiding

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 from his enemies. And he asks God over and over again, God, are you really going to do this? Are you

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 really going to do this? Are you really going to do this? Are you really going to do this? He's

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 uncertain that God's going to come through for him. And then at the end, he ends up taking,

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 making a kind of apron thing out of gold, which is used to worship false gods. And then if you look

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 at Barak, so he went into battle. Yes, he did. But he would only go if the powerful prophetess Deborah

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 would go with him. He had trusted the prophetess that he could see with his eyes more than he trusted

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 in God. And Samson, we maybe know, did many things. He was a Nazarite people who made special vows to

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 God about the way that they were going to live. And he broke those vows. And he loved to show off

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 his strength. He chased after women. Jephthah bargained with God. And it was tragic. He made a deal. He

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 made a vow, a rash vow that ended up in the sacrifice of his own daughter, tragically. And we

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 know David had an affair with a married woman. And not only that, but he then sent her husband right

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 into the front of the battle, into the heat of the battle. And he told the captain of his army to

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 withdraw so that this guy was definitely going to be killed. And then Samuel's flaws maybe don't seem so

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 obvious. But when we read about his sons who were greedy and they were selfish, they were happy to

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 take bribes. And he still made them judges, governors over the people. It's not to run these men down.

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 I'm not trying to say that these guys are not as good as we think they are. It's to demonstrate

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 that it wasn't because of who they are that they were able to do what they did. And verse 33 of our

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 passage explains it for us. It says, who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained

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 promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword,

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 were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. So because we've

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 worked our way through the whole chapter, we realize that the most important words in that couple of

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 verses is not conquering kingdoms or enforcing justice. The most important words are through faith.

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 These heroes are only heroes because God worked his mighty deeds through them, because they lived

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 with faith. They lived by faith in God's promises. And I hope that's an encouragement for us as we sit

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 here tonight. Because God's not asking us to be superheroes. He's not asking us to emulate super

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 saints who had super faith. These were flawed people who merely trusted in God. And that means that

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 no matter how strong you feel, no matter how weak you feel, God wants you to put your trust in him.

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 It means you can put your trust in God, no matter what your current circumstances are.

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 Despite your fears, despite your weaknesses, despite your temptation to walk away from following after

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 God, to take an easier path when things get hard. You're unlikely to face a lion on the royal mile

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 when we get out of church tonight, or expect to take up your sword when you go to work tomorrow.

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 But living by faith is still the way Christians are to live today. Because living by faith is how God's

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 kingdom breaks into the world. So it's not your own strength that's going to allow you to go into the office

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 tomorrow and refuse to inflate the price of a job because it would make you look better to your boss.

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 Or it's not your own righteousness that's going to help you shut down gossip between colleagues.

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 Or keep quiet when you hear Christians talking badly about other people in ways that's unfair.

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 It's not because you're exceptionally selfless that you give money to charity when you can think of a

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 hundred ways that you could use that money yourself. No, it's because you trust in Jesus. You're enabled

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 to live by faith. Of course, non-Christians do these things too. Lots of non-Christians do incredible good

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 things. But history shows us that disproportionately Christians do good in the world.

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 for the sake of others. Faith trusts in things that are unseen. But its effects are seen in the world

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 all around us, in the lives of people who live by faith. So we get to verse 35. 35 of our passage is a bit

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 of a hinge section, I think. And it hinges on resurrection from the dead. 35 says,

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 women received back their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release

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 in order that they may attain a better resurrection.

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 The resurrection is spoken about twice here. And I think that when the writer is talking about women

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 receiving back their dead, we can think about a couple of occasions in the Old Testament

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 where God's prophets were enabled to bring young men back from the dead after they had died.

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 And you can read about those 1 Kings, 2 Kings. But there's a New Testament scholar called Douglas

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 Moo. And he says that we can think about these resurrections, young men who died and were brought

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 back to life. More like resuscitations. Because they were brought back to life. And that power was

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 supernatural from God. But these young men are going to die again. When the Hebrews writer talks about a

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 better resurrection, the second time he says resurrection, he's talking about a resurrection

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 that will never end. An ultimate resurrection. Being raised from a life that will be eternal.

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 To a life that will be eternal.

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 The bad. So the bad things that living by faith enables Christians to endure.

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 I think Christians are just like everybody else. We sometimes look back. At times gone by and we say,

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 weren't things better then? Ah, the good old days. Everything was easier. If only I lived then instead

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 of now, I'd be a better person than I am. And after all the great names that he's just gone through,

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 maybe the Hebrews are tempted to think the same thing. Maybe they think things were just better

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 the way that they were. The way that they were. The way that they once were. And the writer here stops

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 them from looking back misty-eyed and pining for a better day. Past glories. And he reminds them that

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 while the historic church, the great heroes of the faith, are famous names for living by faith,

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 and they achieved great things, it's also full of suffering.

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 Verse 36 says,

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 others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment.

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 They were stoned. They were sawn in two.

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 They were killed with a sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats,

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 destitute, afflicted, mistreated.

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 And there's lots of real examples of these things happening in the Old Testament. But what more can

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 I say? I don't have time to pick them all out tonight. But what we see here is a stark reminder

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 that living by faith does not mean avoiding suffering. Living by faith means enduring suffering.

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 In chapter 10, the one before this, the writer to the Hebrews has already acknowledged that he knows

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 that these people have endured hard times. He says,

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 there wasn't a good old days when Christians lived in a paradise on earth, when everything was worked out,

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 when they just had to say a prayer and God would make everything happen. In chapter 10, he says

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 that he knows they had been publicly

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 reproached and afflicted.

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 Some of them had been mistreated,

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 seen their friends mistreated, some were put in prison,

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 and they accepted their property

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 being taken away.

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 But he's reminding them that this is the case.

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 This has always been the way.

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 This is the way

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 in the Old Testament. This is the way for the Hebrews.

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 This is the way for us.

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 We're not to live

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 expecting to be given and given and given everything that we need in order to make our life smooth and gentle and easy.

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 These people that he references did not have health or wealth.

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 They were dressed in animal skins.

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 They're not walking about in fur coats.

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 They're living in abject poverty.

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 And unlike the names which introduced the amazing winds

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 in verses 32 to 34,

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 the summary of these sufferings,

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 which is in 35 to 38,

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 it doesn't include any names at all.

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 We can find these things

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 applying to people in the Bible.

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 But the anonymity, I think,

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 it shows that while living by faith

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 is for the most famous people

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 in Bible history,

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 it's also

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 for the exact opposite category.

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 the suffering,

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 the afflicted,

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 the mistreated,

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 the homeless wanderers,

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 the people

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 on their own,

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 without a home,

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 complete unknown.

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 These people,

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 the complete unknowns,

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 are to live in exactly the same way

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 as the most famous names in the Bible.

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 They're to live by faith.

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 And this is also reassuring for us

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 because most of us

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 are not famous.

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 many of us

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 are not going to be.

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 But we're all sufferers.

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 We've all

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 either come through suffering,

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 living through suffering,

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 or you're going to suffer.

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 And to be able to endure that,

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 we need to live by faith

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 in God's promises.

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 So,

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 if you're here tonight

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 and you're sick,

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 or if you're here tonight

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 and you're

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 feeling low

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 about your living situation,

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 or your relationship status,

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 or you feel embarrassed

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 about losing your job,

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 well,

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 know this,

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 that in this world,

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 living by faith

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 does sometimes look like losing.

00:21:11.220 --> 00:21:14.579
 Sometimes living by faith

00:21:14.579 --> 00:21:16.860
 feels like we're losing.

00:21:18.380 --> 00:21:20.180
 Sometimes in the eyes of the world,

00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:22.360
 living by faith is losing.

00:21:25.180 --> 00:21:26.279
 But know too,

00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:28.500
 that worldly riches

00:21:28.500 --> 00:21:30.440
 or success

00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:33.500
 are not a reflection

00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:34.920
 of your faith.

00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:39.320
 true faith

00:21:39.320 --> 00:21:40.860
 holds on

00:21:40.860 --> 00:21:41.720
 in suffering.

00:21:42.580 --> 00:21:43.200
 True faith

00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:44.140
 that holds on

00:21:44.140 --> 00:21:45.000
 in suffering

00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:46.460
 is a guarantee

00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:48.480
 that something much better

00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:49.400
 is coming.

00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:50.259
 Something

00:21:50.259 --> 00:21:51.620
 that won't fade away.

00:21:51.840 --> 00:21:53.000
 Something that lasts forever.

00:21:55.100 --> 00:21:56.500
 Verse 38,

00:21:56.700 --> 00:21:57.519
 the writer says,

00:21:57.980 --> 00:21:58.980
 of whom the world

00:21:58.980 --> 00:21:59.660
 was not worthy.

00:21:59.740 --> 00:22:00.480
 He's talking about

00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:02.120
 these suffering people.

00:22:02.840 --> 00:22:03.200
 And he says,

00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:04.400
 in the eyes of the world,

00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:06.140
 these poor souls

00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:07.040
 wandering around

00:22:07.040 --> 00:22:08.220
 dressed in primitive

00:22:08.220 --> 00:22:10.040
 animal skins

00:22:10.040 --> 00:22:11.720
 in the wilderness

00:22:11.720 --> 00:22:13.780
 among the animals

00:22:13.780 --> 00:22:15.420
 with nothing to offer.

00:22:16.500 --> 00:22:17.440
 They're poor,

00:22:17.540 --> 00:22:18.360
 they're destitute,

00:22:18.940 --> 00:22:20.600
 they're mistreated

00:22:20.600 --> 00:22:22.600
 because they were believed

00:22:22.600 --> 00:22:23.640
 to be worthless.

00:22:25.720 --> 00:22:27.000
 But the Hebrews writer

00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:28.100
 is spinning this round

00:22:28.100 --> 00:22:29.480
 180 degrees.

00:22:30.500 --> 00:22:30.920
 Worthy,

00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:31.420
 he says.

00:22:32.259 --> 00:22:32.920
 It's the world

00:22:32.920 --> 00:22:34.080
 that wasn't worthy of them.

00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:36.200
 Because these people

00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:36.960
 were looking forward

00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:38.480
 to something far greater,

00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:40.180
 far better

00:22:40.180 --> 00:22:41.560
 than even the greatest

00:22:41.560 --> 00:22:41.720
 comforts

00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:43.380
 and riches

00:22:43.380 --> 00:22:44.060
 and powers

00:22:44.060 --> 00:22:44.860
 and pleasures

00:22:44.860 --> 00:22:45.880
 of the world.

00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:49.700
 Okay, thirdly,

00:22:50.300 --> 00:22:51.980
 and finally for tonight,

00:22:52.120 --> 00:22:52.640
 the perfect.

00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:55.460
 The perfect reality

00:22:55.460 --> 00:22:56.940
 Christians living by faith

00:22:56.940 --> 00:22:58.500
 look forward to.

00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:01.460
 So in verse 39,

00:23:01.579 --> 00:23:02.259
 the writer frames

00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:03.259
 this whole section

00:23:03.259 --> 00:23:03.880
 of his letter

00:23:03.880 --> 00:23:05.119
 that's filled with examples

00:23:05.119 --> 00:23:05.839
 of what it means

00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:06.960
 to live by faith.

00:23:08.059 --> 00:23:09.559
 He frames it

00:23:09.559 --> 00:23:12.599
 with the idea

00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:13.680
 of being commended

00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:14.359
 for faith.

00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:15.119
 So we can see that

00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:15.759
 in verse 2

00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:16.519
 at the very top

00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:17.700
 of our chapter

00:23:17.700 --> 00:23:18.779
 and then we see it again

00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:19.900
 here in verse 39.

00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:20.599
 He says,

00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:21.279
 and all these

00:23:21.279 --> 00:23:22.400
 being commended

00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:23.240
 through faith.

00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:26.039
 And then he's commending

00:23:26.039 --> 00:23:26.700
 them at the beginning,

00:23:26.840 --> 00:23:27.360
 he's commending them

00:23:27.360 --> 00:23:27.940
 at the end.

00:23:28.180 --> 00:23:28.860
 And in between

00:23:28.860 --> 00:23:30.039
 the 30 verses or so,

00:23:30.059 --> 00:23:30.620
 he's established

00:23:30.620 --> 00:23:32.200
 that the life of faith

00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:33.200
 is a life of ups

00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:34.319
 and it's a life of downs.

00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:36.059
 It's a life of triumphs

00:23:36.059 --> 00:23:36.779
 and it's a life

00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:38.140
 of sufferings.

00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:39.420
 And that living

00:23:39.420 --> 00:23:40.620
 through faith,

00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:42.180
 we cannot,

00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:43.140
 we do not become

00:23:43.140 --> 00:23:43.779
 puffed up

00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:44.580
 by our achievements

00:23:44.580 --> 00:23:46.640
 because it's not

00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:47.380
 through our own strength

00:23:47.380 --> 00:23:48.440
 that we've achieved anything.

00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:50.539
 But we don't give up

00:23:50.539 --> 00:23:51.799
 in our sufferings

00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:53.360
 because it's

00:23:53.360 --> 00:23:54.720
 by faith

00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:55.860
 that we can endure

00:23:55.860 --> 00:23:56.279
 the things

00:23:56.279 --> 00:23:56.980
 that we're going through.

00:23:57.359 --> 00:23:58.559
 Despite our own weaknesses,

00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:00.119
 we hold on

00:24:00.119 --> 00:24:00.680
 to the God

00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:01.779
 who always keeps

00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:02.299
 his promises.

00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:04.619
 But then look

00:24:04.619 --> 00:24:05.399
 at the second half

00:24:05.399 --> 00:24:06.139
 of verse 39

00:24:06.139 --> 00:24:06.740
 and it says,

00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:07.819
 and all these

00:24:07.819 --> 00:24:08.279
 though commended

00:24:08.279 --> 00:24:08.799
 for their faith

00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:10.519
 did not receive

00:24:10.519 --> 00:24:12.319
 what was promised.

00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:14.720
 And this is a repeated

00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:16.019
 statement from verse 13

00:24:16.019 --> 00:24:17.680
 so we can't miss it

00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:18.319
 in this chapter.

00:24:18.899 --> 00:24:19.899
 But how can that be?

00:24:20.680 --> 00:24:21.559
 How can it be

00:24:21.559 --> 00:24:22.940
 that the good

00:24:22.940 --> 00:24:24.119
 and the suffering

00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:25.419
 who put their faith

00:24:25.419 --> 00:24:26.299
 in God's promises,

00:24:26.299 --> 00:24:27.599
 who endured

00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:28.199
 all these things,

00:24:28.259 --> 00:24:28.719
 who achieved

00:24:28.719 --> 00:24:29.679
 all these things

00:24:29.679 --> 00:24:31.799
 because they had faith

00:24:31.799 --> 00:24:32.479
 in the promises

00:24:32.479 --> 00:24:33.519
 that God made them?

00:24:33.559 --> 00:24:34.019
 How can it be

00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:35.379
 that they did not receive

00:24:35.379 --> 00:24:36.139
 the things

00:24:36.139 --> 00:24:36.979
 that were promised to them?

00:24:38.819 --> 00:24:39.119
 Well,

00:24:39.639 --> 00:24:40.879
 throughout their lives,

00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:41.919
 Abraham and Sarah

00:24:41.919 --> 00:24:42.459
 and Isaac

00:24:42.459 --> 00:24:43.039
 and Jacob

00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:44.039
 and Gideon

00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:44.500
 and Barak

00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:45.639
 and all the others,

00:24:46.919 --> 00:24:47.759
 they all suffered

00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:50.400
 and they all lived

00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:51.599
 with their eyes

00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:52.779
 fixed above,

00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:56.259
 looking to heavenly things,

00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:57.259
 looking to God

00:24:57.259 --> 00:24:57.879
 as they walked

00:24:57.879 --> 00:24:58.519
 through life.

00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:00.180
 And we know

00:25:00.180 --> 00:25:01.460
 verse 33 says,

00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:02.259
 maybe you picked it up

00:25:02.259 --> 00:25:02.819
 when you read it,

00:25:02.859 --> 00:25:03.579
 it says they did

00:25:03.579 --> 00:25:04.339
 obtain promises.

00:25:05.339 --> 00:25:06.059
 They received

00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:07.379
 the fulfillment

00:25:07.379 --> 00:25:08.220
 of some promises,

00:25:09.680 --> 00:25:11.619
 but while they were

00:25:11.619 --> 00:25:13.440
 living by looking up,

00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:14.359
 they were also

00:25:14.359 --> 00:25:15.539
 looking forwards

00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:18.019
 because the promises

00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:19.099
 that they did receive

00:25:19.099 --> 00:25:21.420
 were like a down payment

00:25:21.420 --> 00:25:23.299
 on the real promise,

00:25:23.420 --> 00:25:24.119
 the big promise,

00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:25.379
 the final promise

00:25:25.379 --> 00:25:26.740
 that was to come,

00:25:27.159 --> 00:25:28.659
 the ultimate promise.

00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:30.859
 Right back

00:25:30.859 --> 00:25:31.460
 in the beginning,

00:25:31.779 --> 00:25:33.159
 the beginning of the world,

00:25:34.019 --> 00:25:34.740
 in the garden,

00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:35.859
 Adam and Eve,

00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:37.500
 they sinned

00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:38.079
 and they broke

00:25:38.079 --> 00:25:39.059
 the special relationship

00:25:39.059 --> 00:25:40.079
 they had with God

00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:41.480
 and the punishment

00:25:41.480 --> 00:25:42.059
 that they deserved

00:25:42.059 --> 00:25:42.819
 was death.

00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:45.500
 But despite

00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:46.539
 mankind

00:25:46.539 --> 00:25:48.119
 sinning against God

00:25:48.119 --> 00:25:49.019
 so grievously,

00:25:50.380 --> 00:25:51.660
 God wasn't going

00:25:51.660 --> 00:25:52.539
 to leave them to die.

00:25:53.859 --> 00:25:54.640
 He put them

00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:55.839
 out of the garden

00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:56.619
 to wander.

00:25:57.279 --> 00:25:57.839
 He dressed them

00:25:57.839 --> 00:25:58.680
 in animal skins.

00:25:59.440 --> 00:25:59.900
 Sounds familiar

00:25:59.900 --> 00:26:00.460
 to the passage

00:26:00.460 --> 00:26:01.099
 that we're in tonight.

00:26:02.619 --> 00:26:03.519
 But God made a promise

00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:04.019
 and he said

00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:05.119
 that one day

00:26:05.119 --> 00:26:05.960
 the seed of the man

00:26:05.960 --> 00:26:06.599
 was going to come

00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:07.079
 and he was going to

00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:08.140
 crush the serpent

00:26:08.140 --> 00:26:09.559
 who tempted Adam and Eve

00:26:09.559 --> 00:26:11.519
 to sin against God.

00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:14.019
 And then we jump

00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:15.139
 forward a few generations

00:26:15.139 --> 00:26:15.879
 to Abraham

00:26:15.879 --> 00:26:17.460
 and again God

00:26:17.460 --> 00:26:18.139
 makes promises

00:26:18.139 --> 00:26:19.379
 and he says

00:26:19.379 --> 00:26:20.379
 he's going to bless Abraham

00:26:20.379 --> 00:26:20.960
 but he also says

00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:21.759
 the whole world

00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:22.639
 is going to be blessed

00:26:22.639 --> 00:26:24.200
 through his seed,

00:26:24.639 --> 00:26:25.759
 through his offspring.

00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:28.879
 So it's with those promises

00:26:28.879 --> 00:26:29.579
 in mind

00:26:29.579 --> 00:26:32.160
 that the whole world

00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:33.059
 is going to be blessed

00:26:33.059 --> 00:26:34.000
 that we arrive

00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:35.579
 at verse 40.

00:26:36.859 --> 00:26:38.579
 God hasn't yet fulfilled

00:26:38.579 --> 00:26:39.759
 his promises

00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:41.599
 to them,

00:26:41.859 --> 00:26:42.920
 to the great heroes

00:26:42.920 --> 00:26:43.299
 of old

00:26:43.299 --> 00:26:44.160
 and the great sufferers

00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:44.440
 of old

00:26:44.440 --> 00:26:45.339
 when they died

00:26:45.339 --> 00:26:47.480
 because there's blessing

00:26:47.480 --> 00:26:48.559
 still to come

00:26:48.559 --> 00:26:48.920
 that they were

00:26:48.920 --> 00:26:49.799
 looking forward to.

00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:52.220
 verse 40 says

00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:53.399
 God has provided

00:26:53.399 --> 00:26:54.220
 something better

00:26:54.220 --> 00:26:55.960
 for us.

00:26:57.379 --> 00:26:59.139
 And it's a sudden switch

00:26:59.139 --> 00:27:00.500
 of talking about them

00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:02.619
 to now talking about them

00:27:02.619 --> 00:27:04.220
 and us together,

00:27:04.220 --> 00:27:05.059
 all of us

00:27:05.059 --> 00:27:06.099
 in one.

00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:08.619
 He's saying

00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:10.619
 all the Old Testament saints

00:27:10.619 --> 00:27:12.139
 and on the Hebrew

00:27:12.139 --> 00:27:13.559
 believers,

00:27:15.039 --> 00:27:16.099
 every saint

00:27:16.099 --> 00:27:18.019
 of the church

00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:20.619
 they're going to receive

00:27:20.619 --> 00:27:22.079
 blessing together

00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:25.220
 because the serpent crusher

00:27:25.220 --> 00:27:26.279
 from Adam

00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:28.740
 and the blessed seed

00:27:28.740 --> 00:27:29.279
 of Abraham

00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:31.240
 is the same one

00:27:31.240 --> 00:27:32.319
 who's going to

00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:33.619
 ultimately fulfill

00:27:33.619 --> 00:27:35.259
 all of God's promises

00:27:35.259 --> 00:27:36.839
 for them

00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:38.639
 and for us.

00:27:39.420 --> 00:27:40.440
 And this is Jesus,

00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:42.180
 God's own son

00:27:42.180 --> 00:27:43.079
 who came to save

00:27:43.079 --> 00:27:43.599
 his people,

00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:44.980
 past,

00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:45.700
 present

00:27:45.700 --> 00:27:46.700
 and future

00:27:46.700 --> 00:27:48.980
 all believers

00:27:48.980 --> 00:27:49.880
 across all ages

00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:50.480
 saved

00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:51.740
 by the saving work

00:27:51.740 --> 00:27:52.220
 of God,

00:27:52.319 --> 00:27:52.799
 of Jesus

00:27:52.799 --> 00:27:53.539
 on the cross.

00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:54.960
 And Jesus

00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:56.299
 is the better thing

00:27:56.299 --> 00:27:57.559
 that's been provided.

00:27:59.480 --> 00:28:00.160
 Verse 40 says

00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:01.259
 that apart from us

00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:02.240
 they should not

00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:03.000
 be made perfect.

00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:05.259
 And the way

00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:05.920
 that that's phrased

00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:06.500
 is interesting,

00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:07.400
 it doesn't say

00:28:07.400 --> 00:28:08.700
 that they would be

00:28:08.700 --> 00:28:09.299
 made perfect

00:28:09.299 --> 00:28:09.940
 with us,

00:28:10.380 --> 00:28:11.200
 he frames it

00:28:11.200 --> 00:28:11.779
 negatively

00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:12.920
 to give it emphasis

00:28:12.920 --> 00:28:14.240
 that they should

00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:15.420
 not be made perfect

00:28:15.420 --> 00:28:16.759
 without us.

00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:18.860
 So the patriarchs,

00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:19.880
 the Old Testament

00:28:19.880 --> 00:28:21.180
 heroes

00:28:21.180 --> 00:28:23.039
 and the Old Testament

00:28:23.039 --> 00:28:23.920
 sufferers,

00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:25.500
 they lived

00:28:25.500 --> 00:28:26.440
 by looking up

00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:27.500
 for heavenly guidance

00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:28.060
 but they also

00:28:28.060 --> 00:28:28.880
 looked forward,

00:28:30.019 --> 00:28:30.820
 looking forward

00:28:30.820 --> 00:28:31.600
 to the day

00:28:31.600 --> 00:28:32.960
 of the Christ

00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:33.740
 when the Savior

00:28:33.740 --> 00:28:34.300
 would come,

00:28:34.820 --> 00:28:35.420
 the long

00:28:35.420 --> 00:28:36.700
 expected

00:28:36.700 --> 00:28:38.019
 Messiah.

00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:40.220
 And today

00:28:40.220 --> 00:28:40.960
 we live

00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:41.620
 looking up,

00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:42.120
 we look

00:28:42.120 --> 00:28:43.240
 for heavenly guidance

00:28:43.240 --> 00:28:43.980
 from the Holy Spirit

00:28:43.980 --> 00:28:44.620
 to help us

00:28:44.620 --> 00:28:45.299
 as we walk

00:28:45.299 --> 00:28:46.539
 through our trials

00:28:46.539 --> 00:28:47.819
 and through our troubles

00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:49.259
 and to give thanks

00:28:49.259 --> 00:28:49.819
 to when we have

00:28:49.819 --> 00:28:50.620
 good things happening

00:28:50.620 --> 00:28:51.319
 in our lives

00:28:51.319 --> 00:28:51.960
 that we know

00:28:51.960 --> 00:28:52.799
 that we don't deserve

00:28:52.799 --> 00:28:53.779
 because we're better

00:28:53.779 --> 00:28:54.799
 than anybody else.

00:28:56.299 --> 00:28:57.200
 But we also

00:28:57.200 --> 00:28:57.799
 look back,

00:28:58.579 --> 00:28:59.880
 we look back

00:28:59.880 --> 00:29:01.579
 2,000 years

00:29:01.579 --> 00:29:03.339
 to the cross

00:29:03.339 --> 00:29:05.900
 when the long

00:29:05.900 --> 00:29:06.740
 expected Savior

00:29:06.740 --> 00:29:08.500
 came and lived

00:29:08.500 --> 00:29:09.099
 and died

00:29:09.099 --> 00:29:10.059
 and rose again.

00:29:10.059 --> 00:29:14.019
 they look

00:29:14.019 --> 00:29:14.960
 forward

00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:16.799
 to the arrival

00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:17.559
 of the promise

00:29:17.559 --> 00:29:18.220
 and we look

00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:18.819
 back

00:29:18.819 --> 00:29:20.440
 to the inauguration

00:29:20.440 --> 00:29:21.740
 of the fulfillment

00:29:21.740 --> 00:29:23.119
 of the ultimate

00:29:23.119 --> 00:29:23.659
 promise.

00:29:25.019 --> 00:29:25.139
 And

00:29:25.139 --> 00:29:26.539
 Reformer John Calvin

00:29:26.539 --> 00:29:27.460
 tells us how privileged

00:29:27.460 --> 00:29:28.179
 we are to be

00:29:28.179 --> 00:29:29.299
 in this situation

00:29:29.299 --> 00:29:29.799
 right now.

00:29:31.419 --> 00:29:32.619
 Compared to the people,

00:29:32.759 --> 00:29:33.599
 the old people

00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:34.339
 of faith,

00:29:35.059 --> 00:29:35.500
 we've got

00:29:35.500 --> 00:29:36.440
 incredible blessing.

00:29:36.599 --> 00:29:36.980
 He wrote,

00:29:36.980 --> 00:29:39.019
 a tiny spark

00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:39.720
 of light

00:29:39.720 --> 00:29:40.500
 led them

00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:41.039
 to heaven.

00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:42.380
 But now

00:29:42.380 --> 00:29:43.180
 that the sun

00:29:43.180 --> 00:29:43.839
 of righteousness

00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:45.039
 shines on us,

00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:46.259
 how can we have

00:29:46.259 --> 00:29:47.180
 any excuse

00:29:47.180 --> 00:29:48.240
 not to live

00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:48.900
 by faith?

00:29:50.180 --> 00:29:51.279
 They had a tiny

00:29:51.279 --> 00:29:52.200
 spark of light

00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:52.740
 and that's what

00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:53.319
 they looked forward

00:29:53.319 --> 00:29:53.599
 to.

00:29:54.680 --> 00:29:55.539
 But we've got

00:29:55.539 --> 00:29:56.579
 the sun of righteousness

00:29:56.579 --> 00:29:58.140
 to look back on.

00:29:59.140 --> 00:30:00.240
 What he has achieved

00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:01.019
 on the cross.

00:30:01.980 --> 00:30:02.660
 What a blessing

00:30:02.660 --> 00:30:03.480
 to have the account

00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:05.200
 of Christ crucified

00:30:05.200 --> 00:30:06.880
 explained

00:30:06.880 --> 00:30:07.680
 and clearly

00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:08.539
 delivered to us.

00:30:08.600 --> 00:30:09.080
 The promise

00:30:09.080 --> 00:30:09.799
 has arrived.

00:30:09.960 --> 00:30:10.900
 Christ has come.

00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:12.360
 He's fulfilled

00:30:12.360 --> 00:30:12.900
 the law,

00:30:13.559 --> 00:30:14.340
 died for the sins

00:30:14.340 --> 00:30:14.860
 of the people.

00:30:15.940 --> 00:30:16.759
 He's established

00:30:16.759 --> 00:30:17.960
 a new covenant

00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:19.299
 and he's ascended

00:30:19.299 --> 00:30:19.880
 into heaven.

00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:22.240
 While

00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:22.480
 the

00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:25.140
 Old Testament

00:30:25.140 --> 00:30:26.039
 ancestors

00:30:26.039 --> 00:30:27.299
 had to live

00:30:27.299 --> 00:30:27.940
 through their

00:30:27.940 --> 00:30:28.600
 imagination

00:30:28.600 --> 00:30:29.420
 of what the Messiah

00:30:29.420 --> 00:30:30.039
 might be,

00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:31.000
 we can read

00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:31.640
 exactly

00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:33.220
 what it was like.

00:30:33.600 --> 00:30:34.259
 We can see

00:30:34.259 --> 00:30:34.980
 the reality

00:30:34.980 --> 00:30:35.579
 on the pages

00:30:35.579 --> 00:30:36.160
 of the Bible.

00:30:37.900 --> 00:30:38.920
 So while

00:30:38.920 --> 00:30:40.759
 we live

00:30:40.759 --> 00:30:41.420
 looking up

00:30:41.420 --> 00:30:42.559
 for God's help,

00:30:44.599 --> 00:30:46.119
 we look back

00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:48.359
 on the fulfillment

00:30:48.359 --> 00:30:49.339
 of God's promises

00:30:49.339 --> 00:30:51.319
 on the cross.

00:30:53.539 --> 00:30:54.619
 But we also

00:30:54.619 --> 00:30:55.200
 look forward

00:30:55.200 --> 00:30:57.599
 because we look

00:30:57.599 --> 00:30:58.599
 forward to the day

00:30:58.599 --> 00:31:00.400
 when the promises

00:31:00.400 --> 00:31:01.539
 will be made,

00:31:01.879 --> 00:31:02.460
 as verse 40

00:31:02.460 --> 00:31:03.019
 tells us,

00:31:03.019 --> 00:31:04.079
 perfect,

00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:06.319
 fully developed,

00:31:07.160 --> 00:31:07.720
 complete.

00:31:09.200 --> 00:31:10.099
 Jesus founded

00:31:10.099 --> 00:31:10.720
 our faith.

00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:12.639
 He sits now

00:31:12.639 --> 00:31:14.019
 at the right hand

00:31:14.019 --> 00:31:14.680
 of God

00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:15.200
 in heaven

00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:16.660
 and he's coming

00:31:16.660 --> 00:31:17.099
 back.

00:31:18.619 --> 00:31:19.599
 And when he does,

00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:20.900
 he will finally

00:31:20.900 --> 00:31:22.119
 and fully complete

00:31:22.119 --> 00:31:22.660
 the promises

00:31:22.660 --> 00:31:23.299
 that have already

00:31:23.299 --> 00:31:23.680
 begun.

00:31:26.680 --> 00:31:27.920
 Every good thing

00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:29.019
 that God has

00:31:29.019 --> 00:31:29.539
 promised to his

00:31:29.539 --> 00:31:29.879
 people

00:31:29.880 --> 00:31:32.020
 will be fulfilled.

00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:34.540
 So here's the

00:31:34.540 --> 00:31:35.080
 question that we

00:31:35.080 --> 00:31:35.740
 have to ask.

00:31:36.320 --> 00:31:36.960
 At the end

00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:37.760
 of Hebrews 11,

00:31:38.640 --> 00:31:39.200
 this chapter

00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:39.980
 that spans

00:31:39.980 --> 00:31:41.160
 the Old Testament

00:31:41.160 --> 00:31:42.160
 breaks into the

00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:42.740
 new and is

00:31:42.740 --> 00:31:44.080
 pivotal for us

00:31:44.080 --> 00:31:44.800
 as we live

00:31:44.800 --> 00:31:45.500
 our lives today.

00:31:46.660 --> 00:31:47.680
 Is the invisible

00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:48.360
 realm

00:31:48.360 --> 00:31:50.100
 real to you?

00:31:51.740 --> 00:31:51.960
 Well,

00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:52.540
 you can't see it

00:31:52.540 --> 00:31:53.260
 with your eyes.

00:31:54.860 --> 00:31:55.760
 Do you believe

00:31:55.760 --> 00:31:56.960
 in what's described

00:31:56.960 --> 00:31:57.720
 in God's word?

00:31:58.920 --> 00:31:59.620
 Do you trust

00:31:59.620 --> 00:32:00.259
 God's word?

00:32:01.039 --> 00:32:01.819
 Like Abraham

00:32:01.819 --> 00:32:02.400
 and Sarah

00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:03.079
 and Isaac

00:32:03.079 --> 00:32:03.799
 and Jacob

00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:04.880
 and Gideon

00:32:04.880 --> 00:32:05.620
 and Barak

00:32:05.620 --> 00:32:06.079
 and all the

00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:06.440
 others,

00:32:07.299 --> 00:32:08.039
 they believed

00:32:08.039 --> 00:32:08.480
 that God

00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:08.900
 would send

00:32:08.900 --> 00:32:09.340
 a Savior.

00:32:11.380 --> 00:32:12.460
 They lived

00:32:12.460 --> 00:32:13.180
 as if God

00:32:13.180 --> 00:32:13.620
 was sending

00:32:13.620 --> 00:32:14.079
 a Savior.

00:32:14.079 --> 00:32:14.159
 Savior.

00:32:15.480 --> 00:32:16.199
 We live

00:32:16.199 --> 00:32:17.619
 after the

00:32:17.619 --> 00:32:18.419
 arrival of

00:32:18.419 --> 00:32:18.899
 that Savior.

00:32:19.939 --> 00:32:20.359
 We know

00:32:20.359 --> 00:32:20.879
 his name.

00:32:21.339 --> 00:32:21.980
 We can read

00:32:21.980 --> 00:32:22.559
 about his

00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:23.579
 redeeming works,

00:32:24.119 --> 00:32:25.019
 the works

00:32:25.019 --> 00:32:25.220
 that he

00:32:25.220 --> 00:32:25.740
 performed

00:32:25.740 --> 00:32:26.839
 for us.

00:32:27.799 --> 00:32:28.500
 But the

00:32:28.500 --> 00:32:29.119
 question is,

00:32:29.159 --> 00:32:29.960
 is that real

00:32:29.960 --> 00:32:30.500
 to you?

00:32:31.839 --> 00:32:32.539
 Do you know

00:32:32.539 --> 00:32:32.899
 it to be

00:32:32.899 --> 00:32:33.159
 true?

00:32:35.500 --> 00:32:36.139
 Does the

00:32:36.139 --> 00:32:36.679
 reality of

00:32:36.679 --> 00:32:37.819
 Jesus make

00:32:37.819 --> 00:32:38.460
 you strive

00:32:38.460 --> 00:32:38.980
 after the

00:32:38.980 --> 00:32:39.519
 good things

00:32:39.519 --> 00:32:40.000
 of God?

00:32:41.579 --> 00:32:42.220
 Does it

00:32:42.220 --> 00:32:42.819
 inspire you

00:32:42.819 --> 00:32:43.500
 to pursue

00:32:43.500 --> 00:32:44.079
 God?

00:32:45.799 --> 00:32:46.119
 Does it

00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:46.919
 inspire you

00:32:46.919 --> 00:32:47.599
 to live

00:32:47.599 --> 00:32:47.899
 for the

00:32:47.899 --> 00:32:48.759
 good of

00:32:48.759 --> 00:32:49.159
 the people

00:32:49.159 --> 00:32:49.919
 around you?

00:32:51.839 --> 00:32:52.439
 Because

00:32:52.439 --> 00:32:53.480
 whether things

00:32:53.480 --> 00:32:53.819
 are going

00:32:53.819 --> 00:32:54.559
 really well

00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:55.099
 right now,

00:32:56.220 --> 00:32:56.879
 or whether

00:32:56.879 --> 00:32:57.379
 you're really

00:32:57.379 --> 00:32:57.859
 suffering,

00:32:58.779 --> 00:32:59.139
 or whether

00:32:59.139 --> 00:32:59.399
 you're

00:32:59.399 --> 00:33:00.139
 somewhere

00:33:00.139 --> 00:33:00.700
 in between,

00:33:01.659 --> 00:33:03.740
 you can

00:33:03.740 --> 00:33:04.200
 look forward

00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:04.659
 to something

00:33:04.659 --> 00:33:05.099
 better,

00:33:06.359 --> 00:33:06.899
 a better

00:33:06.899 --> 00:33:07.500
 resurrection,

00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:09.079
 to a life

00:33:09.079 --> 00:33:09.740
 that will

00:33:09.740 --> 00:33:10.460
 never end,

00:33:11.480 --> 00:33:12.220
 a better

00:33:12.220 --> 00:33:13.480
 city that

00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:14.519
 God himself

00:33:14.519 --> 00:33:15.660
 has planned

00:33:15.660 --> 00:33:16.839
 and built

00:33:16.839 --> 00:33:17.940
 and perfected

00:33:17.940 --> 00:33:18.759
 for you,

00:33:20.339 --> 00:33:21.059
 a better

00:33:21.059 --> 00:33:22.559
 rest when

00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:22.799
 you'll be

00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:23.880
 free from

00:33:23.880 --> 00:33:24.200
 all the

00:33:24.200 --> 00:33:24.839
 worries and

00:33:24.839 --> 00:33:25.519
 fears and

00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:26.319
 pains and

00:33:26.319 --> 00:33:27.079
 suffering and

00:33:27.079 --> 00:33:27.860
 trials and

00:33:27.860 --> 00:33:29.039
 doubts and

00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:30.500
 troubles and

00:33:30.500 --> 00:33:31.420
 challenges that

00:33:31.420 --> 00:33:31.960
 we all live

00:33:31.960 --> 00:33:32.240
 through,

00:33:33.600 --> 00:33:34.700
 a day when

00:33:34.700 --> 00:33:35.059
 you'll come

00:33:35.059 --> 00:33:35.839
 face to face

00:33:35.839 --> 00:33:36.900
 with the

00:33:36.900 --> 00:33:37.539
 better Adam,

00:33:38.339 --> 00:33:38.799
 the better

00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:39.240
 Isaac,

00:33:39.240 --> 00:33:39.779
 the better

00:33:39.779 --> 00:33:40.180
 Jacob,

00:33:40.740 --> 00:33:41.279
 the better

00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:41.720
 Moses,

00:33:42.579 --> 00:33:42.940
 the better

00:33:42.940 --> 00:33:43.359
 Joseph,

00:33:43.700 --> 00:33:44.079
 the better

00:33:44.079 --> 00:33:44.500
 Israel,

00:33:45.500 --> 00:33:46.519
 the ultimate

00:33:46.519 --> 00:33:47.480
 hero of

00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:47.839
 faith,

00:33:48.440 --> 00:33:49.279
 Jesus Christ,

00:33:50.039 --> 00:33:50.599
 because it's

00:33:50.599 --> 00:33:51.779
 in him that

00:33:51.779 --> 00:33:52.380
 all the

00:33:52.380 --> 00:33:53.039
 promises of

00:33:53.039 --> 00:33:54.240
 God will be

00:33:54.240 --> 00:33:54.599
 fulfilled.

00:33:55.740 --> 00:33:56.700
 Let's pray.

00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:00.420
 Lord God,

00:34:00.500 --> 00:34:01.000
 we ask that

00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:01.539
 you would help

00:34:01.539 --> 00:34:02.460
 us tonight to

00:34:02.460 --> 00:34:03.660
 fix our eyes

00:34:03.660 --> 00:34:04.359
 upon Jesus,

00:34:04.359 --> 00:34:06.699
 the one who

00:34:06.699 --> 00:34:07.939
 came and

00:34:07.939 --> 00:34:08.799
 lived and

00:34:08.799 --> 00:34:09.359
 died and

00:34:09.359 --> 00:34:09.759
 has risen

00:34:09.759 --> 00:34:11.679
 again for

00:34:11.679 --> 00:34:12.259
 his people.

00:34:13.739 --> 00:34:14.000
 And Lord,

00:34:14.059 --> 00:34:14.539
 we look

00:34:14.539 --> 00:34:14.960
 forward to

00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:15.359
 the day he

00:34:15.359 --> 00:34:15.699
 will come

00:34:15.699 --> 00:34:16.199
 again to

00:34:16.199 --> 00:34:16.639
 judge the

00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:17.019
 world.

00:34:19.339 --> 00:34:19.819
 We'll

00:34:19.819 --> 00:34:20.719
 separate those

00:34:20.719 --> 00:34:21.699
 who live by

00:34:21.699 --> 00:34:22.239
 faith and

00:34:22.239 --> 00:34:22.559
 those who

00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:24.019
 don't,

00:34:25.299 --> 00:34:26.159
 not because

00:34:26.159 --> 00:34:27.039
 of the

00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:27.460
 things that

00:34:27.460 --> 00:34:27.639
 we've

00:34:27.639 --> 00:34:28.159
 achieved in

00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:28.480
 life,

00:34:29.199 --> 00:34:29.819
 but because

00:34:29.819 --> 00:34:30.639
 of the

00:34:30.639 --> 00:34:31.259
 achievements of

00:34:31.259 --> 00:34:31.739
 the one in

00:34:31.739 --> 00:34:32.079
 whom our

00:34:32.079 --> 00:34:32.719
 faith is

00:34:32.719 --> 00:34:33.299
 placed.

00:34:34.360 --> 00:34:35.140
 Help us,

00:34:35.240 --> 00:34:35.380
 Lord,

00:34:35.539 --> 00:34:36.780
 to live by

00:34:36.780 --> 00:34:37.320
 faith as we

00:34:37.320 --> 00:34:37.840
 journey through

00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:38.500
 our lives

00:34:38.500 --> 00:34:40.740
 with ups and

00:34:40.740 --> 00:34:41.039
 downs,

00:34:41.160 --> 00:34:41.840
 with wins and

00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:42.180
 losses.

00:34:42.880 --> 00:34:43.360
 Help us,

00:34:43.480 --> 00:34:43.660
 Lord,

00:34:44.200 --> 00:34:45.180
 to love one

00:34:45.180 --> 00:34:45.539
 another,

00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:47.340
 knowing that

00:34:47.340 --> 00:34:47.840
 we are all

00:34:47.840 --> 00:34:48.880
 living this

00:34:48.880 --> 00:34:49.940
 life of faith

00:34:49.940 --> 00:34:50.440
 together.

00:34:51.420 --> 00:34:52.120
 And we pray,

00:34:52.240 --> 00:34:52.519
 Lord, that you

00:34:52.519 --> 00:34:52.880
 would hear all

00:34:52.880 --> 00:34:53.360
 our prayers in

00:34:53.360 --> 00:34:54.000
 Jesus' name.

00:34:54.720 --> 00:34:55.000
 Amen.