Welcome back church! It's great to be back with you all today. We have been refreshed and blessed to have a time of sabbatical together. Much of our time has been spent in the preparation for our African Adventure next year, as well as some rest with family. Ben and Emma, our middle son married during this time. Sam and Susanna became parents to Joshua David Jackson. I woke up next to a Nana. Barbie woke up next to me!
We have been looking at Heroes of Faith as a church themes this year. Today we are going to look at Anonymous Heroes.
Hebrews 11:35-40 (NKJV): Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. [36] Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. [37] They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented- [38] of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. [39] And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, [40] God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
In this amazing roll call of the Heroes of Faith in Hebrews 11 the author runs of out time (32), briefly recounting the exploits of so many, now moves to the accounts of the un-named heroes. These are people who looked for their promise but it never came in their lifetimes.
What were they waiting for? The first advent of Christ (40)! They were waiting for all those promises of the OT to come to fruition in the Messiah. They had known persecution and troubles and occupation and oppression but also the hope of individual resurrection (cf. 1 Kings 17:17-24; also eventual resurrection of all, Isaiah 26:19; Job 19: 25-26; Daniel 12:2).
We now live in the time of promise that they had waited and died for. We live in the year of the Lord’s favour (Isaiah 61:2a).
In fact we are living between two distinct points in human history. We live between two promises of the Messiah.
Promise one: the first coming of the Lord as Messiah. Promise two: the second coming of Jesus as King over all.
One of these points in behind us but the effects of this we now enjoy - the New Covenant has been established. The other is in our future, the return of Jesus when everyone shall see Him (Revelation 1:7). In one sense Father God is already there, being the God of time. He sees the moment, the very second, and the rest of us are watching and waiting for Earth’s destiny to collide with Heaven’s timetable (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13: 33).
We live in this paradox and tension of the now but not yet. We live in the new covenant of Father, but not yet in total reality of eternity with Jesus as the returned, victorious King.
In some respects the testimony of Hebrews 11 could read as those who have waited patiently for the second advent of Christ yet have passed away, been persecuted and martyred for their new found faith in Christ. Truly the world was not worthy of any of these saints (11:38). Many of these are in the persecuted Church in some of the most difficult countries in the world to be a Christian. Honestly, we don't; have a clue when it comes to persecution. In the UK we are living in a culture of opposition and undermining. Full on persecution has not come to us yet. It will I am sure. But we do not suffer martyrdom for our faith, imprisonment, impoverishment or beatings.
Jesus was clear no one knows the moment of the Second Coming except Father God:
Matthew 24:36 (NKJV): "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
If you ask a believer in North Korea when Christ is coming they'd probably pace threat event at immediately immanent, looking at the signs around them. If you ask a typical Christian in the UK, they'd be nominally aware, but probably not feel the same sense of urgency.
So how do we live as Heroes of Faith between the now and the not yet?
Live Heroically Where You Are
We are all in one sense anonymous heroes. We may never be known beyond our own church, our own neighbourhood, our own circle of influence.
How do we live heroically where we are?
- Shrewdly and gently:
Matthew 10:16 (NKJV): "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
I know many of us live in a fear induced coma when it comes to sharing our faith. This is why Jesus said we have to be wise as serpents (cunning and clever) but appear as harmless as doves. We have to pick our moments. Jesus promised all His church persecution (Mark 10: 16-26). No one is exempt.
- Compassionately and passionately
Colossians 3:12:Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
You know many here to day will not feel that heroic. You're doing your best to just get through life. Let me point out how heroic some of you are (I don’t have time to go through an exhaustive list):
You’re heroic when:
- you model marital faithfulness for the long hall.
- you’re heart is broken but you still trust in the God who heals you.
- your spouse walks out but you keep your head up and provide for your kids
- when you battle daily with anxiety but keep trusting in Jesus to calm your storm
- when you give up some of your time, money and talent to help those less fortunate than you
- when life gives you lemons and you make lemonade and then sell that lemonade for a profit!
- when circumstances are against you but you choose to believe in the God of the circumstance
- when the heat is on and you choose to burn brighter than before
- When you are wronged again and again but choose daily to forgive
This church is literally packed with heroes and heroines.
- Meekly and decisively
Matthew 5:5 (NKJV): [5] Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
Meekness is not weakness. It is not the embarrassment about who we are in Christ. It is not fear or false humility. Meekness is not weakness but strength under control.
That means we can make decisions based on our callings in God without having to self promote, self-justify and self-appease our self esteem.
It means we walk in the confidence of those who know there is an inheritance, those who know who their Jesus is and those who know that we serve and eternal purpose beyond ourselves.
Meek Christians are driven by Father God’s big tapestry, not their daily lives. They live in a way where the world is not worthy of them but live in a way worthy of the calling that they have received (Ephesians 4:1).
Live Prayerfully Where You Influence
There is a secret sin that pervades the Western Church. It is not talked about and everyone knows that it is wrong but we cannot see how to change our lifestyles to remedy it. It is the sin of prayerlessness. Don't think that not being able to pray is a sin? Here’s the truth:
1 Samuel 12:23: As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.
And I will teach you the way that is good and right.
Three kinds of prayers to be praying in our work place, our schools, colleges, universities. Where ever you are is where you influence!
- watch and pray = into the seasons in which society and the world is in.
Matthew 26:41: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Watching in the context that Jesus was speaking was not merely observation. It was to pray so that we did not replicate what was happening around us, that we would be seen to be different.
Observe what is happening in your social contexts and take it to the Lord!
- In the gap = you are where you are to intercede and to pray for those who would not pray for themselves
Ezekiel 22:30: “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.
Psalm 106:23: So he said he would destroy them—had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.
People are facing eternal pain and destruction and do not even know it.
Heroic saints are those who will pray and intercede for them before God.
Pray for people who don’t know how to pray for themselves.
Pray for those who who do not know Jesus that they will come not reap what they sow!
- Pray for the harvest = the instruction is to actually be an active participant in the harvest. Pray for and act upon the opportunity to witness.
Luke 10:2: He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Right where you are socially there is a harvest. There a people needing Jesus. Pray for the boldness to share your story.
Wrapping this up:
Anonymous Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. They are old and young, short and tall, fat and thin, rich and poor. They all have one thing in common. They have chosen to believe that they are powerful that they can change their world.
They have chose to believe and put into practice two promises of God over every believers life:
That God can do immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)
And
The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you (Rom 8:11)
Keep moving forward you Heroes of Faith!
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