HEBREWS 11:36

In this part of Hebrews chapter eleven we are being given examples of those who lived by faith and what happened to them because of their faith. Initially we were told of those who saw great victories through faith, such as Gedeon, and Samson, and David, and Samuel. But now we are going to be told of those who suffered for their faith. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:36-37, “And others had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented.” Some believers have had terrible, terrible consequences that they experienced because they believed and trusted in the Lord Jesus. Notice the first one on the list: “cruel mockings.” Perhaps this is the first one given in this verse because it can be the greatest suffering of all. We are all social creatures, and we are greatly affected by the opinions of others. When you have done kind deeds and good deeds to others, it is a terrible thing to be mocked. But if you are living by faith, you value the Lord’s opinion more than man’s opinion. That is one of the reasons that you are willing to live by faith.

Another thing that we notice when we look at Hebrews 11:36-37 is that it is a list that encompasses almost all of the cruelties that man is capable of doing against man. Many of these cruelties lead directly to death. Others lead to years of suffering and even life-long suffering. That is what can happen to those who choose to live by faith. If they continue to live by faith in Christ in spite of what they must suffer, they win a great victory. There will be those who suffer greatly in this life, but who will be given great rewards in heaven. Rejected by man, but accepted by God: that is their fate. It is a much better fate than those who have chosen to please man and to reject Christ. They will receive their good things in this life, and then they will suffer in hell forever. Concerning the rich man who died with such a fate and went to hell, Jesus said in Luke 16:25, “But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.”

Concerning those who have lived by faith and suffered greatly for it, the Bible says in Hebrews 11:38-40, “Of whom the world was not worthy: they wandered in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Notice that it says that they “received not the promise.” That is the exact opposite of what it says in Hebrews 11:33 of others who lived by faith and thus “obtained promises.” That is because God chooses the time that He will fulfill His promises. Some people see partial fulfillment in this life, but some will not see the fulfillment until the next life. God has a different will for everyone.

God is building His eternal kingdom. What happens in eternity is what is really important. Of course, His kingdom is made up of people: people who believe in Jesus. That kingdom will not be complete until everyone of us has finished our journey of faith. That is why verse 40 says, “that they without us should not be made perfect.” The word that is translated “perfect” means “complete.” Verse 40 means, “that they without us should not be made complete.”

The Bible says in Hebrews 12:1, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” In this verse living a life of faith is compared to being in a race. Undoubtedly the writer of the book of Hebrews was familiar with the great athletic contests that sometimes took place in the Roman Empire. If a runner took a weight upon himself, he would have no chance to win a race. Do you have a “weight” that keeps you from living the life of faith? Your weight could be some distraction, or some entertainment, or some habit, or some way of thinking that keeps you from trusting in Christ each moment of the day. Of course, sin will weigh anyone down, and sin will keep any believer from living by faith. That is why it is so important to confess our sins frequently.

This verse does truthfully say that sin “doth so easily beset us.” The author includes himself in this terrible human tendency to sin. The Apostle John did the same thing when he wrote in First John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” If you want to live by faith, do everything that you can to avoid sin. Fear sin, flee sin, and hate sin. But if and when you do sin, make sure that you quickly confess your sin to Christ so that you can be forgiven by Him and continue to walk by faith in Him. It says in First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

As we think about the life of faith and the challenge of living it with all of the obstacles that this world can give, we have all of the believers who went before us as examples. We also have the lord Jesus Christ as an example. It says in Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This is a tremendous verse of the Bible. It starts out by saying, “looking unto Jesus.” We turn our eyes away from whatever else we might be looking at and we look to Jesus. That is the life of faith: “looking unto Jesus.” It is continuous in nature. We look to Him because He gives us faith. We do not necessarily look to Jesus because we have faith. We look to him in order to gain faith. We look to Him, and then He gives us the benefits of faith. Jesus is the “author” of our faith. Jesus created our faith. He gave faith to us. Faith is a gift. If you have faith in Jesus as your Savior, it is only because He created the faith in your heart at the moment that you looked to Him.

Jesus is also the “finisher” of our faith. He is the One who must make our faith complete. Jesus is the One who must increase our faith and make it as strong as it can be. As we journey towards heaven, Jesus wants us to arrive there with a strong faith in Him. That is His will for each one of us. The only way that our faith will become strong and then stay as strong as it can be is if we are “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”

As our example, Jesus endured the cross. Yes, He went to the cross to die for our sins; but when He went to the cross, He also gave an example for us to follow. We are supposed to live this life the way that Jesus lived it. As a matter of fact, in Hebrews 12:1 we are told to “run with patience.” The word that is translated “patience” comes from the same word that is translated “endured” in verse two. To have patience means to endure until the end whatever difficult thing that God has given you to endure. Jesus did say in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” One of the good things is that He also said in Matthew 11:29-30, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Hebrews 12:2 says that when Jesus went to the cross that He was “despising the shame.” The “shame” has to do with the fact that Jesus, the Lord of glory, was made low. He was looked down upon. He was mocked. You know how you feel when you do not receive the respect that you deserve. What suffering it must have caused the eternal God to have been in the form of a man and to have felt this shame! How did He do it? How did He accept it? For one thing, Jesus looked forward to the joy, the great joy that his suffering would result in. Every person who goes to heaven bows at the feet of Jesus with the greatest of joy imaginable. There is “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” If Jesus was motivated by the future joy that will come, we also should be.

After the suffering there came joy. Also after the suffering there came reward and power. After Jesus suffered in the will of God, He sat “down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The right hand of the Father is a place of power and authority. Of course, no one will be given the amount of power that Christ has. Jesus has all power. But believers will be given power and rewards in heaven based upon their service and their suffering now.

Returning to the truth that Jesus is our example of how to live in this life of suffering, the Bible says in Hebrews 12:3-4 “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” Verse two told us that Jesus endured the cross. Verse three tells us that Jesus endured “such contradiction of sinners against himself.” The word that is translated “contradiction” literally means to have words against. It means to be in opposition to. Human beings ought to support one another in their endeavors. We need each other, and it does hurt when we have good purposes but others oppose us and speak against us. Learn to support others with kind and encouraging words when you see that they are involved in good purposes, and you will accomplish something that very few people are good at doing.

In this passage of scripture the Holy Spirit has been teaching us many details about the life of faith. What can happen to a believer that results in him no longer living the life of faith? Hebrews 12:3 gives an important detail on how to continue to live a life of faith. It says, “lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” The battle for the life of faith is fought primarily in the mind. Are you trusting in Christ? That depends upon what you are thinking about. If you are thinking about Him in the right way, and if you are trusting in Him every moment of the day; then and only then are you living by faith. If you win the battle of the mind, then you win everything. If you lose the battle of the mind, then you lose everything in regards to the life of faith.

In the New Testament we find a constant emphasis on the mind and on the thought process. If you think the thoughts that you ought to think, then you will serve God and live by faith in Christ. If you do not think the thoughts that you ought to think, then you will not live by faith. For example, the Bible says in Second Corinthians 11:3, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” Ephesians 4:23 says, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” It says in Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” It says in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The Bible says in Second Thessalonians 2:2, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” The Bible says in Second Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Peter wrote in First Peter 1:13, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Here is how the life of faith works in the mind. A Christian hears a promise about Christ and believes the promise. Later something negative happens to the Christian, and then the Christian must interpret what has happened and react to it. For example, Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” When something bad happens, do I think about this promise and then say, “It will work together for good because God keeps His promises. It may appear to be bad, and from a human standpoint it may very well be bad. I wish that it had not happened, but even so I know that it will work together for good. Some how and some day the good that God brought from this will be shown. I accept it, and I see it as something that is part of God’s good design for my life and for His good purposes.”

___________________________________________________