Hebrews 11 (WEB)
Dr. House speaks in the Colosseum at Beit Shean (Scythopolis) about the biblical view of success from Hebrews 11.
I'm standing here in the Colosseum at Beit Shean, in the Jordan River Valley of Israel.
And this is a very important site to me, because this particular place is where a lot of early Christians, and many Jews who were not Christians, actually suffered and died in this particular place.
They fought beasts.
They had to fight each other.
They were put to death.
Not all were taken to Rome.
Many came here.
And this is what you call an amphitheater, unlike a theater that you might see Caesarea by the sea, or the theater at Ephesus.
This is in the round.
It's an amphitheater, or what in Latin is called a colosseum.
And in coming to this place, it made me think about one of my favorite passages of Scripture, maybe yours, and that is Hebrews chapter 11.
The length of the chapter doesn't give us opportunity to really go through it, but there's a setting forth of a litany of individuals who in the past of the history in the Old Testament, including Abraham and coming on down to prophets and others, who had a lot of success.
Individuals like Gideon, who conquered armies, and Joshua, and people like Rahab and her faithfulness shown by the fact that she hid the spies.
And we just have a long list of these kind of individuals.
But I want to just start off in verse 33, where the author, having mentioned a number of people by name, decided, I can't mention everyone, so let me just sort of give categories, and he says…
See, when you read to that point from the beginning of the chapter, it seems that this is the Christian life.
God wants you, God loves you, wants to save you, and He wants to give you a really, really fruitful life of just — you're going to be a victor, you're going to succeed, you're going to triumph in all the situations of life,
you're always going to be on the top.
You see, that's not the real Christian life.
And sometimes God chooses to work through us and bring those events about, but that's not always the case.
For when you read on in the passage, in 35b, it says others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, of chains and imprisonment.
They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with a sword.
He goes on to say they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted and tormented, of whom the world was not worthy.
They all obtained a good testimony, he says, through faith.
What I want to impart to you from this passage is, I think, a truth that we need to grab hold on.
And that is, God has not called you and me to success in the way the world lives to success.
The idea of the world is that you've got to work your way up the ladder.
You've got to step on other people's hands that are trying to go there too.
You've got to succeed.
See, success in the world may not be the success with God, because these people who died, who suffered, who tormented, who wandered, were just as faithful as those that had the great victories in battle.
I guess what I'm trying to say to you is that success from a godly standpoint is determined by God.
God has not called us to success in the world's way of thinking of success.
God has called us to faithfulness, and we leave the rest to Him.
1Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. 2For by this, the elders obtained approval. 3By faith we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.
4By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous, God testifying with respect to his gifts; and through it he, being dead, still speaks.
5By faith Enoch was taken away, so that he wouldn’t see death, and he was not found, because God translated him. For he has had testimony given to him that before his translation he had been well pleasing to God. 6Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.
7By faith Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
8By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went. 9By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead.
13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return. 16But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17By faith, Abraham, being tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his only born son, 18to whom it was said, “Your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac,” 19concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Figuratively speaking, he also did receive him back from the dead.
20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come.
21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
23By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25choosing rather to share ill treatment with God’s people than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time, 26considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.
29By faith they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do so, they were swallowed up.
30By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.
31By faith Rahab the prostitute didn’t perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies in peace.
32What more shall I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets— 33who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee. 35Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment. 37They were stoned. They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated— 38of whom the world was not worthy—wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth.
39These all, having been commended for their faith, didn’t receive the promise, 40God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.