Faith's Conquests, Costs, and Compensations, Part 1

We are coming to the end of our study in Hebrews chapter 11. We only have a few more sermons to go to finish out the chapter—that great hall of faith chapter that teaches us how to walk by faith and not by sight, how to truly trust and obey the true and living God, how to believe absolutely in all that he says and behave accordingly to all that he says.

The people in the great hall of faith are those who are righteous according to verse number four, who please God. Verse number five are those in verse number six who are rewarded in verse number 16 of Hebrews 11. There are people that God is not ashamed to call their God, and in verse 38 of Hebrews 11, there are people that the world is not even worthy of—great people of faith. They learn to trust what God said and obey. That's it.

And so we introduced this two weeks ago, but listen carefully because faith receives categorically every precept of God. It relies confidently on every promise of God. It risks courageously for the person of God. It rests calmly in the providence of God and rejoices continually in the purposes of God. That's all Hebrews 11—that's faith. And everybody in Hebrews 11 was triumphant and victorious. Even amidst tragedy, they were triumphant and they always came out victorious.

And so when you read Hebrews 11, the Lord has them there to encourage us, to show us what it means not to walk by sight but walk by faith, trusting and obeying all that God says. I wonder this morning if you're truly a person of faith. We've been studying Hebrews 11 for way over 20 weeks, and I would hope that by now you would come to grips with what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.

But you know, when you think about your life and my life, you gotta ask yourself: Are you victorious? Are you triumphant? Or do you face each day going down to defeat where emotionally you are in the dumps, where spiritually you're faltering, where things around you seem to be overwhelming to you? Or do you rise above them all victoriously because you know that a sovereign God rules over all, and you're trusting him every single day through every event? Many men and women of faith—they do that. They trust the Lord. They rely upon the Lord. They are truly victorious.

Now if I was to ask you how it is the Bible describes the people of God, you could give all kinds of answers. In fact, I wrote some of them down. You would say the people of God are called the children of God, and they are. They're called children of the light. They're called Christians, disciples, followers, faithful friends. We're called sheep, saints, soldiers, witnesses, stewards, slaves, fellow citizens, ambassadors. We are called—excuse me—chosen of God, the elect. We're called branches, heirs and joint heirs, living stones, beloved, living epistles. I mean, the list goes on and on and on, and I'm sure that you could probably come up with a whole slew more of them.

But there's one that's waning. There's one that we don't talk about nearly enough. But it's the one that describes the believer and his triumphant life more so than any other word. It exemplifies the child of God, and the Bible tells us this in 1 John 5 verse number 4: "For whatever is born of God"—are you born of God?—"overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith."

Our faith—our believing in God, our trusting and obeying God, our believing absolutely in all that he says and behaving accordingly to all that he says—causes us to be not just overcomers but victorious. Which, by the way, overcomer means victorious. The verb form is nikao and the noun form is nike. Very important word. It means to be victorious.

It speaks of a victorious warrior. It speaks of those who are winners. They're able to defeat others. And the Greeks believed that man could never win a war. They believed that only gods could win wars, that gods were unconquerable, that gods would be the ones that would conquer everything for them. So when they went to prayer, they went to pray to the goddess Nike, the goddess of victory, trusting that the goddess of victory would take them through their battle and cause them to win.

John picks up on that. Paul also picks up on it. And John says, "Hey, you know what? We are the true victorious ones." And yes, we are the ones who depend upon our God because we know that we, in and of ourselves, don't conquer anything. But God in us and through us conquers everything because we are partakers of the divine nature, right? We are children of the living God. Christ is in us—that is the hope of glory. Christ reigns in us. We have died to self and we have risen with him in his resurrection, and he lives within us. That's the whole uniqueness of the church age—that Christ actually reigns and lives in his people.

And Jesus said these words in John 16:33: "In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. Don't get sad because I have overcome the world"—same phrase used in 1 John chapter 5 verse number 4. And John, on the eve of the crucifixion, is listening to the Lord speak. John now, as he writes his epistle, is saying those of you who are born of God are overcomers. Why? Because he overcame the world and he lives in you. He reigns in you. You don't go down to defeat. You are a victorious warrior. You win because of the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus Christ. You believe in what he has done. You believe in who he is, and we are in an indivisible, indissoluble relationship with the living God. And so he says, "Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world."

Bible says, "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world." In Exodus chapter 15, we realize that in the song of Moses it is sung that the Lord is a warrior. Exodus 15 verse number 3: "The Lord is a warrior and the Lord is his name." He's called the Lord of hosts—Yahweh Sabaoth—used 254 times in the Old Testament, and 202 of those times he's used in the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Malachi, and Zechariah. Because it's all about the Messiah being the Lord of hosts who's going to come again, the Lord of armies who's going to arrive again and destroy the enemies.

Do you understand that the Lord of armies lives within you? So when you go to war, the Lord of armies is leading the way as you go to battle every day. How could we ever go down to defeat? How can we ever lose? That's why the Bible calls us overcomers. In fact, it says in Romans 8:37, not only are you an overcomer, you are an overwhelming conqueror. Not just are you unique—you are hupernike! You are an overwhelming conqueror. You just don't win. You ever watch the game and you barely squeak it out at the end, like, "Boy, glad we got that one"? Would you rather do that, or would you rather pummel and demolish your enemy? I want to pummel and demolish my enemy. I want to destroy them. I want to win going away.

Paul says in Romans 8:37 you are hupernike—you are an overwhelming conqueror through him who loves us. Because it is love for us, we just don't conquer. We are overwhelming conquerors. So John picks up on that in 1 John chapter 5. He deals with that because he wants us to understand that we as believers, because of our trusting obedience in the living God, because we believe absolutely what he said and now we behave accordingly to all that he says, we are victorious. That's Hebrews 11. That's the way they were. They didn't go down to defeat. Amidst all the tragedy, amidst all the hardship, amidst all the difficulty that they went through, they came out the other side victorious. That's why God was not ashamed to be called their God. That's why the world was not even worthy of them.

Yeah, that's our problem. We want the world to think we're worthy of them. That's the problem. These people in Hebrews 11 didn't care. The world was not even worthy of them because they lived by faith. So John describes that in 1 John 5 verse number 4, and listen, he tells us exactly what the writer of Hebrews says about how it is we are victorious, how it is we are overcomers, how it is we win and not lose.

He says this in 1 John 5 verse number 1: "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Okay, so whoever believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God. You cannot be saved unless you believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel, the Messiah of God. Why? John 20:30-31: "These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and that believing in him you would have life in his name," right? So people don't get saved unless they understand who the Messiah is—the Anointed One—because the Anointed One, the Messiah, would be the substitute for your sin and mine.

So whoever believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God. So in other words, you believe absolutely in what God says about the Messiah. You don't question it. In other words, as we said it earlier, you receive categorically—not cautiously, but you receive categorically every precept of God. Whatever God says, we believe it. Whatever God says, we obey it. It's not "God said it, I believe it, that settles it." No, it's "God said it, that settles it, whether or not I ever believe it." Right? If God said it, it's over. It's done.

And those who believe absolutely understand that. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. "He who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him"—that's Hebrews 11 verse number 6. He is what? He's what the Bible says he is. He's who the Bible says he is. He does what the Bible says he does. We don't believe that cautiously. "Well, I think he did this. I think he died on the cross. I think he forgave me my sins. I think he's God in the flesh. I think he's the Messiah."

There's no "think"! You don't think—you know! These things are written, John says, that you may know that you have eternal life. Those who have eternal life know. They don't think. They know they have eternal life because of what Jesus Christ did, and they believe in him. That's called trusting obedience. It's believing absolutely in all that God says he is and all that God says he does.

So John makes it very clear: Who is the overcomer? Who is the winner? Who is the victorious one? Well, it says whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. He says down in verse number 5, "Who is the one who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" Who is the one who overcomes the world? You believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. You believe in the deity of Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the Son of God. He is equal in nature to the character of God. Jesus is God in the flesh. That's the person who's born of God. If you don't believe that, you're not born of God. If you don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel, you're not born of God.

An overcomer understands these things because he takes by faith, not by sight, what God says to be true. That's the greatness about faith. We take it and we receive it categorically without any reservation. Those who receive the word with reservation are not saved. They don't have faith. They don't trust in obedience. They're questioning what God says. Don't question what God says—you believe what he says. He is the Messiah. He is the Son of God. He is the one who died on the cross for your sins. He is the one who forgives you of all your sins. He is the one who does that so you may know you have eternal life. That's why you're an overcomer. Because the one who overcomes the world lives in you. You cannot lose. You always win.

Does it mean that you don't sin? Does it mean that there are no difficult days? No, there are. But how do you get through those difficult days? How do you get through that temptation? How do you get through that battle? How do you handle those difficulties? You trust and obey the living God. You walk by faith and not by sight. That's characteristic of the believer. That's who we are. That's what we do.

So we have told you that faith is believing absolutely in what God says—the precepts of God. Whoever's born again, whoever's born of God, believes that Jesus is the Messiah, believes that Jesus is the Son of God. But not only do you believe absolutely, but you also behave accordingly. John says that as well.

He says, "Yes, and whoever loves the father loves the child born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and observe his commandments. By this we know. By this we know." It's not "by this we think" or "by this I think we know." No, "by this we know." That when you love the children of God, it's because you love God. And how do you know you love God? You keep his commandments. Now you believe absolutely who he is, but you behave accordingly to all that he says. You see? John says you love him, therefore you love the children of God. You can't say you love God and not love the children of God.

That's why I always have a problem with people who say, "Well, yeah, I don't go to church." What do you mean you don't go to church? "Well, yeah, you know, I haven't found a church I like yet." What do you mean you haven't found a church you like? These are the people of God. You love the people of God if you love God. You love church if you love God. You can't stay away from church if you love God. You want to be with the people of God. You don't make excuses not to be with the people of God. You're looking to cancel everything else so you can be with the people of God. That's people who love the Lord.

Lorraine Schweitzer—I mean, God loved that 94-year-old woman who went home to the Lord. What a beautiful opportunity to do a memorial service yesterday. You know, she didn't have any children. Her husband had no children. She had no family. She was taken from her home at the age of three. She lost her father. And you know what? She loved the church. She served Grace Community Church for almost 40 years, teaching, being there all the time. Did she ever miss? Unless she was sick, she never missed. She was always here. And then when she couldn't walk, man, she got that stroller to walk around because she just had to be at church. She had to be with the people of God.

What is wrong with a Christian who doesn't want to be with the people of God? I'll tell you what's wrong with them. They don't love God enough to love the people of God. And the Bible says, "If you love me, you'll keep my commandments," right?

This is what Joshua said. Joshua said these words: Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He said, "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and you have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God." You see? Same thing in the book of Joshua as in 1 John. You love God. How do I know that? You've done what God has said. You've done what I have said, and you've taken care of those who are the people of God. There's no question there.

And then he says, "And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers as he spoke to them. Therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan. Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."

That's just such a beautiful testimony in 1 John 5 verses 1 to 5. You love the commandments of God because you love God. If you love God, you love the children of God, right? It's like your family, right? You have kids. I have eight of them, right? And so you love your children. You love your brothers and sisters. They're your blood. Spiritually speaking, you have the same spiritual DNA. And so you love to be with the people of God.

Wow, Lorraine's testimony was that she loved to be with the people of God. She loved that. She prayed diligently for this church and for those who came to this church. She loved them so desperately. To be able to sit and listen to her pray—why, that was a blessing in and of itself. Because you know, sometimes the old folk can really commune with God, right? You gotta love how the old folks commune with the living God. They just have a way about them because they walk with God. They've gone through trials and they've trusted God and obeyed God. And when they talk to God, they talk to him as if he is sovereign over all. They fear him, but he is their advocate. He is their friend. That was Lorraine. She loved God, she loved the people of God, she obeyed the commandments of God.

You know, when you keep the commandments of God, you do it internally, not externally. You obey the Lord as Joshua said in Joshua 22—from the heart. It's an internal obedience. Anybody can pretend on the outside, right? And we can say things to people, we can pretend. But when you obey the commands of God, you do it internally more so than you do it externally. Yes, it's true that if internally you're obeying, it manifests itself on the outside. But it manifests itself because it's authentic. It's genuine. It's true, not hypocritical and duplicitous. That's why Paul says in Ephesians 6, "You do the will of God from the heart."

Obedience is more internal than it is external. Obedience is full or total and not partial—total and not partial. I love it. Romans 6 says—Romans 6 verse number 17—it says, "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed—you were committed fully—and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." That's just so great. You're free from sin, and now you're a slave of righteous living. You can't wait to live the righteous life. That's who we are.

And so here was Paul trying to explain, "Listen, it's internal, not just external. It's total, not partial." "If you love me," Christ says, "you'll keep my commandments." Don't keep some of them. You're gonna desire to keep all of them because you love me. But not only that, obedience is constantly, not intermittently.

Look what it says in Philippians chapter 2 verse number 12: "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed—not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence—so your obedience is constantly, not intermittently." In other words, "I am always"—even Paul says, "I'm not there, but you're obedient to the Lord."

It's like your kids. How do you know your kids are obedient when they're not in your presence? Right? How do your kids act when they're at school? How do they act when they're at work? How do they act when you're not around? That's the key to their obedience, right? When you're around, that's not the key. When they're all by themselves, that's the key to their commitment. That's the key to their obedience. That's the key to their love for the Lord and their love for their father and mother when you're not around.

And they do it constantly, not intermittently. They do it totally, not partially. They do it internally from the heart, not just externally. And they do it cheerfully, not grudgingly. Did you know that? Second Corinthians chapter 9, it says these words: "Now this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

You see, our obedience is not grudgingly. First John 5:3, he goes on to say, "First John 5:3, his commands are not burdensome." The child of God loves to obey. The child of God—the commands of God don't weigh him down. "Man, I gotta give to the Lord today. Oh, that's just such a burden." Oh no, that burden is released. "I'm giving to the Lord today. I can't wait for the offering to come. I'm gonna give to the Lord. I can't wait to go to church and serve my fellow man because I love to serve. I want to invest in other people. I'm gonna help them grow. I'm gonna stimulate one another to love and good deeds. That's what I want to do. That's who I am."

They do it simply because they do it cheerfully, not grudgingly. It's like, "Ah, I have to go serve in children's ministry today. I gotta teach those little rugrats." No, no, no, no! "I can't wait to teach those disobedient children the Word of God. What a joy! I can't wait to welcome people to church. I can't wait to pass the offering basket. I can't wait to serve communion. I can't wait to pass out a bulletin. I can't wait to help butter bagels. I can't wait to do whatever God's called me to do. I want to serve." And I do it cheerfully, not grudgingly. That's the people who keep the commands of God. That's the people who trust and obey the living God. They believe absolutely and they behave accordingly to all that God says.

My friends, is that you? We have to stop playing games in the church. We play so many games in church because you want to put on a certain kind of appeal. But 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says these words: he says, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith." Why didn't Paul tell a church—the Corinthian church—to test themselves? He says, "Examine yourselves. Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?"

Is Jesus in you? How do you know that Jesus is in you? Jesus motivates you. He moves you. You want to please him and honor him. You want to believe all that he says. He is the overcomer. Now you are the overcomer. He is the Lord of hosts, and you serve the Lord of hosts. He is the victorious warrior, so you are victorious as you handle temptation, as you handle difficulty, as you go to fight the battles of life. You are trusting and obeying all that God says.

So Paul says, "Do you recognize this about you? That you truly have faith? Do you? Do you really? Examine yourselves. Prove yourselves. And ask yourselves, 'Is Jesus in me? Christ in you, the hope of glory?'" And he says this: "But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test." And Paul says, "I've taken the test. I haven't failed it. I can't fail it because I'm a person of faith. I'm a person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and the person who trusts and obeys all that he says."

You know, today's Christianity has been so diluted in churches all across our country and all around the world. The things you hear today are so far out there. And so many people go to church and attend churches all across our country. Are they really people of faith? Do they really truly trust and obey the Lord Jesus Christ?

That's all introductory to Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 verse number 32, it says this: "And what more shall I say? For time will fail me." In other words, the writer says, "I can't say anything else because what I've told you right now is absolutely, unequivocally clear and absolute. There is no doubt that these people in Hebrews 11 walk by faith." He says, "For time will fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David, and Samuel and the prophets who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions," and on and on and on he goes. Why? Because the evidence of faith is absolutely clear.

When you have faith in Jesus, no one goes around and scratches their head and says, "I think they know Jesus." Uh-uh. Oh no. No one says that about anybody in Hebrews 11. No, it's absolutely clear. Why do we want to muddy the waters? Why do we want to say, "Well, yeah, I think they knew the Lord. I mean, I don't know. I think so"? No, no! If someone has faith, you know. You know. Because it's evidence. That's what the writer—he says, "I wish I had time to tell you. I don't have all this time to tell you, but the evidence is so clear. It's so concise. It's so precise. It's all right there. If I had time, I could tell you about Gideon and Samson and Barak and David, and the list goes on and on and on." Because they trusted and obeyed. They did what God said. They believed absolutely and they behaved accordingly. That's a person of faith.

Is that you?

Father, thank you for today, the chance we have to be in the Word of the Lord. You are truly an amazing God. Without your grace and mercy, we would not know you. We would be lost in our sin, dead in our trespasses and sin. But Lord, you saved us. For that we are grateful. We pray in your name. Amen.