Sunday September 21, 2003 | Ted Roberts
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” [a] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
23 By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. [b]
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; [c] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
The “good fight” is the one you win! This sermon focused on how to fight “the good fight.” There are four things we need to know: 1) The enemy’s tactics, 2) the enemy’s weapons, 3) our tactics and 4) our weapons.
Ted Roberts spoke this week on “Spiritual Warfare.” He started out by stating “the ‘good fight’ is the one you win!” The content of the sermon focused on how to fight “the good fight”. There are four things we need to know: 1. the enemy’s tactics, 2. the enemy’s weapons, 3. our tactics, 4. our weapons.
One of the enemy’s tactics that Pastor Roberts focused on was how the enemy encourages sexual sin in our lives. And of course there are many sins that come with the territory (hiding, lying, shame, etc.). The weapons used are all around us in the pervasively sex-charged culture we live in where pornography is more readily available than it ever has been. The enemy uses this situation in many ways, at times accusing us and at other times accusing God of being untrustworthy so we don’t go to the Source of help and healing. Reflecting on this, Pastor Roberts challenged us to consider, “why is it that we serve God?” The point of this challenge was to clarify the fact that God does not guarantee you a comfortable life. In fact, Pastor Roberts assured us that God loves us so much, that God will allow us to “Get down to bare metal” so we can know without a doubt why it is we serve God. The truth of this is well stated by the reminder that life is not fair, but it is gracious.
Life is not a commodity you are entitled to, it is a gift you have been given and which must be given back if it is to be of eternal value. It is here we begin to see that our tactics include remembering that God is trustworthy and gracious, no matter what situation may feel like today. Roberts illustrated this by referring to his friend who is a pastor in a wheelchair who regularly prays for healing for others despite the fact that he himself is paralyzed. His explanation is as simple as it is true: Healing is only a matter of timing. Every tear will be wiped away, and every malady will be healed, this is the promise for the people of faith as testified to in Hebrews 11:13-40. Our weapons include the blood of Christ, which does indeed cleanse us from sin. We need to apply this, not only for our past sins, but for our present decisions. Pastor Roberts used the example of the time he “buzzed” his school and had to answer to his commanding officer. He could lie, or, he could suck it up and be the true person that he was intended to be. He could demonstrate honesty and take responsibility for himself. Show some integrity, even though the reason he was in the office was because of a sin. Feeling the full weight of the matter, he still chose to be truthful and own his behavior. God used it as a time to reassure Roberts that God is not like the angry men who played the role of “father” as he was growing up. God is indeed gracious.