PAUL TRIPP MINISTRIES, INC. Powerful Faith August 9, 2009 Hebrews 11:29-31 Well, this week did you feel up to the task? Maybe I should ask the question this way: How did you measure your potential? It's an intensely human thing to do; you probably do it every day. You measure your potential to deal with what God has called you to deal with, to deal with what God has put on your plate. It's human to measure your potential. That little toddler, who s learning to walk and holding on to his daddy's knee, is looking at his mommy across the room, and he's wavering on his legs that are just learning to walk and wondering if he has the potential to make it to the other side of the room to his mommy's knee without falling on his face. That teenager that has clammy hands going to his first day of his first job is wondering whether he has the potential to make it in the workplace and not bring shame to his family. That bride who has a bit of a nervous stomach a couple hours before her wedding is measuring her potential to live in this lifelong relationship. Somehow, some way, we re always measuring our potential. The passage that we want to look at this morning is all about power and potential. I d like you to turn to Hebrews 11:29 through 31. I've had several opportunities to be with you in the morning and have spent those opportunities working my way with you through Hebrews 11. We are now at these verses. Follow along as I read: By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. (ESV) What the writer of Hebrews does is he uses three examples, three familiar examples - the Red Sea, Jericho, and Rahab - to teach this important principle: that faith attaches us to the infinite resources of the power of God.
And there is a bit of a formula in this passage. In each instance, there is an obstacle; there is a call of faith; and there is divine intervention. Look at verse 29, By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. You know the story well. God was in the process of redeeming His children from slavery in Egypt. And the reason I use the words, in the process, is that this moment at the Red Sea is a continuation of God's work of redemption. The reason you know that is that Israel was crossing the wilderness, and they were heading for sort of a direct route for the Promised Land, and God called Moses to turn the children of Israel back and have them planted, encamped at the Red Sea. Now that means that the Red Sea was not an obstacle in the way of God's work of redemption, but the Red Sea was intended by God to be a tool of His work of redemption, because in this moment - as Israel was somehow trapped there in front of the Red Sea, unable to cross, and the Army of Egypt now quite angry, was pounding down on Israel - God was seeking to do something in Israel, and something to Egypt, that would further His work of redemption in His people. Now, it s a hard moment. You see that as we re enabled to eavesdrop on the conversations that were taking place in Israel. There were people who said these kinds of encouraging things to Moses, Were there not enough graves in Egypt that you would bring us out here to die? That's encouraging! People are wondering how it came that they would follow Moses, you could hear the conversations maybe, an Israelite saying to an Israelite, Did you vote for Moses? I don t think I voted for Moses. Why in the world are we here? What in the world is going on? We have no ability to cross this sea; the Army of Egypt is pounding down on us. And God calls for Moses to stretch his hand over the sea; the waters part, walls of water on either side; the ground is dry in the middle, and God commands for His people to do what is utterly unthinkable to walk between the walls of that water to believe that those walls are going to stay there and to walk over on the other side. Imagine if you'd been in that moment. I would've said, Let me hear the directions one more time. But that's not what happened. The people crossed across the water. Now there's a lesson for us here: faith is something powerfully more than a system of theology that you ascent to. Faith is something more than participating in spiritual and emotional experiences in times of worship. Those are wonderful things, but faith is something you live.
Here's faith: Faith is such a deep belief in the presence and power and grace of God that I will do what He commands, even when it doesn't make sense to me. That s faith. And it's as you follow God's commands that you then experience the resources of His power. You don't experience that power when you're shrinking back and refusing to do what He s called you to do. You don't experience that power when you take life into your own hands and step outside of the boundaries of His commands. Think about this, if Israel had panicked, if they'd waved the white flag, if they had headed back toward Egypt, they never would have experienced this moment of awesome redemption. And not only did they pass over on the other side - this is so incredible - they got to turn around and watch those waters crash down on the army of Pharaoh and Egypt, because God knew that this company of recent slaves needed, once again, to experience His power. This is a redeeming God; this is a God who will complete His work of redemption, and if that means harnessing the forces of nature to do it, this God has the power and willingness to do that, and this God will defeat your enemies. Listen - but you attach yourself to that power (are you hearing me?) by careful, obedient faith. And then we come to Jericho: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. What a story! You remember that God had promised this land to His people, but Israel quickly realized that the land that had been promised was not empty. It was filled with vengeful, militaristic, pirate nations. Israel was not given a welcome wagon. They were facing unthinkable opposition. And before them, before any further conquest of this nation, which had been promised to them by God, stood Jericho, a walled and fortressed nation, walls so thick that there were houses in those walls. Now let's think about it for a moment, use your imagination for a moment. This rag-tagbag of former slaves had no ability whatsoever to bring down the walls of this fortress none none! And yet God calls them to, in faith, move toward what is impossible. That's everything against our normal instincts, but that's exactly what God does. And He calls them to walk around the city. Now, if you're thinking with any sense of military strategy, this doesn't seem like a good plan. You don't usually take a fortress by having a parade, let alone having that parade for a week. But that's exactly what God calls for Israel to do. And on the final day as they were walking around, when the trumpet would sound, everyone was to yell and to scream, and the walls would come crashing down.
Now you see, I think this is where we begin to understand what it means to measure your potential. If Israel, for a moment, would've measured the potential in that moment from their particular ability as a nation, and then compared themselves to the fortress of Jericho, there's no way they ever would've moved forward. But you see the problem with that is that is a fallacious spiritual equation, because if you are a child of God, it's never just you; it's never just your wisdom; it's never just your power; it's never just your ability - because by grace, God has attached you, by faith, to His power. How wonderful is that? And so, in this moment, it's not puny little Israel against this fortress. It's this little city against Almighty God. Now, who do you think is going to win? Because God has said, I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you, I will curse. I will be your God; you will be my people; I will deliver these nations into your hands. I am the Lord! And why are those promises reliable? Because the God who makes them is absolutely sovereign and infinite in His power. He controls all the things necessary to provide what He has promised, and He has the power that is necessary to provide what He has promised. And so Israel, by faith, does the unthinkable. They march in belief in the presence and power of Almighty God toward what seems to be impossible. Let's be honest: you and I are facing what seems to be impossible things in our lives, aren t we? Maybe you're a parent, and you re facing things now in the lives of one of your children that you never thought you'd be dealing with. You feel weak and unable. You don't know what to say and you don't know what to do. You see, your job is not to win that battle. Your job is to walk toward what is impossible by faith. Don't quit talking; don't quit parenting; don't run away in fear. You are never called to do what you are unable to do. You re called to step forward in faith. Maybe it's your marriage, and you know there are struggles that you ve been grappling with for a long time. You know they re in the way of you having the kind of relationship that is described in Scripture. You know you shouldn t live with this, but you don't know what to do. And you ve begun to give yourself to that horrible state of marital detente where you don't really have a marriage of unity, and love, and understanding. You have distance between you. And tension happens quickly. And no, husband; and no, wife; you don't have what you need to heal your marriage, but God does. You don't give up; you don't run away. You walk forward in faith believing that God will provide what you need.
Maybe you're facing devastating disappointment and friendship and you just think, I'm done! I don't want this anymore. I m going to live for myself and by myself; it's just easier. But that's not what God has called you to. He called you to love, and service, and reconciliation, and peace. How are you measuring your potential? Are you forgetting God? Are you remembering His power? Are you moving toward what is impossible as an act of faith? Not because you have power, but because God has power; you embrace Him by faith! Maybe you've lived silent and timid at work. You know that there are things that you should've spoken about there. You know there are moments where you ve made moral compromises there, and you know it s wrong, but it seems so impossible that you ll ever be an influence in that ungodly place. You don't measure that moment by your little ability, but by the power of your God, and you move forward in faith and say, I'm going to be salt and light in this place, and I believe that God will provide what is necessary for me to do that. Maybe you re suffering physically. You never thought you'd be where you are, and yet you want that moment; you want to live in that moment in a way that is a testimony to the people who watch you, yet you feel so unable. You're tempted to look at other people and wonder why you're left with what you're left with. It seems impossible that you will have the grace necessary to live by faith in that moment. Don't run! Don't hide! Don't doubt! Don't give up! Measure that moment, not by your strength, but by the power of your Lord who has committed Himself to exercise His power on your behalf. Maybe you re a young person, and if you're honest, you've gotten to a place where you don't like your own parents. You don t want to be around them. You hear them talk, and it irritates you. You know that's wrong, but it seems so impossible to be in a different place. I would say young person, Believe in God. Walk toward your parents in faith and believe that God will give you what you need. But the passage isn t done, if that were not enough. Verse 31: By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. Maybe as you heard me read that, you would say, Paul, well, this doesn't seem to fit the formula. You said the formula was an obstacle, a call and a divine intervention, and this doesn't seem to fit. Well, the obstacle this time is not outside the person; it's inside the person. God has sent spies into the Promised Land and into Jericho, and those spies are in danger, and God must raise up somebody who would welcome the spies, who would protect the spies, and who would provide for their escape.
I would propose to you that there could be few more unlikely people than Rahab. Because in order to do that, this person would have to believe in God, believe in His presence, believe in His power, and be willing to do what is right. Now this woman is described in Scripture two ways: as a pagan and a prostitute. The fact that she s a pagan tells us she's not theologically disposed to believe in God. Her life has been a weird myriad of false gods and false belief. She's a prostitute. She's not acquainted with making the right choice. She s become quite comfortable with doing what is wrong. And so, I would propose to you that this is the most powerful and glorious miracle of the passage. This is a greater miracle than the Red Sea. This is a greater miracle than Jericho because there is no greater miracle than the ability God has to turn and radically change the content of a human heart. And when you read this passage, you ought to hear the angels in heaven rejoicing at the belief of this dear woman. There's nothing in her background, theologically or morally, that would ever predict that she would act with such courage, putting her life at stake in order to provide escape for God's people. But this God not only has the power to defeat the obstacles outside of you, this God has the power to crush the obstacles inside of you. Now let's think for a moment. The Bible would teach us that the greatest obstacles in life are not obstacles of situation and obstacles of location; the greatest obstacles in life are the obstacles in your own heart. The greatest obstacle to the life to which God has called you is your sin. It's a selfishness, and the pride, and the self-righteousness, the rebellion, the unbelief that marks all of our lives. Yet we are not without hope, because God has power to radically transform our hearts. He has power to make the rebel obey, to make the doubter believe, to make the demanding person serve, to make the idolater worship. And that work of transformation is the hope of the universe. Jesus came, He lived, and suffered, and died, and rose again so that we would be delivered from slavery, not slavery to a cruel Pharaoh, but slavery to sin. And by His grace, He welcomes us to transforming forgiveness, and transforming power, and transforming deliverance. I would ask you this morning, What inside of you stands in the way of the life to which God has called you? Perhaps it's pride, the demand that you live in the center of your universe, and all the anger and discouragement that accompanies that. Perhaps it's doubt, that tendency to again and again bring God into the court of your judgment. Perhaps it s areas of sin that you know shouldn't be there that you give yourself to, that are a cancer on your soul and rob you of your vitality. Perhaps it is that you've never once trusted Christ.
Faith attaches you to the transforming power of an Almighty God. Faith attaches you to His redeeming power. Faith attaches you to His providing power. Faith attaches you to His delivering power. Dear Rahab received a double deliverance; Rahab was first delivered from Rahab, and then Rahab was delivered from destruction. Praise God! Praise God! Are you moving forward in faith? Are you measuring your potential by remembering the awesome power of God that is at your disposal by grace through faith? Or do you run? Do you hide? Do you forget? Do you doubt? Do you fail to do the things that God has called for you to do? Faith is grabbing hold of the presence and promises of God, and so believing in God that I walk forward, and I do what He commands--no matter what. May we live by faith! Let's pray: Lord, we hear Your Gospel so clearly preached in these verses. We see in these verses the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ that makes possible what is impossible, that we could be accepted by you, not based on what we have done, but based on what You have done for us. The cross promises that radical, personal, lifelong change can take place; that angry, self-oriented, rebellious, idolatrous sinners can become humble, and holy, and worshiping, and serving, and loving. And we pray by grace in this moment that you would work in the heart of everyone who is in this room. Lord, I would pray right now for the person who has never trusted You--that they would understand that there's a deep and abiding problem inside of them that they can never solve--it's called sin. And that sin affects every word, and thought, and choice, and action; that sin marches them toward ultimate judgment; and that they would understand that You in grace, and You in power have provided a way for them to be welcomed into Your presence, and for them to be delivered from sin, and for them to live eternally with You. And I pray if there are individuals in that place this morning, right here, right now, for the first time, they would reach out to You by faith. Oh grace them with that, we would pray. And, Lord, we would pray for those of us who know you but are still in the midst of the struggle, whether those are struggles without or struggles within; that we would march forward in faith; that we would not run away, or quit, or hide, or deny. That we would believe that as we follow your commands, we are blessed with Your power; and that You will enable us to do what You have called us to do; that our job is not to conquer what is greater than us, for that we have You. Our job is to follow You by faith; may we do that. We pray these things for the sake of Your people, for the furtherance of Your kingdom and ultimately, for the sound of Your glory, in Jesus s name, Amen. 2009 Paul Tripp Ministries www.paultripp.com