August 7, 2021 — A Study on the Book of Hebrews

^“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, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 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. 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. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning;they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:32-40

“True faith focuses both our eyes on God. It also centers our gravity in such a way that it keeps both our feet on the ground even while it lifts our hearts to heaven. Faith enables us to stand tall and live straight. It puts a spring in our step. Faith that is as small as a mustard seed, said Jesus, can move a mountain! One person’s faith can change the world—think of the apostle Paul, for example, or of Martin Luther.” (todaydevotional.com, Gordon Pols, “Confessing Our Faith Today”)

It is the most difficult aspect of our faith to understand – that faith does not only lead us from trouble (which often it does) but can and will often lead us into trouble. Just because we have strong faith does not mean our lives will be a rose garden. Just ask anyone who has lived a life of faith – they will share their blessing stories with you – but they will also share their desert stories as well. As we hear often, faith is not believing only in what we can see – but believing in what we cannot see – and yet trust with our whole heart.

C. S. Lewis suggests there are three kinds of people:

Those who live simply for themselves — regarding people and their skills to simply be used for their own good. These we will call “Takers”.

There are those who acknowledge some other claim upon them, be it the will of G-d or the good of society — but the claim is only as far as they will allow the claim to claim them. So they live a life divided — a time “on camera” and a time “off camera”. These we call the “Fakers”.

Finally, there are those who claim, like Paul, “to live is Christ” — these people reject the self altogether and live as a “new creation”. These are called the “For-Sakers” — those who live for the “Sake of Christ”.

So, which are you — a taker, faker or for-saker? Do you live mostly for yourself? Are you divided between “Christ and the Self” — “Christ and the world?” Or, are you so united in the Christ-like life that the will of G-d is not just in line with your will —- it is your will?

Pastor Dave