Faith doesn't fix Everything
“Faith doesn’t fix everything!”
Psalm 39:12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord… for I am a “pilgrim” with You…”
Heb 10:32-13:25 The point of this major application section of the letter to the Hebrews is to encourage believers not to throw away theirconfidence, but retain their faith in the promises of God and to focus on their future with God.
Wither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. —Bible, Ruth 1:16[1]
Ephesians 2:8
1faith \ˈfāth\ noun
plural faiths \ˈfāths, sometimes ˈfāṯẖz\
[Middle English feith, from Old French feid, foi, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust — more at bide]
(13th century)
1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty
1 b (1) : fidelity to one’s promises
(2) : sincerity of intentions
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God
(2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
2 b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof
(2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
synonymy see belief
— in faith
: without doubt or question : verily
2faith transitive verb
(15th century)
archaic : believe, trust
It’s all about endurance.
Faith doesn’t fix everything. (It didn’t prevent Abel’s death, Joseph’s imprisonment, or Isaiah’s martyrdom.)
Faith was never intended to fix everything. (Jesus’ return will do that!)
Faith was intended to enable you and me to do and endure everything in a way that brings glory to God.
Faith is not the means by which I get God to do my will. That’s just counterfeit, self-centered presumption, not faith!
Faith is the means by which God enables me to do His will. That’s genuine, Christ-centered obedience… real faith!
Hebrews 10:32-39 lays the foundation: This is so cool – don’t miss it! Get your Bible out and underline it!
The need: You need endurance, (We need the power and ability to keep going… no quitting… no turning back)
The timing: so that after… (after, not before! The promise follows the obedience)
The requirement: you’ve done the will of God, (This is the point of faith… obedience to God’s will – check out Ch 11)
The prospect: you may receive the promise. (In this life or the next… mostly in the next!)
Hebrews 11 builds the case… example after example…. focused on the hope of the promise of God to come!
Endurance…Abel offering, Enoch walking 350 years, Noah building 100 years, Abraham waiting 25 years, Moses 120 years
After… Noah after building, Abraham after offering, Jacob after dying, Joseph after dying, Joshua after seven days…
The Will of God… Abel offered, Noah built, Abraham left & waited and offered, Moses forsook, Joshua circled
You may receive the promise… but all those in chapter 11 didn’t during their lifetime! Check it out! 11:13 and 11:39
So like them, we confess we are pilgrims on the journey… we are looking for a homeland, a city, a reward yet to come!
Abraham wouldn’t trade his tent for an earthly city. (Lot did and lost it all.)
Jacob wouldn’t trade his staff… his last act was to stand and lean on his staff and worship. City dwellers don’t need staffs, They have sidewalks! Pilgrims need a staff! (Esau sold the birthright for a meal… present pleasure, permanent regret!)
Joseph wouldn’t trade his hope for a monument in Egypt.
“Take my bones with you, boys! The resurrection’s coming and I want to be home when the party starts!” (This story records the longest funeral procession in history! It took 40 years to get
to the cemetery and all the pallbearers died en-route! Joshua, Caleb & Joseph’s bones all made it into the promised land!
Hebrews 11 is filled with stories of obedient victors and obedient victims. Some escaped the sword and others were killed by the sword.
Some conquered, and some were stoned.
Some obtained promises, others died waiting.
Some were delivered, others refused deliverance. 11:39 And THESE ALL obtained a good testimony by faith! UNDERLINE IT!
It’s not about measured success, but measured faith that resulted in measured faithfulness.
My friends, we need endurance.
We need to reclaim our tent, our staff and our hope and reclaim the promise of God.
Warren Wiersbe put it well: “Faith is not believing in spite of the evidence, it’s obeying in spite of the consequence!”
I just asked Val to bury me with a staff. (Preferably after I die!) I want to be known as a pilgrim to the end!
It’s great to be on the journey with you.
Self Check Questions:
1. Is there evidence I have been looking back and losing hope? See 10:39; 11:15-16; 12:25-29; 13:20-21
2. What are the sources of my discouragement at this point in life? See 12:3 and 12-13
3. What promises most encourage me to keep going?
4. How can I confess I’m a pilgrim today and demonstrate it to others who need the encouragement?
For Further Study: Check out these words in Heb 10:32 – 13:25 Stranger, pilgrim, wait, waited, endure, endurance, promise,reward, faith, hope, look, saw, leave, go out, went, refuse…
Read 1 Peter and check out the same theme.
“Lord, you endured such hostility from men. You endured the desolation of the desert. You endured temptation in every way.
You endured slander and abuse, accusation and shame. You endured betrayal and abandonment. Your endured my cross!
Please Lord, give me the endurance to follow in Your steps today. Give me eyes to “see the joy set before me” so that I may
run this long race “looking towards You”, the author who began my faith and the finisher who will complete it. Make Philippians
1:6 to live in my heart today, O Hope of Israel, O Hope of my soul. In Your enduring name I pray, Amen”
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[1]Merriam-Webster, Inc: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Quotations. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, 1992, S. 133