Faith that Endures

05/24/2026

Memorial Day was established in 1868 to honor the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. It has grown to become a solemn remembrance of all of our nation's fallen soldiers and the high price of our freedom. As I grow in my understanding of this country and of the many blessings that I have been given by God, my appreciation for those who sacrificed so much to protect those blessings and freedoms grows. I am greatly humbled by the sacrifice of those who have gone before us.

They have a huge impact on us whether we fully understand the scope of that influence or not. Tomorrow, we are called to remember and honor those men and women who have given their lives in service to this nation. This morning, just as we remember those who sacrificed for our freedom, scripture reminds us to remember those who lived and died in the faith. I'd like to look at a rather lengthy passage of scripture that I've used before. It speaks about those in the faith who have gone before us.

As I read through it, I was looking to see what parts I might skip over to bring it down to a more manageable size – but I couldn't. The writer of Hebrews does such a powerful job that I felt we needed to look at the entire section. And notice the repeated phrase 'by faith.' So let's start with Hebrews 11:1-12:1 (NIV)...

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (2) This is what the ancients were commended for. (3) By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (4) By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

(5) By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. (6) And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (7) By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.

By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (8) By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (9) By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. (10) For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

(11) By faith Abraham, even though he was past age - and Sarah herself was barren - was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. (12) And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. (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. And they admitted that they were aliens 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 received 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." (19) Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively 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 about 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 pleasures of sin for a short time. (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 sprinkling 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 people 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.

(32) And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, 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.

Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. (36) Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. (37) They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death 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. (12:1) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

And don't forget - we sometimes think of Biblical figures as 'larger than life' heroes, but these were real, ordinary people just like us. The only thing that made them remarkable was their faith in God. Faith is what enables a person to do things they never thought possible. And it does matter greatly in whom that faith is placed. Understand…

I. True faith changes perspective

St. Augustine said, "Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe." I like that. Clement of Alexandria said, "Faith is voluntary anticipation."

Faith in God, the God of the Bible, The One true God – that faith is what the writer of Hebrews honored. As we read that passage, it was clear that genuine faith pleases God.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God." There are a lot of 'non-believers' who do very good things for their fellow men – that's undeniable. But without faith, faith in God, faith in His only Son, Jesus Christ – no matter how many good things you do – it is impossible to please God. God wants our faith in Him. God wants us to trust Him completely.

We read about multiple people of faith who did anything, went anywhere, gave up everything to follow God. And what was it that every one of them had in common as they lived out their faith? They weren't living just for this life. They understood that this life is not all there is! Their faith looked forward to what was to come. For most, their faith looked forward to a promised Messiah they had never met.

Moses longed for a coming Christ - One whose name he didn't even know. We do! We know Jesus came as a man, gave His life for us on a cross, conquered death and we know He is coming back for those who love Him!

- I completely understand that the demands of everyday life can certainly bring our focus down a bit from heavenly things. We have to work to pay bills. There are medical and family emergencies and all sorts of struggles. There's always something to fill our 'to do' list. But I'm pretty sure that Moses had a lot on his plate, too.

Noah, Abraham, Gideon, David, Samuel – they all had a lot going on. They had to scrape just to survive on many occasions – but they didn't let the things of this world pull their attention away from God; away from the promise of Heaven. Faith looks forward. People who live by faith are always looking forward. That perspective shapes them into people who are pleasing to God. It is through those people that God chooses to work and do amazing things.

Biblical faith never remains passive. The faith that Hebrews describes drastically changed people's perspective and a...

II. Changed perspective produces action

The faith of 'those who have gone before us' required them to step out, to move, to act, to build, to sacrifice, to run, to obey, to bless, to fight, to lead, and to endure. - All of that without even seeing the results, the reward for that faith. They acted first with the anticipation of a future result.

The future reward they were anticipating was Heaven, but I find it interesting that there was another result that I'm sure they certainly didn't expect. Because of their faith; their actions in faith – we are remembering them today. Because of their desire to please God, because of their faith that looked forward – they encourage us today. Amazing faith in God always results in…

A. Amazing works

When Noah built the ark, he was responding with obedience in faith to God. He believed God and was acting to save his family. I'm guessing he may not have completely understood the impact of that faith in the moment.

An AP news story was entitled "Roots of human family tree are shallow". It read, "Whoever it was probably lived a few thousand years ago, ... Yet this was the ancestor of every person now living on Earth — the last person in history whose family tree branches out to touch all 8 billion people on the planet today." The author found that if you go back somewhere around 5,000 years ago - every person living today has exactly the same set of ancestors. In other words, every person who was alive at that time is either an ancestor to all 8 billion people living today, or their line died out and they have no remaining descendants.

And it's not really a surprise. That timetable is exactly what the Bible tells us occurred when Noah and his family were saved and every other living person drowned in the worldwide flood. Because of an act of faith – we are here today. Brian Andrews sent me an amazing video about how you can actually test your DNA to see from which of Noah's sons you are descended...

When you respond to God in faith and act – amazing things happen. You may or may not see the results in your lifetime – but there will be results. Again, the writer of Hebrews wrote how, by faith - those who have gone before us 'conquered kingdoms, administered justice, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, escaped the sword, and even raised the dead.' How's that for amazing works?

Faith demands action and many times God uses those simple actions to do amazing works. However, another action that faith frequently requires is…

B. Enduring trials

It's a lot more fun to be a part of an amazing work rather than enduring a trial – but we don't always get to choose our circumstances. I want to look again at that same passage from Hebrews starting with the middle of verse 35. Some 'people of faith' got to be a part of victories and miracles…

Hebrews 11:35b-39 (NIV)

Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. (36) Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. (37) They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death 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.

'The world was not worthy of them' - wouldn't you like that as your legacy? As your preacher, I frequently have people share with me their stories of spiritual victories and joys. I love hearing how God has blessed many of you as you walk with Him in faith. I also hear about many of the struggles, the heartaches and trials that a lot of you have endured or are currently enduring. Bad things happen to good people.

Those in the faith who have gone before us, whether they were victorious in this life or just beaten down – none of them received what had been promised by God – not yet.

How do you endure what is thrown at you? For instance - I've heard it said that 'people of faith' only die from cancer in order to show 'un-believers' how to live with cancer. Frankly, I don't understand why some of you are asked to endure the burdens you're carrying; the loss you experience. But I do know – God is still on His throne - and you are not alone!

There have been others in the faith 'who have gone before us'. Those who endured, by faith – they are the ones commended by God and the world was not worthy of them.

So What?

When we hear the amazing stories of faith of the 'Bible heroes', we tend to think either - 'I wish I had an opportunity to do something with an impact like that', or sometimes 'God would never use me for something as grand as that'. I don't know what God is calling you 'to' - but I do know that these were simply people, living out their faith, in their everyday lives. Some days seemed to have no real consequence - other days changed their lives and the lives of thousands forever.

I think the writer of Hebrews gave his own version of 'So what' in chapter 12 verse one when he used the word 'Therefore'. Let's look at the last verse again…

Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Tomorrow, as you enjoy the freedoms secured for you by those men and women who gave their lives in service to this country – remember them; honor them. Honor their sacrifice by living faithfully.

And today, and every day – do not forget those in the faith who have gone before us. Look at their example and what they gave up for a future hope. Without faith it is impossible to please God. As you look forward to eternity - make changes now that will matter. Don't waste your time with 'sin that so easily entangles', but do whatever you have to do to run the race. Endure whatever trials you have to face to win the promise of our future hope in Jesus. This life is not all there is.