Take your Bibles, please, and turn to Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11. And I'm going to begin reading in verse 30 and read as we did last week down through verse 2, or rather verse 3 of chapter 12. But our focus will probably, this morning, be just verses 32 to 34, that may be as far as I can make it, not trying to bat off more than I can chew. So, beginning in verse 30, down through chapter 12, verse 3, By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient after she had welcomed the spies in peace. And what more shall I say for time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, of Barak, of Samson, of Jephthah, of David and Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, and from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection, And others were tortured, not accepting their release so that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others experienced mockings and scourgings. Yes, also chains and imprisonment. And they were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were tempted. They were put to death with the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated, men of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all of these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised. because God had provided something better for us so that apart from us, they would not be made perfect. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Let's pray together. Oh Father, as we read these words, we cannot help but have our minds and our affections stirred once again towards you that you have gone to such great lengths to not only create in us a life that did not exist beforehand due to our sin, to call us out of the darkness of the bondage and condemnation of our sin, But Lord, that You've gone to such great lengths through Your own suffering on the cross, that You would cause us to identify with You in that way, through suffering, but that You would also, by Your grace and through Your power, by Your Holy Spirit, You would cause us to persevere in faith on this planet, on this earth, even while you call us to remain here, but you fixed our eyes in heaven where you are. Lord, what a great blessing we have. Lord, I pray this morning you would grant us eyes to see how weighty and how valuable and how great true salvation is as we possess it together, as we attempt to walk together in that faith on this earth, Father, we would even be convicted and convinced to know that as we celebrate our salvation, as we worship You, as we honor You and praise Your name for what You've done, that we are reminded that there are people out there, maybe even in here this morning, who are not experiencing and living in that salvation. Lord, that we would not be so arrogant in our pride that we would hold that salvation to ourselves and share it among ourselves, but Father, we would be quick and we would be consistent and we would be urgently going out and sharing the gospel with those that are perishing. Lord, we thank you for this passage that lays out for us a list of those who have gone before us in history Lord, may you impress upon our minds that this list, as the writer indicates, is not exhaustive. May you grant us grace to see that we ourselves are included or could have been included in this very list as a people of faith. Lord, we thank you again for including us in your work of redemption. We pray that we would honor You and glorify You in our thoughts, in the songs that we've sung. Lord, we ask that Your Spirit would teach us and lead us into Your truth, that You would be honored and glorified, that You would send us forth from this place a little bit more conformed to Your image, a little bit more yielded to Your will. a little bit more desirous to follow and obey you. We pray in Jesus Christ, Amen. I said my focus was going to be verses 32 to 34, but I want to even now step away from that and have you look again at verses 38 and 39, because these verses frame for us what we'll say about the other verses. Verse 38 says, in summing up what the writer says in this chapter, that the men that are described here, going all the way back to the beginning of the chapter as examples of faith, are men, he says, of whom the world was not worthy, that they were men who were outcasts from the world. that the world would look at them and consider that they are not worthy of attention, worthy of affection, not worthy of dealing with or paying any kind of mind to. There's something for us there to be reminded of and to take hold of for ourselves that would encourage us in our walk of faith But verse 39 goes on to say, as part of the framework of this passage, he says, in all of these, in their trials and in their tribulations, all that they've encountered in these verses that we've considered, all of these have gained approval through their faith, even though they did not receive what was promised. And verse 40 says, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. And just very shortly, that last verse says, it happened the way it happened. It's been revealed to us this way because the Old Testament saints are not perfected without us. And we are not perfected without them. God's work of redemption is one work of redemption. It's not different from them and different for us. It's one work of redemption and He's extended His salvation to those even in the time of the Old Covenant as well as today. And they will not be made perfected without us. So God is actively working to bring them, bring us rather, along with them into His perfection through trials and through workings by faith and by faith alone. But notice verse 39 again says that all of these gained approval. It's exactly what the writer began his haul of faith with in verse 2. He says, "...for by faith men of old gained approval." And I'll remind you that this gaining of approval does not mean they worked to establish this approval. They did not work to gain it. They didn't work to merit it. Somehow God would look at them and say, oh, you did a really good job there. I think I'll extend faith to you. But rather, the approval is that they obtained a good testimony, that God looked at them and said, the faith that I've granted to you has grown and sustained and is strong. because you are walking after me, you're trusting in me and me alone. This is a work that I have begun, and this is a work that I will finish, but I have mercifully and graciously included you in this walk of faith." And therefore is the approval. They obtained a good testimony by God's own hand and among the world that the world would look at us and say, this one is different. Why is there a difference? This one walks according to faith. How can that be? Why is he so foolish? Or other mocking words or whatever the world would come against us with. So these are the things that are going to frame what we see in the remainder of these verses. I love that this phrase is here, that these are men of whom the world was not worthy. The word worthy here is a word that means bringing something or bringing up the other beam of the scales, literally. It's the picture that if we had a balance here before us this morning, that we could take things of differing weights and place them on the scale and they would balance out or they would be unbalanced one way or the other. And the picture that he gives to us here is that the world cannot equal out the value of these men and women of faith. the world cannot balance out. In other words, there's a value, there's a weightiness that what God has done in His people that you could say sits on the bottom, the value, the weight is great, it's heavy, it's of substance, because its substance ultimately is Jesus Christ Himself. He's the one who sets us apart from the world. He's the one who balances us down and gives us value and weight. There's nothing of value, there's nothing of interest in our own lives. There's only Christ in us. And he says, these people of faith, in the weightiness of what I am doing in them, the world cannot even come close. All the riches, all the wealth, all the influence, all the power, all the position that the world has, that it can array against God and his people, cannot move the scale of the worthiness and the value of what God does in the hearts of his people through faith. Such is the commodity, the precious commodity of faith, of trust, of resting on the person and the work of Jesus Christ. One commentator makes this point, that this is the divine estimation. These are God's words. Isn't it wonderful to think that God Himself would say this about you? This is not the world's estimation. This is not the writer's estimation. These are words breathed out by God. This is what God says of these people, that these are men of whom the world is not worthy. Romans 8.18, as an illustration, says this, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Let me read that again. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. In essence, he's saying the same thing as the writer of Hebrews is saying. He's saying there is a glory that is being revealed in us. We are being fashioned, being shaped into the image of Christ. We are being called and led and empowered to walk as He walked, to live as He lived. to bring glory to His name, there is a glory that is being revealed to us that will finally and fully be revealed in us in heaven that does not compare, that there is no comparison against the sufferings that we endure. In other words, the glory that we are to have is the weightiness of what God is doing in us. The sufferings we endure are light. Paul, in fact, calls them light and temporary afflictions. As if he's saying they're nothing compared to glory, and they are nothing compared to glory. They're temporary. They are limited to this earth. They have no power against what God has done in us and is doing in us and for us. Yes, they hurt. Yes, we encounter them. Yes, all of us will go through those times. But therein is the encouragement. They hold nothing against us. They cannot move the glory that God has planted in us and has prepared for us in heaven. So be encouraged. in that men of whom the world was not worthy." One pastor I was reading and listening to while I was studying for this message made the point of saying, and I cannot recall his name at this moment, but I give him credit for it, and it's simple. Maybe you've already thought this about your own life, and I've mentioned it before, but can you conceive I mean, I know what the writer is doing here is he's giving us examples from history that would encourage us to press on to persevere in faith. And I would encourage you to go back and reread not only this chapter, but the stories that are behind the chapter. The biographies of the people. Reread those stories and look at both the workings of God through faith in their life, but look also at their failures. And see how God faithfully worked out His agenda, His purpose, His promises kept in their life both as they overcame the world and as they faltered and failed and stumbled in overcoming the world. There's a huge encouragement there. This pastor made the point that And really the writer does himself. He says, what more shall I say? Time will fail me if I go on and on and on and give you example after example after example after example of men of faith and women of faith and how that faith is worked out in their life. But he made the point that if we are trusting Jesus Christ to save us based on the work that he did on the cross, If we are resting in the merit of His own righteousness and His death, burial, and resurrection and ascension into heaven as salvation for us, then it's conceivable that we ourselves as His children of faith might be listed in chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews. And every saint from the beginning of salvation into eternity could be listed in this chapter as a people of faith. It's a profound thought. It's a simple thought. But it's true. And he went on to say, we have snippets, some longer stories of the history of these people and their history of faith. He went on to say, what would your biography be in chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews? What would be said of you? And along with that, the statement that we've used to frame our study could also be said of you. It could be said that you are men and women of whom the world is not worthy. Not because you're good people, not because you're sinless or you do everything right or you're a member of this church or that church or you've been baptized or whatever else, but simply because the work of Christ on the cross has been applied to your life in a saving way that's removed the condemnation of sin, taking you out of the darkness of your bondage, placed you in a different kingdom under another authority, the kingdom of God under His authority. He began the good work in you. He will finish it. It all depends on Jesus. Therefore, He's rendered you worthy. It could also be said of you. Now, I mention this not as a chastisement because you could hear that said, what would your biography be? We are prone, maybe by the Holy Spirit's prompting, to look at the negative of that and say, well, I know what would be left out probably. The sin that I struggle with, the difficulties that I face, the way that I've responded in anger when I shouldn't have. when I sinned against my brothers or my sister, when I harbored a secret sin, when I did not do what I knew was right to do in the moment, when God prompted me to do those things. We know about those things, don't we? We face them every day as God's children, and we face them with His faithfulness. that He would not only reveal those things to us, but He would keep us in spite of them. But I say this, not as a chastisement, but as an encouragement that you know, if you are God's child, faith is active in you and will have no other ending but to transport you into His presence, finally and fully perfecting you in the last day. So press on in him. That's what the writer is after. Let us lay aside every encumbrance. To the Hebrew Christians, he's saying, let us lay aside any hope in the old covenant. Let us lay aside our own capabilities. Let us lay aside our doubt. Let us lay aside our sin. And let us press on because Jesus is gone before us. He is the surety of our salvation, the guarantee of our faith. Do not falter, do not turn back, press on and follow Him. In spite of what the world brings, in spite of the sufferings that come, because they're going to come and many of them will come because we are Christians, because we name Him as our Lord and Savior. What would your biography be? And stop and look at your life. And identify the places where faith has overcome. Because they're there. If you're God's child, those episodes are there. And they're there all the time. If you're here without Christ, then you have Nothing but your own goodness upon which you may stand and consider what is the depth of that goodness. There is no depth there, there is no value there, there is no weight there. Sin is the weightiness of your life. And unless you come and repent of those sins and turn and trust Christ to save, you will be crushed under the weight of those sins. So for you today is a day of salvation, to call you to repentance and to believe in Jesus Christ to save. And with the writer of Hebrews I say, if you hear my voice today, do not harden your hearts, but come and follow Christ. This section of chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews is mentioned as a further remembrance or reminder that all throughout the course of these historical episodes, God has faithfully over and over been keeping His promises He made in the beginning to Abraham, and to Isaac, and to Jacob, and even to us in our day. We will not take the time to look at each of these episodes. However, I will challenge you Go find a good study Bible and look up the stories that are mentioned here, that are representative of these men of faith, Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah the judge and David and Samuel and the prophets and read of their story. Not only are you reading of their story, but you are reading of God's faithfulness to them in those stories. He says in verse 33, these men by faith conquered kingdoms. They performed acts of righteousness. They obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword. From weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, and they put foreign armies to flight. He identifies for us what I would call my first point in this message is that faith evidences itself in advancement. These are exploits of faith in the world. And in your life, and in my life as God's children, there will be episodes where we see faith advancing us. We are overcoming. We are defeating sin. We are putting off the flesh and putting on righteousness. We are being conformed to the image of His Son. We are representing him in society, in the culture, by the way we live, by the words that we speak, by the witness that we give, by our love for our neighbors, and our faithfulness to God. And you should take note of that. None of us have put foreign armies to flight. I don't suppose. None of us have shut the mouths of lions, or quench the power of fire, though it's possible that God would still do that in our day were we in that situation. But nevertheless, there's much for us to put our hands on to say, God's faithfulness has given me a heart and a mind to overcome here. And I see that. And my friends this morning, if that's not true of you, if you cannot count your blessings as they say, If you cannot put your hand on what God is doing in your life in advancement, in overcoming the world, then please examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith. Because true faith produces true fruit. God's grace is not wasted to produce nothing. God's grace is not poured out. His blood was not shed to purchase zero value. Faith is advancement. It is overcoming the world right in line with what the Apostle says in 1 John 5, verse 4. Look there, he says, for whatever is born of God overcomes the world. If you are born again from above by God's Holy Spirit, you will overcome the world. And he goes on to describe what that overcoming is. This is the victory that has overcome the world is what? Our faith. So be encouraged. Do not lose heart. If you are following Christ by faith, you will overcome the world. Well, it doesn't feel like it to me. Sometimes my heart is not in it. Well, go remind yourself of David. Go remind yourself of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and their failures. The world cannot measure up. It does not measure up. But these men were worthy of God because of faith, not by their own merit. They advanced, they overcame, not by their own merit, not by their own efforts, but by the Spirit of God and by the testimony of their faith in Jesus, even in those days. Faith is not superiority to the world, but faith is overcoming the world. I think that there are people in many churches today who have the idea that faith is superiority over the world. That there's somehow some kind of inferiority complex that we are kind of snooty and high-minded and highfalutin and holy in ourselves, self-righteous, that faith makes us superior to the world. Faith ought to humble us to know that God's placed His love on us in this way, has given us this gift, that it would humble us And we would realize that faith is not there for us to lord over someone else, but to face our minds and our hearts to the person of Jesus Christ and to overcome. Faith does not judge the world, but faith lives in the world as those who have already been judged as worthy of something better based on the merit of Christ. We do not judge the world. The fact that we are Christians does not give us authority to judge in the judgmental sense. We get, my goodness, we get accused of that all the time, don't we? We get accused of judging people in this lifestyle or that lifestyle or pointing out this sin, when in fact, it's the world that judges us, isn't it? It is the world that judges us. But if our faith does not position us in this earth to judge the world, but faith lives in the world, does this describe you as those who have already been judged as worthy of something better, based on the merit of what Christ has done? That's true of you, my brother and sister, this morning. If you are following, trusting Christ to save you, then you have already been judged in Him as worthy of salvation, worthy of conformity to His image and all the promises that He's made. In fact, we overcome because He overcame death, hell, sin, and the devil. And we need to be reminded of that. And we need to live in that reality. If Christ has done all the work it takes to save our souls from sin, then all the work has been done. All the work has been done for us, even as He calls us to follow Him. These men and women were average sinful people, as we are. They were not known by the negative in their lives in this passage. Calvin pointed out that, and you know it to be true, that if you go and look up these particular men, all of them faltered, even as they went forward to obey God's command. All of them stumbled in this, but yet here they are. It wasn't the negativity of their failure that's brought to light, it was their obedience in faith that was brought to light, that made them examples for us. And in fact, it makes us examples for each other as we live in this world. It's not their sin that's an example to us, but their faith. They are known by the working of God in their lives For faith is, isn't it, God's glorious working in us. I want to suggest to you, as I already have, again, that this is true because of Jesus' worthiness. We are made worthy because Jesus is infinitely, unfailingly worthy. Revelation 5 verse 12 says, worthy is the land that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. As we put our focus, as we think about How we live by faith in this world, in this life? Do we consider that? Do we stop and consider, I am made worthy because my Savior is worthy? I can overcome the world because He's overcome the world. I stand in victory over sin, hell, death, and the devil because He has overcome these things. And if not, why not? What is the obstacle there that we would not consider what Christ has done as we seek to live lives that would please Him, that would be approved by Him? Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing, all of which we give to Him every day in our obedience and in our love for Him. We are worthy because Jesus is worthy. He is infinitely worthy, and we need to be reminded of this. And these examples all throughout this chapter are reminders, one after the other, that it wasn't by their own efforts that they did what they did. It was by God's own hand, looking forward, thinking ahead. The Messiah is coming. The promise will be kept. And for us, it's looking back to what Christ has done on the cross for us. How has His worthiness been made our worthiness? Well, here's one way to think about it. We needed rescue from our sin and from the world, didn't we? There's not a person who's breathed the air of the earth who has not needed to be rescued from sin and from the world other than Christ. We needed rescue. And we had nothing in ourself with which we might gain that freedom. Nothing we could do that would deliver us out of our situation. of condemnation due to our sin, of judgment due to our pride. We needed rescue from the world and from our sin, from ourselves really. Jesus is worthy as the lamb that was slain because He has won that rescue for us through His death, hasn't He? If you're here this morning and your hope is for heaven, then you can hope for heaven because Christ has won the rescue. He has made the deliverance through His death. When you come to the end of your life, whenever that day is, and you breathe your last breath, is there anything in your last breath that would gain deliverance from judgment? No. All that we have in us in that moment is nothing but to heap judgment upon ourselves unless we are in Christ. We cannot deliver ourselves, but Jesus guarantees that rescue. Not only did He gain it, did He win it for us, but He guaranteed that rescue. How? Through His resurrection. When all of us are subject to death, the writer of Hebrews says that the greatest fear in our life is the specter of death. All of us will succumb. Who will overcome it? None of us will. None of us can. But Christ has. And He guarantees that the rescue that He won for us on the cross will be fulfilled. It will be carried out. It will be completed. It will be ours in fullness because He has been raised from the dead. He's worthy. He is worthy of our faith. He's worthy of our obedience. And what is this rescue? As I've described already, it is removal from condemnation. It is relief. from the burden that none of us are able to bear, the sin that blackens and stains and shuts us off and has rendered us dead spiritually before God and without hope and helpless in the world apart from Christ. Oh, what a rescue we have. Oh, what work Jesus has done on our behalf to relieve us from this condemnation, the weight of the burden that none of us can bear. But rescue is also resting, resting from fear, resting from condemnation, resting from shame that is ours because of our wickedness. Christ purchased this on the cross for us and He guarantees it for us by His resurrection that we do not have to live fearing death. We don't have to tremble under condemnation because He's already been condemned for us. We don't have to live in shame because He Himself despised the shame and went to the cross. Oh, what a rescue! Oh, what a deliverance He has secured for us! Are you this moment living in that deliverance? Or are you yet under the bondage of sin? Have you been rescued from yourself and from the world? Or are you facing eternal judgment How else has He rescued us from sin? Well, by His perfection. He rescued us by His perfection. Jesus qualified for the right to redeem us by His perfect life, didn't He? He kept the Law of the Old Covenant spotlessly, without erring to the left or to the right. Without failing in one jot or tittle, He kept it all in perfection, demonstrating His holiness is God. And in so doing, He qualified for the right to redeem us. I don't know about you, but I don't want someone who has even the minutest flaw in himself, representing me before the Father, who alone will receive holiness. I don't want to stand before the Father one day and say, I'm here because I did my very best, or I joined the church and was baptized into membership, or whatever else you think you can bring before Him that would be acceptable. I want to go, and I pray and I hope that you want to go before the Father and say, I'm here based on the merit of what Jesus did. And that's all I have. I'm here because Christ purchased me with His righteousness and with His death and His resurrection. That's all I've got. Which is enough, isn't it? Because that's all God requires. All God requires is that we turn from sin and trust in His one planned substitute, for us. His one sacrifice. His one high priest. His one king. His perfection earned it. But he also rescues us by his substitution for us. Jesus took our sin upon himself. He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf. so that we could become the righteousness of God. He took our sin and our wickedness and our rebellion and our hostility upon Himself. He bore the wrath of God against those things on the cross, in His body, Not just to establish a religion, but He did so for each and every one of His children, His sheep, as we heard this morning in our Bible study time. Oh, what a great deliverance we have. Oh, what a worthy Savior is Jesus. He is the basis for our overcoming the world. Trusting Him. He delivered us by His offering of Himself. He yielded Himself to be murdered as a sacrifice. And think about that and the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of those in power in that day. Pilate and the Caesar of Rome and all of its authority and the Jewish Sanhedrin They murdered Christ as a political power play, not seeing it for what it really was, the one sacrifice for the sins of the world. When you lose sight, When you tend to lose control of thinking of who you see is in control of this world, be reminded that this is God's world, this is His kingdom, these are His people, both saved and lost, and He will dispose of it all at His own authority and in His own time, in His own way, for His glory, for His majesty alone. And those who make political moves and power plays and globalists and whatever else is out there, in all of their infinite wisdom, Paul says their wisdom is nothing compared to the tiniest little bit of God's wisdom at all, period. Don't lose heart. Though the wave of the world would wash over us as God's children, do not lose heart, because the One who went to the cross to secure our salvation did not falter. He cannot falter. He cannot be turned away. He will have His glory and His just reward. Praise His name. They murdered Him. God made His murder a sacrifice for our sin. and they were none the wiser." Christ has delivered us by His suffering, by His death, by His resurrection. The writer of Hebrews goes to great lengths to say over and over again that Christ, by His priestly offering of Himself, has done all the work required for our salvation. He delivered us by His suffering, death, and resurrection. He delivered us by His ascension into heaven. He delivered us by His intercession on our behalf, even now in this moment. And we should not lose heart or be discouraged. But I submit to you that we should be looking and anticipating as the church of the living God whom he himself says the gates of hell shall not prevail against us, we should be looking to see his work of overcoming in our life. Granted, it will be in our weakness. It must be in our weakness. Granted, it will be in our suffering in many cases. Granted, it will be in our In the eyes of the world, our loss. But don't lose sight, it is the work of God nonetheless. And it is being used here in this passage and all throughout the scripture as an encouragement, as a motivation for us to not lose heart, but to persevere and to continue on. Maybe you have already convinced yourself of this. Maybe you haven't thought of it this way. But if you haven't convinced yourself of it, we need to be busy doing so and telling ourselves that faith in this world and in all of its circumstances, whatever they may be, whether we are rich or whether we are poor, faith is the ultimate worth in this world. Faith is the ultimate value because it's faith, at the end of the day, that trades all for eternity, isn't it? It is the one commodity. It is the one truth, it is the one grace that we trade all of eternity for, that we have entrance and gain into God's presence by its gift. What could be more valuable? Nothing could be more valuable. Faith trades all for eternity. Faith repudiates all, doesn't it? Whatever wealth you have, whatever treasures you hold in your hand, not in themselves evil things, but whatever those things are, if faith is true, you will let them all go, won't you? financial wealth, let it go. Whatever experiences there are in the world to have that would bring pleasure to you, whatever desires of the flesh, you could spend your days satisfying. If faith is true, if it's gifted to you by God, then you will trade it all for eternity. Or that faith is not real. whatever position and power, whatever there is to gain in this earth that we seek as fallen humans, whatever that shows up as being in our life. If faith is true, it will trade all of that position and all that authority and all that influence for eternity. Let it all go, but give us Christ. You see what happens in the passage, the entirety of the chapter 11 here, is we start with detail after detail of names of people, specifically with Abraham. And then the amount of detail, the amount of the biography that's given to us dwindles and it shortens and it's summated and it becomes less and less and less until finally he just says, in essence, my paraphrase, and there are a bunch of other people out there too. A bunch of unknowns. That history would look back through the ages and say, who is that? Who is that person? Who is that woman? Who is that man? I don't mind being that person. I don't mind being unknown in the world. Some of the greatest men in Christian history are now unknown by the world. You know what? That's a good mark to have against you. The world doesn't know me. Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, one man in England who had probably the greatest influence out of all the people in the British Empire in his day. No kings, no queens. Charles Spurgeon is unknown today in England. The John Knox in Scotland. The John Calvin. And Andrew Fuller. And Athanasius and Augustine. So many others are unknown. But you know what, that's a hat tip, isn't it? These are men of whom the world is not worthy. So name me among the unknown, but give me Christ." Chances are you're going to be unknown anyway. The last thing to say here, and I've only made one point. The other one, let me just give it to you. Number one is that faith overcomes Faith overcomes, faith is advancement. And he gives us the exploits of faith in the world. The second one, which we'll do next time, is that faith is endurance. Faith is the perseverance that we have in the world. Very simple, very clear, very plain. But final thought is this, and what the writer really wants us to see, One major thing that he wants us to see is this, and I've already said it over and over again, is this, that we stand in the same stream of the working of God and His people through His grace by faith as these men and women who are mentioned in Hebrews 11. These are our people. If we have been saved by grace, if we have been joined to Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world, elect before the foundation of the world, joined to Him, then we are also joined together. We are of the same body, the same people. And the work of faith that He began in each one of us No surprise is also the work of faith that He extends to all of us together. I mean, such is the greatness of our God. He saves us individually, but He saves us together. We are God's people. And we could argue over denominations in the church, but God works in His way by His grace. His Spirit calls His people out of every corner of the earth, and they are all one with us. And every one of them You included, by the worthiness of Christ, have been made overcomers in the world. We need to change our outlook, I think, in the church. We need to refocus collectively our hearts and our minds on the person of Jesus Christ, unite behind His purpose of grace, His gospel message, and move forward in the world. We seem to be spinning our wheels, casting in the air as the church of the living God. There may be something greater that He's doing right now in us, but are we prepared to stand as overcomers for the gospel because Christ is infinitely worthy of glory and honor? And He's changed our lives. He's put us on a different trajectory and removed condemnation and destroyed judgment against us. Finally, three questions, and then we'll pray. First question is this, and I do mean these questions to be provoking in the best biblical sense of the word. Number one is this, is your walk today as a Christian, is your walk today as a Christian worthy of the world? Is there more together with you in the world than there is with the people of God? And you may stop at this moment and say, well, at times, yes, and you can point your finger upon area after area after area in your life where you're inconsistent and you're inconsistent and you failed here and you faltered there. I do the same thing. Trust me, I do the same thing. Constantly questioning. Well, if Christ has done the work that must be done to save us, then why are we looking at the world standard of worthiness? We need to look at what scripture says. We need to press forward in him. We need to ask ourself, is my walk more in line with what the world would be acceptable than what God says is pleasing? He begins the chapter, remember, by this men of old gained approval, commendation. The second question is this, along with the first, is your walk more worthy of the world or is faith proving you to be unworthy of the world? I'm not saying you're perfect. The Scripture doesn't say we're perfect. The Scripture calls us, God commands us to put off sin and to put on Christ, to fight against, to resist the devil, to see yourself as located in the kingdom of His rule and His authority rather than under the authority and power of the world and the devil. After all, if Christ has removed us from that authority, aren't we removed? Aren't we different? Is faith proving you to be unworthy of the world? Begin looking for the places that he's led you to overcome and to stand strong and to win victory because of his grace. And the third question is this, what would make the difference? What would make the difference? What obstacles are there that we already know about that we've been slow to put aside? What sins do we harbor? Have we become neglectful in our reading and our prayer? I'll just leave it at that. God establishes His church and His people. His church is an outpost of the kingdom in the world. And His people has a citizenship in His kingdom throughout the world. Yet we see a faltering in the commitment to the church. It would be one thing if it were like the Lions Club or something else. but the church of the living God that he, what does it say? That he purchased with his own blood. When we are not committed to the church, we devalue his blood and we make it nothing. So where are we this morning? How is faith showing up and vindicating the work of God in us? Maybe you're here this morning and you know that you need to come for the first time and trust Christ. What do you do? Do you agree with what God says about you? If there's a knowledge that you need to be saved, then open your heart and say, yes, this is true of me. I am a wicked and condemned sinner before you. And I will perish in my sin without salvation. I need to be delivered. I need to be rescued. You need to confess your sin. Yes, it's me that's the issue. And you need to turn from that sin. There's no cause for you to know how that happens, how you should repent except my mind, my heart is turning towards you and asking for salvation from your hand. Come and follow Him. See what Christ did on the cross. Throw yourself, cast yourself, On His mercy, save me, for I need saving. And there is not another Savior. And come and follow Him. Let's pray together. Father, we are grateful for Your grace. In your kind mercy and love toward us, thank you so much for such a worthy and glorious and wonderful Savior, worthy of honor and praise and worship. Oh Lord, would you see fit to use us to honor Him? Would you see fit to use us to glorify your name because of Him? And we pray in Jesus' name, amen.