The Privileged Generation.

Hebrews 11

New Living Translation (NLT)

Great Examples of Faith

11 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.

21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.

23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.

30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.

31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death.

But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.



             This is a great passage. The Bible’s “Hall of Faith.” Each of these individuals were, and are still considered to be, some of the greatest men and women in the Bible. The writer of Hebrews used them as examples of faith, to encourage the church during a time of great persecution. But there is a little more to this passage that I wanted to point out, and it applies especially to those of us living today. Look again, if you will, at verses 13-16.

             13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Notice what verse 13 says: “They saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.” The “it’ they were looking forward to was Jesus. They lived and died looking forward to His coming. That was how people were saved in the Old Testament; the same way we are today—through faith in Jesus. They trusted in God’s promise that Jesus would come. We trust in God’s promise that He did come and that He will come again.  For example, look at what King David wrote in Psalm 98.

Psalm 98

New Living Translation (NLT)

1 Sing a new song to the Lord, 
 for he has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power!

2 The Lord has announced his victory
 and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!

3 He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

4 Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!

5 Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp, 
 with the harp and melodious song,

6 with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn. Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!

7 Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in.

8 Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy

9  before the Lord. For the Lord is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.

(See also Deuteronomy 32:21, Isaiah 52: 7-10, Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah 53, and Daniel 7:13-14.)

David knew that Jesus would bring salvation, not just to the Jews, but to all nations. Not only that, he also mentions Christ’s return in verse 9.  King David knew that the messiah was coming to extend His grace to the entire world, and he rejoiced; even though he knew he would not live to see it.  This is echoed in verse 39 of Hebrews chapter eleven.

“All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. “

All of these people died under the Old Law. Before Jesus, this was the only way to restore our relationship with God. But once Jesus came, He fulfilled all of the law’s requirements, and freed us from sins power. Romans chapter eight puts it this way:

Romans 8

New Living Translation (NLT)

Life in the Spirit

8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

            We are free. God has freed us through His grace, and has extended this same grace to anyone who will accept it. Something the people of the Old Testament could only dream of.  Jesus himself put it this way in Matthew 13:

Matthew 13:16-17

New Living Translation (NLT)

16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.

             The Believers of old longed to be in this age with us, looking forward to what we have through Christ, with hope and joy. Think about that for a moment. All of the greatest people in the Bible—the heroes, prophets, patriarchs and kings—were looking forwarder to what God has given us.

            We have what they did not.

Titus 2:11 New Living Translation (NLT)
11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.

           

Think of all the great things these men and women of faith were able to accomplish before God sent His Son. Can you imagine what a man like David—a man after God’s own heart—would do if he had the freedom we have in Christ?  If he had free and unrestricted access to God the Father, and the power of the Holly Spirit living within him? I doubt he would just sit around and do nothing. He would take this gift and use it for the glory of God!

 It is true, we are a privileged generation. But this is nothing to boast about. We haven’t done anything to deserve this gift. Yet God gives it to us freely, though His son Jesus Christ. So if we are to boast in anything, let us boast in Jesus!

Ephesians 2:8-9

New Living Translation (NLT)

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

God has given us more than we could ever hope for—more than anyone else, at any other time in history.  Furthermore, He has entrusted us with His gospel. We are Christ’s ambassadors here on earth. It’s our job to bring the good news of Jesus to everyone, and to make disciples of all nations. This is both our calling and our privilege. 

So let’s be faithful with what He has given us.

2 Corinthians 5:18

New Living Translation (NLT)

18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.