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The Incredible Achievements of God’s Faithful
Hebrews 11:32-40
Many boys in Brazil have their hopes dashed regularly. They see soccer as a way to achieve fortune and flee poverty. All want to achieve like Pele, Ronaldo, Kaka, or Neymar. They have great hope. But they don’t realize how difficult it is. Some players are sidelined because of injury - a broken this or that. Some can’t take the competition. For others, the intense training is too much. They miss their sleep and comfort. So they fall by the wayside and fail to achieve. Great perseverance is needed. But few have it.
Similarly, some think the Christian life should bring God’s blessings of a good life, successful children, and great earthly achievements. Why? Because we believe an incomplete gospel. A popular tract says, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Yes, but God’s wonderful plan includes suffering and self-denial. And few realize this. When suffering and failures come, they’re disappointed. The parable of the sower lists these things as the reasons why people fall away. Suffering and refusal to deny self. But remember! Christ is not the solution for those who want ease. He’s Savior of those who want rest from sin and misery. And many miseries remain until we reach heaven. But now, he gives grace to overcome the world and endure suffering. These are the Christian’s achievements - holiness and endurance. How do we achieve these things? By faith. We see 2 truths here. Firstly, weak believers can overcome the world by faith. Secondly, faithful believers can endure suffering by faith.
Firstly, weak believers can overcome the world by faith. In verses 32-35, we see how faith strengthens people to do what they normally wouldn’t. Verse 32 - “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:” Now, after speaking about Abraham and Moses, he has no time to talk about others in detail. But he lists some names. As we see this list, we’re reminded they were weak. They were weak but their faith achieved great things. Verse 33 - through faith they subdued kingdoms. Gideon was weak and afraid but God called him to fight the Midianites. When he was called, he asked God for a sign - first a wet fleece on dry ground; then dry fleece on wet ground. Then he gathered a 32,000 strong army. Logical and responsible, right? But God said it was too many. So he whittled it down to 10,000. Still too many! So finally there were only 300 fighting men. To many, this was strategic suicide! Sun Tzu wrote, “It’s the rule in war that if we outnumber our enemy 5 to 1, we fight him; if slightly inferior, we avoid him; if unequal in every way, flee!” And Judges 7 says the Midianites were like a locust swarm; their camels numbered like sand. And God instructed Gideon’s soldiers each be armed with a trumpet and a lamp under a jar. No swords or shields! What a foolish strategy! But God assured Gideon of deliverance. Gideon believed and God delivered Israel.
Then there was Barak. He wouldn’t go to war, unless Deborah, an old woman, was with him. But he was told to go up Mount Tabor. But he’d be surrounded on the plain of Megiddo by great warriors like King Jabin and General Sisera. He’d only have with him a few troops and old woman Deborah. But this was the strategy. Barak trusted God to deliver. And he did. The rains came down, and the floods came up. And the army on the hill stood firm. The rains came down, and the floods came up. The army on the plains were destroyed. Sisera was killed not by sword or arrow, but by a tent peg by another old woman.And yes, Jephthah was impulsive. He served God, but made a rash vow, which got his daughter killed. Kingdoms were conquered by faith.
Verse 33 - through faith they wrought righteousness. This means they ruled justly. Samuel, the last judge of Israel, was such a man. Yes, he was a weak father. He made his ungodly sons judges; they took bribes. But he had integrity. At the end of his rule, he asked Israel to witness against him - “whose ox or donkey have I taken? whom have I cheated or oppressed? have I received any bribe? Answer, and I will restore it.” They replied - “Thou hast not defrauded nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken from any man's hand.” He could’ve enriched himself but didn’t. He could be corrupt but wasn’t. He ruled with integrity. On the other hand, do we cheat, cut corners, and fudge taxes? Don’t we trust God to bless us when we live holy. But Samuel did.
Through faith, they obtained the promise. Each of them obtained what was promised them. Despite their weakness! Gideon and Barak conquered kingdoms by faith. David became king by faith. His men urged him to take his throne by murdering Saul. And he had many opportunities but refused to take them. Trusting God meant being hunted by Saul. And we know how morally weak David was later in life. Dearly beloved, we’re not perfect. We’re weak. But David was not defined by his adultery or murdering; but by his repentance and therefore being a man after God’s own heart. And through faith our weakness can be turned to strength, verse 34. In his weakness, Samson’s eyes were gouged out. He was humiliated, made to work like a beast of burden. But by faith, he cried for God strength; and there, in the temple of Dagon, he pushed down the pillars, killing more in death than in life, delivering Israel. In weakness, our faith can be strengthened by looking to God. John Calvin said of them all that anything praiseworthy in them was ascribed to faith. He said, “In all these saints, there’s something reproachful; yet faith, though halting and imperfect, is still approved by God. Therefore there’s no reason why our faults should break us down, or dishearten us, provided we by faith go on in the race of our calling.” We can take comfort - though we are weak, God helps us when we exercise faith.
But we’re also encouraged by some extraordinary examples of faithfulness. Also, through faith, they stopped the mouths of lions. Daniel was a man of integrity and holiness. While he served a pagan government but refused to compromise. That’s why his enemies sabotaged him. They tricked the king to forbid prayer to any other god, which penalty was death. But Daniel continued to pray. He chose to obey God rather than man. And as a result, he was thrown into the lion’s den. All who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. I fear many of us, to advance in work and school, fear failure rather than faithlessness. We teach our kids to sing “Dare to Be a Daniel” but don’t dare to have them live as a Daniel. But what happened to him? God sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths. He triumphed by faith. So yes, believers can overcome the world. They can achieve spiritual greatness.
Verse 34 - through faith they quenched the violence of fire. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were given their pagan names to erase their Jewish identity. But they never forgot. They refused to worship the golden statue of state religion and were sent to the furnace. But they were spared. Christ was with them. None of their bodies burned, nor hair singed, nor clothes scorched; they didn’t even smell of smoke. They had no fear. Many of us do. We bow down to the state religion of meritocracy. We fear the smoke of a dull future and offer our children on the altar of education. Do we think of their souls? But Daniel and his friends loved God and trusted him above all else. Listen to their words to the king as they went in. “We don’t need to defend ourselves. Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace and from your hand, O King. But even if he doesn’t, know that we’ll never serve your gods or worship your golden image.” By faith, they quenched fires. They didn’t fear death. They were willing to die, but escaped death. Extraordinary faith. So by faith, we can overcome.
Also verse 34, by faith God’s people were strong and made their enemies run away. They “waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” Little David, with only a sling, faced the heavily armed Goliath. The Israelite army was fearful. Even King Saul, head and shoulders taller than any man, shook in fear. But David was confused. Why’s everyone so afraid? “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” He didn’t see Goliath’s height; just his uncleanness but God’s strength. He was small in stature, but giant in faith.
Listen to his words to Goliath - “you come to me with sword, spear, and shield - I come in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day, the LORD will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you and take off your head. I’ll deliver the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds and wild beasts. All the earth will know that there’s a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. The battle belongs to the LORD. He’ll give you into our hands. In the end, what happened? Goliath was killed, his head chopped off, and the Philistines ran away.
And also, verse 35, women received their dead raised to life. Elijah raised up the son of the widow of Zarephath. Remember? God sent Elijah to Zarephath. The widow had only sufficient flour and oil, during famine, to feed her son. But she shared it with him by faith. And her son died. But Elijah cried out to God to raise him up. She trusted. In 1 Kings 17, he carried him to his mother and said, “look, your son is alive.” Dearly beloved - this is faith. Weak and extraordinary believers exercised faith. Despite weakness, they were eventually strong. They accomplished great things.
Now, why mention them? The author wanted to strengthen these suffering Hebrew Christians. They needed to live by faith - to deny self. So despite weakness, they could press on. The people described all had faltering faith. But God used weak faith. Who gave Gideon victory? God. Who triumphed over Goliath? God. Samson was a moral failure - but not forever. If you’re weak, live by faith. Pursue integrity, honesty, and holiness. If you’re stronger in faith, continue in it! Don’t give in. We can overcome the world and have spiritual achievements. Even our Lord persevered by faith. Hebrews 12:2 - “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He overcame the world. Why? As a man, he lived by faith. At Gethsemane, he experienced great weakness. But he greatly exercised faith. And he achieved. Now, he sits at God’s right hand. But never forget how he did it. His overcoming was achieved by suffering and self-denial. He endured the cross and despised the shame.
That’s why secondly, faithful believers can endure suffering by faith. Christianity doesn’t always seem to be triumphant in this world. But it doesn’t need to be. Why? Our Savior was crucified. When people tried make him king, he ran away. And even now, he has no physical kingdom. Our problem is this - we want to make Christianity strong in the eyes of the world. But it’s not meant to be. It’s supposed to be weak and foolish. Jesus the Savior died on the cross. So while some triumphed over their enemies, many died without vindication. Countless have perished in flames and devoured by lions. This doesn’t mean they had weak faith. Rather, they were strong. Suffering is where faith shines most brightly. When God doesn’t bring relief, deliverance, or success, we can still believe tenaciously. The strong in faith, achieve much by suffering and dying; they overcome the world.
Through faith, they refused freedom because they were already free in Christ. Verse 35 reads, “and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.” The Greek for torture is tympanizo where we get the word “tympani” - the drum with stretched skin, struck with mallets. During Israel’s Greek rule, Emperor Antiochus Epiphanes devised different ways to torture God’s people. They were stretched and systematically struck until all their bones broke. They were offered freedom. All they had to do, was to eat pork, and they’d be freed. If not, they’d die. Many, like Daniel and friends, chose death instead of disobedience. They believed that such faith would result in a better resurrection - not being spared from torture and death, but spared from hell. Apostasy leads to hell. Dying in faith leads to heaven. You see, these believed in the future hope. During the reign of some Caesars, legionnaires would appear in the marketplace. A trumpet would be sounded. Everyone would have to line up and offer incense to the emperor. And you couldn’t just step out of line to go toilet. At your turn, would you offer incense? If you didn’t, you’d be imprisoned; and undergo a trial of cruel mocking and scourging, verse 36 says. Would you risk livelihood, family, future, and career? They refused freedom. Why? They were already free in Christ.
And this even led them to refuse to live because they already had life in Christ. Verse 37 - because of their faith, they were stoned, sawn in half, and slain with the sword. In Acts 7, Stephen preached the Word and enraged the Sanhedrin. They stoned him, Saul himself consenting. We see this all over Scripture. 1 Kings 21, Zechariah the prophet preached God’s word to King Joash. He was stoned to death. Isaiah was sawn in half. Tradition says he fled and he hid in a tree. But Manasseh discovered him and cut the tree in half, with him inside. Jezebel had the prophets of Elijah put to death by the sword. John the Baptizer was beheaded for preaching against sin. They tried to stone our Lord in Nazareth. He was finally crucified. Why? For being witnesses. And these all preached knowing the danger. Jesus told said in Matthew 10 his disciples would be delivered to councils, scourged, hated, and betrayed. But they were to have faith - to “fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Yes, some escape the sword, verse 34; but others don’t, verse 37. God wills that we live and die by faith. He doesn’t always deliver us from suffering. But one day, yes, he’ll deliver all his in the better resurrection. We receive these achievements by faith.
And we see the achievements by those who live by faith. Verses 38 and 39 say they were too good for this world. This is God’s testimonial of them. Many people seek to be worthy of the world by their success. But these chose to wander through desert and mountains, hiding in caves and holes. And the world wasn’t worthy of them. Beloved, where’s your home? What do you hope to achieve? You want to be a Pele? Or a Paul? A Neymar? Or a Nehemiah? You may be by faith a Daniel or a Samson. Let none be a Judas or King Saul. And we see something remarkable. All these Old Testament saints earned a good reputation, verse 39. They were faithful even though the promise of Christ was not fulfilled in their time. That privilege is ours, verse 40. And if we have Christ, more is expected of us to live by faith! They suffered and denied self, with only the promise of Christ. We can, even more, because we have the reality of Christ.
So beloved, what application can we make? Firstly, we must believe that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. This includes self-denial. We can be holy. This is the achievement we should desire. Yes, by his grace, God blesses us with temporal blessings. But the love of these things, rather than the love of God, is the root of all evil. They’re like thorns that choke our spiritual lives. So what are the thorns that you must by faith deny yourself? At Gethsemane, Christ wanted to live and not die. But he denied himself. And now he lives. In the wilderness, he could’ve had all kingdoms of the earth, all food, and the worship of angels. But he denied himself those things. And he has all these things and more.
Secondly, God’s wonderful plan includes suffering for Christ. All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Christ said, in this life there’ll be tribulation. Unfortunately, some suffer because they’re pugnacious. They’re unChristlike. But godliness brings Christian suffering. But you may say - I don’t face overt persecution. I know. But there’s overt opposition to the gospel already. The system we live in is against Christ’s exclusivity. Keep in line, you’ll be okay. Yes, we can freely worship - sort of. So on one hand, we’re thankful for a just regime. But the lull of respectability and prosperity makes us lukewarm and cautious not to preach Christ stronger. We’re rich and comfortable. It’s easy to be Christian. Our faith is defined by respectable church activities, adherence to doctrine precision, and doctrinal discussions or arguments rather than gospel witnessing. That’s why we can afford to be polarized over issues like spending and building. But when you’re a witness, there’s opposition. When you live your Christianity overtly, with integrity, like Daniel and his friends, the world won’t leave you alone. And you know what happens? It’ll bring all other issues into perspective. Suffering brings clarity to us; what’s important to God becomes important to us. But we may lack clarity, because we don’t suffer. There’s a perspective that suffering brings - which we may lack. Now to be clear, in our church project - whether it’s building renewal or planting a new congregation, wisdom and faith are involved. We don’t call discretion faithlessness. But don’t mask faithlessness as wisdom either. But when you add in a holiness that results in godly suffering, we’ll have perspective and clarity. When the Lord Jesus sweat great drops of blood, he had clarity to submit to God’s will. He went to the cross. When Stephen was stoned, he saw heaven open up and the Son of Man standing. And preached Christ clearly. When Paul suffered in prison, he rejoiced in his chains. Why? The gospel was spreading. These men had clarity. They didn’t want to be worthy of the world. Rather, they knew the world was not worthy for them. Which is why, the Lord Jesus, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross and despised the shame. And now he sits at the right hand of God. He experienced that better resurrection, which is ours if we by faith endure and deny self. That’s why, we must look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. This is what we shall see next week.
1. Weak Believers Can Overcome the World by Faith (vv 32-35)
A. They were weak but faithful
B. They were faithful and extraordinary
2. Faithful Believers Can Endure Suffering by Faith (vv 35-38)
A. They refused freedom because they are already free
B. They refused to live because they already live
Conversation for Change:
1. What do you hold dear in life that prevents you from living by faith, knowing that when you do, these things are threatened?
2. Why is living with integrity a mark of living by faith?
3. Are you suffering opposition or persecution for your faith in Christ? Why not?
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2025, Rev. Mark Chen
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