SNT 0510 Old Testament Believing / Faith
Old Testament Believing / Faith
June 27, 1971
SNT 510
Format: audio
Publication Date: 06-27-1971
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Gal 3:22-26; Heb 11:1-3
Heb 11:3-7, 13; 1Jo 3:12; 1Co 7:14
Heb 11:8-13, 16, 17, 20-34
Heb 11:34-40; 12:1, 2; (Rom 10:9, 10)
snt-0510_old-testament-believing_Faith(vpw)(6-27-1971)
Now, a number of weeks ago, somebody asked me if I would please handle the 11th chapter of Hebrews again sometime. And so this is the sometime.
This is one of the great misunderstood chapters in the Bible, and therefore you just keep teaching at the people, you just keep wrapping in it, keep talking the Word to them, and sooner or later they begin to believe it.
I was so tremendously blessed by Don [Sleringen 00:00:31]. And I think my presence with Don was the greatest thing – what he said, it was the greatest inspiration he had had since he had been born again and sat through the foundational class. Just my coming to Alaska, taking my time in my life to spend with him and his people was such a blessing.
And then he told me some things that I never knew How mad he used to get at me when I taught the Word, because he was already a minister and he had a lot of preconceived ideas. And he said, he used to absolutely get so angry at me when I taught the Word he'd have to go home and ask God to forgive him for getting so angry.
And he said, one time I was teaching on some subject, he deliberately stood up in the back and he started to point his finger and then he decided, instead of saying anything, he'd sit down. I don't recall the incident, but he was telling me. Had he said anything, I’d have most likely told him to sit down anyways. But he’s sharing these things with me.
You know, bless my heart again because, people, God’s Word will always upset people. The reason it upsets people is because of the wrong teaching and the preconceived ideas. Now, if they haven't had any teaching you can't upset them. It's like a boat being capsized. Once a boat is capsized, to get that thing turned up over and keep the water out takes a little bit of doing. Sometimes you can turn it over and then you have to pump the water out. Well, we sometimes in our ministry, have to pump a lot of the old wrong teaching out of people. And this is especially true; the older you are, the more wrong teaching you may have had. And therefore, among the adults many times we have to be patient, we have to be loving, but we never back up on the Word. He told me the same thing had been true about the teaching on Are the Dead Alive Now. That this had so terribly upset him.
But when you're stay in the Word, sooner or later, it gels. Because this is the only thing that really fits, class, and this is the only thing that stands. It’s His Word. And, therefore, you can never spend too much time getting into that Word.
I have been tremendously blessed by the reports that Howard and Walter shared with me today about the discipline among the students here. At one o'clock in the morning or 1:30 in the morning, still here in the auditorium. But instead of sitting around visiting, you're working the Word. You're digging it. Well, people, this is the greatest time of your life. You've got the weeks to do it. Whatever you do now, you can utilize the rest of the days of your life.
Now, in order to understand Hebrews 11 you have to be sure of one word, and that's the Greek word pistis. P-I-S-T-I-S. That word may be translated either faith, F-A-I-T-H, or believing. And you will never know, unless you follow context, as to whether it should be faith or believing.
Now, in order to set Hebrews 11 for you, so that we can determine without any private interpretation exactly what it should be, whether it should be translated faith or believing, I think we ought to keep our finger in Hebrews 11 and go to Galatians 3.
Galatians chapter 3, verse 22.
Galatians 3:22:
But [in contrast] the scripture hath concluded all under sin, [just body and soul men. Remember?] that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
In other words, that the promise. The promise of what? The faith of Jesus Christ, whatever that is, might be given to them when people believe or that believe. When they believe they're going to get this faith of Jesus Christ. Now, verse 23.
Galatians 3:23:
But before faith came,…
Before faith came. Before it came. Then there must have been a time when there was no what, class? {Faith.} Right. Now that word faith is the word pistis.
Galatians 3:23:
… before faith came, [now it’ll tell you when it was] we were kept under the [what] law, [So the period of the law cannot have faith in it, because faith had not yet come.] shut up [closed off] unto the faith which should afterwards [after the law] be revealed.
So anything before the Day of Pentecost, any place where the word pistis is used, cannot be translated ‘faith’ because faith had not yet what? Come.
Now the 24th verse.
Galatians 3:24:
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, [or until Christ.]…
‘To bring us’ must be scratched. The law never brings anybody anything but a headache. And it's the legalism that drives people away from Christ. You know that? It's legalism that drives people away from Christ. Fear drives people away from Christ. I think it's in the Epistles, isn’t it, where it says ‘the love of God that draws the man to repentance’. So we show people the love of God, not the legalism, not the fear, we show them that the love, the love. And that's what brings people.
Galatians 3:24:
… the law was our schoolmaster [teacher] to bring us unto [until] Christ, that we [after the law] might be justified by [what?] faith.
By faith. That we might be justified by faith. By my faith? No, I don't have any because I'm a man of body and what? {Soul.} Therefore, the only thing logically then that a man could be justified by would be the faith of Jesus Christ. And he just told us that this didn't come before it came with Christ.
Now, verse 25.
Galatians 3:25:
But after that faith is come, [the faith of Jesus Christ, we are still under the schoolmaster?] {No.} [We’re what?] we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
We're no longer under the schoolmaster. We're no longer under that law. Christ was the fulfillment of the law, as it says in the Word. Christ is the end of the law to everyone that believeth. Why? Because the faith of Jesus Christ came, and that replaces everything previously.
Galatians 3:26:
For ye are all [all born again believers are the children of God] by [the] faith [or a faith of or] in Christ Jesus.
The word ‘in’ in King James should be ‘of’. For ye are the children of God by faith of Jesus Christ.
So when you get to Hebrews 11, where I’d like for you to flip back to, Hebrews 11 deals entirely with people in the Old Testament. And yet in King James, all the way through, it uses the word faith. In verse 1, in verse 3 and verse 4, in verse 5, in verse 6, verse 7, verse 8, verse 9, verse 11, verse 13, verse 17, verse 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27. Every place through the entire chapter they translated the word pistis, faith. And that has caused no end of confusion.
And you'll never rightly divide the Word because faith was not available to the men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. But believing was available. For a man of body and soul can believe, because believing is in the mind. And a man, a body and soul has a mind. He could hear the Word of God and he could do what? Believe it. But he could not have faith because faith came with whom? {Jesus Christ.} Now that's the logic of the Word and that's how the Word says.
Now, with that introduction, there is really no problem with the entire chapter. Just great elucidation, great teaching, great truths. And that first verse literally says – and if you haven't got this translation written down you ought to write it down someplace.
[Now believing, believing is the title deed to things prayed for. The evidence they are yours before they are seen.]
That is literal translation of that great first verse of Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11:1:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Now believing is the title deed. Believing is the title deed. You know what a title deed is to a property, or a title deed to an automobile. Now, that's what believing is. Believing is the title deed. You take you the title deed to an automobile. You can't ride the title deed. You've got to get delivery of what? But without the title deed, you couldn't have the possession of the automobile.
So same logic applies here to spiritual things.
Believing is the title deed to things prayed for. Believing is your title deed to the things prayed for. Believing is the evidence. Believing is the evidence that's those things you have prayed for are yours before they are what? Seen. That's the greatness of that tremendous verse.
Believing is the title deed. It's the evidence that the things that you prayed for are yours before they are seen. Once they are seen, you can just file the title deed away. Once you sit in the automobile, you can put that title deed into the lockbox or something. But until you take possession of that automobile, it's your title deed that's your proof that it's yours.
What a tremendous thing this believing in. And I know that it will bless you abundantly because you're in the class on the renewed mind; the third week of this tremendous class. And the greatness of the renewed mind is getting to the place that you believe that what God said God meant. So we may have to work the Word sometime to be sure we're back at the Word which God originally gave when holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
But once we are at that position, then everything else is irrelevant except one thing, believing. When we believe we receive. To the end we believe we receive, where we believe we receive, and there is no receiving without believing.
That is the greatness of the renewed mind. There is nothing any higher in the renewed mind.
That's why it says in verse 2,
Hebrews 11:2:
For by it [by it what? By believing. By believing. By it] the elders [the elders. The forefathers. The elders, the forefathers] obtained a good report.
The words ‘obtained a good report’ literally are translated ‘were made witnesses’. For by believing the elders were made witnesses. Witnesses to what? That God’s Word faithful when men believe it. That's what [inaudible 00:13:45].
Verse 3.
Hebrews 11:3:
Through [believing] faith we understand…
It’s through believing that we understand. Now watch this verse carefully. It’s beautiful.
Hebrews 11:3:
… we understand that the worlds [the word ‘worlds’ is ‘ages’] were framed [the word ‘framed’ is ‘prepared’. That the ages were prepared] by the word of God,…
Or, if you like it, the worlds were framed. I understand that thing. But the literal thing is ‘ages were prepared’. They were prepared by the Word of God. God spoke them into being. God said, and it came to pass. Remember how this would fit with Genesis 1, right down the line.
Hebrews 11:3:
… [prepared] by the word of God, so [so literally means to the end] that things which are seen…
Things which are what? Seen. Things that you can see. The stars in their courses, the heavens, the moon, the sun.
Hebrews 11:3:
… [the] things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
The words ‘were not made’ came not into being. Did not come into being. Came not into being of things which do appear.
Now, the senses world man, the scientific man so to speak, looks at the things which are what? Seen. These mammals and all the rest of the stuff they talk about, you know. They look at the things that are seen, and from the logic of what they see they endeavor to deduce where it came from. The Word says it can't be done for, look at it, .
That to the end that the things which are seen were not, came not into being by the things that, what, appear. Didn't come that way. Why? Because the ages were prepared by the Word of what? {God.} That's the position of the Word. That's the position The Way represents. If this contradicts what every scientist says, then I have to say the scientist is wrong, the Word is right. That’s the stand we take.
Now, I want to tell you something, the Word is not wrong. The scientists who object to it just haven't caught up to the Word. That Word will stand. Look, if you've got a thousand places where the Word stands and there is one that somebody says it doesn't stand, you don't hold onto the one and throw out the thousand. That's not logic. That one will have to fit into the thousand.
Now, that's a tremendous burden. This is what it says. This is what it means. This is what we believe.
Verse 4.
Hebrews 11:4:
By [believing] faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he [Abel] obtained witness that he was righteous, [that he was righteous] God testifying of his gifts: and by it he [Abel] being dead yet [does what?] speaketh.
Even though Abel has died, by what he did, by believing, he is still speaking to us today. Do you understand that? You see, his brother Cain was born of the wrong seed. He went through all the finery of presenting his offering, he went through all the protocol, all the machinery, but God could not accept Cain's offering because Cain was born of the wrong seed. By believing Cain had turned to the devil, and by believing Abel had stood faithful on God's promise. That's the difference.
You know, if you keep your finger here and go to 1 John chapter 3, verse 12.
1 John 3:12:
Not as Cain, [you have it? Not as Cain] who was of that [what?] wicked one,…
If you're of someone you've got what in you? {inaudible 00:19:14}. And it says Cain was of the wicked one. Who's the wicked one? The devil. So he is born of the seed of the serpent, which is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. It's the unforgivable sin. It’s blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It's the unforgivable sin. God could not… The true God couldn't accept his offering because he's born of the wrong seed.
Now, Hebrews says that, by believing, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice because Abel believed the true God.
Now, verse 5.
Hebrews 11:5:
By [believing] faith Enoch was translated…
The word ‘translated’ should have been translated ‘transported’. Then we wouldn't have had all that theological fights. I was going to bring with me in the auditorium tonight and read you a documentation on one of the pages in the old book on “Are the dead alive now?”, where it's documented the truth that I'm sharing with you. Because whenever… In the in the Anglican Episcopal or Roman Catholic Church today, whenever a bishop is consecrated, they speak of him as being translated. He may be chosen. And, you know, set apart as the bishop of Jerusalem, although he may live in New York and never have been in Jerusalem, never gets to Jerusalem at all, as long as his tenure of the bishopric continues.
And yet, when they list this in the book – and in England I forget the name of the book. It's in the documentation of “Are the dead alive”. The name of the book is given. Anybody can look at it. You can order it. You can see it. Every bishop that has ever been consecrated name is in it. And it says behind each one of those names that he was translated, which simply means that he was bishop of Jerusalem, translated to New York. That just means that he never went from here over to there even though he had the appointment.
Now, this word here is the same word.
Hebrews 11:5:
By faith Enoch was [transported] translated that he should not see death;…
And the word that's used here is that he should not see physical death. He had never seen anybody die. And because Enoch had walked so beautifully before God, God never allowed Enoch to see any human being to die. That's why he should not see death.
They have read into it that, what's his name should not die. That Enoch should not die. But that's not what it's says. That he should not see death. See it. Not that he himself would not die. Because here in verse 5 it mentions Enoch, in verse 7 it mentions Noah, in verse 8 it mentions Abraham, in verse 11 it mentions Sarah. And then in verse 13, it says these all what? {Died.}Right.
So what happened to Enoch? {He died.} He must have died too. These all what? {Died}. That's what it says.
Hebrews 11:13:
These all died…
Now, why in the world they never read this 13th verse, I don't know. But they always read the 5th and they want to tell you that this fella, Enoch, was so good that he never died. God took him up into heaven and that he's up there. And this is one of the scriptures they use to prove that the dead are not dead until Christ returns. That's the dead are alive in heaven. That's a bunch of baloney. That's right.
When people are dead, they're dead. It's either going to have to be the gathering together, or the resurrection to get people up. There is only one whom God has raised from the dead, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ, our savior.
Now, verse 5 again.
Hebrews 11:5:
By [believing] faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had [transported] translated him: [did it to Philip in Acts 8 or 9 but] for before [God did this, before he transported] his translation he [Enoch] had this testimony,…
Or as the literal translation says, bore witness to. Enoch bore witness to. That agrees with verse 2, where the elders were made witnesses. Same word, by the way, is used in here. That's why it's [borne 00:24:55] witness to.
Hebrews 11:5:
… that he [Enoch] pleased [whom?] God.
How did he please God? By believing that what God said, God meant. For him, the Word of God was the will of God.
Verse 6.
Hebrews 11:6:
But without [believing] faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he [what?] is,…
He must believe that he is. No man can prove God, because whatever you can prove you've got to be bigger than that which you prove. No man can prove God. And this will take you back to that third verse where, to the end,
Hebrews 11:3:
… that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
The things you see in the senses world that God has wrought on, came not into being by the things you see there because God did the job, to begin with, in a different way.
Hebrews 11:6:
… and that he is a rewarder…
Or he became. This second ‘is’, this ‘is’ here is literally ‘became’,
Hebrews 11:6:
… a rewarder of [those or] them [who or] that diligently seek him.
Verse 7.
Hebrews 11:7:
By [believing] faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with [reverence, respect] fear, prepared an ark to the [salvation of his house, or] saving of his house;…
And the only reason the rest of his house got saved is because of the believing of Noah. The believing of Noah put his wife on the ship and he his three sons and their wives. No matter what those kids had done, because they were Noah’s kids and because Noah believed, they got to ride.
Now, people, is the new birth bigger than the old covenant? Then why do people have trouble with 1 Corinthians 7:14 or 12, whatever it is where,
1 Corinthians 7:14:
… the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, [or] and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
Why, I tell you that new birth is fantastic. If just a husband is a believer, that child born is reckoned holy because of the new birth. If just the wife is a believer, that child is reckoned holy because of the new birth. Noah's family went along on the believing of Noah. My children or your children go along on your believing when they're born. And this old devilish teaching that when a child is born, you better baptize it quickly so if it dies it doesn't go to hell, is straight from the pit of hell. The teaching is. That’s right. It’s just a cop out.
So, people, it's just tremendous. Verse 8.
Hebrews 11:8:
By [believing] faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
That's fantastic. You know what it means? He knew the direction he was headed, but he didn't know every little stop en route. He knew that that was where he was to go, but he didn't know whether he'd stop at Timbuktu or what little other city. He knew the promises of the Word reached over to that point, and he just started heading toward that point. That’s believing.
Hebrews 11:9:
By [believing] faith he sojourned in the land of promise,…
Verse 10 says,
Hebrews 11:10:
For he [Abraham] looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [was who] is God.
Amen. That’s believing. He couldn't see the city, but he believed that there was a city whose builder and foundation was God. That's walking out on believing.
People today many times say, well, if I could just see a miracle, I'd believe. You'll never see one because you'll never believe anyway. You don't get the God by seeing and then believing. You believe God and then you see. These Old Testament saints, before the day of faith, believed God.
Verse 11.
Hebrews 11:11:
Through [believing] faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him [God] faithful who had [what?] promised.
Boy, that’s something. We laugh at old Sarah having a baby at 90, I guess. Wasn’t it? I forget how old she was. She was either 80 or 90. Now, that's a pretty good ripe time in age to have your first baby. And all those years. I can't comprehend it, let alone… maybe a little apprehension, but I'm sure I never can comprehend the amount of believing that took.
But, of course, as you know, she copped out every once in a while on the believing for a little bit, but she always came back. She gave Hagar [to wife 00:31:04] Abraham, thought he could produce one this way. God said, no trip. See? So she just had to come back to believing.
But this believing speaks loudly to my ears, because even as a son of God, born again of God’s Word, having eternal life, how many, many times I have to bring myself back to believing. I'm sure you do the same. You know God’s Word and for a minute or two you cop out on it, then you bring yourself back to believing because you know it's the only thing that’s going to work. You can try everything else, you’ll always end up in the soup. It's the Word that works.
Therefore, it says,
Hebrews 11:11-13:
… because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, [that’s a beautiful figure] and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
These all died in faith, [in believing]
These all died even though they believed. Look at the great things they did by believing, and yet sooner or later they what? And the reason they died is because they quit believing. This is why the scripture when it says,
Hebrews 9:27:
… it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
is written by the foreknowledge of God, who knows that no man will ever rise up to the fullness of those believing privileges to live forever on the senses plane. Because he will quit believing, and when he quits believing, legally the earth and the world in it belongs to Satan, and he is the author of it.
These all died not having received the promise. The promise of what? The city whose builder, whose foundation and whose builder is God. The city that is built foursquare square upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 11:13:
… but having seen them afar off, [seeing those promises afar off] and were [what?] persuaded [persuaded means to be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt. Persuaded] of them, [those promises] and embraced them, and [they] confessed that they were [simply] strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
But they said, we know God's going to do it.
Ladies and gentlemen, what a tremendous believing. What a tremendous believing. [inaudible 00:33:58].
Verse 17. But verse 16 is sort of interesting.
Hebrews 11:16:
… wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their [what?] God:…
Amen. Because they did what? Believe. That's why he's not ashamed to be called their God. For He has prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:16-17:
… for he hath prepared for them a city.
By [believing] faith [verse 17] Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac:…
Verse 20.
Hebrews 11:20:
By [believing] faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau…
Verse 21.
Hebrews 11:21:
By [believing] faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph;
Verse 22.
Hebrews 11:22:
By [believing] faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children… [and so forth]
Verse 23
Hebrews 11:23:
By [believing] faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months [by] of his parents,…
Who did the believing? He parents. Not Moses when he was born. Right? It's wonderful. His parents believed. That when Moses was born, they hit him for three months until Pharaoh's daughter picked him up,
Hebrews 11:23:
… because they saw he was a proper child;
A child… They believed he was a child destined to lead the children of Israel. To bring blessings to the children of Israel.
Hebrews 11:23-25:
… and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
[And] By [believing] faith Moses, when he was come [of age] to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin [in the pharaoh’s court even] for a season;
Man, he could have had an easy trip in pharaoh’s court. He had all the money at his fingertips. He had all the power, all the prestige that that great Egyptian court could give. But he refused it because he believed God and had a ministry.
And look what it says in verse 26.
Hebrews 11:26:
Esteeming the reproach of Christ [or for Christ] greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
He looked forward. He saw Christ Day. He believed Christ, the promise of Christ, more than anything else that he just lost. Thousands of years before it happened. That's walking by believing.
Today, you show people God’s Word, and they can't hold still till next week to see if it'll really come to pass. And they say, well, I just can't believe any longer. Well, join the gang in the Old Testament. How long did they believe? Till next Wednesday? Most people think, well, boy, believing right now I got to have it. Well, for the things that are immediately available when you believe you can immediately receive, right? But for the promise of the hope of Christ’s return it’s simply a believing, because you can’t have it now. But we believe these great things.
Now, what verse am I? Twenty what? Seven? Okay.
Hebrews 11:27:
By [believing] faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is [what?] invisible.
Amen. God. As seeing God who is invisible.
Hebrews 11:28-29:
Through [believing] faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
By faith they passed through [what?] the Red sea…
Amen. The people say he didn't, the Word says he did, so I bet he did. Right. He…
Hebrews 11:29:
… passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
Those were the Baptists in 29. Thirty.
Hebrews 11:30:
By [believing] faith the walls of Jericho did what? fell down,…
Then how did the walls of Jericho come down? {By believing.} That’s what it says, that’s what it means. God said you trounce around it every day for seven days, on the seventh day you go around it seven times and you toot your little old New Years horn, and he said the walls will come… They were just stupid enough to believe God’s Word. You marched around seven days. On seven days, seven times. They tooted, they knocked their dish pans together. Pop, the big walls came down. That’s just tremendous.
Now, of course, our great intellectual society today says, oh, that's a nice story. It doesn't work. They’re right. It doesn't work – for them. For the man who says, “I can,” and the man who says, “I can't,” are both right.
Hebrews 11:31:
By [believing, verse 31] faith the [innkeeper]…
She was not a harlot, she was an innkeeper. Let’s get the record straight. Not that God doesn't love harlots if they get saved, but He hasn't got too much respect for them when they're not saved. And God didn't have to use a harlot. He uses believers, and this believer happened to be an innkeeper. And just because you're a innkeeper doesn’t mean you're a harlot. But it’s a most unusual thing for an Eastern lady to be an innkeeper. And that's why the King James boys and the history has always called her a harlot. Because in Eastern culture, ordinarily, no decent woman did this, only the indecent ones. But this gal is not indecent. She was an innkeeper. And it’s her believing that’s the proof.
Hebrews 11:31:
By [believing] faith the [innkeeper] harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies [Caleb and Joshua, and hid them that nobody could find them].
Then these great 32 verse – 32nd verse, the greatness in here.
Hebrews 11:32-33:
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, [Samson. Remember? Started a trip. The walls came tumbling down, sealing in. By believing.] and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
[verse 33] Who through [believing] faith subdued [what?] kingdoms, wrought [what?] righteousness, obtained [what?] promises, [and how did the] stopped the mouths of [old Leo] lions, [through believing. That's how they stopped the mouths of lions.]
That's right. That's why when Daniel went in the lion's den that old lion had a beautiful feast. Because lions like to eat people when they're hungry. And when Daniel got thrown in the lion's den, what kept that animal from eating him? {Believing.} His own believing. Had he been full of fear, which would have meant believing on the negative side, do you know what the lion would’ve done to him? {Ate him.} Yes. Ate him good and proper. Right.
Look what else they did. Verse 34.
Hebrews 11:34:
Quenched the violence of [what?] fire,…
Amen. When they wanted to burn them, the fire wouldn't burn. They quenched it, the violence of it.
People, I want to say they have been great men of God in the past who believed. And the reason that we have the Word of God tonight is because men like this believed. They stood. They didn't cop out every time somebody yelled wolf, wolf. Somebody in the neighborhood said, “Well, I don’t like you.” Or some preacher got up and said, “Well, that’s a bunch of baloney.”
They stood right up and said, you're baloney. They said, God’s Word is faithful. It will stand. They believed God. They…
Hebrews 11:34-35:
Quenched the violence of fire, [they] escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness [they] were made [what?] strong, [they] waxed valiant in fight, [and they] turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Women received their dead raised to life again:…
This doesn't say that every dead person was raised to life, but there were women who received their dead raise to life again because of one thing; they believed.
Hebrews 11:35:
… and others were tortured, [others were tortured] not accepting [what?] deliverance;…
Could they have been delivered? {Yes.} It says they did not what? {inaudible 00:43:30.}. Had they believed, they could have been what? {Delivered.} Right. They were not delivered because they did not believe. And here it says,
Hebrews 11:35:
… that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Now, that has really hung up people through the years. It's very simple, because there are two resurrections in the Bible. One is the resurrection of the just, the other is the resurrection of what? {inaudible 00:43:59}Which is the better? {The just.} That's the one. That's the one they're going to be in.
They didn't accept it. You know why they didn't accept it? They were tired of the fight. They had believed and believed through the years, and finally it got to the place they just quit believing, they didn't accept deliverance, yet they're going to be in the better resurrection, which is the resurrection of the just.
You know, go don’t go to hell because you quit believing. Isn't that beautiful?
Hebrews 11:35:
… that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Be in the first resurrection. Because all the saved of the Old Testament will be in the better resurrection, but all people will be resurrected sooner or later. The second one.
Hebrews 11:36-39:
And others [verse 36] had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
They were stoned, [stoned. [inaudible 00:45:02] stoning] they were sawn asunder, [they] were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
(Of whom the world was not [what?] worthy:) [Right.] they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And these all, having obtained a good [witness] report through [believing] faith, [yet, class, they never] received [what?] not the promise:
They never received what you've got tonight, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was not available. But they saw his day. They looked forward to his day. They envisioned it and they walked in this life believing in that day.
How much bigger we ought to walk in our believing because we've got so much [more 00:46:06]. You have Christ immediately available. Anyone who needs to be born again can be born again tonight, because all you need to do is confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, believe God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be what? {Saved.} Right.
Romans 10:10:
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
It's immediately available. They couldn't have it, but they believed God was going to do it. And they looked down and through the years, and they judged him faithful who had promised.
Hebrews 11:39-40:
And these all, having obtained a good [witness] report through [believing] faith, received not the promise:
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us [by their believing] should not be made perfect.
Because Christ came. And in Christ, our believing is perfected.
Hebrews 12:1:
Wherefore [verse 12. Wherefore] seeing we also [in Christ we also today] are compassed about with so great a cloud of [what?] witnesses,…
Are they alive or are they dead? {Dead.} Right. Then what is the cloud of witnesses? It's the believing of all of these men and women. That's the great cloud of witnesses by which they obtained a good report, straight A's, in their believing.
We're surrounded with a great cloud of witnesses. Now, the organized church takes this verse, takes it out of its context, and says we're surrounded with every believer cause they're up in heaven. The spiritualists do the same thing to this verse that the organized church does. They say there's the proof. The great cloud of witnesses in heaven. That's not what it says.
You can't get them into heaven because it said in the earlier part of the chapter these all what {Died.} And we're surrounded with their believing. With their believing. Their testimonies. Like you are surrounded… You could be surrounded with the believing of people in the former years, like your daddy or mommy or someone else you do. So we're surrounded with the believing of these men and women.
Hebrews 12:1:
… seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside [you’ve got to lay aside. We’ve got to do it. Let us lay aside] every [what?] weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is [what?] set before us,
What a tremendous thing. We've got to lay aside what? Every weight. Class, we’ve got to travel fast, we’ve got to travel far. we’ve got to travel light. You cannot travel fast and far, you can’t travel light. If we are a burdened down with fears, worries, anxiety, if we're burdened down with material things, we just cannot travel fast and far.
We’re to lay aside every weight. This is written regarding a runner in the marathon. And in order for a runner to run in the marathon, he had to take off all his clothes, his shoes and everything. He ran the marathon naked, because he had to lay aside every weight. Even his trunks were weight. Holding back.
You and I have to strip ourselves of everything that stops us from going fast and far with the Lord. And only you will know what that is. Only I know what it is for me, and I have to strip it off. You’ve got to strip it off. It we want to go fast and far for the Lord, we’ve got to travel light. That weight which doth so easily beset us, and boy, that sin so easily besets. Because you can rationalize and you can say, oh, but I think I could keep this little thing, you know. Or, I think I could hold onto that. When deep in your heart you know it's just stopping you from really walking with the power and the majesty and the glory with which God calls us in the service of His Son Jesus Christ.
And, ladies and gentlemen, when you read a scripture like this in this Word of God, if men before faith could do this, can you and I dare to do less after that faith has come?
Hebrews 12:1-2:
… run with patience [run with what? Patience] the race [the race] that is set before us,
Looking unto [whom?] Jesus…
Keep your eyes up. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, the water below didn't bother him. It's when he looked at the water that Peter went for a dip. Right.
Hebrews 12:2:
Looking unto Jesus [looking unto Jesus who is] the author [you know what the word author means? The starter. And he is the what?] and finisher…
He is the author. He is the author and finisher of… The word ‘our’ has to be scratched. Not our faith. We didn't have any. He is the author and finisher of what? Faith. He started up and he wrapped it all up.
That's why when you're born again of God’s Spirit, you received the faith of Jesus Christ. That's all there is. He's the author of it, he's the finisher of it. Everything that that faith is is yours when you're born again.
What a tremendous truth.
Hebrews 12:2:
Looking unto Jesus the author and [the] finisher of [what?] our faith; [what a tremendous thing] who for the joy [who for the what?] {Joy.} [joy] that was set before him endured the cross,…
Do you think he was happy about the cross? Do you think he felt the nails through his hands? Do you think he felt the crown of thorns on his head? When they slapped him, whipped him? Surely, he was not happy about that. But who for the joy.
Joy is an inside job. People may persecute us, people may say bad things about us. I just heard from Barbara [Fair 00:53:12] in Little Rock that they were circulating paper after paper about, the title is, “The Exposing of The Way.” That’s me. They’re after my life. That's right. Paper said I never even went to college. I’m stupid, or something. I don't care what they say. If I never go to college, I'm smarter than anybody that's ever gone then. If that's what they want to argue about. Oh, baloney.
But you see, the Word’s on the move. The Word’s on the… And you know who's passing this baloney out against us? It's a fellow Christian brother. Yeah. Born again of God's spirit. Why doesn’t he get in the boat and fight the devil with us? I don't give a hoot what he believes, as long as, you know, he’s born again and stuff. Let him walk on what he knows.
So I don't care what they say or what they do, Jesus Christ is still the author and finisher of faith and for the joy that was set. It's no joy when people rap at you and crack at you, and persecute you and say bad things about you. That's really no happiness in that, that's for sure. The joy has to be an inside job. You're not hurt on the inside because you know it isn't true. And as long as you know it is true, it can’t hurt you.
Jesus Christ endured the cross because of the joy. The joy. Not the happiness, the joy. He saw what this would do. He saw our day. He saw that at The Way headquarters some day people would get back to the Word. Their lives would be changed. They’d turn on for him. He saw all that. And because of that, joy. Because of that joy he endured the cross. What a wonderful savior, right? Amen, boys.
Hebrews 12:2:
… 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 [what?] God.
Amen. And there he sits, as our Lord and as our Savior. There he sits as our intercessor, our intermediator, the one who mediates for us. There he sits as our advocate, our defense attorney. And, ladies and gentlemen, I will gladly have him to defend my case. I will gladly have him defend yours, because he is God's only begotten Son. He is our Lord and he is our Savior.
And, therefore, when we believe in him we get the faith that Jesus Christ. And once we have that faith, we have received those precious promises that the Old Testament elders look forward to, never got but they believed they were coming. And because they believed God reckoned righteousness unto them.
You and I believe today we’re born again, he does not reckon righteousness unto us, he cleanses us of all sin and gives us his righteousness.
Boy, to be alive now, in this day, is just fantastic.
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