Hebrews, chapter number eleven. We’ll try to finish out chapter number eleven today. Been studying through Hebrews eleven for quite some time now, and it seems like every time I say this is the last lesson, there’s always another. But that’s good because the word of God continues to give, it continues to help, continues to encourage, and it seems like it has just been exactly what we’ve needed these last few weeks. Amen. And I’m thankful for that, and I know you are as well. I look forward to what God’s got for today. So let’s open by word of prayer and then we’ll look at what the Scripture has for us this morning. Our gracious, loving, heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus mercy, grace and salvation again. Thank you for allowing us to be here on this side of eternity one more time together with each other. What a blessing it is. I thank you, Father, that your grace has been sufficient this week. I thank you, Lord, that your mercy has been sufficient. And I thank you, Lord, that the sweet Spirit of God has done his work to help, comfort and strengthen. But I pray, Father, that today you’ll help us as we go through the word of God this morning to encourage us, strengthen us, give us hope for today. Hope for today. Father, I pray that when we leave here this morning, that our hearts have been changed to serve you and do what you do have us to do. Father, I need you this morning. I pray you empty of me, of myself. I pray, Father, that you will help our hearts to be attentive to the word of God. Father, we may gain some strength today. Father, thank you again for loving us. Blessed in this hour, in the next hour to come, father, each and everything said and done and praise and honor. And Lord to thee. Pray for the Sunday school classes downstairs. You may encourage them, help them, Father. Plant the seed of the Gospel and the heart of our young people. And Father, everything said and done today, we bring honor and glory to Thee. We love you, not because we’re anything, but because you first loved us in Jesus name and Amen. Hebrews, chapter number eleven, verses 35 through verse 40. I know it’s a difficult place to pick up, but we’ve been looking at this together, so we kind of understand what’s going on here. Look what the Bible says in verse 35, women received their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings. Yay, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were saunasundered, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wondered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in the deserts and in mountains, and in dens and in caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. God, having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. What a passage of scripture. Amen. And I know I said this, we are nearing the last lesson in this series of lessons that we’ve dealt with here in Hebrews eleven. I know that, but I just think that there’s more here for us that we need. I think if we don’t look back when we started this series of lessons, we would not have seen what we have solved so far. Because it’s applied to our hearts in many ways. It’s helped us, it strengthened us. We could see what God did in the scripture with Moses, with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob, with Joseph. And we saw what God did when he parted the Red Sea. And we saw the walls of Jericho fall. And we saw all the great things in a snapshot of what God did here in Hebrews eleven. Our hearts were encouraged and strengthened. And then just a couple of weeks ago, we get into this passage of scripture where maybe it’s not faith is not as exciting, it’s a little harder, where women, the Bible says women receive their dead. But we noticed that for them to receive their dead, they had to go through a time of grief. It was a period of grieving. We saw where others were tortured. We saw where some had cruel mockings and scourgings. And those aren’t pleasant things. Some were stoned, some were sold asunder. And those aren’t pleasant things. But last week we talked about how those folks, I believe with all my heart, were in the center of God’s will. When those things happen to them may not have been easy, it may have been difficult. They weren’t. The joys of the Red Sea being parted wasn’t the joys of the walls falling down with Joshua. But the one thing we noticed was God was there all the time. No matter what, God was there. When they needed God to part the Red Seas, what did God do? He part of the Red Seas. When they needed the walls of Jericho to fall, what did God do? He brought the walls down. When they were being sawn asunder. What did God do? God gave them faith to make it through. When they were being tortured and afflicted, god gave them faith to make it through. And God saw them through. Amen. That gives us hope this morning, because we know what we’ve been through this week. Different families. We think about Sister Rachel, obviously, and Brother Dale and all that happened there. And then, of course, with Jake and Brother Jim and Sam and others who had close dealings or close relationship with Mrs. Shrewsbury and all that happened there. Brother Sam. It’s hard. And we don’t understand what God’s plans are, do we? But we know this god’s still in control. And we know that God is still faithful and that no matter what, god still loves us the same that we know. So while it may be difficult for us on this side, it was difficult for those that were sold asunder it was difficult for those that were afflicted. It was difficult for those that didn’t lose their dead. God raised them up. Again, what was difficult? God provided grace and faith every step of the way that we know. So while I will say to you this morning, though this study may be winding down, it should not stop us from learning and leaning more on our faith in what God has for us. Now that we’ve been reminded about the importance of faith in our life and the many others we’ve read about in the word of God that have exemplified faith in their life. Now we take it and we use it and we bring praise and honor and glory to the Lord. Amen. And there’s no doubt in my mind that God’s going to do great things for Brother Dale and Sister Adley. No doubt. I understand. It’s hard to understand. It’s difficult. I’ve never been there, have not walked in their footsteps. But I know who’s walking with them and I know who holds there tomorrow. And you know how much grace and faith they need. The same amount that we need, just enough to get through today. Tomorrow may never come. Jesus is on his way and y’all might be coming with Him. Amen. Today. But we know this. Everything’s okay. Everything’s okay. Well, I’m glad you all put the Kleenex bushes right down to run and get to them. Last week we had communion. There was a glass of grape juice down here. Just about knocked it over, about how to shout and spell right here. Amen. Didn’t know our pastor had an illustration sitting there. So that’s the Lord. I was reaching blindly. That’s never a good thing to do. So I ask you this. When we’ve gone through the Book of Hebrews, chapter eleven together, god spoken to heart by a lot of different things, what is it that you’ve needed? Because God didn’t direct us here for any one person or any one event or any one thing. But God has spoken to each and every one of us about something, I’m sure. So as we wind this series of lessons down, where does my faith, where does your faith need to be increased? We know we’re on the winning side. Amen. We know that. And we know that the Lord is in control now. We just follow his leadership in his direction. I know our church family is hurting and the hurting will not soon go away. I know that. And I know that we’ll see more pain and suffering because we’re on this side of eternity. It’s going to happen. But the one thing we can rest assured in is that our Lord and our Savior is in control. I want to give you something that ties into this morning Sunday school lesson and goes right along with what we’ve read so far. But I want you to understand that, and I’m not going to give this, I’m not going to teach on this this morning, but I want to help you with this. Our faith is not in vain. Our Christ is risen. And the Bible reminds us that if Christ be not raised, that our faith would be in vain. And we are yet in our sins. In one Corinthians 1518, then they which are fall asleep are also fall asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and as our pastor has already read, become the first fruits. Like he said, there’s first, there’s going to be seconds and there’s going to be thirds. So let me encourage you this morning, keep the faith, don’t time not and hold on. Let go and let god Amen. I don’t know what your problems are, but I know who’s in charge of all. Let’s just trust him, okay? So this passage of Scripture reminds us of a lot of things. I want to draw your attention to a couple of different things. And we’ve seen God do great things. I won’t go back over that, but look at with me, if you will, one of the verses that I should have hit more last week and I didn’t. Verse 37 into verse 38. They were stoned, they were song asunder they were tempted, they were slain with the sword. They were wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins. They were destitute, they were afflicted, they were tormented. And right here, of whom the world was not worthy. Now, I don’t know how many of you got to go Friday night to the services, but that has to be one of the best celebration homegoing services I’ve ever been to. I left encouraged, I left hopeful. It was sad, it was hard, it was difficult, but I left with a smile, realizing it’s going to be alright. You see the world when I say the world, the devil, the hordes of hell, they’re not worthy of someone like Sister Rachel. Sister Rachel loved the Lord, did what was right. Following her husband, supported her husband, was a great blessing amen. To everybody that she came in contact with. And that’s how we want to live our life. Amen. The world, the Bible says, these that were afflicted, these that were sawn asunder these that were tormented, these that had gone through some very difficult things in the passage of scripture, we just read these. The world is not worthy of them. The world looks down on them, brother Jim, the world says, oh, they’ll get to him. Look at how good their God’s been to them. They’re destitute, they’re afflicted, they’re going through some kind of sorrow, some kind of hardship. They look at it the wrong way. Let me encourage you this morning the world is not worthy. Yes. So she may have suffered for quite some time, and then people would say, look at your God now. But let me tell you something. God was all in control of what happened in their life. When we talk about the events that happened, we don’t understand why it doesn’t seem fair. We should remind it of this. God makes no mistakes, period. The world does not value the life of a Christian the same way that God does. Amen. The Bible says, of whom the world was not worthy in looking at that phrase and thinking agree. We must agree as we once were. But God used her in a way that only she could be used. The world has no hope, but we have a hope, we have a help. We have life everlasting. Give us to Father above us who see the shade of the world has value. The world looks at it says, the board of the world looks at, says, look at what God’s doing to them. And we look and say, boy, thank you, Lord, for doing this for me. When the saints of God are tortured, mocked, scored, stone, tempted, song asunder and slain with the sword we read about here in chapter number eleven. Let me report you this morning. The devil and his hordes of hell are not worthy of what God does for us. They may mock, they may make fun of it. Let me encourage you in this. They may have been destitute, they were never forgotten. They may have been afflicted, but God did not forsake them all through this, and I think our pastor told me this this week would have made a year that all this started with Sister Rachel. Can I report you that over this year. Not one time did God leave her side. Can I report you this morning that not one time did God ever turn his back on her. Though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I’ll fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Thy rod, thy staff they come from god never left her side. We may be destitute, we may be afflicted, we may be determined, we may be wandering in the woods, but we’ve never been forgotten, we’ve never been forsaken he goes with us every step of the way. They may mock, they may ridicule, they may blaspheme, they may pass judgment on the child of God, say, what have they done in their life? We look at that and say, god’s bringing glory to himself through that life. The second thought we should see this morning is found in verse number 39, the Bible tells us, and these all, which is the title of this morning Sunday school lesson, by the way, I should have gave that to you earlier. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise. But we would say that’s sad, these all that have been through that. You think about Moses, you think about Joseph, you think about Jacob, you think about Abraham, you think about Abel. From the days of Abel, they had not received the promise, but yet they were delivered. Yet God walks with them. But let me encourage you in this. Though Abel may not have seen the promise, he had a promise. You see, the Bible says in Genesis 315, I will put enmity between thee and the woman in between thy seed and her seed, and thou shalt bruise his heel. All he had was one verse that we know of. I’m sure God walked and talked in the garden with Adam and Eve before the fall. And I’m sure Adam passed that on to his children. But he had that promise. We know the Bible tells us. And on that promise, he brought the first fruits. He brought the right thing to sacrifice. From that point through the Book of Malachi until you hear John the Baptist crying in the wilderness, they were looking towards the promise. They had faith. That was great faith. You see, we have faith, but we also have the word of God that gives us all the answers. They had one verse. Abel had one verse. But that one verse gave him hope in knowing he put his faith in the word of God and God delivered him. I don’t know what it was like when he passed away. I don’t know what it was like when he’s the first one to show up on the scene. There will soon be others to follow. But I know this. His faith in God trusting that the Savior would come is what put him in that position. We look back at the cross today in 2022, and we look back at the cross today. We said, look at what Jesus did. And we have the same faith that these had. So the Bible says, these all having obtained a good report through faith, they received not the promise, so they lived their life. We talked about Joseph trusting the promises and following the Lord. He had the code of many collars betrayed by his family, thrown in a pit. Then he was put into Potiphar’s house, and then he was in the prison. And we talked about all those hardships. But God had a plan. Abraham had been told by God to get up and go and I’ll show you a land. He had been given a promise, and he followed that promise. No, Joseph, you never saw the end where Moses brought the children of Israel out and no, Joseph, you didn’t see them taking the land. Moses, you didn’t see them possessing the land, but you trusted the promise God delivered. Yes, ma’am. You see, they never saw the promise, but God delivered you. And I never saw the promise. But we know by faith the spiritual faith. We know, walking by faith at the site of the word of God, that God sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believed them should not perish, but have everlasting life. We see that great promise and we’re encouraged by that great promise. But better than that, we have the promise that he’s coming again and going to receive us unto Himself. Where he is, we may be also. Amen. So we have hope. It’s hard. Just like my brother Gary gets tough day after day. Nobody knows. Everybody knows the struggles, but God knows. And I have a hope. You have a hope for the bill. We have a hope. Jesus is coming again, Amelia, and he’s going to receive us. And we may not have received that promise yet, but we know that promise is real. So just like the men that were listed here in chapter number eleven moses and Abraham and Jacob and Daniel and a den of lions, shadrach, Meshach, and Abandago, and the fire. Just as we believe that those events took place and those events were real, god saw them through those things. God’s going to see us through the trials and the troubles that we’re going to come. They’re going to come. I don’t think our church has seen the end of sorrow anytime soon. But I may encourage you this morning in this, god will be with us through it all. I don’t want it to be your family. I don’t want to be my family. But what I do want us to do is to trust the Lord and to look to Him who’s the author and the finisher of our faith. He who is altogether lovely. That’s who I want to look to. Now, we’re looking for that promise, right? How do we get there? Brother Mark? How do we get there? Turnover, chapter twelve. And look at verse number two. We’re going to get there because we’re going to be looking, which is a present tense word, constantly looking under Jesus, the Author. And finished by, you know, how we’ll get through this, Brother Billion? How we’ll get through this? Looking under Jesus. You know, we’ll get through this looking under Jesus. You have to get through these things, Pastor. Looking at the Jesus, you see, that’s where our faith begin. That’s where our faith will end. I don’t know what it would be like. Like I said, I don’t want to be that guy. That’s song isunder just go ahead and kill me. I don’t want to feel the blades. I want to cross my belly. I want to feel that tortured, tormented. Just take me, Lord. Just take me. But there are some that have been afflicted. But the same one that began their faith was the same one that ended their faith. I believe with all my heart. I can’t tell you what the future holds. I don’t have any idea. I can’t tell you what tomorrow brings. I know who holds tomorrow. And I know who’s holding your future right now. Because you and I are going to turn the page and we’re going to look past the grief, the song, the thunder, the affliction that being deserted in the wilderness. And we’re going to look unto Jesus, who’s the author and the finish of our faith. Who for the joy that’s you, that’s me, the saved. Looking down through Sister Eileen, he saw all of us. He saw us and it motivated him to go across and die for me and die for you. So if he began that faith, he’ll finish that faith. My heart’s encouraged this morning. I hurt. I hurt because my brother hurts. I don’t know his pain, but I can feel his pain. I hear his pain. I put my arms around him. I said, I love you, Brother Dale, I’m praying for you. He says, Please continue to pray for us. I felt and I hurt. I know this god is able to help. God’s able to comfort. God is able to strengthen. God will do the same for you, Brother Jeremy. No matter what it is that’s going on in your life, I promise you, God will do the same for you. I promise. He said he would. He won’t leave us. He won’t forsake us, brother Frank. We get to that point in our life and fix. Nobody cares. He’s not going to leave me. He’s not going to forsake me. Nobody else knows what’s going on. Think about Brother Billy at home this morning, suffering and a lot of pain. I’d like to report to him this morning, god’s still on the throne. God hasn’t forgotten you. God hasn’t forsaken you. I’ll never leave you. Nor forsake you. The author and the finisher. Yes, I know I said that we’ll probably end up our lesson here through Hebrews chapter Eleven here in a couple of weeks, but I wanted to turn the page and I want us to look at what God’s doing right now. And God will continue to do that if we’ll continue to look at Jesus Christ. Don’t look outward, don’t look inward. Look upward. Look upward. It’s all going to be over soon. It’s all going to be over soon. We’re on the downward side of this. Think about that. The clock’s about to take midnight. Jesus Christ is on his way to receive us on Himself. Maybe a few more days of hardship, but we’ll get to it, Brother. One day at a time. Looking right now, looking unto Jesus. Brother Jim, when it gets tough, but you don’t wear to turn, we’ll look unto Jesus. Yes, sir. He’s the author. He began it. And pastor. He’ll finish. He’ll finish it. Let’s pray. Father in Heaven, I love you this morning. Lord, my heart is heavy, but my heart is hopeful. I know, Father, that this too shall pass. And I know, Father, that our church may go through more difficult waters, but I know, Father, that you’re in control. Lord, we’re trusting you day to get through each and every day. We’re going to let go and we’re going to let you have your will and your way in our hearts and our lives. I ask you to bless in the next hour, bless the man of God. Encourage him and help him comfort our church. Our church family. Comfort brother Dale, Sister Adley, the Shrewsbury family, all those are affected, lord, I pray to be around about them. Encourage them to help them. Let them know it’s okay. It’s okay. But all is well in my Father’s house. Lord, I pray you’d, comfort and strengthen reckon. Our services have your will in your way and will fail not to give you. All the praise, John, and the glory. For we ask in Jesus name. Amen.