By Faith: Men of Whom the World Was Not Worthy

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray walked through the closing verses of Hebrews 11 and the opening verses of Hebrews 12, pressing toward one point: the same kind of faith that carried the people in that list can carry us. The sermon ended with Communion and a remembrance of church members who died in the past year, Kurt Ripley among them just days before on New Year's Day. The sermon picked up at Hebrews 11:32, where the...

Read together

1. Ephesians 1:19-20 Read aloud before worship: the incredible greatness of God's power for believers, the same power that raised Christ and seated him at God's right hand
2. Hebrews 11:32-12:3 The main passage for the sermon, covering the hall of faith heroes and the call to run with endurance fixing eyes on Jesus
3. Hebrews 4:14 Cited as the basis for the Fight Club men's ministry name, Nehemiah encouraging men to fight for their families
4. Nehemiah 4:14 The actual passage Fight Club is named after, where Nehemiah encourages men to fight for wives, children, and brothers
5. Judges 6-7 Listed as the scripture covering Gideon
6. Judges 4-5 Listed as the scripture covering Barak
7. Judges 13-14 Listed as the scripture covering Samson
8. Judges 11-12 Listed as the scripture covering Jephthah
9. Hebrews 12:1 Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every encumbrance and sin and run with endurance
10. Hebrews 12:2-3 Fixing our eyes on Jesus, author and perfecter of faith, who endured the cross so we will not grow weary and lose heart
11. Jude 24-25 Used as the benediction: to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you blameless with great joy

Talk about it

1. The writer of Hebrews lists people like Gideon, Samson, and David who had serious failures alongside their faith. What does it mean to you that God includes flawed people in his 'hall of faith,' and how does that change the way you see yourself?
2. Pastor Ray pointed out that many of the people in Hebrews 11 acted in faith and still suffered terribly, were imprisoned, or died without receiving the earthly promise. How do you hold that reality together with trusting God when things do not go well for you?
3. Pastor Ray added names like Bud Searles, Mark Upton, West Flanagan, and Kurt Ripley to the list from Hebrews 11, people from this congregation who lived by faith. Who would you add from your own life, and what did their faith look like in practice?
4. Hebrews 12 calls us to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us, and to run with endurance by fixing our eyes on Jesus. What does 'fixing your eyes on Jesus' actually look like for you day to day, and what encumbrances make that hardest?
5. The passage says Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him, and that we should consider him so that we will not grow weary and lose heart. Where in your life right now are you most in danger of growing weary, and how does looking at Jesus's example speak to that?