This is a sermon I delivered on 17 August 2025 at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Healdton, OK. It’s kind of the second half of the sermon I gave last week, so there is some overlap.
Good morning!
Today’s passage from the book of Hebrews is part of a letter, or rather a sermon, believed to have been written to Greek-speaking Jewish Christians living in Rome. Now that they belonged neither in Roman society nor the Jewish synagogue, these early believers in Jesus had become deeply discouraged and marginalized. This was prior to the rise of heavy persecution of Christians in the empire, but they were still social and religious outcasts for believing in the way of Jesus.
The writer of this letter may have been Paul, but many scholars doubt that. What we do know is that the author was quite familiar with both Greek rhetoric and the stories of the Hebrew Bible. The author’s message is very clear – do not be discouraged, but rather have faith for a better way ahead.
The passage we’ll focus on today begins in the middle of the chapter and runs into the beginning of the next chapter. Of course, the chapter divisions came along long after the letter was written. It begins with an often quoted verse:
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
You might be more familiar with the The King James Version, which reads:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Earlier in this chapter, the author mentions several examples of people who lived by faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. We’re starting today in verse 29, where it lists many more examples of those who lived by faith. Since this passage mentions so many folks, I thought it would be helpful to read the passage before we dig into it.
Hebrews 11:29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.
32 And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned to death; they were sawn in two; they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and in caves and holes in the ground.
39 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
I don’t know if you’re like me, but I’m a history buff. In my family, I’m the one who holds on to family Bibles, photo albums, and stories of the past. Family photo albums can hold such wonderful treasures, can’t they?. We use these photos to remember those we’ve lost and to pass on their legacy to later generations. We use them as examples for how we might live as well as avoid some of the obstacles they faced. Usually, we focus on the good stories and the bad episodes have a way of being forgotten. But, deep down, we all know that the people in these stories are just like us – they are complex and complicated humans.
The author of this letter uses examples from the “family history” of Israel to remind the audience of the good that was accomplished by their ancestors living by faith.
This list of stories begins with the Children of Israel who followed Moses in the wilderness. We know that these folks not only made it through the Red Sea; they also grumbled and mumbled for forty years while God took them through a REALLY scenic route to get to the promised land. They built and worshipped an idol. They doubted and resisted God’s providence, yet God was faithful in taking care of their needs. All of that is forgotten and what is remembered is that they lived by faith.
This passage then goes on to mention Rahab the prostitute living by faith. We can only imagine the loneliness and darkness brought on by that life. Yet, the author of this letter remembers her for her faith and the way she helped Joshua’s spies.
The list goes on to include Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets. Now, what we know of Gideon and Samuel is that they were pretty good guys. The rest of the list, however, had their issues. Barak was a good judge, but he sometimes depended more on his strength and his own ability than he depended on God. We know that Samson had severe anger issues and was a very poor judge of character when it came to the opposite sex. Jepthah let his religious zeal force him to sacrifice his own daughter. David is, of course, known for his many less than righteous deeds including having a man killed so that he could marry his wife.
Despite their many weaknesses and sins, the author reminds us these men: “through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.”
An interesting question for us to consider here is: Why would such examples of human weakness be held up to be remembered for living by faith?
I think the answer to this question is highly important and, if you don’t remember anything else I say this morning, remember this: Because God uses us in our weakness to do mighty things.
We read in 1 Corinthians chapter one:
1 Cor 1:27-31 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to abolish things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. In contrast, God is why you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
God gave these exemplars the power they needed to do great things through faith.
Now, let us look at the last few verses of this passage:
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Now, I don’t know if you would have guessed this, but I’m not much of a runner. I have plenty of weight and a bum knee which would keep me from winning almost any race. We know that real runners, like those in the Olympics, work hard to stay fit and take every advantage they can to streamline their shoes, clothing, and even their haircuts, in order to win the race. We are called to constantly inventory our lives to see what is weighing us down, what is keeping us from persevering and winning.
We are also told that we aren’t alone in this race. There is a cloud of witnesses cheering us on. I think especially of my grandparents, my aunts, and my father cheering me on to win and not give up. Who is it in your history up there in the crowd rooting for you?
It also says that Jesus, who has run and finished the race already, is coaching us on. The word translated pioneer here is a word that can also mean forerunner or trailblazer. With such a coach and all of these fans, what can we do but run to win?
Thank you for your attention this morning. I pray that we allow God to use us in our weakness for God’s purposes and run with perseverance the race that is set before us.