August 10, 2025
Text: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
SN: 0089
Our readings this morning talk about something that many of us, if not all of us, at one time or another, struggle with: worry. We worry about many things in our lives: will we be able to pay our bills, will we be able to find a job after getting laid off, will our loved one recover from their illness, will the test result I’m waiting on be good or bad news? We tend to worry and fret about things that we have absolutely no control over. And if you’re like me may be there are many nights that you wake up in the small hours of the morning, unable to sleep because you are filled with worry.
In our Gospel lesson this morning, Jesus says to his disciples, “For that reason I tell you, stop worrying about your life, about what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear…And who of you by worrying can add a single moment to his lifespan?” It sounds easy, right…listen to Jesus and stop worrying! But what’s the problem? If you’re like me, then you’re probably worrying right now about how much you’re worrying. This is the tension that exists within us. On the one hand, our New Man wants to follow the command of our Savior and not worry, but our sinful nature likes to worry. Satan loves to fill us with worry because he knows that worry can erode our faith.
But, if you stop and think about it, isn’t worrying the opposite of faith? Because what is faith? The writer to the Hebrews tells us, “Faith is being sure about what we hope for, being convinced about things we do not see.” So often we worry about the things that we can’t see and have no control over. The danger is that worry can grow into doubt and fear that God is not going to keep his promises. We don’t see God keeping his promises in our lives, and so we doubt him. We want to live by sight, instead of by faith.
The writer to the Hebrews was addressing people who were filled with doubt and fear. Many of his early readers were Jews who had turned away from the faith they had been raised in, the faith of their ancestors, and embraced Christianity. But they were filled with fear. The Emperor Nero had outlawed Christianity and was persecuting Christians. There was a very real temptation to abandon Christ and return to the safety of Judaism to avoid the danger of persecution.
In Chapter 11, the writer to the Hebrews gives us powerful examples of believers from the Old Testament who went through times of trial and hardship in their lives. They had every reason to doubt the promises of God. And yet again and again they clung to those promises because they walked by faith and not by sight. They didn’t worry but trusted that God would be faithful to his promises. Imagine yourself as Abraham for a moment. Picture yourself standing under the sky filled with stars and hearing the promise that your offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. But there was a problem. Abraham and his wife were beyond the age they could have children. Yet Abraham did not worry; he trusted that God would be faithful and keep his promise.
By faith Abraham also received the ability to conceive children, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was past the normal age, because he considered him faithful who made the promise. And so from one man, and he as good as dead, descendants were born as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand along the seashore.
Abraham serves as an example of how we can live our lives. He knew that he would not see the complete fulfillment of God’s promise, and yet he trusted that God would remain faithful. Hebrews 11 is a wonderful chapter because it reminds us of the faithful believers who have gone before. This section is often called the “Heroes of Faith” because of the examples that are laid down for us in the pages of the Old Testament. But what is truly amazing is that these heroes didn’t have superpowers. They weren’t powerful beings from another planet. They were regular, flawed, sinful human beings who lived their lives by faith and not by sight. They knew that they were not saved by their own power, but by the power of God, who accomplished mighty things for them. Think of the example of David, a shepherd boy who killed a giant with a sling, or Joshua, who brought the walls of Jericho tumbling down with a trumpet blast. They trusted God and knew that God would be faithful to his promises.
All of Hebrews 11 is an encouragement for us to trust the promises of God and to know he is always
faithful. The heroes of the Old Testament saw God keep some of his promises, but they never saw with their own eyes the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Savior. At the end of chapter 11, he writes, “And what more should I say? There would not be enough time for me to continue to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. By faith they conquered kingdoms, carried out justice, obtained things that were promised, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edges of the sword, were made powerful after being weak, became mighty in battle, and caused foreign armies to flee. Women received back their dead by resurrection. And others who were tortured did not accept their release, so that they may take part in a better resurrection. Still others experienced mocking and lashes, in addition to chains and imprisonment. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were tempted; they were killed with the sword; they went around in sheepskins and goatskins, needy, afflicted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them as they wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. All of these were commended in Scripture by faith, yet they did not receive what was promised, because God had planned something better for us, namely, that they would not reach the goal apart from us.”
This, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is why we can live without worry. We don’t need to doubt the promises of God because we have a record of everything he has done for his people. We can see on the pages of Scripture how much God did to save those who trust in him. And what is far better is unlike the believers of the Old Testament, we know the fulfillment of God’s promise that he made to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell us the amazing truth. That when the time had fully come, God sent his one and only Son to suffer and die for us. In a mystery of mysteries, God clothed himself with human flesh and made his dwelling among us. He gave up the joy and glory of heaven to live a human life so he could place himself under the requirements of his own law and keep it perfectly in our place.
Jesus lived a perfect life, never worrying or doubting God’s promises but remaining perfectly faithful
and always trusting God so he could over his perfect life as a substitute for your sins. By his death, he paid the price you could never pay and freed you from your slavery to sin. By his resurrection, he gave to you the wonderful promise that death holds no fear for you. Christ has destroyed its power over you and given you the certainty of eternal life. Like the believers of the Old Testament, this is a promise that we have not yet seen. Like them, we live by faith and not by sight. Like them, we are longing for a better land—a heavenly one. For that reason, God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he prepared a city for them.
As sinners, there will be times when we are filled with worry and anxiety. There may be times when we are filled with doubt and fear. When we face times of hardship, suffering, and trial…when we face times of pain and loss, we can be tempted to wonder if God is being faithful. Will he keep his promises? At those times, we can look to the heroes of Old and see their example of faith. We can see clearly on the pages of Scripture all that God has done for his people. When we are plagued with worry and doubt, we can put our trust in God. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
One of my favorite examples of this comes from another hero of the Old Testament, King Hezekiah.
King Hezekiah had received a letter from the King of Assyria telling him to surrender or Jerusalem would be destroyed. Hezekiah knew that he did not have enough soldiers to fight back, so he took the letter to the temple and laid it before the Lord. The Lord heard his prayer and sent his angel to destroy the army of Assyria. God hears the prayers of his people. God is faithful and keeps his promises. So free your minds from worry, knowing that your heavenly Father will watch over you and protect you. Lay your worries and concerns before the throne of God and let him take care of them in his way. Keep your eyes fixed on the city he has prepared for us and live by faith and not by sight.