Hebrews 11:32-34 (NKJV) And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Every character that is mentioned in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 had gone through tremendous stress and tribulation. The good news is that they had experienced God during the entire process. They would not have seen the deliverance of the Lord had they not had their faith in God and responded by walking in faith.
Gideon would not have seen the deliverance of the Lord if he had not responded to God’s call when He called him a mighty man of valor. He trusted God to lead the 300 unarmed soldiers. They shouted, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon” Judges 7:20 (NKJV) on every side of the Midianite camp which led the enemies to flee in terror.
Jephthah would not have experienced the deliverance of the Lord to subdue the Ammonites and conquer 20 cities if he had not sought the face of God. He had to deal with his rejection issue as a banished illegitimate son and forgive those who had hurt him. He had to trust God’s wisdom to be not just a military commander, but also a judge of Israel.
There are many recordings of the life of David in the Old Testament regarding all the great exploits that he had done for the Lord. In Daniel 11:32 (NKJV) it says that those “who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” David is a true personification of that verse. Therefore, we should model a lifestyle of faith to our children because David was a young lad who had faith in God that put the armies of Israel to shame.
Likewise, we will have our own battles to fight. Therefore, if we do not anchor our faith in God then we will not be able to witness the faithfulness of God in our struggles in the midst of the tribulation. In fact, Jesus reminded us that we will have tribulations in this world, but we are to have good cheer because He has overcome the world. The parable of the sower taught us that tribulations are thrown into our lives to steal the Word from us or to make us disappointed or disillusioned in God. It is how we deal with the tribulation, having faith in God in the deliverance and developing our character during the whole process that are important. The Scriptures tell us that the saints of old are cheering us on in our walk of faith with God.
Sermon Series : You Are in the Hall of Faith (Part 3)
信心殿堂中的伟人们
希伯来书11：32-34我又何必再说呢．若要一一细说、基甸、巴拉、参孙、耶弗他、大卫、撒母耳、和众先知的事、时候就不够了。 他们因着信、制伏了敌国、行了公义、得了应许、堵了狮子的口。灭了烈火的猛势、脱了刀剑的锋刃、软弱变为刚强、争战显出勇敢、打退外邦的全军。
希伯来书11章中提到的信心殿堂中的每个人物都经历了巨大的压力和磨难。好消息是他们在整个过程中都经历了上帝。如果他们对上帝没有信心，没有凭信心行走，他们就不会看到主的拯救。
当主称呼基甸为大能的勇士，如果他没有回应上帝的呼召，基甸就不会看到主的拯救。他信任上帝让他带领300名手无寸铁的士兵。他们在米甸人营地的四围都喊叫说“耶和华和基甸的刀“（士师记7:20, 导致敌人惊恐逃离。
如果耶弗他没有寻求上帝的面，他就不会经历主的拯救，征服亚摩利人并征服20个城市。作为一个被驱逐的私生子，他需要面对自己被他人拒绝，还宽恕那些曾经伤害了他的人。他必须信靠上帝的智慧，他不只是军队的元帅，也是以色列的士师 。
在旧约中有许多大卫生平的记载，有关他为主所做的一切伟大事绩。在但以理书11:32中说，那些“惟独认识神的子民、必刚强行事。”大卫是那节经文的化身。因此，我们应该为我们的孩子树立一种信心的生活方式，因为大卫一个少年人对上帝的信心使以色列军队都感到羞耻。
同样，我们将有自己的战斗。因此，如果我们对上帝没有坚定的信心，那么我们将无法在与苦难做争斗的过程中见证上帝的信实。实际上，耶稣提醒我们，在这个世界上我们将有苦难，但我们要放心，因为祂已经胜了这个世界。撒种的比喻告诉我们，苦难被放进我们的生活，以窃取神的道，或者使我们对上帝产生失望或幻灭。重要的是我们如何处理苦难，对上帝的救赎有信心，在整个过程中培养我们的品格。圣经告诉我们， 在我们与神同行中，昔日的圣徒在为我们欢呼。
讲章系列：你在信心的殿堂中（第三部分）