Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:32-34

The champions of faith listed in Hebrews 11 give us an idea of the kind of people God uses to accomplish His mighty plans.

Hebrews 11:32-34 says, “...For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon… 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...”

This passage reminds us of Gideon’s story in Judges 6-7 and shows five characteristics of people that God uses.

First, God uses common people.
By His Spirit, God turned Gideon, a once fearful farmer, into a valiant warrior.

God does not rely on our abilities, but on our availability to Him to work through us in extraordinary ways.

Second, God uses cleansed people.
Before God could send Gideon to battle, Gideon had to do away with the idols in His life and surrender in worship.

Adrian Rogers says, “An idol is anything you love, fear, serve or value more than God.” God will not use us if there is unconfessed sin in our lives. We must crush our idols, repent, and be cleansed from the inside out.

Third, God uses courageous people.
In Judges 7, God gives Gideon the command to send away soldiers who are afraid. This shows us that God can better use a smaller number of brave souls than a larger group of fearful ones.

As children of God, we have been given a spirit of power and love. This does not mean we become naturally courageous—it means we are filled with His Spirit.

Fourth, God uses cautious people.
We are called to be on guard at all times, ready to fight against the temptation to sin.

Adrian Rogers says, “Sin is a combination of an unexpected opportunity, an unprotected life and an undetected weakness.”

Finally, God uses confident people.
Gideon led the charge with confidence because He knew God was with Him.

God gave them victory that day, and when we are confident that God is with us, we can be used in victorious ways.

Apply it to your life
God has mighty plans and He wants to use us to accomplish them. Make certain that your heart is clean. He may not use you the way you expect, but if you make yourself available to Him, He will use you.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:31

Faith has the incredible ability to radically and dramatically change people.

In Joshua 2, Rahab the prostitute was transformed by faith. She was a Canaanite woman living in spiritual darkness, but after God saved her, she became part of the bloodline of Jesus Christ.

Rahab’s transformation reveals four things about the power of faith.

First, the providence of God confronted Rahab.
In Joshua 2, two spies approached Rahab’s home with a message of Jericho’s imminent destruction. Rahab believed them and agreed to hide them in her home.

God works on both sides of our circumstances; He will bring people together in order to save them. He finds tender, ready hearts and brings to them soul-winners to share their faith.

Second, the Spirit of God convicted Rahab.
As she helped the two spies in Joshua 2:9-10, Rahab confessed that she knew what God had done for their people. She had heard of God’s mighty, miraculous power, displayed through them.

The Holy Spirit convicts others through people who are living and walking in victory. As Christians, the Holy Spirit uses our transformed lives to convict others of their sins.

Third, the Word of God confirmed Rahab.
By receiving these two messengers into her home, Rahab welcomed in the Word of God, spoken through them.

Hebrews 11:31 says, “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.”

Finally, the grace of God cleansed Rahab. The messengers instructed Rahab to hang a scarlet cord over her doorpost so that when they came to avenge Jericho, they would pass over her home and spare her. This act illustrates the principle of the Passover, in which God instructed the Israelites to paint their doorposts with the blood of sacrificial lambs, to spare them from the death angel.

As a result, Rahab was delivered from destruction and her character changed; she was justified and made right in God’s sight.

Adrian Rogers says, “There are none so bad they can’t be saved, and none so good they need not be saved.”

Apply it to your life
Has your faith transformed you from the inside out; have you been confronted by God’s providence? Has the Holy Spirit convicted you, Scripture confirmed your belief, grace cleansed you?

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:30
Sometimes, we may experience obstacles that stand between us and our most holy ambitions.

Adrian Rogers says, “Faith is the link that binds our nothingness to His Almightiness.”

In Joshua 5, the Israelites had left Egypt and were ready to capture the land of Canaan. However, the pagan city of Jericho stood in their way. This story shows what it means to overcome obstacles by faith.

Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.”

First, we should note the worship of faith.
In Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua encounters the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, and as a response, he falls to his face in worship.

Worshiping Jesus always builds our faith; when we face Jericho-sized problems in our lives, we must remember to set our affections on things above—fix our eyes on Jesus, and let our faith grow.

Second, we see the obedient work of faith.
The Lord did not tell Joshua to dig a tunnel or build ladders to scale the impenetrable walls of Jericho. Instead, He told Joshua to march around the city’s perimeter.

God’s plan for victory seemed very strange; however, it is not our job to understand our instruction from God, but to obey, living by faith. The Israelites obeyed God, and that was enough.

Third, we see the wait of faith.
The Israelites were completely dependent on God’s timing. Many obstacles we face are opportunities to learn patience. Waiting on God is never wasted time. Our faith in Him is meant to last—to be strengthened through endurance.

Fourth, we see the word of faith.
Joshua spoke the Word of God to his army because he had received it for himself. By its simplest definition, faith is agreeing with the Word of God. We can only believe God for something that already is so in His heart and mind.

Finally, we must note the wonder of faith.
Joshua 6 tells us that the walls of Jericho came falling down. God gave the victory to Israel and brought judgment to the people of Jericho. In a nation as ripe for judgment as ours, a life of faith is our only hope.

Apply it to your life
Are you facing obstacles today that must be overcome by faith?

Adrian Rogers says, “Take your eyes off Jericho and put them on Jesus. Don’t dwell on your problems; dwell on your Lord.”