10/04 - Hebrews 11
Daniel shows us what it means to follow God in a culture that does not always share our convictions. He lived and served in Babylon without forgetting that his ultimate allegiance belonged to God. Hebrews 11 gives us a similar picture through people like Noah and Moses, whose faith gave them courage to obey God when obedience was difficult or costly or didn’t make sense.
The sermon applies that framework to politics by asking where we ultimately place our faith: in people and political outcomes, or in God. Political involvement can be an area of stewardship—caring about our neighbors, participating responsibly, praying for leaders, speaking truth with grace, and engaging without making politics the object of our faith. We are called to faithfully represent Jesus while living in the world.
Big Idea: Our faith should shape how we engage in politics, but politics should never become the object of our faith. We can care deeply, engage faithfully, and hold political outcomes loosely because our ultimate hope and allegiance are in God.
If you could spend one day with any person mentioned in Hebrews 11, who would you choose and what would you ask them?
Read Hebrews 11:13–16. What does it mean practically to live as a “stranger and exile” while still being fully engaged in the world around us?
Hebrews 11 repeatedly says, “By faith.” What is the relationship between what we believe and how we behave? Can you think of an area where your actions reveal what you actually believe?
Read Hebrews 11:24–27. What are some modern-day “treasures of Egypt”—comfort, status, security, influence, or success—that can compete for our trust?
How can we tell when caring about a political issue has crossed the line into placing our hope, identity, security, or peace in a political person, party, or outcome?
What is one specific thing you need to start doing, stop doing, or hold more loosely this week so that your eyes are more firmly fixed on Jesus?