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As most of you may have gathered by now, I’m quite a fan of television.  I do watch it on occasion, also known as nightly.  But for those of you who do watch television.  For those of you who also find yourself in front of the television quite often, you’ll know that there’s two new shows on television recently that are very similar.  Those two shows are “the singing bee” and “don’t forget the lyrics.”  Both of these shows, the idea is kind sort of like a, oh, ah, karaoke show, where they sing along with the music, but there is a catch.  At some point, the words end and they have to continue with the correct words.  Obviously the challenge is, do they actually know the words or do they just kind of always hum along to it when it and not sing it.

Well this morning, I have something like that for us.  The song goes something like this “you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and then you have - the facts of life, the facts of life.”  And anyone who’s lived long enough to know that there is a history, knows that that’s true. That life does have good and life does have bad.  And all those things together make up the facts of life.  I don’t know anyone who can say their life has been all good, nor do I know anyone who can say their life has been all bad.  And the good and the bad together make up our history.  But not only our history, but the history of humankind.  And for the writers of Hebrews, the history of humankind taught a lesson.  Listen if you will this morning to the words of Hebrews 11, I’m going to be beginning at verse 1, as we read the account of the history of the Israelites that the writer of Hebrews records. 

Hebrews 11 (NRSV)
¹ Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. ³ By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. ⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. ⁵ By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him.” For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. ⁷ By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith. ⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. ¹² Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.” ¹³ All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, ¹⁴ for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. ¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, ¹⁸ of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” ¹⁹ He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. ²⁰ By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau. ²¹ By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, “bowing in worship over the top of his staff.” ²² By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial. ²³ By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. ²⁴ By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 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 raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength 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.”

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both. And there you have – the facts of life.  In this passage, many Old Testament characters are praised for their faith, for the faith that they had that God would care for them and that God had a plan for them.  And as it goes through these characters it brings out many of their positive characteristics, how Abraham and Sarah waited for the promise that was to come.  How Abraham was willing to offer his son, Isaac. But if we go back to the Old Testament, we see that they not only took the good, but also had their bad.  For there was doubt, there was times of indiscretion.  Moses too is commended for his faith, but when we consider the life of Moses we see, too, that while he had many good characteristics, not everything he did was good. Moses killed an Egyptian, Moses fled for his life, Moses pleaded with God to choose someone else.  Moses became impatient with God as he led the Israelites in the wilderness.  You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and then you have the facts of life.  Even the people of Israel are commended for their faith as they passed through the dry sea bottom of the Red Sea, but we know how often the Israelite people complained against God and wandered away from commands and his creeds and disobeyed.  But yet their faith is commended in this passage.  And Rahab, the prostitute, her title is connected with her name.  But still, she is commended for her faith.  And then the writer thinks of so many of them that he cannot take the time to elaborate on each one.  He thinks of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephath.  Of David and Samuel and the prophets.  All of whom he commends for their faith. But again if they go back to the Old Testament, we see that you take the good, you take the bad, and then you have the facts of life.  None of these people were completely good, yet their faith was commendable.  And even as we’re here in this sanctuary this morning, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, a cloud of witnesses who on their own were not perfect.  A cloud of witnesses who on their own had their faults.  But a cloud of witnesses who had faith in the One who was to come and now has come.  They had faith that God would send a Messiah, and that Messiah is Jesus Christ. 

And so where does that leave us?  Where does that leave us in the timeline of human history.  Undoubtedly, each of us can look back and see the good and see the bad and we know that the fact is that those together make up our life.  But do we have faith - faith like Abraham had, faith like Sarah had.  Faith like Moses had, faith like Rahab had, faith like Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephath and David and Samuel and the prophets had. Do we still have that faith today?  Do we have the faith that God will care for us - not only today, here, and now, but tomorrow, the weeks to come, and the life hereafter.  There is a cloud of witnesses surrounding us and what do they witness to?  They witness to the fact that a life lived in faith is rewarded with everlasting life. And so this morning, I ask you and I ask myself, do we have faith?  Do we have the faith that saves?  It can become so easy to get caught up in the concerns of the world.  It can become so easy to want to make sure our own needs are met, while at the same time neglecting the needs of others.  God said, “put others first.  Put me first.  And I’ll take care of you, I’ll take care of you here and now.   And I’ll take care of you when I take you home to be with me.” You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and then you have the facts of life.