A.In Hebrews 11:38, the Bible describes certain persons "of whom the world was not worthy.”
1.This is a remarkable saying, for it indicates that these people were too good for the world.The world did not deserve to be blessed with such persons.
2.What a testimony this is, for it speaks to both the virtues of these individuals and the shame of the world.
B.In this lesson, let us consider who these persons were, why the world was unworthy of them, and whether we belong in the same category with them.
II.OF WHOM WAS THE WORLD NOT WORTHY?
A.The world was not worthy of the persons who lived by faith.
1.This fact is true for every individual named or described in Hebrews 11.
a.The phrase "the world was not worthy” occurs at the end of the chapter, but it is correctly applied to every person described from verses 4-38.
b.The list begins with the first man to suffer physical death (Abel) and ends with a description of many like Abel who suffered for their faith (vv. 35-38).This list contains both men and women as well as Hebrews and Gentiles and persons who preceded the Hebrews (Abel, Enoch, Noah).The world was not worthy of any of these.
2.The common characteristic of all these persons was their faith in God.
a.This chapter of Scripture explains the meaning of faith by at least four methods.
i.It gives a verbal definition of faith in verse 1 – "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
ii.It gives an example of what we must believe by faith in verse 3 – "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
iii.It explains the necessity of faith in verse 6 – "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
iv.It gives many examples of persons who lived by faith to show how faith affected them and how they "gained approval” by their faith (vv. 2, 39).
b.The individuals described in this chapter were from diverse backgrounds and eras, but all of them shared a common faith in God.
B.Who exactly was the world that was not worthy of these people?
1.The word "world” (Gr. kosmos, meaning "order”)has many uses in the New Testament.
a.This word is variously used to describe the created world (Acts 17:24), the world of men for whom Christ died (John 3:16), the earthly entities that oppose God and godliness (1John 2:15-17), the domain of Satan (1John 5:19), and many other orders.
b.When "world” is found in a passage, the context must be used to determine the meaning.
2.The world that was unworthy of faithful men and women was the world of sinners who hated them because of their faith.
a.In the immediate context of Hebrews 11:38, the Bible describes persons who suffered because of their faith in God (see vv. 35-38).
b.These persons suffered because the world persecuted them.
i.The unworthy world was responsible for the torture, mocking, scourging, chaining, imprisoning, stoning, death by sawing in two, tempting, death by the sword, destitution, and ill-treatment of God’s faithful people.
ii.As these faithful men and women like Noah "condemned the world” by their faith (v. 7), the world hated them and sought to destroy them.Thus, the wicked world proved itself to be unworthy of these godly people.
III.IS THE WORLD WORTHY OF YOU?
A.Be careful to understand the meaning of this question.
1.Consider this question in the context of Hebrews 11:38.
a.The world was not worthy of those men and women who are mentioned in Hebrews 11 as examples of faith.The world failed to live up to their good examples.
b.In other words, these faithful persons were too good for the world.The world did not deserve to be blessed with these faithful people.
2.Therefore, the question can be rephrased and asked in two different ways:
a.Does your example of faith stand out in and above the world?
b.Are you worthy of being in the category of persons listed in Hebrews 11?
B.If you are living by faith, then the world will make itself unworthy of you.
1.The Bible warns that the world will be hostile toward faithful servants of God.
a.The Lord said, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:10-12)
b.Paul warned Timothy, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2Tim. 3:12).
c.Peter gave multiple warnings about the likelihood of Christians suffering for their faith, such as 1Peter 1:6-9; 2:12; 3:13-17; 4:12-19; 5:10.
2.The world’s hostility toward followers of Jesus is to be expected, for the world hated Him first.
a.Consider Christ’s teachings to His apostles in John 15:18-20 – "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
b.Peter reminded suffering Christians of the expectations, the purpose, and the rewards for their suffering in 1Peter 4:12-13 – "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”
3.Therefore, do not seek to be hated or persecuted, but understand that it is the natural consequence of an unworthy world reacting to a life of faithful service to God.
a.The writer of Hebrews sought to impart this understanding to the first-century Hebrew Christians beginning in Hebrews 10:32-39.They needed to maintain their faith in the face of an unworthy world’s persecution so they could receive a reward from God.
b.Today, the world still reacts in the same way."Do not marvel, brethren, if the world hates you” (1John 3:13).
C.It is not for you to decide whether the world is worthy of you, but rather it is for Christ to decide at the Judgment.
1.It is not appropriate for any of us to claim, "The world is not worthy of me.”Instead, we should heed the commandment of Proverbs 27:2 – "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”
2.Rather than judging yourself against the world, you should come out of the world and be separate from unbelievers, i.e., unfaithful persons (2Cor. 6:14-16).
3.If you live by faith, then Christ will rightly judge that the world has been unworthy of you and separate you for salvation at the Judgment.See Matthew 25:31-46; 1Peter 1:3-5.
IV.CONCLUSION
A.Of course, none of us could ever be worthy of the sacrifice God has given in His Son.
1.While we were unworthy sinners and enemies of God, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6-10).
2.Nothing we can do will ever measure up to that great sacrifice (Luke 17:10).
B.However, we can now live through Him in a manner worthy of Him.The world may not be worthy of you, but you may live in a way that is worthy of the Lord.
1.The Bible implores you to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1).
2.Christ stated His expectations in Matthew 10:37-38 – "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”Are you worthy?
