A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A Study of Those Who Lived by Faith (A Study in Hebrews 11)

By Trillia J. Newbell

Rejuvenate your faith through the stories of the faithful.

Throughout Scripture we find countless stories of God’s faithfulness—we also find countless stories of the people who remained faithful to Him.

To strengthen and deepen your own faith, enter the stories of God’s imperfect yet faithful people in A Great Cloud of Witnesses, a six- or eight-week Bible study by Trillia Newbell. This study dives into Hebrews 11, examining the lives of Rahab, Enoch, Gideon, Sarah, and many more whose faiths withstood the tests of their days. Each devotional invites you into the lives of ordinary people who lived by faith and concludes with reflection questions so that you can consider how your story connects with those found in Scripture. By studying the great cloud of witnesses found in Hebrews 11, and others who have gone before us, you will learn to imitate their faith while clinging to the One who is always faithful as you run the race God has set before you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Release date: Jan 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9780802499172

Trillia J. Newbell

Trillia J. Newbell is director of community outreach for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. A frequent conference speaker, her writing has appeared in Christianity Today, Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, and more. Her books include Enjoy, Fear and Faith, United, and God's Very Good Idea. She and her family live near Nashville.

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© 2021 by TRILLIA J. NEWBELL

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

All emphasis in Scripture has been added.

Edited by Amanda Cleary Eastep

Interior and cover design: Erik M. Peterson

Cover illustration of mountains copyright © 2017 by Elinalee / iStock (684450764). All rights reserved.

Author photo: Lillian Prince Photography

Published in association with Don Gates, THE GATES GROUP @ www.the-gates-group.com.

All websites and phone numbers listed herein are accurate at the time of publication but may change in the future or cease to exist. The listing of website references and resources does not imply publisher endorsement of the site’s entire contents. Groups and organizations are listed for informational purposes, and listing does not imply publisher endorsement of their activities.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Newbell, Trillia J., author.

Title: A great cloud of witnesses : a study of those who lived by faith / Trillia Newbell.

Description: Chicago : Moody Publishers, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: Enter the stories of the faithful in A Great Cloud of Witnesses. This six-week Bible study dives into Hebrews 11, examining the lives of Rahab, Enoch, Gideon, Sarah, and many more whose faiths withstood the tests of their days. By studying the great cloud of witnesses, your own faith will be strengthened to run the race before you-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020034995 (print) | LCCN 2020034996 (ebook) | ISBN 9780802421074 | ISBN 9780802499172 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Hebrews, XI--Textbooks.

Classification: LCC BS2775.55 .N49 2021 (print) | LCC BS2775.55 (ebook) | DDC 227/.870071--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020034995

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020034996

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To my dearest son, Weston.

May the Lord grant you faith that leads to trust that leads to obedience that leads to action.

May you forever rest in Him as you grow up, bearing fruit in every good work.

Friend,

Thank you for choosing to read this Moody Publishers title. It is our hope and prayer that this book will help you to know Jesus Christ more personally and love Him more deeply.

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The Moody Publishers Team

CONTENTS

About This Study

Introduction

Week One: Once for All

Week Two: The Possibility of Faith

Week Three: The Well-Known

Week Four: A Faith That Points to Jesus

Week Five: The Powerful and Faithful

Week Six: The Beaten, Persecuted, and Martyred

Conclusion: The Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

Resources for Further Study

Appendix A: A Note to Bible Study Leaders

Appendix B: Four Practical Guidelines for Reading Old Testament Stories

ABOUT THIS STUDY

Ihaven’t figured out whether it’s acceptable or not to have a favorite book in the Bible. I mean, it’s God’s Word, and every word is a gift! But let’s face it, there are books we tend to gravitate toward over and over again. The book of Hebrews is one for me and, more specifically, I draw great comfort from the lives of those featured in Hebrews 11 who have gone before me. These Old Testament saints are known as the great cloud of witnesses, as referenced in Hebrews 12:1, and often called the Hall of Faith. But before we dive into the study, I want to help you get the most out of our time together by highlighting some things you’ll be doing over the next six or eight weeks. My prayer is that you will be inspired and encouraged as you read about the lives of those highlighted in the great cloud of witnesses.

***

I love books. I love reading books, collecting books that I hope to read, and, except for the occasional agony over words to say, writing books. When I read a book, I typically read it from beginning to end (okay, sometimes I don’t finish my books!). I don’t read one sentence here and one sentence there. I’ll read the entire paragraph or chapter. I think most people read books that way. There’s nothing unique or even earth-shattering about that statement. Yet, when it comes to Bible reading, we often approach the greatest book of all differently.

The Bible is a book with many authors, all inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16). The Bible is filled with narratives, poetry, letters, and history. The Bible should be read and studied. Maybe I don’t have to convince you to study since you’ve picked up this Bible study! But what I’d like for you to be prepared to do is work. I don’t want you to get into the first week and be surprised that part of studying the Bible is to read it.

We are going to be reading Old Testament passages and stories. It will take time to read further to fully understand the context of the text or passages. It will take time to cross-reference to understand how it fits into the narrative of the whole Bible. Studying God’s Word isn’t meant to be drudgery. It’s exhilarating.

The late R. C. Sproul reflected on a conversation he had when he was hired to teach at a school. The school wanted someone young who could make the text come alive. He wrote:

I had to force myself to swallow my words. I wanted to say, You want me to make the Bible come alive? I didn’t know that it had died. In fact, I never even heard that it was ill. Who was the attending physician at the Bible’s demise? No, I can’t make the Bible come alive for anyone. The Bible is already alive. It makes me come alive.¹

Yes! The Word is living and active. The Word makes us come alive. But the question we must ask ourselves is: are we willing to read it beyond the quick Bible fixes? I know you are. And I’m excited to join you in this journey. Bible study takes time, and doing this study means you will need to set aside time to read. I want you to come expecting the Lord to teach you something. The Bible is alive, and for so many of us, we’ve only tasted a minuscule portion of it because we don’t read it.

So, there’s no surprises. You now know that in order to get the most out of this study you will need to read. You are going to read to study. You are going to read to gain understanding. And you are going to read narrative stories to understand the context of the book of Hebrews. It’s going to be wonderful … and it’s going to be work.

WHAT THIS STUDY OFFERS

If you have used my study on Romans 8, If God Is For Us, you will be happy to know that the format is quite similar. The biggest difference is that we will spend much of our time in the Old Testament to learn about the life and stories of the members of the Hall of Faith featured in Hebrews 11. This study is not meant