Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever.
Last night something quite extraordinary happened, at least in my mind.
For sometime now I've known that my sister's deceased husband Ben was the catalyst to my renewed walk with Christ. In fact it was his death that made it ultimately possible.
For a long time the Lord had been touching my heart through my children and their wanting me to stop the radio station in the car on various Christian songs they liked. The songs began to touch my heart and I began accumulating them on my computer to play, and soon it was all I was listening to. While this was taking place my brother in law was growing more and more ill.
As is the way of things we don't know what's going to happen or why, it's just impossible for us to predict things. We don't hold thoughts of God in our own minds. We can't figure God out, His ways are so far above our own. If anything it is more likely we'll look back and see things in the perspective that allows us to catch glimpses of God's infinitely superior ways.
For my sister Debbie the loss of her husband was most devastating, rocking the foundation she'd rested upon in her own walk with Christ. Daily prayers, numerous prayers, a life of prayer for others was thrown into confusion.
How could she feel the same towards God when He had the power to heal her husband and chose to let him die?
It's not unusual to blame God when we lose a loved one, not at all.
Logically we know that God's ways are above our own and that the evil in the world stems from Satan, but we do also know God has amazing powers and where He wills they are used. When they're not used in situations we believe they should be our faith is tested and tried, because God's ways are beyond our understanding and we want to understand.
So here my sister's whole life was going through a powerful transition and her pain, her agony, her fears were drawing people to her to help her. I was one of those people and because of her fear I (one of several who would take turns) would go over and stay with her at night. During these nights we'd talk and talk and talk and God was leading me closer and closer to Him right to the point that Debbie and I asked our other sisters and mother if they wanted to study with us.
The rest, as they say, is history. We've been getting together to worship God and study, watching current events, fellowshipping ever since.
If my sister's husband hadn't died none of that would have happened.
Well, last night as we were studying once again it came up. My sister Debbie lamenting the fact her own life was so changed from how it used to be, how she's drifted from her prayers which were at one time such an important part of her life. Tracing it all back to her anger towards God for taking her husband from her.
And then...well, the God did something shedding enlightenment upon us.
Her husband's death was necessary.
And her husband in the day of Christ's return, when He and Debbie are reunited once more will be thrilled to know that his death wasn't in vain. That through his death others were brought back to the place of salvation. What wonder, what joy to have that knowledge. We all hope to impact others so they'll find the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior that they'll turn to Him through faith and accept His sacrifice, accept the salvation He alone provides. My brother in law Ben will have this amazing, truly amazing joy to realize what a catalyst He's been, even after death. I can imagine him smiling, imagine him with that twinkle in his eyes as he humbly acknowledges his own happiness that his death wasn't in vain but used for something so amazing.
God wasn't done with His amazing revelations to us though.
My sister Debbie mentioned the year of our conversion long ago, the beginning of our walk into the light and truth, saying when was it...1982 or 83, we discussed it a bit and decided yes 82 or 83. Then my other sister Diane mentioned the date of her own conversion as being 1985 and a chill ran down my spine. My father's death.
My father died in 1985 and as a result I moved to Texas and by God's grace that resulted in my sister Diane finding her way to the Lord. Without my father's death that wouldn't have happened.
Two men that never even met both part of our family, both in the hands of God used even in death to guide others to the Lord. Jewels for their crowns, praise the Lord.
Timothy {4:8} 'Henceforth there is
laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me
only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.'
James {1:12} 'Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown
of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him'
Rev. {2:10} '...be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a crown of life.'
1 Pet. {5:4} 'And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.'
Yes, we shall receive crowns and the jewels in those crowns will be there.
How amazing to be given the revelation of the joy those truly, dearly departed, will have in the day of Christ's return as they're raised up from the grave to meet the Lord in the air.
All glory and praise unto our Lord and Savior whose wisdom far surpasses anything we can even begin to imagine.
While we might want to cling to the pain of the passing of our loved ones, we can allow ourselves the joy of their future joy as well.
By the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Hebrews 11 H Perfect in Faith
{11:30} By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
By faith the walls of a city fell down! City walls don't just fall down, they don't. Seriously, do walls just fall down out of the blue? No. By faith these walls were brought down. By faith.
{11:31} By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
A part of a group of unbelievers a prostitute didn't die with them...why? Because by faith she took in the spies of God and did so with peace. Even in a group of unbelievers there can be found faith and that is a saving faith.
{11:32} And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and [of] Barak, and [of] Samson, and [of] Jephthae; [of] David also, and Samuel, and [of] the prophets{11:33} Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions{11:34} Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. {11:35} Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection{11:36} And others had trial of [cruel] mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment{11:37} They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented{11:38} (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and [in] mountains, and [in] dens and caves of the earth. {11:39} And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise{11:40} God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not bemade perfect.
These amazing people of faith. Their lives were lives of pain, agony, death. These people, people like you and I, by faith did so much. Or rather, God did so much through them by faith. Kingdoms were subdued, they obtained promises, stopped the lions mouths, stopped fires, the dead were raised to life. Great feats of faith and great rewards of torture and pain.
Every single person that walked by faith did so living out their lives without ever seeing the promise made to them of life eternal.
Why?
Read that last verse again-
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not bemade perfect.
Those great men and women of faith would not be made perfect without us!
This huge wonderful family of God needs all its members to be perfect before the promise is fulfilled.
We ask ourselves why God waits, why does the suffering go on and on.
I say we need to wait for all things to be fulfilled that were prophesized. God couldn't end things without the fulness of time and all things being complete because it's intricatedly tied to the overall plan. The plan that includes all who have faith being saved by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ so that without every last person of faith the body of Christ, the church of Christ would not be complete!
The wait is necessary, the wait full of suffering and yet the promise reward worth it all.
The reward of eternity has no price.
The reward of a life with our Lord and Savior, with the purest love ever is our hope, to be a part of the family of God, the children of God.
May we through grace obtain the faith of all those who before us and complete the family.
By the will and mercy of our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
By faith the walls of a city fell down! City walls don't just fall down, they don't. Seriously, do walls just fall down out of the blue? No. By faith these walls were brought down. By faith.
{11:31} By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
A part of a group of unbelievers a prostitute didn't die with them...why? Because by faith she took in the spies of God and did so with peace. Even in a group of unbelievers there can be found faith and that is a saving faith.
{11:32} And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and [of] Barak, and [of] Samson, and [of] Jephthae; [of] David also, and Samuel, and [of] the prophets{11:33} Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions{11:34} Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. {11:35} Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection{11:36} And others had trial of [cruel] mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment{11:37} They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented{11:38} (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and [in] mountains, and [in] dens and caves of the earth. {11:39} And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise{11:40} God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not bemade perfect.
These amazing people of faith. Their lives were lives of pain, agony, death. These people, people like you and I, by faith did so much. Or rather, God did so much through them by faith. Kingdoms were subdued, they obtained promises, stopped the lions mouths, stopped fires, the dead were raised to life. Great feats of faith and great rewards of torture and pain.
Every single person that walked by faith did so living out their lives without ever seeing the promise made to them of life eternal.
Why?
Read that last verse again-
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not bemade perfect.
Those great men and women of faith would not be made perfect without us!
This huge wonderful family of God needs all its members to be perfect before the promise is fulfilled.
We ask ourselves why God waits, why does the suffering go on and on.
I say we need to wait for all things to be fulfilled that were prophesized. God couldn't end things without the fulness of time and all things being complete because it's intricatedly tied to the overall plan. The plan that includes all who have faith being saved by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ so that without every last person of faith the body of Christ, the church of Christ would not be complete!
The wait is necessary, the wait full of suffering and yet the promise reward worth it all.
The reward of eternity has no price.
The reward of a life with our Lord and Savior, with the purest love ever is our hope, to be a part of the family of God, the children of God.
May we through grace obtain the faith of all those who before us and complete the family.
By the will and mercy of our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Hebrews 11 G
{11:24} By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter{11:25} Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season{11:26} Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
The reproach or Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt and WE know that Egypt had great, great treasures. People have been hunting for those treasures for thousands of years. The wealth of kings at your fingertips and for Moses it might as well have been nothing more than dust. Christ meant more to Moses than all those treasures.
{11:27} By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
By choosing to leave Pharoah and follow the people of God, Moses made a choice to give up riches and a life of ease. By forsaking Egypt, Moses did not let the wrath of the King shake his faith, he endured why.... seeing him who is invisible! Seeing God.
{11:28} Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Through faith he listened to God and put the blood on the mantle of the house so the firstborn of Egypt wouldn't be destroyed.
{11:29} By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry [land:] which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
Through faith he passed through the Red Sea, the same Red Sea that killed the Eygptians.
Moses' walk by faith is amazing! We need to study that walk. We need faith in the invisible! Faith in God! Faith. We need it so desperately. We need to live beyond this world. We need to grab hold of God by faith and not let go. We will be tried. People will tell us we're fools. People will say there is no God. People will say that it's foolish to believe in the unseen without any proof. We will be mocked. We will be ridiculed. Doubt will be thrown at us all the time... all the time. We will be assailed on every side. People will throw logic at us, they'll try to get us to doubt our believe. Satan- an unseen enemy will do the same without all his angels helping him. We aren't safe on our own. By faith we need to cling to the cross and walk with Christ now and always!
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever. Amen.
The reproach or Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt and WE know that Egypt had great, great treasures. People have been hunting for those treasures for thousands of years. The wealth of kings at your fingertips and for Moses it might as well have been nothing more than dust. Christ meant more to Moses than all those treasures.
{11:27} By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
By choosing to leave Pharoah and follow the people of God, Moses made a choice to give up riches and a life of ease. By forsaking Egypt, Moses did not let the wrath of the King shake his faith, he endured why.... seeing him who is invisible! Seeing God.
{11:28} Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Through faith he listened to God and put the blood on the mantle of the house so the firstborn of Egypt wouldn't be destroyed.
{11:29} By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry [land:] which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
Through faith he passed through the Red Sea, the same Red Sea that killed the Eygptians.
Moses' walk by faith is amazing! We need to study that walk. We need faith in the invisible! Faith in God! Faith. We need it so desperately. We need to live beyond this world. We need to grab hold of God by faith and not let go. We will be tried. People will tell us we're fools. People will say there is no God. People will say that it's foolish to believe in the unseen without any proof. We will be mocked. We will be ridiculed. Doubt will be thrown at us all the time... all the time. We will be assailed on every side. People will throw logic at us, they'll try to get us to doubt our believe. Satan- an unseen enemy will do the same without all his angels helping him. We aren't safe on our own. By faith we need to cling to the cross and walk with Christ now and always!
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever. Amen.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Hebrews 11 F Suffer Affliction
{11:20} By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. {11:21} By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, [leaning] upon the top of his staff.{11:22} By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. {11:23} By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw [he was] a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment. {11:24} By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter{11:25} Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season
Choosing.
Making a choice.
To chose.
This act of choice is voluntary. You pick one way or another. You can't NOT pick.
There is one way or there is another way.
Here the choice for Moses was to stay living a life of pure ease under the Egyptian rule as an Egyptian prince or...Choose to live as a slave and suffer as all the other children of God were.
Did he enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season?
We all know what the pleasures of sin are don't we? Or maybe our senses are so warped we no longer call sin, sin. Maybe our pleasure is something we consider our right and how could something that is our right to have be sin?We were made to feel pleasure and so it stands to reason that we would seek pleasure but at what price? Is pleasure our right just because we can feel it? We are creatures with the ability to choose and make choices and we can make selfish choices or unselfish choices.When our choices are based upon our own pleasure, when they are based upon ourselves we call it our right, our due, in fact we call it our God given due just because we are made to feel pleasure. Selfishness. Thinking of our selves first is never good and yet more and more we are encouraged to do that. To take care of ourselves first and then bother about others. Moses chose to suffer rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.We need to determine what pleasures are sinful and then determined not to enjoy those sins for a season no matter how much pleasure we get from them. Sacrificing self is necessary we can't get around it not if we want to stand with the people of God.
By grace we are saved through faith.
Our lives should be lived by faith.
Lived by faith.
It's through faith that we are saved by grace. It stands to reason we should live by faith, our daily lives lived by faith. Faith that we are saved by grace through Jesus Christ our Lord now and forever.
We need to choose just as Moses chose, to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
**
A small excerpt from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis-
'Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever?Once a man is separated from God, what can he do but wither and die?'
Choosing.
Making a choice.
To chose.
This act of choice is voluntary. You pick one way or another. You can't NOT pick.
There is one way or there is another way.
Here the choice for Moses was to stay living a life of pure ease under the Egyptian rule as an Egyptian prince or...Choose to live as a slave and suffer as all the other children of God were.
Did he enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season?
We all know what the pleasures of sin are don't we? Or maybe our senses are so warped we no longer call sin, sin. Maybe our pleasure is something we consider our right and how could something that is our right to have be sin?We were made to feel pleasure and so it stands to reason that we would seek pleasure but at what price? Is pleasure our right just because we can feel it? We are creatures with the ability to choose and make choices and we can make selfish choices or unselfish choices.When our choices are based upon our own pleasure, when they are based upon ourselves we call it our right, our due, in fact we call it our God given due just because we are made to feel pleasure. Selfishness. Thinking of our selves first is never good and yet more and more we are encouraged to do that. To take care of ourselves first and then bother about others. Moses chose to suffer rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.We need to determine what pleasures are sinful and then determined not to enjoy those sins for a season no matter how much pleasure we get from them. Sacrificing self is necessary we can't get around it not if we want to stand with the people of God.
By grace we are saved through faith.
Our lives should be lived by faith.
Lived by faith.
It's through faith that we are saved by grace. It stands to reason we should live by faith, our daily lives lived by faith. Faith that we are saved by grace through Jesus Christ our Lord now and forever.
We need to choose just as Moses chose, to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
**
A small excerpt from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis-
'Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever?Once a man is separated from God, what can he do but wither and die?'
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Hebrews 11 E The Faith of Abraham
Hebrews {11:17} By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten [son,]{11:18} Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: {11:19} Accounting that God [was] able to raise [him] up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Abraham didn't flinch from God's command, why? Because he had faith. He had faith that God would even bring his son back from the dead. He didn't hesitate he knew that God had promised him a whole nation through his son Isaac so the idea that He would ask him to kill that promise wasn't believable. He knew that God had His reasons, reasons beyond his own understanding. He had to obey because he had faith. Or rather, he chose to obey. He didn't have to obey, it was a choice he made. His faith was so great that he went through with it... wait, you think he didn't because Isaac wasn't actually sacrificed? In Abraham's mind he was going to do it. He reached for the knife ready to use it, to slit his son's throat...he reached for the knife.
Gen. {22:10} AndAbraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slayhis son.
The intent to follow through was there. No hesitation, no drawing back. He would have done it had an angel not intervened.
Gen. {22:11} And the angel of the LORD called untohim out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and hesaid, Here [am] I. {22:12} And he said, Lay not thine handupon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now Iknow that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheldthy son, thine only [son] from me.
Willing to give his son.Willing to trust that God would raise his son from the dead if he were to actually sacrfice him- this is faith. This is pure faith.
May God grant us the faith of Abraham.
By His will, by the mercy and grace of his son, now and forever.
Amen.
Abraham didn't flinch from God's command, why? Because he had faith. He had faith that God would even bring his son back from the dead. He didn't hesitate he knew that God had promised him a whole nation through his son Isaac so the idea that He would ask him to kill that promise wasn't believable. He knew that God had His reasons, reasons beyond his own understanding. He had to obey because he had faith. Or rather, he chose to obey. He didn't have to obey, it was a choice he made. His faith was so great that he went through with it... wait, you think he didn't because Isaac wasn't actually sacrificed? In Abraham's mind he was going to do it. He reached for the knife ready to use it, to slit his son's throat...he reached for the knife.
Gen. {22:10} AndAbraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slayhis son.
The intent to follow through was there. No hesitation, no drawing back. He would have done it had an angel not intervened.
Gen. {22:11} And the angel of the LORD called untohim out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and hesaid, Here [am] I. {22:12} And he said, Lay not thine handupon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now Iknow that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheldthy son, thine only [son] from me.
Willing to give his son.Willing to trust that God would raise his son from the dead if he were to actually sacrfice him- this is faith. This is pure faith.
May God grant us the faith of Abraham.
By His will, by the mercy and grace of his son, now and forever.
Amen.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Hebrews 11 D Without faith we can't believe in salvation
Hebrews
{11:17} By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaacand he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son{11:18} Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called
By faith- Abraham was tried and by faith he came through the trying. Tried to the uttermost.
We can't fathom that sort of faith because when we face little trials we're ready to stop and say, 'Hold on! No way! God wouldn't ask this of me! It's too hard,it's too much!' We've formed a picture of God as being beyond trying us becausewe've come to a point in society where we've blamed a lot of the past on parentsthat were too hard, on a society that was too exacting and stifling. We'repast all that now. We have freedom to act any way we please and as long as we don't hurt anyone (where any can find out) then hey it's all good, right?
WRONG!
Our entire society has gone from being one of overt respect to one another to overtdisrespect and we call it progress. When a parent can't even punish their childwithout fear of being hauled away as a child abuser, is it no wonder when God triesus that we fail miserably time and again? No parent and especially not a heavenlyparent would put us through tests and trials, no way. A loving parent wouldn't do that, they just wouldn't. They'd nurture us and walk us through things step bystep holding our hands along the way, picking us up and brushing the dirt off our bottoms as we walk along.
Our very idea of a loving God goes against a God that would ask any father to sacrifice his only son, a son of promise, a son long waited for, a son that was tobe the fulfilment of a covenant. No God would do that, no loving God, therefore theGod of the Bible is not loving and contradicts all that is said of Him being love.
Hogwash! Yes, I said hogwash and I meant it. God is love and all He's done has beendone out of love it would be impossible for it to be any other way. It's our ownnotion of what love is that has altered. We think it unloving to have our faith tried. Unloving to be put to the test. Unloving because God forbid that we should have to be put through any hardship. But God doesn't forbid. God tells us we'll betried and tested. Jesus tells us that in this world we will have heartache andpain.
A very loving God, in fact a God that is pure love tested Abraham's faith and Abraham didn't waver. Abraham didn't try to talk God out of the test. Abrahman didn't shake his head and say no way, you're not the God I want to follow if you ask such things of me. Abraham didn't tell God it was too hard, too much, thathe couldn't do it and hey God, you understand don't you... don't you?
We want to keep hold of our own lack of faith to stand up to anything that might be too hard and just cling to a false conception that God understands, thatHe knows.
Yes, He does understand and He does know. But what He knows is that we lack the faith necessary to get through our own personal trials. We shun Him and say thatHe understands and therefore He'll excuse us this time and just overlook ourlack of faith. The devil loves our misconceptions. He loves when we fall short and then blame God, and deceive ourselves into believing that God undrestands andwill overlook our failings.
As long as we're not asked anything equivlent to what God asked of Abraham we'llbe okay, right?
Wrong.
Each day we're put to the test in many ways and it's not because God wants to tripus up and kick us out and away from Him. Our faith needs to grow, our faith needsto increase. We need to have the faith of Abraham in our lives to strengthen us because without faith it is impossible to please God. Without faith it's impossibleto believe that He exists and will reward us. Without faith we have no grasp ofChrist's righteousness. Without faith there is no hope and what our lives are todayis what they'll always be, a mere time period between birth and death, with nothingmore.
Without faith we are blinded to the love of God. Without faith we can't believe that God, our loving Heavenly Father sent His only Son to earth to live among us, as one ofus and to die for all of us. Without faith we can't believe in salvation. Faith.
Let's stop making excuses for ourselves. Let's throw ourselves at the foot of thecross and cling to Jesus begging Him to forgive us our lack of faith, to help our lack of faith. Let us realize that our faith will be tested out of love and thoughwhat seems like an impossible test now will only prove to be to our benefit later.
We need to trust in God with all our heart.
May the Grace and Mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with us now andforever. May our faith be tested and tried and be found true through the strengthand mercy of our Lord Jesus. We are weak...He is strong and we must cling to Him.
In His most holy and wonderful, all merciful name.
Amen.
{11:17} By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaacand he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son{11:18} Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called
By faith- Abraham was tried and by faith he came through the trying. Tried to the uttermost.
We can't fathom that sort of faith because when we face little trials we're ready to stop and say, 'Hold on! No way! God wouldn't ask this of me! It's too hard,it's too much!' We've formed a picture of God as being beyond trying us becausewe've come to a point in society where we've blamed a lot of the past on parentsthat were too hard, on a society that was too exacting and stifling. We'repast all that now. We have freedom to act any way we please and as long as we don't hurt anyone (where any can find out) then hey it's all good, right?
WRONG!
Our entire society has gone from being one of overt respect to one another to overtdisrespect and we call it progress. When a parent can't even punish their childwithout fear of being hauled away as a child abuser, is it no wonder when God triesus that we fail miserably time and again? No parent and especially not a heavenlyparent would put us through tests and trials, no way. A loving parent wouldn't do that, they just wouldn't. They'd nurture us and walk us through things step bystep holding our hands along the way, picking us up and brushing the dirt off our bottoms as we walk along.
Our very idea of a loving God goes against a God that would ask any father to sacrifice his only son, a son of promise, a son long waited for, a son that was tobe the fulfilment of a covenant. No God would do that, no loving God, therefore theGod of the Bible is not loving and contradicts all that is said of Him being love.
Hogwash! Yes, I said hogwash and I meant it. God is love and all He's done has beendone out of love it would be impossible for it to be any other way. It's our ownnotion of what love is that has altered. We think it unloving to have our faith tried. Unloving to be put to the test. Unloving because God forbid that we should have to be put through any hardship. But God doesn't forbid. God tells us we'll betried and tested. Jesus tells us that in this world we will have heartache andpain.
A very loving God, in fact a God that is pure love tested Abraham's faith and Abraham didn't waver. Abraham didn't try to talk God out of the test. Abrahman didn't shake his head and say no way, you're not the God I want to follow if you ask such things of me. Abraham didn't tell God it was too hard, too much, thathe couldn't do it and hey God, you understand don't you... don't you?
We want to keep hold of our own lack of faith to stand up to anything that might be too hard and just cling to a false conception that God understands, thatHe knows.
Yes, He does understand and He does know. But what He knows is that we lack the faith necessary to get through our own personal trials. We shun Him and say thatHe understands and therefore He'll excuse us this time and just overlook ourlack of faith. The devil loves our misconceptions. He loves when we fall short and then blame God, and deceive ourselves into believing that God undrestands andwill overlook our failings.
As long as we're not asked anything equivlent to what God asked of Abraham we'llbe okay, right?
Wrong.
Each day we're put to the test in many ways and it's not because God wants to tripus up and kick us out and away from Him. Our faith needs to grow, our faith needsto increase. We need to have the faith of Abraham in our lives to strengthen us because without faith it is impossible to please God. Without faith it's impossibleto believe that He exists and will reward us. Without faith we have no grasp ofChrist's righteousness. Without faith there is no hope and what our lives are todayis what they'll always be, a mere time period between birth and death, with nothingmore.
Without faith we are blinded to the love of God. Without faith we can't believe that God, our loving Heavenly Father sent His only Son to earth to live among us, as one ofus and to die for all of us. Without faith we can't believe in salvation. Faith.
Let's stop making excuses for ourselves. Let's throw ourselves at the foot of thecross and cling to Jesus begging Him to forgive us our lack of faith, to help our lack of faith. Let us realize that our faith will be tested out of love and thoughwhat seems like an impossible test now will only prove to be to our benefit later.
We need to trust in God with all our heart.
May the Grace and Mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with us now andforever. May our faith be tested and tried and be found true through the strengthand mercy of our Lord Jesus. We are weak...He is strong and we must cling to Him.
In His most holy and wonderful, all merciful name.
Amen.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Hebrews 11 C
Hebrews
{11:7} By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
What faith! God warned Noah and Noah acted out of faith. Noah became an heir of RIGHTEOUSNESS by FAITH.
{11:8} By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. {11:9} By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: {11:10} For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.
Abraham looked for a city with a foundation whose builder and maker is God!
Do we look for such a city? By faith he lived with promises.
{11:11} Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
All physical fact made it IMPOSSIBLE for Sarah to conceive a child, Impossible, not just unlikely but Impossible! Faith gave Sara strength and she conceived and delivered a baby past the age of being able to do so. Faith.
{11:12} Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, [so many] as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
The child born by faith was the continuation of a nation of people, a whole nation born by faith, a nation that wouldn't have existed without faith. How special is that?
{11:13} These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of [them,] and embraced [them,] and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
If you were promised to be a father of a nation and only saw a few generations out from your own would you believe there could be a nation from those few generations? As a rule, no. Who foresees a whole nation from their own offspring? Yes, there is generation after generation after generation. I've gone back through my family tree on my father's side and yes, I can see how extensively it branches out to the point you almost feel as if you could be related to just about anyone. A nation. Yes, a nation for God. The promise given, the promise believed, the promise realized even when you don't live to see it.
{11:14} For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. {11:15} And truly, if they had been mindful of that [country] from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. {11:16} But now they desire a better [country,] that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Amazing! Desiring a better country, a heavenly home prepared by God. They knew this earth was just a temporary dwelling place that one day they would be heirs to the city made by God Himself, faith gives them and us the promise of the city.
Faith.
They didn't see the city yet they believed.By faith we live.Faith the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith gives us the hope we need to see that city made by God. Faith.
May our faith increase always. May our lack of faith be helped as we seek our Savior the only One that can help us.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
{11:7} By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
What faith! God warned Noah and Noah acted out of faith. Noah became an heir of RIGHTEOUSNESS by FAITH.
{11:8} By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. {11:9} By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: {11:10} For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.
Abraham looked for a city with a foundation whose builder and maker is God!
Do we look for such a city? By faith he lived with promises.
{11:11} Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
All physical fact made it IMPOSSIBLE for Sarah to conceive a child, Impossible, not just unlikely but Impossible! Faith gave Sara strength and she conceived and delivered a baby past the age of being able to do so. Faith.
{11:12} Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, [so many] as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
The child born by faith was the continuation of a nation of people, a whole nation born by faith, a nation that wouldn't have existed without faith. How special is that?
{11:13} These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of [them,] and embraced [them,] and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
If you were promised to be a father of a nation and only saw a few generations out from your own would you believe there could be a nation from those few generations? As a rule, no. Who foresees a whole nation from their own offspring? Yes, there is generation after generation after generation. I've gone back through my family tree on my father's side and yes, I can see how extensively it branches out to the point you almost feel as if you could be related to just about anyone. A nation. Yes, a nation for God. The promise given, the promise believed, the promise realized even when you don't live to see it.
{11:14} For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. {11:15} And truly, if they had been mindful of that [country] from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. {11:16} But now they desire a better [country,] that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Amazing! Desiring a better country, a heavenly home prepared by God. They knew this earth was just a temporary dwelling place that one day they would be heirs to the city made by God Himself, faith gives them and us the promise of the city.
Faith.
They didn't see the city yet they believed.By faith we live.Faith the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith gives us the hope we need to see that city made by God. Faith.
May our faith increase always. May our lack of faith be helped as we seek our Savior the only One that can help us.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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