December 20th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Hebrews 11-12.

This passage must be one of my favourites from the entire Bible! It's so inspiring. And after reading a couple of sermons by John Piper, I think I love it even more!

Hebrews 11:3 says "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." That is astounding. I think v4 should've been "By faith we believe that God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are both equally true" or something to that effect. ;)

Moving on....

I will be relying heavily on Piper's sermons Faith to be Strong and Faith to be Weak and Running with the Witnesses for this post.

The verses at the end of Chapter 11 are so inspiring. And, for those "name it and claim it" type preachers - probably annoying to try to manipulate into their worldview.

The truth is that God can and sometimes does work miracles in the lives of those who live by faith. Sometimes He intervenes in ways that can only be described as miraculous - like the parting of the Red Sea, shutting the mouths of lions and quenching the power of the fire for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And they do come about by faith.

God also can and sometimes does work through acts of providence in the lives of those who live by faith. Situations that aren't necessarily miraculous, but that you can see the working of God, and you no there is no coincidence - like Rahab assisting in the escape of the spies and wartime victories by David and other kings - also because people had faith in God.

However, God does not always work miracles or acts of providence in the lives of the faithful. Sometimes He sustains believers through their sufferings by faith. And it's not that He couldn't work the miracle, it's that He chooses not to.

From the first sermon...
God does not always lessen the agony of his children, but permits them to experience not just suffering, but horrific suffering. Verse 37: "They were stoned, they were sawn in two." Now this is almost too horrible to think about. It is the way tradition says that Isaiah died. Imagine how forsaken you might feel if death lies in front of you, and a person devises a way for your death to be as horrible as possible. That has happened and it has happened to people of whom the world was not worthy (as verse 38 says). God could stop that - without nullifying any human responsibility. That is the point of verse 29-35a - God can and does do miracles and acts of providence to relieve his people and deliver them, but not always. (emphasis mine)

But this does not mean that the person suffering did not have faith, or that his faith wasn't strong enough. And it does not mean that God doesn't love him.

So, having faith does not determine whether you suffer or are rescued. God does. God is sovereign and He determines whether you suffer or are rescued.

To me this is immensely comforting. It is a great relief to know that there is a higher explanation for my pain or my pleasure than whether I have enough faith. Would it not be horrible to have to believe that on top of all your suffering you had to add this: it must be because I lack faith.....
And ultimately, it is God, and not we, who decides when and how we die. He has his purposes. They are hidden from us. And faith means, we believe they are good. (emphasis mine)

What is the common denominator between faith that escapes suffering and faith that endures it? The belief that God himself is better.

faith is utterly in love with all that God will be for us beyond the grave. Faith loves God more than life. Faith loves God more than family. Faith loves God more than job or retirement plans or ministry or writing books or building the dream house or making the first million. Faith says, "Whether God handles me tenderly or gives me over to torture, I love him. He is my reward (11:6), the builder of the city I long for (11:10), the treasure beyond the riches of Egypt (11:26), and the possession that surpasses all others and abides for ever (10:34)."

The great challenge of the book of Hebrews, and the mission of our church, is to cultivate and to spread a death-defying passion for God. The preaching, the Sunday School, the small group ministry, the relationships of love, the soccer camps, the prayer gatherings, and the untold ministries inside and outside aim at this: to cultivate and to spread such a deep and satisfying relationship with God that we rest in him whether living or dying, whether comfortable or miserable. Our aim is to cultivate and spread the unshakable confidence that God is better than what life can give us and what death can take from us. (emphasis mine)

And the amazing truth is, that those who love God more than life..... those who suffer willingly, are God's gift to the world and the world does not deserve them.

Many things in this life are utterly opposite from the way they seem. And here is one of them. When the precious children of God are permitted to suffer and be rejected and mistreated and go destitute, afflicted and ill-treated, God is giving a gift to the world. He is gracing the world. He is shedding his love abroad in the world. Because in those who suffer and die in the unshakable assurance of hope in God, the world is given a message and a picture: "The Lord himself is better than life. Turn, O turn and believe." (emphasis mine)

And it's after all that, that we read the words.....

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

The faithful who have gone before testify to the fact that they did it, and we can too. They are inspiring us to finish the race. In fact, they are awaiting the best part of their reward until we finish our race.

From Piper's second sermon....
In other words, God's purpose is that all his people - all the redeemed - be gathered in before any of them enjoys the fullness of his promise. His purpose is that we all come into the fullness of our inheritance together.....Your finishing the race is what history is waiting for. The entire consummation of the plan of the universe waits until every single one of God's elect are gathered in. All history waits and all those who have lived by faith crowd the marathon route to urge you on, because they will not be perfected without you. Nor you without them. (emphasis mine)

We can only do it through Jesus' strength - He begins the work, He designs it, He completes it. We need to fix our eyes on Him, and focus on the joy and the reward that awaits us at the end.

This is the point of the whole book. Endure, persevere, run, fight, be alert, be strengthened, don't drift, don't neglect, don't be sluggish, don't take your eternal security for granted. Fight the fight of faith on the basis of Christ's spectacular death and resurrection. And show your faith the way the saints of Hebrews 11 did - not by coasting through life, but by counting reproach for Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt (11:26)....Run the race set before you! Don't stroll, don't meander, don't wander about aimlessly. Run as in a race with a finish line and with everything hanging on it. (emphasis mine)

RUN!!

Tomorrow's passage: Hebrews 13, 1 Peter 1-2:3