Faith Gives Assurance

September 9, 2012 Background Scripture: Hebrews 11; Psalm 46 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 11:1 – 6; Psalm 46 Faith is not natural; it is supernatural. People are not born with a propensity to trust an unknown and invisible God. It is only through the word of God that people can hope to receive faith in God. Faith comes as a result of hearing the word of God. Even then there is not always an ever-present sense of trust in God during times of distress. Experiencing faith in one’s life during trying times teaches us to be patient and wait for the promises of God to be manifest in our lives. What should we do while we wait for the manifestation of the promises to justify our faith? When true faith is present, we rest in the assurance that God has it all under control. True faith is its own evidence that the invisible will be made visible. We all need something of substance to hang on to in times of need or trouble. True faith has substance of its own. Our belief in the word of God gives us an assurance that we stand on when there is nothing else to rely on. Faith works best when there is no “Plan B”. If we have clear alternatives, then there is no need for faith. We hope for that which we do not see or sometimes even understand. As we examine the “Heroes of Faith” that are listed in the background scripture of our lesson, we note that one after the other they were presented with seemingly impossible situations. The more farfetched the situation, the greater the presence of their faith showed itself. How do you willingly submit to fiery furnaces and lion dens when you understand that no one before you has ever survived such an ordeal? It’s much easier to see ourselves surviving these situations when we have others as role models that have survived them already. Our faith is manifest when we find ourselves in our own unique quandary. My assurance will come when I surrender to the notion that God loves me too much to not have my best interest at heart. My faith gives full assurance when God’s love for me coexists with a situation that will cause God to be praised and honored. I don’t need faith so that I can get material things or be made happy. I need faith that I might please God and become an instrument that allows God to receive the glory. As we reflect again on the “Heroes of Faith”, in all those situations God received the glory. Some of the individuals received some benefits as a result of what they went through but not all of them. Some died without receiving any earthly gain for their troubles. But in all of these situations, God received the glory. The assurance that our faith gives helps us to understand that God will always reward us for our faith in Him. The best rewards are beyond this life. The God-given goodness of this life is but a foretaste of what God has for us in eternity. Eternity itself is a gift greater than any temporary pleasure we may receive in this life. The poet reminds us that the assurance God gives us because of our faith is truly a blessing to be counted. “This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long” Robert C. Hudson August 29, 2012

Faith Calls for Perseverance

September 2, 2012 Background Scripture: Hebrews 10 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 10:19 – 31 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9 A hallmark of Baptist Doctrine is “Perseverance of the Saints”. Simply put, Baptists believe that only those who endure to the end are truly saved. Others are mere professors of faith who have not had a true regenerative experience. There are many scriptures that attest to God’s promise to reward those who are faithful to the end. The Apostle John stated in his letter that those who were once with them but departed and began to teach heresy were never true believers although they were in the group with the believers. This is similar to the situation of Judas Iscariot who followed Jesus along with the other eleven disciples for approximately three and a half years but in the end it was manifest that he was not a true disciple of Jesus although he wore the title disciple and was called of Jesus to be one. The only way we can please God is by having faith in Him. This same faith calls for perseverance as is borne out by our lesson today. Perseverance is the quality whereby we remain steadfast even when it is difficult to do so. Even the prophet reminded God’s people that the just shall live by their faith. Children of God should not allow circumstances, situations or people to cause them to act out of character or to lose confidence in God. God’s promises are greater than anything we might encounter no matter how daunting it may seem. Faith demands that we look even beyond death. Many faithful servants of God died without experiencing some of what God promised but they died fully accepting that what God had promised He would provide whether they were here to physically see it or not. Perseverance has no time limit. When time runs out, perseverance allows us to remain faithful to God. Although faith sometimes places on believers the need to believe to the end, we are thankful to God that many times we experience God’s promises long before the end comes. God’s actions are not governed by man’s schedules or timeframes. God is able to deliver long after man’s deadline has passed and the results are often even more astounding. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we praise God for what He has done. The manner in which He operates is sometimes too wonderful for words. Just when we think we have it all figured out, God will do a new thing that surpasses our understanding. At times, we reflect on the testimony of our fore-parents who stated rather succinctly, He might not come when you want Him but He’s always on time! It was this attitude that allowed them to persevere through times of difficulty and uncertainty. Truly this is one of the values they have tried to instill in us. If we are going to mature in our faith in God, then we must persevere no matter what comes our way. “For you have need of patience that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.” Robert C. Hudson August 21, 2012

God Promised to Be with Us

August 26, 2012 Background Scripture: Ezekiel 34 Lesson Passage: Ezekiel 34:23 - 31 “Tho all around me is darkness and earthly joys are flown, my Savior whispers His promise—never to leave me alone.” Those words by an unknown poet from the 19th century have brought comfort to many in their times of despair and troubles. Perhaps the author was considering the passage of scripture from our lesson when these words were penned. Many have been given the opportunity to be leaders of God’s covenant people over a period of thousands of years. None have been able to live up to the holy requirement to be just and to love mercy continuously. Some have done an outstanding job of caring for the flock of God but yet there have been lapses here and there. Others have taken full advantage of their position and the situations they were confronted with to the detriment of God’s people. Furthermore, the members of the flock have not always been kind towards each other. The strong have abused the weak rather than bear their burdens. Those with much have taken from those who had the least—even that which they had was taken. Through it all, God watched over His own and brought to pass an expected end that reverberated “and we know that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” God did not leave His people to fend for themselves while they waited on that expected end. God was there all the time. God spoke through the prophets and promised that one day He would bring this vicious cycle of abuse and neglect to an end. In that day, God would no longer let others be under-shepherds. Man is frail and his frame is dust. Man lacks the capacity to continuously lead according to God’s righteous standard. People do not get along with each other even as they are being led whether the leader is godly or not. People continue to bruise and trample each other as they seek advantage while attempting to follow the leader. Through it all, God continues to watch over His own. One day the Lord God will be the shepherd His people need. He will seek those that have strayed away and bring them back. He will feed them and give them rest. He will bind up those who have been bruised and broken. God will judge between the members of His flock to bring about justice in their midst. He will no longer allow one to take advantage of another. Moreover, God will command the earth to again yield its bounty as at the beginning in the Garden of Eden. The members of the flock will know that they are blessed. The enemy of God’s people will be destroyed and they will no longer live in fear. At that time, God’s people will know that God is with them—at all times. “I’ve heard the voice of my Savior, He bid me still fight on—He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No, never alone, no never alone—He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone;” Robert C. Hudson August 14, 2012

God Promised a Righteous Branch

August 19, 2012 Background Scripture: Jeremiah 23:1 – 8; 33 Lesson Passage: Jeremiah 23:1 – 6; 33:14 – 18 Any word that follows the phrase “God promised …” comes with great assurance and should be received with great expectancy by those for whom it is intended. God’s promises are absolute. They are established by the very word that God speaks just as heaven and earth were created by God’s word. In fact, Jesus said: until heaven and earth pass, not one jot or tittle of the law (God’s word) will change. That is a statement or definition of absolute. Therefore, it is imperative that we take the topic of our lesson today seriously. Jeremiah prophesied the fall of Judah at the hands of her enemy and he was also an eyewitness to the final deportation of many of the citizens. The failure of leadership had become a stark reality for the nation. The leaders had scattered the people and showed little concern for their welfare. As a result of this, God had dispersed them into many nations. Jeremiah wept over the fall of Jerusalem which earned him the moniker of “the weeping prophet”. But God is faithful to His word and to His covenant. Although the leaders had caused Israel to sin greatly in departing from the covenant, God would still uphold them and eventually return the nation to the land of promise. However, their punishment would last seventy years and then God would judge their enemy and allow many of those that were a part of the dispersion to return to Canaan. In addition to this, God allowed Jeremiah to take a peek through the telescope of time. Jeremiah saw that God would also gather the offspring of those of the northern kingdom who had been dispersed over one hundred thirty five years prior to the fall of Judah in 586 B.C. Jeremiah saw both Israel and Judah being gathered and forming a remnant of God’s chosen people as time comes to a close. This remnant would not suffer at the hands of evil leaders who would cause them to stray from following after God. God would fulfill His promise made to David concerning his descendent. David’s offspring would sit on the throne of Israel throughout eternity. Obviously, this fulfillment did not take place at the end of the seventy years. The fulfillment of the prophecy would be beyond that time and even beyond the period of time that we today know as the Church Age. At the end of time, God would raise up the Messiah from the lineage of King David and he would be their ruler. In the family of David, God established and sustained a tree of righteousness and the Messiah would be a natural branch that grows out of that tree. This Righteous Branch would bring salvation and safety to God’s people. He would be their King. In spite of their present distress, God’s people had much to rejoice about. This punishment would not be forever but only for a season. Then the Lord would restore them, and even more than that, God would fulfill the covenant He made with Abraham and David. Robert C. Hudson August 13, 2012

God Promised a Righteous Lord

August 12, 2012 Background Scripture: Isaiah 9:1 – 7 Lesson Passage: Isaiah 9:1 – 7 Israel had tried for over 300 years to be like her neighbors—yet different. No matter how hard they tried, they would ultimately fail and find themselves suffering dearly because of it. It all began when Israel’s leaders approached Samuel and informed him that they wanted a king like the nations who they lived among. Samuel objected passionately but was overruled by God who instructed him to tell Israel the type of king they would have and what that king would do to their sons and daughters. In spite of the warning concerning the consequences, Israel was ready to press on and have a king to rule over them rather than a religious leader who received his orders directly from God. The first king proved to be everything Israel had been warned about. The second king (David) and the third king (Solomon) came close to fulfilling the nation’s hope of having a monarch form of government and being highly successful according to the blessings of God. Unfortunately, this streak ended abruptly after the third king. Eventually, the nation would split because of the selfishness of its fourth king. The northern nation became more and more corrupt while the southern nation had its ups and downs as she went through a series of good and bad kings. Under the bad kings, the nation would find herself suffering at the hands of her enemies. Under the good kings, the nation would experience revival, return to serving God, and enjoy years of prosperity and peace until the king died. Nevertheless, even with a good king, the nation could not get back to her glory days when King David led them as a king. King David was submissive to the will of God and highly successful on the battlefields against Israel’s enemies. The cycle of apostasy and revival continued until God sent a promise by the prophet Isaiah; that promise was to become an eternal hope for the nation. God promised to intervene and break the cycle. Israel would indeed have another king like unto King David. But this king would be even better than King David. This king’s relationship with God would be perfect and his rule over the people of God would be unparalleled. This king would rule in righteousness but his rule would be tempered by mercy. He would fulfill all of the needs of the people while maintaining perfect fulfillment of God’s Law. He would be a king who would be Lord over all of God’s children but he would not have the moral or ethical weakness of the good kings that ruled before him. He would not have to repent to God because he would not sin against God’s holiness. His lordship of God’s people would not be harsh or weak. He would rule them with grace and truth. What God described was more than the people could ask or even think. Yet, the people could lay hold on God’s promise and anticipate his arrival because God promised a righteous Lord. Robert C. Hudson July 31, 2012