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