The
Perseverance of Our Faith Part V of VII
Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 10:35-37
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the
will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come,
and will not tarry.
In verse 34 Paul was bound for the gospel sake. Matthew 5:12, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, tells
us to rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for
so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. As Paul suffered for the gospel sake, we need
to be sure to keep our confidence in the faith and remember the reward that God
has promised us. The Lord told us, we
will suffer in this world. Therefore,
since we know this, this should stir up the gift (Holy Ghost) that is inside
you, helping you to have the perseverance to endure your afflictions, trials,
tribulations, disappointments because you know the promise of your reward.
In I Peter 4:13-14, But rejoice,
inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall
be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14)If ye be reproached for
the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth
upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
Christ has told us, if we suffer with him, we
shall reign with him. 2 Timothy 2:12
An excellent example of not casting away confidence (faith) to receive a
promise is Abraham. Abraham received a promise
from God twice, that he would have a son.
The promise was fulfilled years later.
(Read Genesis Chapters 11-25) As you read about Abraham, take a look at
the time line, from the time the promise was given to the time the promise was fulfilled.
It takes patience to keep your confidence
(faith) to obtain a promise.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the
will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come,
and will not tarry.
Hebrews 6:13-15
King James Version (KJV)
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Answer these questions by scripture:
1)
How many years did it take for Abraham to receive
the promise?
2)
Was there a time that Abraham wavered in his
faith?
3)
What situation are you currently facing that
you need to have patience?
4)
In your situation, do you see how allowing
patience to have her perfect work in you will strengthen your confidence (faith)?
Now
that we’ve taken a look at Abraham’s life from reading Genesis Chapters 11-25. Let’s go back to Hebrews 10: 37 For
yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Just as God did come to give Abraham the promise, so shall Christ return as promised. Each and every day as we look forward to Christ return, we need to remember, after we have patiently endured, we shall receive our promises. God has made each and every one of us promises along with the promise of eternal life. The promise of eternal life should help you persevere in your faith.
It is wise to keep the “Promise of Eternal Life” before your eyes as you go through life’s challenges and disappointments. I have personally found this helps me to persevere in my faith.
As we read Hebrews Chapter 11, commonly referred to as the
Faith chapter, we can see how important our faith/confidence is.
Faith
involves future hope and present realities not seen
the hope of the resurrection
the return of Christ
the glorification of the saints
the forgiveness of sins through Christ sacrifice
the present intercession of Christ in heaven
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the
will of God, ye might receive the promise.
As we go through the challenges of life, the scripture reminds
us:
James 1:2-4
King James Version (KJV)
2 My brethren, count it all
joy when ye fall into divers temptations
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Romans 5:3-5
King James Version (KJV)
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
As we can see from scripture, temptations and tribulations are good for us. Look at the benefits that are reaped according to the scriptures above.
As you study Hebrews 11, our faith chapter, study the lives of people that demonstrated the perseverance of their faith.
Let’s look at another example of faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen.” Noah moved by faith to build an ark to save them from a flood that was coming. Noah had never seen rain. Read Genesis 2:5-6 and Genesis 6-8 chapters.
Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations and Noah walked with God….13) And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14) Make thee an ark of gopher wood; ….17) …I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, …
When Noah heard God say he was going to flood the entire earth, this took faith to believe in something he had never seen. Noah had not seen rain, nor had he seen a flood. God gave Noah specific instructions in Chapter 6 of Genesis. Noah obeyed God in verse 22) Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him so did he. (Do you obey God when he tells you to do something that you don’t understand?)
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. (M)
“The perseverance of our faith makes us an heir of righteousness.”
The
Perseverance of Our Faith Part VI of VII Coming soon…..
Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 10:38
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in
him.
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