Hebrews 11:17-19 – By Faith

Hebrews 11:17-19
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

-“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27)  There came a day in Abraham’s life when he was asked by God to make the ultimate sacrifice; the life of his child.  It may seem inconceivable, but remember that this is the same God who visited Abraham before and proved Himself by giving Abraham this very child in the first place with a question, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)  Abraham must have repeated these words a hundred times as he walked those final steps and put Isaac on the altar that he himself had to build.  Abraham’s faith was obviously in the right place because he concluded that God was able to bring his son back from the grave (Hebrews 11:19), even though scripture gives us no indication that Abraham had witnessed such a resurrection before.  None of us may ever be called upon to make such a show of faith, but if Abraham can trust the Lord with the life of his son, certainly we can trust the Lord with our daily trials.

Matthew 2:1-2 – A Star To Guide Them

Matthew 2:1-2
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

-The wise men had a very important mission, they needed to get to Jesus.  The wise men also had a very big problem, they had no idea where to find Jesus.  Thankfully God, in His divine providence, put a bright star in the sky to guide them.  Where would the wise men have ended up without the star?  What would have happened to them if that star had decided not to shine so brightly that particular night?  In this life there are many people on a mission to find Jesus; even though many of them don’t even realize it.  Thankfully God, in His divine providence, puts His followers in their way to guide them.  What happens to those who are searching if God’s people decide not to shine so brightly on a particular day?  Don’t concern yourself with the answer to that question; instead, concern yourself with making sure that question never gets answered.  “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Jeremiah 23:30-32 -Beware False Prophets

Jeremiah 23:30-32
30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

-The world is full of those who will do or say anything to bring destruction to their neighbors.  They lead millions astray every day with lies and fanciful visions.  It’s important to realize this so that we can be prepared to defend against it.  The Bible warns us to “believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)  But, it is also important to recognize that the Lord does not commission or condone those who would use His holy name to do you hurt; the Lord is not looking to confuse you or trick you (1 Corinthians 14:33) when it comes to trusting in Him.  His thoughts toward us are of peace and not evil.

John 10:11-15 – The Good Shepherd

John 10:11-15
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

-You can find out how committed a person is by how they react when trouble comes.  As Jesus tells us here, when the wolves are at the door, the hirelings will run away.  But Jesus is not scared of the wolves and He doesn’t run from His sheep when the path is difficult.  Punishing wickedness and sin would have been easy for God, but dying on a cross to atone for wickedness and sin is hard; yet that is exactly what He did to save us.  The Bible teaches that “a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17), but it also teaches that Jesus is “a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

Exodus 13:8-9, 14 – When thy son asketh thee…

Exodus 13:8-9, 14
8 And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
9 And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt.
14 And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:

-Many times in scripture the people are instructed to make a memorial or perform certain actions as a remembrance to future generations of the Lord’s goodness and His wonderful works toward the children of men.  When the children saw these memorials and actions, they would ask about them and that would prompt a conversation about the Lord.  We spend our days surrounded by children; either our own or our families or neighbours.  We are always in the presence of little eyes and little ears.  What actions do they see us performing that they may one day ask about?  What answers would we have to give them when that day comes?  Could we look a child in the eyes and give voice to our deeds or would they be too shameful to be spoken?  We may say that God and prayer and the Bible are important to us, but would the children who see us every day agree?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Ye Are Not Your Own

1 Corinthians 6:19
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Ephesians 2:2-3
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

-Many think that by not accepting the Lord, they are instead choosing to go their “own way”.  The saddest irony is that we are never our own.  We all belong to sin and are servants of Satan- “the god of this world“. (2 Corinthians 4:4)  To choose “freedom” from God is to in fact choose bondage to everything that is not of God.

James 1:5 – If any of you lack wisdom…

James 1:5
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

-How often do we find ourselves in situations where we just don’t know?  We don’t know what to say, we don’t know what to do; we just don’t know.  It may be that we are ignorant a lot more often than we need to be simply because we aren’t asking for wisdom.  A lot of people read a verse like this and assume that God is just talking about spiritual wisdom, but I don’t see any special stipulations anywhere in the text.  God is very interested in our spiritual well-being, of course; but His word makes it clear that He is also concerned about every aspect of our lives.  If we need wisdom in our jobs, we can ask God; if we need wisdom in our earthly relationships, we can ask God; if we need help figuring out how to budget and save for a car or a house, we can ask God.  There is no limit to the Lord’s ability to bestow wisdom and intelligence.  Our only limit is that we “have not, because [we] ask not.  [We] ask, and receive not, because [we] ask amiss, that [we] may consume it upon [our] lusts.” (James 4:3)

Numbers 23:19 – Shall He Not Make It Good?

Numbers 23:19
19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Malachi 3:6
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

-God is omnipotent.  God is sovereign.  How many of us truly believe these words?  How many of us find comfort in these words when troubles come?  Almighty God is not a part-time arrangement and God cannot be “sometimes sovereign”.  Either He is and so He always is or He is not and so He never is; it can’t work both ways.  You will never have complete peace if you are not trusting in a god who is in complete control.  The God of the Bible is always in control; if you don’t always have peace, in what god are you trusting?

Judges 6:16, 23-24 – The Lord Our Peace

Judges 6:16, 23-24
16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
23 And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

-In the course of a few verses in Judges 16, God speaks peace to Gideon and then proceeds to send him to war against the Midianites.  At first glance proclaiming peace while declaring war may seem to be a contradiction, but in reality, this further illustrates a principle that the Bible stresses time and again.  Namely, that trial and difficulty will come our way and our peace MUST be independent of our circumstances; otherwise, we will never have peace.  Gideon realized this because he named the altar Jehovah-Shalom which is Hebrew for “The Lord our Peace”.  Gideon understood, just as we must, that peace will not be found in our circumstances or our actions; peace can only be found in the Lord.  We don’t need the promise of an end to hostilities, we only need the promise of the Lord’s abiding presence- just as He offered in v16.  “Surely, I will be with thee…”

Hebrews 12:2 – The Author and Finisher of Our Faith

Hebrews 12:2
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

-It is evident in scripture that there is nothing any of us could do in order to secure our own salvation; that was wholly a work of the Lord.  Here the Bible reveals that we aren’t even responsible for generating our saving faith and that the Lord Himself ignited that spark of belief.  God’s great plan furnishes us with the love to send a Savior, the Blood to wash away our sins, the Grace to extend salvation to whosoever will, and even the Faith to believe it’s all possible.  Let it never be said that the Lord is not thorough or that His love for us is incomplete.  Let it also never be said that the Lord stops at simply igniting our faith; for it is also made evident in this very verse “that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)