The Four Helps to Faith

Today on Summit life with Jeannie Greer the people to alter his writing were struggling because the Christian life is gotten hard for them to be persecuted and difficult questions I got unanswered prayers. Some of them are merely hanging on to their faith. So in chapter 12. The writer of Hebrews offers them for help for their faith in difficult times.

The Bible teaching ministry. I'm your host Molly would abets today we are talking about a relevant question that a lot of Christians might be afraid to ask how do I trust God when I don't feel like he's there when a prayer goes unanswered or you just don't feel very connected to God.

Trust can be hard to come by, but throughout our study of Hebrews. We are finding that there are reasons to believe today. Pastor Jeannie gives us for reasons that will bolster our belief hopefully drawing us all nearer to see the God who saves and delivers we pray you hear his voice today as Pastor JD opens God's word right now the Bible shovel 12 is your Trocadero me ask you a question to consider.

That is what is it that you consider to be the most valuable thing in your life, what your most valuable personal quality that you get to finish this sentence. How would you finish it. The most important thing that I possess is blank will go about blank for you. According to the writer of Hebrews the most valuable thing in your life, bar none. His face faith is the belief that God what God has revealed about himself in the Bible is true and that following him is worth it. Without faith, the writer of Hebrews says you will never please God, because you will never go all the way with Jesus never fully commit yourself to the mission. You will obey him in the heart areas we doesn't make sense never make it to the dark chapters in your life. Remember that the people to whom the author of Hebrews is writing are people who are struggling because the Christian life is gotten hard for them there be persecuted and get difficult questions I got unanswered prayers. Some of them are barely hanging onto their faith. So in chapter 12. The writer of Hebrews offers them for help for their faith in difficult times for help for their faith and difficult time.

Look at how he sets about chapter 12 verse one therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight in the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

The writer here says that the Christian life is like a miracle in the world that he uses for the world race were the transliteration of the Lord our God, which by the way, is what we get our word English word agony. The point is the Christian life is hard. Agon is hard for many of you that's right where you are right you are in a difficult chapter of your life, you thought that the Christian life was supposed to be all one fuzzies an abundant live your best. Don't you feel right now some of you will wonder what was wrong to me what why do I feel this way. It started off one way it started off on an emotional high. But now is in a very difficult chapter like these people.

These rights are you having trouble I get on so he gives us four motivations to keep going here they are number one tells us to consider the witnesses to consider the witnesses notice the first word in verse one is therefore therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Now every pastor I've ever heard in my life whenever he comes the word therefore always makes a joke and he always acts like he's the one that made it up anytime you see the word therefore the Bible he always auto look and see what it's like to your pastor make a joke to write so y'all don't always agree with. Therefore, therefore, always points backwards. So in this case, what is it pointing backwards to the answers Hebrews chapter 11 to the list of people that he is given in Hebrews 11 who risked all of it on God's promises. He summarizes that list of people this way in verse 32, he says, through faith those people, many of them quench the power fire. They escape the edge of the sword. They were made strong out of weakness. They became mighty in war they put foreign armies to flight. Others, however, suffered Martin and flogging even change and imprisonment.

They were stone, they were sawn and soon they were killed with the sword which means that some of these people. They asked God to do the impossible and God did Daniel go signalized in a God preserves them in the lives, then sat right beside the bed to go walking fire. David confronts a giant and kills them. Joshua surrounds Jericho Knoxville walls down there people that pray to God did impossible things, but then there was other people who exercise the same faith that God didn't show up really seem like he did, because God didn't deliver them out of the fire that one of that Isaiah got caught into enough middle of the water where was God when Isaiah was asking him for deliverance.

When I told you last week is based on that. Listen if you require any earthly validation of your faith, you're not gonna make it.

If you require any earthly validation for your faith you not to make it because God sometimes in his powerful company when he will do a miracle. At other times it will seem like he is totally absent and I really need you to think about that because some of you do require earthly validation for your faith. The reason I know that is because the moment things start going, don't start going the way that you think that a go. Your hand through the air saying what role you want to love you even exist.

If you require earthly validation to make it these Old Testament saints are people just like you with the questions that you have any says that they are like people in a marathon started before us and now they're standing alone.

Besides, as we run telling us keep going. I made you feel like you're about to die, but you can make it.

It's worth that you'll make it. I made it that that's a concept of witnesses there standing there saying you can make it. I made it.

Just look at me absent questions. You did not, you can see from your perspective that God had a plan. He was bringing Jesus out of Israel. We couldn't understand what he was doing it and if he was doing with us he's doing it with you that your first help to faith is that you should consider the witnesses here's your second help of faith is in verse two. Fix your eyes on Jesus, looking unto Jesus in Greek what it literally says there is look away to Jesus as if look off into the distance. It's not something less than that you look at him doing right now is very important that something you're looking at it doing now you're looking out of your pain and out of your darkness away to two things about him.

The first is to take notes put this out a his promise, look to his promise. He is the founder and perfecter or completer of our faith. Jesus is the one who started the process of your faith.

He is the one who will finish the process of your faith, the cross shows you how much he has invested in you as your pastor, that totally takes the pressure off of me because sometimes come in the weekend I will be like, because when auto save his people to change their life what to say this, lift them out of this. Not about and then I do stop and remember I started I started I don't finish it. I'm not the author of your faith. Another perfecter of it. Jesus is the one that began it.

He's the one that will complete it. He might use me a little bit in the process, but ultimately was going on in your life is not up to me and I think the pressure off you to because there are some of you that are looking at your life right now in July by don't stay at home ever to get out of this. I don't understand how this is ever going to change. God has showed you, it will change to the cross and the resurrection. So when you want to give up give up because it wasn't your idea to begin in the first place. You see when you first start the walk with God. I found this to be completely almost on a visitor when you first walk sold God tend to think of it as if it's all your idea. Oh I started this and I decided to go to church and I decided to serve here to use on him to make this decision. The longer you walk with God. I promise you is you have new Christians longer walk with God. The more you look back and see that God was the one who is doing it the entire time he was the one that first arrange things so that you would have an interest in it. He was the one that planted that seed of faith in you. And that brings me such comfort because I know that the cross shows me that what God started got a finish, Charles Spurgeon, one of our preaching hero said it this way.

Listen to the voice of the Lord speak I will help you. It is a small thing for me your God to help you consider what I've already done what not help you I bought you with my blood.

What not help you, I died for you since I have done, the greater will I not also do the less God who is inputted in power who brought back Jesus dead lifeless body from the grave is at work in you and he can bring your life back from the ashes to so skip that I should write number 3 Were Just Given Way to the end filter to verse three second and he tells you about Jesus.

Verse three look to Jesus, not just his promise.

But consider him who endured such from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted like this that his experience is experience. Consider the hostility against Jesus when he was on earth, but sometimes I listen to these critiques that people make of us as a church or is people who believe the Bible and you start reading them in and I get discouraged were ignorant because we believe that a personal intelligent God created and ruled the world and establishes the standard for what is right and wrong, Christopher Hitchens, like Christopher Hitchens says that he thinks religion should be treated with ridicule hatred and contempt and so anytime you see a believer. He says you want to ridicule them and hold them in contempt because they are acting in a way that is insane and above lost her mind. Sam Harris says that the quote. The problem with Christianity is that it allows people to believe in mass only gets idiots or lunatics could believe in isolation.

Richard Dawkins says that were guilty. We write up the parents in this church we are guilty of child abuse that what we teach our children is worse than sexual abuse. And we ought to have her children taken away from us or I read some editorial in the New York Times that says we are hateful people because we believe what God says about right and wrong is always with them is always things we can learn from and even unfair critiques yet. I have a PA a plastered humility to save you having this is wrong about me and I and I'm willing to listen to people you may have an evil spirit, but also often remember the words of Jesus in John 16. They hated me will hate you back when you get worried when I don't hate you because you're not better than me in the Middle Ages. It means rubbing of the lightning message in her teaching series called Christ is better here on life. You know we are all prone to dress spiritually and when that happens we lose sight of God's greater plan and purpose for our life. The writer of Hebrews can't promise is that everything is always going to go right when he can tell that Christ is better than anything else. You can obtain on earth. Our new resource.

This man is a 10 part Bible study that includes interactive questions and examination of the Scripture which then will help us look closer at her own heart.

We'd like to encourage you to reserve your copy today by calling 866-335-5224 visit us online@jdgreer.com. Thanks for being with us today. Now, let's return for the conclusion of today's teaching pastor Jane verse for the father basically says. At least you haven't died yet be encouraged.

Verse four the author says died yet to look away to Jesus. Because the cross shows you that he's committed to seeing this thing through the resurrection shows you that he is able to see it through.

The cross shows you that the pain you are experiencing now is to be expected, but don't lose heart, because God only brings the power of resurrection.

Out of the pain of the cross.

I am talking to some people in here this weekend that are about to give up. I know don't do it don't do it because it is senseless and you're being asked to run a race is already been one. It's already been one. He is the author.

He is a finisher he won the race usually showed you what he brings out of the cross so I know you feel like the cross is pressing down on you. I know you feel the opposition you feel like it's dark you can be confident that what you're experiencing is the normal thing for a follower of Jesus, and that what God started in you, he is going to finish and bring all the way to resurrection is your second help the faith disregard help of faith. Verse five. Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses your sons my sons do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord will be weary when reproved by him. The Lord disciplines the one he loves, chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure God.

Good news is treating you. Besides Jim out of verse 11.

For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness that those who have been trained by 12 therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees right on your third help persons consider witnesses that will fix your eyes on Jesus third went cross the fatherly sovereignty of God number three trust the fatherly sovereignty of God in your life that there's actually two metaphors that are working these verses which my English professor told me that you're not supposed to do when the Holy Spirit is inspiring you get away with it I hear is the first metaphor that that he uses in the verse of the that of a coach in many ways God is like a trainer.

Eight. A coaching or training. Verse 11, that is, the words and not so from which we get our word gymnasium or gymnastics is right there is a sense in which God is working in your life like a coach the way that a muscle grows way, working out works as a muscle grows as you break it down, but after you break it down your body rebuilds that same muscle stronger. Now here's the thing.

If you work out your being worked out. You don't feel stronger or weaker you feel like you're weaker because your body is being broken down within your body rebuilds that same week muscle stronger. Same with God. The muscle of your faith will never grow. If it's not tested and broken down, and here's the thing. It doesn't always make sense to you when it's happening while talking to a generation of people at scene karate kid it's already 80s here Miyagi you don't understand it what's up what's up what's all that I don't but that's because Miyagi knows what's coming.

Even when you don't, so he has you doing things that don't make sense because he's preparing you for things that you don't know were coming for this week there was a special on them. Michael Phelps and out one of these metals, they they said this will clip where they were talking about four years ago. We won there was a news this unusual situation that he explained he could only done his coach done something for him in the middle of his training.

He said that his coach reaches down and grabs his goggles off of him do a lap takes his goggles off to stall son just completely get them out forms and put them back on his face. They don't fit as now swim another two laps is his eyes fill with you always got a full water, he can't see right and so why would a coach do that you always wear your goggles also but happens in in in the 2008 Olympics, where one of his goggles. You might remember this opened up to get water in their nests when the last lap blind you can't see anything as his eyes were full of water and he gets out of the get out of the water you up with the. Besides all this water pulls out and what I was expecting the usual course of orbit strokes accountable strokes because my coach had put me in a situation like that might happen. So when it happened. I was prepared.

You have a coach that knows what is coming back. I told you sometimes, the way God answers your prayers is by giving you what you would have asked for. Had you know what he knows.

Just let just because it's not your plan that mean it's not a good plan and I know that for some you control freaks. That's really bothersome is your plan is always the right way, but just because you're not it's not your plan that mean it's a good plan because God's plan is to mold your image into his character and to increase your faith in your delight in him, so he is tearing you doubting your strength so he can rebuild you and is which leads me to the second metaphor uses in the verses which is that of a father. The word used for discipline in verse five is a different one than the one in verse 11 in English. They look the same but in Greek it's the work idea for which we get our word podiatry as it would have a good father disciplines a child, a good parent disciplines his child for wrongdoing not to pay them back for their wrongdoing but the former character your parents when you discipline your child, you're not trying to avenge yourselves along with it. You will pay for that spilled milk right but is not supposed to be what you do with your child. Sometimes my house. That is what happens with my children. But but as a parent, you are supposed to discipline your children only in order to mold their character. What you are doing for them you were doing in love. You might punish them in a way that wounds them in some way, but your goal is not retribution goal was the building of character. Now the author goes on to say in verse eight, nine exam that no parent disciplines perfectly. Sometimes parents were more angered about how hard child has inconvenienced us that we are concerned with their character. But God he says is a perfect father and so his anger toward his children is never the anger of justice is always the discipline of love because lesson the gospel is that God paid Jesus back 100% for your sin, which means that if you are a Christian, every drop, every ounce of punishment for sin was put upon Jesus and for God to exact one drop of that punishment percent from you would be unjust because God would be demanding to punishments for the same said right if you make it your white page, the power bill and then the electric company send you the husband the same bill ask you to pay it. You respond to them.

That's not fair.

We only paid that bill you're asking for two penalties for the same for the same bill.

Same with God.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ because the full condemnation fell upon Jesus. So, for God to punish you in any way for your sin would be unjust because he would be asking for two penalties for the exact things that that means if you are a believer. God is never, never pay you back for your sin and the hardships of your life, your believers, that all the time the guys pay me back the decision I made. I know people who thought they were living under the curse of something that they did years ago and now I will caress my life will be cursed by this thing of God's pay me back for Jesus absorbed all the curse that said and God put entirely on the head of Jesus every ounce of punishment.

You deserve that nothing is left for you. Nothing is left for you, but mercy so I can assure you that in your pain is not paying you back. You might be trying to bring you back, but that's totally different but let me let me distinguish three things that people often get confused punishment discipline and consequences. Punishment or judgment. That's where you're being paid back for the wrong you done the code of justice was broken.

You gotta pay discipline.

That's a loving attempt to mold character. It might involve pain, but the goal is not retribution. The goal formation consequences. These are just the natural result from bad decisions. You have sex outside of marriage and the girl gets pregnant. That's not punishment per se. That's biology right you cheat on your spouse trust in your marriage is destroyed your self absorbed father and your kids end up estranged and she get kicked out of school you sloppy work you lose your job. These are all just natural consequences that God can use consequences as discipline in your life but technically you should think about them differently. Punishment discipline consequences believers suffer consequences for their sin and sometimes God uses those consequences to disappointment.

Discipline them, but believers never suffer punishment because Jesus was punished fully in our place so that all that is left for us is mercy, and so now God is molding your character and love is never punishing you and judgment read a story and I'm a book getting Jared Wilson called gospel wakefulness was a highly committee of interview talks about a friend of his who made some really disastrous decisions end up destroying his marriage and up you're really harming his children and he said you said after God brought me repentance. Later he said went back to my marriage is permanently destroyed.

Some is no way I can prepare that is about to do so for the rest of their lives.

A fight there to be dealing with this and there are some things I probably never be able go back on is that I know I've gotten forgiveness of God he subdued consequences of my actions.

He said there they are still with me is that it is better though as those consequences are in the fact that on earth I might never overcome them fully as bidders though are they are. They remind me that the ultimate consequence for sandwiches separation from God forever in eternity in hell that is been taken away forever. He said so even in the bitterness of these consequences because God has enabled me to relish his grace.

Because while the pain of the consequences better. The sweetness is that I know that the ultimate consequence percent has been taken away forever as God has removed his wrath for me in Christ Jesus to the believer listen, you gotta understand this God is committed. He's not punishing you, but he is committed to growing you up in him and a lot of times he uses pain and disappointment to do it.

Some of you only learn to think about God is a precious moments, God who calls you or give you one fuzzies reason your universal celestial piñata you want with a face outcome the goodies that you want from him and you get angry at him when things are going your way. We think he's forgotten you were. You quit believing him altogether.

But God is not a celestial piñata is not a sentimental God is a father. This is a fatherly love, love, a love that mortgages your character a love that grows you and you matured all things God is disciplining you son or daughter an all-knowing and all-powerful God is in control of all things and using them all for your good reframing our view of God today on Summit life with JD Greer Senate life is here for you every day on your radio station and online thanks to the generosity of listeners like you donate because they want to reach more people with the help of the gospel and when you join our family and donate today will say thanks by sending you our featured resource from Pastor Jane Bible study that follows our current teaching through the book of Hebrews 10 sessions to try phone Jesus is worthy of our trust and devotion for your copy when you get by calling 866-3352 24. Get a copy when you donate online fear.com website you'll also want to subscribe to the article topics we cover here on the broadcast sign-up online fear.com. My mom even if it's inviting you to join us tomorrow when Pastor Katie for the right here Friday Senate life. Your ministry