The Blessing of Our Faith, as Followers of Jesus, Is the Presence of Jesus In Our Lives, Irrespective of Our Life’s Circumstances

The Blessing of Our Faith, as Followers of Jesus, Is the Presence of Jesus In Our Lives, Irrespective of Our Life’s Circumstances

MESSAGE SUMMARY:      

Introduction to the Bible’s Letter to the Hebrews and “Hope”: Today, the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance a context for our need to learn about “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. We can both learn a great deal and gain “Hope”, in our current situation, from the situation faced by Christians in Rome who were “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. Our context for learning is described in the Bible’s book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrew’s writer wanted to give “Hope” to the persecuted Christians in Rome by pointing out the superiority of Jesus the Christ over all the problems that they were facing from their persecution by the Emperor Nero. The writer did not want Christians to deviate and leave their Faith in Jesus because the times were bleak and the difficult circumstances, they were facing appeared hopeless. In Hebrew’s, the writer wanted Roman Christians to understand that if they turned away from Jesus there was no one else with whom they could face their difficult circumstances. The message to us, in these times, is that without Jesus in our lives and in the life of our country there is no one or no institution, to whom we can turn, for help in “facing our difficult circumstances”. To this end, in Hebrews 1:10-11, we find the culmination of Jesus Divinity along with His humanity that positions His superiority for us: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”.

Today’s Message – Jesus Who Is Seated at the Right Hand of the Father: The writer of Hebrews encourages the persecuted Christians, living in Rome, to look to Jesus in so many ways. Today, in Hebrews 10:11-14, the Writer focuses, again on Jesus “superiority” and the Christian faith by pointing out that, after Jesus Ascension, Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God, the Father: “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.". The Writer refers to the “right hand” because it is a position of power and authority for Jesus in the Universe. As Stephen, the first Deacon, is being stoned to death, he cries out in Acts 7:55-56: “But he {Stephen}, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”.

In Jeremiah 31:31, God speaks of His “new covenant” that is coming: “But this is the {new} covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.". This “new covenant” is intellectual, effectual, and perpetual. Therefore, through this “new covenant”, we can, from Hebrews 10:22-24: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,". Because of whom Jesus is, the Writer of Hebrews is continuing to encourage the Christians of Rome, in their difficult circumstances, to “hold fast to their faith” just as we are, in our difficult circumstances” encouraged to hold fast to our faith”. For Followers of Jesus, loosing their faith invites spiritual disaster in their lives.

The Writer of Hebrews encourages us, because who Jesus is, to look to Jesus in our life’s difficult circumstances and to not give up in the face of fears and uncertainties. The blessing of our faith, as Followers of Jesus, is the presence of Jesus in our lives, irrespective of our life’s circumstances. Jesus wants our focus to be on Him and not our circumstances. Remember Jesus is faithful, and He will never leave you.

Today, Followers of Jesus live in a time of turmoil and uncertainty with issues like Covid-19, cultural dissonance, and civil discourse providing an overarching context that can lead us to fear, doubt in our faith, and feelings of “hopelessness”. These issues of today, which drive our uncertainties and fears, have impacted Followers of Jesus and America profoundly. However, as Followers of Jesus, we know that none of these circumstances are taking God by surprise. Yet so many of us are discouraged, downcast, depressed, and fearful. Too many of us have lost “Hope”. Proverbs 13:12 tells us: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,".  Without “Hope”, we are like ships sailing without a harbor. God wants us to have “Hope” in our everchanging world! “Hope” is the anticipation of a good future; “Hope” is having faith and believing that God is working out His purposes in the World and in my life.

As we live, today, “in these last days” of difficult circumstances, we should look only to Jesus rather than to any person, institution, force, government entity, or nation. Jesus is our only source of protection and the way out of our difficult circumstances which are manifested by the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance. Once again, Jesus is the only “way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:10-18; Hebrews 10:11-25; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 7:1-4; Psalms 110:1; Jeremiah 31:31-35; John 15:3.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope In Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

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