Hebrews 13:7-16

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.  We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.  For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.  So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.  Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.  For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.  Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.  Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

In the face of suffering and persecution, there are habits we need to form that will prevent us from falling into temptation.  These disciplines of the faith are fundamental to our Christian life and walk.  We are not alone in the fight for the faith and we have examples that we can follow with full confidence.  We can stand firm in the face of suffering and live in ways that please our Lord because of God’s provision and promises.

IMITATE YOUR LEADER’S FAITH: Spiritual leaders are a gift from God to the church.  Instruction from God’s Word is a blessing to receive and following that teaching is vital to our walk in the Lord.  When we face difficulty or persecution, the Word of God is an anchor to our soul and the examples of godly leaders can both encourage and enlighten.  The results of a life of faithfulness are evident on earth and even more so in eternity.  The lives of godly leaders are certainly worthy of imitation. 

AFFIRM YOUR LORD’S TEACHINGS: False teachings don’t have to be consistent and will contradict one another.  Satan does not care which lies we believe.  He only cares that we reject the truth.  Jesus is unchanging, consistent and always true.  His love and faithfulness are glorious gifts to us that provide a stable platform from which we can live our live.  The ever-shifting sand of this world will leave us confused and broken.  The lies of a legalistic or libertine life have untruth in common.  The truth of our Lord is so much more precious than any kind of self-righteousness or self-gratification.

ENDURE YOUR LORD’S REPROACH: Following godly leaders and the example of our Lord will inevitably lead to being rejected by the world.  Jesus was crucified and rejected by the men of His day.  We should not expect different results.  Persecution and rejection from sinful people should not surprise or discourage us.  Rather, it should assure us that we are faithfully following the Lord.  Suffering will never be easy but understanding that we are walking in the path of our Lord should make enduring it easier.  The pleasures of this world are passing and the pain that believers suffer in this world is also passing.  There is no permanence in the world.  Our hope is in the Lord and the eternal promises that He has made to us.

PRAISE YOUR LORD’S NAME: Our response to the glorious gifts we have been given in the promises of God must be praise.  Praise can take on two different aspects.  We must speak and sing about how marvelous He is as well do good to the people around us.  Christ has provided the only sacrifice needed to purchase our salvation.  The sacrifices we make to help and serve others are simply a means of praising Him for the work He accomplishes in and through us.  It pleases the Lord when we express our admiration of and gratitude towards Him.  It also pleases Him when He sees His love flowing through us to others.

APPLICATION: Be thankful for the spiritual leaders in our lives.  Express that gratitude to them and to the Lord as we seek to follow in their footsteps.  Stand firm on the foundation of Christ and His Word in the midst of the ever-shifting sands and storms of life in a sin-cursed world.  Endure suffering with a vision of the brevity of this life and the eternal promises of God.  Live a life of praise to the Lord through the things we say and do.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hebrews 10:32-39

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.     For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.     Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.     For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.     For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”     But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. Endurance...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God   whom I serve, as did my ancestors,   with a clear conscience, as I remember you   constantly in my prayers night and day.    As I remember your tears,   I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.    I am reminded of   your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and   your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.    For this reason I remind you   to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us   a spirit not of fear but   of power and love and self-control. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows i...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:8-14

Therefore   do not be ashamed of   the testimony about our Lord, nor of   me his prisoner, but   share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,   who saved us and   called us to a holy calling,   not because of our works but because of   his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus   before the ages began, and which now has   been manifested through   the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,   who abolished death and   brought life and   immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But   I am not ashamed, for   I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until   that day   what has been entrusted to me.  Follow   the pattern of   the sound words   that you have heard from me, in   the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ...
Read more