Hebrews Chapter 12 (part 2)

 Hebrews Chapter 12:14-29

vs. 14-17

- “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.”

- These seem kind of small at first glance. Yes, peace is good. Living a holy life would be great! I can be good. I can live a good life. Give money to the poor. Maybe get along with my neighbors... most of the time anyway... Sounds okay right? I'll be fine.

- Nope... HOLY. Not okay. Holy. At peace with everyone... all the time... doesn't say only work to be at peace occasionally... or only work one day a week at it.

- Holy. Us? Not likely... And yet... this is not the only place in scripture where we are given the command to be holy. Or at least to work at it...

- And to be at peace with everyone? “God doesn't know my neighbors...” “God doesn't know my co-workers...” And yet... He does... and He still says to be at peace... with everyone... Or... at least to work at it...

- As for living peacefully with people? Well... it's hard to live a life worth following if you can't forgive... forget... make peace... love those who are hard to love...

- If we are constantly fighting with our neighbors... are we living out the command to love them? If we can't make peace in our house because we're too proud to admit that we're wrong... are we honoring our parents? Or teaching our children how to grow up? If we constantly nitpick at people around us and complain about all their failings and shortcomings... are we seeing our own and learning to grow?

- What kind of witness will you leave behind you when you die? And what kind of disciples will you have had? What kind of example will you leave for your descendents?

- Over the holiday, we were with family and talking about stories about some of the ancestors... we're a pretty musical family... on both sides... and mom and I were laughing about which side had more talent and where we got it from... and as we were joking about it, she said something that kinda caught my attention. She was talking about some of her uncles and great uncles and she said “they used to all get together and play fiddles and sing and dance and they'd play all night... and had they not drank themselves to death and tore up a bunch of stuff when they got mad drunk... they might have actually done something with their music.”

- Is that not sad? To know that they had a talent, a gift... and threw it all away. And to know that... their sons followed in their footsteps... and ended up in much the same way... well... it's just sad...

- If we don't live in peace... neither will our children. And neither will their children... and instead of being known as Christians by our love... we'll be known as hypocrites.

- I Peter 1:13-16 says “So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

- Man... that's a harsh statement to us who are so fallible.

- You know... working at living a holy life is like a house... Houses get dirty. Especially if you have a lot of people living in them. Or visitors often. Crumbs fall. Mud gets tracked in. Dust falls. Bugs get in. Mold and Mildew starts to grow.

- You have to make the effort to keep them clean. You have to go through and wash the dishes, run the sweeper, mop the floors, kill the bugs...

- If you don't... well... have you ever seen the TV show “Hoarders?” It's this show where professional cleaners go in to clean out these houses that people have just... never cleaned. Some of them just like to keep things... they collect boxes, or toys, or newspapers... some... just don't know how to clean. There's filth everywhere. They're climbing over things to get into the house.

- There was this one old lady, who was climbing over enough stuff that she was holding onto the ceiling to walk to her chair... FEET of piled up garbage...

- Some of these houses have no working plumbing... Some have no running water. So in addition to the house being filthy... the people themselves aren't that clean either...

- If we're not careful... our hearts get like that. At first it might just be one thing. “God I know I should get rid of this sin... but I want to hang on to this one just a little longer. I'll throw this one over here out... but I want to keep this one...” And then before you know it... there's another thing you're just not ready to surrender yet. “Okay God... I know You want me to get rid of this one too... but it kind of matches this other one over here. So I'll hang onto it until I throw the other thing out. That way they can stay together for a little longer.”

- Before long... your heart... that had started a cleansing process with God... is worse than it was before. God doesn't walk into our lives and automatically, there's no more dirt. It's a process. Oh sure... when we ask God to come in... there's a cleansing. He cleans us up. But we're human... we fail. We fall. We get dirty. So... we have to yet again, call the Master cleaner and get scrubbed out again.

- My mother is a little bit of clean freak... I think so anyway... lol Every week she cleans the house from top to bottom. Scrubs out every little corner she can find. There was a time a few years ago... I felt like we cleaned every 3 days. It seemed like it was getting a little ridiculous.... But the point is... I've heard a thousand times over... “If you don't clean every week, then the dirt starts to add up. If you let it go, then it's easier to let it go next week... and by the time you realize the place is filthy, it's really HARD to clean it up. So if you clean a little every week, then it's easier than doing a MAJOR cleaning every couple of months.”

- Holiness is not a one time act. We don't become Holy just by claiming the Name of Christ. Holiness is a constant cleansing and growing process. It's a daily surrendering to the will of God. Which is why it says to “work” at it. Nobody's perfect. And none of us will reach perfection in this life... But it doesn't mean we're not supposed to try... “For those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” It's not just God trying to make us be good... it's a big deal... Our eternity depends on it...

- “But I'm not perfect... I'll fail... and God will cast me off!” Nah... not for a one time offense... but if you refuse to clean the house? If you insist on holding onto things? Insist on keeping the dirt in your life? Won't allow God to come and do some cleaning when it needs done? Eventually, your heart's going to be so full of sin... that there's no room for God... and instead of getting rid of the sin... you're going to opt for pushing God out the door instead.

- He'll try to get back in. He'll stay and knock on your door. He'll stay and try to convince you of what is right... But eventually, He'll let you go.

- So let God come clean the house...(hatred, anger, and over in the corner fear, hurt feelings, unforgiving, selfishness, self pity, and out in center court--PRIDE)

- Remember... you're not alone in this. You have a church full of people to help you. You have family, both biological and spiritual.

- “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. You know that afterward, when he wanted his father's blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.”

- Esau was rejected because he gave his birthright away... we are sons and daughters of God... unless we sell our birthright for some fleeting thing... A fleeting moment of a met desire...

- And just for that one moment... Esau is called immoral and godless... why? Because he looked at his birthright as a nothing. Something worthless to him. Something that... he could give away for a fleeting thing... as if they were equally as unimportant as one another...

- So we need to be careful... not only in our own lives... but in our watching of the lives of our fellow believers. Oh I don't mean we should start nitpicking at everything they do... but if we see something really out of whack... we're supposed to go talk to them...

- In Galatians 6 it says “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.”

- It doesn't say go rub your holiness in their faces and tell them their dying in their sin and they'll be good for absolutely nothing if they don't change things right this second. Nor does it say to walk in and yell and scream and demand an immediate change...

- It says to help them back on the right path... GENTLY AND HUMBLY... And to share their burdens.

- This walk was not meant to be walked alone. It's a group effort. It's a community event. It's not the survival of the fittest. It's a family. Working and growing together.

- It's not about you... It's about Christ. And the furthering of HIS Kingdom... NOT about how successful you are... not about how much stuff you have... not about how often you pray or how holy you are... it's about Christ... and HIS work... not yours...

- Amos 7:8

- Matthew 7:1-6; 18:15-20

- I Thessalonians 4

- II Timothy 1:8-11

- II Corinthians 6:3-7:1

- Romans 12:6-21

vs. 18-24

- “You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God's command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”

- Old covenant. Physical temple. Physical place to represent the presence of God.

- No more do we tremble before the voice of God. No more is the presence of God too much for us to take... because we are no longer still sin-soaked creatures.

- “No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God Himself, who is the Judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.”

- New covenant. Better covenant.

- No longer do we cower before a voice. We have a mediator who is not frightened. Moses himself trembled before God... however... Christ doesn't do that. He is the ultimate mediator between us and God. There is forgiveness! Complete and total! No more crying out for vengeance!

- Until Christ came... the debt had not been paid in full. We were still owing. Our lives were still held forfeit for our sins. The blood of bulls and goats could not bring about forgiveness... only justification for a time... But CHRIST! Brought FORGIVENESS! Our sins have been washed away! There is no more sacrifice for sin! It was a one time offering! Pure and holy and complete!

- We don't come before a cloudy mountain... we come into the city of Zion. We come into an assembly... not of terrified cowering people... but into an assembly of the firstborn children of God. Able to stand before our God in worship... without being afraid of the fact that our sins would destroy us in His presence.

- footnote- “What a contrast between the people's terrified approach to God at Mount Sinai and their joyful approach at Mount Zion! What a difference Jesus has made! Before Jesus came, God seemed distant and threatening. After Jesus came, God welcomes us through Christ into His presence. Accept God's invitation!”

- Galatians 3:10-4:7

- I Timothy 2:1-7

- Jeremiah 31:31-38

- Matthew 26:27-29

vs. 25-29

- “Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai His voice shook the earth, but now He makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.”

- In other words... if refusing to listen to a messenger of God resulted in major discipline... then how much more so, will we be disciplined for not listening to the direct voice of God.

- On the shakable and unshakable things... When the last really massive tsunami hit a couple years ago, it literally shook the earth off of its axis. We have lost like 2 seconds or something like that off of our daily time because of the amount of shaking. So when God said that everything would be shaken... He wasn't kidding... Everything that can be shaken... will be shaken... The only things left... will be God's things. His Kingdom is an unshakable thing. It's not going anywhere. Christ's sacrifice... is an unshakable thing. It's not going anywhere... These are UNSHAKABLE things.

- God is the only stable thing we have. Everything else can be taken away in a heartbeat. So “....let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe....”

- footnote- “Eventually the world will crumble, and only God's Kingdom will last. Those who follow Christ are part of this unshakable Kingdom, and they will withstand the shaking, sifting, and burning. When we feel unsure about the future, we can take confidence from these verses. No matter what happens here, our future is built on a solid foundation that cannot be destroyed. Don't put your confidence in what will be destroyed; instead, build your life on Christ and His unshakable Kingdom.”

- Haggai 2:4-9

Hebrews Chapter 12 (part 1)

Hebrews Chapter 12: 1-13

vs. 1-4: RUN THE RACE

- “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

- footnote- “This “huge crowd of witnesses” is composed of the people described in chapter 11. Their faithfulness is a constant encouragement to us. We do not struggle alone, and we are not the first to struggle with the problems we face. Others have run the race and won, and their witness stirs us to run and win also. What an inspiring heritage we have!”

- I heard a sermon once (whether the evangelist's own idea, or the Greek, I can't remember...) about the picture of this verse. So imagine the Olympics. You are preparing to run a race. You stand on your marks surrounded by thousands of onlookers. The coliseum is full to capacity... and then some. In the crowd sits men and women... who lived out their lives in this faith already. There are the disciples and Paul. Cornelius. Nicodemus. Your grandmother. Maybe an ancestor from 7 generations ago. Wesley. Martin Luther. Some died for this faith. Some just lived out a life of faith and hardly ever saw adversity. But they all finished their race.

- And now... they sit and cheer you on for your race. They know what it is to run this race. They too were athletes. They too trained, and were tried.

- Now here you are. Ready to run your own race. It's not a sprint. It's not a short race. It's a distance run. One that requires pacing, and strength, and patience. And a WHOLE lot of faith.

- But in order to run the race well... we have to strip off anything that holds us back.

- Have you ever watched the Olympic races? No matter if it's a short race or a long one... the runners wear the bare minimum. Their shoes are extra light, their clothes are just enough to cover them... and still made of very light material and very tight to the body. There's nothing to cause a barrier in the wind as they run. Some of them even wear head coverings so that their hair won't slow them down in the wind current.

- We have to strip off anything that slows us down... namely... sin. Anything in our lives that distracts us from running the race... we have to get rid of it...

- In I Corinthians 9:24-27 says: “Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplines in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

- So many times in this race... we find ourselves becoming apathetic. Or we get distracted by things on the sidelines. Or somebody throws something in front of us on the track to make us stumble...

- If we discipline ourselves in our training... yes we may sometimes fail... but if we press forward and stay focused on the goal of gaining/winning the ultimate prize, then our steps will have purpose, direction, and meaning. We will not be shadowboxing... and we will not be disqualified. In the Greek Olympics, the winner was given a crown made of grapevines which was already starting to wither, but everyone who finishes this race is a winner. There are no 1^st and 2^nd place winners. Everyone who finishes receives a crown of eternal life which will never wither and no one can take it away!

- Discipline is hard. It means walking away from things we may strongly desire... It means avoiding “fun” distractions. It means choosing friends and associates carefully.

- Jeremiah 12:5-6 also speaks about running a race... “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan? Even your brothers, members of your own family, have turned against you. They plot and raise complaints against you. Do not trust them no matter how pleasantly they speak.”

- In other words... if you can't even deal with men... how are you going to deal with spiritual warfare? If you can't take the words of men, or the actions of men... and learn to run the race anyway... not to let it effect your focus on the goal... then how are you going to deal with it when Satan comes and bombards you with all that you've done wrong? If you fall on easy ground... what will happen when hard things come? If you can't stand when there's no adversity... how will you stand when conflict comes... and sometimes... it comes from those closest to you...

- Even your brother... “do not trust them no matter how pleasantly they speak...” man... that's HARD! That's a rough statement... I mean... they're family! They're supposed to love you, help you, build you up! Not... scheme against you waiting for you to fall!

- So how do we stay focused? How do we run the race without fail?

- “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people, then you won't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.”

- Christ came as a man. Oh sure... He was God in flesh... but that doesn't mean His pain was dulled any... He perhaps felt it more keenly even... because He knew what was at stake if He gave up... He knew what would happen if He decided to quit... He literally had the weight of the world on His shoulders...

- If we look to Christ's example... maybe it doesn't make things any easier in the moment... but it does help to think that someone else has been there... done that... and the reward was great... even if the cost was just as great...

- Philippians 3:12-4:1

- I Peter 2:21-25

- Ephesians 4:17-6:20

vs. 5-13: ENCOURAGEMENT THROUGH DISCIPLINE?

- “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children? He said, “My child, don't make light of the Lord's discipline, and don't give up when He corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.”

- Oh boy... So... God disciplines us to encourage us? That sounds... backwards...

- However... this is the point... If you are a parent, it is your job to teach your child how to live life as an adult. Teaching them how to discipline themselves as well as teaching them lessons through discipline. If a child is not disciplined, they do not understand right and wrong. They do not see other people as important... because they become extremely selfish. They do not understand the need to behave according to moral, ethic, or social codes of conduct.

- So I'm an elementary teacher... I complain about this ALL the time...

- It feels like every year, the incoming kindergarten class is worse than the last year. The kids are so out of hand. They think they can get away with murder. We spend more time just trying to keep them sort of under control, that they don't get the amount of instruction that they should.

- This week, we were coming up on break, and I literally... just about every class this week, I had to stop class because a kid was screaming at me... either because they didn't want to do something, or because I took away something they were playing with, or because they didn't like something I was doing... and I mean... screaming. Not just... “hey why do we have to do this...” I mean sitting in the floor SCREAMING and crying and beating their heads off the wall...

- Why? Weeeeeeeeeell... mainly because their parents let them get away with screaming and yelling and throwing fits to get their way... partly because it was time for break and they were excited about the snow that was starting to come down and didn't really want to focus on class. And partly because... well... they don't really see much wrong with that kind of behavior. It's a means to an end... and they don't care if they disrupt class or hurt somebody's feelings... they're concerned with how THEY are feeling right at that moment.

- If God does not discipline us... we won't be following Him...

- Pastor has been making the statement the last week or so that you can claim the name of Christ... and not be a disciple of Christ. You can call yourself a Christian all you want... but until you live out the life... well... you're not a Christian.

- Without discipline... we can't follow Christ. So God in His mercy and grace, disciplines us so as not to lose us.

- Without discipline... we will go to our graves sinners... and we will NOT make it into heaven. We won't finish the race... and we will not gain the prize.

- So since God calls us His children, and because He loves us so much... He disciplines us...

- “As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn't discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn't we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God's discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” (When I was about 4 or 5 years old, my dad sat me on his lap and was hugging me and he asked me if I knew how much he loved me? I hugged him back and said yes. He then asked me how I knew he loved me and my answer shocked him. I told him it was because he whipped my butt! Today I see that was right on. Because he didn't want me to grow up throwing fits, doing all the wrong things, or being mean, he punished me. Did he have to punish me often? No. Mom always says she never had a problem with my brother or I after we tuned 2 years old. Maybe once or twice we had a fight, but if you are consistent and diligent to set limits and punish when those limits are exceeded, kids learn quickly and become obedient and well adjusted. If you are inconsistent with your punishment and only discipline in anger, then the child will always try you and you will always be pushed to act in anger not love). Did my dad really love me because he whipped my butt? My dad would hold me and tell me how much he loved me and how it would hurt him more than it hurt me and I knew when I looked in his eyes that he was telling the truth. Maybe we just need to look into God's eyes when we are punished.

- You know... as I look at my students... I have to wonder what they'll be like when they grow up... If they stay on the same path... and they never accept any kind of discipline...

- They will never hold down a job. They will never like having a boss. They will never be able to live in a marriage relationship without fighting all the time. They'll probably end up divorced. Because they will fight and argue all the time... their anger issues will become worse. They will probably get in trouble a lot for fighting. They may turn to drugs or alcohol... because someone tells them they can't... or because they want to FEEL something other than just the mundane... They may end up in prison. They may not finish school... because they won't see a need for it... or desire to excel in anything because they think the world owes THEM something... and therefore they will expect that we hand feed them everything for the remainder of their lives...

- The difference between the kids with discipline at home... and those without... is as clear as a kindergarten coloring page...

- I did a turkey coloring page this week for thanksgiving... we learned a turkey dance and then we talked about what colors turkeys were and how they should color them.

- Some of the kids did very well. They stayed in the lines, they took their time, they followed directions about color schemes... and they turned out with very nice turkeys.

- Other kids... *sigh* Had pink and purple and green turkeys... we even had a few rainbow turkeys... they scribbled every which way... they drew their own little additions to the turkey. They put shoes on him or they drew in something for him to hold with his... “hands”.

- I'd walk around and remind them about colors or remind them to color in all the white places and make sure they stayed in the lines... and they'd look up at me like... “so? Why do I need to do that?” And then go right on with whatever it was they were doing...

- Did they follow directions? no... Did they have patience in the work? no... Did they learn anything from the activity? Apparently not... If I asked them after we get back about the color of a turkey... there's probably going to be some of them that yell out “pink!” Because it's their favorite color... and they can't see past the fact that they like everything to be that color...

- When God moves in to discipline in our lives... it's not a bad thing... it's not because He's mean... He's just trying to teach you something. If He lets us color outside the lines and scribble all the time or doesn't make us learn which colors go where... we'll never be able to sit down and make a masterpiece. It will always look like child's play. And our lives... will never mature past kindergarten. We'll stagnate and die spiritually... and what do we have to show for it? Pink turkeys...

- “So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.”

- So despite feeling like God's picking on you... or feeling like life is just too hard right now... or feeling like you're just getting beat up... take a new grip. Take a deep breath, stand up, mark out the path... and move forward.

- You know... when we're working in the garden in the summer... there's a lot of times when we're out hoeing in the potato patch... that I just get SO TIRED! (I hate hoeing potatoes...) It seems like the row goes on for FOREVER! There's never an end to it! My back aches, my hands are raw, my feet are sore... and we're only halfway done... (we plant A LOT of potatoes... by the way...)

- So usually... about the time I feel like I'm just ready to go sit down and never get up again... I'll mark out a point to stop. “okay... I'll work until I get to that triangular rock there... or that fence post... and then I'll take a water break.” And sometimes, I just keep doing that without taking a break. “Okay well... you made it this far... go a little farther and then go in...” And before you know it... the row's done... and we move on to the next one.

- So take a new grip on things. The race isn't over. It's not time to sit down and take a nap... It's not time to give up. It's time to mark out the path, look at the long-term goals, and move forward. Cause if you don't move forward... you're just going to sit in the sun and bake your brain... lol You're never gonna make it to a water break... and you'll die in your apathy...

- You are not lame. You are not weak. Because you are living in Christ. And in Christ... no such thing exists. “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me...” It's not your strength... it's HIS. So take His strength, accept His help, and move forward in the race... so that you too... can one day say “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give me on the day of His return...” and He will say... “Well done, my good and faithful servant...”

- II Timothy 4:6-8

- Matthew 25:21

- Lamentations 3

- Revelation 3:15-22

Hebrews Chapter 11 (part 4)

Hebrews Chapter 11:30-40

vs. 30: JERICHO

- “It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.”

- We've been going through the book of Joshua in Sunday School lately. So just a quick thought on Jericho...

- The Israelites have seen God work. They just watched the Jordan River dry up so they could walk across on dry ground in the middle of flood season. They just walked into enemy territory... at the very time that the enemy least expected them to be able to come across...

- Then God says “okay so here's what you do... you're going get the priests together... they're going to lead you to Jericho. But you're not going to do anything... you're just going to march around the city once... staying absolutely silent... and then you're going to come back to camp.

- WHAT!? But God! We can take these guys! Just open the gate for us! If God is for us, then who can be against us right?

- I mean seriously... can you imagine being Israel? Or even Joshua? I mean this man was a leader. A warrior. And God says... nah... I don't want you to lead into battle... I just want you to go march around the city once.

- Somebody in Sunday School asked the question, “Did Joshua tell the people the whole plan? Or did he get up every morning and go... okay people... we're marching around the city one more time...”

- If I were an Israelite... and Joshua didn't tell us the plan... and every morning we got up and he said, okay let's go march some more... I think by the time the 7^th day came... I'd have been ready to throw in the towel...

- But even if he had told them the whole plan... can you imagine? They're still marching around for 6 days not saying a word... and going home without REALLY accomplishing much... Other than maybe playing some major mind games with the enemy...

- I Corinthians 1:18-31

- But think of the kind of faith it must have taken, for a group of people, who were told they were going to go in and conquer the enemy... to have to sit tight... not even SAY anything to the enemy. Didn't get to hurl insults or anything... and to march... without battle action... for 6 solid days with no change in routine.

- When that 7^th day came... I wonder what kind of energy there was among the people. Knowing it was going to be a little different. Knowing that TODAY... God said He would act on the faithfulness of His people.

- Side note... I didn't realize this... in all the times that I read the story of Joshua, it just never clicked... They marched around for 7 days. And on the 7^th day... instead of resting on the sabbath... they marched around 7 times and then went up to do battle with the enemy.

- So not only did the people have to have faith that God would do a work... they also had to have faith that God was really telling them to do this... because otherwise... they were breaking one of the 10 commandments... however... the thing brought up in Sunday School, was that it was a God commandment. God knew what it would take to defeat the enemy. Maybe 6 days wouldn't have done it. And if the people were still following the voice of God... would they have not been in disobedience had they NOT gone up? Which would have been worse...

- I don't believe that God contradicts Himself... In Matthew 12, Jesus was preaching to the Pharisees about their Sabbath practices... He said “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you work to pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”

- So if God considered the task at Jericho to be a good thing... and it was an act of cleansing the land... a purification necessity before the people could enter fully into their inherited land...

- but anyway... that's my random thought.

- Joshua 3:1-6:27

- James 1:2-8

vs. 31: RAHAB

- “It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”

- Rahab took in the spies... apparently knowing who they were... cause apparently the authorities knew who they were... and she lied to the authorities to protect them...

- She then tells the spies... “I know the Lord has given you this land. We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.” (Joshua 2)

- In a polytheistic society... Rahab just confessed that the God of the Israelites was the supreme God of all things... not just “oh your God is a pretty powerful God and we're a little scared of Him...” Nope... “THE SUPREME GOD.”

- Rahab... even in her ignorance and not being part of the Israelites... confessed God as THE God and her faith in His ability to do what He said He would.

- Not because she was afraid... but because of her faith... she and her household were saved... And Rahab went from prostitute... to being included in the greatest lineage of all time... Christ's. The great-grandmother of David. The ancestor of Christ. All because of one act of faith. (granted it was a big one...)

- Rahab's story is much like our own... no matter who you are...

- We all live in a pagan land. We live in a world that exploits its people and its possessions. People give homage to anything and everything. It's hard to find worship of the true God...

- And yet we... have to have faith to step out against our culture, possibly our families, our cities... to join the other side. To leave the side of the world and join the heavenly one...

- Gosh... the rewards are great... but so is the cost...

- Can you imagine Rahab and her family during the final attack of Jericho? The Israelites were supposed to kill everybody... men, women, and children. Nothing was to be left alive... and here sit Rahab and her family... not only afraid for their own lives... I mean what if the spies forgot their promise? But also... these are their neighbors, other family members, people they know and love... dying on their doorstep... Wouldn't it have been natural for them to want to rush out the door and go save them? Or fight back someway?

- We sit in much the same situation... God gave the people of Canaan many years to repent... and they never did...

- When it comes down to the end of our world... nothing will save you but the blood of Christ... the question is... have you accepted that Christ is the Supreme God... or are you still hoping that the walls of the world will fend off the enemy?

- Now is the time to go cry through the streets that salvation is come... that it's time to call upon the name of God...

- Because it will soon be too late... if you walk out and try to save the lost when God's armies are coming... you'll be lost as well... There comes a time when time runs out...

- Remember when the death angel came to Egypt? The Israelites were told to stay in their houses and not go out... So was Rahab and her family... all around them was death... but they were to stay under the blood. Or in Rahab's case... the red cord...

- I Peter 1:13-2:10

- John 5:39-47; 17:1-3

- Colossians 1:15-23

- Romans 3:9-8:39

vs. 32-38: OTHER MEN OF FAITH

- Here the author decides to stop with individualized stories... so I will too. The author mentions other men of faith... Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. All these men had great things that they were known for... and some of them... are also remembered for great failings... or... imperfections...

- but here... their great acts of faith are recorded...

- “By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.”

- These were some of the amazingly great things that God did through these men. They were willing tools in the mighty hand of God... and use them He did... because they were willing... and faithful.

- However... not everything in this faith is always peachy... Not always do we come out of daily encounters feeling good...

- “But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.”

- Doesn't sound so glamorous... I mean when you're king... and a great warrior... or a great leader. Or you just killed the giant everybody's been so afraid of... faith is easy... but some of those same great leaders... lived part of their life in prisons... or running from an enemy... David... killed Goliath, was anointed king... and then had to flee for his life away from Saul... had to act like he was crazy... had to hide in the temple...

- Some of the early Christians endured horrible tortures... John was boiled in oil. Many were stoned. When it talks about being sawed in half... they basically stuffed them in a hallow log so they couldn't go anywhere... and then they sawed and the log in half... slowly...

- Not such an easy faith...

- Have you ever read like... “Fox's book of Martyrs”? or... the “Jesus Freaks” books? Those are hard stories... of real lived-out faith... in bad places and circumstances...

- Sometimes I wonder... if it had been me... would I have been able to do it? Would my faith have held up? And then I think... eh... God knows what's coming down the line... He probably prepared them for that... they were ready... and then I think... maybe so... but still... I don't think anybody REALLY knows what they'll do in situations like that until they're actually faced with them...

- I mean... if somebody's in your face threatening your family if you don't recant your faith... it would be hard not to doubt... especially if it's kids...of course... that's my opinion...

- Sometimes being a Christian... means we face hard trials... harder than we ever expected or wanted... Holding to this faith doesn't always bring you fame and accolades... it sometimes brings the harshest of heartaches...

- I Peter 1:3-12; 4:1-19

- John15:18-16:16; 16:31-33

- Daniel 12

vs. 39-40: PERFECTION

- “All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.”

- footnote- “Hebrews 11 has been called faith's hall of fame. No doubt the author surprised his readers by this conclusion: These mighty Jewish heroes did not receive all that God had promised because they died before Christ came. In God's plan, they and the Christian believers (who were also enduring much testing) would be rewarded together. Once again Hebrews shows that Christianity offers a better way than Judaism.”

- Romans 9:1-11:36

- Perfection comes through Christ... so no one before Christ... received perfection... until after Christ came. We all got it at the same time... lol it was a freely offered gift TO ALL from the start...

- I Timothy 3:14-16; 4:6-16

- Luke 2:25-35

- Ephesians 2:1-3:12

- Isaiah 49