Strengthen your Faith! Powerhouse 8 January 2012
Hebrews Chapter 9 - 13
Father commands us to strengthen our faith for 2012! I believe that if God gives us such a command, then it can only be because our faith will be tested more than ever in this year and the time to come!
We will read about faith and the testing and strengthening thereof in Hebrews 9-13.
In Heb 10:35 we read:
"You have need of steadfast patience and endurance so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away and enjoy to the full what is promised!"
In the NLT we read: "Do not lose your happy trust in the Lord - no matter what may happen!"
How will I strengthen my faith this year?
By trusting God fearlessly.
By enduring patience and steadfast endurance!
Then you will receive what the Father has planned for you. You will walk in it and run with it in abundant joy - this is what He has promised. Selah!
Read Heb 10:35-39
:35 Do not, therefore fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward.
:36 For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God and thus receive and carry away and enjoy to the full what is promised.
:37 For still a little while (a very little while) and the Coming One will come and He will not delay.
:38 But the just shall live by faith and if he draws back and shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight or pleasure in him.
:39 But our way is not that of those who draw back to eternal misery and are utterly destroyed, but we are of those who believe, who cleave to and trust in and rely on God through Jesus Christ, the Messiah and by faith you will preserve your soul!!
In chapter 9, Jesus' complete atonement for our sins is discussed. Part of this atonement includes the price for our enduring faith in Him, because faith is precious and costly, more valuable than gold as mentioned by Peter in 1 Pet 1:6-8:
:6 You should be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations.
:7 So that the genuineness of your faith may be tested, your faith which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. This proving of your faith is intended to resound to your praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ the Messiah, the Anointed One is revealed.
:8 Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not even now see Him, you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious triumphant, heavenly joy. See also 2 Cor 4:16-18.
What is faith? Heb 11:1
What are we hoping for then? We are hoping for the promises of God, because His promises in His Word is Yes and Amen!
What are these promises of God? Read Heb 11:1-39.
This is the chapter of the heroes of faith and they are our example. They all kept the faith without even seeing their promises fulfilled in their lifetime on earth, and this pleased God! The Father loves it when we show faith. He has no pleasure in us if we shrink back in fear. Delight is Hephzibah in Hebrew. The Father wants to delight in your faith! After all, verse 6 says: "But without faith it is impossible to please God. For whoever would come near to God must believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him."
Why did these heroes of faith not see the fulfilment of their promises?
Why did they all die before they could see or receive it?
The answer lies in verse 39-40: "Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they should not come to perfection apart from us (before we could join them)."
Dear beloved bride of Christ, if the Father gave them the fulfillment of their promises, there would have been no hope for us. The Father postpones with mercy for our sake, so that when we suffer and feel discouraged because we are waiting so long for the final fulfillment of everything He promised, we can comfort ourselves that it is for the sake of others - both those we intercede for and those we don't. If God waited for us, surely He will wait for others, too. The fulfillment of all His promises are connected to Judgment Day! It comes with the end of the dispensation of the church and the Rapture. At that moment, all your postponed promises go into fulfilment! This is, of course, unless you are fetched individually by death - then all your promises also go into fulfilment immediately. Remember, you live forever now - not only ‘then'.
We must follow the example of the heroes in Hebrews 11. If we should die before the Rapture, or lose some of our loved ones - spouse, parents, children - our lives should continue testifying of faith. Our lives must carry on through our faith! The faith you showed when they were still with you must continue to inspire those still living and those coming after us!
In Hebrews 11 all the heroes of the OT are mentioned, but there are just as many examples in the NT! Peter walked on water towards Jesus and then started sinking. Jesus asked him: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matt 14:31). The centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant with only a word, and he believed it would be so. Jesus said: "I tell you truly, I have not found so much faith as this with anyone, even in Israel." (Matt 8:10). The woman with the flow of blood who just wanted to touch Jesus' cloak (Matt 9:22). The little boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish (John 6:9). He showed his faith by giving his food to the disciples and the disciples had to show faith by receiving it and giving it to Jesus. Faith!
Let these examples strengthen your faith! Read it, meditate on it, dream about it until their faith becomes part of yours!
Are you worried about your finances? Are you worried about what you will eat or drink or wear and how you will pay your bills? Jesus says that the Father cares for the birds, the lilies of the field and the grass, so how much more then for you, oh you of little faith? (Matt 6:25-34).
Jesus encourages us over and over to not only believe in Him for everlasting life, but also to grow in faith. This only happens by standing fast in difficult times, by choosing to say "I will bow down and kiss the Son no matter what!"
In Hebrews 12, we read that the faith heroes are the crowd of witnesses cheering us on, because they have walked this road as well. Then we find a few practical tips on obstacles that hinder our faith! We read that we must get rid of burdens and yokes that are not from God, but from people. These burdens and yokes will weaken our faith. We must throw off every burden or baggage that we carry and also the sin that so easily entangles us. Some believers are so cloaked in sin, they enjoy it like a cocoon! They think they are safe, but they are actually dying spiritually. They need air, the breath of Ruach! God's breath must blow over them so that they can live again! Jesus blows His breath in anger over the unrighteous who hear but do not repent and then die!
What are the sins that entangle us? What makes us take our eyes off of Jesus? How do we prevent this?
God's discipline
This often feels too hard and too difficult. We start focusing on the problem take our eyes off Jesus. A father must discipline his child otherwise he automatically grows up gravitating towards hell. The same with your heavenly Father. Do not let His discipline discourage you. "For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. It brings a harvest of fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it!" (Heb 12:11)
Pick up the drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees!
Sometimes the road feels unbearably long. The struggle overwhelmed us and we became tired and discouraged and sat down by the roadside. Others turn back in rebellion and in your hopelessness you start walking on the wrong paths. Make straight paths for your feet and walk on it! You have a choice! (Heb 12:12-13)
Have peace with everyone
Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God! Be careful of conflict, especially with family! Live in peace with everyone. (Heb 12:14)
Make sure that bitterness does not take root in your heart
It defiles everyone you come in contact with! Guard your heart against bitterness, and if it is already there, deal with it! (Heb12:15)
Do not fornicate
Do not sleep with anyone unless you are married to them. God calls it fornication. Fornication is sleeping together, sleeping around and living with someone you are not married to. Your faith will not grow if you are doing this. All sexual sin not only weakens your faith, it opens doors for lots of other troubles and you will experience God's judgment because you know what is right an what is wrong but you are not living accordingly.
...thus let the marriage bed be undefiled (kept undishonored) for God will judge and punish the unchaste (all guilty of sexual vice and adulterous). (Heb 12:15 ahd 13:4)
Keep and guard brotherly love
Watch out for each other. "...look after one another to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God's grace." (Heb 12:15) "Let love for your fellow believers continue and be a fixed practice with you." (Heb 13:1)
Practice hospitality
You might host angels unaware, just like Abraham! (Heb 13:2)
Think of those in prison
In Hebrew, "think" means "remember" and "remember" means to "hear and do"! This means that you should visit them, encourage them and pray for them. Bring the Word. The Word gives life, hope and is itself the very breath of Life! (Heb 13:3)
Do not be greedy
Be content with what you have. God will not disappoint you (Heb 13:5).
Do not doubt
Jesus Christ is your Helper! "So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm. I will not fear or dread or be terrified. What can man do to me?" (Heb.13:6).
Do not be influenced by strange or exclusive teachings
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! (Heb 13:8, 9).
Think of your spiritual leaders and honour them
They bring the Word of God. Watch their lives closely and measure them against the Word. Study the fruit of their lives and imitate that which is good. "Imitate their faith, and their conviction." What faith? What conviction? The faith and conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things. He is the Provider and Bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. See if they are leaning with their entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness. If they do that, follow their example. (Heb 13:7)
Always bring an offering of thanksgiving to God. This is the fruit of your lips. (Heb 13:15)
If we carry on with the things that weaken our faith and refuse to listen, it will become powerless and we will start doubting everything eventually. Then we are nullifying the power of Christ's death on the cross!
In Hebrews 10:14-16, 26-27, we read that Jesus brought an offering once and for all for the forgivenness of our sins. The Holy Spirit is Witness to this and He speaks of it in your heart! He writes His Law on our hearts. If I carry on sinning, there is no offer that can still be brought for me. "For if we go on deliberately and willingly sinning after once requiring the knowledge of the Truth, there is no longer any sacrifice left to atone for our sins!" All that is left is God's judgment for you!
What is our Hope? What is our expectation?
Our hope is to enter the holy city of Jerusalem, of which the earthly one is merely a foretaste.
In Hebrews 12:18-28 we see that we did not come to Mount Sinai as the Israelites did. We don't stand at a burning mountain full of smoke and the sound of a trumpet. No, we have come to Mount Zion! The trumpet will sound again, there will be an earthquake again and we will hear God's voice from heaven again and He will say "Come up here!" (1 Thess 4:16-18 and Rev 4:1). This time, however, it will be because we are entering the heavenly city of Jerusalem! The city of the living God, designed by the Father Himself! The angels will be clothed in festive garments, ready for the Wedding Supper to begin! The church will be present - the spirits of those who have already died in Christ and now live in His presence. They are all citizens of this city. We stand with Father God who is the Judge over all and we come to Christ the Mediator through His blood!
In verse 26-27 we read that His voice on Mount Sinai made the earth shake, but He says He will make the earth shake once more, only this time not just the earth, but the heavens too! This refers to the final shaking. This earthquake will shake everything that can be shaken, destroying much. This is so that that which cannot be shaken will remain standing throughout eternity! Our hope and promise is therefore that there is a Kingdom waiting for us, with a King and a city in it, and it is a Kingdom that will stand forever, unshakeable. Let us enter it now prophetically. Let us rejoice and worship and serve the Lord with holy fear and reverence. The fear of the Lord is, after all, the beginning of wisdom! Do you know and believe that our God is a consuming fire?!
This brings us to a comparison between what Moses saw and experienced on Mount Sinai and what John experienced in Revelation! Both saw the same scene and received the same commands. Moses heard God's voice and saw thunder and lightning, God speaking from heaven. John also heard God's voice and also saw thunder and lightning after being taken up to heaven. God also spoke to him from heaven!
Moses received the Ten Commandments on rock tablets. After Jesus' coming to earth, the commandments are written on our hearts - not hearts of stone, but hearts of flesh, made tender by the blood of Jesus! (Ezek 36:26-27)
Moses had to record everything he saw and heard so that he could make the Tabernacle and set up everything in it exactly as God told him. These were outer signs of God's Kingdom and how it works, for the sake of the people, and we still use it today. John also had to record everything he saw and heard so that he could share it with everyone (Rev 21:2, 8, 27).
He writes of the 9 groups of people who will not enter the new Jerusalem. It is 9 different sins that these people are committing. If you do these things, you will not enter the city.
The list stays the same. Compare it to the Ten Commandments. Sin remains sin - God does not change! Get yourself into right standing with God! Get your house (life) in order! Re-evaluate your ministry and life. Are you still busy building God's Kingdom, or has it slowly and subtly become your own kingdom? The time is short! Make straight paths for your feet and continue walking on them! Selah!
Prayer: Heb 13:20-21
Now may the God of peace Who is the Author and Giver of peace strengthen you. May He complete you and perfect you. May He make you what you ought to be. May He equip you with everything good so that you may carry out His will. All the while He Himself works in you and He accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight. He will do it throught Jesus Christ the Messiah to Whom be the glory for ever and ever to the ages of ages. Amen!

Pastor Poppie Hauptfleisch
Bridal Love Ministries