The faith of the thief on the cross was sufficient to save him. It seems clear there was evidence of faith by his words and actions until he died. It was necessary for him to endure to the end of life as it is for all who believe. That length was short for him yet his reward will be far less.
With that said, those who believe and continue to live are in need of endurance too. Hebrews 12 makes that point very clear as it flows from multiple examples of those who did. The promises of God are conditional and only for those who have faith.
Part of the way we endure is through the discipline of the Lord. If the Lord does not discipline us then we are not a legitimate child of God. This is one of the ways he keeps us believing. There will be a mixture of those who “believe” that are illegitimate children. We can only know that by the fruit of our lives.
Additionally, we ought to lay aside every sin and weight that so easily entangles us. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. There are sins and things that are not necessarily sin that will hinder the race. Let us gladly put them aside knowing what awaits on that glorious day!
This passage might not seem encouraging but their choices as pilgrims of this strange land point us to something much, much better to come.
Hebrews 11:35-38
Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
To refuse release is not to say what they were going through wasn’t severely painful. Their release may have demanded some sort of denial of the faith by which they were approved before the Lord. Whatever the case, they saw beyond the suffering of this world to the promise of a better resurrection—a better life. To give up the faith would have been to forfeit the greater for the lesser.
What these people endured in this brief life, show us their faith and the extreme value they had in Christ. The witness they are to us should stir our hearts to press on in faith as Hebrews 12 concludes.
Your life may show others your faith and your value of Christ as you refuse to deny the One who suffered in your place and long for the better resurrection. Jesus is worth it. And that which is coming to us will not only be void of suffering, it will never come to an end.
Hey Everyone! I don’t know most of the visitors of this blog. The traffic, frankly, surprises me. But I wanted to throw this out there in case any of you would like to participate and join me in training pastors in Cuba.
This trip will be at the end of January and we are planning some things to raise funds for the trip. The link below will give you the opportunity to give and also see how much is still needed. The Lord will provide.
Everyone is prone to hard heartedness. The following proverb gives us the solution to fighting against it.
Proverbs 28:14[14] Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
This is very similar to Hebrews 4:1 where it instructs us to fear unbelief.
Here’s a quote to think about…
Paul Tripp
Proud people are ◦ Defensive ◦ Entitled (they deserve things that other people don’t deserve) ◦ Use people instead of serve people ◦ Pride allows me to convince myself that I can step over God’s boundaries without any consequences ◦ Long before a fall, the proud person has lost his functional fear of God and so he’s not afraid anymore to write his own rules
Pride must be a symptom of a hard heart that no longer fears the Lord or fears where unbelief ends. Let’s watch out for each other in love.
Faith is necessary to understand God and his creation. It makes sense of the sufferings and trials of life. Without faith, it’s impossible to understand the world and it’s impossible to please the Lord.
Faith changes how you live now because you trust in what is coming later. Abel can offer the better sacrifice because he believes God rewards those who trust him. He can offer up his best now when he trusts in better things to come.
Enoch walked with the Lord by faith. Not in Eden as it was meant to be but by faith in this cursed world. He had fellowship with God outside of Eden but that same faith delivers him to Eden when he is taken up.
In other words, you can have fellowship with the Lord too by faith in his name. You can understand the world in large part because you understand what’s coming later. Abraham can live as a foreigner in the land because his eyes are fixed on the heavenly city that is to come.
Why would we, let’s say, cheat on our taxes or on a test to live in a city that will pass away when we have the promise of living in the heavenly city? We must look to the prize that comes at the finish line.
Let’s live in the desert now as though Eden is our forever home with him. Let’s live in fellowship with the Lord by faith through the Holy Spirit now in this strange land knowing that better country awaits us. Now we see dimly. Now we fellowship in the Spirit which is a down payment of our inheritance to come. One day we will see his face!
Hebrews 11:1
[1] Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Like I heard a man say recently, “you can go three days without brushing your teeth and your nose less than a half inch away will not know it. Everyone in the room will know but you will not.”
We need each other. We need the church. We need people who love us enough to tell us the truth.
Proverbs 27:5-6[5] Better is open rebuke than hidden love. [6] Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
Do not think you will be aware of your own sin. Be aware that you are not aware of it. Be diligent to belong to a healthy church and healthy relationships. Be honest with each other. You will be better for it.
The Word Is Not Imprisoned 