Bro Bob Wednesday 7/13/11

Bro Bob Wednesday 7/13/11

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

We are compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses.  The Bible is full of witnesses:  Those that made it; those that failed.  It is full of good instruction and all that we need to make heaven our home.

Let’s not be weighted down with the many things that can be a weight to us.  The cares of life can be a real weight to us.  In Rev 21:8 the cares are listed right along with sin.

God is the God of all grace and comfort.  We don’t want to be discouraged in the race; keep running.  Protect the fruits of the Spirit:  Love, joy, peace, longsuffering.

We can win this race by the help and grace of God.  In our own selves it is impossible; it is not even an option.

Beset doesn’t mean that something has conquered you; sin doesn’t have to get you for you to be beset.  We do have a wily adversary that is determined to cause us to make shipwreck. 

Beset means in the Webster Dictionary:

1. To surround; to inclose; to hem in; to besiege; as, we are beset with enemies; a city is beset with troops. Hence,

2. To press on all sides, so as to perplex; to entangle, so as to render escape difficult or impossible.

Jesus has power over all power of the enemy and He gives us that same power through Him, not anything of ourselves.  We don’t have to give in. 

If the enemy is continually getting us down, we need to get a hold of God.  There is no excuse to fail.  We are going to have battles.  We need to let each battle make us stronger; go on for God.

Thank God we don’t have to give in.  We do not have to be whipped or overcome by the enemy.  God wants us to win the battle.  We can be on the winning side with Jesus.

The title of this lesson would be found in Hebrews 12:2.  Looking unto Jesus!

Think of what Jesus endured for you and me.  The very son of God came to earth from heaven and suffered such abuse and rejection that we could be saved.  That is love.  God really loved us.

One of the attacks that the enemy uses on us is to get us weary and faint in our minds so that we give in.  We need to be sure that the battle we’re in is not our battle but the Lord’s battle.  If we’re keeping our feet on the rock and doing all we know to do then we can have confidence that it is not our battle but the Lords.

If we’re in our own battle, striving, we become entangled and God cannot use us.  Woe be to us if this is our situation.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

We can be looking for Jesus to come that second time.  We want to be ready to go.  We don’t want anything of the earth to hinder us and hold us back.  Jesus already made the offering for sin and when He comes back He is going to be ready to receive the redeemed and the faithful.

Isa 31:1  Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!

This is a sad picture.  We have nothing in our own might.  We cannot save ourselves.  Our family members cannot save us.  We need to look to Jesus, the Holy One of Israel; He is the only one that can save us.  We can be victors.

Isa 45:21  Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

Isa 45:22  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

God is a just God and a merciful savior.  We can know this first hand.  We must know this first hand.

Joh 6:40  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

If we see and believe then we will be obedient.  We do it with our whole conversation, our words and our actions.  In the end there is everlasting life.

Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

God is able to do this for us, purify us and keep us.

Jud 1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

There is something for us to do.  Keep yourselves in the Love of God.  The word of God is straight; we cannot deviate from it or we will be lost.  We must take it all.  It is not an option to take some or leave some of it.  When we’re looking unto Jesus, we take it all. 

Jesus is the finisher too.  God doesn’t just start us on this way and then dump us.

Psa 138:6  Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.

We don’t want to be proud.  We are nothing but a hunk of dust.  We are nothing in ourselves.

Psa 138:7  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

God is good at reviving us.  If we can get our eyes off of the battle and look to Jesus He is able to revive us quickly.  He is our help and our strength and all we need.

God is mighty, He is able, He will, and He wants to.  I found that I am my own worst enemy.  If I’m not careful, I try fighting it all myself.  This is not the plan at all.

We are not without enemies.  Our adversary is real.  He is an awful liar; he is good at stating how good things are when you’re not serving God right.  He gets you down with his foot on you.  He hates you.

Psa 138:8  The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

We must hold steady for Him to perfect that which concerns us; we cannot be squirming around.  It makes it hard for Him to work on us if we do.

Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

We need to let God get after us without taking offense over it.  Say, “I’m going to do right.  I’m going to do right.”  God is not going to beat us up; we didn’t beat on our children when they were growing up. 

Chastening is good for us.  I don’t know when we’re ever going to get past chastening while we’re on this earth.  We don’t have to let self rule, if we do then we’ve lost the game.  This is how we get in our own battles: by listening to self. 

Hold steady and stay sweet.  When you step on a rose petal and crush it, it is still sweet smelling.  When the saints get stepped on they still need to be sweet.  We’re not always going to have things our way.  People may misunderstand us or talk against us but we cannot get bitter, we must stay sweet.

Galatians 5:22 teaches us of the fruits of the Spirit, we must maintain those fruits.  Press for the prize of the high calling.  Bear much fruit.  We can.  If we are doing all we know to do, obeying the word of God, then we can bear much fruit constantly; sweet fruit.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Jesus is doing this for us, the saints, but we must let Him.  We must let the word and the spirit work on us.   We see Jesus in the Word of God and we measure to Him.  We don’t measure ourselves one by another, we measure to Jesus Christ.  We need to just keep on keeping on.  We can win.

Because we obey Him and keep on trusting Him we have this confidence that all the promises of God’s word are ours.  Jesus wants us to have it all.  He is more ready to give than receive.  Jesus bought us a first class ticket.  We need to travel first class, not with the baggage.

Psa 56:9  When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

We are winners, victors through Jesus Christ.