10. BELIEVING GOD FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS

10. BELIEVING GOD FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS

Introduction:

God says “You have only just begun to believe me!” May this be a life-message to us. In Hebrews 11 we have seen lives of testimony. Enoch pleased God. It is God’s testimony of the person. God has a testimony of us. His testimony will be our faithfulness to Him. Faithfulness means God is believable. In other words “I want to believe the believability of God.”

Hebrews 11:32-12:3 – Christ wants to show full redemption by taking our weakness and making it our strength. We have got to know that anything that waits, it is because God has something better for us. Not until we are all there together are we going to get the big surprise. When God throws a surprise part it is going to be good!

Chapter 12 begins with “Here we are,” the Word of God to fit every single generation.

Hebrews 11:40 – verse 41, by faith ...............…… - Hebrews 12:3.

Part 1:

2 Timothy 4:6-8 – Fought (verse 7). We are to fight a good fight. As long as we are on this earth we are in the stadium (arena) with the lion. We contend for our faith constantly with a roaring lion. We fight our private battles, but they are public in the heavenlies.

A.  We may go across the finish line with leaves on our back, or grass stains all over our knees, but we are going across. Amen. I have wrestled through the conflict. To wrestle it through with God is not the absence of faith. We wrestle the conflict through with God, not with our back turned to Him.

B. Keep the faith – continue to believe God. God is not looking for perfection, He is looking for faith; and it is faith that He credits as righteousness.

Psalm 103:13-14 – Don’t stop, wrestle it out, leap the wall, and go on.

This is to bring our life story (our testimony) to its intended goal. God’s will over your life always has purpose.

Part 2:

A. Faith always receives.

● The pleasure of God (Hebrews 11:6). Better to believe God and to be somehow misguided on what we thought He was telling us that we could count on, and misappropriated somehow our faith and find out, than to live in the safety zone faithlessly. That’s the challenge we have before us. God is still going to bless our faith even when we miss the point. He wants you to believe Him.

● The power of God (Ephesians 1:18-20). An on-going lifestyle of believing produces “incomparably great power.” If you surrender you life to believing Him, you will be empowered by God. That is the promise of Scripture. That will be the testimony of God over our lives.

● The glory of God (John 11:38-40). When your life is done, you will have lived. No regret living – full redemption. We will see His glory revealed.

B. Faith soon sees.

1 Corinthians 13:12/ 2 Timothy 4:6 – Poured out to the last drop; do it with everything you have got. Faith is laying it all out there.

Ephistemi: epi – by, near, upon; histemi – to stand.

The time of my departure is standing by; is on hand. Christ is in standby.

2 Peter 3:8 – It ain’t that long. We are almost to the exit (Romans 8:18).

C. Above all things, faith must present-active-participle-believe God loves (Psalm 62:11-12). God is strong and loving. God is a can-do, able God.

Conclusion:

The call to intercession (Ephesians 3:17b – 18)