Jump Start # 631

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Our verse today comes from that wonderful chapter about faith, Hebrews 11. It is often called the “Hall of fame,” or better still, “the Hall of Faith.” It is a stroll down the corridor of the Old Testament, starting with Abel and concluding with numerous examples of unnamed heroes who walked with the Lord and lived by faith. The chapter is illustrating the call to continue believing in God and staying with Him. The names listed in Hebrews 11 are those who made difficult choices, who struggled and often suffered, and in many ways stood alone, but they stood with God. “By faith,” is the key expression in this chapter. We do well to remember that we walk “BY FAITH,” and not by sight.

Without faith God is not moved. He’s not impressed with what we know, build, acquire or accomplish. Without faith, we journey alone. Without faith, we move and live in the realm of atheism.

There is an interesting expression in our verse. It states, “for he who comes to God must believe that He is.” He is. I’ve often thought that expression wasn’t completed. It seems like a word ought to follow He is. He is what? We must believe that He is something? We know that He is good. He is. We must believe that He is God. He is. We must believe that He is holy. He is. We must believe that He is a righteous judge. He is. He is.

He is—that’s similar to Moses telling Pharaoh that God’s name is “I am.” Both are present tense. He is—I am. It’s not, “He once was,” or, “He used to be.” When you come to know God, He’s at His best. The God that Abraham saw is the same God and at the same level that you know Him. We may see a ball player at the end of his career. He may not be as sharp as he once was. Age and injuries have taken their toll. It’s not that way with God. He never diminishes. He never fades. He never ages. He is.

The expression, “He is,” is also applied to Jesus. Jesus is, just as God is. Consider a few “He is” passages about Jesus:

· He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature (Heb 1:3)

· He is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15)

· He is before all things (Col 1:17)

· He is also the head of the body, the church (Col 1:18)

When the apostle John saw Jesus in the Revelation vision, the face of the Lord was as bright as the sun “shining in its strength.” Brilliant. Bright. Blinding. And John’s reaction to this? The Bible says “he fell like a dead man.” Remember John had walked with Jesus for three years. John saw Jesus transfigured. John was there at the cross. John spoke to the resurrected Christ. But here, in Revelation, in His full glory, John is overcome. He is.

When Moses spoke to God through the burning bush, God told him to remove his shoes for he was standing upon holy ground. The dirt around that bush wasn’t special dirt. It was holy because God was there. When God was in the temple it was holy. The presence of God makes common things, even dirt, holy. God in our hearts, makes us a holy people.

We must believe that God is. That reads positive to me. It’s not, “God can’t.” Nor, is it, God ain’t. Rather, He is. One of the many things that He is, is that He is for you. He wants you to be saved. He wants you to know Him. He wants you to choose Him. He wants you to be saved. He is…

I tend to think that when we walk with Jesus, because He is, we become. He is, and we are. God is—I like that. Don’t give up on God. He is. Don’t limit God. He is. Don’t feel that your problems are too big. He is.

(thanks to a special friend that I heard preach this recently. It helped me to see HE IS).

Roger

Jump Start # 593

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

This week we have focused upon the compliments of Jesus. Specifically, we have looked at the things that impressed Jesus. This reveals to us what is important to God.

There are many things that can impress us. I watched a show this week called “Million dollar rooms.” A guy had spent a million dollars on his garage. It had Italian marble, beautiful paintings and served as a ballroom when the cars were moved out. It was impressive. Seeing someone hit a golf ball 300 yards is impressive. In my book, seeing someone go out of their way and help someone else is impressive.

Our passage today reminds us that faith is one of the things that pleases God. We’ve seen that this week in the gospels. Jesus marveled at the faith of some. Other times, Jesus was amazed that the disciples did not have faith when they should have.

Here is a short list of spiritual things that are impressive.

1. It is impressive to see on a rainy Wednesday evening, aged saints gathering at the church building to study the Bible. Some come with walkers, some with canes. They walk slowly and are a bit frail. Once inside, their faces warm up with smiles and kind words. They love God, God’s people and reflecting upon God’s word. They are impressive.

2. It is impressive to see one of the shepherd’s of the congregation, listening earnestly to one of the younger members. He’s in some crisis and the kind and experienced leader patiently listens, advises and helps the younger Christian. That’s impressive.

3. It’s impressive to see so many members of the congregation at the funeral home. One of the members had a family member that passed away. The love, hugs, and concern for one of their own is impressive.

4. It’s impressive to  see a Christian in his 20’s teaching a Bible class. He’s nervous but prepared. He’s given a lot of thought into what he is teaching. This is the start of a long journey of teaching. Many people will be helped through his effort. That’s amazing.

5. It is impressive to see Christians overseas teaching and preaching. Often the journeys are long and the work is hard. The churches are small and scattered. There are language barriers and cultural barriers but that doesn’t seem to stop them. They are doing good. It’s amazing.

6. It’s impressive to learn that a Christian helped a young couple who were struggling financially. A check was given to them. They were astonished at the amount. Hugs and tears follow. The Christian who helped just smiled. He was glad to do that. Amazing.

7. It’s impressive to stand behind a pulpit with a Bible in your hand and a sermon in your heart, ready to preach God’s word. The audience is eager. They have their Bibles, pens and notebooks ready to learn and grow. What an honor it is to preach. Amazing.

8. It’s impressive to see men be willing to serve as deacons or elders in God’s church. Their names are put forth and the congregation believes in them and are eager to have them serve in this way. Their example and dedication to the kingdom is awesome. Amazing.

9. It’s impressive to see a person understand the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross. They get the message. They love the Lord. They desire to be baptized as the Bible teaches. Tears of happiness flow from all who witness this. Amazing.

10. It’s impressive to see members taking cd’s of sermons. They have already heard the sermon, but there is someone else in their life that they want to share it with. They are thinking of others. They are doing what they can to spread the gospel. That’s amazing.

11. It’s impressive to get a phone call from one of the members. He is going to be traveling. He wants to find a congregation while on the road. His love for the Lord leads him to want to worship God. That’s amazing.

12. It’s impressive to meet someone and they bring up a sermon that was preached more than twenty years ago. They have never forgotten it and it changed their life. The preacher barely remembers the sermon himself. That’s amazing.

It’s impressive that God wants us to spend not a few minutes, not a day, but forever with Him in His house—Heaven. It’s impressive that God is even interested in us. It’s impressive that He hears us. It’s impressive that He forgives us. It is impressive that He became like us. It is impressive that He went through all that He did just to save us. Amazing.

The purpose of my list of impressive things was not to draw attention to ourselves but to remind us that there are many great things happening all over the world by God’s people. Some of us are struggling. Some are worshipping in small places. Often all we hear about is bad news. Another member quit. Another couple divorced. Another preacher messed up. Satan loves for us to dwell upon the gloom and doom. The dark cloud of problems can be almost too much. God’s sunshine is so different. There are many, many impressive things going on, all over the place.

Opportunities are abounding in most congregations and often there are things going on that most don’t know about. We don’t toot our own horn—that’s not proper nor right. We just do what we can do. It is impressive. It is awesome. Great things are being done. People are being taught. Comfort is being shown. Churches are growing. More are stepping up to serve, teach and help. There are tons of incredible preachers out there who are pouring their hearts and lives into the King’s service. We are not part of something small—we are part of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Sure the world’s a mess. Sure society has it’s mind in the gutter. Sure things stink in many sectors. Don’t dwell upon those things. Lift up your eyes, borrowing a line for the Lord, and see all the good that is being done. Brethren are engaged and busy and connecting.

These things are impressive. It’s impressive that God includes us in His work. It’s impressive to see God working through us. Doors are opening. Great things are happening. The kingdom is growing, and you are a part of that. You are a key element to sharing, teaching, connecting. God needs you to do what you can.

So, roll up your sleeves. Turn the TV off. Get busy doing what you are so good at. You make a difference. That’s impressive and amazing!

Roger

Jump Start # 471 

Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

  The beginning point. Just about everything we do has a starting point. It is said that a journey of a 1,000 miles begins with the first step. There is the beginning point of a college career. There is a beginning point of personal finances. There is a beginning point of romance, when two catch each other’s eyes. Here, we learn of the beginning point of our relationship with God and the beginning point of faith.

  This verse tells us that without faith we cannot please Him. Obedience without faith doesn’t make sense. Service without faith doesn’t happen. Dedication and devotion without faith is shallow and empty. To please God, you must believe.

  The Hebrew writer tells us two things about this faith or belief.

1. The follower of God must believe that God is. “He is.” That sounds odd in the English language. It seems that we need a qualifying word to follow. The follower must believe that He is __________. We can fill in a ton of words. He is good. He is holy. He is righteous. He is right. He is powerful. He is the authority. He is to be obeyed. He is to be feared. We could continue with this all day. Instead, the writer says, “He is.” We must believe that He is. Present tense, not He was, nor, He will be, nor, He ought to be, or, He should be. Rather, He is. God is. The Bible gives us the evidence to come to this conclusion. Page after page shows God is.

2. The follower must also believe that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. God recognizes and acknowledges those that seek Him. Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, “Seek and ye shall find.” God rewards those that seek Him. That’s the way God is. He loves us. He wants us to want Him.

  Now, just how does God reward us? New car in the drive way, fat 401K, healthy grandkids, vacations in the Alps—sounds good, but it also sounds extremely selfish, vain, and material. God’s not like that. If that’s what you are after, you’ll not find that in God. Those things don’t last, nor produce the inner peace. Why would a person seek God? What are they looking for? What does God offer? Forgiveness. That’s huge. Sins hanging around our necks do not make us attractive at all. Purpose. God gives us a reason to live and a meaning to get out of bed everyday, and it’s not to save the environment, self improve us, but rather, to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. God helps us in this grand spiritual work of preparing people for Heaven. We seek God to be right. We seek God to know. We seek God because we love Him.

  The rewards are connected to what we are seeking. Peace, purpose, forgiveness, a place in His kingdom, and ultimately, Heaven. God is spiritual. The rewards are connected to the way God is.

  The rewards don’t come first. They come after a person believes that God is and after a person seeks God.

  Seeking is more than just wanting…it’s diligence, it’s longing, it’s looking, it’s getting up and getting at it. Seeking means to follow. Sometimes the journey is lonely. Sometimes the path takes you through dark canyons. Sometimes the path seems long. Sometimes it’s a bit dangerous. Seeking is walking. Seeking is following. Seeking is more than Sunday in a church building. It’s a Monday morning at work. It’s a Tuesday afternoon while driving in the car. It fills the mind as you decide which TV show to watch. It’s the force that gets you up and out the door to help someone else, when you really don’t feel like it. It’s shaping, molding and becoming like Jesus. It’s being filled with His word. It’s having a heart like He has. It’s coming home after we have shamed ourselves like the Prodigal did. It’s apologizing when we said things that we shouldn’t have. It’s reading the Bible. It’s seeing what God wants from all of us.

  That’s seeking. It’s a life long journey. God recognizes those that do that. He rewards them.

  Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must first deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Lk 9:23).

  Roger