Genesis 22:20-23:20 :: Unashamed

Reader:

Sarah died.

Abraham came to mourn and weep for his wife – his dead.

Her life and marriage were far from easy and far from perfect.

Yet God remembered her faith…

Faith in God’s promises, even though she died without receiving them, she saw them in the distance.

She was persuaded that God would fulfill all He promised.

She welcomed those promises with great pleasure.

She repeated those promises to herself and God, knowing that her life was temporary on this earth but eternal in God’s city.

Her faith declared plainly that she was intensely seeking the Father’s-Land.

She stretched out for a better, that is, heavenly land.

This is the kind of faith that does not shame God.

God is not ashamed to be called Sarah’s God.

In Jesus, not only is He unashamed of us, He is making ready a city for us to dwell with Him.

(Isa 51:2; Deut 18:4; Lev 23:10; 1 Cor 15:20, 23; Jam 1:18; Rev 14:4; Rom 8:23, 11:16; 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5; Eph 1:14; Heb 2:11, 12:22, 13:14; John 14:2; Rev 21; Isa 41:8; Ps 105:42)

Hebrews 8 :: Know the Lord

Reader:

Jesus is better. Therefore, know Jesus – know the Lord!

If you have already confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believed in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, then you are already saved. You have no need of anyone to tell you, “Know the Lord,” for He has given you a new mind and a new heart. He is your God and you are His child. The Eternal Spirit dwells in you and He is the One who reveals the Lord to you continually. The LORD is merciful, He remembers your sins no more.

If you have not already confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believed in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, then we implore you on Christ’s behalf, know the Lord, be reconciled to God.

Now is the time. Now is the day of salvation.

(Ps 110:1; Matt 26:64; Acts 7:56; Ex 25:40; 1 Tim 2:5; Jer 31:31-34; Gen 12:1-3; Ex 24:3-8; 2 Sam 7:1-16; Luke 22:20; Jer 17:1; Jam 2:8; John 13:31-35)

Hebrews 4 :: Promises Possessed

Reader:

Jesus is better because Jesus is rest.

Rest is the possession of His promises.

Unbelief does not enter His rest. Hearing His voice and intermingling His Word with faith enters His rest.

Hiding from His Word does not enter His rest. Nakedness and openness before His eyes and His Word enters His rest.

Open your eyes towards Jesus the Son of God, our great High Priest, and our great Physician. Expose every area of your life to Him. He is compassionate with your sickness and need. He is gracious, merciful, and helpful.

Ask Him boldly and confidently with faith to remove that inanimate heart of stone from your chest and to give you a new heart and a new spirit, a living heart of flesh.

This is how we enter and abide in His rest.

(Mat t 11:28-30; Ps 95; Gen 2:2; Deut 3:20; Jos 23:1; John 5:17; Rev 14:13; John 1:1-18; Rom 10:17; Jos 5:13-15; Isa 55:11; Gen 2:25, 3:7; Isa 53; Lev 16; Phi l 2:5-11, 4:6-7; Jas 1:12-18; Ezek 36; Jer 31)

  i. God’s Word brings true health, fruitfulness, prosperity and success to what we do (Psalm 1:3).

  ii. The Word of God has healing power and the power to deliver from oppression (Psalm 107:20, Matthew 8:8, Matthew 8:16).

  iii. God’s Word cleans us. If we take heed according to God’s word, our way will be cleansed (Psalm 119:9, John 15:3, Ephesians 5:26).

  iv. The Word of God, hidden in our hearts, keeps us from sin (Psalm 119:11).

  v. God’s Word is a counselor. When we delight in God’s word, it becomes a rich source of counsel and guidance for us (Psalm 119:24).

  vi. God’s Word is a source of strength (Psalm 119:28).

  vii. God’s Word imparts life. It is a continual source of life (Psalm 119:93 and Matthew 4:4).

  viii. God’s Word is a source of illumination and guidance. When God’s word comes in, light comes in. It makes the simple wise and understanding (Psalm 119:105 and Psalm 119:130).

  ix. God’s Word gives peace to those who love it. They are secure, standing in a safe place (Psalm 119:165).

  x. When the Word of God is heard and understood, it bears fruit (Matthew 13:23).

  xi. The Word of God has inherent power and authority against demonic powers (Luke 4:36).

  xii. Jesus Himself—His eternal person—is described as the Word. When we are into the word of God, we are into Jesus (John 1:1).

  xiii. Hearing God’s Word is essential to eternal life. One cannot pass from death into life unless they hear the Word of God (John 5:24, James 1:21, 1 Peter 1:23).

  xiv. Abiding—living in—God’s Word is evidence of true discipleship (John 8:31).

  xv. God’s Word is the means to sanctification (John 17:17).

  xvi. The Holy Spirit can work with great power as the Word of God is preached (Acts 10:44).

  xvii. Hearing God’s Word builds faith (Romans 10:17).

  xviii. Holding fast to the Word of God gives assurance of salvation (1 Corinthians 15:2).

  xix. The faithful handling of the Word of God gives the ministers of the word a clear conscience. They know that they did all they could before God (2 Corinthians 4:2 and Philippians 2:16).

  xx. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. It is equipment for spiritual battle, especially in the idea of an offensive weapon (Ephesians 6:17).

  xxi. The Word of God comes with the power of the Holy Spirit, with “much assurance” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

  xxii. The Word of God works effectively in those who believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

  xxiii. The Word of God sanctifies the very food we eat! (1 Timothy 4:5).

  xxiv. The Word of God is not dead; it is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. The Word of God can probe us like a surgeon’s expert scalpel, cutting away what needs to be cut and keeping what needs to be kept (Hebrews 4:12).

  xxv. The Word of God is the Christian’s source of spiritual growth (1 Peter 2:2 and 1 Corinthians 2:1–5).

Guzik, D. (2013). Hebrews (Heb 4:12–13). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.

Romans 15:1-13 :: The Word of God