ENDURING TO THE END

We are not saved because we endure, but we endure because we are saved. The grace of God that saves us, secures us, and sustains us. Even though Revelation 14 speaks specifically of those who will come to faith in a future time of tribulation, it also applies generally to saints of all the ages, and their “patience,” that is, their perseverance, (v. 12-13).  Those who are blood-washed and born again belong to Christ and endure to the end.

We note their RIGHTEOUSNESS,  “here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus,” (v. 12b).  Because we are kept by the grace of God, we are governed by God and keep His commands. As has been said, “Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone.”  Faith in Christ is the root of our salvation, but obedience is the fruit of it.

Further, we find their REST,  “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: ‘ “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” ’  ‘ “Yes,” ‘ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors,’ “ (v. 13a). The righteous who are faithful unto death need not fear death when it comes. If we are “in the Lord,” having a genuine relationship with Him, then we die in the Lord’s arms, as He rocks us to sleep, and carries us home.

Then comes their REWARD, “ ‘and their works follow them,’ ” (v. 13b).  The all-knowing God is documenting every deed done in His name and for His glory. Others may not take notice. We may never get recognition here, but we are assured of reward hereafter!  This reality is echoed in Hebrews 6:10,  “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

So, servant of God—press on!  Do not think about quitting!  So long as God keeps you here, keep true to Him, and He will keep you by His grace to endure to the end!

THE SOLUTION TO SLUGGISHNESS

 

Sluggishness is sinfulness. We are commanded, “do not become sluggish,” (Heb. 6:12), which implies three things. First, there is a temptation that we will settle into sluggishness. None of us are immune. Second, we need not surrender to sluggishness. It is a choice and God gives us the power to overcome. Third, there is a solution to sluggishness and it is given in Hebrews 6:10-12. 

The solution to sluggishness is a consideration of OUR FUTURE, “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister,” (v. 10). Satan will whisper, “Your work is in vain. All that effort and what do you have to show for it? Nobody even notices. You need to step back and sit down.”  He is a liar! God is watching and He will reward you for all the weary work and loving labor that you do in ministry to the people of God. Just because you do not receive the recognition you merit or the reward you deserve on earth, does not mean you will not. That is for eternity, so press on!

The solution to sluggishness further calls for a consecration to OUR FAITHFULNESS, “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,” (v. 11). Instead of being indolent, we need to be diligent. Our body belongs to God. Paul spoke of that consecration in Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Christ purchased us with His precious blood. He gave His all for us and so now demands we give our all to Him. That is service that is “reasonable.”

Then, the solution to sluggishness requires a concentration with OUR FOCUS, “that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises,” (v. 12‬‬). When we are weary and worn, it is easy to become distracted. We lose sight of the eternal treasure and slip into playing with earthly trinkets. There are many who do, yet there are a few who have relentlessly focused on finishing the race well. We are to focus on the faithful and follow in their footsteps. Hebrews 11 will set forth such models for us to imitate in faith and patience. Church history is replete with such stories of those who did not succumb to sluggishness, but strove to success.

Nearly half a century ago, I copied the following poem in my Bible to spur me on lest I become sluggish. 

Don’t Quit
by
Edgar Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
And the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than 
It seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up 
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.
It's when things seem worst that
You musn't quit.

EXPOSITION AND EXHORTATION

As the Word of God is expounded, the people of God are exhorted to stay true to God. The Lord is the only One who can save us and secure us. It is His grace that does so. Yet, He has chosen to use human means as the channel for providing heaven’s might. God uses the power of His Word as it is proclaimed as the seed of salvation that sown in the heart inspires saving faith in those who receive it.  Paul states this in Romans 10:14-17:

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 

Further, the expounded Word is the means whereby God continues to channel sustaining grace into the hearts of believers. By that grace, we endure to the end. So, Hebrews stresses THE ESSENTIALITY OF EXHORTATION. We are called to exhort each other to endure. Those who remain true show true faith. While we are saved by faith alone, saving faith is never alone. Our works are not the root of salvation, but they are the fruit of it. There were Hebrews who had professed faith in Christ as the Messiah, yet a number of them when faced with pressure and persecution were going back to Judaism. By their apostasy they were revealing that while making profession of faith, there was no possession of faith. Abiding with the family of God gives us opportunity to reinforce our faith in God. We need it with regularity. As our body needs to be fed, so does our soul require daily bread. Christ overcame Satan by wielding the Sword of Scripture. In temptation, He responded, “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”’” (Matt. 4‬:‭4‬‬). 

The essentiality of exhortation is due to THE EFFICACY OF EXHORTATION. Perhaps you have heard the term,”Once saved, always saved.”  It is true, if understood as meaning, “IF saved, always saved.”  Where there is regeneration, power is provided to persevere.  Sadly, there are those who had an emotional or intellectual response to the Gospel who never had a volitional commitment to it . When the feelings faded, so did their “faith.”  Or when they seemed to embrace the facts of the Gospel in their mind, it never migrated to their heart. Well, the demons have that kind of belief—absolutely convinced in who Christ is and that He will one day cast them into hell. Yet such “belief” does not convert them, as they remain in their rebellion against God. Saving faith is when we receive Christ as Savior and Lord. We surrender our life to Him—once and for all. The reality of it is seen in that we press on and do not fall away.  In this hostile environment where we walk under the onslaught of the Devil, we need the exhortation that comes from the exposition of the Word to stand tall and stay true. 

That is what I am doing in expounding this Word—exhorting you. It is what I do when we gather as God’s people for worship as we exhort one another by “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.”(Eph. 5‬:‭19‬-‭21‬‬). 

Please hear this today and do not harden your heart!

THE WEAPON WE MUST WIELD

The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.  This is how Jesus conquered Satan, and so must we with, “It is written!”  

This mighty weapon must be wielded with endurance.  Paul stresses endurance in 2 Timothy 3:10-11, and the need to “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed” (v.14). This is my call to you—“Keep true!”  

It is a fight to the finish.  In those days of soldiers engaged in hand to hand combat, endurance was demanded. This is true spiritually. How many have we seen who wearied of the fight, wounded in the battle, and finally have thrown down the sword in surrender to the enemy! 

This world is not a playground, it is a battleground!  The enemy is strong and on the march. Persecution is likely to become an increasing reality.  Paul mentions it in verse 11 twice and again in verse 12. We have known a period of protection in America and the church has become flabby and soft.  I heard a preacher, Stuart Briscoe, talking about the difference between our churches and other churches in places across the ocean that suffer persecution. I paraphrase, “In the west, we face problems and cry, ‘O God, take these burdens off my back.’ And in the east they pray, “O God, make my back strong to bear these burdens.”  The period of protection eventually yields to a period of persecution. The world is not going to get better (v.13). Those of us who are saved will endure. The seed of Scripture has brought us faith in Jesus—and that is eternal life (v.14-15).

WHO’S YOUR ONE? Day 13

Keep Going

“For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

If we are living intentionally to advance God’s kingdom, we will grow weary. Our souls and bodies grow tired with time and age. Life’s harsh realities put a wet towel on our fiery passion which once burned brightly. But we find hope to endure when we look at the cross. As we think on the person and work of Jesus, we place our hope in the One who endured immense hostility to the point of death on the cross. He did this so we would not give up. As the great crowd of witnesses spurs you on, keep running the race set before you with endurance, with your eyes ever fixed on the Savior. While it may take years or decades to see that friend, family member or your one come to Christ, “be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Pray the Lord would give you endurance as you share the gospel with your one. (From “Who’s Your One?” Devotional, NAMB)

DEVELOPING SPIRITUAL STAMINA

Read Jeremiah 12:1-6.

Why do bad things happen to good people?  It is an age-old, perplexing question. Jeremiah stands that on its head with an equally vexing question, essentially asking God, “Why do good things happen to bad people?”

Jeremiah is not bitter.  He prefaces his question with a confession of God’s utter righteousness.  Yet, even though the prophet knows this in his head, his heart is another matter—struggling with the fact that he as a prophet was being faithful to God, resulting in suffering and the false prophets were being faithless and experiencing success.  His eyes were full of tears over sin while the false prophets mouths were full of laughter profiting from sin.  The hypocrites were firm in their position and fruitful in their profession—using religious vocabulary to beguile the people while the prophets’ minds were on profits instead of God.

Jeremiah was a great man.  But, he was a man—subject to the same struggles of us all.  We sometimes think the champions of the Bible were supermen, but no—they felt the same hurt, and fretted over the same issues as we do.  If you are struggling while serving God today, just remember that you are in good company—all God’s men have.  Faithfulness to God means there will be no favor from the godless.

Jeremiah proposes a solution.  He has been treated like a sheep for the slaughter by the religious leaders (11:19), so why wouldn’t God turn it around and bring the same judgment on his foes?  It’s only fair!

God’s answer is not what we might expect.  Basically, God told him that what happened in him was more important than what happened to him!  God not only permitted Jeremiah’s pain, but He had a purpose for it.  The prophet questioned God, so God questioned him.  I paraphrase, “If you’re struggling to keep up running with the infantry, how do you expect to race with the cavalry?  If you’re worn down running in an oasis, how will you be at slogging through a jungle?  If you think it hard to endure the taunts of the enemy, how will you withstand the treachery of your family?”

There is only one way to develop spiritual stamina and strengthen faith muscles—resistance.  We must place ourselves in a gym with a grueling workout.  We must run until we think we are going to collapse.  That’s how we get ready for a marathon.  “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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 has set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” (Heb.12:1-3)

LETTING YOUR GUARD DOWN

And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.  Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.  (Gen.9:20-21)

There are millions of germs—and some of them deadly—floating around us.  Our immune system protects us, but those bacteria are always probing for a weakness in our body’s defenses.  Sin works like that—a virus looking for an opportunity.  We cannot let our guard down.  Sadly, Noah did.  Being close to God did not eradicate the possibility of sin.  He walked with God, but he would still stumble.  He was used of God to preserve the human race, yet failed to preserve his testimony.  The reality is there are no spiritual heights we can climb from which we may not fall!  There is no experience with God on this side of heaven that will eradicate the potential of yielding to temptation.  In fact, one of the most dangerous times in a believer’s life is after a great spiritual victory.  Our tendency is to relax, and when we let out guard down—Satan pounces!  That’s how Peter could go from being commended for his confession of Christ as the Son of the Living God one minute and being rebuked as Satan the next!  “Rocky” let his guard down, and was decked by the Devil.

Noah responded to the global crisis with victorious faith, but failed in the mundane matters of daily life.  For all the good he did, there is this stain on his record.  Even worse, there was a ripple effect in his family!  D.L. Moody, an evangelist mightily used of God, prayed earnestly late in life that God would take him home before sin ruined his testimony.  Thus, he kept his guard up.  As I approach six decades of life, I find myself pleading with God in the same way.  What people tend to remember about us is the last thing—may the last thing be a good thing!  We want to go out with our head held high rather than hanging in shame—to run through the finish line and not stumble down the homestretch.  Paul was able to finish strong.  I want to finish with a sizzle and not a fizzle!  Here is a better last will and testament:

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.   have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.  (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

May God help us keep our guard up!

PRESS ON!

 

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.  (Gal.6:9)

It is always too soon to quit.  Satan wins the victory if we stop even one step from the goal God has set for us.  Discouragement is one of the Devil’s most effective weapons.  Discouragement leads to despair, and despair to defeat.  In the heat of battle, we cannot flee from the fight, but must face the foe and press on!

Paul tells us not to become weary doing good, because doing good is always the difficult thing.  Everybody would be doing good if it were easy.  Instead, we will be racing into the wind and swimming against the current.  We must press on!

God promises a harvest if we till the soil, plant the seed, cultivate the ground and patiently wait.  The farmer doesn’t sow the seed and return the next day—or even the next week—and expect to gather the crop.  Following the spring of planting, there is the long, hot labor of summer, for without that there cannot be the harvest of fall, and the winter of feasting.  Even then, there will be the seed to preserve and the soil to prepare for the next season to plant.  We dare not give up when we do not see immediate results, for God has promised a harvest!  The timing of its arrival and the quantity of its yield is up to His sovereignty, but the assurance there will be something to reap is rooted in Him who cannot lie and will not fail.  What we must do is press on!

That doesn’t mean it will be easy.  It absolutely will not be!  The Lord warned us.  Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat the difficulty.  We can have peace—being at relying on His work and resting in His will—the peace of His providence.  When Satan says, “Give up!” then the Savior says, “Go on!”  The Devil would make us lose heart, but we hear Jesus say, “Take heart!”  Cheer up, my brother and my sister, and press on!  How can we be overcome with worry, then He has overcome the world?  This is not the wishful thinking of a feeble man, but the triumphant promise of the God of Heaven!  The tide of trouble will beat against the seawall of our confidence, yet it cannot break us down if we are grounded on the Rock of Ages!  May God give us a resolute faith, a tenacious hope, and an enduring love so we may press on!

Years ago, I had one of those challenging times when I had major surgery and an extended hospital stay.  One of the things that helped me was an inspiring book by Bible teacher, Warren Wiersbe called, “The Bumps Are What You Climb On.”  The opening story is of a small boy and his sister walking up a steep mountain path, strewn with stones.  He complained about it, “This is no path at all!  It’s all rocky and bumpy!”  She answered, “The bumps are what you climb on!”  They are.  Press on, dear child of God.  Press on!

CROWNED WITH HOPE—HIS SUCCESSION : David’s Prominence and Elevation

Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh.  Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ”  Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, fand King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel.  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.  In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah. (2 Samuel 5:1-5)

David was crowned at last--the hope God established in his heart was fulfilled.  Saul, David's pursuer, would die in battle.  After a brief attempt by one of Saul’s sons to claim the throne, ultimately David would exchange the shepherd staff for a sovereign scepter.  He would reach God’s intended purpose for his life and he would reign for forty years.  The will of God cannot be overcome by the intent and acts of men or demons.

Does it seem sometimes like God has forgotten you?  Maybe you had this great dream and were convinced this was God's plan for your life--but you seem as far from it today as ever.  It feels like you are on a stationary bike--peddling as hard as you can, and going nowhere.  

Cling to this crowning hope: Jesus promises, “To Him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Rev.3:21)

CROWNED WITH HOPE—HIS SUBMISSION : David’s Preservation and Enduring

So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.  Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.  So the women sang as they danced, and said: “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.”  Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”  So Saul eyed David from that day forward.  ‎And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand.  ‎And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.  (1 Samuel 18:5-11)

This was the first attempt of Saul to kill David.  The second one soon followed.  This would be the opening act of a deadly drama where a jealous rage led to what seemed perpetual peril for God’s man. 

But the Lord preserved him, each dangerous step of the journey.  It was a long and winding road as David was chased by a madman for eight weary years! 

During that period, there were two occasions when David could have taken matters into his own hands.  He had opportunity to kill his foe, but he waited on the Lord.  There was a confident hope and tenacious faith that sustained him.  He learned as he hid in caves and behind rocks that the Lord was his Refuge and Strength.

His song could have been, “Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”   We can join in that refrain.  That same grace will sustain you.

My legs are buckling, my back is bowed, my feet are like lead—but by the help of God, I go forward to face this day.

Don’t give up!  It’s always too soon to quit.  There is a crowning hope that awaits those who press on. 

 

 

CROWNED WITH HOPE—HIS SERVICE: David’s Preparation and Equipping

One of the chief purposes that God has in making us wait is to teach us.  This is an essential time to prepare us for what God in His time will accomplish in and by us.  Something has to be done to us, before something can be done through us.

·        A SHEPHERD—Preparation for His Work.

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”  So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:11-13)

David would shepherd God’s people someday and so there was no better way to equip him than to literally care for a flock.  Too often we are looking for the big opportunity rather than being faithful in the place God has us—not understanding that He is getting us ready for more.  The Biblical principle is that if we are faithful in little things, we can be entrusted with larger things.

·        A SINGER—Preparation for His Worship.

So Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”  Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.”  Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”  And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul.  So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer.  Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”  And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. (1 Samuel 16:17-23) 

David would not only someday lead Israel into war, he would lead them into worship!  How many Psalms would this man write!  The worship of God would be a keynote of his life—this man after God’s own heart.  To love God with all our being is priority.  Our intimacy with Him must precede being an instrument for Him.  Time spent in communion with God is never wasted—but to try to bear fruit apart from this connection with the True Vine is impossible!

·        A SOLDIER—Preparation for His Warfare.

Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.   So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.  ‎And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking.  ‎So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  ‎And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”   Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  ‎This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.  ‎Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”   So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.   Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.  ‎So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.  ‎Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.  (1 Samuel 17:40-51) 

Old Goliath had defied the armies of God and mocked the Lord.  David wouldn’t let that go.  It has been said, it is not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog!  Boot camp is never a fun part of a soldier’s preparation, but it is indispensable.  If a warrior isn’t disciplined there then the odds of returning safely and successfully from the battlefield are slim.  After time spent as Saul’s armor-bearer and then a young champion downing Goliath, David was ready to lead the troops himself.  God may have you in basic training!  That’s tough—but it will toughen you up, and you’ll need that for where God is sending you is into a world that isn’t a playground, but a battleground!

CROWNED WITH HOPE—HIS SELECTION: David’s Promise and Election

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”  So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:11-13)

King Saul was rejected.  Now a new king was to be selected.  The most promising candidates are passed over. 

Someone defined insanity, “As repeating the same behavior and expecting different results.”  Israel had chosen a king who looked regal in appearance—and imposing physical specimen who was devoid of spiritual maturity—and subsequently a man who sought to exercise his sovereignty over the Sovereign God!   Israel had been down that road before and found it a dead end.  God is not concerned with the external appearance, but the heart—and that is why David was chosen. 

God picked the runt of the litter.  No one would have thought him qualified—but that is grace—and what makes it so amazing!  Paul said it this way concerning our election to be saints:

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.  But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.  But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” (1 Cor.1:26-31)

When Samuel anointed him with oil, it was symbolic of another anointing—that of the Holy Spirit who came upon David to empower him.  It was foreordained that this young man would be king.  All those who are saved are chosen by God and will one day reign with Him.  We have a crown that awaits—but, like David, we have to wait to claim it.

Be patient—rejoice in the promises of God.  There is a crowning hope for us.

 

CROWNED WITH HOPE

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”  So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:11-13)

 

 

But, we don’t like to wait do we?  Yet, Scripture says that is through patience that we inherit the promises of God (Heb.6:12).  God doesn’t make his saints in a microwave, but a crock pot!

There has been a pattern established throughout the Old Testament portraits of hope that we have seen studied—God gives a vision, there is the death of the vision, and then God resurrects it.

Adam and Eve were created for hope, but that hope was shattered as a paradise became a place of death because of sin.  God would resurrect that hope through the Last Adam—Jesus Christ who came to reverse the curse.

Abraham was called to hope.  God summoned him with a promise that he would be the father of many nations although he and his wife Sarah were old and childless at the time.  The biological clock ticked down and years later when it was impossible for the aged couple to have a child, God brought a miracle baby named Isaac into their lives.

Joseph showed the conquest of hope.  He had a dream that he related to his brothers that they would one day bow to him.  His brothers sought to destroy that dream.  They sold him into slavery, and he wound up in a prison in Egypt.  But God brought him out, placed him as second to Pharaoh in Egypt and one day his brothers did bow before him!  Hope had conquered.

Moses displayed the confidence of hope.  He was birthed for a special purpose—to be the deliverer of his people from slavery.  But, he prematurely took matters into his own hands in an abortive attempt and because of that failure had to flee for his life.  There would follow forty years of desert discipline getting him ready for his task.  Then God called his name and dispatched him to do his duty.  Reading the story should fill us with a confident hope in God’s faithfulness despite our fears, failings and frailties.

Now, we come to David.  He will be crowned with hope.  The same pattern of the birth, death and resurrection of a vision will be seen in him.  David had to wait, but God was at work.

 

CONFIDENT HOPE DESPITE FAILURE

Moses tried to do God’s work, man’s way—and that is a recipe for disaster.  He killed one Egyptian to deliver one Hebrew in one day.  God could do so much more through yielding to His almighty hand instead of Moses taking matters into his own hands.  God’s plan was to deliver a million and a half in a matter of minutes by drowning the entire Egyptian army in the Red Sea!

Moses took A LEAP WITHOUT LOOKING.

Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.  ‎So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.  ‎And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”   Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!”  ‎When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.  (Exodus 2:11-15) 

Remember the old axiom, “Look before you leap?”  Well, Moses did look around, but he failed to look up.  He looked before he took a leap of faith—he just looked in the wrong direction and his faith was in the wrong person—his own self-sufficiency.

I’ve done that.  Have you?  It never works.  But this always does, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”  (Prov.3:5-6)

How many times we end up in a mess because we run ahead of God!

Moses needed A LABORATORY FOR LEARNING. When Moses sat down exhausted by that well, I can imagine the Devil took a seat alongside him: “Boy, did you foul up!  God is through with you.  So much for your big plans!  There is no hope for you.” 

But God would use that very desert as a discipline in Moses’ life.  The scorching wind driving stinging sand would scour the self-sufficiency from Moses and polish him into a smooth surface that would reflect the glory of God.  He would spend 40 years in a laboratory laying aside his ways and learning to lean on God’s strength.  Satan may have said, “There is no hope!”  God said, “I’ll show you!”  God’s hope never fails!

 

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  (Rom.5:3-5)

Then there came that fateful day when God called his name and restored his hope.

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  ‎And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.  ‎Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”  ‎So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”  Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”  Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.  And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.  So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.  Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.  ‎Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”  (Exodus 3:1-10)

Maybe today God is calling your name.  Don’t listen to the voice of failure that brands you hopeless.  Failure need not be final!  Hope in God to cleanse and restore.  A dirty vessel can be cleansed.  A cracked pot can be mended.  Nothing is too hard for the Lord!

CONFIDENT IN HOPE

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  ‎And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.  ‎Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”  ‎So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”  Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”  Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.  And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.  So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.  Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.  ‎Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”  (Exodus 3:1-10)

The right thing done the wrong way is still wrong.  The right thing done the wrong time is also wrong. 

Moses made both mistakes.  He tried to do the right thing in his abortive attempt to liberate his fellow Hebrews—but by killing an Egyptian oppressor with his own hands it was the wrong way and wrong time.  Only the right thing, done the right way at the right time is always right.  Otherwise, what you have is a mess! 

Some of us have made such a mess.  Does God have a message in our mess? 

Must we say, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”?  If that is so, then only perfect people have hope.  Everybody else is ruined—and that’s everybody—for all have fallen short of the glory of God. 

There was hope for Moses and there is hope for me.  Of that we can be confident.  God was going to carry out His plan through Moses in His time and His way.  Failure need not be final.  We can get up and go on by the grace of God.  The Lord knows who you are and where you are and He may be calling your name today.  Are you listening?  Will you turn aside and meet with Him?

CONQUERING THROUGH HOPE: THE CONFLICT FOR HOPE

“Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.  And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.” Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.  Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”  So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.” And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.  Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.  Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!  Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!” (Gen.37:12-20)

Joseph’s brothers are not so thrilled with his dreams.  They determined to end them—and crush his hope.  They do a good job! 

There will always be dream-dashers whose mission in life is to pull you down to their level.  They have a pit to chunk you into as these brothers did to Joseph. 

But for Joseph, it was out of the frying pan and into the fire.  It seemed all downhill—into a pit, into chains, down to Egypt, into prison—down, down, down!  Ever feel like life itself is a “downer”?  It is hard to maintain any semblance of hope when every circumstance cries out to the contrary!  You will have to fight for hope—there is a conflict and you are in combat to keep what God has put in you from being conquered by all that is happening around you!

From his brothers’ evil clutches, Joseph will be delivered into the hands of the Midianites who make him a marketable commodity.  He will be a good slave and a blessing to a man named Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh’s guard, but Mrs. Potiphar lusts for him and seeks Joseph’s affections.  Salivating at the possibility of bedding with this Hebrew hunk, she appeals, “C’mon over big boy!”  She sets the temptation before him wrapped in perfumed sheets of silk day after day.

He rejects this as a sin against God!  It still is by the way!  When she grabs hold of him and seeks to pull him into bed, he runs and she tears loose his garment and then cries out that Joseph tried to rape her.  The proof is in her hand.  As has been oft repeated, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

All he had tried to do was honor God—and what did he get for his faithfulness?  Fetters!  His reward for devotion was the dungeon!  He is cast into prison. 

But when Pharaoh’s baker burns the biscuits and his butler spills wine on the carpet, they just so happen to wind up sharing a cell with Joseph.  No coincidence—it was providence! 

They have a dream and Joseph interprets it—good news and bad news—the baker will have his head lifted off in execution and the butler will have his head lifted up in employment. 

The butler promises Joseph that he won’t forget him!

But, he did.  Joseph would be there in shackles for two more years!  It seemed all hope was gone—but Joseph trusted in the promises and timing of God.  There is more to the story than meets the eye.  The butler may have forgotten Joseph, but God had not.

Yet, it does seem at times that God has forgotten us.  We languish long in a prison of problems.  Just when we think things can’t get any worse—they do!  Our prayers echo from the ceiling and mock us.  There is a conflict in our soul between the assurances God has expressed and the adversity we are experiencing.

Will you fight for hope?