The believers in Hebrews like Jesus were being persecuted at the hands of sinners but unlike Jesus, they had not given up their lives. You may be suffering under sin and have become tired and weary. Hebrews chapter 12 gives us reasons to hold on to faith when we are enduring hardships. Discover why you can have an unshakable faith and not lose heart.
Unshakable faith rests on the shoulders of giants
Chapter 11 gives witness to the “great cloud of witnesses.” These people trusted God and bear witness to the faithfulness of God. When we suffer we must remember that we are not the only ones to endure hardship. There is a large group of faithful people who preceded us that paved the way to receive the promises of God through Jesus. They surround us and encourage us to run the race of life with the freedom that comes from being unhindered by sin.
Unshakable faith is focused on Jesus
We can preserve because Jesus endured the cross. He is our forerunner of faith and like Jesus who was perfected by his obedience to the cross, we too are perfected by our obedience in suffering. Through the power of Jesus, we resist the work of the Evil One and we keep our strength because Jesus through his resurrection overwhelms the sin and suffering that we fear might overwhelm us.
Unshakable faith interprets hardship as discipline
The Christian faith that exists even against all odds is dependent on how one chooses to interpret circumstances. With Jesus, hardships build perseverance, character, and hope. There is joy in knowing that your hard circumstances are not benign but they can be seen as challenges that help to achieve God’s goal of you becoming more like Jesus. There is
God uses our afflictions like a parent uses discipline as loving training. Afflictions, especially those that occur due to our faith in Jesus are evidence that we are in fact sons and daughters of God. We view them in this confirming way because of how we grow in faith while under hardship. With God, our circumstances become open doors for doing what is right and
Unshakable faith exists in an unshakable kingdom
With Jesus, our faith is unshakable because it exists in a realm that is eternal. The promises of Jesus are eternal. The city of God is eternal. His covenant with us is eternal. We have in Jesus a more excellent and perfect way. God will one day shake the universe until the only thing that remains is
Trust in Jesus. And when your knees are weak and quake and your arms are feeble and shake, God will …
“Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution,
he will come to save you.” (Isaiah 35:3-4)
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Jovan preaches for the Littleton Church of Christ near Denver, Colorado. Visit here to listen to sermons preached at the Littleton Church.