INTRO: W.A.Criswell, long-time beloved pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, told a story about an evangelist who loved to hunt. The man bought two setter pups that were topnotch bird dogs. He kept them in his backyard, where he trained them. One morning, an ornery, little, vicious looking bulldog came shuffling and snorting down the alley. He crawled under the fence into the backyard where the setters spent their day. It was easy to see he meant business. The evangelist’s first impulse was to take his setters and lock them in the basement so they wouldn’t tear up that little bulldog. But he decided he would just let the creature learn a lesson he would never forget. Naturally, they got into a scuffle in the backyard, and those two setters and that bulldog went round and round and round! The little critter finally had enough, so he squeezed under the fence and took off. All the rest of that day he whined and licked his sores. Interestingly, the next day at about the same time, here came that same ornery little bulldog—back under the fence and after those setters. Once again those two bird dogs beat the stuffing out of that little bowlegged animal and would have chewed him up if he hadn’t retreated down the alley. Would you believe, the very next day he was back! Same time, same station, same results. Once again after the bulldog had had all he could take, he crawled back under the fence and found his way home to lick his wounds.
“Well,” the evangelist said, “I had to leave for a revival meeting. I was gone several weeks. And when I came back, I asked by wife what had happened. She said, “’Honey, you just won’t believe what’s happened. Every day, at the same time every morning, that little bulldog came back in the backyard and fought with our two setters. He didn’t miss a day! And I want you to know it has come to the point that when our setters simply hear that bulldog snorting down the alley and spot him squeezing under the fence, they immediately start whining and run down into our basement. That little, old bulldog struts around our backyard now just like he owns it.’”
-He got the prize he so long awaited, the backyard of those Irish Setters.
Question: What prize are you waiting on?
TITLE: The Prize Awaits
TEXT: Hebrews 10:35-36
I. Background. This book was written to Christians who were wavering in their faith because of the taunts and jeers of their persecutors. As a result some of the Christians were falling away. They were going back to the old ways.
A. Do not throw away – what they were confident in, that is Christianity.
1. At one time these folks stood their ground in the face of persecution for Jesus. They were beaten and mistreated, their land was being confiscated.
-But now they’re losing their confidence and they are starting to drift, to throw away what they stood for.
Example. I’ve had close dear friends that I’ve ministered with simply give up and walk away from the Lord and want nothing to do with him, who in early years helped me lead ministries and face persecution and do what’s right.
-What they’ve done is throw away their confidence in Christ to turn and go back to their old ways.
2. Literally to throw away means “a reckless rejection.” That is exactly what happens when you backslide.
Question: Can you imagine having a reckless rejection of Christ?
TS: Look what happens when you don’t backslide.
B. You will be rewarded – if you do not throw away your confidence in Christ.
1. Any hardship or difficulty that we encounter God will reward us for doing his will.
-In the text today the author mentions we will receive the promise.
TS: Before I talk about the promise, I want us to take a look at the process of reaching a promise.
II. The Process. (Read James 1:2-4)
A. There will be a test. Maybe you thought you were done with tests. I’ve got some good news for you, you will get to take tests for the rest of your life and Lord willing I hope you pass them all.
1. These tests or trials, just think of the concept of problems.
Question: What do problems do for you? They will build endurance in your life if you will allow them to and will draw you closer to God if you respond correctly.
2. God uses problems to equip us for what lies ahead.
B. Perseverance or endurance – must finish its work so we can be mature and complete.
1. The way to being a whole person, or to be what God wants us to be, has to travel the road called perseverance.
2. When you’re on the highway of perseverance there are only two exits to get off this freeway.
-Exit 1 is the exit the enemy wants you to get off. This is an ugly place, it’s barren, no food or gas stations. This is a place where there a lot of bitter and angry people. They blame God, their circumstance, or other people for getting off at this exit. It’s not their fault.
-Exit 2 is a beautiful place, where rest and peace await. It’s a place where we can encounter God in all of his splendor. This is a place where we can attain the prize. People at this place are loving and kind and humble.
Summary of the process to reach a promise.
-Problem (trails and hardships) will come. Jesus even tells us this. The problem will cause us to react, to hang on, to persevere, to endure.
*When we’re persevering it must finish its work. (Repeat)
3. Don’t be surprised if God takes you past the point of breaking in your own strength – so you can experience his strength and power. This is how we get to know God in a deeper way.
-If you don’t need to be delivered, you won’t come to know the deliverer.
-If you don’t think you need to be saved, how can you get to know the savior.
Thought: If we had no problems, we would not come to know God. If we have no questions, we don’t need an answer.
4. Good news when perseverance has finished its work -
-We will be mature and complete, we will be whole healthy people who know who we are and what God has called us to do.
5. This is why James instructs us to consider it joy when this takes place in our life, because he is looking at the end product of what a problem will do in your life (if it is handled the way God wants it handled, it will produce maturity and completeness in us).
TS: Summary of the process, let’s talk about a promise. Hebrews 10:35-36, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
III. The Promise. This can be eternal or temporal. If we persevere in our walk with God fulfilling his will he will say, Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into my rest (spend eternity with him). The Lord also gives us promises in this life.
-Let’s look at an example to help us see the big picture.
A. Story of David (1 Samuel 16). God tells the prophet Samuel to go and anoint another king because King Saul has not done the will of the Lord.
1. Samuel comes to Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons king. Each one of his sons come there - rejected.
-Are there any more? The youngest David, out tending the sheep, is brought and anointed king in front of brothers and family and elders. Bible says the spirit of the Lord came on David in power.
Thought: So in the will of God for David’s life what was the promise - that he would be the king of Israel.
B. Guess what happens - as soon as the promise is given the problems (tests, trials) start.
1. David enters the service of King Saul, trying to calm a mad man by music.
-David appears to do well at this.
2. David stands against Israel’s archenemy the Philistines. The Philistines send out their best warrior the giant named Goliath. Of course everyone is running in fear. David is the one who has to handle this problem.
3. David’s fame grows which brings more problems – the mad man King Saul becomes jealous and envious to the point of trying to kill David over and over again.
4. David’s running for his very life from a mad man who has an unlimited supply of warriors, a lot of money, and power to go along with a tormented mind who thinks David is the enemy.
-The conditions for David are brutal, living in caves and hideouts, limited food. Always on the run, looking over your shoulder because you’re the wanted man in Israel.
-Why does he have to go through this – because he is in the school of God being tested, developing the character he’ll need to run a country.
5. David, to escape this mad king, goes and lives in Philistine territory. As the Philistines are about to go into battle with Israel.
-David is told not to come.
Think of it: David is rejected by his own king, now he is rejected by the Philistine rulers who do not want him to come and fight with them.
6. To top it off David rides home with his men to find that his home in Ziklag has been burned to the ground. It fact everything was destroyed.
-And all their families (wives and children) have been carried off.
To top if off, his men now are blaming him and wanting to stone him to death.
-If you think you’ve had a tough go of it, poor David.
C. Let’s review.
-David had been anointed king of Israel by Samuel. No sooner did this promise happen than David, over the next decade life, moved from one problem to the next crisis, cave to cave, adversary to adversary, from rejection to rejection.
1. Until finally his own men want to kill him.
-In these problems David did not deserve the betrayal of the king or his men, he did nothing wrong.
2. Human nature (flesh) cries out, I’ve done nothing wrong, God, except what you’ve wanted me to. As soon as I got anointed my life has fallen apart.
Thought: Of course this is a wrong view. This view is what your emotions would say.
3. The truth – David was being trained in the school of God to lead the nation of God’s people.
-At this point in time (I believe a very low point in his life) he didn’t complain. He went to the Lord!
-1 Samuel 30:6c, “David found strength in the Lord.”
In Conclusion
At the lowest point in David’s life (least likely to be king) he lost family, friends, kingdom. He stood with God and passed his test. As a result, shortly after this David is recognized as the king of Israel and takes the throne.
-This test for David was over and the Lord brought forth the promise (to be king).
-Today maybe you feel like giving up, you’re past your point of breaking. I would say look for the hand of God and persevere!
