What God Has In Store For Us

WHAT GOD HAS IN

STORE FOR US

God’s Word is really inspiring.

A. I would like to cite a passage which makes all

kinds of sense.

Hebrews 11:39-12:29 (The Message)

Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their

hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith

would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart

from ours.

Do you see what this means...all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these

veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Start running...and never

quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began

and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of

where He was headed...that exhilarating finish in and with God...He could put up with

anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now He’s there, in the place of

honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that

story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through. That will shoot

adrenaline into your souls!

In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say

nothing of what Jesus went through...all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for

yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards

you as His children?

“My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline,

but don’t be crushed by it either.

It’s the child He loves that He disciplines;

the child He embraces, He also corrects.”

God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear

children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of

children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you

prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us,

so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our

parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to

live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going

against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who

find themselves mature in their relationship with God.

So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path

for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and

sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!

Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get

so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep

a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a

whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong

gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that

impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing...but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.

Unlike your ancestors, you didn’t come to Mount Sinai...all that volcanic blaze and

earthshaking rumble...to hear God speak. The earsplitting words and soul-shaking

message terrified them and they begged Him to stop. When they heard the words...”If an

animal touches the Mountain, it’s as good as dead”...they were afraid to move. Even

Moses was terrified.

No, that’s not your experience at all. You’ve come to Mount Zion, the city where

the living God resides. The invisible Jerusalem is populated by throngs of festive angels

and Christian citizens. It is the city where God is Judge, with judgments that make us just.

You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God.

He is the Mediator of this covenant. The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel’s...a homicide that

cried out for vengeance...became a proclamation of grace.

So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly

warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly

warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time...He’s told us

quite plainly...He’ll also rock the heavens: “One last shaking” means a thorough

housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable

essentials stand clear and uncluttered.

Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how

thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent