Unbridled Revival Part 8

This is the last in the series of Unbridled Revival. We want to talk about unbridled endurance.

Heb 12:2-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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This verse tells us that Jesus endured the cross and despised the shame because of the joy that was set before Him. What was His Joy? His joy was knowing that God was fulfilling His Word. It was spoken of Him in Isa 53:5-But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. His Lover and the Lover of all mankind made the decree that all the sins of His lovechild (man) would be forgiven forever and all of man's sicknesses would be healed. Also, Joel 2:28-And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. Jesus knew that in 50 days this verse of scripture would be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, man's sins would be blotted out forever and God would again be able to fellowship with him through His Holy Spirit.

Although Jesus knew it would be rough and people would look at Him as if He was the worst sinner in the world, He gladly walked through the experience. Why? Because He knew that the pain and the shame would last only a little time. The joy of renewed fellowship with mankind was fixing to last forever for all who would receive Him.

Here's the important point. Heb 11:1-Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The word evidence in this verse is from the Hebrew word of someone giving evidence in a court trial to convict someone of a fact. Our faith in the Word of God is the convicting evidence that we believe something God said was going to come to pass. Jesus set a future joy ahead of Himself when He believed that God would forgive sins and come to live inside the believer because of what He was about to do. Jesus set the joy ahead of Him because He believed the Word of His Lover. Just like you did when you asked that young lady for a date. The date wasn't right now, it was in the future. You set a joy in the future and endured the rest of the week until Saturday came. You rejoiced all through the week. Every day brought you closer and your joy and excitement increased.

Here's what you have to understand with God. When you chose to believe God's Word instead of what you see, God immediately puts a plan in action that will bring His Word to pass for you. It might take a few minutes, a few hours, a few days, or a few years. The promise is His and the redemption of that promise is His. But remember, that God is Faithful and He will not stop working until He brings His Word to pass.

Let's take a look at a few examples. One of them is Abraham. He had to wait 25 years for Isaace to be born. Yet, Abraham had 75 years to enjoy God's fulfilled promise, Gen. 25:7. Jacob fled from Esau and lived in Haran for 20 years. When he left he had nothing. But when he returned, he was very rich, just like God promised him at Bethel the night he left Canaan. It was 14 years before he began gathering any riches. But in six years, God gave him more than his father-in-law had. Years later, Joseph was sold into slavery and went to prison. The Word of God tells us that everyone saw God in his life. Why? He had learned from the actions of his forefathers that God was always faithful to His Word no matter how long it took. So, by faith in God's Word through the dreams He had given him, Joseph was able to spend the next 13 or 14 years with joy in his life. He was able to rejoice and endure adverse circumstances because he believed that a change would come and his faith would be vindicated.

Remember, faith in God's Word will set a date in your future. Satan would love nothing more than to ruin your party. We tend to look at satan's evidence instead of God's. God gave His Holy Word to us and He has never failed. We can take the bridle off of our faith and plainly believe that what God said will come to pass. We can endure all circumstances with unbridled joy because we are conviced that God is busy working out His plan even though we can't se it happening.

One of the greatest examples I can think of right now is the 400 quiet years between Malachi and Matthew. God was silent. No prophecies came. No miracles were worked. It seemed God was dead. The Greeks and the Romans came in and occupied the land and it looked more like God had forsaken them more than He was a redeember. However, when the Greeks conquered the land, they made all the conquered nations learn to speak Greek. When the Romans conquered the land many years later, they built, maintained and guarded roads all over their conquered area. When it looked like God was quiet, He was actually very busy setting the stage for the redemption of mankind and the spread of the gospel. After the crucifixion of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the followers of Jesus had an easy time spreading the gospel. Every captured nation spoke and read Greek. There was no language barrier to have to muddle through. There were great roads that made travel to these countries very easy. And, the roads were guarded by the Romans which provided safety for them as they traveled. So, while it seemed God was quiet, He was actually very busy. He was setting the stage for the mass evangelism that would occur after the price of redemption was paid by Jesus on the cross.

That's why Jesus could endure the cross and despise the shame. His Father had spent four hundred years getting ready for that day and the days to come. Let us also walk through rough times with unbridled endurance. Maintain the hope and joy of answered prayer. He is Faithful that promised.