DON’T BE ASHAMED OF JESUS - PART 2
From The HeartPublish date: 11/22/2004
So from one man, though he was physically as good as dead, there have sprung descendants whose number is as the stars of heaven and as countless as the innumerable sands on the seashore. 13 These people all died controlled and sustained by their faith, but not having received the tangible fulfillment of [God's] promises, only having seen it and greeted it from a great distance by faith, and all the while acknowledging and confessing that they were strangers and temporary residents and exiles upon the earth. 14 Now those people who talk as they did show plainly that they are in search of a fatherland (their own country). 15 If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to it. 16 But the truth is that they were yearning for and aspiring to a better and more desirable country, that is, a heavenly [one]. For that reason God is not ashamed to be called their God [even to be surnamed their God--the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:12-16 AMP
The book of Hebrews, chapter 11, is a report of great people of faith. They were not some special breed of people, born differently from the rest of us. They were not made-up heroes like the imaginary people of myths and legends. They were ordinary people just like us. The only difference is that they chose to believe the word of an extraordinary, supernatural God, and they acted on what they believed, resulting in great signs, wonders, and miracles! Many of the early men and women of faith are mentioned by name, but after that, there are too many to be individually named. People who are ashamed of God and His word will see no miracles. The only way to see miracles is to be unashamed of God and His word. They were not ashamed of God or His word and therefore He was not ashamed to be called their God.
How can you join the ranks of these named and unnamed individuals, who saw such great victories, who brought such glory to God, and of whom He is not ashamed to be called their God? God gets no glory when people have no faith in Him or His word. He has limitless power at His disposal, but unless someone calls on Him in faith, drawing on His miracle-working power, nothing will happen. Think of it this way: if you don’t trust His word, you can guarantee that nothing will happen, but if you dare to trust His word you can guarantee that something will happen! It takes as much energy to be in faith as it does to be in fear – rather activate your faith – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
We prove that we are not ashamed of Him or His word when we boldly proclaim and do His word – because that is what will activate His miracle power – even in the midst of an unbelieving generation. It takes guts to be a believer and a doer of God’s word. The devil will do his best to oppose you by placing seeds of doubt and unbelief in your own head and also by using other people to be a negative influence in your life. Some people will try to stop you because they don’t like you or agree with you, but some are well-meaning and trying to “help” you by preventing you from making a fool of yourself by daring to step out in faith. We cannot listen to anyone who speaks contrary to the word of God in our life, no matter how well-intentioned they are. It is not very difficult for the devil to hinder and prevent some Christians from believing the word of a God they cannot see – they are so worried about what other people think that they never do anything for God. However, for those of you who push past your own fear and who care more what God thinks than what man thinks, you will see great victory!
And now, little children, abide (live, remain permanently) in Him, so that when He is made visible, we may have and enjoy perfect confidence (boldness, assurance) and not be ashamed and shrink from Him at His coming. 1 John
Let us live our lives in such a way that we are not ashamed of our words, our deeds, or ourselves, when we stand before Jesus! Many Christians act like they are ashamed of Jesus and His word. They care more what other people think, than what God thinks. If you care more about what people think about you than about what God thinks of you, then you do not have a full revelation of Who He is! The only way to get a revelation of Who He is; the only way to build up your faith so that you are not ashamed of Him and therefore not ashamed before people; is to live permanently in Him. How do you do that? You live in His word. Put the word in your heart. Permanently let the word live in you and make sure that you live permanently in His presence by your worship and commitment to obey His word.
When we trust God and His word, we bring glory to Him. People have a tendency to think that what they choose and what they do affects only themselves, but as we can see from the faith chapter, our choices and decisions, as personal as they may seem at the time, could affect generations of people, even those yet unborn!