Hebrews 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
In verse 34 we get a hint that this could be the apostle Paul writing this epistle. Paul spent a fair amount of time in prison. He was not a criminal. He was not a bank robber. He was not trying to overthrow the Roman government. He was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He openly and boldly taught the truth. He exposed the wickedness of idolatry. He preached of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the hope of the resurrection of all true saints. He was an offence to those who hated the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul encouraged the saints that even though they had lost material things at the hands of wicked rulers, they had taken that joyfully. They had a better hope than earthly possessions.
It should be quite obvious by now that over the past two years the world leaders have used a lab-created virus to scare the gullible populations into submission. They used the fear of death as the tool to bring most people to their knees. Now as some parts of Canada talk of opening things up again, these same people are afraid that things are opening up too soon. We can see again that lost people have no foundation and they are grabbing at straws to try to find something to hold on to. Lost people have no hope of heaven, and death is a crippling fear for them. They look for spin doctors that will tell them that everything is ok and they will be fine at death, but they do not have that assurance. Recently I was told of a drunken gambler who died and those around him stated that he was not in pain any longer. People want to believe that death brings comfort. The Bible warns us that without knowing the Lord, death does not bring comfort. God is warning us of that in the verses we have been looking at.
Just yesterday, our P.M. stated that he was going to bring in the Emergency Measures Act to deal with the protests that have been taking place for several weeks now. (I do not believe the protests are effective). If this law passes, it will give the government sweeping powers to seize bank accounts and take away licenses from those who do not obey them. The spineless Conservative party says it will look at what Mr. Trudeau is proposing before it decides what to do. If they cared about the rule of law, they would be against this measure. The threat to our nation has been brought about by politicians and media and the medical officials who have been spreading a lie for two years, and enacting ungodly dictates which most have bowed to. That is what has destroyed the economy and the lives of many people.
Right now the proposal is to use these unnecessary powers against the protesters. Those who are saved and read their Bibles will understand this is another practice step to come after true Christians who obviously will not go along with the ungodliness of our governments. Bill C4 is on the books. No true Christian can abide by that ungodly bill. The government will do what it can to silence those who know the true God and seek to honour Him.
Anyone that has ever watched question period in Parliament, knows that it is a game. One side gets up and makes a statement or asks a question and the other side gets up and says what they want to say. It is a back and forth that really accomplishes little if anything. Meanwhile the noise in that place is like a bunch of unruly children. When we look at what actually gets accomplished in Parliament, we are paying far too much for our politicians. What they accomplish in 4 years between “elections” could probably be done in a few weeks by some honest, respectable adults. However, we are not going to change that with “elections” or with protests. The only thing that will change some of the people is the power of the Gospel. If a politician gets saved, they will soon understand that the current system does not work. They will soon understand they cannot be loyal to anyone of the mainstream parties out there.
The apostle Paul worked in opposition to the truth for a number of years. It was not Christians protesting against him that changed him. It was Christians preaching the truth and praying for the salvation of souls and for protection in serving the Lord that made the difference. Not all were protected. Some, like Stephen, were killed for preaching the Gospel. However, God put a road block in Saul’s path and he had to choose whether he was going to turn to God or finish out his life as a blind man. He was already spiritually blind, but now he was also physically blind. Saul obviously knew enough to turn to God in repentance and put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He knew it was very unwise to fight against Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. When He was confronted by Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, he knew Who he was fighting against. He also knew what he needed to do. God gave him three days to contemplate life. He did not eat and he could not see. He was confined to a house for that time. We are not told that anyone came to talk to him during that time. God initiated the visit from Ananias. Ananias was afraid of Saul and had no interest in going to visit him. God assured him that it was the right thing to do and he went in obedience to God’s call.
Ananias demonstrated the power of Jesus’ sacrifice in saving him and in giving him a humble spirit that was willing to do the will of God even when it seemed dangerous. Because Ananias walked by faith, he could step out in faith and approach a once dangerous man, and pray for him that he might receive his sight.
As Paul wrote in verse 34, Ananias and other saints had a hope that was far more real and precious than earthly possessions. That way of thinking does not come natural. We tend to treasure the things we have on earth. We tend to think they are ours. However, we can see that ultimately it is God Who enables anyone to go out and work to earn money and purchase things. We also can see that currently the political climate is such that our governments have assumed the power to take anything they want away from its citizens.
In verse 35, Paul encouraged the saints not to be discouraged. They had suffered the loss of material things. They would need to scrape together what little they had left and they would need to work together to survive on this earth. However, they had a confidence that need not be shaken. They just needed to keep their hope on eternal things. They knew God was true. They knew that Jesus’ sacrifice was real. They had been changed. They just needed to keep their hearts and minds on the truth. This again shows us the importance of a true local church. Not the ecumenical nature of things we see so much of now. When the crunch comes, it will only be those who truly know the Lord who will understand and be there to support one another.
We see again the importance of following God’s way. God ordained that there should be apostles who would be able to build up the saints. He ordained that the apostles should be used to help stabilize the saints so that they would not be tossed about with every wind of doctrine. God also ordained evangelists, and pastors and teachers for this same work. The prophets and apostles are found in the Scriptures. There are no living apostles and prophets today. The evangelists, pastors and teachers need to draw from the apostles and prophets (the Word of God), in seeking to build up the saints today. Hopefully, many of the saints will become obedient to God’s will and get into a godly assembly and provoke one another to love and good works. That is what can help to change the hearts and minds of politicians, and media, and police, and doctors and nurses and others as well.
In verse 36 we see that what the saints needed then was patience. They had been obedient to the will of God. Now they needed to trust God to do His Work in the hearts and lives of others. The same is true for us. We need to do that work that God has called us to do. We know that God’s Word is true and It is also quick and powerful. We also know that lost and disobedient people need to yield to God’s truth. We just need to look in the mirror and we know that we as people do not always respond properly to God’s Truth. God’s Truth remains God’s Truth. True Christians need to be steadfast and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. We are not in charge of the results.
I Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
As we exercise patience, we leave the way open for God to be glorified. For those that are saved, we need to be encouraged through God’s Word and through faithful saints to hold fast to the confidence that God has given us.
Pastor Bartel
