Hebrews 13:7-10

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7 Don't forget about your leaders who taught you God's message. Remember what kind of lives they lived and try to have faith like theirs. 8 Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Don't be fooled by any kind of strange teachings. It is better to receive strength from God's gift of undeserved grace than to depend on certain foods. After all, these foods don't really help the people who eat them. 10 But we have an altar where even the priests who serve in the place of worship have no right to eat. ~ Hebrews 13:7-10

Today, we return to our study of Hebrews 13. These young Hebrews Christians to whom this book was written, had long lived their lives according to the Law of Moses. Under the Old Covenant, there were many rules. In fact, there were so many rules that it became very difficult not to break some of them just by virtue of the volume of them. Many of them were man-made. And, they became so absorbed in legalism that they went way further than God ever intended. In fact, their trek down the road of legalism steered them away from God.

Then comes the Lord Jesus and the New Covenant with that one ingredient that best changes the human heart: grace. And, of course, this blew the minds of the Jews. They were so locked into legalism that they thought this was some kind of horrifying heresy. And even when Jews became Christians, they found it extremely difficult to let go of all of their religion. When the heart gets disengaged, we spiral out of the control of God's grace.

But, as we have seen, the New Covenant releases the believer in Christ from the requirements of the Law. All of those little, minute, legalistic standards were absorbed by the Lord Jesus when He said, "Tetelestai," it is finished. He did it all, and all we have to do is believe in Him. To depend upon Him. But, this was very difficult for these young Jewish Christians to process and to live by.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "Don't forget about your leaders who taught you God's message. Remember what kind of lives they lived and try to have faith like theirs."

Now that these young believers had been introduced to grace through the Lord Jesus, they now were free to live their lives in the way they saw fit. Of course, as they grew to see the heart of God for themselves they would have wanted to be pleasing to Him. The emphasis in this verse is placed on the faith of these young believers. More importantly the object of their faith. And, here, the writer of Hebrews is imploring them to emulate those who lived by faith in the God of the Bible.

As is insinuated here, we teach the truth to others best by living it. I like the story of the day when St. Francis of Assisi took one of his disciples to go preaching in the city. The young apprentice was so excited. And, from the first of the day to its end, St. Francis and his young disciple went from business to business  and house to house visiting with the people and serving them in a variety of ways. At the end of the day the young disciple asked St. Francis, "I thought we were going to preach today to the people." To which St. Francis responded, "We did! I say preach the gospel and sometimes use words." St. Francis taught that young man a very valuable lesson that day, and it is this: More is caught than is taught. And, this is what the writer of Hebrews is subtly teaching here in v.7.

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

One of the tests to the veracity of something is found in its consistency. What the Lord Jesus was to those of the past, He  is to us today. It is this changeless Christ who is the great refuge of the Christian in an ever changing world. Therefore, as we look back to those of faith in the God of the Bible from the past, we are to imitate their faith which was fixed upon the changeless Christ.

In v.9 of today's passage we read, "Don't be fooled by any kind of strange teachings. It is better to receive strength from God's gift of undeserved grace than to depend on certain foods. After all, these foods don't really help the people who eat them."

Here, the writer of Hebrews, warns against strange teachings which are linked to certain food restrictions and external religious demands. These were those who insisted on Judaistic restrictions of diet as having spiritual value. All through this letter the writer has told us again and again that such observances are simply empty shadows; they are pointing toward something, but the something they point toward is the real value, not the shadows. 

One of Satan’s most subtle approaches to the Christian is to move us away from sound doctrine, to get us wrapped up in some kind of doctrine that happens to be blowing about in the wind at any given point. Christ has not changed, our godly forefathers have not changed, and the word of God is clear about what godliness looks like.  

The word "fooled" in v.9 carries with it the idea of being carried away. We must be careful to know the word of God for ourselves in such a way that when the false comes along, we are able to recognize it quickly. Finding our moorings in the word of God only happens as we respond to it in such a way that it defines us. It is when we ignore His word and we fail to give it safe haven in our souls that we are in the greatest danger of going astray.

In v.10 of today's passage we read, "But we have an altar where even the priests who serve in the place of worship have no right to eat."

In Hebrews 10:1 we read, "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves.  For this reason, it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship."

The altar of the New Covenant is the cross of the Lord Jesus through whom God has lavished His grace upon the willing of heart. The priests who serve in the place of worship were the Jews who do not accept Christ. The idea that Christians have to offer a "sacrifice" on an "altar" weekly is blasphemy. It implies that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was not sufficient for our salvation.

Back in the days when the sin offerings were brought into the tabernacle the priests were forbidden to eat them, so they were taken outside the camp of the people and burned. The priest could eat the meat of all of the other offerings, but not the sin offering.

The cross of Christ is the fulfillment of all of those Old Testament sacrifices, and it is through His crucifixion that we have been granted the forgiveness of God. The Old Testament Tabernacle was a shadow of the real. We cannot have both the shadow and the real; it is either one or the other. We cannot feed on the reality of Christ if we place value on the mere picture. And, when we try to feed our hearts on empty religious ordinances, it is then that we will fail to realize the many powerful expressions of God's grace in and through our lives! 

Hebrews 13:6

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"God has said, 'I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.' 6 So we can be sure when we say, 'I will not be afraid, because the Lord is my helper. People can’t do anything to me.'" 

Today, we return to the practical portion of the book of Hebrews. I include the last half of v.5 with today's verse because the crux of all of our problems is revealed in the words: "I will never leave you; I will never abandon you." And here, in a verse and a half, the writer to the Hebrews referred to two Old Testament passages and he showed these struggling young Hebrew believers the foundation of a secure life despite the rough storms that are encountered.

The power of God's presence comes to us in the New Covenant. When Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God, they forfeited the security and the reassurance of the presence of God in their lives, so they ran away and hid. Their perceived lack of God's presence in their lives led them to look elsewhere than to Him to address the various needs in their lives. We are no different than they.

We cannot understand or get to the place where this awful separation is in our rear view mirror until we are indwelt by God's very presence, and even then, we must grow in our trust of Him in order to really realize the reality of the New Covenant. This is a big part of our sanctification.

At the cross, for six whole hours, the Son of God was suspended between heaven and earth. And at the height of His suffering, He cried out in the deep darkness, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" This was the first time the Lord Jesus referred to His Father as "God." Since the Lord Jesus took our place, believers in Christ, now are guaranteed intimacy with God. But, it does not happen experientially all at once. It is a process.

Before they encountered that storm that night on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples had seen the Lord Jesus do so many incredible things, yet, they lacked trust in Him, still. Like us, they had to experience the blackness of the night on the water to really see the Lord Jesus for who He really was: God.

So, He sent them out into a storm, and, He chose not to be with them in the boat. He sent them out alone, deliberately, and He went up into the hills to pray for them. How many of the storms of our lives are made up of these two elements, trouble that comes and overwhelms us, and the seeming absence of the Lord in the context of those troubles. All the while, He is up on the hillside praying for us.

After the storm had blown for hours and the disciples were in deep distress, the Lord Jesus came to them, walking on the water. When they saw Him they are scared out of their minds because they thought He is an uninvited ghost. He reassured them with the word "it" which is always that thing we see that scares us to death. He said to them, "It is I, do not be afraid." The "it" was Him, and, the thing that scares us the most is really Him. And, after He stepped into their boat, they began to listen to Him like they had never listened before.

God's seeming absence is sometimes overwhelming in our lives, yet it is so very necessary. He deliberately made Mary and Martha wait four days after they had requested His presence, and meanwhile their brother, Lazarus, died. He made Thomas wait in his doubt and disbelief for eight days until he revealed His risen status to Him. He does these things in order to train us to see Him with our hearts.

Every believer in Christ struggles to get to this depth of intimacy with the Lord, and, yet, this is our answer to every problem we have. God is with us and He will never leave or abandon us. On that Pentecost day, just fifty days after the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, the Spirit indwelt those gathered in that upper room in Acts 2, and, they were changed people. We are no different than they.

This leads us into v.6 of today's passage which reads, "I will not be afraid, because the Lord is my helper. People can’t do anything to me." 

God juxtaposes our fear with His presence, and, we get to the place of not fearing when we choose to make the Lord our "helper." The Greek word used here for "helper" is a compound noun composed of two root words which mean "cry out" and "run." God runs to aid us when we cry out to Him. 

Due to our fallenness, even though we may be born gain, we lack something which only the Lord Jesus can supply, and, it is His pronounced presence in our lives. The Lord calls out to us to, "Cry out to me and I will comfort you." And, when this transaction takes place in a given hour of each day, we will conclude, "No one can harm us because the Lord Jesus has our backs."

Integral to our intimacy with God is realizing that nothing in this world is our answer. When my middle son, at the age of 24, went into cardiac failure a few years ago, I found myself thrust into the darkest place I have ever been. Even now, I find it most difficult to visit that darkest of places, yet, I over and over discover the Lord Jesus there. It is not the only place I discover Him, but nonetheless, this is my story. I do not like going through that pain again and again, yet, my intimacy with the Lord increases when I go there. You see, it is there that I see Him most vividly. It is there that I hear Him most acutely. And, I discover a great truth about the Lord when I go there: I discover the Lord doesn't love my suffering, but, He loves me. And, in the end of it all, it is about my heart being captured by this God who loves me much more than I can imagine.

Hebrews 13:4-5

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4 Marriage should be honored by everyone, and husband and wife should keep their marriage pure. God will judge as guilty those who take part in sexual sins. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.” ~ Hebrews 13:4-5

Today, we return to the practical application of the truths learned throughout the book of Hebrews. In yesterday's verse our attention was turned to the imprisoned and the suffering. Today, our attention is turned to the subject of marriage and contentment. As the family goes, so goes the society. And, as the marriage goes so goes the family.

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "Marriage should be honored by everyone, and husband and wife should keep their marriage pure."

"Marriage should be honored" because it is the foundation for any healthy community. And, like anything else, when we deviate from God's definition of things, we suffer by being defined by the lesser. In Romans 1 we discover the society that increasingly rejects God's definition of things will increasingly degenerate into that which God calls an abomination which is something that causes Him disgust. In biblical usage, an abomination is something that God loathes or hates because it is offensive to Him and His character.

Since God invented marriage, He expects marriage to be honorable and between one man and one woman who have vowed to be committed to one another til death do them part. We live in a day where many are redefining things to the contrary of God's definition and marriage is one of them. In 1 Timothy 4 the Apostle Paul wrote, "In the last days false prophets will come and they will despise marriage, forbidding to marry." 

In the beginning God created male and female in his own image, and he blessed them, and said be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Then He said, "Therefore a man should leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife, and they become one flesh." This is God's definition of marriage: one man and one woman committed to one another in  an one-flesh sexual union until death separates them.

The word for "honored" is more commonly translated "precious" in the New Testament. It's the word used in 1 Corinthians 3:12 where Paul speaks of "gold, silver, and precious stone." It is used in 1 Peter 1:19 in reference to the "precious blood" of the Lord Jesus. It's used in 2 Peter 1:4 to refer to the "precious and very great promises" of God. So, when we honor God's definition of marriage, we are treating it as sacred and precious.

Marriage is based on the truth that men and women are created complementary. The biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the reality that children need a mother and a father underscores God's definition of a family. To deviate from this definition is to invite destruction not only in our families but also in our very lives. Redefining marriage does not simply expand the existing understanding of marriage; it rejects these truths of God. Marriage is society’s least restrictive means of ensuring the well-being of children. The future of any people depends on our biblical understanding of marriage and its sacredness and preciousness. 

The next part of v.4 of today's passage reads, "...husband and wife should keep their marriage pure."

This means we must keep our sex at home in our marriages. It means to keep the marriage undefiled. Just as God invented marriage, He also invented sex to complement the marriage in a variety of ways. When we ignore God's clear definition of marriage and sex, we unknowingly undermine the very fabric of our emotional and physical well-being and that of our prodigy. 

The last part of v.4 of today's passage reads, "God will judge as guilty those who take part in sexual sins."

The writer of Hebrews brings up the topic of judgment in the context of marriage because it has always been Satan’s scheme to redefine what God has said is good. The enemies desire is to so trick us that we no longer choose to enjoy the life God intends to give us. Marriage is a picture of God’s great love for us, yet Satan’s ploy to get Adam and Eve to sin involved getting Eve to act in independence of her husband. Even to this day, Satan is working to destroy biblical marriage. He does this by encouraging redefinition of marriage and by getting us to give in to sexual immorality.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you."

At the root of all sin is covetousness. We show our faith in the God of the Bible by being content with what He has given us. Learning to be content is the antidote to covetousness which is a sick ploy of the enemy to get us to distrust God. Covetousness is that unrighteous longing for more of that which God has not given us. Covetousness is that incessant reaching out for something and never being satisfied with what we get. And, the more we get, the more dissatisfied we become. 

The salve to discontentment and covetousness is contentment. The Apostle Paul said, "I have learned in whatever state I'm in to be content." The Apostle learned this as he grew in his relationship with the Lord Jesus wherein he was granted the ability to see just how big the God of the Bible truly is. This is what develops contentment in our souls, our God-sized understanding of the bigness and the goodness of God. It is when we seek after the things of this world that our view of God takes a blow to the head. And, the reverse is true, as well. When we seek after Him, our view of the things of this world are revealed to be what they truly are: limited to this world and lacking in its delivery.

In 1 Timothy 6:6 we read, "But godliness with contentment is great gain."

When we believe this world is the ultimate, we will live for what this world has to offer us. When we choose to let this world define us more than God, we will have false happiness. But, happiness grows not through the pursuit of a process, but through the presence of a person. The presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives is the mystery to happiness. When we practice His presence which is to treat Him like we do our best friend, we will experience the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. 

Twice in 1 Timothy 6 the Apostle uses the word content which is true wealth. We are taught in this world that contentment is the product of the comforts of this world. When we are being defined by God and what He says, our covetousness will diminish because we will increasingly be defined by His definition and pursuit of us. Loving the things of this world ignores the true gain which is the discovery of what is really real. 

The word used for godliness is the Greek word which means sacred awe. This is the secret to contentment, the awe of God. In Colossians 1:27 we discover that it is Christ in us that is the hope of glory or the presence of God in our lives. If all we pursue is the things of this world, we will never know this awe of God, because we will never be made content by the things of this world. Only God renders contentment in the soul He has created. Genuine gain is the product of being defined by God which is inseparably linked to His presence in our lives. 

The Greek word for contentment means unflappable, not moved by circumstance, oblivious to outside troubles. Being content with what we have is one of the greatest principles in life. When our contentment is based on the sufficiency of Christ, we will be able to transcend everything in and of this world. True contentment comes from God in our heart, not wealth in our hand. A person who depends on material things for peace and assurance will never be satisfied, for material things have a way of being lost. 

Hebrews 13:3

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Remember those who are in prison as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering as if you were suffering with them. ~ Hebrews 13:3

Today, we return to our study of the final chapter of the book of Hebrews which is the climax of this book. Having considered so much doctrine in the first twelve chapters, in this final chapter the writer of Hebrews gets practical and gives us some application of the truths we have learned. Having come into a personal relationship with God, and having experienced His love for ourselves, it only makes sense that we should extend that which we have learned through experience with God to others.

Having commanded us in the first two verses of this chapter to love other believers and to entertain strangers in our homes, today, the teaching given is a bit more difficult. In the first part of today's verse, we read, "Remember those who are in prison as if you were in prison with them."

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the bridge for man to intimacy with God was severed and forgiveness became a temporary covering instead of a permanent removal. This infection of sin not only prevented our Creator from indwelling the heart of even the believer, it also hampered the restoration of our relationship with God until the Lord Jesus died on the cross. The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ allowed us to see the magnitude of God's love for us. And, it is clear that God so badly wanted to redeem man, He sent His Son as a ransom for us. Now that we have the ability to see the heart of God for what it truly is, we are positioned to gain His heart for others, particularly those who are in the greatest need of our prayers and attention.

We are instructed to be mindful of those who are persecuted because of their faith in Christ. As believers who are in personal relationship with Christ, God expects us to demonstrate His heart for those who have been imprisoned for the faith. When this passage was written, it was a capital offense to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus. And, as a result, many bold Christians were suffering persecution. They had even been imprisoned for their faith. So, the writer of this book reminded his audience to remember those who were in prison. 

The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will always take us out of our comfort zone. When gripped by the love of God, we will be compelled from within to go beyond our comfort to those many places where people hurt and are in need of our help. And, there is nothing that is of greater help than our prayers. In fact, we underestimate our prayers of faith.

We do this because there are times when we pray for a person and our prayers seem to make no difference. It is in these moments that we are tempted to stop praying. The enemy would love for us to believe the lie that our prayers make no difference at all. Prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. Prayer is the deliberate act of communicating with God. We must be careful to avoid prayer as a monologue for it is a conversation. We recognize that it is a conversation when we realize that God is quite creative in His responses. Many times, I have noticed that He responds to my prayers by incorporating His creation. He has been known to use even my four year old dog by the name of Millie.

It was Max Lucado who once said, "Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference." Prayer has been described as simply pouring out our hearts to God. In the case of today's verse, it is for those who have been imprisoned. 

The second half of today's verse reads, "Remember those who are suffering as if you were suffering with them."

Our involvement in the lives of others whom the Lord brings into our lives is aided greatly when we put ourselves in their place. When we put ourselves in their shoes, we begin to recognize how best to pray for them. Did you know that in the early church there were people who actually sold themselves into slavery to get enough money to free people who were in prison?

When we determine to work on getting rid of other people’s problems, we see our problems with a whole new perspective. When we preoccupy ourselves with the burdens of others, we tend to lose sight of our own problems. Self‑pity loses its life source in such contexts. And, perhaps, there is no greater way to combat self-centeredness than by remembering those who are imprisoned and who are suffering for the faith.

In Revelation 12:11 we read, "And our brothers and sisters defeated him by the blood of the Lamb’s death and by the message they preached. They did not love their lives so much that they were afraid of death."

At the end of time, as we know it, we will see the veil peeled back and find that those who have been persecuted, even to death, were actually conquerors through the blood of the Lamb and by the gospel that they preached. And, they were able to do this because they loved not their lives even unto death. This underscores the words of the Lord Jesus in John 12:25 which reads, "Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep if for eternity."

The more and more we are defined by the eternal, we will be less and less defined by the temporal. The further we go in our personal relationship with the Lord, our understanding of eternal values will increasingly restructure our choices. Once we know how to die, it is then that we will know how to live. For those who will be alive during the Tribulation, due to the awful circumstances at that time, they will be granted the clearest perspective on that which is most important. And, their choices will reveal the substance within.

When he decided to go to the cannibals of the Fiji islands years ago, Missionary James Calvert was told, "If you go to those savages, you will surely lose your life." To those most serious words, Calvert replied, "I died before I decided to go.” People who live this way are unstoppable. Let us be unstoppable today for the glory of the One who procured our eternity by laying down His life for us.

Hebrews 13:1-2

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1 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 2 Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it.  ~  Hebrews 13:1-2

Today, we transition into the final chapter of the book of Hebrews. This book has clearly mapped out the plan of God to provide sinful man with salvation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. As he has clearly pointed out over and over, the key is that our faith has as its object the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, our salvation is not only about the forgiveness of our sin and that we are guaranteed heaven, it is also about the change of culture with our souls. And, God's goal is that we would share our story with Him with others who might decide to enter into a personal relationship with God for themselves.

In this final chapter of Hebrews, as throughout this whole letter, it is evident that God does not promote religion. You see, religion is the best efforts of man to earn the favor of God, and we know that is impossible.

God recognizes that we live life in segments. He knows that our lives fall into two main categories: our relationships with other believers in Christ and our relationships with those who are not believers in the Lord Jesus. This is why He begins this chapter with the subject of v.1 which reads, "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters."

Here is the point of our sanctification: to demonstrate to all that God is alive by demonstrating it through love. Love is the demonstration of our faith in the God of the Bible. We demonstrate we love the Lord by how we love others. Faith is the root of our salvation while love is the fruit of our salvation. Our faith shows by the love we exemplify.

Notice this is to be a sustained love. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "Keep on loving each other." He did not just say that we should get it started. And, he didn't say invent brotherly love, or generate brotherly love. No, he said, make it your habit to love one another. It makes sense for us to do this because we have experienced the love of God for ourselves. And, since we have, we will naturally love other believers who are family.

Now, we are surrounded by people who want to find that which is substantive. Granted, there are those looking for us to do something wrong so that they are seemingly be taken off the hook with God. But, I would rather focus on those who are looking for the truth. Knowing this, we are instructed here to incorporate into our testimony one of the most powerful apologetics: love. "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters." 

The Greek word phileo is used here. Literally this means "let camaraderie and friendship blossom, in spite of all your differences.” The Lord Jesus did not say, "Let your mouth so speak that men may hear your nice words." No, He said, "Let your light so shine that they'll see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." 

The Lord Jesus said, "By this all men shall know you're my disciples by the love you have one for another." And, he is not speaking of the love that we have for the world, he is speaking of the love we have one for another. So, he commands, "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters."

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it."

The word "welcome" means to show strangers hospitality or to invite them into our homes and to show them kindness. The term "strangers" here could refer to believers and unbelievers. In Galatians 6:10 we read, "When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers."

In addition to helping the traveler, this type of ministry has a special beneficiary effect upon us as well, for the writer reminds us: "because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it." Perhaps he is referring to the experience of Abraham when three guests came to his home and he found that they were the Lord and two accompanying angels. At any rate, he is indicating that there can be surprising blessing come from the entertainment of strangers in our homes. 

To the Jew, hospitality was one of the greatest virtues. If somebody came into town and needed a place to stay, needed a meal, it was one of the highest virtues in Judaism to take that person into your home and minister to them, put them up for the night. There's a commandment in Leviticus 19 that says, "Love your neighbor as yourself." That's an Old Testament commandment, it is not just found in the New Testament.

The Lord Jesus went beyond the Old Testament, he said, "We ought to lay down our lives for one another." Notice He didn't say, "Die for me." He said, "Lay down your lives for my sake." It is much easier to die than it is to lay one’s life down daily with the sense of the high calling while living very ordinary lives. No matter how much we want to do some grand, magnificent work for our Lord, the is that we are called to walk in His light in very ordinary ways. 

In contrast to our justification, our sanctification is much more difficult because what is really happening is the reality of our salvation is becoming manifest in and through us. This is bringing into reality that which is totally opposite from what is natural for us. Christlikeness is not something we can conjure up. We can’t simply decide to be so. No, this is God burning away that in us which is not of Him, replacing it all with that which is of Him. Therefore, we come regularly to the throne of grace in fear and trembling because the battle is fierce. And, we are commanded to love one another and lay our lives down for our Master by loving them as He does.

Hebrews 12:28-29

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28 So let us be thankful, because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We should worship God in a way that pleases him with respect and fear, 29 because our God is like a fire that burns things up. ~ Hebrews 12:28-29

Today, we conclude our study of Hebrews 12. In light of the fact that the Lord will, at the end of time, shake this world, we can be most grateful that we have been included in His family by believing in His Son for the forgiveness of our sin. Even the faith which enables our hearts to see God is a gift, and, therefore, we should be the most grateful people on the planet.

Gratitude and happiness seem to stick together, like two tight-stitched friends. Where we find one, we find the other. God's kingdom which He has granted to us who believe on His Son as our Savior from the effects of sin is a kingdom that cannot be disturbed by enemies or upset by disaster. His kingdom is secure and safe and strong forever, and, it is ours!

These young Hebrew Christians to whom the writer of Hebrews wrote, knew about a kingdom that can be shaken. They knew public persecution, imprisonment, and desertion. In fact, they knew years of no earthly blessings at all. Yet, it was in that miserable context, they were given the opportunity to evaluate aright. They were given a reality that made it most conducive for them to conclude that which is most substantive in this life.

According to v.28 of today's passage, our gratitude is the product of "having a kingdom that cannot be shaken." This verb is a present participle, and thus it is best understood as "we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken." These words are in confirmation of the fact that the temporal things of this world will be shaken out of existence. That which will remain is the "kingdom that cannot be shaken." Based on the fact that this lies ahead for the believer in Christ as a certainty, "let us be thankful."

G.K. Chesterton converted to Christianity at age 48, because he was thankful, but he didn’t know who to thank. He famously wrote, "The worst moment for an atheist is when he is really thankful and has no one to thank." 

Biblical gratitude is grounded in God’s love for us who are undeserving. Our English word "gratitude" derives from the Greek word which means "grace." This term most often translated as "thanksgiving" in the Bible is the Greek word which literally means "good grace." This isn’t a coincidence for at the heart of gratitude is the positive response to the incredible and indescribable grace of God.

Interestingly, God doesn’t need our thanks. After all, the God of the Bible is self-existent, which means he has no needs. In the community of the Trinity, God is completely secure and satisfied, lacking nothing. He suffers not from loneliness, lack or insecurity. God calls us to give thanks not for His benefit but for ours. He trains us to be grateful people, because gratitude is good for our spiritual health and maturity.

The second half of v.28 reads, " We should worship God in a way that pleases him with respect and fear."

Refusal to give thanks to God leads to the poisoning of our souls. When we block up the reservoir of gratitude, we open the sea of corruption that deeply infects our souls. Once again, in Romans 1:21 Paul wrote, "They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness." The lack of gratitude leads us to disdain the wrong person, it leads us to disdain God. 

In addition, according to Ephesians 5:20, gratitude is one of the keys to being "filled with the Holy Spirit." Paul tells us that to be filled with the Spirit looks like "always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God." And, gratitude is the central cure for anxiety. Paul writes in Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." 

In v.29 of today's passage we read, "...because our God is like a fire that burns things up."

When God revealed Himself to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, He did so in memorable fashion. The people were not allowed to come near the mountain, as it shook and burned with fire. God shared the ten commandments in such a way that fear invaded the hearts of the people so that they pleaded with Moses to speak to God to not speak to them again. They did this because they thought they would die if God spoke to them again.

Throughout the Bible, God is frequently connected with fire, and, it is not just His presence that is frequently associated with fire, but fire is also connected with God’s wrath against sin. One of the earliest instances of this is when the people made and worshipped the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai. In response, God said, "Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them." 

We do not like to think of God as wrathful, executing judgment on the wickedness of the unrepentant. Too often we misunderstand the wrath of God. We think of Him as being wrathful for the sake of being angry. All too often we wrongly think God is angry and needs appeasing. This is not a biblical understanding of the God of the Bible. In fact, God says He is slow to anger and is merciful and gracious. 

Essentially, God’s wrath is the revealing of His holiness against sin and we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. For God to be a consuming fire means He is so holy that he is unapproachable by sinful man. And, for those whose sin has not been atoned for, He will wipe them out along with their evil. 

God’s wrath should motivate everyone to seek His forgiveness for it is against Him that we have rebelled. The perfect question is raised in Revelation 6:17, "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" According to Revelation 7:13, those who will in the end stand before the throne of God are "those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Salvation from the coming wrath of God can only be found in being joined with the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world through His sacrifice on the cross.

Only when we have come face to face with God’s wrath can we appreciate God’s love. We cannot fully appreciate that we can be freely justified through the blood of the Lord Jesus until we understand we are sinful and are deserving of the wrath of God. Due to the fact that all of mankind is wicked, we all must access the grace of God so that we can stand before Him on the day of judgment and find grace rather than fire.

Hebrews 12:25-27

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25 So be careful and do not refuse to listen when God speaks. Others refused to listen to him when he warned them on earth, and they did not escape. So it will be worse for us if we refuse to listen to God who warns us from heaven. 26 When he spoke before, his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once again I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 The words “once again” clearly show us that everything that was made—things that can be shaken—will be destroyed. Only the things that cannot be shaken will remain.  ~ Hebrews 12:25-27

Today, we return to our study of Hebrews 12. As you know, the book of Hebrews is written around five warnings: the warning against drifting away (2:1-4), the warning against disobedience (3-4), the warning against falling away (5-6), the warning against willful sin (10:26-31), and, the warning against denying the Lord which is the subject of today's passage which is the fifth and final warning in this book. 

In v.25 of today's text we read, "So be careful and do not refuse to listen when God speaks. Others refused to listen to him when he warned them on earth, and they did not escape. So it will be worse for us if we refuse to listen to God who warns us from heaven."

God has a long history of speaking to man. In Romans 1:20-23 we read, "For since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do. 21 They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness. 22 They said they were wise, but they became fools. 23 They traded the glory of God who lives forever for the worship of idols made to look like earthly people, birds, animals, and snakes."

These verses underscore the fact that man is without excuse for not trusting God for God has communicated Himself in a multiplicity of ways to man. In fact, this book of Hebrews began with the words, "In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son." God's most profound words came to man through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God entered into man's natural world through sending His Son. He could not have been more intimate than He chose to send His Son to die for our sin. 

God did all of this and yet man rejected Him. Man rejected God because man wants autonomy. The problem with this is: left to ourselves to run our lives means utter ruin for us. God could have let us go our own way, but His heart of compassion reached out. In fact, He has been reaching out to rebellious man since the Fall so long ago.

The writer of Hebrews warns us to be careful to not refuse to listen when God speaks. God has clearly spoken in many ways and at many times down through the centuries. He has communicated because He desires to connect with us. He is not an idea to be thought about. He is a person to be listened to and understood and enjoyed and obeyed. 

The word that God spoke by His Son is His decisive word. It will not be followed in this age by any other word. This is the Word of God, the person of the Lord Jesus and His teaching. And, it is in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus that we are able to make sense of His messages to us. 

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "When he spoke before, his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Once again I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.'"

When God spoke at Mount Sinai, the whole mountain shook. God speaks into our lives by causing or allowing circumstances into our lives that disturb our sense of normalcy and gets our undivided attention. He "shakes" those things that can be shaken in order to reveal what can't be shaken. And, there is coming a day when He will shake not only the earth, but heavens, as well. When He does this, the whole universe will collapse. All the stars will fall out of the sky and the heavens will rolled up like a scroll. At that moment all will know what is truly substantive and eternal.

In v.27 of today's passage we read, "The words “once again” clearly show us that everything that was made—things that can be shaken—will be destroyed. Only the things that cannot be shaken will remain."

The writer of Hebrews refers to the prophet Haggai who wrote, "Yet once more, I shake not the earth only, but heaven." One day soon, God will wipe out the entire universe, leaving only that which is eternal. Only the eternal things are going to remain. With this in view, we, daily are left with a clear choice: to choose to invest in the temporal things of this world which will not endure throughout eternity or to invest in the substantive things of eternity.

Clearly, God has warned us about what is going to happen at the end of time, as we know it.  And, this reveals His heart of love for all of us. He has shown this love to us most profoundly at the cross of His Son through whom He has provided a way of escape from the influence of the evil one. Will we refuse and reject what God offers? Or, will we realize our great need for His intervention in our lives. 

The Bible is full of prophecies spoken by God hundred and thousands of years earlier which He has fulfilled hundreds and even thousands of years later. In fact, 700 years before Christ, God told the prophet Micah to prophesy that the Messiah would be born in the then insignificant little town of Bethlehem. Micah penned this prophecy some 700 years before Christ walked this earth. And, 700 years later, the prophecy came true when Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem. There are dozens of prophecies just like that, throughout the Bible, which God has fulfilled. God does not ask us to believe without evidence. He calls us to believe because of evidence. And, He has given us lots of evidence. 

Finally, I have known a few times when my world has been shaken. The first was when my mother died when I was five years old. I refused to hear Him then. And then, when I was seventeen years old, my father died. This time, I did not refuse to hear Him and boy am I glad I listened. We must be diligent to not refuse Him who has spoken so much. If we do, our eternity and the eternity of those whom we love are at stake. Diligent attentiveness is a must in order to reject refusing His voice.

Hebrews 12:22-24

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22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands of angels gathered together with joy. 23 You have come to the meeting of God’s firstborn children whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all people, and to the spirits of good people who have been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the One who brought the new agreement from God to his people, and you have come to the sprinkled blood that has a better message than the blood of Abel. ~ Hebrews 12:22-24

In yesterday's passage, the writer of Hebrews continued his comparison between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. We considered the first half of the comparison, along with the poor motivation of fear that came from it. Whereas in yesterday's blog we considered Mount Sinai where Moses received the Law which condemns us, today, we consider Mount Zion where the Lord Jesus Christ took our condemned position and gave us His glorified position. Today, we will consider the New Covenant that rendered us God's grace. 

In the context of today's passage, the writer of Hebrews pictures Israel, God's chosen people, gathered at Mount Sinai. He contrasts that with the picture of all who have ever trusted in the efficacy of the cross of the Lord Jesus gathered at Mount Zion. Herein we discover the difference between the two mountains. The difference is intimacy with God, as we shall see. The believer in Christ does not merely know about God and His forgiveness, the believer in Christ is granted a growing intimacy with God. Through the removal of His wrath upon us and the entrance of the Holy Spirit in us, we now enjoy a personal relationship with God that is deepening and widening as we learn to trust Him more and more. 

In v.22 of today's passage we read, "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands of angels gathered together with joy."

The believer's newfound relationship with the God of the Bible through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ should be the primary determinant of his identity. Having reminded his hearers that when the Old Covenant was given, due to mankind's sinfulness, we have never been able to measure up to God's standard of perfection. Of course, this is why God sent His perfect Son who measured up in every possible way on our behalf. And, it is the immeasurably painful performance of the Lord Jesus on the cross that has rendered in our heart the desire to know God in a way that we never thought possible. 

Here, in v.22, we learn we came to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. As a result, our whole disposition before God has changed and we are now His dwelling place. Whereas Mount Sinai represented the Old Covenant and the Law and judgment, Mount Zion represents the New Covenant and the grace of God and forgiveness. 

Mount Zion is another name for Jerusalem. As you know, God, in the days of Moses, set up a sacrificial system which was a provision by which He could grant forgiveness to those who believe in Him, who recognize their sin, and who know they need God's forgiveness. But, that system was inept at changing man's heart. This is why the writer of Hebrews reminds us that we do not want to go to Mount Sinai for it is there that we are condemned. 

On the other hand, we want to dwell in the place of God's grace and acceptance and freedom. We want to dwell with the One who went to that place of the skull in Jerusalem, to that little hill south of the Old City called Zion. We want to dwell at that Jebusite stronghold which David conquered and made his royal residence in the seventh year of his reign. We want to dwell at Mount Zion which represents God’s gracious dealing with man at the expense of His Son. We want to dwell at the place of  forgiveness and grace.

In v.23 of today's passage we read, "You have come to the meeting of God’s firstborn children whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all people, and to the spirits of good people who have been made perfect."

When we come to Zion, we come to Christ. When we come to Christ, we come to His grace. When we come to Christ we come to the fellowship of the Lord Jesus. When we come to Christ, we come to share in His perfection.

The Greek word used here for "perfect" informs us that we have been made perfect in God's eyes and we are accepted into the beloved. At Sinai, there is death. At Zion, there is life. At Sinai, we were rejected. At Zion, we were embraced by our Heavenly Father.

In v.24 of today's passage we read, "You have come to Jesus, the One who brought the new agreement from God to his people, and you have come to the sprinkled blood that has a better message than the blood of Abel."

Abel is a beautiful type, or, a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Abel was a shepherd. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. Abel offered the sacrifice of a lamb. Jesus Christ offered the sacrifice of Himself, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by God. Likewise, the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ was completely accepted by God, evidenced by the fact that God raised Him from the dead. Abel was hated by his brother without a cause. Likewise, the Lord Jesus was hated by His brothers, the Jews, without a cause. Abel suffered a violent death at the hand of his brother. So too, the Lord Jesus suffered a violent death at the hand of the Jews.

In v.24 the Lord Jesus brought the new agreement from God. The blood of murdered Abel witnessed to the fact that in itself humankind was destined for God’s judgement and wrath. However, in His covenant of grace, God provided a completely new possibility, namely the prospect that the blood of Christ would bring about complete reconciliation to God and salvation from His wrath. Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance, while the blood of Jesus cries out for mercy. With view of man's hopeless condition as witnessed by the blood of Abel, the New Covenant provides us with a way out of our hopeless situation. Because of Christ's cross, we, having believed on Him, are accepted by a holy God who loves us completely. Only the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, can reconcile sinful humanity to God and only His blood can purify us and make us holy. 

Hebrews 12:18-21

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18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire. You have not come to darkness, sadness, and storms. 19 You have not come to the noise of a trumpet or to the sound of a voice like the one the people of Israel heard and begged not to hear another word. 20 They did not want to hear the command: “If anything, even an animal, touches the mountain, it must be put to death with stones.” 21 What they saw was so terrible that Moses said, “I am shaking with fear.” ~ Hebrews 12:18-21

Today, we continue our study of Hebrews 12 where we have been given some practical teaching regarding our faith in the God of the Bible. This faith, which is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see, trains our hearts to see God more vividly with each passing day. Today, we are given the first half of a comparison. The writer of Hebrews contrasts the Old Covenant with the New Covenant and the motivations involved. Today, we will only consider the first half of this comparison. 

We live in a fallen world that has been impacted by sin. As a result, living things die, and, natural disasters occur. This world is now a place where the second law of thermodynamics rules. Having been separated from God by sin, man can not exist in the presence of God. Our sin must be remedied, and, this is why the Lord Jesus came in the first place. In the future, according to the Bible, we know this world will be shaken out of existence; and nothing will be left, including space and time. According to the book of Revelation, God will Himself shake the earth and the sky.

In v.18 of today's passage we read, "You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire. You have not come to darkness, sadness, and storms."

In this verse, the writer of Hebrews points us back Mt. Sinai on that day when Moses went up the mountain to receive from God the Ten Commandments. Fear gripped the people then, and rightfully so. They had been reunited with their Creator and their sin still hung over them. This was not the way God had meant it to be, but man's rebellion had to be remedied before anyone could move forward with God.

Fear is most often a losing proposition. When we are motivated out of fear we always lose something. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and like Israel at the foot of Mt. Sinai, we are frightened and then we run from God. But, it is not fear that is our worst enemy. No, our worst enemy is ourselves because until we come to faith in the Lord Jesus, we are defined by the evil one. Most unsaved people are not aware of this fact. And, as a result, man fears God. And, the writer of Hebrews asks these newly born again believers, "Having come to know the forgiveness of God through Christ, why would you desire a system that motivates you out of fear?"

In Exodus 22, 3000 people died when the Law of Moses was given. The Law of Moses, given man's sinfulness and inability to measure up to the Law, only breaks us and brings us to the end of ourselves. The Law is the bad news of the good news. Like, those Jews who were delivered from Egypt, many want the benefits of the God of the Bible without turning away from the familiar, without repenting from their normal way of approaching life. You see, the Israelites were addicted to the flesh which is the fallen part of our existence on this earth.

The words, "You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire," were penned to help these young Jewish Christians understand the daily choice that they had. Essentially, the choice is fear or faith. You see, like you and me, these young believers in Christ had come into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, and, their faith was not strong enough in order to enable them to see the folly of depending on their adherence to the Law to cause them to know the Lord like they could. They were under new management and they should have come to an end of the fear the Law produced in them. And, the only way we get to the place where we put off the fear is by growing in our personal relationship with Christ.

In v.19 of today's passage we read, "You have not come to the noise of a trumpet or to the sound of a voice like the one the people of Israel heard and begged not to hear another word."

These two thoughts, "the noise of a trumpet" and "the sound of the voice," took these young Hebrew Christians to the foot of Mount Sinai where the people of Israel "begged not to hear another word" from God. They begged this because the word of God cut them to their sinful hearts and their sin had not been removed from them. The sound of the voice of the Lord was so overwhelming that they feared they would die if they heard anything more from Him directly. As a result, God gave them the elaborate Old Testament sacrificial system that would point them, eventually, to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The way the Lord gave the Ten Commandments to Israel on Mount Sinai reveals He was checking the people’s hearts. Moses said to the people of Israel in Exodus 20:20, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." You see, these to whom the writer of Hebrews wrote were in danger of choosing the wrong mountain and Mount Sinai was the mountain of death.

In v.20 of today's passage we read, "They did not want to hear the command: 'If anything, even an animal, touches the mountain, it must be put to death with stones.'"

Anyone with unforgiven sin will always be the recipients of God's wrath which is essentially the absence of His love. In Exodus 19 we read the story of how the children of Israel came to Mount Sinai. Through His servant Moses God said to the Hebrews, "Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death." There was no mercy or grace at Mount Sinai. And, as a result, there was no forgiveness there. The Law was written on stone and it only presented Israel with death because they could not measure up to it.

Most interestingly, when asked if they will go to heaven when they die, most people, today, believe they will make it into heaven on the basis of their ... goodness. But, in Romans 3:19-20 we read, "19 We know that the law’s commands are for those who have the law. This stops all excuses and brings the whole world under God’s judgment, 20 because no one can be made right with God by following the law. The law only shows us our sin." 

In Galatians 3:10 we read, "But those who depend on following the law to make them right are under a curse, because the Scriptures say, 'Anyone will be cursed who does not always obey what is written in the Book of the Law.'"

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "What they saw was so terrible that Moses said, 'I am shaking with fear.'"

Moses fully perceived the danger of violating one of the commandments of God. The word translated "shaking with fear" means "totally frightened." The only other time this word is used in the New Testament is in Mark 9:6, describing the state of Peter during the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus before Moses and Elijah. Both of these events brought such a deep fear on those who beheld the sight, that it brought about a reaction of absolute terror, and rightfully so.

After the people of Israel made the golden calf at the bottom of Mount Sinai, Moses went back to the Lord and said, "Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written." 

Fear is an emotion induced by a perceived threat of significant loss. There is nothing that makes us more uncomfortable than fear which is counter-productive. The problem is that fear is paralyzing because it shuts down the brain and paralyzes heart-felt action. Tomorrow, we will consider how grace motivates.

Moses was "shaken with fear" because he knew the requirements of the righteous God of the Bible. He also knew Mount Sinai represented the Old Covenant which only led to condemnation, since the people could not be holy enough before God. Today, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that such a covenant offers no lasting safety for sinners. And, in the end, it only leaves us overwhelmed by the wrath of God or its prospect. Thank the Lord He sent His Son to take that awful place of suffering because we could never have remedied our sin problem.

Hebrews 12:16-17

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16 Be careful that no one takes part in sexual sin or is like Esau and never thinks about God. As the oldest son, Esau would have received everything from his father, but he sold all that for a single meal. 17 You remember that after Esau did this, he wanted to get his father’s blessing, but his father refused. Esau could find no way to change what he had done, even though he wanted the blessing so much that he cried. ~ Hebrews 12:16-17

We return to our study of Hebrews 12 which comes on the heels of the faith chapter. It was in Hebrews 11 that the writer of Hebrews gave us the best definition of faith and now he is giving us some practical teaching regarding how our faith in the God of the Bible should grow and be expressed to others.

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "Be careful that no one takes part in sexual sin or is like Esau and never thinks about God. As the oldest son, Esau would have received everything from his father, but he sold all that for a single meal."

As we return to our study of Hebrews 12, we are reminded that the very same word translated "holiness" in Hebrews 12:14 is the exact same Greek word that is also translated throughout  this letter as "sanctify" or "sanctification." And, as we have said, to "sanctify" is to put something to its proper use. As we would expect, the enemy of God is always looking for ways to distort God's definition of things, and, this is why the writer of Hebrews brings up the subject of fornication in today's passage. It is as if God is saying to you and me, "Don't cheat on me by using sex out of its proper use," whether it is fornication or adultery.

When we first believed on Christ, the Holy Spirit indwelt us. At that point we were given a daily choice to be defined by God or not. And, when we are being defined by Him, we and His word are being "put to its proper use," the use for which God intended. Unlike positional holiness or justification, this is practical holiness, this sense of dependence and availability to God.

Now, when we do not let God define us, when we take God's word out of its intended purpose, as Esau did, it is as if we are looking at pornography. Especially in light of the fact that the word used here translated "sexual sin" is the word from which we get our word pornography. Esau's sexual addictions, as seen in him marrying multiple foreign wives, began with his fantasies which were not held in check by the word of God. And, left to himself, Esau was gobbled up by his sin.

Esau was Abraham’s grandson, the older twin born to Isaac and Rebekah. Esau's twin brother was Jacob. And, even though Esau was the firstborn, he lost his firstborn status because he sold his birthright to Jacob for a single meal. Esau lost his birthright because he chose not to let God define him. The birthright had to do with the promise given to Abraham concerning the coming of a Seed that would set men free from self. To despise the promise, as Esau did, is to say that the things that God offers to do for us are of no importance at all. Esau chose to ignore what God had to say on the subject and it was at this point that he began being defined by something other than God.

In v.17 of today's passage we read, "You remember that after Esau did this, he wanted to get his father’s blessing, but his father refused. Esau could find no way to change what he had done, even though he wanted the blessing so much that he cried."

As in the case of Esau, when we ignore God, a hardness of heart sets in and when we are being defined by the enemy, it will increasingly be more and more difficult to turn back to God. Repentance means a change of mind. When Esau came back to his father later and requested his birthright, his father said it was too late. Esau had sold it to his brother. Esau wept bitterly and tried to change his father's mind, but his father could not change his mind because it was already promised to Jacob.

In spite of the fact that Esau and Jacob eventually made peace with one another, Esau’s descendants, the Edomites, never got along with Jacob’s descendants, the Israelites. Edom regularly opposed and fought against Israel. A big part of the problem was that the Edomites were pagans and the Israelites followed God. The prophets Jeremiah and Obadiah both warned God would "bring disaster on Esau" and that the Edomites would be eventually destroyed.

Esau valued the definitions of this fallen world rather than those of God. He chose the temporal and physical cravings of this world rather than God’s definitions of all things. Esau was defined not by God and the writer of Hebrews used him as an example of one who resists the expression of God in his life. All of this underscores the fact that our actions have consequences, and sometimes those consequences take us to places we would rather not go.

As believers in the Lord Jesus, we must walk as sons intent on the pleasure of God’s blessing, not as rebels intent on the pleasures of sin’s false promises. As we have seen, Esau was a fool who was a sexually immoral man, who lusted after and married pagan Hittite women. We must be careful to not be deceived like Esau. It is interesting that he did not become sexually immoral over night. But, his problems began when he chose not to be defined by God which lead him to being enslaved to sexual immorality. 

Hebrews 12:14-15

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14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ~ Hebrews 12:14-15

We return today to the development of our faith in the God of the Bible and the practical outworking of that faith as we endure trials of various kinds. The main thrust of today's passage is making it our priority to live out of the holiness or perfection the Lord Jesus earned on our behalf. As a result, being at peace with God will enable us to be at peace with ourselves and others. We can not be at peace with others until we are at peace with the Lord for ourselves. This is why the Lord Jesus came to earn our perfection and subsequent acceptance before God.

Today's verses are not a means to our justification before God.  They are a means to our sanctification. The writer of Hebrews is not suggesting that we can earn the favor of God by pursuing peace and holiness. Our ability to live out of Christ's perfection is realized in our lives through being at peace with God, ourselves, and then, others.

The phrase, "Make every effort to live" is one word in the Greek. This Greek word episkopeō means to take oversight. As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are to take the oversight over our choices to be defined by God alone. Even though we have the perfection of Christ assigned to our account before God, it does not automatically mean we will live at peace with God, ourselves or others. Since we are at peace with God, we should be peacemakers.

In Matthew 5:9 we read, "You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family."

Again, we can never earn God's favor which is a gift the Lord Jesus purchased and earned for us. When we understand that we are secure positionally before God in Christ, we should be at peace with God, ourselves and others. Having believed on the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we have peace with God. We have experienced the imputed righteousness of Christ. The question is: Do we live out of that acceptability before God, ourselves and others? If Christ is not defining us, we will not live out of this position. This is why the writer of Hebrews has so emphasized the utter value of our pursuit of the Lord. And, it is not as if the Lord does not want to be found by us, but, if we are not willing to bow our will to His, we will not be defined by Him.

In v.15 we read, "See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."

The Message translation of this verse puts it this way: "Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent."

Bitterness is toxic to the effectiveness of God's grace in our lives. Bitterness is like emotional suicide. It is holding onto a hurt that someone has exacted upon us. Bitterness turns us into a perpetual victim. When we are always the victim, we find ways to justify our poor choices. I find it mind blowing when I think of how it is so much easier for the bad or the evil desires yet within to triumph in my life over the good of Christ's presence. In this case, our injured condition beats up our accepted position in Christ. When we lose sight of God's grace He has extended to us, we will not be gracious to others. In fact, as the writer of Hebrews points out here, we will be great hosts for bitterness. 

Now, it is foolish of us to be defined by the lesser things of this world because, as in this case, bitterness in our hearts contaminates love in our souls. In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to "let no bitter root develop in you." And, the greatest prescription for bitterness is the grace of God.

The second half of v.15 reads, "...that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."

Unchecked bitterness always develops deep roots and these roots are very difficult to uproot. The roots of bitterness are hidden but they have many expressions out in the open. Overcoming bitterness means letting go of grudges. Holding a grudge comes out of our inability to express anger directly. When our hearts are bitter, God is not real to us. Bitterness blocks the rays of God's gracious love toward us and through us. And, the greatest way to abandon the power of bitterness in our lives is to grant a home in our souls for the active grace of God. 

This is why we are exhorted in Jude 21 to "keep ourselves in the love of God." The diligent maintenance of God's love in the  uppermost in our thoughts arms us against the evil of an unforgiving heart. The Living Bible renders Jude 21 this way, "Stay always within the boundaries where the love of God can reach and bless you." We must be diligent to remind ourselves, frequently, that God loves us. And, that His love is unmerited and unconditional. This is the posture out of which we are to approach God, ourselves, and others.

Hebrews 12:12-13

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12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. ~ Hebrews 12:12-13

We return to our study of Hebrews 12 wherein the writer of Hebrews has established the fact that the believer in Christ is involved in a race. This is not a race of competition, it is a race to attain the goal of knowing Christ most intimately. One essential in this race is trials which are used of God to deepen us in our hearts ability to see and hear Him. Another essential is hearing the spoken word of Christ on a daily basis. This is not an audible word. This is His word that resounds in our souls as we seek Him in everyday life and through His written word.

As with any race, there are times when we may "grow weary and lose heart." In fact, we are often tempted to stop the pursuit for a while. But, as we considered in the previous passage, we have been given a revolutionary truth intended to aid us in this process. This revolutionary truth is the God of the Bible has become our Father through the death of the Lord Jesus. As children of God, the Father disciplines or trains us in and through our struggles. And, His motive behind all of His training is always love.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees."

Here, the writer of Hebrews begins to summarize the practical results of our trials: They are the means to the end of knowing God more deeply. Our trials are intended to strengthen our faith in the God of the Bible ,so that, we are able to realize the outworking of the New Covenant the Lord Jesus ratified with His blood on the cross of Calvary.

The analogy of "strengthening our feeble arms and weak knees" delivers the message of "stop being so anxious and worried." 

God's training technics are not given to us to slow us down; they are designed to enable us to maximize our ability to pursue Him most effectively. The writer of this book uses an athletic metaphor encouraging us to get our second wind. And, our ability to catch our second wind depends primarily upon our ability to be dependent on God for our identity and purpose in this life.

Now, the first thing that happens to a good runner, when he gets tired, is he drops his arms. In order to be the best runner, it is the best practice to utilize rhythm throughout the body. The motion of the arms is very strategic to the movement of the runner's body. And the rhythm of the whole body has to be in congruity if the runner is to be successful. Metaphorically, when our pursuit of God wanes, our rhythm is broken and we lose our stride which is essential for us to pursue God with all of our souls. 

The second thing that always happens to a runner, when he gets tired, is his knees begin to wobble and pretty soon he is fighting against the growing numbness in his legs. And, if he begins to concentrate on the numbness in his legs, he’s finished. There’s only one thing that a runner can do at that point, and that is to look intently at the goal and tell himself, "I am going to make it to the goal." It’s the only thing he can do.

Like so many illustrations used in the book of Hebrews, this illustration comes from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. In Isaiah 35, the children of Israel were given very similar words as these given in today's passage. As it was for the struggling Jews in Isaiah's day, it is in our pursuit of the Lord that is the issue. The real issue isn't our fatigue, although it is very real. The real issue is what gives us the unction to continue the race. There may come times in our lives when our arms begin to droop, and our knees begin to wobble, and we begin to think we can't continue. It is at this point that we must look to the Lord Jesus. Fixing our eyes on the One who gave birth to our faith is the very One who will mature it, if we let Him.

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed."

It is always disastrous when a runner changes running lanes. To make level paths for your feet means we must be diligent to stay in our lane and not be distracted by all of those things that would distract us from pursuing the Lord. If we fail to run the race in our own lane, straight ahead at full speed, we will not be successful in our pursuit of the Lord. 

The word "paths" here means the track left by wheels. The point is that we are not only running for our own benefit, we are leaving a track for others who might follow in our steps. Every day we leave a pattern for others to follow. And, for the maturing believer in Christ, the pattern is determined pursuit of God. And, when we pursue Him, we will find Him, and He will define us with His truth and culture.

The word "lame" in v.13 is a reference to the weaker Christian. Whenever we change lanes we could have a negative impact on those who are weaker than we. The weaker Christian has enough trouble just getting down the track. The analogy is this: If we start going from side to side, we are going to knock over the weaker brother. 

The Greek word used here translated "disabled" means to be put out of joint. The weaker brother is already limping. The writer of Hebrews is saying, "don’t permanently dislocate the weaker brother." As believers in Christ, we should run in such a way that the weak brother may be encouraged to pursue Christ for himself. If we are distracted from the Lord, if we start getting mad at God, if we start getting ticked off because we've got some troubles, and we start losing our testimony, somebody who’s watching will be impacted.

The goal of our sanctification is healing, not only for us but also for others. The point of our sanctification is that we are so convinced that we need the Lord that we pursue Him with all we have. All too often we think our sanctification is about a better us. Any time we are emphasizing self, we are out of wack. 

Dennis Kinlaw once wrote, "I have come to believe that the mark of the truly sanctified heart is that it cares more about another’s salvation than it does about its own well-being. It is not the words you say or the deeds you do that really matter. It is whether deep down in your spirit you have taken the way of the Cross and come to the place where you care about what Jesus cares about and are willing to give up everything so people will be redeemed."

Let me close with another great quote from Dennis Kinlaw who once said, "Satan disguises submission to himself under the ruse of personal autonomy...the shift in commitment is never from Christ to evil; it is always from Christ to self. And instead of his will, self-interest now rules and what I want reigns. And that is the essence of sin."

Our biggest enemy is self, and, anytime we magnify self, we should be greatly alarmed. The goal of this pursuit that we are engaged in is the Lord Jesus. The Apostle Paul put it so well when he wrote in Philippians 3:12, "I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me." The goal is reaching out for the One who first reached out for us.