Hebrews 12, April, 2008
New Heights Christian
Fellowship – Mike Barnett
Hebrews 12:14-29 says:
14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and
to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15See
to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to
cause trouble and defile many. 16See that no one is
sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his
inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17Afterward, as
you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could
bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
18You have
not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to
darkness, gloom and storm; 19to a trumpet blast or to
such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word
be spoken to them, 20because they could not bear what
was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be
stoned."[a] 21The sight was so
terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."[b]
22But you
have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.
You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in
heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous
men made perfect, 24to Jesus the mediator of a new
covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood
of Abel.
25See to it
that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused
him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him
who warns us from heaven? 26At that time his voice shook
the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the
earth but also the heavens."[c] 27The words
"once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is,
created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our "God is a consuming fire."[d]
13) THE CHRISTIAN HAS THE AWESOME
RESPONSIBILITY OF MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO LIVE AT PEACE WITH ALL PEOPLE – THIS
IS PRACTICAL HOLINESS THAT PLEASES GOD. 14
“MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO
LIVE IN PEACE WITH ALL MEN AND TO BE HOLY; WITHOUT HOLINESS NO ONE CAN SEE THE
LORD”. V. 14
·
TO BE HOLY
EXPERIENTIALLY, THE CHRISTIAN MUST SURRENDER THEIR PRIDE IN ORDER TO LIVE AT
PEACE WITH OTHER PEOPLE. V.14
·
Until you
finally surrender your pride, you will keep hurting people and you will keep
being hurt by people.
·
The best way
to surrender the ego/pride/flesh is to mean and say words Like: I love you, I
was wrong, I am sorry, please forgive me, and thank you.
·
The Greek
word translated “pursue” is plural meaning everyone in the congregation is to
“pursue” this peace together and holiness together.
·
PEACE CANNOT
BE SEPARATED FROM FORGIVENESS – BECAUSE GOD FORGIVES YOU OF YOUR SIN, YOU ARE
MANDATED TO FORGIVE OTHERS WHO SIN AGAINST YOU.
·
IF YOU CHOOSE
NOT TO FORGIVE OTHERS OF THEIR SINS GOD WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU OF YOUR SHORT
COMINGS.
Matthew 5:38-47 says:
38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye,
and tooth for tooth.'[a] 39But I tell you, Do
not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to
him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you
and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If
someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give
to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow
from you.
43"You
have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[b] and hate your enemy.' 44But
I tell you: Love your enemies[c] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his
sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what
reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more
than others? Do not even pagans do that?
Matthew 6:14-15 says:
14For if you forgive men when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you
do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Luke 6:37-38 says:
37"Do
not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be
condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give,
and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and
running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it
will be measured to you."
·
WHEN YOU
CHOOSE NOT TO FORGIVE PEOPLE WHO HURT YOU, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO CONTINUES TO
SUFFER MORE PAIN, NOT THE PERSON WHO HURT YOU.
·
WHEN YOU
RESIST FORGIVENESS, YOUR PAIN WILL PERSIST AND THE LONGER YOU HOLD ONTO THE
OFFENSE AS IF IT WERE YOURS, THE SUFFERING GETS WORSE. TIME DOES NOT
NECESSARILY HEAL ALL WOUNDS – BUT FORGIVENESS DOES!
·
THE
·
IF YOU WANT
MORE ENERGY AND LESS PAIN IN YOUR LIFE – KEEP SHORT ACCOUNTS WITH PEOPLE BY
FORGIVING THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HURT YOU.
·
WHEN YOU
FORGIVE, YOU CLOSE THE ACCOUNT, BUT WHEN YOU KEEP THE ACCOUNT OPEN THROUGH
UNFORGIVENESS, THE DEVIL GET’S A FOOTHOLD THROUGH YOUR ANGER AND MORE PAIN
ENSUES.
Ephesians 4:22-27 says:
22You were taught, with regard to your former way of
life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful
desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness.
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and
speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin"[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are
still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold.
·
DO NOT
CONFUSE FORGIVENESS WITH TRUST – WHILE GOD COMMANDS THE CHRISTIAN TO FORGIVE
UNCONDITIONALLY, TRUST MUST BE EARNED AND IS NOT GIVEN UNTIL THE PERSON CHANGES
THEIR BEHAVIOR.
·
FORGIVING A
PERSON WHO HAS HURT YOU IS A “SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE” BETWEEN YOU AND GOD – IT IS
VERTICAL, NOT NECESSARILY HORIZONTAL.
·
FORGIVENESS
HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PERSON WHO HURT YOU – IT IS ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP
WITH GOD AND YOUR DESIRE TO OBEY HIM.
·
YOU FORGIVE
BECAUSE GOD TELLS YOU TO!
·
TO FORGIVE A
PERSON WHO DOES NOT DESERVE IT IS AN ACT OF FAITH THAT PLEASES GOD.
·
When the entire
church body pursues this peace through forgiveness individually, the collective
health and holiness of the congregation will be Christ-like. Vs. 14-16
·
In their
mutual relationships, all Christians are to pursue wholeness and harmony with
one another by drawing on this power that is theirs in Christ.
·
THE ENTIRE
BIBLE EMPHASIZES THAT HUMAN SINFULNESS SEPARATES PEOPLE FROM THE HOLY GOD AND
FROM ONE ANOTHER – PURSUING PEACE WITH GOD AND OTHER “CHRIST FOLLOWERS” BRIDGES
THE GAP.
·
The preacher
instructs all of his hearers to see to it that no one misses or falls short of
God’s grace.
14) EVERY CHRISTIAN IS
CALLED TO BE AN AMBASSADOR OF GOD’S GRACE. NOTE: BEFORE YOU CAN BE A GRACE
GIVER, YOU MUST BE A GRACE RECEIVER. V.15
·
Lagging in
the Christian race or neglecting spiritual things may lead to failure to obtain
God’s grace for daily living.
·
Failure to
make use of God’s grace leads to a bitter root growing up within the
fellowship.
·
The symbol of
a bitter root represents a stubborn and self seeking heart.
·
How quickly a
bitter root will cause trouble. Pride and criticism soon surface.
·
One selfish
heart can mar the peace and wholeness of the entire body.
·
Many will
catch the same disease which fractures holiness toward God and harmony among
the church family.
·
We must
encourage, exhort, warn, instruct and pray for one another to prevent such
disaster.
·
Failure to
heed this advice may result in people becoming Godless like Esau.
·
The failure
to appropriate God’s grace leads to the bonfire of the bitter root of self will...
which leads to the forest fire of being Godless like Esau. Vs. 15-16
·
In this
passage, to be Godless is to reject holiness.
15) WHEREAS GRACE LEADS
TO HOLINESS – THE REJECTING OF GRACE LEADS TO BITTERNESS. Vs. 14-16
14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and
to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15See
to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to
cause trouble and defile many.
A. Receiving God’s grace
leads the sinner to repentance which is a softened heart.
B. Rejecting God’s grace
leads to sin and a cynical spirit which is a hardened heart.
·
GRACE GIVERS
ARE FIRST AND FOREMOST GRACE RECEIVERS.
16) CHRISTIANS DO HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY TO BE THEIR BROTHERS’/SISTERS’ KEEPER IN THAT THEY HELP PROTECT
THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST FROM SIN AND TEMPTATION. Vs. 14-16
14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and
to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15See
to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to
cause trouble and defile many. 16See that no one is
sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his
inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17Afterward, as
you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could
bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
I BECOME A “PROTECTOR” OF
THE SAINTS BY:
1.Taking responsibility for my own pride and sin by
surrendering to God on a daily basis.
2. Praying a hedge of
protection around by brothers and sisters in Christ.
3. Being
available to minister to my brothers and sisters in Christ as needed.
4. Speaking God’s truth
in love when needed.
·
V. 16 – Old
Testament writers often use adultery as a metaphor for idolatry. The two often
went together.
·
Those who
rejected God and practiced idolatry often participated in sexual immorality.
·
The person
who rejects God and lives for the things of this world is often entrapped by
lust, an enemy of God’s holiness.
·
Esau lived for
things he could see and rejected God’s promises and power.
·
He rejected
God when he sold his inheritance rights for a single meal. Genesis 25:29-34
·
Esau would
have received all the privileges God promised, but he squandered them for a
mere bowl of soup.
·
Esau is a prototype
of apostasy – His total Godless attitude cut him off from God.
·
Esau refused
to change his mind – he would not repent of Godlessness.
·
Esau sought
the physical benefits of the blessing with tears, but he was not willing to repent
of his sin.
·
This desire
for material blessing but refusal to repent shows how Godless
he was.
·
He had no
sorrow for anything he did wrong.
·
He regretted
only that he missed out on the material aspects of God’s promise to Abraham.
·
He wanted
part of the blessing that interested him.
·
Failure to
appropriate God’s grace may lead to a self-willed rebellious heart, which then
leads to the kind of Godless state we see in Esau.
·
Esau lived
totally for the things he could see and rejected God and His eternal reward.
·
TO RECEIVE
GOD’S BLESSINGS CHRISTIANS ARE URGED TO SURRENDER THEIR HEARTS.
·
THERE ARE NO
BLESSINGS WITHOUT HEART SURRENDER.
17) THERE IS NO BLESSING
FROM GOD APART FROM SURRENDER AND SUBMISSION TO GOD. Vs. 15-17
·
A CHRISTIAN
CANNOT RECEIVE THE FULLNESS OF GOD’S BLESSING WITHOUT SURRENDERING ALL THEIR
HEART, MIND, AND SOUL TO GOD. Vs. 16-17
·
In vs. 18-24,
the preacher contrasts God’s people before the mountain at which God
established the Mosaic Covenant, and before
·
WHEREAS THE
OLD COVENANT WAS FULL OF LAW AND WRATH, THE NEW COVENANT IS FULL OF PROMISES
AND GRACE.
·
Vs. 18-21
describe the awesome occasion when the law was given at
18) THERE IS NO REASON TO
GO BACK TO THE OLD COVENANT FOR SALVATION BECAUSE THROUGH CHRIST – IT IS
FINISHED. Vs. 18-24
·
Believers in
Jesus Christ do not have such a threatening covenant as the Old and should not
consider returning to it.
·
The preacher
does not speak of a mountain that can be touched and that is burning.
·
He speaks of
something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a
tempest, and the sound of a trumpet.
·
These words
probably refer to the Ten Commandments.
·
When the
people heard this voice with God’s words, they could absolutely take no more.
·
They begged
that no further words be spoken to them. V. 19
·
They could
not bear the least thing that was commanded them: If even an animal touches the
mountain, it must be stoned.
·
Moses’ words
then, reveal the reason why the people could not approach God: their sin.
·
Mt Sinai
exposed their sin, but gave no remedy for it.
·
To reject
Christ is to reject the promise toward which Sinai pointed and to be left with
nothing but condemnation.
·
The
description of the first mountain, the mount of condemnation, offered nothing
but impersonal, fearsome fate.
·
The second
mountain offers a picture of joyful beings praising God.
·
We meet thousands
and thousands of angles in joyful assembly.
·
All God’s
children are heirs through Christ.
·
Their names
are written in Heaven.
·
If we reject
this blood, we become subject to the woeful separation from God and the
judgment depicted in Vs. 18-21.
19) IF A PERSON REJECTS
THE BLOOD OF THE NEW COVENANT THAT SANCTIFIED THEM, THEN THEY MUST TAKE ON THE
CURSE OF THE OLD COVENANT LAW. Vs. 18-21
QUESTION: BUT WHY WOULD A
PERSON DO THAT SINCE CHRIST ALREADY PAID THE PRICE TO GIVE
20) THROUGH CHRIST, THERE
IS NO BARRIER BETWEEN YOU AND GOD EXCEPT THE ONES YOU MANUFACTURE THROUGH THE
FLESH BY TAPPING INTO THE MEMORY OF THE PAST. Vs. 18-24
21) WHILE THE
CONDEMNATION OF THE OLD COVENANT IS GONE, JUDGEMENT REMAINS FOR THOSE UNDER THE
NEW COVENANT, BUT THE CURSE IS GONE THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST. V.23
·
While
condemnation is gone for the Christian, judgment remains. V. 23
Galatians 3:10-14 says:
10All who rely on observing the law are under a curse,
for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do
everything written in the Book of the Law."[c] 11Clearly no one is
justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by
faith."[d] 12The law is not
based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live
by them."[e] 13Christ redeemed us
from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:
"Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."[f] 14He redeemed us in
order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ
Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
22) WHEN CHRISTIANS DO
NOT FEEL AT HOME IN THIS SINFUL WORLD, IT IS BECAUSE THIS WORLD IS NOT THEIR
HOME – IT IS JUST
·
These
righteous Old Testament heroes of the faith have now been made righteous
through Christ – they have been cleansed of sin so that they can come fully
into the presence of God. V. 23
·
Even in
Heaven we are not allowed to forget the mediator. V. 24
·
We should not
picture an angry God appeased by a loving Jesus.
·
We have a
loving God who has provided for our redemption through his son. Who became
Jesus.
·
Abel’s blood
proclaimed the verdict, “guilty”.
·
Jesus’ blood,
sprinkled on our hearts, proclaims a better word – the verdict, “forgiven”.
·
It is through
Christ’s blood that we and all of God’s people have access into the joyful presence
of God on
·
The preacher
now can say that the God who spoke on
·
We are not
dependent merely on the past revelation when Jesus was on earth.
·
The Kingdom
cannot be shaken” refers to the eternal reality God has prepared for His own
and will remain untouched when the created world is removed at the judgment.
Vs. 27-28
·
The subjects
of the Kingdom obey and have fellowship with Him.
23) WHILE THE EARTH WE
LIVE ON IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE, THE
·
We who are
faithful Christians, are in the process of receiving this kingdom now. V. 28
·
Our
thanksgiving for this sacrifice and all its benefits is our acceptable
“offering”.
·
Worship
through thanksgiving is accompanied by reverence and awe.
·
Such
offerings of thanksgiving imply the obedience of the worshipper.
·
The preacher
envisions the Christian life as worship of God in the heavenly
·
The ultimate
blessing will be to experience this worship in its fullest when we have
completely entered into the eternal Kingdom we are now receiving. V. 28
·
“Our God is a
consuming fire” emphasizes the gravity of breaking God’s Covenant.
·
Over and over
again the preacher has shown us how we share the privileges far greater than
those who lived under the Old Covenant.
24) THE CHRISTIAN IS TO
BRING A SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING TO GOD FOR GIVING US THIS UNSHAKABLE KINGDOM!
V. 28
QUESTION: WHEN IS THE
LAST TIME YOU THANKED GOD FROM THE HEART FOR ADOPTING YOU INTO AN UNSHAKABLE
KINGDOM?