Participants: James Rafferty, Ty Gibson
Series Code: BOTB
Program Code: BOTB00012B
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00:01 Hello friends and welcome back to our continuing study in
00:03 Hebrews chapter 12. 00:04 We are picking up here in verse 15. 00:07 What Paul does here Ty, is he is repeating one of the 00:10 same points that he brought out in the very 00:12 beginning of the book. 00:13 Looking to Jesus, but in the verse 15 after describing 00:17 that trials and tests will come to us and that God doesn't 00:21 bring them necessarily and overrules them for good, 00:24 because He loves us. 00:25 He says we need to look diligently lest any man fail 00:28 of the grace of God, and lest any root of bitterness 00:31 springing up, trouble us, and any be defiled, in other words 00:34 It is easy for us to lose sight of the fact that a loving 00:37 God is not the author of evil. 00:39 He did not intend for us to experience pain and suffering 00:43 and misery and death. 00:44 And to think that God is omnipotent and think that He 00:47 is the One that is in charge of all this chaos and evil 00:50 and darkness in this world. 00:51 We need to recognize that God is not the one that brings 00:54 pain and suffering. 00:56 Jesus said it this way that I have come that you may have 00:58 Life and life more abundantly. 01:00 The devil came to kill, steal, and destroy. 01:02 But God has come to give us life. 01:04 We're going to be inclined, in our human trials and 01:07 temptations, and the things that we go through James, 01:10 to hold other people accountable for the bad things that 01:14 happened to us. 01:15 We are going to be inclined to be angry, 01:17 we're going to be inclined to be resentful, and so Paul tells us 01:21 he says, Listen, I want you, verse 14, to pursue 01:24 peace with all people I want you to be at peace with all people 01:27 And then again in verse 15, he says, I don't want you to allow 01:31 a fruit of bitterness to spring up in your life. 01:33 We are inclined to hold other people accountable for the 01:38 things that happens to us. 01:39 Paul is saying, in a sense, let everybody off the hook. 01:43 God has related to you in such a way as to extend mercy 01:47 and compassion and forgiveness. 01:49 We need to live by the same rule of forgiveness. 01:53 We need to treat other people, even when they fail us, 01:57 the way that God has treated us through Jesus Christ, 02:00 by extending mercy and pardon. 02:02 That's why I like Romans 8:28, because it says we know that 02:06 all things work together for the good to them that love God, 02:09 to the call to those who are called to them that love God. 02:12 And I really liked that because it says not that we will be 02:16 immune from evil or the effects of sin, but that we will, that 02:20 God will work that for good, that He will bring good 02:23 out of that in our lives. 02:24 And the way that we can be sure not to allow this root of 02:28 bitterness, anger and resentment to well up in our lives, 02:32 and then defile and pollute our relationships and our 02:36 relationship with God. 02:37 It is to look diligently, to look carefully to Jesus. 02:41 As we focus our attention on the Savior, we will be far 02:45 less inclined to find fault in others and to allow 02:49 bitterness to arise in our lives against them. 02:52 Amen! Amen. 02:54 So where are we going to from here? 02:55 I think it's verse 18. 02:56 Verse 18, is making a shift here. 03:00 There is a new emphasis in this chapter now, because 03:05 Paul is telling us that we have a specific invitation 03:09 and admonition to come somewhere and it is 03:12 not somewhere else that he specifies. 03:14 Verse 18, he says for you have not come to the mountain, 03:20 that may be touched, that burned with fire to blackness, and 03:24 darkness and a tempest. 03:26 You have not come, in other words, to Mount Sinai. 03:28 Mount Sinai is what is being talked here where the people 03:31 heard the trumpet. 03:33 They saw the mountains shake. 03:34 They were surrounded with darkness. 03:37 There was lightning, the people trembled. 03:40 The Apostle Paul informs us that they became afraid, and 03:45 they begged Moses, not to allow any more words from God 03:49 to be spoken to them. 03:51 And in that fear, and in that trembling they were 03:55 inclined to turn from God, but now Paul is saying no 03:58 that's not the experience God is calling us to. 04:01 He is not calling us to an experience of trembling and 04:04 pulling back from God, but he is actually calling us to 04:08 draw close to the Lord. 04:09 In verse 22. 04:11 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living 04:15 God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable 04:19 company of angels, to the general assembly of the Church 04:22 of the firstborn, who are registered in heaven to God. 04:26 The Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect 04:30 and to who Jesus, the Mediator of the better covenant, 04:35 and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better 04:38 things than that of Abel. 04:39 This is so powerful, because what basically Paul is saying 04:43 in the context of everything we have reading is this, God's 04:45 people, in the Old Testament times, were scared to death 04:48 to approach God, to approach His presence, 04:51 to be in His presence. 04:52 But now that we have seen Jesus, 04:54 the forerunner, who has gone before. 04:56 Now that we have understood the essence of salvation, 04:59 the gospel that covenant, the better things. 05:01 We can come. 05:02 Jesus has gone before there is a general assembly 05:05 in the church there. 05:06 There are those whose names are written there. 05:09 There are, there is a Mediator there. 05:12 There is a heavenly host there. 05:14 There is no reason for us to be afraid to go there. 05:16 God is approachable. 05:17 We can approach Him. 05:19 We can be and His presence we don't need to fear. 05:21 So, he says in verse 25, See that you do not 05:25 refuse Him who speaks. 05:27 Which is again one of the themes in a different way. 05:31 Paul brings up over and over again, in the book 05:33 of the Hebrews, don't refuse don't draw back. 05:36 Its just a continual encouragement, a prodding, 05:39 come on, we're moving on, we're coming closer and closer to God. 05:42 Draw near to Him, He's friendly, He's full of Grace. 05:46 Mercy to forgive, grace to help in time of need. 05:50 Have confidence move forward. 05:52 Don't turn away. 05:53 It goes on and says, don't refuse Him. 05:54 Don't turn away from Him, that speaks from heaven. 05:57 In other words, don't reject Him. 05:59 He is seeking to court us. 06:01 He is seeking to draw us to Him. 06:02 Don't refuse these overtures because we recognize that 06:05 if we are left to ourselves and we are left to face 06:08 the record of our lives, if we're left to bear our guilt, 06:11 of our sin, we're going to be overwhelmed. 06:14 God wants to take care of that so that we can 06:17 have complete record taking care of and we can 06:19 stand boldly before His throne. 06:20 Another great thing, that is brought to our attention 06:23 here is that we have a destiny that is brought 06:26 to view here. 06:27 That involves fellowship James, if we can imagine this. 06:31 It involves fellowship with the Angels, and innumerable 06:34 company of Angels. 06:35 So far the book of Hebrews has informed us that occasionally 06:38 we entertain angels unaware. 06:41 I mean, we have encounters with angels, because they 06:44 are sent forth to minister to those who shall be 06:47 heirs of salvation. 06:48 Paul says but we're not in an experience right now, 06:52 where we actually have face to face personal 06:55 fellowship with angels. 06:57 But this is something really to look forward to. 06:59 Can you imagine that in eternity future that we are going to 07:03 actually enter into friendships, and conversations 07:08 with angelic beings who will be a part of our 07:11 experience in the future. 07:13 It's just amazing. 07:14 And also we are going to meet those angels that 07:16 were probably working in our lives. 07:18 Helping us, guiding us, protecting us, when we 07:21 didn't even know about it. 07:22 And they are going to share with us the experiences 07:24 they had with us. 07:25 And how difficult it may have been at times for them to 07:28 do the task that God He had assigned to them 07:31 in watching over us, or directing us in the 07:35 way that He wanted us to go. 07:36 Jesus actually indicates, I just wanted to bring this up. 07:39 It just came to mind. 07:41 Jesus indicated in Matthew chapter 18 James, that 07:44 when a child is born into the world that a 07:48 child is actually assigned a guardian angel. 07:51 Because, he warned people who hurt children, he said. 07:55 Don't hurt little children, it would be better for 07:58 you to have a large rock tied around your neck and 08:01 be thrown into the depths of the sea. 08:03 Because they are angels, these children's angels, 08:07 do always behold the face of their father in heaven. 08:11 So we see here that children are attended by angelic 08:16 companions, who are there to watch over them. 08:19 To protect them. 08:20 We grow up, and no doubt these angels follow us 08:23 through our lives. 08:24 I can't wait to finally meet my own guardian angel, 08:28 who knows everything about me. 08:30 He's been with me through life, to meet my own 08:32 guardian angel face to face. 08:33 To learn his name. I mean, they have names. 08:35 The Bible says that there is an angel whose name is 08:38 Gabriel, we have no reason to suppose that each 08:41 of the angelic host don't have names. 08:44 They each one has a personal history. 08:46 Each of these angels encountered the fall of Lucifer. 08:49 And these holy angels endured through that great 08:53 rebellion and had remained faithful to God. 08:56 They'll have a testimony to share with us. 08:58 We'll have things to share with them. 09:01 It is just going to be incredible fellowship. 09:02 So we wherefore Paul says in verse 28. 09:05 We've received a kingdom which cannot be moved. 09:08 There is the immutable, immovable, presence of God. 09:11 Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably. 09:14 Because there is no way we can serve God acceptably 09:17 if we don't have grace with reference and Godly fear. 09:20 Why, for our God is, a consuming fire. 09:24 Now, what does that mean? 09:25 Our God is a consuming fire. 09:27 Well first of all, it's interesting that we have an 09:31 invitation here, but it is ominous invitation, 09:34 because Paul is saying from verse 18 onward 09:37 He's saying come to the Lord, come to Mount Zion, 09:40 Our God is a consuming fire. 09:43 I mean that doesn't seem inviting first glance. 09:47 Why would I want to come into the presence of a God 09:50 Who is described as a consuming fire? 09:53 But throughout Scripture, we encounter this idea of fire. 09:57 It is interesting because for example in Daniel 10:00 Chapter 7, verses 9 and 10. 10:03 We are told that God is surrounded by fire and 10:08 a river of fire, a stream of fire issues 10:10 forth from before Him. 10:12 And then it says in His presence, in the presence 10:15 of that fire, He is surrounded with 10,000 10:19 times 10,000 Angels. 10:21 Somehow these Angels are in God's presence, 10:24 surrounded with this fire, and they're not 10:27 consumed in the fire. 10:29 They are praising God, they are ministering in God's presence 10:33 and not being destroyed by this consuming fire. 10:37 So what is going to be destroyed by the consuming fire? 10:40 You know, all through the Bible, especially 10:42 the New Testament, we find that rebellion, 10:44 that sin, that which is out of harmony with Heaven, 10:47 and out of harmony with love is the element that 10:49 is going to be destroyed in the consuming fire. 10:52 In other words, those who stand in the consuming 10:55 fire have separated from sin, or have allowed 10:58 Christ to separate sin from their lives. 11:00 We can stand in that consuming fire, without that 11:03 fire consuming us when we allow Christ 11:06 to be our righteousness. 11:07 And when we accept His gift of salvation and allow 11:11 sin to be separated from our hearts. 11:13 There are a number of verses in the Bible that 11:16 fill out and kind of develop what's involved in this fire. 11:21 One of them, I think of is in the Song of Solomon Chapter 8. 11:25 In which the Shulamite woman, who is speaking back 11:31 to Solomon, her beloved. 11:32 She says, set me as a seal upon your heart, 11:38 a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong 11:40 as death and jealousy is as cruel as the grave. 11:42 And then it says, something very interesting James. 11:46 It says, the flames of love can not be quenched, 11:49 and it is like the very flames of Yahweh Himself. 11:53 God's love is associated with fire. 11:56 Also in Scripture God's glory is associated with fire. 12:00 And in the Old Testament it talks about how 12:03 those who stand in the consuming fire. 12:05 Those who have allowed God to cleanse them from that sin. 12:08 You know, God is going to cleanse the earth. 12:10 I mean the Bible is very clear II Peter tells us. 12:13 Revelation tells us that God is going to cleanse the earth. 12:16 He Himself is going to be the One that consumes sin 12:18 and every vestige of sin upon this earth. 12:20 His presence and love consumes sin. 12:22 But those can stand in the consuming fire of 12:25 His presence are those who have allowed themselves 12:28 to be divested of that sin through the grace of Christ. 12:30 They become partakers of the glory of God. 12:34 Of character of God. 12:36 So instead of this infinite contrast of guilt and pain 12:39 and self incrimination, they come into the presence of God 12:43 and find themselves perfectly at home for eternity 12:46 in a consuming fire of God's love. 12:48 That's why Paul says in 13, verse 1, 12:50 let brotherly love continue Friends we want you to let 12:53 brotherly love continue, to work in you, 12:56 to consume sin in you now so that you can stand 12:58 in God's presence then. |
Revised 2014-12-17