Hebrews 12:14-29
Hebrews 12:14-29 Wednesday night service
Summary:
He tells us to lay aside anything that competes with our heart for Him, because we’re in a race.
Keeping our eyes on Jesus and not clinging to the things God is pruning from our lives
He reminds us that God is a good Father who is chastening us, removing things for our good, so that our lives might yield the fruit of holiness.
So strengthen one another. Lest you become weary and lame in the race.
14 Pursue peace with all [people,] and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Peace is our pursuit.
We can be divisive for many reasons:
Pride, ego, selfishness
But also, truth. Every prophet was seen as divisive.
But divisiveness is never our pursuit
He says pursue holiness, without which we will not see the Lord.
The key word in both of these traits is pursue. Why? Because what we pursue demonstrates the direction of our heart.
A heart that genuinely wants to stir up trouble is a rebellious heart toward men. Self focused.
A heart that doesn’t long for holiness is a rebellious heart toward God. Self focused.
Peace and holiness are our pursuits because they indicate I love men and love God.
They demonstrate a heart that has died to self.
That’s why he says without which no one will see the Lord.
Not because he’s giving you a check list of things you need to do to be saved.
He’s telling us if these aren’t our pursuits we haven’t been born again, and thus will not see the Lord.
15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God (again looking out for one another); lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
Why is looking out for one another mentioned in this context? Because looking out for each other demonstrates my love for you.
Now when he’s talking about bitterness here there are two contexts in which it could be applied:
Bitterness toward God: because He’s bringing me through these circumstances and disciplining me.
Bitterness toward each other: because he’s just said we’re to look out for one another.
Both work, both apply, both forms of bitterness indicate a heart that does not want correction
Of which he told us in v11 that it’s those who are trained by correction that bear fruit of eternal life.
16 lest there [be] any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Fornicator is referring to spiritual fornication or adultery
Exchanging something holy for some short term pleasure
Profane is referring to treating something that is sacred as though it had no value.
Esau was Jacob’s twin brother.
he was the eldest in that he came out first. Thus the birthright afforded to the eldest was his.
But Esau traded something that God had ordained sovereignly to Jacob for a bowl of stew.
Later on when Isaac was dying he went to bless Esau but Jacob disguised himself and took his blessing.
Esau begged his father for the blessing but Isaac had already blessed Jacob.
Now when it says he sought it with tears there are two interpretations:
He sought the blessing with tears. But Jacob refused him.
He sought repentance itself with tears but couldn’t find it.
Both work theologically.
I think based on the context he’s referring to the second:
Esau sought repentance with tears but couldn’t find it through his bitterness toward Jacob.
Bitterness hardened his heart and defiled him by preventing him from being able to repent.
Bitterness is self focused. It forces us to relive the wound over and over.
He’s already told us the answer. Look to Jesus.
Jesus said, blessed are you when they say all manner of evil against you falsely for MY NAMESAKE, for great is your reward in heaven.
Regardless of how you interpret this passage what it shows is that there are some decisions which cannot be undone.
Which is what the author of Hebrews has warned them about twice now.
Turning back can have eternal consequences that cannot be undone.
18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard [it] begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight [that] Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)
So now he gives an example of the severity of God.
That when he gave the commandments to Moses on mt sinai nothing was allowed to touch the mountain without being killed.
God had made the mount holy and anything that touched it died.
It was so serious that even Moses was afraid.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn [who are] registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than [that of] Abel.
He says you haven’t come to Mt Sinai where man received Gods commands
But you’ve come to Mt Zion where the Son of God has set up His Kingdom.
His point is that the severity is greater not lesser.
Remember this was his whole case about the earthly tabernacle vs the heavenly tabernacle.
The REAL thing is always more important than the shadow.
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more [shall we not escape] if we turn away from Him who [speaks] from heaven,
See that you do not refuse Him who speaks… Is that prescriptive or descriptive? Prescriptive, it’s a command
Who’s he talking to here? Christians or non-Christians? Christians, or at least professing Christians
So “Christians” have the ability to refuse Him who speaks.
Then he gives us another comparison:
The penalty was severe for refusing Him who spoke on earth.
How much more severe if we turn away from Him who speaks in heaven.
What is the heart posture of refusing or turning away? Is it willful or unintentional? It’s willful, rebellious. It’s a goat not a sheep.
26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God [is] a consuming fire.
He says: Gods voice shook the earth
But shaking was exactly the point
Shaking indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made
He says He shook things so that the things of this world (things that are made) might be removed
That the things which cannot be shaken might remain
But we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken
Therefore LET US HAVE GRACE, or it can also be translated, let us be thankful
Let us be thankful that God is shaking our world so that what is temporary might be removed
The warning and encouragement are inseparable:
Everything built on this world will be shaken and removed.
Everything rooted in Christ and His kingdom will remain.
Therefore, we must not cling to temporary things or treat God casually.
We should live with gratitude, reverence, and complete surrender to the King whose kingdom cannot be shaken.
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