Hebrews 2

This book was clearly written to an audience familiar with Jewish practices. Given that, the first thought is pretty astonishing. It could be paraphrased….

“In times past, God spoke to our forefathers in prophets, dreams, visions, even donkeys, and that’s pretty amazing. God’s truth communicated directly to them by all kinds of ways, but now, something far better has occurred. God has spoken truth to us, directly from His Son.”

The author then lists seven reasons why using this messenger surpasses anything else God could have done to communicate to us.

We’ll look at those seven things, and they should amaze us and change us. But I don’t want to skip the beginning.

God Spoke. That in itself is a miraculous blessing. It shatters Deism.

God Spoke to “our” forefathers. The Jews reading this should be reminded of their holy, special, privileged place. They were God’s chosen.

The pride the Jewish people felt at being God’s chosen was/is significant

DISCUSSION: Should Christians feel a similar pride at being God’s chosen?

Hebrews

For some reason, I woke up humming the happy little toon - "give me that old time religion." Until I remembered two verses.

"It was good for Paul and Silas." Let's see... it got them both imprisoned and at least one executed.

I'm not sure a happy little toon works. But the bigger problem is another verse.

"It was good for the Hebrew children." If the book of Hebrews has one message, it's this... "the old time religion (of the Hebrews) is not nearly as good as the new religion of Jesus Christ."

Discerning his will

On Sunday we focused on determining the specific way to express our desire to provide practical service in His name to someone in need. It started me thinking about some important issues about discerning His direction.

• He IS speaking and leading. John 14:26
• We are, too often, and too easily, not listening. Hebrews 3:6-19
• He does not answer all our questions,
• In some instances he wants us to use the intellect he gave us.
• In other instances he does not answer all our questions, but he answers the right questions. Matthew 10:19,20
• The first question is never “What will work to accomplish our goals?” The first question is always, “What are his goals?”
• The second question is never “How can we help his goals?” The second question is always “What obedience does he desire from us to accomplish his goals?”

So, the key is to ask the right questions, and listen with faith that he is speaking.

I have known for some time that his goals for us include that we touch the lives of a few in very deep and personal, but also practical and specific ways. His goal is to use us to mentor someone in life skills, relationships, caring, giving, and friendship. That means the current, urgent question is, “What obedience does He desire from us to accomplish that (his) goal?”

Old time religion

The following was written in a letter by John Newton (1725 – 1807 -- a former slave ship captain, who became an outspoken opponent of slavery, an Anglican Minister, and author of a hymn he named ”Faith's Review and Expectation” We know it by the first line of the first verse…. “Amazing Grace.”

“The true Christian is sensible and mindful of indwelling sin. He confesses that in everything he comes exceedingly short, and that his best services are not only defective--but defiled. He accounts himself as an unprofitable servant--and is abased in his own eyes. He knows that all that distinguishes him from the vilest of men--is the free grace of God!”

Do Christian still think like that?

Consequences

Looking at the most obvious expert at playing the “victim” role in the Scripture… Ahab, I noticed something. When Jezebel had Naboth killed, and Ahab claimed the vineyard, Elijah prophesied Ahab’s death, and the destruction of the nation. The announcement was blunt and direct. But it also struck me that God clearly and unequivocally linked the two events together.

“In the spot where dogs licked up Naboth's blood they will also lick up your blood”

- I Kings 21:19

It’s clear that if you decide that one of these folks should face some negative consequences, blunt and direct is better than tentative and vague. It may also be reasonable to conclude that whenever a negative consequence is applied to these folks, it should be clearly and unequivocally connected to their behavior.

victims

Does the scripture teach anything directly about how to deal with people who are especially adept at playing the role of being inept, incapable, pitiful, mistreated, victims of misfortune or evil others?

Tax Math

O.K., I know it's dangerous to get political. I hardly ever do. But I just have an observation. Barak Obama says that in his tax plan 95% of Americans will see a tax decrease. It's also a fact that 30% of Americans don't pay federal taxes. I'm not real good at math. But you don't have to be good at math to know this doesn't add up.

Update

I haven't posted in a while. We've been on a strange detour talking about a novel. The novel is called "The Shack." We didn't select it because it's perfect. It's not. The author makes a brave (if not foolish) attempt to illustrate truths about the unknowable mystery of Trinity.

We have used his novel to cause us to discuss the Godhead and how we view the Godhead. We are looking to the novel to springboard a discussion, but we are looking to the Scripture to teach us the truth.

It's been fun, difficult, and interesting. Perhaps the most interesting and consistent realization is that it's impossible for finite minds to approach God's infinite tenderness and compassion or his infinite justice and holiness without doing damage to the other.

Dying to Self - Part 2

I don’t like implying that something as important, complex, or life-rearranging as dying to self can be reduced to a simple process of a few steps. Nothing could be further than truth. But it may be helpful to conceptualize several forms that “dying to self” can and should take. The first one I’ll mention may also be first in priority.

We must die to self-righteousness and live in His righteousness.

I cannot have died to self and live out an attempt to earn God’s favor. Dying to self-righteousness means that I can only depend on the righteousness of Christ.

Pharisees had the whole “being righteous enough to deserve God’s approval” thing down better than any of us. Early in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Paul once wrote “forgetting those things that lie behind, I press on toward the high calling….” (Philippians 3) I have often heard that phrase used to encourage people to let go of offenses and pains in the past. I’ve heard some say that counseling should never discuss childhood issues because we should be “forgetting those things that lie behind.” It’s a complete distortion of what Paul meant.

Paul claimed “if anyone has the right to feel self-righteous, it’s me.” Then he listed his qualifications.

“I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee. In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless.”

Then he writes that he considers all that self-righteousness to be a liability (loss). His real righteousness comes from Christ, not from himself. When he talks about forgetting what lies behind, he’s talking about self-righteousness. He’s talking about any worthless claim he might make to righteousness rooted in his own effort.

Die to self-righteousness, live in Christ’s righteousness.

Dying to Self – one time and many times

This is why the Father loves me — because I lay down my life, so that
I may take it back again. – Jesus (John 10:17 )

In one sense a decision made once, but in another sense it’s a decision that must be made moment-by-moment.

Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him. So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: (Col 3:2-5) Emphasis added

There is no sense in saying “you have died” and “put to death” unless it is made once, and then over and over again.

If I decided at youth camp to die to self, in an eternal sense it’s done. My life is "hidden with Christ in God. " I will inherit with Christ all the glories of heaven. But in another sense, it’s just the first of many. In terms of practical Christian living, we must decide to die to self on a moment by moment basis.

The choice must be made every moment. Like this one.

Abiding

Jesus first calls us to come. Then he commands us to “stay” in Him. (To abide means to remain, or to stay.)

We have seen that this is more powerful than prayer because it is the key to answered prayer. John 15:7

We have seen that this is more gracious than salvation, because it results in more than just life, but life “more abundant” when we pasture with the good shepherd. John 10:10

We have learned that abiding with Christ is more miraculous than healing and more glorious than the image of God, because as we abide in Christ we are actually changed from “glory to glory” ever closer to His perfect image. 2 Cor. 5:17 ff

We have at least one more week on this topic. But as we have made purposeful efforts to “stay with Him and remember that He is in us” some remarkable things have happened… so remarkable that I am having trouble believing them. I write this for one simple purpose. It’s clear that abiding with Him is not something we accomplish by effort, giftedness, or even faith. If those were required, I would not be seeing anything.

But my lack of faith and vision notwithstanding, people in our group are seeing physical needs, emotional needs, and relational needs being met in astounding clarity.

“Stay”

More Gracious than the Gift of Life

John 15: 9 -11 "Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love. If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.”

Abiding in Christ places His full and complete joy within the one blessed to abide…i.e. “life more abundant.”

Acts 2:28 Peter, at Pentecost, quotes David from Psalm 16 “you will make me full of joy with your presence.” (emphasis added)