Dangerous Defaults for People of God - Hebrews

Introduction

Among the things that will provide the greatest challenge for people who want to serve God are those things that look good and sound good but are in fact counterfeits for the real thing. When Paul wrote a letter to Jewish Christians (Letter to the Hebrews) he wrote to warn them about these very things. The Jewish people who had become followers of Jesus were not vulnerable to the moral pressures that plagued the pagan world. What was going to stop them from New Covenant faith was Old Covenant religion.

It may well be the same for many of us. We may not be tempted to rob a bank this year and in doing so miss the purposes of God for us. We will probably be more prone to things that sound and look spiritual but in fact will have the same impact as various forms of moral unrighteousness.

If we take the warnings of this letter we will find ourselves pointing in the right direction and wanting the things that flow from a vital ongoing relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That is the road that leads us to our God ordained destiny. It doesn’t mean we will have everything our own way and will have the luxury of all our preferences. It does mean that we will be able to navigate whatever circumstances come our way to a place where God’s purpose for our lives will be fulfilled.


ONE: CHOOSING A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS OVER A RELIGIOUS SYSTEM
Hebrews 1-2


1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word………..………1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?

The prophets, the Old Testament, the angels and all that went along with them were stepping stones to Jesus. The Jewish believers had turned stepping stones into monuments. We often allow religious institutions, structures and traditions to substitute for the opportunity of living each day in relational dependence on Jesus. The great salvation is nothing more or less than the opportunity to know Jesus Christ (cp Philippians 3). Amazing how we can substitute church for Jesus. The danger is that is seems good and spiritual. We are also often endangered by the idea of substituting good lifestyle values for a personal relationship with Jesus. Just think of people you know who are good people but they don’t know Jesus personally. How horrible is that. Jesus referred to this when he said the following:
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7


TWO: CHOOSING TO FOLLOW HUMAN WISDOM RATHER THAN GOD’S WORD
Hebrews 3-4

Wasn’t it amazing that the same people who saw the most powerful ruler of the whole world (Pharaoh) humbled by the power of God and who passed through the sea and who stood at the foot of the mountain and heard and saw the manifestation of the presence of God failed to trust God’s full promise and ended up wandering the in the wilderness until all but two of them were dead. They had faith to leave but not faith to enter. They had faith the get out of Egypt but not faith to get Egypt out of them. We can find ourselves believing God for the forgiveness of our sins and trust that we will have a room prepared for us in heaven, but we can’t trust God for healing or for financial provision etc. As a result we live between the two worlds. We are no longer slaves in Egypt, but we are not living in the promised land. We have heard the promise of living a life characterized by the “rest” of our trust in the Word of God’s promise, but we so often do not enter in to that lifestyle of peace. We find ourselves living by fear and unbelief in the daily experiences of life. We find ourselves trusting Jesus for our salvation and trust in our own wisdom when it comes to moral values. We tell God how much we love him on Sunday and sleep with our fiancée on Monday. It is a lifestyle based on the Word of God’s promise that will enable us to experience rest.

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4



THREE: INFORMATION RATHER THAN APPLICATION
Hebrews 5,6

These are amazing verses:

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. 1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity… Hebrews 5

Like many of us there are no shortage of books, tapes, videos, sermons to read or listen to, nor a shortage of conferences to go to. I guess someone has worked out how many sermons the average believer will hear in a year or a lifetime. Add to that your commitment to reading the Bible and you have an information flow that could be very large indeed. But how much of what we hear do we actually go away and implement. Paul says that God’s people are locked out of maturity for one reason. They hear the words okay, but never put them into practice. He refers to two activities that will spell out the difference between becoming mature and staying a baby: “constant use” and “trained themselves.” We often want a short cut method. If people could become champion athletes by running to the video shop a few times a week, we would have champions all over the place. The reality is that what separates the potential champions from the real ones is not ability but commitment. We need to practice things constantly, not have a go once and never try again. We need to train ourselves, not blame our lack of effectiveness on someone else.

We often accept the idea that if we read that next book, or go to that next conference, the mere reading and the attending will get us to where we need to be. The answer is more likely to lie in how much practice we commit to and how much training we commit ourselves to.



FOUR: RELIGIOUS RITUALS RATHER THAN INTIMATE FELLOWSHIP
Hebrews 7-10

Sometimes people get a bit overawed by the detail referred to here as to Jewish rituals. In these four chapters we non-Jews don’t appreciate the references to Melchizedek and the work of the high priest., nor worship in the earthly tabernacle or the heavenly one. We are more familiar with the references to the blood of Christ and to the idea that sacrifice was made once for all. Even so, we are often prone to getting hung up on the small picture and miss the point here. The point comes in these verses from Chapter Ten:


19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

The point is that God has foreshadowed an amazing promise. All through the Old Testament we are left in no doubt about the fact that God is holy and nothing holy can come into his presence. The tabernacle was built to say this. The sacrificial system and the setting apart of the priesthood said the say thing. What Jesus has done has satisfied God’s righteous standards. He has made it possible for righteousness to be imparted as a gift. Our sin can now be covered because it has been paid for in full. This was no more dramatically attested than when the curtain supernaturally ripped from top to bottom at the time of Jesus’ death on the cross.

All of this was not some legal process to satisfy the fine print of the law. All of this was to enable the heart desire of God to be fulfilled. God wanted to have his people living in the intimacy of close fellowship with himself. When you consider that the most representative statement of God’s intention was, “…I will be their God and they will be my people” you can gain a sense of the depth of God’s desire to reside with his people, not just to have a revival every now and then. That’s why it is referred to in the passage above using these kids of words,
Confidence to enter (the most holy place)
A new and living way
Through the curtain
Let us draw near
Not give up meeting together
The measure of this option is sweet fellowship with God. John the apostle spoke about this in his first letter when he said, “..our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3) When God’s word uses the word fellowship he is not referring to a group of people in the same room. He is referring to people sharing intimate relationship with one another.



FIVE: CHOOSING ACCOMPLISHMENT RATHER THAN COMFORT
Hebrews 11-13

The journey of following Jesus is not some ethereal and mystical self centred experience any more than the journey Jesus himself made was ethereal or mystical. There was some mystery about it, but very little that was mystical. Some examples of this can be seen in the fact that the ordinary unlearned people flocked to Jesus and hung on his words. They received healing and deliverance, food and comfort as well as teaching. At no time did Jesus waffle off into some other-worldly head space. And his teaching had to do with all the ordinary experiences of life: personal attitudes, communal relationships, marriage, children and the like. And it happened in the total light of public awareness. It wasn’t secret teaching behind closed doors to a few initiated people. His healings and working other miracles happened in the company of people who were savvy enough to know what was going on. Each stage was an accomplishment of the purposes of his Father. Each stage was a set of decisions and actions that were expressions of faith. In the process of doing this, Jesus encountered hatred, misunderstanding, opposition, rejection, evil storms at sea and so on. All of this ended in the cross, the grave and resurrection from the dead.

The last warning offered to the Hebrews is a timely one for all of us no matter what culture we happen to represent. It warns us to avoid making choices based on comfort and respectability rather than completing the task. It was the drive to complete a purpose given my his Father that kept Jesus from taking the soft option.

The Hebrews insight calls on the examples of the men and women of faith in the Old Testament. The cosmic grandstand was full of people who had experienced all kinds of things on the way to seeing the purposes of God established. Then the example of Jesus himself was referred to in the words,

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12

The “don’t lose heart” referred to the experience of hardships. The reference to Jesus as the author and finisher of faith has to do with the need to take action in the times of hardship. That action needs to be faith based action, not fear or comfort based action. Nobody I know likes hardships. We don’t prefer them. When they seem unjust we endure them and when they seem to be meaningless we are often frustrated by them. The call being made here is to understand the sovereign purpose that is working despite the suffering and hardship. If you can see that the greatest sovereign purpose was evidenced when the only perfect man was nailed to a cross and was numbered amongst the most shameful criminals you will see that it is possible to commit to similar sovereign purposes in your own life that uses (not causes) the hardships and turns them to be servants of that plan. God’s fatherly love for you rises above the frustration, the pain and the injustice. God uses these things to bring forth his purpose.

The warning is for us to avoid what is uncomfortable and to be overwhelmed by what is painful rather than embracing it and choosing to exercise faith in the midst of the circumstances.