We have great forces with us The army of Heaven and a great cloud of witnesses Suffering is only for a moment Heb 12: 18-29 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. Faith is especially needed when we face experiences intended to discipline us. Yet Jesus Himself endured extreme suffering and opposition, setting us an example of perseverance up to the very point of death (Heb 12:1-3).What we must remember when difficulties come is that any good parent disciplines children. Thus hardships are evidence that God is treating us like the sons we are. Surely if we respect human parents who discipline us, we must respect God, whose discipline is wiser and directed toward a greater goal. So we are not to crumble under difficulties, but proceed with courage and hope. The writer now pauses to introduce a final warning. Faith calls for us to live with others in holiness and peace. The first covenant was given to a frightened mob who stood before an earthly mountain that trembled and shook. Our covenant was given by Jesus who opens heaven itself. God now intends to shake not just a mountain but the earth and heavens as well, and we alone will inherit the unshakable kingdom of our God: How holy our lives should be, and how fervent the worship of our awesome Lord. “Cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) The Christian life is like a relay race. Persons of faith who have run before us (chap. 11) have passed the baton to us and now watch us carry on. As we run we can look back and see how Jesus ran His race. When we look ahead we can see His exaltation. He is our example as starter and finisher. The word analogisasthe means to “take account of.” To “weary and lose heart” were descriptions in classical Gk. of persons who relax or collapse along the way. When we take account of how much Jesus endured we’ll realize that suffering and hardships are no excuse for our giving up and dropping by the way. The Gk. word is paideia and means to bring up a child, or to train, and in this sense to discipline. While God’s discipline may often be experienced as hardship, this passage makes it clear that divine discipline is (1) a responsibility God fulfills as a parent toward those who are His true children, (2) expresses love and not anger, and (3) is directed toward a specific purpose, to shape us toward holiness. The Gk. word is mastigoo, and means “to whip.” Spanking was one tool a Jewish parent used to train children. But the overall context of the relationship was to be loving and every punishment to be for the child’s good. If we fail to sense the love and the purposefulness that underlie God’s discipline we are likely to become bitter and so “miss the grace of God.” If we see our trials and difficulties in the perspective provided by God’s grace we will accept discipline. Esau is an example of the godless in that he saw absolutely no value in spiritual things and so traded his birthright to God’s covenant promise for a bowl of stew. If you and I value only the material rather than the spiritual, we too will miss the blessing. Moses gave the Law before a mountain that burned with fire and shook the plain. The terror felt by that generation will be nothing to that felt by those who cannot see spiritual realities and fail to enter the kingdom of Jesus. That kingdom alone will remain when the universe itself is shaken, and this creation disappears. How good to be a citizen of the kingdom of God. But one day by the word of God all heaven will enter our atmosphere and change everything according to the word of God. A great company of all heaven will enter and up root the foundation of the world by the hand of God, sending His spirits into our atmosphere to set things right for the saints. Bringing order into the universe, after the great war, God will stand upon the earth with all the saints, according to the prophecy of Enoch.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 04:25:09 +0000
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