The Sheep and Their Shepherd
Hebrews 13:17-19
April 24, 2017

Well I think we can all agree that
This is probably the most important verse in the entire Bible!
Actually I can tell you that this is a pretty difficult verse to preach
And yet one that I can definitely tell you needs to be better understood.

You would be amazed if I told you
How many people from other churches I have come and talk to me
About how they don’t like their pastor.

You might also be surprised to know that I NEVER see this
As an opportunity to grab a new church member.

I’ve figured out, and so have many of you,
That ungrateful grumblers who fail to understand
The importance of submission and selflessness
Don’t make for healthy churches.

The writer of Hebrews knew this too.

We are now in the practical section of the book of Hebrews.
• We spent 12 chapters on theology, and now he closes the letter with a chapter of practical application and it has been tremendously valuable.

Thus far we’ve been given 3 really good pieces of advice.

1) Don’t let your difficult circumstances cause you to revert to some sort of self-preservation mode. “Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…Remember the prisoners…and those who are ill-treated.”

We were reminded that no amount of hardship
Is justification to neglect our most important command, which is to love.

2) Be careful about the obvious temptations that will wreck your faith. “Marriage is to be held in honor among all…for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” And “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money.”

Satan is the god of this world who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Don’t eat the deer corn, it will wreck your life!

3) Make a conscious decision to follow Jesus even though it appears costly. “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”

We were called to consider the cost, then look to the reward and make a conscious decision to take up our cross and follow Jesus.
So the advice thus far has been profitable in many respects.
• It is profitable to your brother whom you are called to love
• It is profitable to your life since you avoid temptation
• It is profitable to your eternity since you inherit an eternal city

And here the writer continues with what is profitable to you
And that is for you to obey and submit to your leaders.

In fact the writer says that A FAILURE TO do this, or making the job of your leader grievous “would be unprofitable for you.”

This PASSAGE ISN’T ABOUT the leaders
Getting some sort of perceived deserved recognition.

This PASSAGE IS ABOUT you understanding God’s order
And what is in the best interest of your spiritual well-being.

Now, as you look at this section of practical application the writer asks for two responses for those who lead you.
#1 SUBMISSION
Hebrews 13:17

I know we live in a culture that thinks “submission”
Is probably the dirtiest word you can say.

The Bible outlines 7 areas where submission is important
Our culture rejects all 7, and the even the church questions some of them.

1) Children to parents
2) Wives to husbands
3) Employees to their bosses (slaves to masters)
4) Citizens to the governing authorities
5) Believers to one another
6) The church to Christ
7) The church to her earthly leaders

Lost people reject every single one of those.
Never have we seen a culture where
• Feminism,
• Child hood disobedience,
• Workplace grumbling,
• Disrespect of civil government,
• And lack of a fear of God
HAVE THRIVED LIKE OUR CULTURE.
People hate submission.

The danger is that it has become such the norm for our society
That this mindset is even CREEPING INTO THE CHURCH,
Where it has absolutely no place.

Submission is foundational to Christian living.
In order to be a Christian we are called to submit to Christ as Lord,
And this entails then honoring every level of authority which He institutes.

• It is Christ who gave authority to parents over their children
• It is Christ who gave authority to husbands over their wives
• It is Christ who gave authority to civil government
• It is Christ who gave authority to bosses over their employees
• It is Christ who gave authority to overseers over their congregation

To reject any level of this authority is to reject Christ’s authority.
That’s just the way it is.

Here the writer zones in on the particular area of submission
Dealing with believers to their earthly leaders.

And there are 4 reasons given here why you should submit to them.
1) THEIR POSITION (17a)
“Obey your leaders and submit to them,”

You are called to submit to them because they are “your leaders”

Romans 13:1 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

That verse certainly refers to civil government but the underlying principle is still the same which is that “there is no authority except from God”

If they are your leader, it is not a mistake.
And incidentally there is NO CLAUSE HERE GIVEN
Regarding how good of a leader they are.

To be fair, Scripture does give explanation
Regarding how to deal with a sinning leader.

1 Timothy 5:19-20 “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”

Now that refers to a leader who is continuing in sin.
That leader is to receive public rebuke.

But simply not agreeing with the way your leader does something
Is NOT grounds for grumbling or rebellion.

Authority all trickles down from God, and therefore must be respected.
IT IS NOT THE PERSON, IT IS THE POSITION.

John MacArthur wrote:
“Someday God will rule all the earth through His Son, the King of kings, but in the meanwhile He rules His church through godly men. Submission to these men, therefore, is submission to God…In many churches today, the congregation rules the leaders. This sort of government is foreign to the New Testament. Church leaders are not to be tyrants, because they do not rule for themselves but for God. But the command is unqualified: Obey your leaders, and submit to them. It is the right of such men, under God and in meekness and humility, to determine the direction of the church, to preside over it, to teach the word in it, to reprove, rebuke, and exhort (Titus 2:15). They are to “shepherd the flock of God…exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to [their] charge, but proving to be examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3). Pastor’s and elders are undershepherds, who serve under the “Chief Shepherd”
(MacArthur, John; The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Hebrews [Moody Press, Chicago, Ill; 1985] pg.444-445)

I know in America we love democracy and majority vote
And all of that sort of idea.
But the church has never been a democracy.
The church is a theocracy.

Jesus is King, He has absolute and total authority.
And that authority then trickles down through those He gives it to.

So submission to “your leaders” is in fact submission to Christ.

You submit because of their position.

2) THEIR PURPOSE (17b)
“for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.”

In short, you submit to them and obey them
Because their entire purpose is to protect your soul.

Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

Paul told the Ephesian elders:
Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

When Jesus was about to ascend to return to the Father, He looked at Peter and three times said:
• “Tend My lambs”
• “Shepherd My sheep”
• “Tend My sheep”

The role is a protective one.

Let me illustrate this to you.
There are 3 pastoral epistles in the New Testament (that is epistles written to pastors about their role to the flock) (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus)

TURN TO: 1 Timothy 1

(READ 1 Timothy 1:1-7)

Do you see the danger there?
The church at Ephesus was falling prey to bad doctrine.

And listen, bad doctrine condemns people to hell.
It is the truth that sets you free.

Jeremiah 10:21 “For the shepherds have become stupid And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they have not prospered, And all their flock is scattered.”

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

Bad doctrine destroys people and the church at Ephesus was being fed it.
Paul sent Timothy in to “keep watch over” the souls of the Ephesians
By correcting the bad doctrine there.

TURN TO: TITUS

(READ Titus 1:1-4-16)
Did you catch where Paul told Titus to appoint elders (leaders)?

Why?
Because according to verse 10 there are “many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers…who must be silenced”

It’s like sending someone out to watch over your flock of sheep
Because there are coyotes who are seeking to eat them.
You send a shepherd out to the flock to protect the sheep.

This is the purpose of the elder or overseer or leader,
However you want to put it.
“they keep watch over your souls”

The sheep should always submit to the direction of the shepherd
Because the shepherd has the best interest of the sheep in mind.

You get the idea.
You should submit to and obey your leaders
Because Christ made them your leaders
And because their entire purpose is to protect you from destruction.

Now that DOESN’T MEAN that they just have cart blanch autonomy.

The writer is clear they are “those who will give an account.”
Make no mistake, Christ is watching, and Christ will judge.

James said:
James 3:1 “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

Peter said:
1 Peter 5:1-4 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

The implication there being that Christ is watching
And will reward accordingly.

In fact, we’ve already seen Jesus do this once.
You can read Ezekiel 34 about how God promised to punish the selfish shepherds who didn’t care about the flock.

Jesus did this when He came.
Remember Matthew 9?

Matthew 9:36 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”

The shepherds of Israel had scalped and discarded the sheep of Israel.

Now you tell me, when Jesus came, who was He the hardest on?
It was the shepherds who had neglected the flock.

In Zechariah 11 it speaks of how Jesus would respond
To those false shepherds when He would come.

Zechariah 11:8 “Then I annihilated the three shepherds in one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also was weary of me.”

Boy that was true.
He attacked them and they hated Him for it.

The point is:
JESUS WILL DEMAND AN ACCOUNT.

That means He forces shepherds to do their job properly,
And He expects that the sheep will follow them.

You should submit to them because of their position and because of their purpose.
3) THEIR PLEASURE (17c)
“Let them do this with joy and not with grief,”

Are you kidding me?
You mean I’m told to submit to my leaders just so they can have a better day?

That is precisely what the writer says.
You ought to make the job of your leader a job that they can enjoy.

How do you do this?
• No, it’s not money…
• No, it’s not fame or prestige…
• No, it’s not banquets and honor…

Those are what pleases the false prophets.
That’s what the false shepherds of Israel were after.

Matthew 23:5-7 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.”

If it takes money or fame to make your shepherd joyful
You’ve got a bad shepherd.

Scripture is clear how you bring joy to your leader.

3 John 4 “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Obedience is the greatest joy

And this is what the writer is referring to.
Don’t make life miserable on your leader
By continually refusing to walk in submission and obedience.

Tell me parents, do you enjoy parenting more when your kids are obedient or when they are rebellious?

It’s the same idea here.
You should submit to and obey your leaders because of
Their Position, because of their Purpose and for their Pleasure.

These people have taken on an enormous responsibility (your soul) and you should hope that they can enjoy the job.

But here is the main reason that you should pay attention to.
4) YOUR PROFIT (17d)
“for this would be unprofitable for you.”

I remember a few years ago there was A DRIVE FOR OUR MILITARY when they were fighting in Irag and Afganistan to provide window units for the soldiers in the desert.

My dad bought one and said, “Well, I like to sleep with an air conditioner I figure those people fighting for us like it to.”

Do you want the job of a soldier to be so miserable
That no one wants to do it?

Of course not. We want them to be able to enjoy it as much as possible.
The job itself is going to be hard enough.

This is what the writer is referring to here with your leaders.
Which pastor do you think is going to do a better and more faithful job for you, the one who enjoys it or the one who is grieved by it?

It really is common sense.
• Employees who enjoy their job always do a better job.
• Leaders who enjoy their followers always lead better.

Now, shepherds are called to shepherd regardless
Leaders are called to lead regardless
But it sure goes better when you allow them to enjoy their job.

And I certainly feel compelled at this point
To tell you how much I enjoy pastoring this church.
(The treasurer is a little mouthy, but other than that!)

I have no complaint, and that is good for you.

I’ve been in a church where I dreaded preaching the truth because I could anticipate the meeting that would occur during the coming week.

There were definite times of temptation to say,
“Maybe I’ll just leave that part out.”

It is good for a congregation when a pastor feels at liberty preach truth.
THAT’S JOYFUL FOR HIM AND GOOD FOR THEM.

So this is the first command: SUBMISSION
#2 SUPPLICATION
Hebrews 13:18-19

The second thing the writer wants from us is prayer.
He wants us to lift them up in prayer.
And there are two reasons why we should lift up our leaders in prayer

1) IT IS DESERVED (18)
“Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

This writer basically says, “We deserve your prayers”
“We have a good conscience” before God about how we have led you.

Now this doesn’t suggest that the leader is perfect,
It suggests that the leader has been faithful.
And a faithful leader deserves your support.

Paul was a man like this.
Acts 23:1 “Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.”

Now even Paul didn’t want you to think that meant he was perfect.
1 Corinthians 4:4 “For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.”

The point is, when a leader is faithful to follow God,
Then he has earned your support. It is deserved.

Think about Paul’s ministry.
He certainly was one who earned people’s support.

Galatians 1:10-12 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”

IF WE WERE A PEOPLE UNDER PAUL, WOULDN’T WE OWE IT TO HIM TO PRAY FOR HIM?

Wouldn’t we owe it to him to continually lift him up to God?

• If you have a person who is willing to watch out for wolves…
• If you have a person who is willing to correct bad doctrine…
• If you have a person who is willing to lead you correctly…
• If you have a person who will enter that spiritual battle for you…
THEN THEY DESERVE YOUR PRAYER SUPPORT (they need it!)

We should pray for those who lead, it is deserved.
2) IT IS DESIRED (19)
“And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.”

Not only should our leaders be lifted up because they deserve it,
BUT BECAUSE THEY WANT IT.

This was certainly the request of Paul’s life.
1 Thessalonians 5:25 “Brethren, pray for us.”

Ephesians 6:19 “and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,”

Colossians 4:2-3 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;”

Paul wanted the people to pray for him
That he would have the strength to continue preaching the gospel.

Regardless of the fact that submission is required,
I don’t suppose any Christian leader will ever deal with
A completely submissive congregation.
Therefore it is all the more important that
Those who are submissive continue to pray for the man.

Good shepherds aren’t looking for money or fame & recognition
Good shepherds merely want to be faithful
To their role of protecting the flock.

But every shepherd knows that
THIS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK BY HUMAN MEANS.

There are two main reasons for that.
1) Sheep are sinful and rebellious and hard-headed
2) Shepherds are sinful and rebellious and hard-headed

If this whole arrangement is going to work,
It is definitely going to take the intervention of God.
PRAYER IS THE ANSWER

Pray for these leaders, that is what they want.
• I want you to pray that I’ll be everything God intends for me to be.
• I want you to pray that God will confront the areas where I fall short.
• I want you to pray that God will burden my heart for the right things.
• I want you to pray that I won’t get discouraged or distracted or deceived
• I want you to pray that I will be bold and compassionate and merciful and faithful
• I want you to pray that I will stay focused on eternity
• I want you to pray that God will open my eyes to His direction
• I want you to pray that He will give me grace for every moment

LEADERS DESIRE YOUR PRAYERS.

So why wouldn’t you?
If this guy is going to watch over your soul, certainly you want him to have all the help from God that he can get!

Pray for this man and do it “all the more”

AND HERE the specific request was “so that I may be restored to you the sooner.”

Here we are confronted, for the first time,
That our writer may actually be in prison.
It may be that the only reason this was a letter instead of a sermon is because that is the only way our writer has to contact this church that he loved.

• His heart’s desire was to shepherd this flock
• His heart’s desire was to care for these sheep
• His heart’s desire was to watch over their souls

But for some reason he was not able to be there with them.
And for that he wants prayer.

Not prayer for his life to be easier,
But prayer for him to be able to care for them the way he desires.

AND THIS IS GOOD PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR THE CHURCH.
• You should pursue love regardless of the cost
• You should resist temptation as that which will wreck your life
• You should follow Jesus and bear His reproach
• You should obey your leaders and pray for them

BECAUSE ALL OF THOSE THINGS WILL PROFIT YOU!!!

This is a chapter filled with good advice
For living the best Christian life possible on this earth.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.”

The Outcome of the Lord’s Dealings
Job 42
April 17, 2016

Well tonight we come to the end of the book of Job.
I must admit that this book has at times felt like quite a marathon to study,
I hope I haven’t exhausted you as we worked our way through it.

As I have said, however, I do think that any book that covers the topic of suffering like this must be a little exhausting to study.

After all, there is nothing easy about suffering in our own lives.
It typically becomes harder and lasts longer than any of us desire.

So any study that seeks to carry us into the heart of suffering
Is going to have to be a somewhat grueling study.

Well tonight we come to the long awaited conclusion.
Namely because we finally get to see the end.
(That is what everyone wants to see in the midst of their suffering)

• What was God doing?
• Did it work?
• What happens next?
Basically we want the outcome of the entire ordeal.

You may remember that
James actually uses Job as an example of this very thing.
James 5:10-11 “As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

James says that when we read the book of Job and finally finish this 42nd chapter that we should walk away with two major convictions about God.

1) That He is full of compassion
2) That He is merciful

And quite frankly were it not for chapter 42
I’m not sure any of us would walk away with those convictions.

We’d probably all speak to God’s holiness,
Especially after the interrogation He gave Job in chapters 38-41

But James says it is not God’s holiness that you should leave most convinced of, it is His compassion and His mercy.
Why?

Because of the way God ends this whole thing with Job.
Tonight we see the outcome of the Lord’s dealings.
We see what God was up to.

Now, at least on a basic level you should already know this answer.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah reminded us that regardless of how difficult things get,
God’s plan for us has not changed.

He is not seeking only pain or suffering or chastisement.
God’s ultimate goal is welfare and a future and a hope.

Everything He does or allows in our lives still falls under that heading.

You are also familiar with Paul’s famous statement:
Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

Paul reminded us that everything God does in this life
He causes it for 1 purpose and that purpose is glory.

He loves His children and He refuses to let them fall short of glory,
And He is willing to do whatever it takes
To make sure we reach His intended end for our lives.

Those are basic truths and you are familiar with them.

Tonight we actually learn that Job’s story ends well.
And I want to take you through three things that we would call
“The Outcome” of the Lord’s dealings with Job.

Outlined for us here are 3 things God did for Job
And it is so good for us to see them
So that we do not lose heart in the midst of our suffering.

3 things God accomplished
#1 SANCTIFICATION
Job 42:1-6

Of course you remember that
God just gave Job the brow beating of the century.

• Job had begun to question God’s character, God’s justice, God’s righteousness, God’s decisions, God’s ways, etc.

Elihu had certainly stepped up to tell Job he was not right in this,
1. Stop Complaining, God is Great!
2. Stop Complaining, God is Just!
3. Stop Complaining, God is Righteous!
4. Stop Complaining, Start Worshipping!

But before Elihu could even finish his sermon
God showed up to put Job back in his proper place.

God reminded Job of two main things:
1) Things you don’t know
2) Things you can’t do

And the idea was to make 1 solid and major point to Job.
WE ARE NOT EQUALS – I AM GOD, YOU ARE NOT

Just because the ways of God don’t make sense to us,
That does not give us the right to knock on the door of the heavenlies and give God our two cents.

We must come to God in humility
We must come to God in gratitude
We must come to God in reverential awe

Job had forgotten those things.
• Partly because his suffering was intense
• Partly because he had been given a lot of bad information regarding God from his other three friends.

Job has now endured 10 chapters of steady rebuke.
What is important to see here is that Job clearly learned his lesson.

His answer is absolutely beautiful!
• There is adoration
• There is humility
• There is praise
• There is submission
• There is repentance
• There is awe

Job is at a spiritual level like no other at this point.

(1-6) “Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.”
It is easy to see that Job has repented.

The point?
Job is now more pure than he was when all this began.

Granted it took quite a bit to bring Job’s pride to the forefront,
But God knew it was there all along.

And after exposing it, God crushed it,
And Job is more like God today than he was when all this started.

AND THAT IS A GOOD POINT TO REMEMBER.
We read about Job way back in chapter 1.
• We read how Job was “upright and blameless and fearing God and turning away from evil.”
• We read how there was not another man on earth like Job.

In short, Job was better than any other human on the face of the planet.

BUT…
JOB WAS STILL NOT AS GOOD AS JESUS

Too much of the time
We gauge how much we need God’s discipline
By how we are doing as compared to other people.

But God doesn’t gauge our need for discipline by comparison to others. God gauges our need for discipline by comparing us to Christ.
The goal is perfection and God is passionate about it.

Hebrews 12:9-11 “Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

• God is in the process of making us righteous.
• God is in the process of conforming us into the image of His Son.

The temptation is to look around and say,
“Well so and so needs it worse than I do, so go get them.”

We tend to think that we should only be corrected when we are sort dragging at the back of the pack, but that is not how God looks at it.

Imagine this whole thing as a race.
• A mile race.
• And God’s goal is for you to run that race in 4 minutes.

And so we all start off in the pack
And we are all sort of running a race at 10 minute pace.

Some are at the front of our pack and some at the back,
But we are all running way slower than God’s intent.

God’s focus then isn’t just on the runner in dead last,
God’s focus is on all the runners
Because they are all missing the mark.

It may not have appeared that Job was the one who needed discipline,
And you may not think that you are the one who needs it,
But rest assured God knows what He is doing.

He was sanctifying Job.
Job’s pride was effectively crushed.

CAN I ADD ONE MORE OBSERVATION HERE?
God won.

Remember the little argument at the first of this book?
Job 1:9-12 “Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.”

Job 2:4-6 “Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. “However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.” So the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

Satan just knew that he could turn Job against God with a little suffering
But Satan was wrong.
The relationship stood.

Did Job complain? Yes
Did Job question? Yes
Did Job argue? Yes
But Job never turned away from God
And once confronted, Job ran quickly back.

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The point of the book stands.
There is no level of affliction this world can conceive
That can sever the relationship between God and His child.
You cannot undo it.

As Paul told the Romans
Romans 11:29 “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

God didn’t drive Job away.
In the end Job is closer to God than he has ever been.

The outcome of the Lord’s dealings with Job was SANCTIFICATION

#2 VINDICATION
Job 42:7-9

And we all love this part.

After the massive confrontation of Job,
God now calls to the three friends of Job.
(I figure they were hiding behind a rock)

And God goes after them.
• It is not rebuke
• It is not correction
• It is certain judgment if they don’t immediately repent

And how fitting it is that God makes those men seek their forgiveness
Through the hand of Job.
We call that vindication.

It reminds me of the story of Haman and Mordecai.
• Haman being the official of the king in Persia, Mordecai being a Jewish scribe who refused to bow to Haman.
• Haman promised Mordecai that he would bow and then had gallows built to hand Mordecai on them.
• Haman then went to the king to ask for Mordecai’s head.
• Unbeknownst to him, the king was already seeking to honor Mordecai. Here is how the story unfolded.

Esther 6:5-11 “The king’s servants said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor, let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown has been placed; and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.'” Then the king said to Haman, “Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have said.” So Haman took the robe and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.”

That is what you call vindication.
Only topped perhaps by the fact that in just a short while
Haman would be hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai.

This is what we want isn’t it?
We want people to know that our service is for God
And our intentions are pure.

Remember Elijah’s prayer?
1 Kings 18:36-37 “At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. “Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.”

Elijah wanted God to be glorified and he wanted himself to be vindicated.
God did both.

And here we find that God does that for His children.

Psalms 31:23-24 “O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful And fully recompenses the proud doer. Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.”

Do you remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus?
• Lazarus humiliated daily as he begged for crumbs off of the rich man’s table.

After death came the vindication.
Luke 16:22-25 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.”

Rest assured, vindication is coming for all of God’s children.

In the Matthew 10 when Jesus outlined the suffering that was coming for His followers, He said:
Matthew 10:24-26 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household! “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”

Jesus said, it will all come out in due time.

When Paul wrote to the Colossians they were a group of believers who were being harassed by the religious community because they didn’t keep all the religious ceremonies.
They were even mocked as not being true followers of God.

Colossians 2:20-3:4 “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use) — in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

Paul said that their life was “hidden with Christ in God”

That word for “hidden” is KRUPTO (cryptic)
The world couldn’t see right now that they were the true followers of God,
But someday they would.

When Jesus returns in all His glory,
He is going to reveal those who are His.

We think of all the heroes of faith in Scripture who did seemingly foolish things in obedience to God.
• Imagine the harassment Noah received while building that ark…
• We listened as Goliath mocked David for being a boy…
• I can hear the jokes told about John the Baptist…
• We read the scorn Jesus took upon Himself…

And like them there are many even today who obey God at great cost to their personal reputation, but God promises vindication.

The day of vindication is coming.
It came for Job, it will come for you.

What God is putting you through now is not for eternal embarrassment.
It is for the purpose of making you holy,
But some day God will place you on a pedestal
And show everyone that you are His.

He always does that for His children.

So the outcome of the Lord’s dealings were: Sanctification, Vindication
#3 RESTORATION
Job 42:10-17

You see those descriptive words in there.
“restored”
“increased”
“consoled”
“comforted”
“blessed”

Job had a daughter who came to have a very profitable syrup business
(Aunt Jemimah)

The culmination statement is amazing.
(17) “And Job died, and old man and full of days.”

The final 8 verses drip of prosperity and restoration.

And yes, it’s true that we do not believe the prosperity gospel.
That is, we do not believe that all suffering is a result of sin and God’s only desire is for His children to be healthy, wealthy, and happy.

We see the necessity and purposes of suffering.

HOWEVER…

Do not let that lead you to believe that
God has a final desire for you
That is anything short of absolute prosperity.

The outcome (even if not realized until eternity)
Is very good for you and me.

We read passages like:
James 1:17 “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

Psalms 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Psalms 103:1-5 “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

Psalms 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalms 34:9-10 “O fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.”

Psalms 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

I mean it is over and over and over.

And while I hate the prosperity gospel,
I so want you to get this thought through your head.

Sometimes we actually fear to allow God to have His way in our life.

We ponder the notion of telling God
He can do whatever He desires with our lives.
And the fear is that now
He is going to do something terribly awful to us.

Can I remind you who the thief is?
Can I remind you who the Savior is?

• God’s plans for us are good.
• God’s desire for us is good.
• God is loving and generous and merciful and full of compassion.

• God was not out to harm Job or rob Job or ruin Job.
• God was out to sanctify Job and ultimately bless Him.
Look at how it all ended for Job.

Now some would say, “Yes, but he never saw those children who died again.”

Stop and think about it a second.
• I don’t know how old Job was when all the affliction hit him,
• But he had 10 grown children
• So can we assume at least 50.

So let’s say he lived 90 years after the death of his children.

That means he spent 90 years without them,
And now going on somewhere around 6,000 with them in eternity.

Job’s ways ended in restoration and prosperity and so will yours.

Just stop thinking in terms of God having to
Accomplish every promise right here and right now.

I can promise you this in regard to God’s dealings in your life
At the end, when He is finished, you’re going to be thrilled!
Because that’s who God is.
And so, there you have the book of Job.
• The Woeful World of Uz
• The upright man who suffered like no other

And yet when seen in its entirety,
We learn that James had it figured it a long time ago.

James 5:11 “We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

I Have Decided…
Hebrews 13:7-16
April 17, 2016

Most of you are extremely familiar with the ever popular invitation hymn:
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.

It is a simple hymn of declaration
In which the composer repeated his declaration over and over.

I have decided to follow Jesus…no turning back
Tho’ none go with me I still will follow…no turning back
My cross I’ll carry ‘til I see Jesus…no turning back
The world behind me, the cross before me…no turning back

It is a really easy song to sing and a terribly difficult one to live.
And yet, it is the absolute requirement of Christianity.

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Certainly this is the call of salvation.
A person cannot become a Christian at all without first denying self
And making a conscious decision to give their all to Jesus Christ.

But it is not as though this is a one-time decision.
The Christian must live here every single day of their life.

Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

• It is the continual call of following Jesus.
• It is the continual; daily decision to deny myself and take up the cross of Jesus and follow Him.

Paul said it this way:
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Paul there called it a “living…sacrifice”
What better way could we describe what it means to take up your cross and follow Jesus?

It is a constant decision to forfeit my life, my desires, my goals,
My ambitions, my safety, my possessions, my comforts,
And anything else for the sake of Jesus Christ.

And without a doubt those who lived with Jesus
And made the decision to follow Him
Knew exactly what was expected.
Paul said:
1 Corinthians 4:9 “For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.”

2 Corinthians 4:8-11 “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

It is a constant decision to choose Jesus over this world
And to accept upon oneself the scorn that the world has for Him.

Now honestly when we talk about things like this, the natural flesh immediately gravitates to THE COST of following Jesus.

And that’s ok.
As followers of Christ, we are commanded to count the cost.

Jesus isn’t trying to sign anyone up under false pretenses.
He couldn’t be more honest about what those who follow Him will face.
• He told us about persecution, in fact He promised it.
• He told us the world would hate us
• And that some would even go to death.
• He never sugar coated it.

He wanted your flesh to examine every possible negative,
So that when your spirit decided to follow anyway
You would not be surprised at the difficulty.

So it is natural to immediately gravitate to the cost here.

BUT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT WANT YOU TO STOP THERE.
Scripture wants you to examine the cost, but then move past it,
AND TO START FOCUSING ON THE REWARD.

Many times talked about that parable of the treasure in the field and the man who sold all that he had just to obtain that treasure.

Or the parable of the pearl of great value, and the merchant who sold all that he had just to obtain that pearl.

The kingdom is valuable and worth any earthly cost
You must pay to obtain it.

Scripture repeatedly calls us to look past the cost of following Jesus to the value of following Jesus.

In Philippians 3 Paul talked about all the things
He had going for him in Judaism.
Philippians 3:5-6 “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”

Here was a young man that had accomplished much in the life of Judaism.

And then he said:
Philippians 3:7-8 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,”

Did Paul count the cost? Absolutely
But he also recognized where the true value was,
And it wasn’t in Judaism, it was in Jesus.

• He saw the cost, he saw the value,
• And he made a decision to follow Jesus.
• It wasn’t just a one-time decision,
• But a decision he made every day for the rest of his life.

That is what we are now talking about here in the book of Hebrews.
You know that we are now in the application section of this book.

WE ADDRESSING THOSE WHO HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS.
Now the writer is simply encouraging them to do it DAILY.

Why does he feel the need to do this?
Because the cost for these Christians is high.

You already know about the whole
Ill-treatment, prison, seizure of property problem.

But believe it or not that wasn’t the most difficult.

The most difficult thing to face was the reality of being ostracized from Judaism and all the traditions and privileges it offered.

If you’ll remember this excommunication began even in the gospels.

• Remember when Jesus healed the man who had been born blind and the Pharisees started interrogating his parents about the miracle?

John 9:20-23 “His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

• Or later in the book of John:
John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

And that is why Jesus told His disciples:
John 16:1-2 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.”

WELL, IT IS HAPPENING STILL.
If they decide to follow Jesus,
They are going to forever lose access to everything Jewish.

THIS MAY NOT SEEM LIKE MUCH TO YOU,
But that is only because you didn’t grow up Jewish.

Their ENTIRE SPIRITUAL BALANCE was obtained
Through participation in the Jewish customs and rituals.

I’ve often shared my frustrations with you regarding things like youth camps where the main emphasis seems to be on manipulating emotions.

I can see that even as far back as my teenage years that people learned that emotion was a very effective tool in motivating people to make decisions.

The fall out was that
People began to equate emotion with the Spirit of God,
And if you put them in a situation where God was present but it wasn’t emotional they didn’t seem to know how to even recognize Him at all.

And so when people of my generation were asked to worship God apart from emotional stimulation, they just didn’t know how to do it.

That is similar to the situation here.
• There whole life they had been trained that God is pleased when you attend the synagogue, attend the feasts, partake of the sacrifices, keep the dietary restrictions, etc.etc.

And now they are being ostracized from all of that
And it can kind of left them feeling like people without a barometer.

They felt good about their spiritual walk when they were in the temple,
But now they can’t go…what now?

No temple, No sacrifices, No altar, No Jewish community
It was costly

And so the writer now tells them to quit focusing on what they are losing
And HE WANTS THEM TO SEE WHAT IS TO BE GAINED.
And he wants them to decide to daily follow Jesus.
In our text there are 4 things these believers need to understand.
4 things that are theirs even as they leave their former manner of life behind.

#1 WE HAVE A FAITHFUL SAVIOR
Hebrews 13:7-9

Now I want to start here by looking at verse 9
Which I think sheds a great deal of light on the situation at hand.

(9) “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.”

The writer doesn’t get overly specific here as to what was being taught,
But he is specific enough that we can see the main point.

There was some sort of teaching going on that the writer called “varied and strange” and it had something to do with the benefit of “foods”

In particular that there was some way in which “foods”
Could strengthen the heart (that is the soul)

The importance of foods was clear in Judaism.
Part of their judicial law dealt with restrictions regarding what was clean and what was unclean, what was allowed and what was forbidden.

And certainly after centuries of that pattern
It would not have been hard to reason that
Part of pleasing God had to do with what you ate.

And even early believers struggled with this.
Perhaps you remember Peter literally arguing with God about eating unclean foods in the vision God gave him regarding Cornelius.

Acts 10:13-16 “A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.”

Paul even revealed that this had become a heresy that was spreading into the church.
1 Timothy 4:1-5 “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”

So clearly there were some who sought to hold on to the dietary restrictions even in the church, as a means of pleasing God.
And of course this is false.
1 Corinthians 8:8 “But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.”

BUT I DON’T THINK THAT IS THE ISSUE GOING ON HERE.
Following Jesus would not have prohibited these Jews from keeping a selective diet. (Jesus made all foods clean, but He doesn’t force you to eat bacon)

What seems preferable here is that the writer is referring to
The Jewish practice of participating in the sacrifices.
And in particular THE PEACE OFFERING (or Thank Offering)

If you brought a BURNT OFFERING or a GRAIN OFFERING or SIN OFFERING or a GUILT OFFERING
• Then you brought it to the Lord and after the Lord’s portion was offered
then the priests ate the rest with some exceptions.

But the THANK OFFERING was given to God out of gratitude.
Also called the peace offering.
And it was just an offering of gratitude and after God received His portion
And the priest received his portion then the offerer consumed the rest.

It was a voluntary act of worship meant to give God thanks
And allow you to feel in fellowship with Him.

Similar to my generation and the emotion of youth camp,
These people felt closer to God when partaking in sacrifices
Like the Thank Offering.

And the threat of losing that right is leaving them uncertain
How to bring anything to God that pleases Him.

So THE WRITER’S POINT in verse 9 is that those sacrifices or “foods”
Don’t produce any real benefit.

After all, it’s just food and it cannot strengthen the soul.
It looks good, it feels good, but it does not make a person more holy.

“it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods,”

When you come to Jesus you are trading food for grace.
Jesus makes us holy
Jesus makes us pleasing

It is not all cost, there is also great reward.
And that is this first point that WE HAVE A FAITHFUL SAVIOR

And to emphasize that, he’ll show them what others have found here.
(7-8) “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Here the writer is referencing people
Who made the same decision that is now before you.

He is talking about those “who spoke the word of God to you”

We know who that was.
Hebrews 2:1-4 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”

The writer said that the message of truth was “confirmed to us by those who heard”. That was the apostles.

And the writer wants his readers to remember them
And then CONSIDER something.

He says, “considering the result of their conduct,”

Now that is misleading.
It almost sounds like we should look at the decisions they made in life and see that it all worked out good.

The Greek word here for “the result”
Is not a word referring to circumstances.

It is a word that literally means “to go out”
And it was used to reference the manner in which a person died.

It wasn’t their death itself, but rather their spirit when they died.

What the writer wants you to examine
Was the way those people faced death.

You should know that all the apostles were martyred.
Scripture doesn’t give the account of most of them, but church history has preserved many of the stories.

• We do have accounts of men like Stephen who bore witness to Christ standing at the right hand of the Father and then praying for his attackers.

The point here is that none of these men, even when faced with death,
Showed even the slightest hint of remorse about following Jesus.
• These were men who left everything to follow Jesus.
• These were men who ended up sacrificing everything to follow Jesus.
• And not one of them regretted that decision even at the point of death.

If you step out and follow Jesus…
• You may lose your access to the food, but what you get is “grace” which continually seemed to be worth it.

And then the writer reminded that
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Which is his way of saying that the Jesus they followed
And the Jesus who made life worth it for them
IS THE EXACT SAME JESUS YOU ARE FOLLOWING.

If the grace of Jesus was enough for them,
The grace of Jesus will be enough for you.
WE HAVE A FAITHFUL SAVIOR

You may lose access to your ability to partake in one of those sacrifices,
But it’s not like that leg of lamb is going to help you on the day you die,
But Jesus most certainly will
Just like He did all those who went before you.

We have a faithful Savior
#2 WE HAVE A SANCTIFYING ALTAR
Hebrews 13:10-12

Another issue with losing access to the altar was:
You had no access to the Jewish system of atonement.

But the writer reminds us: WHO CARES?
(10) “We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.”

What altar is he talking about?
• Well, on the Day of Atonement when the sin offering was made for the priest and the people. No one was permitted to eat of that offering.

Instead, the sacrificial animal had to be carried outside of the camp
(because it bore sin) and burned there.

That place, although not glorified, was an altar of sorts.
And no one was permitted to eat from it.

(11) “For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.”

Hopefully you remember that whole Day of Atonement presentation
That we discussed back in chapter 9.

To a Jew, this was the day of ultimate forgiveness
When all their sin was supposedly atoned for.

We learned back in chapters 9 & 10 that it NEVER ACTUALLY WORKED
Because that blood never really went into the presence of God,
It was all just symbolic.

Jesus was the One who literally carried His spotless blood
Into the actual presence of God to atone for our sin.

And that is what the writer reminds of here.
(12) “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”

You remember that don’t you?
• They didn’t crucify Jesus inside the city of Jerusalem, they led Him away to the hill called Golgotha.

And this is what the writer is saying – AND IT’S AWESOME!

You are focusing on that altar inside the temple where sacrifices are made
And you are upset because you can no longer partake.

Quit looking at that altar (it never worked anyway), look outside the city.
There is an altar out there.
It is the altar where the perfect sacrifice laid down His life.
It is the cross.

That is our altar, and it’s a WAY BETTER than theirs.
Our altar actually produces sanctification!

There altar couldn’t do that:
Hebrews 10:1-4 “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
• Their altar and their food never took away sin.
• Our altar (which they rejected) does take away sin.

Don’t fret leaving that old altar behind, we have an altar!
We have a sanctifying altar.

You may be losing a lot, but not everything.
We have a faithful Savior, We have a sanctifying altar
#3 WE HAVE A LASTING CITY
Hebrews 13:13-14

That was another major cost.
Could you imagine being ostracized and kicked out of your city?

They were.
Read Acts 8 about what happened after the stoning of Stephen.

Acts 8:1-2 “Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.”

This is why Peter wrote his letter to the “Dispersia” or those dispersed.

It would be costly to lose your very city for the sake of following Jesus.
(Especially when your city is the city of God…Jerusalem)

And yet the writer says:
(13-14) “So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”

In other words, leave this city behind, it won’t last anyway!

And that is true.
• Someday this entire world will be destroyed by fire.
• Who wants to inherit what he cannot keep?

We are seeking a better city!
Revelation 21:1-4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

That’s the city I want.

So they are kicking you out the city, so what…GO!
We have a better city anyway.

You aren’t losing anything!
Do you see that?
• You are losing food, but you are gaining grace.
• You are losing sacrifices, but you are gaining sanctification.
• You are losing an earthly city, but you are gaining a heavenly one.
By all means “go out to Him outside the camp”

Is there “reproach”? yes

But it is so worth it.
Just ask those who went before you and died.
Their testimony will tell you that it is so worth it!

We have a faithful Savior, We have a Sanctifying Altar, We have a Lasting City
#4 WE HAVE A PLEASING SACRIFICE
Hebrews 13:15-16

Can you see why this would be a big deal?
• If you’re whole life you were taught that God wanted you to bring sacrifices to the temple?

• If you’re whole life you were taught that you had to appear in Jerusalem for the Passover and for the Feast of Booths?

• If you’re whole life you were taught that Jerusalem was the city of God and you should “enter His gates with thanksgiving”?

WHAT NOW?
You can’t even get to the altar let alone bring a God a sacrifice on it.

How in the world can you bring God anything that pleases Him now?

First you should know that most of those sacrifices that Israel brought throughout the generations DID NOT please Him.

In fact we have MULTIPLE verses in the Old Testament
Where God says they don’t please Him.

Isaiah 1:11-15 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies — I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.”

Amos 5:21-23 “I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.”

And trust me those two verses are just the tip of the iceberg.

So you can’t bring sacrifices any more…
WHO CARES?
Those sacrifices never pleased God anyway.
But now, through Jesus, you can give God sacrifices that please Him!
(15-16) “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Did you catch what God wants?

Come through Jesus and through Him give God:
“a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”

Come through Jesus and through Him:
“do not neglect doing good and sharing”

“for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

THE POINT?
• You don’t need Jerusalem
• You don’t need the temple
• You don’t need the sacrifices
• TO BE PLEASING TO GOD

YOU’VE GOT JESUS AND HE MAKES YOU PLEASING TO GOD.
And because of Jesus your simple offerings of praise and obedience and generosity are also pleasing to Him.

DON’T’ PANIC! YOU HAVEN’T LOST ANYTHING!
• You lost access to food, through Jesus you gain access to grace.
• You lost access to a worthless altar, through Jesus you gain access to a sanctifying altar.
• You lost access to a doomed city, through Jesus you gain access to a lasting city.
• You lost access to an unpleasing ritual, through Jesus you gain access to a sacrifice that really does please God.

So what if you are losing all things.
YOU ARE GAINING CHRIST!!!!

“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”
Put that cross on your back and daily pick Jesus!

This morning we have a unique opportunity to express that decision.
WE ARE PARTAKING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER.

Based on this morning you should know that there is no spiritual value obtained in eating this cracker or drinking this juice.

If there was, we’d give you a whole lot more than this.
• The value is in the remembrance.
• The value is in the attitude of the heart.
• The value is in the focus and the gratitude.

We partake of this cracker remembering His body that was pierced.
We partake of this juice remembering His blood that was shed.

We partake proclaiming that regardless of what we might lose in this life,
• We have a faithful Savior.
• We have a sanctifying altar.
• We have a lasting city.
• We have a pleasing sacrifice to offer.

Partaking in the Lord’s Supper is one of the ways that we proclaim:
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.

Obviously then, if you have not made that decision,
You either need to decide to do that, or do not partake.

In fact the Paul told the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 11:27-32 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”

People literally get sick and die when they partake in hypocrisy.
It is a serious matter.

God wants those who genuinely have decided to follow Jesus.
And if that is you, then you are most welcome to this altar.
If it is not, then it is an altar from which you have no right to eat.

I’m going to pray we are going to have a time of preparation
And then we will come to the table of the Lord.

 

God Interrogates Job
Job 38-41
April 10, 2016

I remember a few years ago I had a man who claimed to be an evangelist who commenced to tell me about a vision he had while driving down the road when God showed him the Shekinah Glory

In his words, it was “amazing”

Maybe you’ve heard testimonies like that as well.
FORGIVE ME IF I’M A BIT SKEPTICAL

Let me give you some instances when people did in fact personally encounter the glory of the living God.

Isaiah 6:1-5 “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

Exodus 20:18-19 “All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.”

Judges 13:17-22 “Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you?” But the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it on the rock to the LORD, and He performed wonders while Manoah and his wife looked on. For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. Now the angel of the LORD did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. So Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.”

Luke 5:4-8 “When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

Matthew 17:4-7 “Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”

Acts 9:3-4 “As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

Revelation 1:17-18 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”

Obviously a little more than “amazing”
Downright terrifying would be more like it.

My point is that there is an awesome majesty to God
That is absolutely terrifying.

Even last week as we listened to the final leg of Elihu’s sermon;
He realized that God was coming in the storm and he said:
Job 37:1 “At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place.”

When God truly does show up, it is an absolutely terrifying event.
And that is what Job is about to experience.

You may remember that Job actually demanded that God show up and give an account of all that He had been doing.

Job 23:1-7 “Then Job replied, “Even today my complaint is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning. “Oh that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! “I would present my case before Him And fill my mouth with arguments. “I would learn the words which He would answer, And perceive what He would say to me. “Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power? No, surely He would pay attention to me. “There the upright would reason with Him; And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.”

Job had this idea that there are a lot of things he’d like to say to God
If God would just appear for questioning.

Job wanted God to give an account.

The ironic thing here is that this whole book started with
Satan having to come and give an account to God.

Now Job is demanding the same sort of thing of Him.

It is safe to say that Job has clearly bitten off more than he can chew.

God is about to speak.
And quite frankly I am glad we only read about it, because to have been a first hand witness would have been terrifying.
Yet, in reading this portion of Scripture there is great value
Because it forces us to rekindle a view of God
That our society is quickly forgetting.

Namely that God is holy, and God is majestic, and God is terrifying,
And God is awesome, and God is sovereign, and God is transcendent.

Now, granted we could stop and camp out on the individual verses here and spend some time detailing some of the basic facts that God presents to Job,
But I think that misses the point of the conversation.

The point here is not to have you dissect every little statement .
The point is Job (and ultimately us) to see who is God and who is not.

And for that reason we will work through this rather quickly,
But I think you’ll see the point,
And hopefully be moved to worship God in absolute awe.

The sermon of God here goes from Job 38-Job 41
And there are two main points.

#1 THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW
Job 38-39

You will notice that repeatedly throughout these two chapters
God will basically appeal to Job’s intellect for an explanation.

Consistently we see questions like
“Who?” or “What?” or “Why?” or “How?”

They are questions that God can easily answer.
He wants to know if Job can answer them.

(1-3) “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge? “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!”

God is interrogating Job, and the main thing God is seeking to discover is: WHAT DOES JOB KNOW?

(3) “you instruct Me!”
(4) “if you have understanding”
(5) “Since you know”
(18) “Tell Me, if you know all this.”
(21) “You know, for you were born then”
(33) “Do you know..?”
(39:1) “Do you know..?”
(39:2) “do you know..?”
(39:26) “Is it by your understanding..?”
See, Job questioned God’s decisions repeatedly,
So God wants to know who this is that has the audacity
To question the decisions that He has made.

And what follows are 14 situations
That God wants to know if Job knows anything about.

1) HOW WAS THE EARTH FORMED? (38:4-7)

Have you ever pondered creation?
Many people have.

I’ve heard people give all sorts of hypothesis as to how this earth came into being.
• Certainly we have science and non-believers who talk about big band and evolution and all of that stuff, but they are theories at best.

• Even the theological community has all sorts of theories about how God did it, and when God did it, etc.

And yet, if you read Genesis 1 the Bible only says that God did it.
He did it by telling it to happen, and that is all the explanation we get.

The point is: NO ONE KNOWS HOW THE EARTH WAS FORMED
• No one knows when God laid the foundation or what He laid it on.
• No one knows when God measured it
• No one knows how it was designed

Only God.

So God asks Job, “How was the earth formed?”
And Job’s answer must be, “I don’t know”

2) HOW IS THE SEA CONTAINED? (38:8-11)

That was a question for the ancient near east.
• The sea was a picture of unbridled power.
• Some even saw it as evil.
• It was definitely mysterious.

God wants to know how it is so wonderfully contained.
• People purchase beach front property with full confidence that the sea will never rise beyond its borders and make their property useless.

• We’ve all heard these theories about floating continents and land breaking apart and all that nonsense, yet as long as anyone has documented, the continents have existed in their present form.

How is the sea contained?
And again Job must answer, “I don’t know”

3) HOW DOES THE SUN RISE? (38:12-15)

A truly remarkable phenomenon is that
The sun continues to rise in the east every morning.

Of course we now know it is not the sun moving,
But instead the earth is revolving,
But that still doesn’t answer the question.

What keeps the earth spinning?
Go home and spin a top and see if it will just keep spinning forever.

And yet, this earth still spins at such a precise rate
That you can literally set your clock by it.

How is that?
And yet Job must answer, “I don’t know”

4) WHAT IS THE UNDERWORLD LIKE? (38:16-18)

Even to this day scientists will tell us that there are places in the ocean
That we have no clue how deep they are.

Who has ever seen the gates of death or hell?
• Can you take a tour?
• Have you ever seen a picture?

And once again Job must answer, “I don’t know”

5) WHERE DOES WEATHER BEGIN? (38:19-24)

• You know weather always seems to just arrive.
• Oh, sure we know when it starts raining here, but where does it start?

• Where is the beginning of the wind?
• Where is that place you can stand where it is blowing to your left, and not to your right?

Where does light dwell?
(Don’t say the sun, that is only one of the lights)

And once again Job must answer, “I don’t know”

6) HOW IS THE WEATHER CONTROLLED? (38:25-30)

Sometimes you get rain, sometimes you get lightning
Sometimes you get ice.
Who controls all that?

We might can predict it, but we can’t control it.
“Has the rain a father?” that tells it what it to do?

And again Job must answer, “I don’t know”

7) HOW DID THE STARS ARRIVE? (38:31-33)

You see all the constellations, and all their form.
You can even navigate a ship by them.

• Who put them there?
• Who arranged them?
• Why do they stay put?

And with Job we all answer, “I don’t know”

8) HOW MUCH RAIN IS ENOUGH? (38:34-38)

Rain is a tricky thing.
One wants more, one wants less.

• How much do you pour out on the earth?
• And how often do you do it?
• Where do you pour it so that it perfectly keeps this earth in balance?

Talk about the master recipe.
How much rain, how often, how fast, where at

Boy you mess that up and this world is really in chaos.

How much rain is enough?
“I don’t know”

9) HOW MUCH DO WILD ANIMALS EAT? (38:39-41)

We have domesticated animals that we are responsible for feeding and we tend to figure it out, but what about wild animals?

And not just a few, all of them.
The eco systems depends on their survival,
How much is required to feed them?

“I don’t know”

10) HOW IS WILDLIFE SUSTAINED? (39:1-4)

Ever been in charge of livestock and worried about their giving birth?

• Well what about all those animals that no one watches over?
• Who cares for them and secures their survival?

Yet, without any care at all “Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field; they leave and do not return to them.”

How is wildlife sustained?
“I don’t know”

11) WHO CARES FOR THE WILD ANIMALS? (39:5-12)

I mean these are animals that won’t have anything to do with humans.
You can’t feed them or work them.

You have to feed and doctor your donkeys and oxen, but what about the wild ones, who cares for them?

How do they survive without help?
“I don’t know”

12) WHY DO ANIMALS BEHAVE LIKE THEY DO? (39:13-18)

• An ostrich abandons her young
• She is stupid, but she is fast
• Others care for their young persistently

Why does an ostrich abandon her babies but a bear fiercely defends hers?

“I don’t know”

13) WHY IS A HORSE BRAVE? (39:19-25)

Look at those horses running into battle.
You can spook off almost any other animal,
But the horse is fearless, why?

“I don’t know”

14) HOW DO BIRDS FLY? (39:26-30)

Solomon actually wondered at this:
Proverbs 30:18-20 “There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Four which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the sky, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the middle of the sea, And the way of a man with a maid. This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, “I have done no wrong.”

It just doesn’t make sense how they stay up there.

How do birds fly?
“I don’t know”

(40:1-2) “Then the LORD said to Job, “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.”

That is God’s way of saying, WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER JOB?

Job’s response:
(40:3-5) “Then Job answered the LORD and said, “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. “Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”

Job says, I have no answer.

Are you getting the point?
WE ARE NOT EQUALS

You can’t even get close to knowing what I know.

As John MacArthur put it.
“There is a great gap between what I can know and what God does know.”

And since that is true, we have absolutely no business
Questioning anything God does.

• You may question a coach who has more experience than you…
• You may question a president who has more intel than you…
• You may question a boss who has more understanding than you…

All of those are foolish enough,
But to question the God of the universe is downright foolish.

There are things you don’t know.
#2 THINGS YOU CAN’T DO
Job 40:6-41:34

God goes after Job again.
(6-9) “Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm and said, “Now gird up your loins like a man; I will ask you, and you instruct Me. “Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified? “Or do you have an arm like God, And can you thunder with a voice like His?”

See Job also questioned the things God did.
Job didn’t necessarily agree with God’s plans or God’s ways.

So God wants to know again, “Who are you?”

And here come more questions.
1) CAN YOU BREAK THE PROUD? (40:10-14)

There is a good question.
We can’t really do anything about the pride of man.

But if you’ll remember Nebuchadnezzar,
He was convinced about God’s ability.

Daniel 4:34-37 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘ What have You done?’ “At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

(Incidentally this is what God was doing to Job)

And God asks Job if he is able to do that?
That is to say, “Do you know a better way?”

Can you break the proud?
And Job must answer, “No”

2) CAN YOU CATCH A HIPPO? (40:15-24)

The Hippo is still one of the most terrifying creatures in the world.
The deadliest mammal in all of Africa.

And sure, we may can use machines or what not to corral them now,
But we’re talking man vs beast here.

Can you handle that dude?
And of course the answer is “No”

3) CAN YOU TAME A CROCODILE? (41:1-34)

Yes, people commonly see this is a dragon saying,
“Job describes perfectly that dragon I saw on Lord of the Rings”

Have you ever considered that maybe the dragon was invented based on what people read here?

God is just using descriptive analogies to describe a beast
That was impossible to tame in Job’s day.

It was a terrorizing animal that men couldn’t’ handle.
• Are you going to mess with him?
• Are you going to try and tame him?
• Are you going to try and pet him?

And in the middle of this God asks a very important question.

(41:10-11) “No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him; Who then is he that can stand before Me? “Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.”

If you can’t handle a crocodile,
Do you really expect to be able to handle the God of the universe?

And again the point:
WE ARE NOT EQUALS
I AM GOD, YOU ARE NOT

And I have to think God was prepared to continue this list, just like He did at the first,
But it is obvious Job is beginning to understand because this time Job interjects.

Job 42:1-2 “Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”

Job figured it out didn’t he?

And what tremendous truths to remember
Before we ever take our complaints or our advice to God.

• He is not some pushover
• He is not some familiar buddy whom you can or should advise
• He is the God of the universe

His mercy bids us draw near,
But the only reason we dare do so is because He is merciful.
We certainly have no right just to do it.

And Scripture repeatedly reminds us:

Romans 9:19-21 “You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?”

Isaiah 29:15-16 “Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD, And whose deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?” You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?”

Isaiah 45:9 “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker — An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?”

TURN TO: JEREMIAH 18:1-17
(in verse 18 Israel rejects)

(READ: JEREMIAH 19)

You really shouldn’t mess with God.
He is God!

Isaiah 40:12-17 “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales? Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.”

So Isaiah continues…
Isaiah 40:18-26 “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.”

Isaiah 46:5-10 “To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal and compare Me, That we would be alike? “Those who lavish gold from the purse And weigh silver on the scale Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; They bow down, indeed they worship it. “They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; They set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; It cannot deliver him from his distress. “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;”

Hopefully you get the point.
There is a God and you aren’t Him.

• His understanding is far beyond yours
• His power is far beyond yours
• In fact you can’t even fathom such things.

He doesn’t need your advice, He doesn’t need your help.
How you would do it, is of little consequence to Him.

YOU ARE NOT EQUALS

• God deserves your worship
• God deserves your obedience
• God deserves your gratitude
• God deserves your trust
• But God does not deserve your complaints.

And if you don’t believe me,
Just ask Him to come explain it to you personally.

Avoiding Spiritual Disaster
Hebrews 13:4-6
April 10, 2016

If you weren’t able to be with us last week, we have now entered
A NEW AND ALSO THE FINAL SECTION of this book of Hebrews.
It is the practical application section of the book.

Nearly every New Testament writer follows this same pattern.
They will give you a section on doctrine and then a section on application.

And obviously this makes perfect sense, since action is based on belief.
Bad behavior can always be traced to bad doctrine.

If you don’t believe right, you won’t live right.

So you must get the doctrine correct first,
And then you address the actions that follow.
That is what is now occurring in Hebrews.

• We spent 12 chapters explaining why Jesus is the greatest person to ever come across the stage of humanity.

• We saw how His salvation is perfect and without equal, and we repeatedly saw the dangers in neglecting this salvation.

• But now, the writer has finished the doctrine, and he has given his final invitation to those on the fence.

So he begins to address those who have decided to follow Christ
And begins to explain to them how they should live.

Last week we looked at the chief Christian command, and that is LOVE
It may seem sort of like a VBS level topic,
But nothing could be farther from the truth.

Love is the chief Christian characteristic.
In fact, if you don’t have love, the Bible says you don’t know God.

And so we were reminded right out of the gate
That regardless of how difficult things may be,
That is never an excuse to just retreat back into your hole
And ignore others entirely.

The writer reminded us that
• Regardless of your suffering, you must “Let love of the brethren continue.”
• Regardless of how scary the world is you must “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers”
• No matter how busy or distracted you become we must “remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them,”

To sum it all up, the writer reminded us to put others first.
It is a simple command that we start learning in the very first Sunday School classes, and yet it is enormously difficult to obey.

The denial of the flesh is a constant battle,
And yet if we are to live like believers in the world,
It is a battle we must fight and win.

• We must learn to sacrifice self for the good of others.
• We must learn to put others first.
• We must demonstrate love.

It’s easy to see why this was the first point of emphasis.
After all, both Jesus and Paul said that loving your neighbor as yourself
Is a fulfillment of every command in the Law.

IT IS A BIG DEAL.

Well THIS MORNING we move on to the next area of concern.
The first dealt with things you should do,
Now the writer deals with AREAS YOU SHOULD AVOID.

To be specific we are going to talk about areas
That can be a certain SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL DISASTER for you.

The writer of Hebrews likes to use analogies.

In chapter 2 he used the analogy of a ship sailing for the harbor, and referenced the danger of failing to enter it.
Hebrews 2:1 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

In chapter 12 he used the analogy of a race, and the danger of stumbling in the middle of it.
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;”

The topic this morning would definitely fit into both of those analogies.
We are talking about things that can easily cause spiritual shipwreck.
We are talking about things that can easily cause you to stumble in your race.

What are those things?
SEX & MONEY

Obviously neither of those things are bad in and of themselves,
But both have been the cause of more crashes
Than almost any other forms of temptation.

It is the dangers of sexual immorality and greed.

In fact, just to sort of give some perspective to what makes these two such potent issues.

These two sins are the tell-tell signs of a false prophet.
2 Peter 2:12-16 “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”

Peter speaks of their “eyes full of adultery”
Or love of “the wages of unrighteousness”.

Jude 14-23 “It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”

Jude speaks of these men who follow their own “lusts”
And who flatter for an “advantage”.

That means that these two sins
Have been the cause of more wrecked ministries than any other.

In addition, these two forms of temptation snare more genuine believers
Than any other temptation I can think of.

Tragic is the list of believers who have shipwrecked their faith and their lives
Because of one of these two issues.

So you can understand why the writer would bring them both up here.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE DANGERS OF TEMPTATION.

And can I enlighten you to something here?
The church spends a great amount of concern on the idea of persecution.

Believers are continually worried about the threat of persecution.
Isis, or Islam, or even being shunned by their contemporaries.

I don’t think it’s far-fetched to say that
The church really seeks to avoid persecution.

But…
TEMPTATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN
A FAR GREATER THREAT THAN PERSECUTION.

Persecution threatens to kill your body…
Temptation threatens to kill your soul…

Jesus said:
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

You ought to be far more concerned about overcoming temptation
Than you are about avoiding persecution.

Even take the Lord’s Prayer.
Jesus didn’t say anything about praying to escape persecution,
But He did talk about the necessity of praying to overcome temptation.

Matthew 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]”

History has proven that the church has thrived during times of persecution, and been nearly decimated during times of temptation.

Take this letter is written to Hebrews who are currently being persecuted,
But the writer just told them to love anyway; to open their doors to strangers anyway; to associate with the persecuted anyway.

Nothing about the first 3 verses in this chapter suggested that the writer had any notion that these Hebrews should try to avoid persecution.
In fact he commanded them to push forward in spite of it.

But temptation is an entirely different issue.
You have to treat it like the most lethal of dangers.
You must be on constant guard against it.

Don’t let temptation be the undoing of your life.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

• Paul reminded us that all men are susceptible to temptation.
• Paul reminded us that all temptation is common.
• Paul reminded us that all temptation is escapable.
That means you are going to face it,
It is going to be the same thing everyone else faces,
And because of the grace of God, you are able to resist it.

Well this morning let’s visit these two highly common
And highly dangerous temptations that we must overcome.
#1 SEXUAL IMMORALITY
Hebrews 13:4

“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled;”

You and I know that it was God who instituted marriage.
We’ve all read Genesis 2 about how God saw that man needed a “suitable helpmate”
And how God took one of Adam’s ribs and formed a woman.
It was God who instituted marriage.

Jesus taught:
Matthew 19:4-6 “And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

That means that the natural attraction that a man has for a woman
And a woman has for a man is perfectly normal.

God created man and woman with that natural attraction.
And the confines where man and woman
Can satisfy that natural attraction
Is the confines of marriage.

In fact Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 7:1-5 “Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

Paul even writes later in the chapter that
“it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

THE POINT IS that marriage is from God
And therefore marriage is important.

Therefore, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all”
That is, marriage is to be viewed as sacred.

AND THIS COMMAND IS APPLICABLE ON A NUMBER OF LEVELS.

One is because some had adopted this notion
That marriage was somehow wrong.

Paul referenced them.
1 Timothy 4:1-3 “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.”

Paul knew that because marriage was ordained by God
That there would be some who would assault it and even forbid it.

Paul knew the dangers here.
• Certainly it is not a sin to be single, or to remain single,
• But there are some who cannot handle being single.
• They need marriage as a safe-haven.

I think the Catholic church has proven this many times over,
As they have forbade priests from marriage
And then had to deal with numerous sexual scandals.

It is important that everyone realizes that marriage is a good thing
And for many, marriage is a necessary thing.

So to dishonor marriage by forbidding it is obviously a sin.

But that’s not the issue that the writer is most concerned about here.
Clearly the writer of Hebrews is concerned about adultery.

He is concerned that people will not value the sanctity of marriage.
• You will either have people who will engage in sexual relations without being married.
• Or you will have a person who is married stray from their spouse to have sexual relations with someone else.
• Or you will have a person who is single disregard the covenant of another and have sexual relations with someone else’s wife or husband.

No matter how you slice it, it is to fail to “honor”
What God instituted when He created marriage.

God created marriage and He intended for it to be sacred.
He even devoted two of the Ten Commandments to this issue specifically.

Exodus 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery.”

Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

You can read Leviticus 18 and get a detailed list
Of all the people you should not have sexual relations with.
(mother, sister, granddaughter, step-sister, aunt, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, multiple family members, unclean women, neighbor’s wife, homosexuality)

God is specific.
“Marriage is to be held in honor among all”
If you are not married to someone
Then they are to be considered as absolutely off limits.

“the marriage bed is to be undefiled.”
To defile the marriage bed is to disregard the sanctity of it.
To defile the marriage bed is to disregard the purity of it.

God intends that marriage be sacred.
That applies to your marriage and to your neighbor’s marriage.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.”

Do not defile the marriage bed.

AND THE REASON IS EXTREMELY CLEAR.
“for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”

Do not be lulled to sleep or fooled here.
• “fornicators and adulterers” will not escape.
• “fornicators and adulterers” will not go unpunished.

Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”

Granted our world is quickly throwing modesty and shame out the window,
But regardless we would still say that sexual sins
Are the ones kept most private.

• Affairs are typically secret
• Pornography is viewed in privacy
• Sexual immorality is cloaked in darkness

And this gives the sinner the feeling of privacy, like no one knows,
Or like they’ll never be caught.

I’ve had many conversations with youth and parents of youth
Regarding cell phones and things of this nature.

There is an app that kids get called “Snapchat” that automatically deletes a photo just a few seconds after you view it.

It gives the feeling of privacy.
Send or view a picture with no consequences.

But you always get caught, and there are always consequences
Because God sees it all.

You may fool me
You may fool your parents
You may fool your spouse

But you cannot fool God, He knows it all,
And He vows to “judge” those who commit such sins.

There is no getting away with it.

TURN TO PROVERBS

READ: Proverbs 5:1-23

But wait, the writer of Proverbs isn’t finished yet.
READ: Proverbs 6:20-35

No, he’s still not finished
READ: Proverbs 7:1-27

Do you get the point?
There are no secrets
(even this youth was being watched out the window by someone else)

All things that are hidden are revealed.
God sees all and God vows to judge adulterers and fornicators.

NOW THIS LAW IS UNIVERSAL TO ALL MEN.
That is to say, both believers and unbelievers alike fall under this warning.

But certainly the writer of Hebrews is more concerned
About those who claim to be believers.

For an unbelieving adulterer is bad enough,
But how much more heinous is it when someone who claims to be a Christian begins to engage in sexual immorality.

IT IS COMPLETELY DISHONORING TO CHRIST!

1 Corinthians 6:15-20 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.” But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

All men should abstain from sexual immorality if for no other reason than the fact that God will judge all who do it.

But the believer should especially abstain
Since not only does it bring judgment,
But it also disregards the commitment that was made to Christ.

That is why Paul told the Ephesians:
Ephesians 5:3 “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;”

And the Colossians:
Colossians 3:5-6 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,”

Sexual immorality is an enormous temptation
And it is wrecking lives everywhere.

It wrecks marriages
It wrecks children
It wrecks congregations
It wrecks souls
It dishonors Christ
It promises judgment

Avoid this disaster, avoid sexual immorality.
“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”

Now let’s look at the second (and equally dangerous) temptation.
#2 GREED
Hebrews 13:5-6

He starts by saying, “Make sure that”

That is another way of saying, “Check again” “Look again”
(You may have this and not even realize it)

“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money”

There is another big temptation.
And just to make sure you don’t try to pass it off as somehow not as bad as adultery, let me read that verse in Colossians one more time.

Colossians 3:5-6 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,”

Both sins are listed there as that which brings “the wrath of God”.

And let me make sure you understand something right out of the gate.
“love of money” is not limited to the rich.

Can it be a problem of the rich? Oh absolutely!

The rich young ruler went away sad when Jesus told him to sell all his possessions.

To that Jesus responded:
Matthew 19:23-24 “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

James spoke of the rich:
James 5:1-5 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”

You should know that being rich is not a sin, but those who are rich had better be ready to answer two questions from God.

1) How did you get your money?
• James said that this guy withheld the pay of his laborers.
• The idea is that their wealth was obtained immorally.
• They did something they should not have done to obtain their money.

How did you get yours?
(stealing, gambling, cheating)

2) Why do you still have your money?

This is the question the rich young ruler wouldn’t have wanted to answer.
He may have come into his money honestly,
But he maintained it because he wouldn’t give it to the poor.

James said that this rich man stayed rich by hoarding his wealth
Even to the point of it no longer being worthy anything.
Both of those questions are looking to find out
If a person loves money or not.

• Do you love it so much that you’d act immorally to obtain it?
• Do you love it so much that you’ll neglect others to keep it?

There is the danger.
The rich can most certainly struggle with greed.

That is why Paul said:
1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

If you’re rich, you’d better be generous and eager.

Proverbs 11:4 “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.”

That is to say money won’t do you any good in the judgment.

But it is not as though the rich are the only ones who struggle with greed.
Just because you don’t have money doesn’t mean you don’t love it.

A poor man can simply be a greedy man without opportunity.

Sometime read Matthew 6 where Jesus warns about two major sins.
• THE WEALTHY WARNING where Jesus warns about storing up treasure on earth.
• THE WORRY WARNING, where the poor are so consumed with acquiring money that they can’t focus on anything else.

Both are the same sin from different perspectives.
This “love of money” is dangerous

Paul wrote:
1 Timothy 6:6-10 “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Did you see what loving money can do?
• It can cause you to “wander away from the faith” and “pierce [yourself] with many griefs.”

Write down in your margin 2 KINGS 5:20-27
And go read about Elisha’s servant named Gehazi and how his greed caused him to act immorally and ultimately to be afflicted with leprosy.
“love of money” is dangerous.

That is why the writer of Hebrews said, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have;”

Why should you be content?
“for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

That is to say, God has promised to take care of you.
He didn’t promise to make you rich, He promised to always provide.

Matthew 6:25-33 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The point is clear isn’t it?
To worry or to love money or to be discontent
Is actually a slap in the face to your Provider.

And if you live your life seeking and loving money,
It is an indicator that your trust is not in God.

The writer of Hebrews said to stay away from “love of money”

(6) “so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

So that you can confidently declare to all men that your faith is in God.

When you are always worried about and seeking money,
It sure is hard to tell other people about how much you trust God.

Do you see the problem?
Sexual Immorality dishonors God’s covenant
Greed dishonors God’s provision
BOTH BRING ABSOLUTE AND CERTAIN JUDGMENT

These temptations are spiritual train wrecks
That you and I must avoid
So that we may effectively honor God and avoid judgment.