A Greater Glory

Review

We left off a couple of weeks ago by looking at the whole idea of faith. Not just simple faith, but the kind of faith that God requires. The kind of faith that is so certain and so powerful that it moves you to action. We were discussing this faith as it related to what the Hebrew believers were enduring. While we don’t know what specific town or region these believers were in we do know that they must have been facing persecution by a particularly antagonistic community of Jews. I’m sure they were being mocked and ridiculed and even persecuted for having forsake the Temple where God promised to meet with His people. They were looked upon as fools.

To God be the Glory

You see, in a sense these Jews were right. After all, the Temple is the very place that God had set up to meet with His people. This was to be the very place where the tangible evidence of His existence was to be made manifest. The Shekinah glory appeared first when he was delivering the nation of Israel from the Egyptians when it manifest as a pillar of smoke by day and fire by night. It later appear to them on Mount Sinai when the voice of God thundered from the mountain. It was manifest when it came to rest in the Tent of Meeting, and eventually the Temple. It was maintained by the animal sacrifices that were made by the priests. If you were not a believer in the Messiah, you would of course believe that these people were fools for forsaking the glory of God. How big of a deal was the glory?

Well, the whole purpose of man is to bring God glory. Rav. Paul says it like this:

Romans 11:36 NKJV

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

In fact the very essence of the spiritual warfare that we talked bout last week is this. While God designed us to bring Him the Glory, the aim of ha satan is to rob him of the Glory that is due Him. Worship is all about our ability to perceive the glory of God and render the praise and honor and glory that He merits. We are unable to live up to the level of spiritual maturity to which God has called us without a full, vibrant and dynamic lifestyle of praise and worship without giving God the glory that is His.

Saints, can you see why this was such a big deal for them? They needed the reassurance that what they were doing was right. They did not want to live in disobedience to God, yet they could not yet fully comprehend that everything that was done in the Torah and the Prophets, all of the traditions that they had been observing were point toward the time in which they were now living. They had been observing all of those feasts and performing all of those sacrifices as a rehearsal for the day that those prophetic types would be fulfilled in Messiah. Up until this time, the writer of Hebrews had been addressing the superiority of Jesus in terms of how it related to the Aaronic priesthood, having made his case for the superiority of Christ’s ministry and the perfection of the sacrificial system by His crucifixion. But there still remained the issue of the Glory of God.

A Greater Glory

The writer of Hebrews having just explained that salvation came by faith and not mere robotic obedience to the Temple rituals, lists out the Faith Hall of Fame to drive his point home. And this is where he transitions into the glory of God.

Hebrews 12:1–3 NKJV

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

He says basically, “Look, I’ve just listed out this great cloud of witnesses whose lives testify to the goodness of God, who endured hardships and who died, many before seeing the fulfilment of His promises in their lives. Nevertheless, they believed in a reality not yet seen. Take their example and don’t lose heart, don’t grow weary.”

How to Endure

The Author then goes on to give them some encouragement on how to endure.

Hebrews 12:4–6 NKJV

You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

Do Not Despise Discipline

He says, first of all, while you are enduring a great deal of persecution, you haven’t done so to the point of bloodshed - yet. In other words, as bad as it seems, it’s not really all that bad. And then he goes on to encourage them by reminding them that the difficulties that we face as believers can be embraced as a blessing because we are sons and daughters of God. And a good Father chastens his children whom he loves.

A good example of this is that when Elisha was a very young child, he was very difficult. He was headstrong and very rambunctious - naughty you might say. It wasn’t until we found out that he had autism that we knew why he was so challenging. After praying about it, we heard from the Lord that we were not to spare our discipline simply because of his diagnosis. To the contrary - we saw how many other children with autism were so out of control that we realized we had to do something. Now let me ask you a question. Does the word of God contain disciplinary exceptions for kids with developmental disabilities? In fact, God told us that we needed to take a very firm stance with him and insist that he bring his behavior in check. As a result, he no longer has meltdowns, he is able to self soothe, and he has become one of the greatest kids ever. So much so, that all of his teachers constantly rave about his great behavior.

Saints, it was sometimes a struggle. It would have been very easy to just let him have his way. It was often very heartbreaking to butt heads with him, but we persisted because we love him. We persisted because we knew that we could mete discipline out with love today because some day he was going to have to face this world and face discipline that would not be so loving. We wanted to make sure that he could not just survive in society, but that he could thrive. And so although there was much screaming and many meltdowns, and a few paddled butts, there was always abundant love. Likewise, the author of Hebrews says:

Hebrews 12:7–11 TLV

It is for discipline that you endure. God is treating you as sons—for what son does a father not discipline? But if you are without discipline—something all have come to share—then you are illegitimate and not sons. Besides, we are used to having human fathers as instructors—and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? Indeed, for a short time they disciplined us as seemed best to them; but He does so for our benefit, so that we may share in His holiness. Now all discipline seems painful at the moment—not joyful. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Just like it wasn’t pleasant for us to discipline Elisha, for him or us, the discipline of God is not pleasant either, but it is “for our profit thta we may be partakers of His holiness.”

Become a Minister of Peace

Hebrews 12:12–13 TLV

Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble! And make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame will not be pulled out of joint but rather be healed.

The writer then asks the Hebrews to perform a introspective evaluation of themselves, and take inventory of any weaknesses they may have as revealed by these times of chastisement, and to address them. And then he drops this bombshell on therm:

Hebrews 12:14–15 TLV

Pursue shalom with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God; and see to it that no bitter root springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.

I chose this translation because it translates from the Greek back to Hebrew because these were Hebrew believers, and the very first copy of this Epistle would most certainly have been in Hebrew. This translation uses the word Shalom. Shalom means more than just peace. When we think of peace, we think of the absence of strife or war. We think of quiet and with think of a cessation of sorts. Shalom can be just as easily be translated as “harmony” which is not passive, but rather active. It is not diminutive, meaning it doesn’t cease, rather it denotes living a life that is arranged in harmony with your circumstances and in this case with the people around you. To live in shalom doesn’t mean, live and let live, it means to live and help live by adding your unique role to the equation. And that is proved out by the verse, it doesn’t just say don’t fight, but rather “see to it that no one falls short of the grace of God” but more than that, it is active in one other thing, the disciple says that living in shalom also means we guard ourselves against bitterness and trouble because this leads us to the third principle of endurance.

Keep Good Company

Hebrews 12:16–17 TLV

Also see to it that there is no immoral or godless person—like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He found no chance for repentance, though he begged for it with tears.

We’ve all heard the phrase “bad company corrupts good character” and this is what the writer of Hebrews is saying here. He says, “Hey people like Esau - Godless and immoral people. They lack the ability to see the bigger picture, they lack the ability to see God in a situation, and when they finally do see it, it’s too late. It’s usually after they’re suffering the circumstances of the decisions. Stay away from them.

A Return to the Mountain

Hebrews chapter 12 closes out with a return to a mountain with the glory of God. Just like mount Sinai of old. Let’s revisit that for a second shall we?

Exodus 19:16–25 NKJV

Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.” But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ” Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

The Glory of God thundered from Sinai and God gave the Ten Words, or as we know them, “the Ten Commandments” the people quaked and trembled before the glory of God. This was a day that lived in the collective memory of the children Israel and this is what they were clinging to through their Temple worship, and so the author of Hebrews speaks directly to that.

Hebrews 12:18–24 NKJV

For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

He is wrapping it all together for them here saints! Can you capture the glory of what He’s saying? We have access to this amazing mountain of God where His presence dwells continually. IT is the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, the very city where the angels live! And then what is the final warning that he gives them?

Hebrews 12:25–29 TLV

See to it that you do not refuse the One who is speaking! For if they did not escape when they refused the One who was warning them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject the One who warns us from heaven. His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.” Now this phrase, “Yet once more,” shows the removal of those things that are shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude—through this we may offer worship in a manner pleasing to God, with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.

“Look at the example of our forefathers, DO NOT make the same mistake that they did! Do not turn your back on the One who is speaking!” Saints, we often think that the nature of God is way different in the Old Testament than He is in the New. In the Old He seems cranky and in the new, many people see a reformed God one that is kinder and gentler.” I don’t. I see a Holy God in the Old Testament one that demands things be done His way, and I see an even more insistent God given the magnitude of the price that was paid for our righteousness.

Putting it All Together

We server a Glorious God. A God that still shakes the heavens and the Earth with his awesome voice. Because of this we must learn to endure our trials, remembering that God is a loving father who administers his discipline upon His saints. Because of this, we need to be quick to obey, quick to embrace rather than despise His discipline. We must become ministers of Peace and watch the company that we keep, because in the end we are meeting at the foot of a Mountain, and at the foot of that mountain is a God that is much more frightening that He was even in the Old Testament.

Finally, like the Israelites, we must not spend all our time looking back at God’s past glory, or times in our life when God’s glory was present. We must remember that His glory is here and now. That we are to look not to Jerusalem, not to a Temple made of hands, but we need to look up for God’s glory is with us always.