How Then Shall We Come to God

God’s Pursuit of Man

Hebrews 12:10 NIV

They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.

God pursues us for our good. God is more about you good than you are. God pursues us with such vigor that He is willing to dscipline us that our good might be obtained and that we might take part in His holiness.Hebrews 12:12-13

Hebrews 12:12–13 NIV

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

God had deemed that our good is found as we walk the level or straight path with Him. He believes that this so for our good that He is willing to make us lame if necessary to keep us on this path.

What Derails Us From the Path

Hebrews 12:14–17 NIV

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

The path that the Lord is for our good is built upon the Lord. The descriptions of the path are the fruit of the Spirit, peace and holiness.

What derails us from the path first though is bitterness. Bitterness leads to our defilement. Bitterness in its very root keeps us from finding contentment in the grace of God. Bitterness is defined as anger and disappointment for being treated unfairly. The bitter root makes our heart believe that we are entitled to something that we do not have. Our hearts then believe that if only we had it then we would be fulfilled or we would be happy. If only my spouse would do this then I would be happy. This bitterness stands in the face of the grace of God which at its very root is the gift of that which we do not deserve. When our hearts become entitled to what we believe we are owed, we can not find contentness with the grace that the Lord has freely showered upon us.

The second thing that derails us from the path of the Lord is the taking lightly of the Lord’s discipline. In other words, we take lightly the Lord’s discipline when because of our sorrow, hardship and pain, we justify our sin as acceptable. Because I have been dieting so long, I can give into gluttony. Because my spouse is not treating me the way that I believe she should, my porn addiction is justified. Because that co-worker is so mean and disrespectful to me, I am justified in treating them or another co-worker disrespectfully. The writer of Hebrews points us to the story of Esau. Esau was the oldest son of Isaac. Esau was the hunter/gatherer who could provide for himself. The story states that Esau returns from a hunt empty handed and famished only to find his brother Jacob with a bowl of stew. Esau trades his birthrite for the bowl of stew and later with weaps because of its loss.

How Then Shall We Come to God

Hebrews 12:18–21 NIV

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

This is a look back to Mount Sinai where the Lord met the people of God. There is nothing but fear coming.

This is contrasted with :

Hebrews 12:22–29 NIV

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be 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 be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

We are not on Mount Sinai, God is not watching and waiting to strike down His people.

We are in Zion, where suffering, when it is there, is a gift brithed out of the love of God for our good. It is given by a God whose plan for us out of love is not to push us beyond what we can bear. Whose love for His children was so great that He killed His own son for our gain.

SO if you hear Him, do not ignore Him but rather run to Him. We come to God with open arms recognizing that our good is His aim.