Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

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Christ Above All: Hebrews Part 8 – East Rock

The heartbeat of the Book of Hebrews is the ultimate supremacy of Christ over all.

Today we are continuing our summer teaching series in the book of Hebrews called “Christ Above All”.

Hebrews was written to a persecuted group of Christians in or around the city of Rome, and under the pressure of the moment, they were tempted to return to their Jewish roots to escape the persecution that came with the name of Jesus.

But as we find in the letter itself, the author has gone to great lengths to show these weary Christians that Christ is better than anything else they can turn to- they shouldn’t give up on him.

The message from the writer of Hebrews is loud and clear: “There’s no life in the old way of doing things. The only source of salvation is Christ alone. He is above all.”

As chapter 12 begins the pastoral heart of the author shines through in encouragement and exhortation.

Hebrews 12:5-6

And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

When we hear about discipline, our mind fills with memories, and it can make it more challenging for us to receive the good news of God’s discipline. We need to be aware that we are coming with “pre-loaded” thoughts and feelings about it

In the face of real challenge and difficulty the author is inviting us to see things differently, through the lens of what God can do through difficult seasons.

To see the trials and tribulations of life as opportunities for God’s grace to transform us into the image of Christ Jesus, to grow us in holiness.

Hebrews 12:4-6

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

“The Lord disciplines the one he loves”

To help unpack this text, we need to do some quick word study work because in this verse there are two different Greek words that are translated as discipline.

The first word translated discipline sounds like “pie-die-ah” in the Greek.

This has in view the whole training and education of children. Cultivating and shaping their mind and morals. It includes commands, admonitions, and punishments to accomplish this development.

In our vernacular, I would say it’s akin to “upbrining”

The second word translated discipline sounds lik “pie-doo-oh”.

It carries the idea of chastisement or punishment in order to shape the character of others. It’s the more specific action taken within the greater framework of a good upbringing.

The author has established his dialogue about discipline within the context of relationship with God. We are God’s children and as God’s kids we should expect his training and discipline, His active involvement in our upbringing.

The author quickly moves to apply this truth to their current situation.

Hebrews 12:7-8

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.

The author is challenging his audience to see their suffering, the challenges and pain they are experiencing through a different perspective.

Rather than something to run from, to avoid at all costs, or even to despise. They are called to see those things as opportunities for God to grow them, as God’s discipline. That’s how the heavenly Father grows and matures his children.

The author doesn’t say God CAUSES these things, God does not author evil. But, in his sovereignty, he does allow it, and what the author wants us to see is that God will use these things for our growth and our good, if we will submit to him. And it’s this discipline, this up brining by God that is the proof that we are in fact children of God.

So often we think we are facing challenges because God is mad at us, or that he has forgotten us. But we are called to remember that God can use these things to grow and mature us.

Hebrews 12:9-11

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 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. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

What I appreciate about this text is the honesty about the reality of suffering and even God’s upbringing and times of discipline- Even though God’s using it for our good- it’s not always pleasant. In fact, it might be miserable, downright painful at times. But we have the promise of God’s character and his word, that he is using those times for our growth in Christlikeness.

Hebrews 12:12-13

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.

With the language work, the baggage that we can bring along with our ideas of discipline, it’s no easy task to work through this passage and find what is really being said. I cannot imagine it was much easier for the original readers either.

Facing the ongoing pressure of persecution, the daily grind of seeing no relief in sight, perhaps they had become so focused on the problems all around them, they lost sight of the of what God could do in the midst of them. Maybe they forgot that God was with them and working for them.

The author seeks to remind them, this race of faith is a grueling marathon. It will take endurance and faithfulness like they have seen in Christ himself. To finish their race, it would require a new perspective and submission to the discipline of God the Father.

In your challenging and difficult circumstances, what’s your perspective like?

Do you see it as only something to endure, to grin and bear it, to struggle through? Or do you see an opportunity for God to do something in and through the difficult circumstances?

Each of us have a choice to make in those situations- What perspective will we take?

Will you welcome a new perspective about the challenges you are facing?

I want to share a brief yet powerful prayer that you can use in the midst of your circumstances right now.

When our focus is fixated on our problems, when we are asking all the ME focused questions, our prayer is so often:

“Lord, fix my mess.” “Change these circumstances, rescue me, make this go away, do something about this God!”

But the prayer of a new perspective is “Lord, change me”

“The mess around me is what it is God, I have lots of questions, I want to know why, how long, who’s fault it is, but all of that aside, I am seeking what you want to do in me. Lord, change me.”

Giving at COTN

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Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

Christ Above All: Hebrews Part 7 – Harrisonburg

The heartbeat of the Book of Hebrews is the ultimate supremacy of Christ over all.

Today we are continuing our summer teaching series in the book of Hebrews called “Christ Above All”.

Hebrews was written to a persecuted group of Christians in or around the city of Rome, and under the pressure of the moment, they were tempted to return to their Jewish roots to escape the persecution that came with the name of Jesus.

But as we find in the letter itself, the author has gone to great lengths to show these weary Christians that Christ is better than anything else they can turn to- they shouldn’t give up on him.

At the heartbeat of the Book of Hebrews is the ultimate supremacy of Christ over all. He is the Great High Priest, the Redeemer of All Mankind, the Radiance of God’s Glory, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, etc.

Hebrews 10:36-39

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

“The righteous/just shall live by faith” is the Christian principle of life

Habakuk 2:1-5

Romans 1:17

Galatians 3:11

FAITH ENCOMPASSES OUR WHOLE LIFE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Acts 16:31 – Saved by faith

1 Peter 1:5 – Kept by faith

Galatians 2:20 – Living by faith

1 Peter 1:7 – Faith shall be tried many times and in many ways

Isaiah 40:31 – Faith knows how to wait on the Lord

1 John 5:4 – Faith is always victorious

Matthew 17:14-21 – Faith will defy reason; it can move mountains

Hebrews 11:32-39 – Faith does not “face the facts”; it never gives up!

Hebrews 11:1-30

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones. By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

Time and again, the heroes of faith in former days looked forward and embraced God’s promises from afar.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Faith honors God and God always honors faith.

Hebrews 11:13

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.

Hebrews 11:31-40

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Leonard Ravenhill

I would rather die than fail Christ!

Oswald Chambers

If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but its difficulty does not make us faint and cave in— it stirs us up to overcome.

Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.

2 Corinthians 5:7

For we live by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Faith does not have to be perfect,

but it does have to be practiced.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Giving at COTN

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Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

Christ Above All: Hebrews Part 7 – East Rock

The heartbeat of the Book of Hebrews is the ultimate supremacy of Christ over all.

Today we are continuing our summer teaching series in the book of Hebrews called “Christ Above All”.

Hebrews was written to a persecuted group of Christians in or around the city of Rome, and under the pressure of the moment, they were tempted to return to their Jewish roots to escape the persecution that came with the name of Jesus.

But as we find in the letter itself, the author has gone to great lengths to show these weary Christians that Christ is better than anything else they can turn to- they shouldn’t give up on him.

The message from the writer of Hebrews is loud and clear: “There’s no life in the old way of doing things. The only source of salvation is Christ alone. He is above all.”

As chapter 11 opens the author is about to share the “hall of faith” to encourage his readers to persevere in the faith.

Hebrews 11:1-3

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

In Chapter 10 the author has been encouraging the readers to recall how they had already persevered in the midst of hardship and trials.

He is seeking to lift their spirits and spur on faithful living in the face of persecution. Coming into Chapter 11 he is about to share the Hall of Faith, names and stories of people who trusted God in the face of some really difficult circumstances. Before he begins, he wants to clear up what he means by Faith.

“Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

What we notice immediately is that biblical faith is not a flimsy hope. It’s decided and resolute choice, a firm and conscious decision to believe and trust in the reality of the Lord.

And biblical faith is not a static intellectual assent, it’s not a casual “yeah I believe in God”, it’s a settled affirmation that he is LORD of YOUR life that results in action.

Faith in the Lord means we live by his word and his desire, not what we see all around us in the world. And that’s the kind of lives the author is about to show us.

Hebrews 11:4-12

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

From the first children of Adam and Eve, through the great flood with Noah, to the calling of Abraham, the author does a sweep of biblical history to highlight the impact of faith on each persons life.

Notice how many times he says “By faith” then lists the action they took.

This phrase comes up again and again, that repetition is there to drive home the point- True Faith results in ACTION.

All of these stories are unique and different, but they all show a life lived by faith and trust in the word of God.

Hebrews 11:13-16

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

The author wants his audience to understand- The life of faith is not all about happy endings. He says “All these people died before they ever saw the fulfillment of the promises.”

Even though they never got to experience what God had promised, they continued to believe and trust him. And that’s the life the author is calling his audience to live.

Hebrews 11:32-40

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

As if he is running out of breath he says “I could go on and on, but I don’t have time to share with you all the amazing stories from the hall of faith. Men and women who despite challenging circumstances in their lives, chose to trust the Lord”

With wording connecting all the way back to verse two the author puts the finishing touch on this whole section. All of these people were commended, were celebrated and approved by God, because of their faith.

Imperfect people can still live a life that pleases God, the life of Faith.

The author has given considerable space in his letter to show his audience what a life of faith looks like and to make it clear- it’s the only life that pleases God.

To the original audience, facing ongoing persecution and pressure from the world, I have to think this came both as an encouragement and a warning.

An encouragement that they were not alone in facing trials and even persecution and yet a warning that they needed to hold firm in their faith.

Generations of God’s people before them faced incredible difficulties in following God’s call for their lives, some even died before they saw the fulfillment of those promises. But they lived each day, moment by moment, trusting in the promises of God. I think that’s what the author was calling his first century readers to, and I believe that’s exactly what we are called to now. To be hall of faith Christians.

These ‘hall of faithers’ did not make this list because they were perfect, but because their faith called them to repent of their sins and failures, and continue after the will and way of God. And that’s exactly what a life of faith is about for us today.

It’s about a conscious and purposeful decision to live every moment, to make every decision, in light of the reality of God. Even if we don’t see the promises fulfilled, even if the world says we are crazy and stupid- choose faith. Cling to the promises of God.

That’s the only life that pleases God.

The beautiful thing about God’s grace is that today can mark a new day in your story. You can start your life of faith today, right now.

Will you live you life by faith?

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

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