II Peter part 2

II Peter 

part two

Now that we have taken an overview of the “eight steps” and laid the groundwork for our study, let’s go back and consider these important truths in a more detailed way.

You see, Peter is saying that we are already in a position to grow in the grace and knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ because God has already granted us everything we need in order to do so. And so there should be nothing holding us back from growing to spiritual maturity. Now we must add these other virtues to our faith.
By grace, through faith we are now: (I Jn.3:2 – We are now the children of God.)

4) Partakers of the divine nature: Through the one time event of the new birth we, as believers in Jesus Christ have already become “partakers of the divine nature.”

Jn.3:3,6-7 – Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

I Pet.1:3-5 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; to receive an inheritance (salvation and sonship) which is imperishable, undefiled, will not fade away, reserved in heaven for us and protected by the power of God; to be revealed in the last time.

Acts 2:38 – Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Ro.8:9-16 – However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.

Gal.2:20 – "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

II Cor.5:17 – Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
5) Therefore, for this very reason (that God has done His part fully): Apply all diligence, make every effort, be ever zealous to do your part in exercising your opportunity, privilege and obligation in Christ to grow into the fullness of what God has provided.

Ro.6:1-14 – What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Ro.12:1-2 – 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. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

The message is clear! What is needed now, once we have been born again, is a change in the way we live. A leaving behind of the old fleshly sinful lifestyle and an embracing of the new godly spiritual life in Christ.
But, it is by no means automatic or without real effort on our part.
We must seek it with all diligence!

The next step on out chart after salvation is separation;
Separation to God and from the lusts of the world, the flesh and the devil.
We are to put our faith into practice; we are to restrict our activities and our thoughts to those things that reflect our new position as born again children of God.
Now that our life is complete in Christ we are to develop a holy lifestyle. (I Pet.1:6)

The biblical term used most frequently for holy separation is sanctification.
There are many aspects to our sanctification;

First of all we are sanctified or set apart from the world and to God by the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf:

Jn.17:14-20 – His prayer for us is that while we are yet in the world, we will not be of the world;
That we would be kept apart from the influence, corruption and control of the evil one;
And that we like Him, would be sanctified unto God in truth; the truth of God’s word.

Heb.2:11 – For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.

Heb.10:10, 14 – By this will (Jesus will was to do His Fathers will) we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

Secondly we are to take an active and continual part in our own sanctification:
I Pet.3:15 – But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
Ps.34:14 – Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

Thirdly we are sanctified through the work of the Holy Spirit on our behalf:
I Cor.6:11 – But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

And finally, we are sanctified and set apart in Christ by the will and work of our heavenly Father:
I Cor.1:30 – But by His (God’s) doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.

This step of separation or sanctification in our quest to move toward spiritual maturity requires us to add moral excellence or virtue, to our faith.
Our position in trespasses and sin (Eph.2:1-3) before regeneration (Titus 3:5) may be understood as lacking virtue or our having less than excellent moral standing before God;
A condition that needs to be corrected not only as pertains to our standing before God regarding our salvation, but also with regards to our actual behavior in our daily life.
While it is true that upon conversion we receive complete justification and we stand positionaly clothed in the righteousness of Christ before God;
Still, a real change experientially needs to take place in our practice and behavior now.

Adam and Eve were created in a virtuous state in the beginning; more than just sinless but also with good moral character having a desire and a capacity to do what was right and pleasing before God.
This virtue was expressed toward each other and toward all of creation; God called them “very good” (Gen.1:31).
But then came the fall and everything changed, they lost their moral perfection and sin and death entered the world and human virtue was forever diminished.
What Peter is calling for (II Pet.1:5) is a reclaiming of that lost virtue; a determined effort on the part of every Christian man and woman to regain moral excellence;
not only to cease from sinning, but a commitment to, with the help of God and by virtue of the fact that we are now partakers of the divine nature; to determine to do the right thing before God, to each other and toward all of creation;
and this not to be a one time thing, but it is to be an ongoing process to strive to increase daily in our virtue through our decisions and our actual activities.
We have been reconciled to the world that we were once estranged to.
Through Christ God has provided reconciliation for us and for the world (II Cor.5:18-19).
Now let’s take full advantage of our reconciliation by living it out on a daily basis.
Gal.6:10 – So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

The very word virtue seems strange in our modern world; outdated and old fashioned.
In the past virtue was understood as more relevant and more valuable than perhaps it is today. That ought not to be the case.

Masculine virtue at one time was seen as valor, courage or bravery; along with such attributes as courtesy, civility and humility.
Feminine virtue was characterized by such things as chastity, modesty and manners.
Industry and hard work were highly valued characteristics for all people as was honesty.

I would like to pause here and ask you to help me to make a list of traits that you would consider to be virtuous; things that would reflect moral excellence to you.

I would also like to ask you to think with me about morality in general and about ethics in particular. Do you think there is a difference between morals and ethics?
Should there be?

Make your list and write out your answers and hold on to them.
I will post some of what we come up with at the meeting and you can compare.

II Peter part 1

II Peter 

part one

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ(II Pet.3:18)

“Knowledge is power”

> Knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ is eternal life <      (John 17:3)

Chapter one:

1) Faith – of the same kind as “ours” (the Apostles) = true saving faith, grounded in truth.
“The Faith” – once for all delivered to the saints = the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Jude 3).
Faith is the beginning point of the Christian life, it is the foundation upon which Christianity is built; but faith is not all there is to Christianity, it is where we begin to build towards the fullness of Christian maturity and Christ likeness; faith is the first step.
If we desire to grow up into spiritual maturity, then there are additional steps that we must take in order to achieve that goal.
Peter begins this epistle, his last written words to the Church of Jesus Christ, with a comprehensive, and I believe, chronological list of those steps recorded for us.

To begin with we need to establish the fact that everyone has some capacity for faith;
Faith is a natural component of human nature; all people exercise faith every day all day.
Ro.12:3 – God has allotted to each (man) a measure of faith.

This epistle is written specifically to instruct and enable believers to put their faith in the true things of God as taught by the Apostles and as recorded in the Holy Scriptures;
and to avoid the heresies and false teachings that challenge and distort the pure gospel; particularly the problem of the “secret knowledge” cults like the Gnostics of Peter’s day and in our day groups like the Christian Scientists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and so on. It is only through the knowledge of the true that we can recognize and avoid the false.

1b) By the righteousness of our God – our faith is to be in the provision of God’s own personal righteousness on our behalf through the person and work of His Son Jesus Christ and by that righteousness alone.
Ro.1:16-17 – In it (the gospel) is the power of salvation to everyone who believes (everyone who puts their own personal faith in it)...for in it (the gospel of God concerning His Son, vs.1) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
You see then that life and salvation are to be found only in the true Gospel as presented in the Holy Scriptures (vs.2) and that they must be received through faith.
As stated earlier; this is the necessary and first step that we must take in entering into the Christian life.
Furthermore it is a one time event (Heb.6:6) that results in the new birth (I Pet.1:3-5).
Just as it is in the natural realm; a child cannot begin to grow towards maturity until he is born into this world, so it is also in the realm of spiritual life in the eternal family of God.
It is now that our journey of growth toward spiritual maturity can truly begin!
1c) Our God and Savior Jesus Christ – What better or more important doctrinal statement of truth and clarity could Peter possibly have chosen to begin his last declaration of his own personal faith with, than his firm and unequivocal proclamation of the deity of his friend, his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

2) Grace precedes peace – the simple fact is that it is only by God’s grace that peace with God is even available to man. As a consequence of Adam’s sin; in addition to expulsion from the garden, no access to the tree of life and death passing on to all of Adam’s descendents; mankind has been at enmity with God ever since; the fleshly desires of unregenerate men and women, untempered by the influence of the Spirit of God, are in conflict with God and His laws (Ro.8:7-8); mankind as a whole is at war with God. God is the offended party. We as individuals and as a race are incapable of bringing reconciliation to the conflict; we cannot undo what has been done; it is not even in our nature to do so. God must intervene and take it upon Himself to reestablish peace with men. He has done so, as we know, in the person of Jesus Christ (II Cor.5:19).
Ro.5:1-2,8-10 – We have peace with God...we have obtained our entrance into this grace (peace with God) by faith; God demonstrates His own love for us...while we were yet sinners Christ died for us...we shall be saved from the wrath of God...while we were enemies (of God) we were reconciled to God...we shall be saved by His (Christ’s) life.
TREMENDOUS TRUTHS !

Eph.2:1-9 – We were dead (under a death sentence from birth with no way out) in trespasses and sins...we all formerly lived in the lusts of the flesh...we were children of wrath (as the offspring of Adam and according to our own choices and behavior)...but God, because of His great love for us...made us alive together with Christ...by grace you have been saved through faith.

2b) Grace and peace be multiplied to you – how can we receive even more of this blessed grace and peace from God?
Through knowledge!
The knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
How marvelous and exciting to think that God desires to not only add to our blessings but He wants to multiply them!
I Cor.2:9 – but just as it is written,
"THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,
AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,
ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."

2c) In the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ – This is such a critical concept and unfortunately, it is one that is often overlooked, ignored and even attacked by some individuals within the nominal Church.
The value of knowledge is often overlooked in the sense that credulity (naive, untested, gullible belief) is often portrayed as superior faith;
And experience (emotional, sentimental, shallow and often fleeting) is often overemphasized at the expense of sound teaching;
Many modern preachers are guilty of sensationalism, exaggeration and of pumping up the crowd by making outright false promises based upon erroneous exegesis and just plain old fashioned eisegesis.
The need for knowledge is ignored by way of under emphasizing the need for continued personal bible reading and study by many in church leadership (particularly in certain denominations); accompanied by a general lack of interest for deeper study by a large segment of church members.
And finally, the very idea that one can even hope to understand the deep things of God and of Christ is very often rejected and even attacked by many; in a spirit of pietistic, skeptical, anti- intellectualism; based upon a puerile understanding of passages such as Is.55:8-9 – “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.”
(A careful reading of the text in context reveals that the difference in view is specifically regarding compassion, mercy and forgiveness. If in fact the meaning was that there is no similarity between God’s thoughts and ways with man’s thoughts and ways in all categories {no analogy of being whatsoever} then there could not be any communication at all between them; and we know that this is not the case).

But, what does the scripture say concerning the value and necessity for the continual pursuit of godly knowledge?
II Tim.3:15 – Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

3) Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness – please just let that sink in for a while. God has left nothing undone concerning His provision for your eternal life and for your current needs in order to help you to live a godly life here and now.
How has He done that?
By giving you access to His life giving truth through presenting you the opportunity, ability and assistance to know Him and to know Jesus Christ in truth;
By His divine power, calling, glory and excellence.

4) He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises,

In order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature.

5-9) Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence,
In your faith supply moral excellence,
And in your moral excellence, knowledge,
And in your knowledge, self-control,
And in your self-control, perseverance,
And in your perseverance, godliness,
And in your godliness, brotherly kindness,
And in your brotherly kindness, love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
They render you neither useless nor unfruitful
In the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted,
Having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

These are the eight steps to spiritual maturity.
We will examine them in detail.

Hebrews 13, the final section of our Hebrews study outline

Hebrews 13

1) Brotherly love is of primary concern: For unity within the Church; for witness to the world; for effective ministry. 
Who is my brother? – Gal.6:10 – “Especially those who are of the household of the faith.” 
Eph. 2:18-19 – “You are of God’s household.” I Jn.3:1-2 –“We (believers) are the children of God.” There is to be a special bond of love between the members of the Body of Jesus Christ that goes beyond earthly ties of brotherhood, or love of neighbor and certainly beyond love of enemies. Jn.13:35 – “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
2) Hospitality for its own sake is in view here; the angel thing is secondary but important. Angels are real and they walk among us, period.
3) The prisoners in view here are the ones that have been in view all along (Heb.10:34); Christians who are persecuted and in prison for their faith in Christ. They are members of “the body” as the text states. If you want to visit criminals that are in jail for civil crimes that’s fine, it is just not a biblical mandate as some have interpreted it to be.
4) We live in a strange day when marriage is under attack and is no longer considered to be what it once was. The term marriage has been redefined and is no longer “honorable” as defined here in the bible. Surely this is a sign of the end of the age (II Tim.3:1-5) and of the demise of the Judeo-Christian ethic in America and of the perversion of morality in our modern world.
5) “Let your character be free from love of money.” (Not greedy but liberal and generous). Obviously this is something we can do or it wouldn’t be stated this way.
In other words – don’t be consumed with the pursuit of wealth to the point of losing sight of your dependence upon God’s desire, ability and promise to provide for your daily needs if you will ask Him. Our character is not set in stone. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can develop a more godly one. To lose sight of this is a trap to be avoided and one we can easily fall into. I Tim.6:6 – Godliness with contentment is great gain. II Cor.9:7- God loves a cheerful giver. Phil.4:11-13 - I have learned to be content...I can do all things through Christ (in all circumstances concerning want or in plenty). Phil.4:19 - My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Mt.6:11 – “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Jas.4:2-3 – You have not because you ask not... or you ask with wrong motives.
Mat.6:31-34 – “Do not be anxious then...about food, drink or clothing...God knows that you need these things. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”
6) “What shall man do to me?” Ultimately, concerning eternal things, man can do nothing to the child of God; but here in this world and for now in this time, unfortunately, man can do much in many ways. We live in a world filled with evil and evil doers. We have God’s promises to sustain us, but do not be deceived by misapplying those promises. Christians are not exempt from the consequences of the actions of evil men in the world. Particularly of such men who may be in positions of worldly power. But remember – “I have overcome the world!” Jn.16:33.
7) Beginning with the Apostles and including evangelist, teachers and pastors. This admonition is predicated upon the fact that God is the one who appoints the proper leaders in the Church. Eph.4:11.

The immutability of Jesus Christ; an attribute of deity only. Heb.1:10-12. Any teaching that would alter or reinterpret the original teachings of Jesus is to be rejected. Gal.1:6-9

9) There seems to be no end to the strange teachings that keep coming around, to challenge our complete salvation and freedom in Christ. A tenacious and persistent strange teaching (the particular one in view here again) is the ever present call to return to the bondage of the Law, including the dietary restrictions.

10) The food that we partake of from our altar; (“our altar” is the cross symbolically, or more literally that which is in heaven – see Heb.9:12; Rev.1:5). Our food is the Bread of Life. Jn.6:35.
Those that find Christ’s sacrifice to be insufficient and desire to be under the Law have disqualified themselves from partaking of the true life giving Bread.

11-12) The historical prophetic parallel between Old Covenant animal sacrifice and the one final New Covenant sacrifice is illuminated. What may have seemed like an insignificant detail is highlighted as a profound foreshadow of the necessity of the separation of the old from the new.

13) Let’s follow Jesus and leave the old behind.

14) Again; this world is about to pass away; God has promised to provide a new and unshakable home for us in the world to come; how foolish to cling to this world and loose the next world, which is far better.

15) Our “sacrifice of praise” includes our personal testimony of faith in Christ, our public praise and thanksgiving to God for His grace and mercy and our sharing of the gospel with others.

16) Do good to all men, as much as lies within your control and share the blessings of God in your life with others. Heb.12:14; Ro.15:19;

17) God has established a hierarchy in the Church; in the home; and in government. Eph.5:23; Ro.13:1.

18-19) A personal request from the author; he obviously believed in the power of prayer and he sought the support of the brethren through prayer on his behalf, so should we.

29-21) The beautiful Hebrews benediction;
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

22) He is saying “Please take to heart what I have said!” This expresses every teacher’s desire for his students. “I have written to you briefly.” I have kept it short, sweet and to the point. Or perhaps an alternate meaning could be to say “I have written to you with urgency.”

23) We are part of a great community of mutual care and concern. Circumstances are in flux.

24) Personal and corporate greetings from saints to saints.

25) “Grace be with you all.” May I add, Amen.

Hebrews 12:18-24 - chart

As we approach the last chapter of the book of Hebrews the author is focusing on some of the key topics that he has addressed within the letter. He is again emphasising the superiority of the New Covenant that is for the followers of Christ over the Old covenant of the Law. He uses an analogy, found in 12:18-24 to make his strong point. He compares the bondage of Mt. Sinai to the freedom of Mt. Zion.
I have covered this material in the previous outline (found below) but I thought a chart would be helpful to further illustrate the point. I have included a third mountain in my analysis, Mt. Calvary.

Gal.4:21-31 – Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not listen to the Law?
The present Jerusalem (slaves under the Law) and the Jerusalem above (free under grace).
Children according to the flesh and children according to promise.
Children of a bond woman and children of the free woman.

Hebrews 12:14-29

Hebrews 12:14-29

14) The hallmarks of a child of God: Peace and Holiness. (At least they should be)

Peacemaker – pursue/ follow peace with all men.
Mt.5:9 – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Ro.14:4-23 – seek peace in relation to the weaker brother, for his sake.
Gal.5:22-23 – the fruit of the Spirit is peace, seek to develop the attitude of a peacemaker. 
Eph.4:1-7 – be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
I Thes.5:14-15 – help the weak, be patient with all men.
II Tim.2:22-26 – pursue peace and don’t be quarrelsome but gentle when correcting.
Jas.3:17-18 – But the wisdom from above is first pure (holy and undefiled), then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
I Pet.3:8-11 – seek peace and pursue it.

Sanctified life – pursue/ follow holiness; in order to see (know) the Lord.
I Pet.1:16 – “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Ro.6:22-23 – Having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. (Whereas before you lived under the curse of death as the result of your sinful actions, your wages; now it is God who is at work producing holiness and a sanctified life; eternal life); Christ is our sanctifier – Heb.2:10-11.
II Cor.6:17 – “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord, “And do not touch what is unclean.”
II Cor.7:1 – let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Phil.3:7-14 – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith ... Not that I have already attained it or have already become perfect ... I press onward toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
I Thes.3:12-3 – may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men ... may He establish your hearts unblamable in holiness.
Heb.12:10 – He disciplines us for our own good that we may share in His holiness.
I Pet.3:10-13 – What kind of people should we be?

Without sanctification and holiness one cannot see the Lord. (Now or in the future).
Mt.5:8 – Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
I Cor.13;12 – Then we shall see face to face.
Eph.5:1-9 – no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
I Jn.3:2-8 – no one who practices sin has seen Him or knows Him.
Rev.22:3-4 – His bond servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His Face.

15) See to it! This is something that we must do ourselves.
Live in the fullness of the grace of God.
Be on the lookout for bitterness in the fellowship because it can defile many.

16) Esau desired the material world with its comforts and appetites over the spiritual realm and the promise of better things to come. Be aware that this same spirit of worldliness is alive and well in the Church today and it is deadly.

17) There is a point of no return and there are consequences to our choices and to our actions.
18-21) The characteristics of the Old Covenant are highlighted to remind those who were desirous of returning to it, of the grave consequences of failing to keep it perfectly.
From the very beginning at Mt. Sinai it was a fearful thing; ominous and threatening- Ex.19:10-25; 20:18-22.
As we have seen throughout this entire epistle, this was a constant issue with these folks (Hebrew believers), they wanted to return to the familiarity of the Law.
Unfortunately, this problem has not gone away; many who declare themselves to be members of the blood bought Church of Jesus Christ are still seeking to be justified or to maintain their justification by keeping the Old Covenant laws, or by following some other set of rules and regulations.
It is the age old question of salvation by Grace alone through Faith in Christ alone versus Salvation through some kind of self performed works (Autosoterism/ self- salvation).
Ro.319-20 – No one will be declared righteous in His sight by keeping the Law.
Ro.6:14 – You are not under the Law.
Gal.2:15-21 – A man is not justified by observing the Law... I do not set aside the Grace of God,
For if righteousness could be gained through the Law, then Christ died for nothing.
Gal.3:6-14 – All who rely on observing the Law are under a curse.
Deut.27:26 – The Law requires complete obedience and conformity to all of its requirements. It is not possible for one to be justified by keeping the Law imperfectly; No man, with the exception of Jesus Christ, ever kept the Law perfectly. Therefore, no man outside of Jesus Christ can ever be justified by keeping the Law. Only cursing can come from trying and failing to keep the Law.
Ro.10:4 – Jesus Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

22-24) For the purpose of contrast; the characteristics of the New Covenant are highlighted.
The differences between the dispensation of the Law and the dispensation of Grace are striking and obvious to see.
We have come to Mt. Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
Phil.3:20 - Our citizenship is in heaven
Lk.10:20 – “Rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
Eph.1:4 – He chose us, in Christ, before the foundation of the world.
Rev.13:8 – The names of the saved have been written in the Lambs Book of Life since before the foundation of the world.
(This is the correct understanding of this text. The order of the sentence structure in the Greek has caused some confusion as to the proper translation into English.
A proper smooth translation reads – “And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world, in the book of Life of the Lamb who has been slain.”)

25) “Do not refuse Him” (Jesus, the mediator of a New Covenant); “Take heed to the warning.” The implications are obvious; we are required to respond to the call of God and equally obviously we are capable of refusing to do so. “Do not turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”
Gal.4:21-31 – Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not listen to the Law?
The present Jerusalem (slaves under the Law) and the Jerusalem above (free under grace).
Children according to the flesh and children according to promise.
Children of a bond woman and children of the free woman.

26) His voice shook the earth then – Ex.19:18.
He has promised – Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens – Hag.2:6.
II Pet.3:10 – The heavens and the earth will pass away with a roar.
27) “Yet once more” – A removing of the old (world) and the replacing with the new (heavens and earth) – Hag.2:1-7 – The new will be far better than the old. (Just like the temple).
Heb.1:10-12 – He created them in the 1st place and He will recreate them. They will be changed.
Is.13:13; 34:4; 65:17; Ezek.38:20; Joel 3:16; Mt.24:35; Rev.21:1-7, 20-22.

28) Therefore; we have reason to rejoice like never before!
Rev.11:15-19 – “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.” This is a prophecy that has yet to be fulfilled.
(The entire 2nd half of the Great Tribulation period is released at the blowing of the 7th trumpet. All of the bowl judgments are “contained”, as it were, in the 7th trumpet. This declaration by the voice and that of the 24 elders are proleptic, they are made in the aeviternal heaven and amount to a declaration of the certainty of the outcome; following the initiation of the events mentioned, by the blowing of the trumpet. The statements are in the aorist tense, indicating a completed action that continues into the future; this is an affirmation that all of this will come to pass without fail.)
Mt.6: 10 – “Thy kingdom come!”
Mt. 25:34 – Come, now, finally, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
It is an eternal, unshakable kingdom – Is.9:7; Dan.2:44; 7:14, 27; Lk.1:33; I Pet.1:4-5.

Let us show gratitude to God, in practical ways.
Ro.12:1-2 – I urge you therefore, 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...

With reverence and awe.
Ps.2:11 – Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Ps.89:7 – God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him.
Rev.15:1-4 – Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? (Before the bowls).

29) Our God is a consuming fire! (Deut.4:24).
Ex.24:17 – Like a devouring fire in the eyes of the children of Israel.
Ps.97:1-6 – A fire goes before Him and burns up His enemies.
Is.66:15-16 – For behold, the Lord will come in fire,
The Lord will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh.

Out with the old and in with the new.
All things that defile God’s good creation will be done away with.

Back to II Pet.3:1-18 – But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.... But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
All of the biblical writers are emphasizing the same thing; we have tremendous reasons to be grateful to God for our future inheritance of the eternal, unshakable, holy and pure kingdom of God. This should serve to inspire us and cause us to want to offer back to God our very best worship and service. This world is not our final home; there is a better one coming for us, soon!

Hebrews 12: 1-13

Hebrews 12

1) Therefore: again the author sums up the entire preceding chapter with clear admonition and instruction.

Take heart; be encouraged; don’t be discouraged or distracted from the goal; don’t let sin or doubt hold you back! Don’t run the race with any unnecessary weight tied to your back.

This great cloud of witnesses serves as our examples.

2) Always keep your eyes upon Jesus.

“He is the Author” - Άρχηγὸν (Archegon – beginning) – He is the originator of our faith, He is the prime example of faith in God and He is the object of our faith; He is where our faith in God’s provision for our salvation begins and ends (2:10) He has perfected our salvation.

“And Perfecter of our faith” - Τελειωτὴν (Teleiootain – bringing to an end) - The Finisher, the Accomplisher; He is the goal of and the end of our faith!

As Christians we are complete in Christ; our faith is in Him and His finished work on our behalf; which alone secures our salvation; He is the Beginning and the End, the Α and the Ω, the First and the Last; nothing is to be added and nothing taken away.

He despised the shame; He did not consider the shame of public humiliation as something to even take into consideration; He ignored it.

He sat down (1:3) – it is finished! Jn.19:30 - Tetelestai! (Same root word as in vs.2 - Finisher)

3) The student is not above the Master (Mt.10:24); if our Lord endured the cross with joy (Is.53:10-12), so should we endure our trials with the joy of knowing that our endurance is not in vain and that our hope is secure because we hope in the same God and Father that Jesus did;

God our Heavenly Father has a purpose in it all and we can trust Him in all things. He will cause it all to work out for our good (Ro.8:28).

4) Resisting sin (primary meaning in this context is “sinful men”) unto shedding blood (i.e. to martyrdom; as did so many in the previous chapter, and of course as Jesus did). Also our own sin is in view in the sense of our unrelenting battle to resist the influence of sin in our life.

5-6) Paradoxically and perhaps somewhat ironically, the fact is that Godly discipline in ones life is a confirmation of son-ship. (Prov.3:11-12)

7) The Greek word translated here as discipline/ chastening is very interesting;

παιδειαν (paideian – child rearing/ training; as found in Eph.6:4)

The love of a father for his child is shown through discipline as much as anything else; a lack of discipline from an earthly father to his child shows a lack of interest for the child’s well-being.

8) “All have become partakers” – same word used in 1:9; 3:1, 14; 6:4 (all have become sharers in discipline); If you do not share in the discipline of God’s sons then you are not a legitimate son.

This should be a source of encouragement for the child of God and not of despair.

9-10) God certainly deserves as much respect as our earthly fathers; it is for our own good and for our spiritual life and well being that our Father in heaven chastens, corrects and disciplines us. We need to always rely upon His wisdom and His goodness towards us.

11) The peaceful fruit of righteousness; Eph.5:9; Phil.1:9-11. (More fruit of the Spirit).

Beauty for ashes (Is.61:3) joy for sorrow, peace and righteousness; the result of godly training.

We must do our part, if we are to offer to God an acceptable service.

God is at work in our lives constantly offering guidance, correction and encouragement to help us to attain to greater maturity in Christ and to develop into a more useful servant of the kingdom of heaven. He has left nothing out on His part to accomplish His purpose for our good.

Jesus has done all that was necessary to provide us with a complete salvation that guarantees eternal life to all who will believe. There is nothing more to be done to attain our salvation.

But we have a part to play in living out our Christianity on a daily basis that is essential to our success and well being in our pilgrimage in this world;

And for our effectiveness as an acceptable servant of God, as we strive to fill our role in the body of Christ in a manner worthy of our calling.

God knows our weaknesses and our needs; that is why He has provided us with the marvelous gifts, helps and revelations that He has.

He loves us and wants us to have everything we need to succeed for living in victory over sin and Satan; over all of the temptations of the world the flesh and the devil.

But we must implement those gifts; we must utilize those helps, we must hear and seek to understand those revelations and respond in the ways that God has intended for us to do;

To make changes in our beliefs and in our actions in ways that will make us more Christ like in our submission to the Father and to the leading of the Holy Spirit. (The Holy Spirit is here to help us to do so, but it is up to us whether or not we will seek Him and yield to Him- Eph.5:18)

12-13) Again “Therefore” – indicating that we are to act upon the previous revelation and instruction concerning our chastening with encouragement derived from the reminder that so many faithful ones have gone before us and have endured great hardship in faith while waiting for the promise.

“Hands that are week and knees that are feeble” – we have a merciful and faithful high priest that understands our temptations and the weakness of our flesh. (Heb.2:14-18; Mt.26:41)

Our weakness and feebleness are NOT sin! Only our submission to them is, and that not without remedy!
I Jn.1:9

Also, as we were instructed in 10:24, 32-34, we are to remember the weakness of others and to stimulate each other unto love and good deeds as well as to encourage each other to endure in faith.

So we see that we are to not only seek to strengthen our own weak hands and feeble knees but also to help others who are struggling with the same weaknesses.

“Make straight paths for your feet” – make no provision for the flesh Ro.13:12-14.

 Prov.3:5-8 –    Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him; And He will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.

Hebrew 11:4 - 40

We walk by faith, not by sight.

(II Cor.5:7)

This is in no way a weakness or an inferiority as the unbelieving world insists that it is in its ignorance; quite the contrary, it is our unshakable strength and the assurance of our inheritance of God’s promises. Faith in God is a great advantage, not a liability.

Without faith we have no assurance. It is the evidence of our assurance, the very substance of things hoped for through our belief in God and our trust in God.

Is your faith weak? Then so is your assurance. Is your confidence in Christ’s ability to completely save in doubt, then you have no assurance. Is your faith in God strong and based upon His revealed truths, His revealed character and His revealed promises? Do you trust in the finished work of Christ alone for your salvation? Then, you have your assurance! Jn.17:3.

Heb.11:4) Able obtained testimony that he was righteous, because of his faith.

It was Jesus Christ Himself who declared that Able was righteous. Mat.23:35.

Able demonstrated his faith through his Worship. Gen.4:4.

His innocent blood still cries out for justice! Gen.4:10.

What do you think about the blood of the millions of innocents slaughtered in the holocaust of abortion? Do you think that God does not hear and that He will not judge justly? Rev.6:9-11.

5) Enoch was pleasing to God. Gen.5:22-24 – He walked with God and was translated into His presence. Think of it; it is possible for a man to please God! Do you believe that? Do you desire to please God? Do you seek to walk with God daily?

Enoch demonstrated his faith by his Walk. Gal.6:7; Jas.1:22; 2:26.

6) The centrality of the necessity of personal faith in anyone who would please God.

This is one of the most informative verses in the Bible regarding man’s relationship with God.

This verse also serves to explain why so many people in the world, both religious and nonreligious, fail to recognize or accept the fact that God is active in the world and that He intervenes in the affairs of men; they have no first hand experience of His presence or of His providence, because they either do not believe that He hears and answers prayer, or they do not even believe that He really exists at all. They Will not seek Him or yield to His Spirit in faith.

7) Noah demonstrated his faith and reverence for God by his Work.

Gen.6:8-9 – Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. He was a righteous man and blameless in his generation and he walked with God. (He had an ongoing personal relationship with God, like Enoch had).

God warned him about the coming flood; Noah believed God even though he probably had never actually seen rain before (Gen.2:5; 7:4) and he had certainly never seen or ever head of such a thing as a world wide flood, yet he went to work immediately to build the ark (something else that he had never seen before), he believed God, he acted upon his belief; he had faith.

By contrast; the rest of the world did not find favor in the eyes of the LORD. They obviously had no faith in or fear of God; and so the righteousness of Noah’s faith was a condemnation upon the rest of the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth. Jn3:18-19.

8) Abraham heard and obeyed God’s call and he believed God’s promise without ever seeing the promise land; he Went. Lk.9:57- 62.

9) He Waited for God to fulfill His word. He passed on his faith to two generations directly and to the entire household of the faith community ultimately. Ro.4:16; Gal.6:9.

10) Faith is waiting with anticipation and with full expectation of vindication for hope.

We with Abraham look forward to moving from tents/ temporary dwelling places; to The City of God/ permanent and built by God Himself upon unshakable foundations.

11) Sarah’s faith was rewarded; her faith was in God and in His promise.

12) Faith can receive supernatural blessings.

13) Think of it; all of these mentioned and more yet to be named, died without receiving the fullness of the promises and yet thy died in faith and their faith still lives and the promises will yet surely be fulfilled for them; because the one who gave them is faithful.

This is our example and this is our hope. Don’t settle in here; this is not our final home.

14) Keep pressing onward.

15) Don’t look back; cast off every encumbrance that holds you down.

16) Don’t settle for less than God has provided for you.

17) Do not be afraid to trust God in the difficult things; times of trial, of testing, of darkness and of temptation.

18) Remember the promise and the One who made it.

19) Even faith unto believing that God will raise the dead.

20) Exercise faith in the blessing of your children and for the future blessings of your loved ones.

21) Bless your grandchildren in faith; believing God for His faithfulness.

22) Count on God’s continual faithfulness even if it may be the case that you might die in faith before it comes to pass.

23) Trust God over men; even over men in power who may promise great things.

24) Do not be drawn away from God by the lure of worldly pleasures and power.

25-26) There are choices we must make in life, the choosing of which will demonstrate the state of our faith.

27-28) Moses demonstrated his faith through his actions and his choices.

29-30) The people followed Moses’ example and stepped out in faith (so should we).

31) Rahab’s faith delivered her family and herself from destruction, her faith was demonstrated by her choices and her actions.

32-38) The bible is filled with examples of people of faith, examples for our instruction and encouragement.

39) This fact serves as a further example of the strength of their faith in God and in His trustworthiness.

40) God has included us, the Church of Jesus Christ, in His plans for the demonstration of His rewards for the faithful people of God from the very beginning.