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Our focus today is the contrasted everyday walk of those who live in light of Christ’s eternal kingdom… Because of who Jesus is and what he has done, and because we are alive in Him… we are being transformed.
Again, because of what Christ has accomplished and who he is to His people, by faith in him we are transformed into spiritual beings who are able to live lives pleasing to God, to offer acceptable worship in our everyday living.
Today in our study we come to two REALLY common issues where the church of Jesus has to be VERY different from the world around us. - these everyday, everywhere issues involve marriage and money, purity and contentment.
God has a beautiful design and plan, one that is for our highest good and greatest joy, but we often let the flesh win.
And by doing that, we’re trading trinkets for treasure, exchanging cotton candy for the wedding feast.
I want you come with me through this text realizing that just as your Lord is so much better, so also His way so much better.
I want you to leave feeling convicted and repentant, but also comforted and rejuvenated.
My prayer is for God’s word to do that in you today.
Now let’s get in the ring with God’s truth.
Hebrews 12:28-13:6
PRAY
(As they follow the previous verses, I think of this section in vv.
4-6 as…)
“Love” Out of Bounds (vv.
4-6)
Or Love Gone Wrong
[Context] - this section in Hebrews; these verses following the first 3...
Hebrews
[Content]
- highly value = marriage [and more specifically]
- marriage bed = undefiled (pure) - (‘marriage bed’ is unquestionably a euphamism for sexual intercourse within marriage)
- (followed by a motivation) for God will judge
- [the next section does something similar, but instead of chiasmus (crisscross) it does parallel negative/positive]
- NOT loving money (free from greed) = your conduct —> BTW, here’s another “tie” as to how this is tainted “love” - philadelphia (brotherly love v. 1), philoxenia (hospitality/love to strangers), and now philargyria (loving money) - but stated with alpha privative, meaning a negation or absence of… [and also stated positively as]
- Be content = with where you are (position and possessions)
- (followed by a motivator) for he himself has said (that’s he’s with us and for us)
So understanding that context and content of the passage, here are reminders for us that help us keep our theology straight as we approach God telling us what we ought not to do and what we should do:
God’s boundaries are for your own good.
& safety
God does not aim to keep you from pleasure but to graciously offer you something better.
Do you understand that God’s commands are for your good?
Then behave according to what you claim to believe.
Do you understand that God’s promises are better and sure?
Then live according to what you claim to believe.
Alright, as we continue… I intend to be careful in my speech (and make an effort to honor you parents with young kids, and even the act of marriage) without shying away from the truth of the text and the application we need to make.
So we’re reminded that there is sanctioned physical intimacy (within the bounds of God’s ordained marriage of one man and one woman) and there is unsanctioned, illicit sexual activity that harms us bc it is out of bounds.
And God intends that money, possessions, and position be used as simple tools to honor him and love others, but there’s a very real danger of us loving and pursuing money and status as an end themselves - way out of the guidelines for which God tells us that he has a better way.
Remember, God has a better design.
(With that in mind, our next emphasis then is that...)
God says we can’t dishonor marriage and expect to enjoy its pleasures.
(4a&b)
How do we honor marriage?
- unspiritual twisting in two ways: looking down on marriage as if celibate asceticism is a higher and more spiritual aim (but it’s not); and behaving like keeping yourself for the act of marriage with a single person is stifling, unhealthy, and unnecessary.
(while it is actually meant to be freeing, healthy, and beneficial)
- The second problem must be the one in view since the greater specificity of the sentence points to a clean marriage bed and then to God judging all sexual immorality outside of marriage and also particularly adultery (unfaithfulness to the spouse to which you have covenanted yourself in marriage)
So the opportunity to honor marriage comes here for both those within marriages and those who are presently without.
Do you think of your physical intimacy with your spouse as an act of worship?
(If we don’t, when we don’t… we are letting the lies of this world (subject to the Father of lies, the Devil) drown out the beauty and design of God’s better way.)
The problem of short-sighted self-gratification
sexual immorality is an expression of selfishness and involves setting personal gratification above responsibility to God and the Christian community
(O’Brien from Lane)
True joy and lasting fulfillment are found within the bounds of God’s perfect commands and bound by His covenant promises.
Married love in bounds - Keeping the marriage bed pure is NOT meant to keep us from really enjoying mutually selfless physical, spiritual, and emotional intimacy
Married love in bounds - Keeping the marriage bed pure is NOT meant to keep us from really enjoying mutually selfless physical, spiritual, and emotional intimacy
[repeat topic] But we humans behave like we’re doing it all the time.
The truth is, it takes a LOT of self-control to remain pure of sexual immorality OUTSIDE the bonds of marriage.
Don’t be deceived.
Instead, realize that God has a better design.
- And the next warning should rightly sting too and make us pay attention:
Nobody… listen, no-body… gets away with secret sin.
God always sees and always judges justly.
(4c)
Nothing is hidden from his sight.
Hebrews 4:13
He will bring it to light and make it right.
Sometimes soon, sometimes later… but it is certain.
He will bring it to light and make it right.
Sometimes soon, sometimes later… but it is certain.
We think we’re getting away with it, but nothing could be further from the truth.
It’s hurting us now and we’re gonna face the music later when we stand before the just judge.
What’s more, you can’t pretend like one secret sin doesn’t affect all of your spiritual life.
True joy and lasting fulfillment are found within the bounds of God’s perfect commands and are bound by His covenant promises.
And when we ignore what God says, you callous your conscience… you put plugs in the ears of your heart, stifling the pleas and prompting of the Spirit.
[Review and Repeat] God has a better design.
God says we can’t love money and claim we trust Him.
(5a&b)
The love of money and trust in God are mutually exclusive.
And being to career-driven and wealth-motivated is not a harmless error in your life.
Being overly worried about how to meet basic needs isn’t a harmless error in your life:
Contentment literally has both nothing and everything to do with what you HAVE.
Contentment literally has both nothing and everything to do with what you HAVE.
Contentment has NOTHING to do with worldly possession but EVERYTHING to do with heavenly possession.
True joy and lasting fulfillment are found within the bounds of God’s perfect commands and bound by His covenant promises.
All that you have is enough if all that you have is his.
(Todd Wagner… something like that)
:10
We can trust that God’s design is better because He does what he says because that’s who He is… AND…
God never ceases to be a present help to His people.
(5c-6)
True joy and lasting fulfillment are found within the bounds of God’s perfect commands and bound by His covenant promises.
“I will be with you.”
Heb
All that you have is enough if all that you have is his.
(Todd Wagner… something like that)
Our confidence is most definitely NOT in our effort and ability to “keep from sinning” and “do the right thing.”
But our confidence is in who we are because of whose we are.
Therefore,
True joy and lasting fulfillment are found within the bounds of God’s perfect commands and are bound by His covenant promises.
The Right Response
The right response is to confess and confess… to confess sin for what it is and to confess God for who he is.
The right response is to confess and confess… to confess sin for what it is and to confess God for who he is.
What’s more, when you ignore what God says, you callous your conscience… you put plugs in the ears of your heart, stifling the pleas and prompting of the Spirit.
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