Our Response
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 28:25
0 ratings
· 9 viewsFiles
Notes
Transcript
Our Response
Hebrews 12:18-29
Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567
One day Esau returned famished from hunting.1 Whether Esau was truly starving and on
the brink of death is hard to determine if one should take his claims literally or as a hyperbole.2
Upon returning to either home or more
likely to a camp, Esau finds his brother
Jacob cooking some delicious, red stew in
and chooses to purchase it at the price of
his birthright, which was a double portion
of Isaac’s estate3 and “more importantly
the head of his family and spiritual leader
of his people.”4 In this one act Esau
demonstrated not only indifference but
utter contempt for all that God had
promised to Abraham and his family
line!”5 Even with the knowledge that a
nation would be born from Abraham’s
offspring that would inherit the land of
Canaan and become God’s chosen people
(Genesis 17), Esau despised this birthright so much that he was willing to sell these blessings for
“the savory but passing pottage of this world.” 6 Later in life Esau came to realize how foolish
he was to despise (Genesis 25:34) and selling his birthright but it was too late, for not even his
tears could “buy back” that which was so easily “given” away (Hebrews 12:15-17)!
Every time I hear this story, I can’t help but look upon Esau and see him as one of the
most foolish men in the Bible! Esau did not have to sell off all he had to obtain the “treasure” or
“pearl” of God’s blessings he only had to accept that which God had already given him. Lest we
think too low of Esau and too high of ourselves, I wonder what we as Christians are doing with
all the blessings God offers us? The Bible states God has provided us with “every spiritual
blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). These are the kinds of blessings that are of infinite value for
they are provided by a sovereign God whose generosity is not limited, not even by our
imaginations (4:20)! For those who turn to Him God promises that his/her chains of sin will be
1
John E. Hartley, Genesis, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the
Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 236.
2
John H. Walton, Genesis, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 551.
3
John E. Hartley, Genesis, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the
Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 237.
4
James Montgomery Boice, Genesis: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 738.
5
D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel
Message (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 68.
6
James Montgomery Boice, Genesis: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 739.
1|Page
broken (1 John 1:9; Hebrews 12:1), and
death will lose its sting for while flesh and
blood cannot enter the kingdom of God (1
Corinthians 15:50, 55) a redeemed
masterpiece of His grace certainly can and
will (John 1:12; 3:16)! Despite all the
glorious riches being offered to us can we
truly say that the treasures of our hearts
reflect a genuine motivation to give up
that which we cannot keep, to obtain that
which we cannot lose? The following
sermon is going to review Hebrews
12:18-29 in order to help remind us not
only of the infinite value of our blessings
in Christ but also the warning that the
tears of the foolish on that final day will not be able to put out the consuming fire of God!
The Mountain of Fear (18-21)
Before we can truly understand the value of the blessings being offered by God one must
first understand how difficult it was for humanity to approach a holy God before the time of
Christ. Those who approached the old
covenant of Mount Sinai, a “place charged
with the holiness of God,”7 all that one
could hear was the “trumpet blast and the
Voice of terrifying judgement!”8 This was
the kind of mountain that could not be
touched for it burned with fire, darkness,
gloom and storm (verse 18). Due to their
unworthiness9 should either man or beast
lay foot on the mountain they were to
immediately be put to death (Exodus
19:12-13).10 God’s voice spoke a warning
out of the fire that cut through the
darkness11 and penetrated the souls of
those at the base of the mountain so terrifying that Israel begged Him to speak no more (verse
7
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the New Testament
(Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 354.
8
George Guthrie, Hebrews, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House,
1998), 417.
9
Donald Guthrie, Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983), 261.
10
Paul Ellingworth and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Letter to the Hebrews, UBS Handbook Series
(New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 309.
11
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI;
Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 480.
2|Page
19, Exodus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:25-27).12 “Fear of God’s just condemnation” for anyone who
broke His laws was simply too much to bear!13 Even Moses whom courageously stood before
Pharaoh and cried out God’s demand to “let My people go” (Exodus 8:1) in seeing that the “gap
between humanity and God’s divinity”14 was infinite, freely cried out in the presence of Israel
and this all consuming fire, “I am trembling with fear” (Hebrews 12:21)! If Israel was to be
God’s people, the mark of holiness would not be negotiated but determined and enforced by the
God who is sovereign and firmly in charge of all things seen and unseen (Colossians 1:16)!
Imagine for a moment what it must have been like to live in the Old Testament times!
God created humanity in His image (Genesis 1:27) and placed eternity into our hearts so that our
soul might seek, and forever be lost without Him (Ecclesiastes 3:11)! To those who witnessed
or heard of the Ten Plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-12), the manna from heaven in the wilderness
(Exodus 16), the parting of the Red Sea and Jordan rivers (Exodus 14, Joshua 3:14-17), the fall
of Jericho (Joshua 6:6-25), the sun and
moon standing still long enough for
Israel to destroy her enemies (Joshua
10:12-14) or Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego being saved from the fiery
furnace (Daniel 3); it should not come
as a surprise that they came to see God
as the rock of their salvation, a mighty
fortress in times of need (Psalms 62:67)! God’s blessings however did not
come without a price, strict obedience
to His commands! While God protects
His own, He has no issue in
disciplining His own! Those who
witnessed Nadab and Abihu consumed
by fire (Leviticus 10:1-2), being bit by
poisonous snakes for grumbling against God (Numbers 20:1-5), or the execution of the prophets
of Baal (1 Kings 18:30-38), soon realized that the breaking of any of the 613 commands of the
Old Testament was an invitation to receive God’s mighty wrath! Even the way to be forgiven
was difficult for it had to be done through the sacrifice of animals and only at a specific place
and only by God’s chosen priests, the Levites! And if you happen to be a Gentile believer, you
were not even permitted into the inner courts of the temple much less near to the Holy of holies!
Leon Morris, “Hebrews,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E.
Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 141.
13
Ray C. Stedman, Hebrews, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1992),
Heb 12:18.
14
David L. Allen, Hebrews, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2010),
590.
12
3|Page
The Mountain of Joy (22-24)
Praise be to God “upon conversion we do not come to an earthly”15 mountain of
darkness, gloom and unbearable fear but instead one in which the sprinkled blood of our
Mediator has appeased God’s righteous wrath and made us “right” in His sight. Even though
God retains His role as Judge under the New Covenant, those who have their names written in
heaven (verse 23)16 need not fear outright
condemnation because their Mediator
Jesus has purchased their atonement and
their right to be called God’s very own
children (John 1:12)!17 We as born-again
believers then are to feel unspeakable joy
for we do not have to come to a sacred
mountain that cannot be touched but to
“the heavenly dwelling-place of God, an
eternal mountain, Zion”18 which is
“invisible, all spiritual, and therefore
accessible anywhere!”19 While this
mountain points to the eschatological
future and home of every believer it also
has present and wonderful ramifications.20 The moment Christ died on the cross the curtain was
torn signifying the separation of God and His people was over for under the New Covenant
God’s Spirit dwells inside the heart of every believer (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)!21 Also, the once
and for all atonement of Christ means forgiveness is received through confession and
repentance, not animal sacrifice (Hebrews 10:1-18). The blood of the New Covenant then
“communicates exultation, warmth, openness, acceptance, and relationship, set off in bold relief
against the dismal portrait of the Sinai assembly!”22
It is at this point in the passage that the author of Hebrews invites us to consider how we
are going to respond to the blessings God offers us through His Son Jesus? Will we be like Esau
and see our “birthright” purchased through the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:20) as irrelevant
or worst yet despicable? While this seems like a harsh question to ask Christians, do not many
still view God’s commands as a burden (1 John 5:3), especially the one that says to “be holy as
15
John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007).
George Guthrie, Hebrews, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House,
1998), 420–421.
17
George Guthrie, Hebrews, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House,
1998), 421–422.
18
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the New Testament
(Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 355.
19
John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007).
20
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI;
Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 483.
21
Michael J. Wilkins, Matthew, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing
House, 2004), 905.
22
George Guthrie, Hebrews, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House,
1998), 420.
16
4|Page
God is holy” (1 Peter 1:16)? Are not
many so drunk in satisfying the evil
desires of their hearts (James 1:14) that
the world sees them not as Christ’s
ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) and
priests (1 Peter 2:9) but as one
hypocritical voice amongst the
completing philosophies of our times?
Surely God means more to us than our
family (Matthew 10:37), possessions
(Matthew 6:19-21) or even ourselves
(Luke 9:23) and as such commands such
a foothold in our hearts that serving Him
is not seen as a burden but an honor? Or
are our “itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3) correct in hearing in this passage that we can live a life of
cheap grace,”23 standing with both feet in Satan’s kingdom and feeling justified to periodically
“visit” God’s holy mountain in their fleeting moments of lukewarm “passion”? And even if we
sin is not the God of the New Covenant one of love and grace, not discipline so what harm will
ever become those who do not fear and obey Him anyway?
God is a Consuming Fire (25-29)
Lest the reader be tempted to stand on the shifting sands of indifference towards God’s
blessings or worst yet a mountain of cheap grace, the author of Hebrews warns the reader that
God was and still is a “consuming fire” (verse 29). “Even though fear is not a tender, winsome
motive to melt the heart with love, it is
very important that we know what a
fearful thing it is to spurn those tender,
winsome words that the blood of Jesus
speaks to the heart.”24 Grace is not a
license to sin (Romans 6:1) but an
invitation to serve in the power of He
who is able (Ephesians 3:20) to
transform our hearts of stone into flesh
(Ezekiel 36:26)! How much more
severe will be the judgment and
punishment be upon those whom have
the full word of God and Spirit to
guide them and yet refuse His gracious
gifts of reconciliation?25 For those
who chose to retain their self-seeking hearts of temporal pleasure and their false notion that God
23
I first heard this phrase in a book by A. W. Tozer.
John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007).
25
George Guthrie, Hebrews, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House,
1998), 422.
24
5|Page
no longer disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6), the author of Hebrews warns them that
when God’s eschatological judgment falls upon this earth its kingdoms will pass away (1
Corinthians 7:31; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 21:1)26 when the judge of the living and the dead
returns (1 Peter 4:5). Our proper response then to the blessings of the New Covenant that God
offers us is not lukewarness or contempt but joy and thankfulness that what His kingdom alone
is unshakeable and irrevocable27 to those who believe in the atoning sacrifice of His Son! We
then are to worship God with “reverence and awe” (verse 28) always remembering that while
His love and grace knows no limits neither does His judgment.
Like Esau we do not have to buy but merely receive God’s gracious gifts of salvation and
blessings. Just because we are a redeemed masterpiece of His grace, His ambassadors and royal
priests does not mean that we get to remake God into our image so that He might become more
palatable to the sensual and temporal desires. And even though Jesus atoned on the cross for
every sin we have or will ever do does not
mean we can treat His commands with
indifference or worst yet outright rejection!
Jesus did not die to give us a license to sin
but so that we might have life and have it
abundantly, serving out of not only love but
reverence and awe of His consuming fire!
To this generation whom in their selfcenteredness shuns accountability this
passage in Hebrews should serve both as a
blessing and a warning. To be able to boldly
approach God is a privilege that came at the
cost of the life of His own Son! Those
whom see this fact as trifle as it bounces off their stone hearts should remember the God of
yesterday whom smite those whom indulged in sin is the same God of today and tomorrow!
Please examine your life and answer this one final, important question: how have you responded
to the “birthright” that you have been offered by your Lord, Savior and King?
26
George Guthrie, Hebrews, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House,
1998), 423.
27
F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the New Testament
(Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 365.
6|Page