Detox for the soul #4

April 23, 2020

Today is Thursday. That’s the day after Wednesday and the day before Friday, if anyone is still tracking time.

We know the toxin and can set our guard. John summarized it, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” [1 John 2:16 NLT] But how to we detox from all the guilt, judgement, and condemnation we have earned? I am so glad you asked!!!

Let’s start with a promise. The verse has been called the “proto-evangelical.” God promised, “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” [Genesis 3:15 NLT] Notice the hostility is between the devil and the woman and their respective offspring. There has been only one offspring of a woman, Jesus born of a virgin. When Jesus died on the cross, it seemed as if the snake had struck its blow. When Jesus rose from the dead, He crushed Satan. The devil no longer has power over those he enslaves through sin. There is no more fear of death for those who are in Christ.

Let’s look at a sacrifice. Adam and Eve tried, unsuccessfully, to cover the cause of their shame. In other words, humans can never cover their guilt. “And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” [Genesis 3:21 NLT] This is the first time they saw death. This sacrifice of one life to cover for another set the legal precedent for the “blood sacrifice.”   The need for a blood sacrifice is stated, “…and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” [Hebrews 9:22b ESV] BECAUSE the consequence of sin is death (physical and spiritual) then the forgiveness of sin would also be death (the blood of Jesus).

Let’s consider a blessing. Adam and Eve were then driven out of the garden. This is were the story of forgiveness and redemption begins, “So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden…” [Genesis 3:23a NLT, NIV, etc.] It seem strange to think of being banished from paradise as a mercy intended to set our feet on the right path. Yet there is one special detail to note in the next verse, “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” [Genesis 3:24 ESV] Death provides a buffer to the unhindered expansion of evil.

The good news is, in Christ, this tree is not permanently lost to humanity. We are invited to have access, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.” [Revelation 2:7 NLT] The need for such a tree (or trees, see Revelation 22:2) indicates the believer’s life, health, and healing comes from the continual provision of God. This is foreshadowed by the grace given to us on another tree where Jesus died. This grace is continual nourishment to the soul.

On Fear and Rest (Hebrews 4:1 - 11)

Hebrews 4:1 – 11 “On Fear and Rest”

How we understand God comes from Scripture. How we understand Scripture we often call “theology.” Theology is a “big” word that literally means “Theo” for God and “ology” for “study.” So theology is the study of God.

Theology is important because it determines how we interact with God, each other, and the world.

This section of Hebrews 4 cannot appropriately be isolated from the lesson of unbelief in Hebrews 3. After leaving Egypt the people missed out on God’s best blessing through unbelief.

In Hebrews 4, we are taught a link between Israel entering the Promised Land and the Christian entering heaven. Historically Israel is a picture of the church… the lessons are there, as Paul tells us in Corinthians, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” [1 Corinthians 10:6]

I. A promise of a future.

A. There are two words that jump of the page in our text today.

1. The first word is “Fear”

a. In fact, it the Greek, the chapter (as we know it) starts with the words, “Let us fear.”

b. Fear is the cure for the caution of Hebrews 3 about drifting into unbelief.

2. The second word is “Rest.”

B Theology that is necessary to understand.

1. Our understanding is imperfect… it is fragmented…

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part, [10] but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. [11] When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. [12] For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” [1 Corinthians 13:9 – 12]

a. We are expected to “grow up” like a child would grow up.

b. But we will always be handicapped with “seeing in a mirror dimly” because of our ability to only know in part.

[The story of the blind men describing an elephant: What they describe depends on what part they are holding. So it is with us theologically.]

2. What causes this blindness?

a. In some cases it is our natural temperament. We want something to be true, so we believe it to be…

[Like the person that said, “I’ll see it when I believe it.”]

b. Our theological blindness also comes from the conformity to the group we are in or what we thought we were taught.

c. Preconceived notions and the need to defend a theological tradition can lead us to have blind spots.

d. In some cases, sinful tendencies cause our blindness.

*****I grew up believing that God took away our sinful nature and it was no longer possible for the believer to sin. As a result I struggled with the assurance of salvation and lived in constant fear of losing my salvation.

When I went through the classes to be ordained in the Free Methodist Church… that was corrected. In fact, the teacher at Headquarters made it clear that Wesley and Free Methodist do not believe that…

Historically there are two sound bites every one of us should know. Wesley liked to condense his teaching into easy to understand sound bites to help people remember. So here they are:

1. “God does nothing to denature us.” In other words God never removes the sinful nature. We can never say we are without sin or without the ability to sin.

2. “Sin remains but does not reign.” Another way to say that is just because the sinful nature is still around does not mean I have to sin.

C. Let’s be courageous enough to admit we have an imperfect mind, influenced by our limited experience, and tainted by our flawed culture.

1. So we are given to one-sidedness and particular emphasis.

2. Forms of godliness and types of doctrines become substitutes for truth.

3. In the end, doctrines and systems that are imposed on the Scripture we don’t like become idols because they have become confused with truth.

II. The reality of the fight we are in: FEAR

A. What is fear?

1. Fear is commonly misunderstood.

a. Some people understand fear as distrust of God’s grace.

b. Some people feel fear is the absence of love.

c. Some people think fear is bondage.

2. The “fear of the Lord” is much different.

a. It is the beginning:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” [Proverbs 1:6]

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” [Proverbs 9:10]

***** Without the fear of God we will know Him nor will we understand how to live our lives.

b. The fear of the God guards against self-righteousness. (a.k.a. “overconfidence”)

“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.” [Proverbs 14:27]

“By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.” [Proverbs 16:6]

B. “Fear” recognizes the reality of the fight we are in…

1. Reality... We need to dread:

a. We need to dread our sinfulness and sin.

b. We need to dread the pain of temptation and the cost of failing.

c. We need to dread the pressure of worldly influence (in us and our children).

2. This is a real fight (we cannot deny it).

a. There is a real enemy.

b. The wounds are real and the pain is real.

c. The attacks are real.

3. What we are talking about is exercising caution and care.

(Ill. Of passing a police car on the freeway: If you are in the speed limit, the police’s presence makes you secure knowing if something happens help is not far away. If you are speeding then there can be fear you will be punished.

III. A choice to move forward.

A. Definition of rest:

1. “Rest” is reflected in the Sabbath day of Creation… “God rested.”

a. …with God.

b. …following God’s example.

2. “Rest” is reflected in the Promised Land… “a land flowing with milk and honey.”

3. “Rest” may be reflected in the new birth one has when we initially humble ourselves at the point of “salvation.”

B. Why did Israel fail to enter the Promised Land?

1. Ideas:

a. They disobeyed after being delivered. (“unbelieving heart”)

1.) This is the “contingency” theory. (God’s promises are conditional.) (Fact: God want us to invest something… without investment, it’s not ours.)

2.) Reaching the goal is contingent on human faithfulness.

b. They never had an inward appropriation of God’s delivering work.

1.) This is the “security” theory. (Emphasis on the word “seem” to fall short.)

2.) Reaching the goal has nothing to do with human faithfulness.

2. The dark side of theology:

a. Contingency: How good do you have to be to enter heaven?

b. Security: How bad can you be and enter heaven?

IV. The balanced skills for promise fulfillment. (Normal behavior for God’s people.)

A. Faithful listening as opposed to an unbelieving heart.

1. Israel’s problems:

a. They needed sight… golden calf. (“walk by faith not by sight”)

b. They missed Egypt… veggies (Forgot the tyranny of slavery.)

c. They were easily bored… demanded meat (rather than God’s provision of manna).

d. They lacked trust… complained

e. They reached a critical point… rebelled by refusing to take the land God gave them.

2. Faithful means to look past ourselves and circumstances and believe God can and will take care of the situation.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. [17] If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. [18] But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." [Daniel 3:16 – 18]

B. Obedience as opposed to rebellion.

1. At the critical point of entering the Promised Land… the people rebelled.

2. Here at the critical moment, they refused to put the effort God required of them.

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” [Hebrews 4:11]

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” [John 10:9]

a. “Strive” carries the idea of being eager and alert (Robertson).

b. “Already but not yet” principle.

1.) We already have this rest by trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice, His broken body and shed blood provided for us but the grace and love of God.

2.) But we are not yet in the final rest heaven.

c. Obedience is the basic mark of those who are saved.

C. Balanced discipline as opposed to stubborn blindness.

1. Some of us need to learn to “fear the Lord.”

a. We take God lightly.

b. We misunderstand our true spiritual condition.

c. We have a form of godliness but no power.

2. Some of us need to enter God’s rest.

a. We can enter that rest only in and through Jesus.

b. Which means we will have to surrender our efforts, our religion, our righteousness.

D. “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, oh what a foretaste of glory divine…”

1. Do you know God has a tattoo?

“Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” [Isaiah 49:16]

2. Is your name written there?

3. Are you acting like it?

Where is God when you need Him?

Joel 2:12 – 17

Where is God when you need Him?

The context for these words is “the Day of the Lord.” (vv 1 – 2).

It is a day filled with fear. It is a day of darkness and gloom. The symbol of this day, for Joel, was an army of locusts. Maybe they were suffering from a massive swarm of locust that had moved in and was eating everything. God pointed this out and said, that’s how bad this is going to be. Locust are destructive, devour everything in their path, and leave nothing behind.

“The Day of the Lord” is a “type.” It reflects when God is on the move to bring His people back to himself or set all wrongs right. The images reflect the crucifixion (darkness), the second return of Christ (unstoppable army), and the day of judgement (wrath). Theologically they are all connected.

During Lent, it has been the historical practice of the Christian church to prepare for time of darkness and gloom as a purging of our sinful desires.

 

I.         God has a purpose for the gloom.

 

            A.        God wants His people to “return.” [v 12]

 

                        1.         “Even now” shows us there is a time frame for response.

 

                                    a.         Wesley’s idea of “awakening.” There is a point where we are aware that God is trying to get our attention. If we respond then we “awake” to God. If we do not then we go back to sleep in our sin.

 

                                    b.         “Limited time” offer: “So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert.” [Hebrews 3:7 – 8]

 

                        2.         Hardship has its positive side: “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” [Hebrews 12:7a]

 

                                    a.         Discipline can be punishment for sin, more often it is CORRECTION.

 

                                    b.         The idea is that God does NOT have our attention. Something has to happen to knock us out of our comfortableness. We tend to enjoy physical comfort and being free from financial worry. (God does not have our attention, we are not listening.)

 

            B.        God wants His people to really meant it.

 

                        1.         The theological word is “repent.”

 

                                    a.         Jesus demanded that “repentance” be preached FOR the forgiveness of sin. (See Luke 24:47 TNIV)

 

                                    b.         Theologically, you cannot have forgiveness without repentance!

 

                        2.         Joel suggests disciplines to help:

 

                                    a.         Fasting , weeping, and mourning [v 12]

 

                                    b.         “Rend your heart.” [v 13] (“Let your broken heart show your sorrow...” GNB)

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. [11] See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.” [2 Corinthians 7:10 – 11]

 

            C.        God wants His people to prove it.

 

                        1.         “Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.” [v 15]

 

                                    a.         Private sins come from social sins.

 

                                    b.         The way to deal with social sins is to do it publicly and deliberately.

 

                        2.         The idea is that NOBODY is left out, everyone is in agreement.

 

                                    a.         The elder to the nursing baby.

 

                                    b.         Even the bridegroom and the bride. Weddings are a time of joy. In the OT the bridegroom is exempt from many duties (such as military service).

II.       God extends the possibility of relenting.

“Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing.” [v 14]

            A.        God MAY turn.

 

                        1.         We are going to let God be right about everything, then we are going to have trust God.

 

                                    a.         Maybe, God will not “turn and relent.”

 

                                    b.         Why? Pity to one is cruelty to another. Some lines once crossed can only be purged.

 

                        2.         The choice is ours, but it is also God’s. True repentance throws itself on the mercy of God and does NOT demand (possibly even expect) forgiveness.

 

                                    a.         We cannot manipulate God to relent from planned or necessary purging.

 

                                    b.         (Ill.) When I had the flu, I became alarmed at the amount of fluids I was losing. I was disoriented, dizzy, and drifting in and out of being consciousness. I called the Dr. who told me to not take anything to slow down the body’s purge... or it would just extend my misery.

 

            B.        Not only may God turn but God may leave a blessing!

 

                        1.         This is dramatic... to go from the purge of God’s discipline to the blessing of God’s discipline.

 

                                    a.         Part of the difference between people who passively let things happen to them and people who do good things is how they handle adversity.

 

                                    b.         Are problems obstacles or opportunities?

 

                        2.         God’s blessing is not like what we might expect.

 

                                    a.         Jesus talked about “abundant” life. (See John 10:10)

 

                                    b.         “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” [2 Corinthians 4:17]

 

III.      God offers promises to those who respond.

 

            A.        God’s promise of restoration, AFTER, the locust have gone through.

 

                        1.         [v 23] God promised timely rain.

 

                                    a.         Even though it may have looked like there was no hope, not everything was gone.

 

                                    b.         The promise of the rain was the promise of a crop... fruitful abundance returned.

 

                        2.         [v 25] God promised repayment.

 

                                    a.         God is not bankrupt. God does not lack means. God is ready, willing, and able to restore and repay well beyond what was lost.

 

                                    b.         Here again is the issue of trust. Are we going to trust God or shake our fist at God?

 

            B.        God’s promise is also spiritual.

 

                        1.         [v 28] This comes in the form of the Holy Spirit.

 

                                    a.         Everyone is included: Sons, daughters, old and young.

 

                                    b.         This is the continual presence of God given to believers (the church) at the Day of Pentecost.

 

                        2.         [v 32a] This comes from salvation.

 

                                    a.         Everyone, yet there is a condition. “Call” reflects back to repentance. (We do not believe in a universal salvation.)

 

                                    b.         Here is the condition of the heart. If it is hard toward God, we will not respond positively. This salvation will be impossible for us if we harden our heart.

 

IV.      God reveals the passion for us during the gloom.

 

            A.        Consider the personality of God. [v 13]

 

                        1.         God is gracious. In other words, kind when we don’t deserve it.

 

                        2.         God is compassionate. Another word for this is mercy. Grace is getting what we do not deserve. Mercy is NOT getting what we do deserve.

 

                        3.         God is slow to anger. The idea is that God does not lose His temper.

 

                        4.         God is abounding in love. This love is “unfailing” and “extravagant.”

 

                        5.         God is eager to relent. The impression is that God is looking for any excuse, any way...

 

            B.        It starts with the mercy and justice of God demonstrated at the cross.

“God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- [26] he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” [Romans 3:25 – 26]

 

                        1.         Jesus took our penalty to satisfy the demands of justice.

 

                                    a.         Someone had to pay. We could not... our eternal destiny was eternal Hell.

 

                                    b.         We could not save ourselves by observing the law. Something more powerful and effective than the law had to intervene.

 

                        2.         Lent is the time we look forward to that sacrifice of atonement.

 

                                    a.         As we look forward to that sacrifice, something dawns on us... This was a heavy price to pay for OUR sin.

 

                                    b.         We become sorry for our sin, we mourn because someone completely innocent suffered and sacrificed himself for us.

(Ill.) Arlington. The first shock is to see the simple white crosses. Crosses as far as the eye could possibly see. As you read the names it starts to sink in that each cross was someone that someone loved. As you read the dates of the their deaths, it hits home. These people put someone else, us, above even their own lives.

Vietnam sundial in Kentucky. It is a sundial that will tell you the time of day and the time of year. As you walk over the bricks and figure out the date and the time, you notice, inscribed on various bricks names. These are the names of the people who died in that war. The day of their death and the time (if known) of their death is marked by the shadow of the sundial. Families will sit and wait for the shadow to cross the name of their loved one.

Where is God when you need Him? Trying to get your attention!

Before any of these existed, the cross of Jesus Christ was set up on a hill for all to see. Many people mocked Jesus that day, not realizing it would extend a shadow into all of history. As Jesus blood flowed that day to cover the penalty you and I justly deserve, just was done. The only question is do we have courage enough to throw ourselves on the mercy of God?

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