Thankful for the Opportunity

Thankful for the Opportunity Thanksgiving Sunday, 2016 Richard Leslie Parrott, Ph.D.

Thanksgiving Sunday, 2016 THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY Pastor Ulmet Hebrews 12:28-13:6 (NLT) Key verse: 12:28 We are directed by the Hebrew writer to be THANKFUL that we have been invited into the "unshakeable" Kingdom of God. We are therefore invited to live in the tension of the conflicting kingdoms (as discussed in our recent series God in Public): the kingdoms of this world that set themselves up against the Kingdom of God. As dual citizens we have been given the incredible opportunity to represent and reflect Christ and the holy character of God in a world that often rebels against everything His Kingdom consists of. This is not to be a chore or a burden, a negative or looked upon as suffering. We are to embrace the opportunity given us with thanksgiving, gratitude in our hearts! We are to see this as a divinely-given privilege! Hebrews 12:28-13:6 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire. 13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 2 Don t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. 4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. 5 Don t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. 6 So we can say with confidence, The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? A SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE OF HEBREWS Hebrews presents itself as "a word of exhortation" (The Greek word paraklesis, 13:22, 6:18,12:5). It can mean encouragement (6:18) and warning (12:5). Hebrews 2

is primarily a sermon that explains the Old Testament Scripture in the light of Jesus Christ and deals with practical issues of Christian living. There are two basic themes in the sermon. First, the priestly work of Christ, who is the "once for all" sacrifice (7:27, 9:12, 10: 10) and has sanctified and perfected those who approach God through Him (7:25). The major passage is 7:1-10:18. It emphasizes the finality and all-sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice. Here, we see the symbolism of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, the high priest, and blood sacrifice. It is a vertical and static picture of temple-service. Second, the devotion of the people of God to a pilgrimage. In this part, Jesus is the pilgrim-pioneer (12:2) and the forerunner and pioneer (12:10). Our salvation depends upon running the race before us (12:1). It is a race that is just as difficult as the Exodus Generation dealt with under Moses. And, we must make every effort to enter that Rest (4:11). The pilgrimage picture is a central focus of 3:7-4:13 and 11:1-13:25. This picture points to the Exodus and is a horizontal-dynamic image. The New Israel of believers are marching through the wilderness of this transient world without any visible security. We have only the promise of God. Thus, the two symbols have very different understandings of "faith" for the Christian: Christ as the priest and Christ as the pioneer. Christ As The Priest: Faith points to a momentous decision (10:38-39) in what Christ has accomplished (7:29, 9:26). In this sense, faith is believing in an accomplished fact, and thus it is saving faith (10:39). For the Christian, saving faith is the commitment/trust we have to the act of Christ that produces our redemption (9:12,10:10). Christ As The Pilgrim: Here, faith is something quite different. It is trust in and reliance on God's promise. Faith is seen as endurance in the midst of testing and hardships. It is a faith that looks forward "to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (11:10). It is this faith that challenges us to lay aside every weight and the sin that clings to us so that we might run with perseverance (12:2). It is also important to note that these two images bring together two different ways of looking at the Old Testament. The Priestly Picture: The high priest chapters show a tremendous distinction between the Old and New Testaments. What Christ has done is once and for all. His action negates the need of the Old Testament. Indeed, the Old Testament Law becomes nothing but a "shadow" of the Gospel and is, in fact, "obsolete" (8:13,10:8-9). The Pilgrimage Picture: In this picture, there is a basic continuity between the Old and New Testament. As the great heroes of faith in chapter 11 struggled amidst trials and tribulation, so the new people of God must also struggle. As they worked through the obstacles within and without that were 3

part of the wilderness journey, so we too must see them as pictures of our own obstacles to be overcome through enduring faith. TODAY S TEXT COMBINES PRIEST AND PILGRIM THE PRIESTLY WORK OF JESUS FOR US, Hebrews 12:18-28. Our interest for this lesson is especially found in verse 28, The unshakable Kingdom. This is a Kingdom that Jesus has made possible for us. He has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Let s look at three (3) questions that help us understand and apply the passage. 1-How do we come to (Hebrews 12:18, 22) the Kingdom, or as the writer says, the mountain? He contrasts Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. The Old Way To Approach God You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death. 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear. The New Way To Approach God 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. QUESTION: What are the differences in these two ways to approach God? Have you known both ways? When and what happened in your spiritual life? 2-What does God, the One who speaks to us from heaven (Hebrews 12:25) say to us now that we have come to him? It was essential to listen in the past; it is even more important to listen today. Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! 26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also. 27 This 4

means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. (NLT) When God speaks, he shakes things up his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also (vs. 26). Both Mount Sinai and Mount Zion are places of God-quakes. What is the difference? Mount Sinai is the old covenant. God works with fire and earthquakes that destroy, burning up everything in their paths, shaking down old and stable structures. Mount Zion is the new covenant. God shakes not only the earth, but heaven also, like an antique dealer shakes the dust off old stature to reveal the beauty beneath. In the New Covenant, God shakes, not to destroy, but to preserve, so that only the unshakable things will remain (vs. 27, see also Malachi 3:2-4, Matthew 13:40-43). QUESTION: God shook the heavens and the earth when he raised Jesus from the dead this was the day the earth changed (see Matthew 27:51-53). God will shake the heavens and the earth in a final moment when he will reveal the new heaven and the new earth (see Revelation 21:1-4). When did God shake up your life? What happened? 3-How are we to respond to the great opportunity to approach God, hear his voice, and be renewed in his new heaven and earth? Now we come to our KEY TEXT for today, Hebrews 13:28-29: Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire. Notice, the God of Mount Sinai and Mount Zion is the same God. Also, Mount Sinai and Mount Zion are both the dwelling place of God. They are, in essence, the same mountain. And here is the lesson: Sinai is transformed into Zion if we go there with Jesus. This is what Jesus (God in Christ) has done for us. Jesus has walked into the old sanctuary, now called Zion, pulled by the curtain and said to the Lord God Almighty, I am home and I have brought the children with me (see Hebrews 2:10). The Kingdom is the gift of our High Priest, through the blood of his sacrifice, once and for all (Hebrews 10). The Kingdom is viewed, as the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God, that the faithful of the past did not receive since God had 5

planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect (Hebrews 11). The Kingdom is the dwelling place (Mountain) of the True God where he meets with his children, where he speaks and shakes heaven and earth to reveal the original glory of all his creation (Hebrews 12). Let us respond to such a gift, such a city, such a dwelling with thanksgiving and worship. QUESTION: How would you express your thanks to God in one sentence? THE PILGRIM WORK OF JESUS IN AND WITH US, Hebrews 13:1-6 Now we move from the Priestly work of Jesus FOR us to the Pilgrim work of Jesus IN and WITH us. 13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 2 Don t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. 4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. 5 Don t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. 6 So we can say with confidence, The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? In essence, we ask the question, How then should we live? The writer of Hebrews provides nine action steps we are to take on our pilgrimage with Jesus. Verse 1-truly love each other Verse 2-embrace people Verse 3a-extend compassion Verse 3b-work for justice Verse 4a-model commitment in marriage Verse 4b-live morally Verse 5a-live satisfied lives Verse 5b-enjoy the companionship of God Verse 6-live fearlessly 6

QUESTION: Look over these six verses (vs. 1-6). They all fall under the theme of loving each other as brothers and sisters (vs. 1). Which phrases bring a thought of thanksgiving to your heart? Why? QUESTION: Look again at vs. 1-4. Consequences are spelled out for those who are loving each other as brother and sisters (vs. 1) as well as consequences for those who stray from the way of holy love. What are the consequences for those who stay on the path of holy love? What happens to those who stray from the path? QUESTION: Look especially at verses 5-6. What help is available to those who are determined to stay on the path? How can we help and encourage those who have strayed from the path? 7