Thank You
Hebrews 10:19-39
The Full Assurance of Faith
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay.' And again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, 'Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.' But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
The verse that really gets me here is Vs. 26-27 "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries."
This has some amazing stuff hidden in there!
1. We receive the knowledge of the truth.
2. If we deliberately sin after receiving this knowledge, there is no longer a sacrifice for sins.
3. Instead of a sacrifice, now there is judgment.
1. We receive the knowledge of the truth.
How do we receive this truth? Some say at Baptism, others through praying a prayer, still others through preaching the Word.
Lets use an analogy to look at these different views:
A person is drowning in the ocean, and a ship comes alongside to rescue that person.
Praying a prayer: Says that the ship throws a life ring on a string (rhyme) to the person and all they have to do is grab a hold.
Preaching: says the same thing....and can even be combined with the prayer.
Baptism: says that the person already has the life ring and just needs to trust it.
But I think that there is a different way to look at it. The way God may see it.
The Bible says that we are dead in our transgressions. We are at the bottom of the ocean, dead! So how are we saved, if we are already dead? This is the true miracle! Christ dives into the water and pulls us up, regenerates us and saves us.
I believe that the responses above (Baptism, prayer, and preaching) are all our responses to the miracle that God has performed in us.
We can do nothing apart from God! He created us, everything comes from Him. He is our source of everything! I can do nothing apart from Him, who gives me strength.
All that I do, is a response to God and what He has done for me!
2. Deliberately sinning.
If we understand what God has done for us. That we have tried in our pride (rhyme) to take His place. And that this is sin, and a just God requires punishment for sin. Also, that this required punishment, He Himself fulfilled, by becoming flesh and blood and remaining pure and holy and then suffering to the point of death. Yet we continue to live in sin, this sacrifice, means nothing! It has been rejected by the recipient and therefore cannot be accepted by God as payment.
3. Now Judgement.
The person who has rejected the help of God to pay the price for their sins, now must stand in judgment on his own accord. And take the penalty for his sins.
The toughest part of this for me to grasp has been this:
God has written the names of His people in the book of life. This was done before the foundations of the earth! This means that there is nothing we (humans) can do, to help someone who's name is not written in the book of life! We can baptize them, pray with and for them, and explain the gospel to them as much as we like, but it wont change the fact that their name is not in the book of life.
Only God, can change their heart!
He has given us a mission, and that is to spread the Good News! We will find some of His children and be vessels that He will use to dive to the depths and bring them to life, and we will also be met with opposition from the enemy. But, we cannot ignore the mission that He has given.
God is the creator, everything I do is in response to the wonderful gift that He has chosen to bless me with.
"All I can do is say Thank you." Doug Allord
And sometimes All I can do is say, "Thank you."
All I can do is to give myself to you.
All I can do is say, "Thank you."
All I can do is to lay myself down at your feet.
All I can do is say, "Thank you, Lord."
"Gifted Response" Matt Redman
This is a gifted response
Father we cannot come to You by our own merit
We will come in the name of Your son
As He glorifies You
And in the power of Your spirit
This is a gifted response
Father we cannot come to You by our own merit
We will come in the name of Your son
As He glorifies You
And in the power of Your spirit
We have come to something so mysterious
Too deep for minds to comprehend
Through the open door
Where the angels sing
And the host of heaven are antheming...
And we'll sing the glory of Your name
Celebrate the glories of Your grace
We will worship You, We will worship You
And we'll make Your praise so glorious
Singing songs of everlasting praise
We will worship You, we will worship You
In Christ,
David
The Full Assurance of Faith
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay.' And again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, 'Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.' But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
The verse that really gets me here is Vs. 26-27 "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries."
This has some amazing stuff hidden in there!
1. We receive the knowledge of the truth.
2. If we deliberately sin after receiving this knowledge, there is no longer a sacrifice for sins.
3. Instead of a sacrifice, now there is judgment.
1. We receive the knowledge of the truth.
How do we receive this truth? Some say at Baptism, others through praying a prayer, still others through preaching the Word.
Lets use an analogy to look at these different views:
A person is drowning in the ocean, and a ship comes alongside to rescue that person.
Praying a prayer: Says that the ship throws a life ring on a string (rhyme) to the person and all they have to do is grab a hold.
Preaching: says the same thing....and can even be combined with the prayer.
Baptism: says that the person already has the life ring and just needs to trust it.
But I think that there is a different way to look at it. The way God may see it.
The Bible says that we are dead in our transgressions. We are at the bottom of the ocean, dead! So how are we saved, if we are already dead? This is the true miracle! Christ dives into the water and pulls us up, regenerates us and saves us.
I believe that the responses above (Baptism, prayer, and preaching) are all our responses to the miracle that God has performed in us.
We can do nothing apart from God! He created us, everything comes from Him. He is our source of everything! I can do nothing apart from Him, who gives me strength.
All that I do, is a response to God and what He has done for me!
2. Deliberately sinning.
If we understand what God has done for us. That we have tried in our pride (rhyme) to take His place. And that this is sin, and a just God requires punishment for sin. Also, that this required punishment, He Himself fulfilled, by becoming flesh and blood and remaining pure and holy and then suffering to the point of death. Yet we continue to live in sin, this sacrifice, means nothing! It has been rejected by the recipient and therefore cannot be accepted by God as payment.
3. Now Judgement.
The person who has rejected the help of God to pay the price for their sins, now must stand in judgment on his own accord. And take the penalty for his sins.
The toughest part of this for me to grasp has been this:
God has written the names of His people in the book of life. This was done before the foundations of the earth! This means that there is nothing we (humans) can do, to help someone who's name is not written in the book of life! We can baptize them, pray with and for them, and explain the gospel to them as much as we like, but it wont change the fact that their name is not in the book of life.
Only God, can change their heart!
He has given us a mission, and that is to spread the Good News! We will find some of His children and be vessels that He will use to dive to the depths and bring them to life, and we will also be met with opposition from the enemy. But, we cannot ignore the mission that He has given.
God is the creator, everything I do is in response to the wonderful gift that He has chosen to bless me with.
"All I can do is say Thank you." Doug Allord
And sometimes All I can do is say, "Thank you."
All I can do is to give myself to you.
All I can do is say, "Thank you."
All I can do is to lay myself down at your feet.
All I can do is say, "Thank you, Lord."
"Gifted Response" Matt Redman
This is a gifted response
Father we cannot come to You by our own merit
We will come in the name of Your son
As He glorifies You
And in the power of Your spirit
This is a gifted response
Father we cannot come to You by our own merit
We will come in the name of Your son
As He glorifies You
And in the power of Your spirit
We have come to something so mysterious
Too deep for minds to comprehend
Through the open door
Where the angels sing
And the host of heaven are antheming...
And we'll sing the glory of Your name
Celebrate the glories of Your grace
We will worship You, We will worship You
And we'll make Your praise so glorious
Singing songs of everlasting praise
We will worship You, we will worship You
In Christ,
David
posted by Mark 1:17 at 9:43 AM
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