For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, "I WILL PROCLAIM THY NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING THY PRAISE." And again, "I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM." And again, "BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME." (Hebrews 2:10-13)
Let
=s recall our context from last month as we continue our sprint through the book of Hebrews with a focus on imminent fulfillment. The text is dealing with the subject of Christ=s superiority over the hosts of heaven in spite of the observation that He was Afor a little while lower than the angels....@ This, the writer tells us A... was fitting...@(Gr. prepo: suitable, appropriate, becoming, proper) A... in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings ....@ We could spend volumes right here but lets simply grasp the significance of this statement.Mankind, in Adam, was dead in sin. In the curse God placed on the serpent was a promised redemption of mankind; but between the fall and the perfection of salvation there was much to be accomplished. The problem was demonstrated on a grand scale in the flood: which Peter and Jesus used as a type for the days in which perfection/fulfillment would be achieved. The problem was punctuated with a giant exclamation mark when God demonstrated at Babel the futility of mankind
=s efforts to reach Him. While a promise is inherent in the curse of the serpent, it simply deals with the destruction of the enemy. Mankind needed reconciliation and restoration: life. To be specific, life from death. And to be really specific, resurrection.The phrase
Ain bringing many sons to glory@ takes us back to God=s promises to Abraham. In our time, the focus has been shifted to the instrument God used to fulfill this promise, physical Israel. God=s plan was much larger. We should not preoccupy ourselves with Avessels of wrath made for destruction@ (Romans 9). Rather, we should take in the wider view God purposed Abefore the foundation of the world@ because the advent of Christ=s earthly ministry marked the time in which the promises would be fulfilled.We
=ll talk about it more when we get to chapter 11 but do remember the closing verses from the hall of fame of faith, AAnd all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.@ (vs. 39-40). This was the time for which all creation had longed and those believers were the Aterminal generation,@ not of the planet, but the old heaven and earth/the old covenant. We rob the biblical story of much of its glory if we confuse their time with our present or future.Moving on, have you ever really paid attention to the phrase
Ato perfect the author of their salvation@? Is the writer saying that Jesus was imperfect in some way? Obviously not, so what are we to make of this. Simply that sufferings were the proving ground for the Son of God. They demonstrated to the world whom He was. Imagine living your life and not having a single person who could raise a legitimate charge against you! His obedience, even in suffering, is a testimony which looms large over an unbelieving world. This idea is another one we will deal with in greater depth as you remember the writer=s description of Jesus in Hebrews 12:2 A... the author and perfecter of our faith ...@ or if you prefer the KJV A... the author and finisher ....@ There is a connection between these ideas so don=t miss it.It is really tempting to dig into verse 12 but we need to move on. Nevertheless, ask yourself where and when Jesus will proclaim His brethren
A... in the midst of the congregation ....@ Do be aware that the word for Acongregation@ is ekklesia which the Geneva Bible first translated Achurch@ but don=t expect Jesus to show up during one of your assembly times. Something much more glorious is in view here.14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. 17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
If you need a concise statement of why it was necessary for God to visit His creation in human form, this is it. That doesn
=t mean we=ll fully understand it however! He became flesh and blood because we are, and by His righteous sacrifice, the dominion of death was ended. The reason for this action provides us with a clearer picture of what was being accomplished, don=t miss it. Who is being delivered? A[T]hose who fear death@ and Awere subject to slavery all their lives.@Because of our training, we tend to interpret this in terms of all the human race. While we may certainly make that application, let
=s not forget the author=s audience and their unique position in redemptive history. To be sure, all mankind was dead and without hope. However, having been delivered from bondage in Egypt, Israel alone had Aprecious promises@ of a better deliverance: a spiritual one. The covenant they received Paul called Athe ministry of death@ (2 Cor. 3:7). It was a Ayoke of bondage.@ The Law was their ticket, but only if they kept it. Failing that, it became their death warrant.The epistle to the Hebrews was written to encourage them to faithfulness in time of great distress and the author here reminds them of the process salvation which was being worked out in their lifetime and which would soon, and very soon, be complete. In today
=s vernacular, he is saying, AHang in there!@ Andrč Crouch has had us singing ASoon and Very Soon@ for about thirty years now. Others have been saying Asoon@ for a lot longer than that. At what point does Asoon@ lose its meaning completely? Only if soon means soon is scripture reliable. That is why this study is so important.In verses 17-18, we get our next reference to Jesus
=s role as High Priest. Unlike the priests of the old covenant, He is faithful. His life in the flesh uniquely qualifies Him to minister to their needs. We will see this theme developed fully as we continue our study. For now, again realize that at this point He has made propitiation for sins but His work is not yet complete. The price for sins has been paid, but the promise of resurrection/life has not been fully accomplished. They hold it in pledge as is witnessed by the sealing of the Holy Spirt, but the day of its consummation was still future to them.3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. 2 He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. 3 For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
Again, note the role of Jesus as portrayed here:
Athe Apostle and High Priest of our confession....@ As THE Apostle of God=s redemption of His people, Jesus was faithful to His calling as was Moses. Of course, Moses had his personal weaknesses and stumbled at times and Jesus did not. Therefore, we should not be surprised to read that Jesus was Acounted worthy of more glory than Moses....@ How much more? The writer tell us in terms which repeat a theme which runs through the scripture: by so much more as the creator is than that which he creates. As wonderful as the creation may be, it is nothing in comparison to the creator.That is true in art, music, and construction or take your pick of any field of endeavor. Of course, human creators should exhibit great humility because, as the writer says,
Athe builder of all things is God.@ Whatever abilities and gifts we may have, they are from God. We may have trained long and worked hard to develop them, but they are from Him (and they are for His purposes).To say that Moses was revered among the Hebrews would be a tremendous understatement. Have you noticed in scripture that there are significantly more references to Moses than to Abraham? That is an interesting point to ponder but I use it only to remind us how esteemed Moses was to the people. As honored as he was, Moses only provided
Aa testimony of those things which were to be spoken later....@ When was later? The writer observes that they are Christ=s house if they don=t abandon their confidence and hope in Him. They must endure until the end.We can
=t take the space to develop it here, but realize that at this time in redemptive history they could Afall from grace@ as Paul had warned the Galatians. These passages must be among those most frequently ripped out of their context and misapplied. My Reformed friends would say they those who fell were never in grace in the first place because if they were they could not fall. Yet Paul clearly teaches they could fall if, having received the gospel message they turned back to the old covenant system. Though its glory had long departed, the empty shell of system still stood and held sway over the hearts of many. A day was appointed for its total elimination and those who turned their backs on grace and reverted to the old covenant practices would perish with it. Those who remained Afirm until the end@ of the old covenant age became heirs of the promises made to Abraham. Promises which God by His own witness secures to all who are born from above.To make this
Aend@ be the end of planet earth makes the whole idea absurd. None of them would survive until the globe was destroyed and indeed they had no concept of earth perishing. Read the Psalms and pay attention to its message about the earth enduring. There are many directions we could go from here and it is tempting, but let=s keep moving.7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, 8 DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, 9 WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. 10 "THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, 'THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART; AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS'; 11 AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'" 12 Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end; 15 while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME." 16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. 4:1 Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it.
That
=s a pretty big chunk of scripture to put on the table but I really want to address only the general theme it presents: a comparison of the wilderness wanderings of God=s people. When the Hebrews came out of Egypt, their situation was much like that of those first century believers who were being delivered from bondage and equipped for entering their promised land. The first exodus was the type for what they were experiencing in their time (the anti-type). The first was physical but the second (though it had some physical ramifications) was spiritual. That is the order in which God does reveals things to mankind (2 Cor. 4:18),When Moses (a type for Christ) delivered the people from bondage to the promised land, the trip could have been made in a few weeks. However, God took forty years to weed out the faithless and refine the faithful prior leading them in conquest. It is hardly a coincidence that when Jesus delivers the people from bondage we find a similar forty year period of sifting the chaff from the grain prior to the consummation of God
=s promises. From Christ=s crucifixion (about 30 A.D.) to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the new testament writers regularly reminded believers of Israel=s history and called them to faithfulness so that they might enter the promised land of rest.This will be our theme as we continue our study in Chapter 4 next time.
In The News
One the tax front . . . Not that the major media would report it, but a huge story unfolded on Thursday, June 23, 2005. It is a story of a true American hero who went to bat for us all at great personal sacrifice. I hope these few paragraphs will encourage you to learn more about the battle he fought.
Joe Bannister is a Christian. As a Christian, he was an Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigator. He became concerned about his involvement with IRS several years ago and decided he needed to understand the income tax issue for himself. He spent considerable time researching the tax code (which, by the way has never been enacted into law) and came to the conclusion that most Americans are not subject to the tax.
In a lengthy report, he related his findings to his superiors stating that he was empowered to take the property of others at gunpoint, and as a Christian he needed to know that what he was doing was lawful. If his findings were correct, his actions were more like those of thug and a thief. His superiors responded by telling him to take a week off and decide whether he could uphold the IRS position on things or not. They made no attempt to address his honest questions about the lawfulness of what they were doing.
He resigned his position because his conscience would not allow him to abuse his countrymen, but he didn
=t stop there. He went to work helping others understand the tax code and helped them do what was necessary to extricate themselves from the jaws of the money hungry leviathan. It took a few years, but the monster finally turned on him. He was charged with conspiracy and fraud and arrested.You can find the stories and fill in the events which transpired prior to June 23rd, but those who love liberty rejoiced that day as a jury acquitted him of all charges. The IRS did not even attempt to refute his findings in regard to the tax code. That makes the decision monumental and you need to be aware of the potential it holds for your family to keep what it earns.
The only advice I
=ll give you is to educate yourself in regard to this matter so you can make an informed decision about how to use your God-given resources. In the meantime, pray for Larkin and Tessa Rose. This couple goes to trial in August because they have the courage to speak the truth about the tax code and act upon their beliefs. If you have Internet access watch the video at www.861.info for a telling look inside the belly of the beast.Gangster Government . . . The Supreme Court now regularly demonstrates it is unwilling to uphold the supreme law of the land, The Constitution. They only serve as long as they exhibit good behavior and most should have been gone long ago. The recent majority certainly has no clue about justice and should be impeached. I hope you
=ll join me in asking Congress to do just that.The bi-polar court can
=t seem to decide whether the Ten Commandments is acceptable in public places or not. Of course, it has no authority to rule on the matter but jurisdiction issues rarely stop them these days. They are players on the political stage and have abandoned their proper role as guardians of the Constitution. They have perverted justice and they must be disciplined.The matter of property rights is a huge foundation stone of liberty and the court has demonstrated the will to plow up the foundation as political favors to the wealthy elite. Of course, the taking of private property for public use has been around a long time and there is a legitimate place for such action, but it is very limited in scope. Decades ago they elasticized the
Ageneral welfare clause@ so that the government can stick its nose into anything under that pretext. Now they have elasticized Athe public good@ to expand the power of eminent domain to areas that people who understand justice would never go.Big developers want your property to line their pockets with cash? No problem. The city condemns your property, purchases it for what is called
Ajust compensation@ and then rakes in the profits as the developers pay a premium price for the stolen goods. It is a win-win relationship for government entities and developers but it is at the expense of the common man. You see, Ajust compensation@ is by definition simply fair market value. What would it take to make you move from the home you love if you were not inclined to sell? Fair market value, or much more? The answer is obvious: Ajust compensation@ is not just. To get people who don=t want to sell, one must pay a premium. The developers could go into the neighborhoods and buy up the properties, but the premium would be too high.By cutting a deal with gangster government, the premium they pay is less and they usually get other perks as well. If your city attempts to do such unjust things, I pray you will show up at city council with a bus load of friends and deal with the thieves. By taking this action, the court shoves America further down the road to bondage. I hope you have the courage to resist the tyranny which looms larger all the time.
The Apprentice
=s JournalIt
=s hot! Summer arrived early this year and with a vengeance. June was unusually dry and I was finally able to get the lawnmower into the backyard bog. That beats doing the Weedeater Waltz any day!I have a good crop of nutgrass in the garden, but never managed to plant anything. I
=m missing the okra especially, but our gardening guru Courtney has shared other offerings from his garden. It seems the racoons have enjoyed his corn and some two legged varmint made off with most of his tomatoes - even the green ones!It
=s about time to get the giant pumpkin seeds in the ground and see if I can at least have some success with that venture. I don=t know what I would do with a 600 lb. pumpkin but the grandchildren would get a kick out of it. We just had the oldest for a brief visit and Sharon took him home today (07/20). We were up that direction last weekend and brought Geren home with us. She has a business meeting in Dallas tomorrow and decided the days in between would be a good time to have him visit. I have to admit, she seems to have a lot more energy than I do these days!Actually, we were in Ardmore, Oklahoma last weekend July 15th-17th) for the fourth annual Preterist Pilgrim Weekend. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and the teaching was excellent. I know many of you are into the study of covenant eschatology. I would highly recommend the presentations for your study. The speakers were William Bell, Jack Scott and, of course, Don Preston, minister of the Ardmore church. The lessons will soon be available on audio and video. You should be able to order them online or you can always just contact the church at 580-226-7070. Now I=ve got a new stack of material to listen to, and books to read - and it isn=t even Christmas!
I=m routinely blessed by those of you who send occasional gifts to help with the expense of putting the newsletter together. While it would be incorrect to say, AI couldn=t do it without you,@ it is certainly true that I am blessed to have you be a part of the effort. Some of you have asked about Sharon=s mission trip plans this year. At the moment, it doesn=t look like she will be making one this year. Her responsibilities at work are demanding more attention and she really feels like that has to take priority right now. We=ve been so blessed by all who have supported her ministry with prayers and financial support. You can be sure that the next time she answers the call, you=ll hear about it!
It is so fulfilling to reflect on all the friends we=ve made over the years and the lives of service they have lived in the kingdom of God. Though we haven=t heard from some in years, we have little doubt their faith continues to spur them on in service to our Lord. More and more, we are witnessing their passing from this life to the next and that brings our own mortality into view. At the same time, the knowledge that so many friends have gone before us makes the future all the brighter for us. How glorious it is to be blessed with wonderful friends here while contemplating a grand reunion with so many more!
It is hard to imagine how those who are not born from above cope with the challenges of daily life, much less the uncertainties of the grave. To think about spending life in temporal pursuits alone, leaves me with a cold, empty feeling. There aren=t words to describe it but I rejoice to know we share in a much brighter future. Being able to see our lives as a continuous sequence of events which spans even the grave should be so liberating in our walk with God. Such a view empowers us to live each moment for eternity and compels us to do what would, in the flesh alone, immobilize us. If you have experienced the kind of boldness which faith alone engenders, you know what I=m talking about.
Living that way regularly places us in situations we would have never chosen to engage in our own strength. Yet, when God charts the course it is so plain that to ignore it is to invite disaster. When we learn to be obedient, we find that God is able to deal with the consequences whether for good of ill as the world counts such things. If we falter at obedience, sooner or later we learn that the path which seems to offer the least resistance is in fact the one fraught with great peril. As we walk on through the Adog days of summer,@ let=s submit to the refiners fire which is producing in our Aearthly house@what we already possess in Christ.