Do Not Refuse Him Who is Speaking

[Christsfreeservant]

“See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:25-29 ESV)​

Although it does not say, it is generally accepted that Paul is the writer of Hebrews, so I will use his name. But regardless of who actually penned the book, God is the true author of the Scriptures. So, these are the words of God to the people of God, but yet it can’t be assumed that everyone professing faith in Jesus Christ is truly a child of God or that everyone is walking in fellowship with the Lord in holy living, in obedience to the Lord, and not in sin.

And Jesus Christ said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven (see Matthew 7:21-23).

In this chapter of Hebrews it speaks much about struggling against sin and God’s disciplines in our lives. “It is for discipline you have to endure” (v. 7). And “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (v. 11). “And make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed” (v. 13).

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears” (Hebrews 12:15-17 ESV).​

So, the warning to us here is that we are not to refuse the Lord Jesus who is speaking to us through his word as the Jews did who rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah and who chose their sins, instead. And Jesus told them plainly that God is not their Father, and that Abraham is not their father, but that the devil is their father and that they do the works of the devil because they refuse Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah. And if Abraham is not their father, they are not inheritors of God’s promise to him and to his seed (see Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; John 8:18-19,38-47).

So, it is not enough to just make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, just like it is not enough for a Jew to claim Abraham as his father, for all of God’s promises to us have conditions, mainly the condition of obedience to his commands. For his word teaches us that if we do not obey him, like so many did in the wilderness, we will not inherit eternal life with God. We will not receive his promises any more than any Jew is a recipient of God’s promise to Abraham if they do not obey God by believing in Jesus Christ.

So, if we ignore the words of the Lord, and if we think that we can live however we want while we go through the motions of religious practice, then we have another thing coming. For he says in Romans 11 that we can be cut off, too, like he cut off all the non-believing Jews who refused Jesus as their Messiah, the Christ. For we are all going to be judged by God on the basis of our deeds. Those for whom sin is their practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to the Lord, they will not inherit eternal life. And all Jews who do not believe in Jesus will not inherit the promise God made to Abraham.

And the Lord will judge his people. And he will shake the earth and the heavens in order to remove the things that have been made in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain, such as genuine walks of obedience to our Lord in holy and righteous living, to the glory and praise of God, in the power of God, by the grace of God. For Jesus died on that cross so that we will die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, not so that we will go on living in sin while claiming heaven as our eternal destiny. Heaven is not promised to all those who do not obey God.

And so the encouragement here is for all of us who profess the name of Jesus Christ to offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. And that acceptable worship of God is for us to give our lives to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is our acceptable worship of God. And that also includes that we must no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we must be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God so that by how we live our lives we prove what is the acceptable and perfect will of God. So we must no longer walk in sin, for our God is a consuming fire to all who will not obey him.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Songs in the Night

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!

 

[Grafted In]

One question comes to mind.
Moses.
He disobeyed God having spoken with Him and to him, and the result was that he would not enter into the Promised land.
I see the Promised land as a syble or type of heaven and for the entire generation of those who were disobedient in the wilderness and were lead wandering around in the desert for 40 years, because of their disobediance, did not inherit it. And so Moses disobeyed God by striking the Rock instead or talking to it and he did not enter in.
How can I see the entire generation who died in the wilderness as being any different than Moses, who by disobedience also did not enter in.
Are there 2 groups of believers who will not face eternal separation from God? The one being the Church, the bride of Christ, whose mansions will make up the New Heavenly Temple and a second group of believers who, because of sin. go through the great tribulation, unable to die, and abide on the new Heaven and Earth, apart from "The Father's House" with many mansions, those who come and go after final judgement is completed.
Where does that leave Moses?
Every Hebrew living when God set them free by the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and mantles, baptized them in the Red sea and led through the wilderness 40 years until all but Moses and Aaron died God said would not enter into eternal life because Iof their disobedience..does Moses face being among this same group of people as a second harvest tried with fire?
Are there 2 resurections to eternal life?

 

[Christsfreeservant]

One question comes to mind.
Moses.
He disobeyed God having spoken with Him and to him, and the result was that he would not enter into the Promised land.
I see the Promised land as a syble or type of heaven and for the entire generation of those who were disobedient in the wilderness and were lead wandering around in the desert for 40 years, because of their disobediance, did not inherit it. And so Moses disobeyed God by striking the Rock instead or talking to it and he did not enter in.
How can I see the entire generation who died in the wilderness as being any different than Moses, who by disobedience also did not enter in.
Are there 2 groups of believers who will not face eternal separation from God? The one being the Church, the bride of Christ, whose mansions will make up the New Heavenly Temple and a second group of believers who, because of sin. go through the great tribulation, unable to die, and abide on the new Heaven and Earth, apart from "The Father's House" with many mansions, those who come and go after final judgement is completed.
Where does that leave Moses?
Every Hebrew living when God set them free by the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and mantles, baptized them in the Red sea and led through the wilderness 40 years until all but Moses and Aaron died God said would not enter into eternal life because Iof their disobedience..does Moses face being among this same group of people as a second harvest tried with fire?
Are there 2 resurections to eternal life?

Moses disobeyed the Lord in that one area and he did not get to enter into the physical land that was called the Promised Land. But the Scriptures describe Moses as a righteous man who is with God in heaven (don't have a reference right off hand). The Israelites who disobeyed the Lord were living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord in idolatry, revelry, sexual immorality, in putting Christ to the test, and in continually griping and complaining against God and against Moses. And they refused to repent of their sinful ways, and so they not only did not get to go into the physical Promised Land, but they did not enter into God's eternal rest because of unbelief (habitual disobedience). So there is a difference for them between God's eternal rest and the physical land called the Promised Land. Moses was a man of God who disobeyed in that one area but overall he was a servant of the Lord who followed the Lord in obedience to his commands, and so God honored him for that in the Scriptures.

Is the "Promised Land" for us eternity with our Lord? Yes! We do not have a physical Promised Land like the Israelites did. And if we disobey the Lord in practice, in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, we will not enter into his eternal rest, i.e. we will not have eternal life with God. But those who follow the Lord in obedience, and who are putting sin to death in their lives, in practice, although perhaps not with absolute perfection, do have the promise and hope of eternal life with God, our "Promised Land" which is spiritual, not physical.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2] You can read about it in these Scriptures.