GOD’S PRESENCE IN PRACTICE.
PART ONE -THE CONDITION
Hebrews 13:5-6
‘He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’. Hebrews 13:5 [AV]
What a wonderful promise we have here in this Epistle to the Hebrew Christians. It is a promise that has been cherished and claimed over countless years by many believing people. Spoken by the Lord to Jacob, Joshua, Solomon, and here to the Hebrew Believers and I believe to all believers who will fulfil the conditions given with the promise.
It is a sad that many of the promises of the Word of God might appear to be unfulfilled when claimed. Why is that? Is it that God has changed His mind? Or is it that God is unable to do what He promised? I say a very definite NO to that. God does not change His mind, nor is He unable to do what He has promised, but the promises are sometimes claimed by people who do not understand that there is a Divine principle involved. Along with the promises there are given conditions which need to be met, and put into action, to release the potential.
This very precious promise in Hebrews 13:5 is one that is often misused; claiming the glorious promise of the Lord’s nearness without committing to personally living near to Him! If we want the Lord to be near to us, then we need to be near to Him.
On a personal level, I want to know the continued presence of the Lord spoken of in this scripture, as I feel sure you do; so let us look at the context of the promise, and as we begin to understand the conditions that are linked with the promise, let us see if we are willing to fulfil our portion, before we expect God to fulfil His part! If we comply with the Divine requirements, then it is certain that we will enjoy the Divine reward of the fulfilment of the promises.
We must start with
THE CONDITION
I believe that there are two parts to the condition given with the promise, and they deal with the OUTWARD and INWARD part of our make-up.
I. OUTWARD
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money [NIV]
I am inclined to think that the concept here goes beyond money, as money is only a means to increase our Possessions, our Position and our Power before others. The thought is of our ‘always wanting more’. This is not just a seeking after improvement; seeking to improve oneself can be a good thing; but the notion in this verse is of a dominant desire for gain. This is illustrated in the words of the Lord to Ezekiel;
Ezekiel 33:31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.
The picture given is of a people who have the outward appearance of taking in the word from the Lord’s servant, but inside they are self-centred - not God-centred, listening but not applying, simply looking for an opportunity to gain more for themselves! What do I get out of it?
The Lord Jesus warned against this attitude.
Luke 12:15 He said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Life is not about what we have, but about who we are!
The Lord Jesus goes as far as to say that a person is a fool if he gets this priority wrong!
Luke 12:21 a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”[NLT]
The answer to this appears to lie inside us, and instead of looking around with a growing sense of covetousness, we are satisfied with ourselves ‘in Christ’, realising something of what God has blessed us with! Paul exhorts us regarding this; he encourages us to have a heart full of praise, and eyes open to the blessings of the Lord.
Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
If we can understand something of this great truth then we will be content!
2. INWARD
and be content with what you have, [NIV]
Being satisfied with present things.
Paul speaks of this as he writes to Timothy,
I Timothy 6:6-8 True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. [NLT]
You will note that there are two important requirements mentioned here –
TRUE GODLINESS, and
CONTENTMENT!
If we want to really be contented, then we need to develop our godliness, or our having God’s likeness!
We have this matter of living a godly life taught in both Old and New Testament, so it is not something that is just for a moment of time, but we have a Divine principle here. The Lord has laid down in His Word the best way for us to live, which means that if we follow His instructions we will live a godly life. The living of this will bring blessing to those who obey. The Lord says,
Jeremiah 7:23 Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.
Paul takes up this thought and says
Titus 3:8 This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone.
The very nature of God is good, and the Son of God manifested this goodness when on earth.
Peter speaks of this, and says,
Acts 10:38 You must have heard how God anointed him [Jesus] with the power of the Holy Spirit, of how he went about doing good and healing all who suffered under the devil’s power—because God was with him. [JBP]
Living a godly life does not mean that we draw unnecessary attention to ourselves; the object is to reveal more of the Lord, the likeness of God being seen. The result of living a godly life will be a deep sense of contentment, which comes out of a right relationship with the Lord. I want to draw your attention to a wonderful scripture.
Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
Contentment is not in our Possessions but in a Person - the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the best teachers is a Bible based experience; we can learn from our Bible guided experience and see that putting the Lord in the right place in our lives will help us ‘rest content’. Paul tells us that he was at that stage, but that he had learned it!
Philippians 4:11-13 I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret [of being content]—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. [Holman]
What we have seen in the first part of our look into this scripture is vital as we see that we have a part to play. It shows us – the commitment we need to make – the way we should live as godly and contented people. The next part of our verse shows us the commitment the Lord will make; and note that this commitment is based on His Word - ‘God has said’.
More of this next Sunday morning, but in the intervening time we will be able to ensure that we are keeping to our part of the commitment. Let us prayerfully seek to allow the Lord to search our hearts, and point out to us if there is any trace of covetousness, and to help us live contented lives ‘in Christ’.
If we are prepared to do this, then we will be able to move on to see the wonderful promise of His presence being an incredible reality in our daily lives.
