SERIES: The Careful Considerations of Our Christian Confession
Hebrews 3:1-6; 7-17; 3:18--4:11; 4:11-13; 4:14---5:11
The Hebrews writer pressed upon his audience to deeply/profoundly consider the aspect of their Christian confession concerning Jesus as their Apostle & High Priest.
The Hebrews writer pressed upon his audience to further consider the intricacies of their Christian confession.
Christians, tempted by tradition, are encouraged toward a deeper/further consideration of their Christian confession.
What barriers/tendencies do Christians, tempted toward tradition(traditionists), face in their Christian confession?
5 Challenges traditionists must face/reckon with in their Christian confession.
A—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...
GREATER / LESSER STEWARDSHIP(3:1-6) Faithfulness
B—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...SINGULAR / DIVIDED HEART(3:7-17)
C—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...
PERMANENT / TEMPORARY REST(3:18--4:11)
D—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...
FULL DISCLOSURE / SECRECY(4:11-13)
Tiger Woods--John Edwards--Jesse James, etc.
E—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...PERFECT / LIMITED/Grounded/Earthly PRIESTHOOD(4:14--5:11)
Last time in Hebrews, we looked at...
C— The challenge of choosing An ETERNAL vs. A TEMPORAL REST (3:18--4:11)
Today’s Consideration is...
D— The challenge of choosing ...
FULL DISCLOSURE vs. SECRECY(4:11-13)
Tiger Woods--John Edwards--Jesse James, etc.
The CHALLENGE of CHOOSING FULL DISCLOSURE-I
—Hebrews 4:12-14
OR
The WORD on YOUR CONFESSION
Attention:
Tiger Woods(Golf pro)--John Edwards(Presidential candidate)--
Jesse James(Motorcycle mogul), etc.
The writer to the Hebrews set before his audience a deeper/further consideration of a Full Disclosure of the truth regarding their Christian confession.
Christians, tempted by tradition, are encouraged toward a deeper/further consideration of a Full Disclosure.
What challenges do Christians, tempted toward tradition(traditionists), face in the consideration of a Full Disclosure?
6 Challenges traditionists must face in their confession of a Full Disclosure.
1—The challenge of choosing Full Disclosure is accepting the...
LIFE of the word(:12a)
Explanation:(:12a) Alive/Living word of God
:12—“For the word of God is living & powerful, & sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, & of joints & marrow, & is a discerner of the thoughts & intents of the heart.”
One’s diligence to enter God’s “rest” is urgent/critical/pressing due to the simple nature of “the word of God,” thru which one is compelled.
The explanation for such critical compulsion comes from the fact that the very written & spoken “word” is indeed from God. As 3:7 declares, it is from the Holy Spirit(God Himself) thru David.
Thus this “word of God” is at once 1) “Living,” 2) “Active”( “powerful”), & 3)Vastly more searching spiritually than even a “two-edged sword” is physically.
“Living/Quick”—zaw—To live (literally or figuratively):-- Life(-time), (a-)live(-ly), quick.
Argumentation:
Jn. 1:1-4—“In the beginning was the Word, & the Word was with God, & the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, & without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, & the life was the light of men.”
Life is indeed in Christ! But it thereby resides in this word from God!
Rom. 10:13-17—“For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”[Joel 2:32] How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”[Isa. 52:7] But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, & hearing by the word of God.”
Lk. 19:12-27—“Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom & to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, & said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ But his citizens hated him, & sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’ Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, & reap what you did not sow.’ And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit & reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, & give it to him who has ten minas.’ (“But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; & from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, & slay them before me.’””
Prov. 30:5-6—“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, & you be found a liar.”
Jn. 5:26—““For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,”
Then the word of our God also has life—as does the God who spoke, & revealed it for all time
.
Illustration:
Man who leaves instruction with lawyer upon his absence on business/His words are living as he is living/LIFE of the word
Application:
?You chosen the LIFE in God’s word?
?Does Your Confession meet the challenge of Full Disclosure?
2— The challenge of choosing Full Disclosure is accepting the...
ACTIVITY of the Word(:12b)
Explanation:(:12b) Power/Movement
:12—“For the word of God is living & powerful, & sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, & of joints & marrow, & is a discerner of the thoughts & intents of the heart.”
“Powerful/Active”—energhv—Active. Strong—Active, operative:-- Effectual, powerful. From— ‘In or at(en) & work(ergon)’—
The word of God is not merely living but is both living & at work as well. The word of God—as does God Himself— never takes time off. Its work is constant & consistent. Once it is in you, now matter the means(preaching, song, conversation, advertisment, etc) it becomes active.
Part of that work is bringing about change in the lives of people continuously thruout the world at any given time. There are people of all ages, all cultures, all colors, all creeds, rescued from the condemnation of personal sin...Then these who are rescued are sustained & maintained thru the growth of their relationship with their Savior...They learn to allow Jesus become their Lord as well. They become strong Christians in the midst of the inward & outward battles faced by their flesh & spirit.
Argumentation:
Isa 55:10-11—““For as the rain comes down, & the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth & bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Isa. 40:8—“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.””
Mat. 24:35—““Heaven & earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
Num. 23:19—““God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, & will He not do? Or has He spoken, & will He not make it good?”
Hab 2:2-4—“Then the LORD answered me & said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, & it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.”
Titus 1:1-3—“Paul, a bondservant of God & an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect & the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;”
Heb 6:16-18—“For men indeed swear by the greater, & an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.”
The “Two immutable things” are the promise & the oath(written word specified openly & standing for all generations to witness).
Illustration:
The 29 yr old Belgian man/Suffered traumatic head injuries in a car accident/Been in a coma 5 yrs.(as of 2005)/However his brain is active & he can communicate thru MRI!/Doctors ask him ‘Yes-No’ questions/ His responses are seen via the MRI when different areas of his brain produce notable activity depending upon the answer/ACTIVITY of the Word
A recipe/Description of necessary actions/ACTIVITY of the Word
Application:
? You chosen the POWER in God’s word?
?Does Your Confession meet the challenge of Full Disclosure?
3—The challenge of choosing Full Disclosure is accepting the...
INCISION of the Word(:12c)
Explanation:(:12c) Keenly/Minutely Divisive
:12—“For the word of God is living & powerful, & sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, & of joints & marrow, & is a discerner of the thoughts & intents of the heart.”
Thus this “word of God” is at once vastly more searching spiritually than even a “two-edged sword” can be physically. There is nothing which evades the blade of the Roman short-sword. The comparison is made to that which is known to our physical experience.
In fact the “word of God” pierces more deeply & separates so cleanly that even a division between the “soul & spirit” is seen by God. Whereas it is impossible for man to set these apart fully from one another.
The word of God’s discerning/divisive/comprehending powers are also is comparable to the separation of joints from marrow(as a living person cannot do), yet while we live the word works in us to comprehend/“discern” our very thoughts & this carries even to knowledge of the very “intents” of our heart.
*Though not stated here, these descriptions of “the word of God” also gives us reason to never trifle with His/its various disseminations(preaching, teaching, writing, oral & physical witnessing, etc.), as it is indeed from God Himself.
“& sharper than any two-edged sword,”
“Sharper”—tomwterov—Strong—Comparative of a derivative of the primary temnw (to cut; more comprehensive or decisive than koptw(Chop, beat the breast in grief), as if by a single stroke; whereas that implies repeated blows, like hacking); More keen:-- Sharper.
“Two-edged/Double-edged”—distomov—Having a double mouth as a river—1a) Used of the edge of the sword & of other weapons, so has the meaning of two-edged.
“Sword”—macaira—1) A large knife, used for killing animals & cutting up flesh; 2) A small sword, as distinguished from a large sword—2a) Curved sword, for a cutting stroke, 2b) A straight sword, for thrusting.
“Piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, & of joints & marrow,”
“Piercing/Penetrates”—diikneomai—To go through, penetrate, pierce. Used 1X.
“Division/Dividing asunder/Division”—merismov—1) A division, partition—1a) Distribution (of various kinds); 2) A separation—2a) So far as to cleave asunder or separate.
“Soul”—quch—Strong—Breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from pneuma, which is the rational & immortal soul; & on the other from zwh, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew vpnneh’-fesh;, xwr roo’-akh & yx khah’-ee):-- Heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.
“Spirit”—pneuma—2) The spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated—2a) The rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides—2b) The soul; 3) A spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, & possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, & acting; 4) The disposition or influence which fills & governs the soul of any one—4a) The efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.; 5) A movement of air (a gentle blast)—Means simply an ordinary wind, a regularly blowing current of air of considerable force. Strong—A current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, A spirit, i.e.(human) The rational soul, (by implication) Vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) An angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy Spirit:-- Ghost, life, spirit(-ual, -ually), mind.
“Joints”—armov— A joining, a joint. Strong—An articulation (of the body):-- joint. Used 1X.
“Marrow”—muelov—Marrow. Used 1X.
“& is a discerner of the thoughts & intents of the heart.”
“Discerner/Judge/Judges”—kritikov— Relating to judging, fit for judging, skilled in judging. Strong—Decisive ("critical"), i.e. discriminative:-- discerner.
“Thoughts”—enyumhsiv—1) A thinking, consideration; 2) Thoughts. Strong—deliberation:-- device, thought.
“Intents/Attitudes”—ennoia—1) The act of thinking, consideration, meditation; 2) A thought, notion, conception; 3) Mind, understanding, will, manner of feeling, & thinking. Strong—Thoughtfulness, i.e. moral understanding:-- intent, mind.
“Heart”—kardia—Strong—The heart, i.e. (figuratively) the Thoughts or feelings (mind); also (by analogy) the middle:-- (+ broken-)heart(-ed). 1) The heart—1a) That organ in the animal body which is the centre of the circulation of the blood, & hence was regarded as the seat of physical life, 1b) denotes the centre of all physical & spiritual life—2a) The vigor & sense of physical life, 2b) the centre & seat of spiritual life—2b1) The soul or mind, as it is the fountain & seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavours, 2b2) Of the understanding, the faculty & seat of the intelligence, 2b3) Of the will & character, 2b4) Of the soul so far as it is affected & stirred in a bad way or good, or of the soul as the seat of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions; 1c) Of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate.
Argumentation:
Rev. 1:16—He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, & His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 2:16—‘Repent, or else I will come to you quickly & will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. 19:15—“Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness & wrath of Almighty God. 19:21—“And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
Ps 139:1-6—“<
Jer. 17:9-10—““The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”
1Chron. 28:9—““As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, & serve Him with a loyal heart & with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts & understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”
Ps. 44:21—“Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.”
Eph. 5:8-16—“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, & truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Lk. 2:34-35—“Then Simeon blessed them, & said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall & rising of many in Israel, & for a sign which will be spoken against “(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.””
Acts 7:51-54—““You stiffnecked & uncircumcised in heart & ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers & murderers, “who have received the law by the direction of angels & have not kept it.” When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, & they gnashed at him with their teeth.”
Quite a wrong response to the incision of the word. See below...
Acts 2:36-38—““Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord & Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, & said to Peter & the rest of the apostles, “Men & brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, & let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; & you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The proper response to the incision made by God’s word honors His intent & desire, thus pleasing God.
Illustration:
My coming to saving faith/Convicted of my sin by the Word of God/It cut deeply to the very heart of the matter/That God knew my every fault, which I tried to hide from the world/INCISION of the Word
Application:
? You chosen the INCISION of God’s word?
?Does Your Confession meet the challenge of Full Disclosure?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Tiger Woods(Golf pro)--John Edwards(Presidential candidate)--
Jesse James(Motorcycle mogul), etc.
Action:
The challenge of choosing Full Disclosure is accepting the...
1—LIFE of the word(:12a)
2—ACTIVITY/ Power of the Word(:12b)
3—INCISION of the Word(:12c)
Presented 08/28/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
