The Key to Seeing God
(Hebrews 12:14-29)
I. Right Relationships with Others
A. Watching out that no one misses out on God’s grace
1. Accepting God’s grace
2. Granting God’s grace
B. Watching out that no bitter root sprouts
C. Watching out that no one is overcome by immorality or godlessness
II. Right Relationship with God
A. Contrasting the old with the new
B. Implication—greater grace = greater responsibility
III. Author’s Confidence and Our Response
A. Confident that the warning will be heeded
B. Our response
1. Let us be thankful
2. Let us worship God with reverence and awe
Introduction
As we are gathered on this Sunday, at the threshold of the New Year, I’d like to pass along a brief New Year’s challenge from F.B. Meyer:
“It is a mistake to be always turning back to recover the past. The law for Christian living is not backward, but forward; not for experiences that lie behind, but for doing the will of God, which is always ahead and beckoning us to follow. Leave the things that are behind, and reach forward to those that are before, for on each new height to which we attain, there are the appropriate joys that befit the new experience. Don’t fret because life’s joys are fled. There are more in front. Look up, press forward, the best is yet to be!” (Our Daily Walk. Christianity Today, vol. 40, no. 1).
With that thought in mind, please turn in your Bibles to Hebrews 12:14-29 (p. 895).
Our text this morning is one of the author’s many warning sections. Like the other admonitions of this type contained within this letter, there is a prevailing tone of seriousness with which these words are written. They come to us as words from a concerned father to his children who have become tired of struggling to do what is right, only to find that their efforts seem to be getting them nowhere. The purpose of the warning, then, is not so much to rebuke them, but as a reminder of what their struggle is really all about. They are not to be striving after things in this life—for things that only last a short while—but for the things that cannot be destroyed.
In these verses, we are told how it is possible for us to see God. The author points out that the key to seeing God is to have right relationships—with others and with God. When we are in a right standing with those around us, both Christians and pre-Christians, and with our Lord, then we are assured that we will obtain a kingdom that cannot be shaken and will never end. In this passage we are also told how we should respond to such a great privilege: with thankfulness and worship. Let’s take a look at this passage and discover how we can be assured of seeing God. [Read]
Right Relationships with Others
The first thing the author admonishes his readers to do is to secure right relationships with others. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord (v. 14). The phrase, Make every effort to live, as it is translated in the NIV, is actually just one word the original language. The Greek verb, dioko, means “to hunt, to follow after, to pursue” (R&R, p. 715). This word creates the imagery of someone tracking down an animal. I’m not a hunter myself, but I know that anyone who sets out to hunt a deer with the attitude, “It sure would be nice to go out and bring down a 12 point buck,” but never finds the strength to get out of his LA-Z-BOY, is not going to be very successful. The only way that he can ever hope to attain his goal is to get up and go to where the deer can be found. Likewise, if we want right relationships (peace with all men), then we will have to go out to where the people are and make peace.
I feel like I can be candid with you, so I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I don’t like what these words have to say to me. The reason for my displeasure is because there are some people that I—in the natural—don’t care whether I’m at peace with or not. It seems to me that it should be okay to just “write off” certain people, especially when I feel like I’ve really tried in the past to make peace, but they haven’t been responsive to my attempts. It’s much easier to just pretend that they don’t exist and turn the other way when they come into my presence.
But this scripture doesn’t allow me to do that. It’s not given as an option. It doesn’t say, “If it’s convenient…” or “If you feel like it…” or “If it’s not too much trouble,” live in peace with all men. It’s given as a command: Make every effort (hunt down, pursue hotly) to live in peace with all men. I don’t know if anyone else here is guilty of not hunting down those whom they are not in peace with like me, but I know that I’ve got to make some better efforts with some people if I’m going to be able to claim to be in alignment with this passage.
Linked with this command to hunt down peace with all is the command to pursue holiness. One commentator points out that the words be holy or holiness, as it is used in this epistle, “is explained as drawing near to God [with] a cleansed conscience (10:14, 22), a true acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice as bringing the worshiper into fellowship [with] God” (R&R, p. 715). It is the desire to be like God and to follow in His ways. This is the reason that the ideas of peace and holiness are tied together. One cannot know true peace without following hard after holiness, nor can one attain holiness apart from pursuing peace. They are interdependent and inseparable. And the writer points out that without holiness no one can see God. We must make every effort to live in peace with everyone and progress toward holiness if we want to see God.
Perhaps you look at those goals of peace with everyone and striving for holiness, and somehow they just leave you a little wanting. “They are nice, general concepts, but they’re just a bit too general. It would have been better if the author have given us some specifics rather than just leaving it up to each individual to decide how to go about making peace and attaining holiness” Guess what? The author’s way ahead of us. He knew that we needed help, so he lists three specific things that we must watch out for in our pursuit of peace and holiness.
Watching Out that No One Misses Out on God’s Grace
The first thing we are to be watching out for is that no one misses out on God’s grace: See to it that no one misses the grace of God (v. 15a). This is to be understood from two perspectives.
Accepting God’s Grace
One way of looking at this is as a warning against neglecting to accept God’s grace personally. This means receiving the forgiveness and gift of eternal life that God freely offers to all. We are responsible for acting upon the grace that God has extended to us. Before peace and holiness can be experienced, we must accept God’s grace.
Granting God’s Grace
There is a second way of viewing this warning about God’s grace. Not only are we responsible for accepting His forgiveness, but we are also responsible for granting forgiveness to others. God’s grace is not be clung to stingily. It is not only for a privileged few. We must redistribute that grace.
The Bible is very explicit as to the manner in which we are to offer forgiveness and grace to others. When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray He said, “Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Then He went on to make this application: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15). Forgiveness is a gift of grace, but it is also conditional in nature. God graciously extends forgiveness to us, then He expect each of us—as recipients of His grace—to extend that same grace to others. Watch out that no one misses the grace of God, either by neglecting to accept it from God or by neglecting to grant it to others.
Watching Out that No Bitter Root Sprouts
The second thing that we are to watch out for is that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many (v. 15b). This is a natural consequence of failing to grant grace to others. Bitterness takes root in the life of the unforgiving. Philip Hughes points out that the emphasis of the concept of a bitter root is on a person rather than on a motive. He writes, “The implication is that one embittered and rebel-lious person in their midst can have a disastrous effect on the community as a whole so that the many are defiled—just as one noxious root can poison a whole crop” (Hebrews, p. 539).
Louis Evans tells a story that I’m sure many can relate to. At one of the homes in which he lived, he had a problem with a persistent weed that “grew rapidly and pushed it ugly stalk and leaves right in front of [his] bedroom window.” He tried chopping it down several times hoping to discourage it from coming back, but it kept coming back. Then he tried digging below the surface of the ground and attacking the root, but this did not stop it either. Finally, he determined to uproot the entire weed. After digging about four feet into the ground he “found a large, ugly bulbous root.” Only after removing the root was the problem solved. Evans then makes this observation: “Roots of bitterness can go very deep into our lives so that periodic prunings will never suffice. Only the major therapeutic surgery of for-giveness will get out the ugly source” (MTNT, Hebrews, pp. 231-232). Watch out that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many, by withholding forgiveness from others.
Watching Out that No One Is Overcome by Immorality or Godlessness
The third thing that we are to be watching out for is that no one is overcome by immorality or godlessness. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son (v. 16). The life of Esau is a classic example of the type of individual who tries to have the best of both worlds: going for all the gusto in this life, yet desiring to be a partaker in the life that comes as a result of obedience to God.
No doubt many of us are familiar with the account that the author is referring to. It is recorded in Genesis 25. Esau had just come back from being out in the open country and he was famished. His brother, Jacob, was at home cooking some stew. Esau wanted some of the stew to refresh himself, so he asked his brother for some. Jacob said that he would accommodate his brother on one condition: Esau had to purchase it at the price of his inheritance right as the firstborn son. Esau, only looking at his present state of hunger, foolishly agreed to the terms. The scriptures tell us that in that act, Esau despised his birthright (v. 34).
Some time later, in the tradition of Middle Eastern peoples, when Isaac had reached the point of death, he called for his oldest son to come to him in order that he might give him his blessing. (This was commonly a double portion of the inheritance as compared to what the other children would receive.) Isaac was not able to see very well, so Jacob disguised himself as Esau and received the blessing his brother had despised earlier. When Esau arrived at his father’s tent, it was too late. He pleaded and wept loudly, but nothing could reverse what had already transpired.
This is a warning against playing the dangerous game of walking the fence. Esau thought that he could beat his brother to his father’s tent when it came time to receive the blessing—all that mattered to him was the immediate gratification of his wants.
We must be careful that we are not guilty of the same kind of misjudgment. Jesus said it best in His Sermon on the Mount: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24). We must commit ourselves to serving God 100%. When the Day of Judgment comes—and it is coming—all the weeping and pleading we can muster up won’t mean a thing then, it will be too late. Peace and holiness result when our lives are devoted solely to the Lord. Watch out that no one is overcome by immorality or godlessness, by seeking self-gratification rather than following the will of God.
Right Relationship with God
In order to be assured of seeing God it takes more than right relationships with others—we must also have a right relationship with God. V. 25 states, See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. Obedience to God, which is evidenced by obedience to His word, places us in a right relationship with Him.
Contrasting the Old with the New
You probably noticed that I skipped over vv. 18-24. I did that intentionally because they serve as a foundation for the command the author gives in v. 25. In these verses, he reminds them of the kind of relationship that their forefathers had with God in contrast to the relationship they were privileged to enter into. Each of these covenant relationships is described in seven descriptive phrases. (Don’t get anxious, I don’t have 14 more points—I’ll just list them for you.)
Under the leadership of Moses, the people were brought to Mount Sinai—a physical location: burning with fire, darkness, gloom, a storm, a trumpet blast and a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further words be spoken to them (vv. 18-19). Even Moses himself, when he beheld the sight, trembled with fear (v. 21).
In contrast, they had been brought to Mount Zion—a spiritual location: to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, where innumerable angels are joined in joyous assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven, to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to His sprinkled blood (vv. 22-24). There is no comparison between the relationship experienced by those under the old covenant and the one that is enjoyed by those under the new covenant.
Implication—Greater Grace = Greater Responsibility
With this background in mind, the author gives this command: See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. The implication which he draws is that greater grace results in greater responsibility. Those under the old covenant only knew God from behind the veil—we have touched Him; He lives within our hearts. They understood His commands only as they were written on pieces of parchment—we have His word written in our hearts. They experienced God as the One who required a fresh sacrifice for the sins they had committed before coming to Him—we have experienced His ultimate expression of grace and forgiveness: to come and accept the once-for-all sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.
In vv. 25-27, the author shows the seriousness of responding rightly to God’s commands. He reminds them of the punishment that fell upon those who refused to obey God after meeting Him at Mount Sinai: they ended up wandering around in the wilderness for 40 years—never to enter the Promised Land. Then he drives home his point by saying: if they who knew God from afar were so treated for their disobedience, how much more severely will those who have received the grace of the new covenant be treated if they are disobedient to God’s voice? Greater grace results in greater responsibility.
And just in case they hadn’t gotten the picture yet, the au-thor goes on to say that what God did upon Mount Sinai is nothing compared to what He will do on the Day of Judgment. V. 26 begins, At that time his voice shook the earth. That is to say, when God spoke to Moses, His presence only shook one small hill, on a tiny planet within the vastness of His creation. At that time, only that particular spot knew of His awesome presence.
Then he goes on to say, but now he has promised (referring to the prophecy found in Haggai 2:6), “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens” (v. 26b). Everything in all of creation will be shaken. The purpose of this shaking is to separate those things which are temporal in nature and passing away from those things which are fixed upon the firm foundation of the finished work of Jesus Christ and will never pass away. Those things which can be shaken will be removed and destroyed so that only those things which cannot be shaken will remain. See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks, by being disobedient to His commands.
Author’s Confidence and Our Response
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire” (vv. 28-29).
Confident that the Warning Will Be Heeded
As he has done so throughout this letter, along with his warnings the author expresses his confidence in his readers. He is certain that they will heed his admonitions and so receive the kingdom that cannot be shaken—they will see God!
Our Response
He closes this section by telling us how we should, therefore, respond to God’s grace.
Let Us Be Thankful
Our first response should be one of thankfulness: let us be thankful. Hughes writes, “As ingratitude is as the very root of all sin and rebellion against God, so gratitude is the pulsating heartbeat of every positive response to the gospel, gratitude which spontaneously bursts forth” (Hebrews, p. 559). When we keep in mind all that God has done for us, all that He is doing for us, and all that He has planned for us, thankfulness should naturally flow from our hearts. No matter what circumstances we may face in the present, we have the assurance that one day all will be shaken. Those things which are not firmly rooted in God will be removed. But our hope is in the fact that we have within us that which cannot be shaken and will last forever—our life in Christ. Let us be thankful!
Let Us Worship God with Reverence and Awe
Our second response should be one of worship. Our love and gratitude for God’s graciousness should motivate us to offer Him acceptable worship with reverence and awe. This acceptable worship is a proper understanding of our own insignificance and unworthiness as compared to the infinite majesty of the One we serve. We should feel compelled to strip away all pretenses and humbly fall before Him and lovingly adore Him. The description of God as “a consuming fire” is an echo of Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 4:24. It is the author’s way of demonstrating that the God of the old covenant is the same as the God of the new covenant—He is worthy of our worship and adoration. Let us...worship God acceptably with reverence and awe!
Conclusion
The key to seeing God has to do with right relationships. We must have right relationships with others—pursuing peace with all and personal holiness. We must also have a right relationship with God—marked by our obedience to His commands. And as we reflect upon His grace, it should cause us to be thankful and offer acceptable worship to Him. I know I want to see God, and I believe that you do also.
In these closing moments, perhaps the Lord has been speaking to you about particular relationships that you need to make right. It could be with other people or with God. I encourage you to take this time to seek God’s strength and wisdom to follow through on what He is saying to you. Don’t tell yourself that you can take care of it when you get home—start the process now, then finish when you get home. Ask God to empower you and then obey His voice!
