December 12, 2013
YOUR CHOICE: TASTY TRASH OR AN IMPERISHABLE INHERITANCE
Hebrews 12:14-29
John Elmore
Central Truth
We have two daily options: sinful, instant gratification; or grateful, obedient worship while looking to God's promised provision.
Daily mindfulness of our righteous-standing with God through Jesus and our eternal inheritance results in a life that turns from the seduction of sin and toward God in thankfulness and worship.
Key Verse | Hebrews 12:28
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe. (Hebrews 12.28)
Hebrews 12:14-29
14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 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; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 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.
A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken
18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly 1 12:23 Or church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 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. 26 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.” 27 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. 28 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, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
Dive Deeper | Hebrews 12:14-29
Imagine a man's bad day.
He skipped breakfast, missed deadlines, and worked through lunch. He needs something to take the edge off. So he gets a huge fast-food meal deal after work. And it tastes great in the moment.
Then he gets home.
He panics as the smell hits him from the door. He forgot his dinner plans. His wife made his favorite meal. She is beaming with joy and can't wait to share it with him. But he feels grotesquely full and couldn't eat another bite.
She's crushed (How could he forget? Doesn't he love me?). He watches TV, zones out, and resents her (Can't she see I've had a bad day? I deserve a break.). She's rejected; he's withdrawn.
I tell guys this is what they're doing when they go to porn for their desires instead of seeking oneness with their wives. They fill up on airbrushed, unnatural, sex-slave trash while rejecting their wife's godly, wholesome provision -- all because they crave instant, selfish, sinful gratification and aren't willing to wait for their good, promised provision.
And WE do the SAME thing with God.
This is Hebrews 12.14-29, and this is our daily choice:
1. A day of worshipful obedience by grace in faith of what is to come, OR
2. A rejection of grace, a choice of the instant gratification of sin, and a forfeiture of God's blessings.
Hebrews 12.14-17-- command and warning: pursue peace and holiness. If we reject God's (daily) grace, we'll fall into sinful desires, resulting in contagious bitterness, sexual sin, and immorality. We'll be like Esau: a man so enslaved to his appetite that he'll trade millions for a meal.
Hebrews 12.18-24 -- contrast: the old covenant/Mount Sinai (Law) is intended to demonstrate the need for a Savior (Galatians 3.24) and that God is holy, and we are not. The new covenant/Mount Zion (Grace) demonstrates our righteous fellowship with God through our Mediator, Jesus!
Hebrews 12.25-29 -- exhortation: God's eternal, unshakable kingdom is ours (verse 28)! Therefore, all of life should be full of gratefulness and worship (see Hebrews 13 for what a life of worship looks like).
So what will you choose today: Tasty Trash OR an Imperishable Inheritance?
Discussion Questions
1. In what areas of life do you want it now by instant gratification rather than obedience by God's grace? (Worry, control, shopping, binging, lust, money-hungry, status-seeking, gossip, relationship smothering, elevation of self, greed, pride, laziness, or _____________?).
2. Are you still struggling with repeatedly choosing sin over obedience in some area? The antidote here is to walk in daily grace and to reflect upon God's holiness, your righteousness in Christ's grace covenant with you, and your eternal inheritance in an unshakable kingdom, resulting in thankfulness and worship.
3. Do you have plans this coming Monday night? If not, would you accept my invitation to come to re:generation on Monday, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., for worship, a testimony of a changed life in Christ, and small group sharing?
4. Did you just think, "I should do that, but I don't really belong there with those people."? I used to think that, too. See you there on Monday.