Sifting Out What Is Important (Heb. 12:27)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-21-03

 

 

                                                                                                                       

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Sifting Out What Is Important

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Hebrews 12:27

 

            1.  Message of the verse:  “27 And this expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”  (NASB)  “This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will be left.”  (NLT)

            I want to quote 2Peter 3:10 to help explain what I believe this verse is speaking about.  “10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”  I believe that the timing of this verse is at the very end of the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ, and after the “Great White Throne” judgments, when all of the things pertaining to life on earth as we have know it.  The verse in 2Peter says that the heavens and the earth will be destroyed by fire.  These are all of the things that could be shaken, and they were shaken and destroyed; however the things which cannot be shaken will remain.  All of the true believers will remain with God to go on into eternity to be with God and to serve Him in a perfect place.

 

            2.  Spiritual meaning for my life today:  “Eventually the world will crumble, and only God’s Kingdom will last.  Those who follow Christ are part of this unshakable Kingdom, and they will withstand the shaking, sifting, and burning.  When we feel unsure about the future, we can take confidence from these verses.  No matter what happens here, our future is built on a solid foundation that cannot be destroyed.  Don’t put your confidence in what will be destroyed, instead, build you life on Christ and his unshakable Kingdom.”  Quote from the “Life Application Bible.”

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord with those things that are shakable in my life to His care, and trust in the unshakable God of the Bible to see me through.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 121:1-5

 

1.      I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come?

2.      My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3.      He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

4.      Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5.      The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand.

 

 

 

God Shakes Heaven and Earth (Heb. 12:26)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-19-03

 

                                                                                                                       

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  God’s shaking

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Hebrews 12:26

 

            1.  Message of the verse:  “26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.’”  (NASB)  “When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise:  ‘Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.’”

            The quote from this verse is from Hag. 2:6.  I would suppose that this verse is speaking of a time in the future when there will be a time when God does shake the whole earth literally.  The earth is shaken with an earthquake and there are two described in the book of Revelations:  “Revelation 6:12 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; Revelation 8:5 And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”  There are also times in the believer’s life that God will shake up his life, or at least allow his life to be shaken up for different reasons, but that they might draw closer to the Lord for sure.  He may shake up one’s life to show them that He wants them to depend on the Lord and His promises who will never be shaken, while depending on the things of this earth can be shaken. 

            God did physically shake the earth at Mt. Sinai when the law was given, and He has promised to shake it again in the future.

 

            2.  Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God is truly shaking up my life through my investments with Haven Equity, and through it He is showing me many different things that are not shakable, His Word and the principles in His Word are not shakable, but the things of the world are shakable.  God is doing this shaking in my life because He loves me too much to leave me the way that I was.

 

The Word of God has brought conviction to my heart this morning as I read it.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I trust the Lord, who is the One who is shaking my life, that He is doing it for my good and His glory.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 121:1-4

 

1.      I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come?

2.      My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3.      He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

4.      Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 

 

 

Listen to the Lord Jesus (Heb. 12:25)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-18-03

 

                                                                                                                       

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Listen to the Lord Jesus Christ

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Hebrews 12:25

 

            1.  Message of the verse:  “25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”  (NASB)  “See to it that you obey God, the one who is speaking to you.  For if people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, how terrible our danger if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!”  (NLT)

            This is another one of those verses in the book of Hebrews that some people think is spoken about those who are really not believers and is a warning to them.  Dr. Wiersbe has not been one of those who believe that these verses of warning were for unbelievers, but for those of us who are true believers, as were the original readers of this letter.  Yes these warning could apply to unbelievers, and there might have been some of them present who were in the group that received this letter, but the warning are for believers, and in this case believers who were tempted to go back into Judaism.  This verse says that we as believer in Jesus Christ are not to refuse to listen to Jesus Christ today, for indeed He does speak to those of His own through His Word, and through His Spirit, and also through the circumstances of life that are given to us by Him.  Jesus Christ is in heaven as our High Priest, and this is where He speaks from, and this is where He rules the earth from, so we as believers need to be sensitive to His leading in our lives.

 

            2.  Spiritual meaning for my life:  I think that there are times in my life when I do not give enough (for lack of a better word), respect to the Lord and this is certainly sinful on my part.  I do not give enough credit to Him for what is going on in my life each day, and this too is sinful on my part.  However the Lord has certainly got my attention through this investment storm that I am in, and He is truly the one who is in charge of it, and is the One who is shaking my life, as talked about in the next verse (26).  

 

The Word of God was a challenge to my heart as I read it today, and His Word has brought conviction to me too.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To be sensitive to the Lord as He works in my life, and to obey Him when He speaks to my heart through His Word and through His Spirit.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 121:1-4

 

1.      I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come?

2.      My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3.      He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

4.      Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

 

Jesus Christ The Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 12:24)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-17-03

 

                                                                                                                       

 

My Worship Time                  Focus: Christ’s blood of the new covenant

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Hebrews 12:24

 

            1.  Message of the verse:  “24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”  (NASB)  “You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Able did.”  (NLT)

            The last portion of this section on coming to Mt. Zion, the place where the living God lives is in this verse.  The writer says that his readers, who are believers, come to Jesus who is the mediator of a new covenant, and that is a covenant which is based upon His shed blood.  All of the covenants that God has made have blood involved, from the blood of the covenant He made with Abraham, and the blood of the OT covenant, and also the blood of the covenant of marriage, to the blood of the NT covenant, which is spoken of in this verse.  AS the NLT puts it the blood of Jesus Christ, which “graciously forgives” is better by far than the blood of Able, which cries out for vengeance.

 

            2.  Each month at our church we take part in the Lord’s Supper, which is what He told us to do, and it is a reminder of the blood that He shed for us when He died on the cross for the sins of mankind.  This verse is speaking of the blood of Jesus Christ and it is a good reminder of the cost of my salvation to the Lord Jesus Christ, and also to His Father, for this was His only begotten Son.  When I think of this it both saddens me that He had to die, and gives me gladness of heart that He would die for me who was His enemy.

 

The Word of God was a challenge to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to remember through out this day of the great price of my salvation.  I am very thankful beyond words to explain it that God, through Jesus Christ has provided salvation to me.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 121:1-4

 

1.      I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come?

2.      My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3.      He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

4.      Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  

 

More of Mt. Zion from Heb. 12:23

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-16-03

 

                                                                                                           

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  More of Mt. Zion

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Hebrews 12:23

 

            1.  Message of the verse:  “23 to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,”  (NASB)  “You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven.  You have come to God himself, who is the judge of all people.  And you have come to the spirits of the redeemed in heaven who have now been made perfect.”  (NLT)

            This verse continues in the section that is describing Mount Zion, which is heaven and as stated earlier this is being compared to Mt. Sinai where the Law of God was given to Israel.  The writer goes on in his description of what this scene in heaven will be like.  He says to his readers that they have come to the general assembly, “1) a festal gathering of the whole people to celebrate public games or other solemnities 2) a public festal assembly” as Strongs describes it.  This may be speaking of the type of scene that goes on in heaven.  He speaks of the church of the first born, which is describing Jesus Christ who is the first-born.  The church is the ones who have been born again into the body of Jesus Christ, and goes on to speak of God who is the judge of all.  Now the last part of this verse is likely speaking of the OT saints when it speaks of the “spirits of righteous men made perfect.”

 

            2.  As I was reading the commentary on this verse from Dr. Wiersbe’s book it spoke to my heart when he related a story about a man who asked him a question as to why the subject of heaven has not been talked about a lot and then answered his own question by saying that it may be because people are too satisfied with life while they are on this earth.  He then went on to speak of how good it is when people are having a hard time in this life to think about the hope of heaven that is written about in the Word of God.

 

The Word of God has given comfort to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to lean on the promises of God that pertain to the situation that I am in concerning my investments. 

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 121:1-4

 

1.      I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come?

2.      My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3.      He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

4.      Behold, He who keep Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

 

 

 

 

The City of God (Heb. 12:22)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-15-03

 

                                                                                                           

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The City of God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Hebrews 12:22

 

            1.  Message of the verse:  “22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,”  (NASB)  “No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to thousands of angels in joyful assembly.  (NLT) 

            The writer is not speaking of some of the effects of being under the grace of God as opposed to being under the Law of God as those who had been practicing Judaism.  The mountain is different for the mountain of God is the heavenly Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem.  There are also angels here in this city as there were at Mt. Sinai, but I would believe that their job would be a bit different as when they helped give the law at Mt. Sinai.  The Bible says that the believer’s citizenship is in heaven where the Lord God lives.  The term used here for the number of angels is thousands or ten thousands as it is used in Revelations.  Yes, there is a big contrast between these two places because man cannot keep the law as given at Mt. Sinai, but Jesus Christ has kept the Law for all of those who believe in Him for salvation and their home is in heaven with God.

 

            2.  Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am humbled and thankful for the grace of God, and for the citizenship that I have in heaven through my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am thankful for the grace of God that has brought me salvation and for the truth of this verse which says that one day I will be there with my God forever and ever.

 

The Word of God was refreshment to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I do not want to waver in my belief that God is in control of our investments, and is working everything out for my good and His glory.  There are times when I am getting in a hurry about this situation and want to help God, but God never needs any help, only obedience to Him and His Word.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 121:1-4

 

1.      I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come?

2.      My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3.      He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

4.      Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 

 

Fear When the Law was Given (Heb. 12:18-21)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-14-03

 

                                                                                                                       

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Fear at the giving of the Law

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Hebrews 12:18

 

            1.  Message of the verse:  “18 For you have not come to a mountain that may be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word should be spoken to them.  20 For they could not bear the command, ‘IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.’  21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, ‘I AM FULL OF FEAR AND TREMBLING.’”  (NASB)  “You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai when God gave them his laws.  For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice with a message so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.  They staggered back under God’s command:  ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.’  Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, ‘I am terrified and trembling.’”  (NLT)

            This section describes the giving of the Law of God at Mount Sinai and latter the writer will compare it to the coming of Christ.  As I look back at one of the points that the writer is trying to make to these people I think of the readers who had a desire to go back into Judaism and the writer is encouraging them not to do so, and I believe that this section is to remind them again of the things that were difficult to deal with in Judaism.  One must remember that God’s plans are always correct and right and perfect, however they have came in stages, and the one described was done in a very, very early stage of the nation of Israel; the giving of the Law.  This was a fearful experience for them and I believe that 3,000 people lost their lives when this happened.  In Paul’s writings he speaks of how the law brings death, and I believe that this was an illustration of that on a practical way, where as when the Church was started and the age of grace was ushered in there were 3,000 souls saved on the first day, oh what a difference in law and grace.  As Paul also stated in his writings that the Law is perfect, but the problem is we are not, for all of us are born sinners, and therefore cannot keep the law, if fact we naturally rebel against it.  One of the reasons the Law was given was to show people the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man, and for man to understand that he can never keep the Law, and therefore must fall on his face and ask for God’s grace and mercy to be given to him.  This was provided for us through Jesus Christ.

 

            2.  Spiritual meaning for my life today:  “This section makes me think of a numbers of things as I think through this section and allow the Spirit of God to search me and teach me through His Word.  I know that God’s Law is perfect, for all that God has done is perfect.  I know that God’s Law is holy, just as He is holy.  I know that God’s Law should produce fear in my life, as it did in those Israelites.  I know that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law for me so that God could give me salvation, by grace through faith.  I know that the only way that I can fulfill the Law and commands of God is by the Holy Spirit living and working in my life, for in and of myself I am bankrupted to do it.

 

The Word of God was convicting and also enlighting to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To allow the Spirit of God to work in my heart each day so that I can keep the Laws and commands that are in the Word of God, because of my love for God for saving my soul.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 121:1-4

 

1.      I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come from?

2.      My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3.      He will not allow my foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

4.      Behold, He who keeps you will neither slumber nor sleep.