This Should Be Normal

Hebrews 12 is a familiar passage. At least bits and pieces of it are familiar. Put it all together and you will be encouraged.

The chapter is about battling sin, but we often emphasize God's acts of discipline.

"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives" (v 5-6).

The following verses compare and contrast the discipline that we receive from our heavenly Father with that which we received from our earthly fathers (v 7-10).

Usually it's taught that the discipline is a result of sinful actions.

You do something bad, God will punish you.

But if you go to the beginning of the chapter it appears that the topic is not punishment for sin, but victory over sin.

That fits with Romans 8:1 and a host of other passages about the penalty having been paid through the death of Christ.

Look at the commands at the beginning of the chapter:

"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..." (v 1-2a).

Laying aside, enduring, looking to Jesus don't sound like instructions for someone who is living in rebellion, but someone who is struggling with victory over sin.

They want victory, but it's hard and they are discouraged.

They want to live like the great saints in chapter eleven, but it's so hard.

to that person comes the chastening of the Lord. or maybe those acts of enduring, laying aside, and looking are aspects of that chastening, the discipline.

The writer is not sending a warning, but encouragement.

If God weren't correcting you, it would mean He doesn't love you. You are not His child (v 7-8). Take heart that you are being disciplined. It's an evidence that you are loved by God.

God disciplines us for our benefit. His goal is our righteousness. He is in control and has a plan (v 9-11). Even though this phase of discipline looks out of control, it's not.

The writer continues his encouragement by giving instruction to those who are battling sin in the next verses (v 12-15).

• Don't get discouraged (v 12-13).
• Don't stir up trouble (v 14a).
• Don't miss God's goal (v 14b).
• Don't hinder other's spiritual growth (v 15a).
• Don't get bitter (v 15b).

The context of the chapter seems to indicate that discipline should be a frequent part of the Christian's life. It's not punishment for sinfulness, but part of the process of sanctification.

"What sins are you battling?" should be a part of our conversations to encourage one another in spiritual growth.

All believers are battling sin.

And we may need to go to Hebrews 12 to encourage one another in the battle.

Nobody Wants to be like Him

In his book, Accidental Pharisees, Larry Osborne brings up some interesting ideas about Joseph of Arimathea.

Anyone who knows the Easter events knows that name. Joseph was the one who asked Pilate for the body of Christ. Joseph was the one who placed the body of Christ in his own tomb.

That's the only time he's mentioned in the Bible. But the Bible writers give us enough detail in the descriptive phrases to put together a picture of Joseph of Arimathea.

He was rich (Mt 27:57).

He was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council (Mk 15:43).

He was a good and righteous man who had not consented to the crucifixion of Jesus (Lk 23:50).

He was afraid of what other's thought of him (Jn 19:38). He kept the fact that he was a disciple of Jesus quiet because he was afraid of the repercussions to his career and social standing.

Osborne titled this chapter, The Disciple that No One Wants to Be.

When we talk about discipleship, we talk about sacrifice. We talk about living out our faith no matter the cost. We talk about fearing God rather than fearing man. We talk about standing up for what is right. We talk about separating from ungodly influences.

Joseph of Arimathea was just the opposite.

He was a wealthy, prominent political-religious leader who kept his devotion to Christ secret.

Until he was needed.

Normally, the bodies of the criminals who were crucified were not given the decency of a burial. Their corpses were thrown on to the city dump to be scavenged by dogs and birds.

But Joseph of Arimathea wanted to show respect to Jesus.

He had the means. He had the position. He had the courage.

He went to Pilate and asked for the body of his Savior.

He placed Jesus in his own tomb. His devotion to the Messiah would no longer be secret.

And this act of honor plays a big part in the resurrection.

No Joseph of Arimathea, no tomb.

No tomb, no guards in front of the tomb.

No tomb, no visible proof that Jesus had risen from the dead.

There are people who go to your church who are probably a lot like Joseph. And you wonder how they can claim to be a disciple.

They never go on a missions trip. They never give a testimony. They never help with VBS. They have got more resources than you do.

And yet they claim to be a disciple.

And we judge them because they aren't as on fire as we think they should be.

That's not our job. Paul wrote that it's not our job to judge another person's servant (Rom 15:1-4). The disciple who looks more like Joseph than we think he should, is not our disciple. It's not our role to judge him.

So stop it.

Paid in Full

The writer to Hebrews is contrasting all the greatness of the Old Testament system with the greatness of Jesus Christ. He proves that Jesus is far greater than the angels, Moses, the Law, the sacrificial system, the temple and the High Priest. The thrust of this letter is to challenge those believers who wanted to go back to Judaism while remaining followers of Jesus Christ.

Why go back, when what you have is far superior to what you had?

Of course, the applications are relevant for those of us today who are followers of Jesus Christ, even if we never were a follower of Judaism.

Let's consider one example from chapter 7.

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for His own sins and then for those of the people, since He did this once for all when He offered up Himself (v 26-27).

Jesus is being contrasted with the high priests. Since they were men with a sin nature, they had to first offer sacrifices for their own sins before they could represent the people before God.

And this they had to do every day. Because every day they would sin. Never did a day pass that the high priests did not sin.

Jesus is described as "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens."

Everything that the high priest wasn't.

Everything that you and I are not.

But look at the end of the verse 27: "...since He did this once for all when He offered up Himself."

Jesus, since He was "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens," was able to offer a sacrifice that is sufficient for our sins.

All of them.

Not one sin exists in your life that is too great to be covered by the blood of Christ.

Not one sin that you will commit is too great that the blood of Christ will not be able to cover it.

Several benefits arise from that:

1. We know that our sins are fully covered. Not 99%. We don't have to be afraid that when we get to heaven, Jesus will say, "Wait, you forgot to confess this one." "Sorry, you didn't do enough to earn forgiveness for that sin."
2. We don't need to keep sacrificing. Some will repeat the sacrifice of Christ each time they go to church and participate in rituals, hoping that it will be enough to cover their sins of that last week. "Once for all" means that it is completed.
3. We don't need to try to add to what Christ has done. Our sufferings, our good deeds, our obedience, our sacrifices will not add one drop of blood, not one ounce of protection, to the full price that Christ has paid.

"It is finished." 

Your debt has been fully paid.

All you have to do is to accept the truths of God's Word.

You can do nothing else.

Have you done that? Or are you still trying to do it on your own?

Psalm 1 Rewritten in First Person

I did this for a study that I'm doing:

Psalm 1

If I want to be happy,

I need to choose not to listen to wicked wisdom.

I need to be careful about with whom I spend my time.

I need to avoid those who are mocking the truth.

If I want to be happy,

I need to find my satisfaction in the Word of God.

I need to spend my hours thinking on His Word.

Then my life will be well-grounded and flourishing.

I will be fruitful at just the right time.

I will be able to withstand the hard times.

I will have success in what I do.

If I choose to sin, I will be useless and dead.

I won’t be able to stand against God’s righteousness.

I won’t be able to fellowship the righteous.

God will keep me safe if I obey,

But if I choose to sin, He will bring about my destruction

You Harvest what you Plant - Part 2

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life" (Gal 6:7-8).

The principle of sowing and reaping is evident at this time of the year. Farmers who planted soybeans are harvesting soybeans. And in the fields where they planted corn, they are harvesting corn.

In the last post, we considered sowing to the flesh that leads to corruption.

The end of verse 8 states, "...the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."

Just as feeding our minds and filling our time with satisfying our passions will lead to disappointment and destruction, feeding our minds and filling our time with godly pursuits will lead to spiritual blessings.

So what does that look like?

1. Reading the Bible

The only source for knowing God is through reading the Bible. Oodles of methods are out there. Just do it. The more time and energy you invest, the more you will reap. It's not a matter of knowing more about the Bible; it's a matter of knowing God through the Bible.

2. Prayer

Prayer is our communication with God. Praise, thanksgiving, requests, fellowship - all those are part of prayer. The more time we spend in prayer, the more we are investing in our spiritual lives.

3. Community

God did not call us to be Lone Ranger Christians. He called the people of Israel. He called the church. He instituted the local church. He calls for believers to be involved in a local community to help them to grow and to help others to grow.

4. Service

When we are living to satisfy our passions, we are living for ourselves. God calls us to live for others. Through a life of service, we should be investing the spiritual lives of others, and reaping spiritual benefits for ourselves.

5. Suffering

No one wants to suffer, but that's the way life is. Life's tough. Get used to it. But the way we suffer will help us to grow spiritually. We will learn dependence on God. We will learn to help others when they suffer.

6. Anticipation

We have a bright future. Not when we graduate from school. Not when we get married and have kids. not when we retire. Those are all pretty paltry in comparison to the future that awaits us in glory at the right hand. We should be living in anticipation of our resurrection, being united with Christ for all of eternity at the right hand of God.

You might add more to the list.

While making a list is a good exercise, practicing those things is what will bring the fruit.

A farmer may know all that he needs to know. But if he doesn't go to the trouble of preparing the soil and planting the seed, there will be no harvest.

You Harvest what you Plant - Part 1

The fields around my house are getting bare. All summer long they have been filled with green plants. In the last month they have turned from green to yellow to brown.

And now the farmers, when it hasn't been raining, are bringing in the harvest. The soybeans and corn are filling the bins.

All of these farmers planted seed expecting a harvest. Those who planted corn, harvested corn. And in the fields where they planted soybeans, they harvested soybeans.

Any farmer who plants corn and expects soybeans to grow should probably get out of farming.

The Bible teaches the same principle in relation to our spiritual lives.

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life" (Galatians 6:7-8).

Like in the physical world, so in the spiritual world. What we plant will determine what we harvest.

If you are feeding your mind with romantic novels, you will hunger for that type of love. Left unchecked, you will find it. And be disappointed.

If you are feeding your mind with pornography, you will hunger for that type of sex. As you follow that path, you will find it. And be disappointed.

If you are feeding your mind with the latest organizational skills and tools, so that you can have everything under control, you'll get there. You'll have your hours planned out and make check marks on your to-do lists. But you'll be sorely disappointed when a crisis comes, changing your plans.

If you are feeding your mind with the latest deals at Kohl's, you will have no trouble spending that cash back and getting more. Only later will you realize that you were feeding materialism and be disappointed. The piles of stuff at your estate auction won't satisfy - or bring back the money that you planted.

What you reap is what you have sown.

Sow to the flesh and you'll reap corruption. You'll reap disappointment. You'll reap frustration. You'll reap sin.

Keep feeding those sinful desires.

Keep trying to satisfy your lust for love.

Keep trying to satisfy your desire for dreams.

Keep trying to satisfy you passion for position.

And you'll be disappointed with the results. It will never be enough. You will never be satisfied. There will always be something bigger, better and more beautiful that you don't have.

It's a promise from God.

Mutual Confession - Part 3

James has explained to us the value of ongoing confession of sins to one another. Ongoing confession and prayer for one another are necessary for maintaining spiritual health (James 5:13-16).

What biblical principles guide us in our practice?

1. Only God forgives sin.

The Bible never teaches that believers need a human mediator to grant us forgiveness. Forgiveness of sins comes through the completed work of Christ on the cross. It is His blood that cleanses and forgives us (1 John 1:7-9). Only one mediator, Christ Jesus, is necessary (1 Tim 2:5-6).

Therefore, the purpose of ongoing mutual confession is not to grant forgiveness.

2. The penalty for sin has been paid.

The work of Christ on the cross paid the complete penalty for all of our sins (Col 2:13-14). Nothing more needs to be, or can be added to the make up for the sins which we commit (Rom 8:1).

Therefore, the purpose of ongoing mutual confession is not to dole out punishment. Confession of sin is not an act of penance, attempting to earn favor with God, or to appease His wrath.

3. Believers have a mutual responsibility for spiritual needs.

When a believer gives in to temptation, restoration is the responsibility of mature believers (Gal 6;1-4). Part of that restoration involves praying for those who have committed sin (1 John 5:16). Restoration may involve counsel, encouragement and definitely patience (1 Thess 5:14).

Therefore, one purpose of ongoing mutual confession is to restore that individual through prayer and encouragement to a right relationship with God. It may also involve helping to restore relationships with others who have been affected by the sin.

Putting it all together

The obvious parameters need to be established: Honesty. Integrity. Consistency. Keeping confidences. Not mixed genders. Maturity. Hard work. Trust.

Such a setting would take all of those ingredients.

But as two or three believers meet on a weekly, or bi-weekly, schedule, confessing the sins which have weighed them down to one another, the others can speak the truths of God's Word to them. Reminding one another of God's forgiveness, patience, and sovereignty, will bring encouragement toward godliness.

Another advantage will be an awareness of sin. Or, perhaps more aptly put, "positive peer pressure." Knowing that I will be confessing my sins to my brothers in a few days provides one more defense in the battle against sin.

If any readers have had experience with ongoing mutual confession, I'd like to hear about it.

Mutual Confession - Part 2

In the last post, a description was given of a fellow believer who was so spiritually downtrodden due to suffering, that he called the mature believers of the church to pray for him.

One particularly interesting instruction is given for the mature believers in this situation, "anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). While some have argued that this is a symbolic anointing with healing powers, the word translated "anointing" is the common, every day word for "rubbing with oil" If James had meant the ceremonial anointing, he would have used a different Greek word.

The setting then develops into the mature believers in the church not only praying for the suffering brother, but also providing medical treatment. If we continue the picture of a believer who had been suffering for the sake of the gospel, beatings could very well have been given. The mature believers were to care for the spiritual and physical needs of this suffering brother.

Their ministry was one of encouragement through spiritual and physical support in the name of the Lord - under His authority, as He would have done it if He had been physically present.

As the mature believers pray, their prayer of faith will save, or restore, the weakened brother. Again, James is not using words related to physical sickness, but to spiritual weakness. The weakened brother will be restored to spiritual strength through the Lord's intervention (v 15a). 

The forgiveness of sins underscores that this is a spiritual restoration, not a physical one (v 15b). While there are examples of physical ailment being a result of sin, the Bible does not teach that this is always the case. However, ongoing sin will always lead to spiritual defeat. The mature believers can help the defeated believer recognize his sins and confess them.

With that setting in mind, we arrive at the verse in question: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (v 16a).

It seems that James is transitioning, using the above example of a spiritually-distressed believer as a warning to the church.

The tense of "confess" is not a one-time act, but an ongoing practice. My paraphrase of this verse would be something like this, "So that this does not happen, keep on confessing your sins to one another and keep on praying for one another that you may stay in a continuous state of health."

Only by keeping short accounts with God and with one another, and by praying for those spiritual struggles and sins of one another, can we maintain spiritual health.

The next post will consider practical ways of confessing sins to one another and praying for one another.

Mutual Confession

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (James 5:16a).

Most of us like the middle part of that sentence. Praying for one another is what we say we'll do.

We're pretty uncomfortable with the confessing of sins to one another. And we're not real sure about how that is all related to healing.

So, we take the middle part and run with it.

But if we look at the verses before and after this command, it makes sense.

Not only that, it provides an excellent avenue of ministry, discipleship and encouragement that should be found among followers of Christ.

James begins, "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise" (v 13).

The word "suffering" refers to enduring evil treatment by people, not physical illness (2 Tim 2:9; 4:5). James is addressing those who are suffering at the hands of others. Those who suffer in this way are called to pray.

And if someone in the midst of their suffering is cheerful, he is to sing praise. The one who is suffering prays for strength. The one who is cheerful in the suffering praises God for the strength he has received.

The next person described has moved into a deeper struggle in his suffering. James uses "sick" to describe this person. The word translated "sick" can be translated physical sickness, but in the epistles it is primarily used to refer to spiritual weakness produced by the sufferings of life (2 Cor 12:10).

The Bible often connects physical suffering with spiritual struggles. In Psalm 38, David describes his physical ailments brought on by unconfessed sin. Paul explains that some in the Corinthian church are weak and ill, and some have died, because they have participated in the Lord's Table in an unworthy manner (1 Cor 11:30). And the author of Hebrews connects suffering with God's discipline (Hebr 12:3-13).

The weak brothers, those who are suffering at the hands of others, are to call the elders of the church and ask them to pray for them.

They are so downtrodden that they are no longer able to pray for themselves. The mature believers are called upon to bring them before the throne of grace. This parallels the idea of Galatians 6:1, "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness."

So far, we have a beautiful picture of mature believers coming alongside and praying for their brothers who are spiritually weakened due to extensive spiritual suffering.

We'll look at the rest of this passage tomorrow.