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Financial Assistance – The Bible On Helping the Poor
I will never forget walking through Perishing Square in downtown Los Angeles, California many years ago and encountering a man who lived on the streets. He was destitute, dirty, dingy, and desperately in need of food. He was standing on the sidewalk. As I walked toward him, he asked me for some money so that he could have something to eat. I was not sure if he wanted the money for drugs, alcohol or food. I decided to help him get something to eat. I was a college student and did not have very much money myself; but nevertheless, I took him to a fast-food chain and bought him a hamburger, fries and something to drink. I do not remember if I bought him anything else. I will never forget his repeated expressions of thanks and the eagerness with which he hurriedly ate that food. I suspect there are some who would say I did the wrong thing since I had little money myself, but I wanted to help a man who was truly in need.
I am sure there are some who say that we should never give our money to such a person since we do not know what they will do with it. Consequently, they never give anything to anyone or they give very little since they are concerned about “being ripped-off.” But how should a follower of Jesus Christ respond to someone who is in need? In this study we will explore what the Bible says about helping those in need. The scriptures are our source of truth and the basis for everything we do. We will start at the beginning of God’s revelation.
Origins of Poverty
When Adam and Eve were created, God had prepared a place for them to live and all the water and food that they needed (Genesis 2:8-17). God instructed Adam to cultivate the land and keep it. The Garden of Eden was truly a paradise. In this ideal place to live, God provided everything. Listen to His words to Adam,
From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die. Genesis 2:16-17 (NASB)
They had a buffet of food from which they ate. There was only one tree from which they could not eat – the tree in the center of the garden (Genesis 2:9, 17). The message of this verse is that God did not place man in a state of poverty. It is obvious that God cared for His creation. But Adam and Eve eventually rebelled by sinning. Afterward, God pronounced a curse on the woman and on the man (Genesis 3:14-19). There were multiple aspects to the curse, including a curse on the ground. For God said,
You shall not eat from it;
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return. Genesis 3:17-19 (NASB)
With sin life changed, and one had to work hard to obtain food to eat. Need, poverty and destitution became possibilities and the realities of life. Some can more easily meet their needs than others. Each situation is unique.
First Instructions About the Poor
One can help, be indifferent to, or take advantage of the poor. These responses occur all the time. What response do you think God desires from us? The first clues come from Exodus 22:22 and 23:6. In the first passage God warns that we are not to take advantage of the poor and in the second passage we are not to deny the poor justice in their lawsuits. At first these may seem strange. Who would want to take advantage of the poor? What do they have that one would want? Yet, it occurs all the time. Those who have more manipulate the poor to their own advantage. In Mark 12:40 our Lord Jesus Christ gave one example that came from the religious leaders of His day,
Beware of the scribes who . . . devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation. Mark 12:40 (NASB)
Proverbs 22:22 is another passage that warns to not exploit the poor.
A second clue as to how God wants us to respond to the poor is found in the injunction that Moses gave to the Israelites in Exodus 23:10-11,
You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. Exodus 23:11 (NASB)
The Israelites had just left the land of Egypt and they were camping at the base of Mount Sinai when Moses gave this instruction. In this command the Israelites are told to allow the fields to observe a Sabbatical year. From an agricultural perspective, this was beneficial for the ground; from a spiritual perspective it helped the poor. Whatever grew in the field such as vegetables, grapes from vines and fruit from the trees the poor were to be allowed to eat. This command is repeated in various ways in Leviticus 19:10 and 23:22. In these passages the Israelites were told to not glean their field a second time. They were not to seek all the produce that they could get. That is, they were not to try to retain everything for which they had labored hard.
Instructed To Care For All
In Leviticus 25:8-12 and 35-43 we discover that God directed the Israelites to care for their fellow citizens as well as strangers and travelers. The instructions are detailed. God prohibited the Israelites from collecting interest on financial loans or on food that a person might give a poor and needy person. The Israelites were instructed to not buy a fellow Israelite who offered himself as a slave in order to live. Instead, the Israelite was to told to hire him as one would hire an employee until the year of Jubilee. Why did God give this instruction? The answer is found in Leviticus 25:38.
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. Leviticus 25:38 (NASB)
God presented His own care for them as the reason they should be generous and kind to others. In Deuteronomy 24:14,17 the Israelites were also commanded to not take advantage of the poor, needy whether alien, widow, or orphan. They were not to require surety for the help that was being offered either.
God’s Welfare Tax
God also imposed a local welfare tax or tithe in addition.
At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do. Deuteronomy 14:28-29 (NASB)
So the Israelites were to provide food from their fields and in addition they were to help the poor through a welfare system. The parallel to modern societies is obvious. Most cultures have a welfare system but how many provide money from their own “fields” in addition?
Promise of No Poor Among Us
The next passage in the Mosaic Law that is concerned with the poor and needy is Deuteronomy 15:4-5.
However, there will be no poor among you, since the LORD will surely bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, if only you listen obediently to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. Deuteronomy 15:4-6 (NASB)
In this passage, God promises that there will not be any poor among them if they obey Him. But they didn’t and couldn’t since they were sinners. God simply told them that it was theoretically possible to not have any poor. He was honest and forthright. This reminds us of Jesus’ statement that we will always have the poor among us in Mark 14:7. His message was that men and women can never satisfy the requirement of Deuteronomy 15:4-6. And God makes that clear in Deuteronomy 15:11 when He said that the poor would never “cease.” The message is clear. There will always be needy and poor folks due to poor planning, events beyond one’s control, or for some other reason.
Help Without Regret
In Deuteronomy 15:7-8 we hear that God instructed the Israelites to freely give to the poor.
If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. Deuteronomy 15:7-8 (NASB)
Maybe the most significant phrase in this passage is “not harden your heart” and the most significant word is “harden.” Clearly the Israelites were told to help the poor, but they were also told not to harden their hearts. The Hebrew word for harden is AMES. It means to make “hard, strong, bold, or to be solid.” It has the idea that the person will not budge or cannot be moved. The Israelites were also told to “freely open their hand” and to be “generous” to sufficiently meet their need.
God Is Our Example
In Deuteronomy 10:18; Psalm 40:17; 68:5 and Jeremiah 22:16, God presents Himself as the defender of the poor and the One who meets their needs. Then He challenges us to do the same because he also works through us. Here are a few verses,
He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:18-19 (NASB)
The LORD protects the strangers;
He supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He thwarts the way of the wicked. Psalm 146:9 (NASB)“He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” declares the LORD. Jerermiah 22:16 (NASB)
In the last verse, God tells us that those who truly know Him will care for the poor. That is a strong statement.
Protector of the Poor
In 1 Samuel 2:8 God states that He lifts up the needy and the poor.
He raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the ash heap. 1 Samuel 2:8 (NASB)
The same thought is repeated in Psalm 35:10. In Psalm 72:12-14 God says that He will respond to those who ask for help, and in Psalm 12:5 God states that He responds to the groaning of the needy. The message is that God is sensitive to the needy – to their emotional pain and pleas for help.
Provider of the Poor
In Psalm 68:10; 146:7 and Isaiah 41:17, we are told that God helps the needy and the prisoners. He gives food, water, and ensures that justice is satisfied.
Who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free. Psalm 146:7 (NASB)The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none,
And their tongue is parched with thirst;
I, the LORD, will answer them Myself,
As the God of Israel I will not forsake them. Isaiah 41:17 (NASB)
Here God states that He is the one who personally helps the poor. If God helps the poor, then it is a special honor for us to care for the poor and needy.
Savior of the Poor
In Job 5:15; Psalm 34:6 and Psalm 109:31, we discover that God rescues the needy and poor. He saves them from oppressors.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles. Psalm 34:6 (NASB)
God is their savior from evil, uncaring men and women.
Refuge for the Poor
In Psalm 14:6 and Isaiah 25:4 we discover that God defends the helpless and the needy from people, distress, the weather, and the ruthless.
For You have been a defense for the helpless,
A defense for the needy in his distress,
A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;
For the breath of the ruthless
Is like a rain storm against a wall. Isaiah 25:4 (NASB)
While it is obvious that some needy and helpless do suffer, it is God who is at work to provide help. He does this through people and circumstances. It is His people who are to be His hands and His feet. It is His people who provide the hugs and expression of warmth and compassion. The truth is, few of the needy and helpless would be helped if it were not for God’s instruction and the movement of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of people – believer and unbeliever.
In summary, God cares for the poor and needy whether they are dirty, dingy or desperate. God is their protector, provider, savior and their place of refuge. He is our example. What an honor to mirror our Father’s example and have a heart like His.
Promises To Those Who Help The Poor
In the following verses we will discover that God repeatedly promises to help those who join the Lord in helping the poor. How many promises you can find?
How blessed is he who considers the helpless;
The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble.
The LORD will protect him and keep him alive,
And he shall be called blessed upon the earth;
And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You restore him to health.
Psalm 41:1-3 (NASB)How blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
. . .
He has given freely to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted in honor.
Psalm 112:1, 9 (NASB)He who despises his neighbor sins,
But happy is he who is gracious to the poor.
Proverbs 14:21 (NASB)He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him. Proverbs 14:31One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD,
And He will repay him for his good deed.
Proverbs 19:17 (NASB)He who is generous will be blessed,
For he gives some of his food to the poor.
Proverbs 22:9 (NASB)He who gives to the poor will never want,
But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.
Proverbs 28:27The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor,
The wicked does not understand such concern.
Proverbs 29:7 (NASB)
How many promises did you find? There are eleven promises. But did you notice that giving to the poor is lending to the Lord? The message is that God will eventually repay us.
In these promises we discover that God will bring joy to those who help the poor. If we help the poor we will receive blessing from God. But those who withhold will discover that God withholds from them. Proverbs 29:7 is especially poignant. The mark of the righteous is that they are concerned for the poor. This is an important truth. We can gauge our righteousness by our heart’s concern and care for the poor. Probably one of the most moving passages of rebuke occurs in Isaiah 58 when God rebukes the Israelites for the pretentious act of being holy. But notice what God said was missing,
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
And if you give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
Isaiah 58:7-10 (NASB)
Judgment On Those Who Do Not Care
In the following verses God pronounces a curse on those who close their hearts to the poor.
Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
Deuteronomy 27:19 (NASB)He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;
He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 17:5 (NASB)He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be answered.
Proverbs 21:13 (NASB)He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself
Or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Proverbs 22:16 (NASB)He who gives to the poor will never want,
But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.
Proverbs 28:27 (NASB)The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people,
“It is you who have devoured the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the face of the poor?”
Declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
Isaiah 3:14-15 (NASB)Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.
Ezekiel 16:49 (NASB)
The last curse is an open rebuke to those who are rich and are not moved with compassion sufficient to respond with help. The message is not just for the wealthy. It applies to anyone who is not poor and needy.
Reactions To The Poor
In Proverbs 14:20 God reveals one reason why some people do not like to help the poor. They hate the poor.
The poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
Proverbs 14:20 (NASB)
In Prov. 19:4 and 7 we are told that the poor are separated from their friends. In fact, even their family members do not like them. But in sharp contrast God pronounces that He is their Maker,
The rich and the poor have a common bond,
The LORD is the maker of them all.
Proverbs 22:2 (NASB)
And in 1 Samuel, God says that He makes the wealthy wealthy and the poor.
The LORD makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts.
1 Samuel 2:7 (NASB)
Therefore, why should we refuse to help the poor? The one that God made wealthy He could have been made poor. It was His choice. Why shouldn’t we help the poor?
Individuals Who Helped The Poor
There are also numerous examples in the New Testament of individuals caring for the poor. Jesus was and is the ultimate example. In Luke 4:18 Jesus was reading from the book of Isaiah and declared that the following words were true of Him,
The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed . . . Luke 4:18 (NASB)
Notice that the prophecy does not mention the wealthy, the middle class, influential or the famous. The prophecy states that Jesus’ primary audience is the poor, the needy, captives and the sick. Jesus ministered to everyone but especially the poor.
When He fed the five thousand and some time later four thousand (Matthew 16:9-10), Jesus did so because He was concerned that they were hungry (Mark 8:2). Due to His compassion He wanted to meet their need. All of us are recipients of His love, mercy, and care. He simply asks us to respond to others as He has to us.
Just before Jesus died on the cross for the entire world, He was on the Mount of Olives with the disciples. They asked Him about the signs of the end times. He answered their question and then told them what the marks of a true believer are. Here is what He said,
For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in . . . Matthew 25:35 (NASB)
The message is that those who are true believers have a heart like that of their spiritual Father.
The apostle Paul is another example of one who cared for the poor, and he encouraged other believers to do the same. Paul had this to say in his epistle to the Galatians,
They only asked us to remember the poor — the very thing I also was eager to do. Galatians 2:10 (NASB)
Acts 24:17 and Romans 15:25-26 are other illustrations of Paul’s compassion for the poor and needy.
The writer of James shared this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? James 2:5-6 (NASB)
It is the rich who oppress the poor and take advantage of the needy. It is the rich who close their hearts to those who are in need. The middle-class and wealthy people often hesitate to help the poor. That should not be true of the righteous.
Instead of closing our ears to the cries of help, God calls us to help. The prophet Isaiah wrote the following,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow. Isaiah 1:17 (NASB)
And the apostle John wrote these words,
But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 1 John 3:17 (NASB)
Summary
Throughout the pages of scripture God directs and encourages us to help the poor, needy, widows, helpless, orphans (James 1:27) and prisoners (Hebrews 13:3). God presents Himself as the protector, provider, savior and place of refuge for the needy, poor and the helpless. He is our example. He has given us promises of various blessings and also warned us what will occur if we do not help the poor.
Those who have money are fearful of losing what they have to those who want “free” money. The poor ask for something we own and something we worked hard to obtain, and something we do not want to give up. Yet, God has allowed them to be poor. God has also chosen some to be wealthy. He makes both the wealthy and the poor.
Therefore, we should not be surprised that God commends the “Good Wife” of Proverbs 31 for giving to the poor (Proverbs 31:20, 29). In Luke 14, Jesus gave a parable about a wedding feast. In the parable He told the disciples to not take the place of honor. They should wait for someone to invite them to sit at the place of honor. Then near the end of the parable Jesus said,
But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:13 (NASB)
What a great summary of the teaching of scripture about how the poor should be treated. It summarizes everything, including the blessing.
How Individuals Should Respond
It is clear from the words of our God that helping the poor is not an option. Our heart should desire to help the poor, needy, widows, helpless, orphans and prisoners. God makes it clear that we are to help them in two ways. First, we are to help them personally and organizationally. The majority of the injunctions call for personal involvement. That is, we are to do something. We are to give something. We need to get involved individually. When we do help, we need to treat them with respect and dignity. That is the message of Psalms 74:21,
Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name. Psalm 74:21 (NIV)
When we help them financially, we need to be concerned about other aspects of their lives,
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4 (NASB)
How Churches Should Respond
We are also to help them organizationally. As we have already discovered in the Mosaic Law, the Israelites were to give a tithe and it was to be used for various individuals who were needy, including the Levites. It was a national tax. In the New Testament, the early church also collected monies for those who were in need. One such example occurred when Paul collected monies for the poor Jews in Jerusalem (Romans 15:25-27; 1 Cor. 16:1-2). Therefore, we can conclude that financial assistance should be provided both individually and organizationally.
But how should a church organize to accomplish this task? A great case lesson for us comes from Acts 6:1-7 when the early church had some widows who were in need.
Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. Acts 6:1-3 (NASB)
There are several things we can learn from this situation and the directions that the apostle provided.
1) When the need occurred, the leadership responded to meet the need. They followed the biblical principle that we have already explored in this study.
2) They organized to meet the need. That suggests that churches need to be organized as well. They selected seven men to care for the widows who they knew were in need.
3) It is recommended that the responsibility be given to the pastor or an elder. In each situation the pastor or elder will explore the individual’s relationship with the Lord. The goal is to lead them to Jesus and motivate them to commit to attending a local church.
4) They knew the widows needs were real since the widows were among them. They had first person knowledge. But when people from outside the church seek help, we do not have knowledge of their situation. We do not know if the need is real or if it is a scam. Therefore, it is recommended they we use the attached questionnaire to help determine if the need is valid (see attached).
5) It is recommended that a specific, amount depending upon the situation, be designated that can be used to help individuals who are in need.
6) We also are to treat those in need with respect and dignity. That includes verbal respect and also confidentiality to the degree possible.
Copyright © Like The Master Ministries. All Rights Reserved.The Victory of Jesus
Today is a day of remembrance and celebration. Often on Resurrection Sunday, we remember and focus on an aspect of the events surrounding the day of Jesus’ resurrection. It might be the women who came to the tomb. Sometimes it is the disciples who were not initially at the tomb with the women because they didn’t believe Jesus would rise. Sometimes we talk about the angels who greeted the women. Other times we have reflected on Jesus’ encounter with Mary in the garden at the tomb.
Victory of The Religious Leaders
We might recall the reaction of the religious leaders. The religious leaders were the bad guys, the schemers and the plotters. They were the men who lied and deceived the people, and motivated people to chant, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Unfortunately, I think they had a party when Jesus finally died on that cross. I wonder what they did that evening with their families. I wonder what they had to say to their wives and children. Did they talk about how difficult Jesus had been, how threatened they had felt, how jealous they were of Jesus? Did they tell their families about how they plotted to kill Him, how they bribed someone to betray Him?
I think they rejoiced. I think they were celebrating. I think they were bragging to one another of how they finally got rid of this deceiver. Matthew 27:62 reveals they understood what Jesus had claimed was going to happen. It says,
Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, “After three days I am to rise again.” Matthew 27:62-63 (NASB)
Notice what they called Him! They called Him a deceiver. They understood that Jesus said He would return to life three days later. Verses 64-66 explains their strategy to stop what they most likely believed was going to happen.
“Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone. Matthew 27:64-66 (NASB)
Religious Leaders Understood
The religious leaders knew exactly what Jesus claimed was going to happen. I think they thought they were really clever. The bottom line is, they were afraid. They were afraid Jesus was not going to be in His tomb on the third day. Their focus was on the events in the physical world. Apparently they were not thinking about spiritual issues at all. They did not realize how Satan had used them. Unfortunately, when we think about Jesus’ resurrection, it is easy for us to focus on the physical events also. We think about Him being on a cross with nails in His hands and feet, the spear that went through His side, and the blood. But we can forget that Jesus’ death and resurrection was the climax to a spiritual battle, to a spiritual war. It was a conflict between God and Satan. The religious leaders of that day did not understand that.
Spiritual Warfare In The Garden
The spiritual war started long time ago in the garden with Adam and Eve. Satan won that battle. He tempted Eve to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and she encouraged her husband to partake. He knowingly sinned and brought sin into the world for the first time. Satan won the initial battle, and the war between God and Satan was on and fully engaged. But God had compassion and love for mankind and made a promise. God said in effect, “Yes, Satan, you may have won the first skirmish, but I promise that I will have the ultimate victory.” In Genesis 3:15 we are told that Satan would bite Jesus’ heel, and that Jesus would turn around and stomp him on the head.
The Hebrew text is really interesting. When it says that Satan would bruise Him on His heel, and Jesus would bruise Satan on the head—which is the way the Hebrew actually reads—it’s in the imperfect tense. That implies that Satan would be biting Him on the heel again and again and again. It reveals that the war would be one battle after another. Finally, one day Jesus would crush Satan’s head. Throughout all the Old Testament, the war raged. In one battle, Cain murdered his brother. We are told in Job that Satan came and wanted to motivate Job to sin by blaspheming God. Satan was unsuccessful.
Spiritual Warfare Before The Flood
In Genesis 6:5 we are told that men and women were so wicked that God finally decided to blot them off from the face of the earth with a flood. We are told that the intent of the hearts of men and women were evil only continually. They were lying, angry, deceptive, greedy, murdering, involved in illicit sex and stealing. They were self-centered, proud, and independent. It was all about “me.” They were the “me” generation. We hear that term used today, but I think every generation is the “me” generation. There is an old statement that says that the problem with sin is the center letter, “I.” The problem is the focus on “me.” It has always been that way; every generation has the same problem. Satan motivates us to sin. He does not cause us to sin; he encourages us to sin. James 1 tells us that we like the temptation he suggests, and conclude, “Whoa, that will be fun. Alright.” So we go ahead, give in to temptation and sin. We may not always stop and think about it in those terms, but we sin by ourselves. We do not really need his involvement, but he encourages us to do the wrong thing anyway. He has a purpose! The generation at the time of the flood was the “me” generation. All down through time it has been the “me” generation again and again.
Spiritual Warfare In The Old Testament
Genesis chapter 11 tells us about the first major false religion. Its proud adherents attempted to build the Tower of Babel. The New Testament tells us that Satan is an angel of light who operates in the area of false religion. False religion has been one of Satan’s major tactics throughout all time. The Old Testament is replete with the occult, another satanic tactic. You can see it in book after book. In Deuteronomy there are great warnings about the occult. In Daniel chapter 9 we get an insight about warfare in the spiritual realm. What is described for us is how the demons are interacting with angels, and how warfare is waged in the heavenly realm.
Spiritual Warfare Centers On Christ
When we come to the New Testament, the battle between God and Satan continues. One of the first major battles was at the point of Jesus’ birth when Herod tried to have Jesus killed.
The next major time was when Satan tried to tempt Jesus to sin in order to prevent Him from dying on a cross and being our Savior. Had Jesus sinned, he would not have been the Holy Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He would have been a sinner, and that would have made it impossible for Him to forgive our sins. So Satan rallied the religious leaders and they plotted to kill Jesus. Satan entered into Judas and Judas made a deal with the religious leaders for thirty pieces of silver. The religious leaders did not realize that Satan was secretly, quietly, behind the scenes helping them out. In fact, it was probably Satan’s strategy and plan all along. Finally at the Lord’s Supper, Satan enters Judas and he goes off to do the dastardly deed of betraying Jesus at night in a garden with a cohort of Roman soldiers. When he does, Jesus finally dies on the cross to pay the price for man’s sins.
When Jesus died on that Friday afternoon, there were no cheering leaders on the sidelines. There was no band to provide music. Arguably, the crucifixion and resurrection were the most important events in the history of and for mankind. But there was no stadium filled with people cheering for Jesus. Instead, there were Pharisees, Sadducees, probably Herodians and some soldiers who thought this was great sport, glad to see Jesus writhing in agony on a cross as He was dying for you and for me. Some were glad to see that Jesus died. But there was an evil angel—Satan. I think Satan was cheering too. I think he was cheering because he had orchestrated Jesus’ death. He had participated in this event. Jesus had freed many people from Satan’s demons. Jesus had been damaging Satan’s kingdom. Jesus was wreaking havoc on everything that Satan was trying to accomplish.
John 16:11 tells us that Satan is the ruler of this world. In Ephesians 2:2 we are told that he is the prince or the power of the air. In 2 Corinthians 4:4 we are told that he is the god of this world. In Hebrews 2:14 we are told that he wields the power of death. You say, “Wait a minute—in what sense did Satan wield the power of death?” In John 8:44 Jesus is talking to the religious leaders and says,
You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 (NASB)
This verse tells us that Satan has been a murderer from the beginning of time, and he is the father of lies. In what sense is he a murderer from the beginning? From the time that he told Adam and Eve a lie, and motivated them to sin by violating God’s command. In the process of doing that, he was a murderer. He effectively took a knife and stabbed it into their spiritual hearts because he wanted them to die spiritually so that he could get revenge against God. That was his goal. He was a murderer. He would have effectively murdered them, if it was not for the promise of the Savior Jesus Christ who would come someday. Today Satan motivates people to reject Jesus Christ for personal reasons! Satan seeks what Satan wants. Satan is all about “me.” Satan motivates people to be all about “me.” As a result, some do not come to Jesus because they think He is not fair, or God has not done this or that for “me.”
For those of us who are Christians, it can be all about “me” as well. Some think it is more important that I am able to do what I want to do rather than love Jesus and spend time with Him, or gather together with other believers in praise for Him. Satan motivates Christians to dishonor Jesus. He motivates Christians to disobey Jesus. The reasons are all about “me”—that is Satan’s tool. He persuaded the religious leaders to follow the same “me” concept.
Jesus’ Victory and Not Satan’s Victory
Satan’s goal is to prevent non-Christians from having spiritual life. Satan’s goal is to mess up Christians. He has two major goals. One is for those who have not accepted Jesus. Then he works on those who are believers. He wants to mess up our Christian life by encouraging us to disobey God. You see, Jesus’ death looked like Satan’s greatest victory. But he did not realize that Jesus’ death was actually Jesus’ victory. The cross was used as a weapon. The cross was like a weapon that Jesus took and, figuratively speaking, crushed Satan on the head with it (Genesis 3:15). 1 John 3:8 says,
The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8 (NASB)
Hebrews 2:14 states,
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil . . . Hebrews 2:14 (NASB)
This verse tells us that Satan had the power of death. In what sense did he have the power of death? He motivated people to sin. The power of death took over and finished the job. 2 Timothy 1:9-10 tells us that when Jesus died on the cross, He abolished death. Think about that for a second. Satan wields the power of death by motivating people to sin. If he can get people to continue to sin, they will spiritually die. But when Jesus died on the cross, 2 Timothy 1:9-10 tells us that Jesus abolished or destroyed death. Do you know what He did? Jesus took away Satan’s tool or weapon. 1 Corinthians 15:54 reads like this.
But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 (NASB)
I like that. Death is like a bumblebee with a stinger. If you take away the stinger, the bumblebee has no power. In this case, death has no ability to cause us to spiritually die. Verse 56-57 says,
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 (NASB)
This passage tells us that when Jesus died on a cross, He took away the “stinger.” He took away the power of death. Satan can try to motivate us to sin all he wants, but if you believe in Jesus Christ there is no spiritual death. Hallelujah! Verse 58 adds,
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NASB)
Reason For The Resurrection
Great news! Great promise! Now you might be wondering, “How does the resurrection fit into all of this? Why did Jesus have to come back to life?” First of all, He had to come back to life because the prophecies said so. But let me share some important passages with you. The first passage is Romans 1:3-4.
. . . concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord . . . Romans 1:3-4 (NASB)
Verse 4 tells us that the resurrection proved Jesus was the Son of God. The resurrection was proof that He was and is God. Now we must ask, “How do we know that Jesus really is God?” One important passage is 1 John 4:1-2.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God . . . 1 John 4:1-2 (NASB)
Verse 2 makes a very important point. It tells us how you know the spirit of God. Everyone who confesses that Jesus has come in the flesh is from God. Now think about that for a minute. Some people say, “This is teaching that Jesus was just a man.” If that is true, then what kind of proof is that? It is not a big deal to say that a man was born in the flesh. That is not a proof of anything. The big test is that Jesus, the Son of God, came in the flesh. I was born in the flesh. You were in the flesh. People down through history have been born in the flesh. It is not a test for a human to be born or become a human. But, if God became a man, that is a test. Those who deny that God took on human flesh and claim that Jesus was only a man are not from God. The message is that Jesus was and is God. The resurrection was proof that He was deity. That is the first proof.
Now let’s go to Romans 4:25 for another reason why Jesus was raised from the dead. Verse 25 says that,
He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:25 (NASB)
That’s a great verse because it gives us another reason for His resurrection. The resurrection was proof that He could forgive our sins. Romans 8:2 tells us,
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:2 (NASB)
Do you realize what Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished? He made it possible for you to be freed from sin and from spiritual death. That is the message of the verse.
Acts 17:30-31 contains a comment that is easily missed about Christ’s resurrection.
Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. Acts 17:30-31 (NASB)
Did you see the part where it says “furnished proof”? Do you understand of what Jesus’ resurrection was proof? It was proof that He defeated sin, proof that He defeated death, proof that He is the Son of God. He will also be the judge of all. Do you know what the death and resurrection of Jesus is all about? It is about victory! The death and resurrection was a real victory for Jesus! The meaning of the Resurrection was victory over sin and death!
Satan Finally Understood
I do not think Satan understood what he was doing, or he would not have motivated Judas to betray Jesus. Satan was absolutely clueless. I’m sure Satan was celebrating. Satan had no clue at all as to what was really going to happen. I believe he did not understand the mystery that Jesus was both God and man. Notice what 1 Peter 3:18 teaches about Jesus’ death.
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh . . . 1 Peter 3:18 (NASB)
It says that Jesus was put to death in the flesh. I have been asked the question in years past, “How can God die?” God did not die. Jesus’ human flesh died. Then we are told in the last part of verse 18 and verse 19 what Jesus did after His flesh died.
. . . put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit, in which also He went and proclaimed to the spirits now in prison. 1 Peter 3:18b-19 (NASB)
Do you understand what Jesus did? Jesus visited the demons that were in the abyss and announced His victory over them and death! Victory is what He accomplished. I am confident that Satan at that point understood that he was in a huge amount of trouble. The war between God and Satan was still raging on, but Jesus had finally won the decisive battle. In every war there is a decisive battle, the turning point. What follows afterward is nothing more than skirmishes, but the end is coming. Romans 16:20 describes the current situation.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Romans 16:20 (NASB)
This verse tells us that the war is still on, but it is going to end, and God is going to crush Satan.
Revelation 20:7-8 describes Satan’s final defeat—He is crushed.
When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. Revelation 20:7-8 (NASB)
These verses are telling us that in the end times, in the latter days of this world, there will be a kingdom that will last a thousand years. At the end of that period, God will allow Satan to do whatever he wants to do. This will be Satan’s final battle of the war. Satan will gather all the world together to fight against God and verses 9-10 tell us what will happen.
And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20:9-10 (NASB)
Here we are told about the outcome of the battle, as if it had already occurred. Do you know why this passage of scripture reads like this? It is so certain that it is going to occur, it is referred to as having already been accomplished. Do you know what is going to happen in the end? Satan is going to be thrown into the Lake of Fire, and the war will be over. The war will be over! Hallelujah! Then verse 14 tells us,
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14 (NASB)
Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire, death will be thrown into the lake of fire, Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire and the war will be over!
I want to close with Colossians 2:15. This passage of scripture tells us that Jesus will disarm all of His foes.
When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Colossians 2:15 (NASB)
The Greek word for “disarm” has the idea of a conqueror riding in on a chariot with his troops behind him. The conqueror would lead and the troops would follow. They would march through the city, but guess who would follow behind? It would be the defeated king, the defeated officers, and the defeated troops – the spoils of the battle.
That is what will happen in the end. That is also what happened at the cross. Jesus is the conqueror. He defeated death. He defeated sin, and He really defeated Satan with a strong blow. But the ultimate, final defeat is yet to come; when it comes, the war will be over.
Resurrection Is Proof Of Jesus’ Victory
Jesus’ death was a victory. Jesus’ resurrection was proof of the victory. Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “There are no victories at bargain prices.” There are no victories at bargain prices. God had to defeat Satan. It was a spiritual battle. It has been a spiritual battle for your soul, for mine, and for the souls of people down through the ages. The only way to win the war had a very costly price. The costly price was the death and suffering of Jesus. Jesus did it for us, and now He offers us the benefits of the victory. Do you know what the benefits are? The benefits are He offers us forgiveness for our sins and eternal life living with God. Those are the benefits of His victory for you and me.
Jesus Is Risen Indeed!
If you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ, if you have never asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins, then I encourage you to do that today. In the Beatitudes Jesus tells us that when we come to God, we have to come like a spiritual beggar. The word for beggar there has the idea that you have nothing whatsoever to offer God. The idea is that you are a beggar who comes begging and pleading that you want to be forgiven, that you want to eventually be able to go to Heaven. God is not interested in anybody who is not spiritually a beggar. You have no standing with God if you do not recognize that you have a need. It does not do you any good if you are not interested. Jesus told the people, “Blessed are those who are…” what? Spiritual beggars. “For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” The way you get your sins forgiven is that you come to God as a spiritual beggar. You have to know that you have a need, that you are a sinner, and you need your sins forgiven. Then you need to ask Him to forgive you. Do you know what God does? God stands ready to lovingly forgive you.
If you are already a Christian, the call for you is really simple: to live like He is truly your Savior and your Redeemer, and to thank Him, and praise Him that Jesus has already won the victory over death.
Magi Came Searching
In my library I have an autobiography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I also have a biography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. One, obviously, was written by himself; the other one was written by someone else. Interestingly enough, both of these books start off with Charles Haddon Spurgeon’s birth, his early years as a child, then progress to his adulthood and years of ministry. Obviously the autobiography cannot deal with his death, but the biography does. The biography talks about how he died.
In ancient times, in Jesus’ time, biographies were much different. Biographies emphasized the final years of a man’s life, paying special attention to how a man died. It was felt that how a man lived his final years and how he died said more about him and his character than anything else in his life. So when we come to the Gospels, we should not be surprised that we see almost nothing at all about Jesus’ early years. We read little at all about His birth. The mere fact that Matthew and Luke tell us anything at all about His birth should indicate to us that something very remarkable occurred at His birth. The fact they even included His birth was not routine in those days. So the fact they included anything at all about Jesus’ birth is significant all by itself.
When we come to Luke, we find that in chapter 1, verse 26, he tells us about the announcement of Jesus’ birth to Mary, from Gabriel the archangel. The entire description of Jesus’ birth ends in chapter 2, verse 20, with the coming of the shepherds to visit Jesus and then leaving to tell other people all that they had seen. So Luke gives us a brief synopsis of His birth, and an even briefer description of His early years.
When we come to Matthew, interestingly enough, Matthew is even briefer in his description. He uses six words to describe Jesus’ birth. Matthew 1:25 says,
. . . but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son . . . Matthew 1:25 (NASB)
That is his description! It was really simple, “she gave birth to a son,” six words to describe His birth. Matthew is succinct. He does not care to go into detail, but Luke gave us more information. Recently I was reading a book, and the author was complaining that Matthew has a much different description of Jesus’ birth than Luke does. No, not at all! Luke just amplifies an event that Matthew treats with six words. Then Matthew proceeds to give us information that Luke does not.
Magi Were From The East
Our study begins with Matthew 2:1. Here is the way the verse reads:
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying . . . Matthew 2:1 (NASB)
Now we want to ask an interesting question. First, how much time elapsed between Jesus’ birth and the arrival of the magi? As we are going to find out, it was about two years. So there is a gap of two years between chapter 1 and chapter 2. It is not unusual for scripture to embed time between chapters and even between verses. Scripture frequently does this. In Daniel 9:25-27 there is a huge gap of thousands of years between verses 26 and 27. It is normal for scripture to have big jumps in time. So the fact that there is a two-year gap between verse 25 of chapter 1, and verse 1 of chapter 2, is not abnormal.
Now the question is, from where did these magi come? We are told “from the east,” but what does that mean? To the west there is water. But to the east there is land, people, and nations. Some early church fathers tell us that these magi came from Persia. So these magi would have traveled anywhere from 500 to as much as 1,000 miles in order to come to Jesus. Magi first appeared in the 7th century B.C. They were part of the Babylonian Empire. They were religious leaders devoted to astrology and astronomy. We believe that they were involved in the occult.
Daniel 2 gives us a lot of information about these men. In the chapter we are told that Daniel was elevated to a position of authority over the magi of his day. I cannot imagine Daniel, who was devoted to the God of Israel, not telling these men about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If Daniel would pray three times a day with the windows open for everybody to see, I just cannot imagine that Daniel would say, “Oh, I am not going to tell anyone about God.” I believe not only did he tell them about the God of Israel, I believe he shared the Scriptures including about the coming Messiah. Daniel 9 prophesied that the Messiah would come.
The Babylonian Empire was eventually defeated. You can read about it in the book of Daniel. It was defeated by the Medes and Persians. Later that territory was conquered by the Empire of Greece, and that empire was defeated by the Roman Empire. The Parthenian Empire occupied most of the territory that used to belong to Persia. History tells us there was repeated conflict between the Roman Empire and the Parthenian Empire near the time of Christ. That is important, because that tells us the magi entered into a territory that was in conflict with the Parthenian Empire from which they came.
Magi Searching For The King of the Jews
Why would the magi enter into hostile territory? The answer is given to us in verse 2. In verse 1 we are told that magi from the East arrived in Jerusalem saying,
Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him. Matthew 2:2 (NASB)
They came searching for the king of the Jews. They were serious. They did not come for a little Sunday afternoon stroll. I remember as a child that almost every Sunday my dad liked to get all of us into the car and drive out into the country. The magi were not taking a Sunday afternoon drive. These men had undertaken a dangerous, long trip. They did not have a vehicle. They used camels or horses and took a two to four-week trip at the minimum. It cost them money to make their trip. They had to have a military escort with them since they were entering into hostile territory. The area was also known to have robbers. More than likely, there were servants or attendants with them, somebody to cook their food, because these magi were leaders. They did not carry out menial tasks. They probably had a large group of people traveling with them. This was a long, dangerous, costly trip. These men were serious. They wanted to find Jesus. They were seriously seeking and searching for him.
Now we have to ask an interesting question. They said that they had seen His star in the East. How did they know that the star belonged to Jesus? How did they know that there was a connection? First of all, we have to remember that they were astronomers. As they were astronomers, they were watching the sky. Since they were watching the sky, they must have seen something very unusual, something very incredible, something that they had not seen before. God probably gave them something that fit their concept of what was significant for a king. Did they remember what Daniel had taught them? Or perhaps they went to Daniel 9:25-27, where it prophesies about the Messiah. Maybe they discovered the time marker that prophesied the week in which Messiah is supposed to die. From that date, you can count backwards and estimate when the Messiah should have been born. Or perhaps they looked at the prophecies of Genesis 49:10 and Numbers 24:17 where they refer to a star and the scepter of a king. They could have connected the star and the king together. From Daniel 9 they could have concluded that this must refer to the Messiah. We do not know how they did it, but somehow they associated the star with Jesus, the coming king of Israel, the king of the Jews. So they came to worship.
I find it interesting that they did not come for a financial deal; they did not come to create some kind of military alliance. Nor did they come to resolve a political conflict. Instead, they came to worship a baby. How many of us would search to find a baby and then worship a baby? But these men did!
Verse 3 says,
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2:3 (NASB)
I find it interesting that Herod and all of Jerusalem were not troubled that the magi were there. We are told, “When Herod the king heard this . . .’ The magi did not upset them.Some people say, “Oh, it was the magi, the entourage, all the people, and how significant these men were!” Verse 3 says, “And when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”
Jerusalem was struggling and troubled because the magi were searching for and asking about the king of the Jews. Verse 4 adds,
Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. Matthew 2:4 (NASB)
Herod calls a meeting of all the chief priests and scribes. Then we are told that Herod repeatedly inquired of them. This repetitive asking is missing in the English Bible. But in the Greek it reveals he inquired and inquired. Inquired is in the imperfect tense in the Greek. It means he kept asking. He was impatient, emotional, and panicked. He wanted to know where was this baby to be born! He just cannot wait to get the answer because he wanted to kill Him.
Verses 5-6 tells us where the Messiah would be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;
FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL’”
Matthew 2:5-6 (NASB)
They quoted Micah 5:2, and 2 Samuel 5:2. They gave Herod the answer. He was to be born in Bethlehem. Verse 7 then tells us how Herod responded,
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. Matthew 2:7 (NASB)
The Star of the Messiah
Verse 16 tells us how long the star appeared.
Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Matthew 2:16 (NASB)
The star had been around for two years. Herod and the magi associated the appearance of the star with His birth. That means the magi had prepared, planned, and traveled for two years. These men were serious in their pursuit to find Jesus. This was not just something they had decided to do yesterday. These men were absolutely serious.
No One Travels With the Magi
Verse 8 tell us that King Herod claims he wanted to worship the Messiah too!
And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” Matthew 2:8 (NASB)
Herod was not serious. He was lying! Then verse 9 says the magi continued their trip.
After hearing the king, they went their way . . . Matthew 2:9a (NASB)
Notice something: the magi went to find Jesus, but Herod did not go. Did you notice who else did not go? The magi went, but not with the religious leaders. The religious leaders did not bother to go. Verse 16 tells us that when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became angry and slew all the children from two years old and down. Why did he do that? Because he did not know where the child was. If one of the religious leaders had gone with the magi, they could have come back and reported to Herod where the child was, and then he could have gone right to the place where the baby was and killed the baby. No one traveled with the magi. When the magi arrived and asked where was the child, why did not one of the religious leaders say, “I will take you there. I know where He is. Two years ago we heard about this birth, and the shepherds came up and were telling everybody about it. We know where He is, we will take you to Bethlehem, we will show you where the child is.” Why didn’t somebody do that? Even if they did not care about the child, even if they did not believe it, why did they not volunteer to go with the magi? Because they never had initially gone to check it out. They did not care. No one had gone to where this baby was.
I could not help but think, if I had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah, I would have at least wanted to tag along with these men and find out what was going on. But we should not be too surprised. The Sadducees were the liberals of the day. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:29 that the Sadducees did not know the Scriptures. We should not be surprised that they were not interested. The Pharisees were considered to be the conservatives of the day. Many of us say we are conservatives. The Pharisees believed all of the Old Testament. Interestingly enough, the Sadducees only believed the first five books of the Bible. They rejected the rest of the Tanakh. The Pharisees in contrast accepted all of the Tanakh or the Old Testament Scriptures.
I believe that the Pharisees are wrongly criticized because they were not just legalistic. In Luke 16:14, Jesus said they were “lovers of money.” In Luke 15:1-2 we find they did not love sinners and tax collectors. They had a heart problem. We find in Matthew 23:6 that they loved honor. I do not know if anyone here has that problem. Is there anyone here who likes recognition and honor? If somebody does not give you recognition and honor, does that bother you? If so, then you shave a similar problem shared by the Pharisees. In Matthew 23:6-7 Jesus said they liked to be called rabbi or leader or teacher. They liked to have a title. Anybody here who needs to have a title?
In Matthew 23:13-38 Jesus paints a picture that these men wanted to appear to be holy. In Matthew 23:23 we are told that the Pharisees ignored mercy. They ignored justice. They were not very faithful. The Pharisees get a bum rap when we just say they are legalistic. The Pharisees had many serious sins.
Can I ask you this morning, how is your heart? Are you more like the Sadducees, or are you more like the Pharisees? Are you interested in yourself? Are you interested in honor, in recognition? Do you care about the needy? Are you faithful? Or are you just more interested in yourself than in Jesus? The Pharisees and the Sadducees were more interested in themselves than they were in finding their Messiah. The magi went to find the Messiah and no one else went with them.
Now notice what verse 9 tells us:
After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them . . . Matthew 2:9b (NASB)
Did you notice something really important here? Did you notice who went first? The magi set out first, and then the star appeared. The reason that they ended up in Jerusalem is that the star was no longer in the sky. So they did not know where to go. After they are told to go to Bethlehem, all of a sudden the star reappears to lead them. The magi have to start making their way, and then all of a sudden the star appears. I find this very interesting. Do you know what it tells me? There is a divine principle here. God waits for us to start searching for Him before we can find Him. I find it interesting that we get interested in finding Jesus when we get a really exciting book with an exciting title, from a great author. Then we start searching for Jesus. Sometimes we get it backwards. Rather than waiting for the star to appear and then starting our journey, God wants us to start our journey, and then the star will appear.
In Psalms 119:20 we are told,
My soul is crushed with longing
After Your ordinances at all times.
Psalms 119:20 (NASB)
Verse 24 says,
Your testimonies also are my delight;
They are my counselors.
Psalms 119:24 (NASB)
Here is verse 31,
I cling to Your testimonies;
O LORD, do not put me to shame!
Psalms 119:31 (NASB)
The psalmist is crying out from his heart. He has a desire to know God’s word. There is a passion in his heart to know. How about verse 81?
My soul languishes for Your salvation;
I wait for Your word.
Psalms 119:31 (NASB)
The psalmist is expressing his desire to know God’s word. Or how about verse 103?
How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psalms 119:31 (NASB)
He describes the word as being sweeter than honey. The word of God is sweeter than honey! It is better than a star. It is better than treasure. How about verse 105?
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
Psalms 119:105 (NASB)
And how about 129?
Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul observes them.
Psalms 119:129 (NASB)
I just like that, “your testimonies are wonderful.” The passion, the desire of the psalmist is that he wants the treasure. He has already found the treasure. He has already sampled the treasure. He has already tested the treasure. He already knows that it is a gold mine. But we have to start the search before we are going to find the treasure. All too often we want the treasure before we will start the search. But I do not know anybody who ever found a gold mine who did not get a pick and shovel and start to search before they found the gold. Watch this: the magi left again on their search, and then God gave them the star. God gave them a star to lead them ultimately to the treasure.
A quick side note: it says the star went on before them. The Greek word is proago. It gives us the picture of a star that is iteratively moving ahead. It is in the imperfect tense that the star was iteratively moving ahead, little by little. There are people today who want to try to make this some kind of a celestial phenomenon. That is not what the Greek implies. When I look up at the sky a star does not go before me. A star does not lead me anywhere. It does not go before me. But this star moved ahead of the magi, little by little, little, by little.
Magi Find Jesus
Notice what happens when the star arrives at the home of the child.
. . . until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. Mathew 2:9c (NASB)
When the star arrived at the location of the child, it stopped. Now I do not know about you, but that is not any normal star that I know about. That is an abnormal star. It is a miracle of God. It was designed to lead the magi from one place to another place, to the treasure, to Jesus, the child.
Verse 10:
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Matthew 2:10 (NASB)
These magi are absolutely thrilled. Then verse 11 adds,
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 (NASB)
I am going to stop right there. “And they worshiped Him.” Notice what verse 11 says. They came into a house. Jesus is no longer in a manger. They saw the child. The child is no longer a baby. The Greek word for child is paidion. It has the idea of a young child. Jesus is no longer a baby—time has elapsed.
They arrive and there is the child. They fall and worship. When it says “fell,” the Greek word actually means they fell to their knees. When is the last time you fell on your knees in prayer to God? Think about it for a minute. These men are significant leaders, and they fall on their knees. Can you just imagine? They fell on their knees and they worshipped. When is the last time you saw a leader, perhaps a religious leader, or anyone of significant caliber fall on their knees and worship? That is what these magi did. These men came to worship Jesus. They came searching. They came seeking, and they found Him.
Conclusion
I would like to conclude by making a few comments. The first comment is that I believe the magi were believers. I cannot find it in scripture, and I cannot prove it to you—I just believe that they were. Why else do you come to worship? Why would someone do that? They came seeking and searching. It reminds me of Jeremiah 29: 13. It says,
You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NASB)
Then the next verse says,
I will be found by you . . . Jeremiah 29: 14a (NASB)
Someone might say, “Well, that is talking about unbelievers.” It applies to unbelievers, but I believe it was intended primarily for believers. Think about Paul for a minute. In Philippians 3 he said that he counts everything but rubbish, dung, garbage, junk in order to know Him. Paul was already a Christian. Paul wanted to know. Paul was searching to know Him more. There is a divine principle here. We are to be searching, and we are to be seeking to know Jesus more with all our heart.
There is an interesting story that I have told before, but I would like to repeat it again. It is about a Christmas play, and the intent was to show the radiance of Jesus during this Christmas play. There was an electric bulb that was hidden in the manger, and all the stage lights were to be turned off at a particular time so that the light of the manger could glow, and all the emphasis would be on baby Jesus. The stage lights went off and there was total blackness, no lights were anywhere. The silence was broken when one of the shepherds said to the stage manager in a loud whisper, “Hey, you turned Jesus off!” Some of us, unfortunately, are like the Pharisees, so preoccupied with other things. If we have not turned Jesus off, we have sure dimmed His presence in our lives and hearts down a lot. We are more wrapped up in other things. We are not searching and hunting for Him like we used to.
I remember when I was a brand-new Christian that the most joyful thing in my heart was my spiritual hunger and appetite. I was eager to know. I was searching, I was seeking to know Jesus and to learn all I could learn about Him. There was a flame in my heart. But you know, we can walk the Christian life and somewhere along the way allow something else to get in the way. Jesus is not that important to us anymore. Something else takes His place: other things, my personal convenience, my job, my TV, my money. We find that we are no longer seeking, and no longer searching. The magi are great examples. They risked a lot of time and a lot of money. They came searching for the king of the Jews.
May I ask you today, where is your heart? For whom or what are you searching? When you earnestly start searching and seeking for Jesus, there is treasure to be found. As the psalmist says, what you find is sweeter than honey.
Joy of Christmas
I still remember as a little child going out with mittens on my hands, putting my hands in the snow and taking a bunch of snow in my hands, squashing it together to make a snowball, rolling it in the snow until that ball got bigger and bigger and finally, really big! Then I would put it aside and start all over again. I would take a bunch of snow, squash it up into a little ball and roll it and roll it until I got another big snowball. I would make three of these. The first one was the largest and the third one was the smallest. Then I would stack them and put the smallest one on top.
I would then start looking for two rocks and a stick. I would take the stick and put it right where the nose should be, and two black rocks would be placed right in where the eyes should be. I called that creation my snowman. Then I had to find something for the mouth. I had fun making snowmen as a child. That was absolutely a thrill.
A second memory that I have as a child was Christmas Eve. My mother would put together what we referred to as a smorgasbord of holiday food. On Christmas Eve after our service at church, we would get together and eat from Mom’s spread of food. It was really great food. I have fond memories of those days. It was something which I looked forward to.
A third thing that I looked forward to was always Christmas Day, Christmas morning. I would wake up sometimes before my parents, and stay in bed until they got up. I remember on occasions that I just could not wait for mom and dad to get up so that I could start opening the presents, to see the toys, to see what I got. For me, that was what Christmas was really all about. One of my favorite presents was a picture that I could paint by number. I remember doing that as a child. That was fun. I can remember receiving plastic models of ships. I liked putting ships together. I remember sports equipment. But my all-time favorite gift that I had at Christmas time was a crystal radio set. I was able to put the radio together. It operated on a crystal. I could hear people and music on my new crystal radio. That was one of my best gifts as a child. Christmas was a great time of the year. It was a time of anticipation. I looked forward to Christmas. I looked forward to opening the gifts, and my heart would leap with joy with the things that I was given.
Christmas was a Time of Anticipation
Is that what Christmas feels like to you? Do you look forward to Christmas? Is Christmas a time of anticipation? I do not know if that is true of you, but I know that it was true of many at the time Jesus arrived. We are told that the Jews were waiting for their Messiah. There was great anticipation that He would soon come. We know that when John the Baptist arrived, he was asked, “Are you the Christ?” That is, are you the Messiah? And he answered, “No, I am not.” Although we are only told of two times in the gospel of John, I suspect that John was asked those questions many more times. When Jesus arrived, He went through the same questioning. People were wondering whether or not He was the Messiah.
In John 1 we are told that two men became Christ’s disciples: John and Andrew. They found Jesus one afternoon and spent time with Him. Their conclusion at the end of the day was that the man they spent the afternoon with was the Christ. We are told in John 1:41 that Andrew ran off to tell Peter,
We have found the Christ! John 1:41 (NASB)
Andrew’s excitement just exudes off the pages of Scripture. His excitement over Jesus reveals his emotion when he ran off to find Peter. It just tells us what he thought of Jesus. He believed that Jesus was the Messiah and he was emotional.
In John 4:25, when Jesus was walking from Judea up through Samaria, he encountered a Samaritan woman at a well. When the woman arrived at the well, He entered into a conversation with her. In that conversation, she informed Jesus that the Messiah was coming. Here is a Samaritan woman and she knew that the Messiah was coming. She was looking forward to the Messiah. After their conversation was finished, we are told that she ran off to the city and told the people that she had found the Messiah. The way she put it was, “Is this not the Christ?” It is obvious that she thought Jesus was the Christ. It is obvious that she wanted to tell the people in the city that she had found the Christ. She was so excited about the fact that Jesus is the Christ.
In John 7 we read on multiple occasions people were asking about whether or not Jesus was the Christ. They asked again and again and again, “Is He the Christ? Is this the Christ?” Didn’t the religious leaders know that He was the Christ? They were looking for the Christ. They were wondering who was the Christ.
In John 10:24 we are told that the religious leaders asked Jesus, “Are you the Christ?” The nation was abuzz. The people were wondering. The people were wanting to know if Jesus was the Christ; was He the Messiah? We are told that Peter confessed on one occasion that Jesus was the Christ. We are told in John 11:27 that Martha declared that Jesus was the Christ. When we arrive at John 12:34, we find that people were knowledgeable about the Christ. They knew what the coming Christ was supposed to be like—well, at least they thought they did. That tells us that there was great interest in the Messiah, the Christ. They were wanting to know. They were looking. They were waiting. There was great anticipation. It reminds me of my waiting, my anticipation for Christmas morning. I wonder if that is the kind of anticipation, the kind of passion, the waiting, the emotion that they had. I cannot help but think it was probably close.
Jesus Fulfilled Ancient Prophecy
In John 20:31 the apostle John writes,
. . . these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ . . . John 20:31 (NASB)
The gospel of John was written that we might know that He is the Messiah. Now why did John write the gospel of John and say that the primary reason it was written was so that you might know that Jesus is the Messiah? Why would you do that if you were not excited that Jesus was the Messiah? The point is simple. They were interested in the Messiah. They were looking for the Messiah, and we should not be too surprised because the prophets of old had predicted the Messiah was coming.
In fact, in Romans 1:2-4, we are told that the prophets predicted that Jesus the Messiah would be born and be a descendant of David. So when Mary was visited by Gabriel the Archangel in Luke 1, and Gabriel announced to Mary that she was going to be with child, he told her that the baby would be the Christ. Can you imagine what must have happened in Mary’s heart? Can you imagine her mixed emotions when the angel told her that she was going to be pregnant? This is something that she has been looking forward to, that is, the coming of the Christ, the Messiah. Can you imagine the emotion in her heart?
How about Elizabeth, who after Mary tells her what has happened, responds with great joy? Then Elizabeth tells Mary that she is blessed among women. Now, the only reason she would say that is because she really believed Mary’s pregnancy was truly a great thing. Elizabeth and Mary must have been two very excited women as they contemplated what was going to happen.
Then nine months went by—nine months. I can imagine Mary thinking about what was going to happen. Surely she went through all the thoughts about pregnancy and all the ins and outs of what that involves. Can you imagine her anticipation? What Mary and Joseph did not know was that years later after Jesus was born, people would call the day of their baby’s birth Christmas. It would be a day to be celebrated.
Christ is Born in Jerusalem
Our study is in Luke 2 and let’s start at verse 1 as the great anticipation is in play. Little did the people of Jerusalem know that their Messiah was about to be born.
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. Luke 2:1-5 (NASB)
These verses tell us very quickly that Mary and Joseph had to make a trip from Nazareth up to Bethlehem. They had to make a trip because there was a decree, an order that they go to Bethlehem so that a census could be taken. Some people have said, “Was this really a census, or was this a taxation?” I think it was both. Our evidence indicates it was probably more than likely both a registration as well as a taxation, and so they had to leave Nazareth and make a trip up to Bethlehem.
Now it is important to understand that Mary and Joseph were poor. We get that picture later on when Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Bethlehem to be dedicated where they offered two birds. According to the Mosaic Law, they were allowed to offer two birds if they were poor. If they were wealthier, they were to sacrifice an animal. Therefore, we get the picture that Mary and Joseph are poor. They are going through some difficult times emotionally, I am sure, because of her pregnancy. We can imagine that she probably heard some criticism because she was pregnant out of wedlock. It was not exactly a great time to make this trip either because she is in the final days of her pregnancy. This was just not a good time to make the trip.
In verse 6 we find,
While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7 (NASB)
There are three Greek words that are translated as “inn.” The one that is used here has the idea of “guest room.” It does not mean an inn, a motel or a hotel such as we think of today. In this particular scenario based upon more recent archaeological discoveries, we now know that the owner of the place would have lived on the top floor of two floors in this building. On the lower floor there would have been an area for guests and also for animals. So when we are told that there was no room for them in the inn—substitute the word “guest room”—that would mean that there was no more room for guests. On this lower floor there would have also been a place where the owner’s animals could spend the night. Therefore, Mary and Joseph had to be with the cattle. That is where Jesus was born. When Christ was born, He was put into a manger, or into a feeding trough. This was not a wonderful place for our Messiah, our Christ, to be born.
The Shepherds in Jerusalem
Now verse 8,
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8 (NASB)
This verse tells us that it was nighttime. We do not know whether Jesus was born in the late afternoon, or whether this was early night, or maybe midnight—we do not really know—but whatever time of day it was, it was dark.
We are told,
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. Luke 2:9 (NASB)
We often get a distorted view of how the angel appeared to the shepherds. Verse 9 says, “The angel stood before them.” The angel stood. The angel was not in the sky. The angel was standing before them on the ground. The angel stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terribly frightened.
Now just imagine these shepherds. It’s dark. They are tending sheep. We believe they were tending sheep that were headed for sacrifice at the temple, and all of a sudden an angel stands before them. I think I would have been afraid.
The Angels Arrive
Verse 10 introduces the angels.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people . . .” Luke 2:10 (NASB)
Notice that the angel says, “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good news of great joy.” He did not say, “I bring you good news.” He said, “I bring you good news of great joy.” Now why would he add “great joy”? Obviously he must have believed that his news was great and would bring joy. Obviously Heaven must have believed that it was good news because at the angel’s announcement, there was reason for great joy.
. . . for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 (NASB)
That was and is the good news of great joy. The one who was born is the Messiah. He was the one they had been waiting for, the one they had been looking for, the one they had been anticipating. They had been waiting and waiting and waiting and anticipating, and now He was born!
Angel Gives the Shepherds a Sign
In verse 12,
This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2:12 (NASB)
Have you ever wondered why the angel said it is a sign? Just imagine a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. I do not know about you, but for years I would read that and ask, “What is the big deal? Just sounds like a Christmas story.” Since when are babies wrapped in diapers and lying in a manger a sign? The answer is that back in those days most poor parents could not afford cloths or diapers for their infants. In Christ’s time, cloths were expensive. Only the wealthy people could afford what we call diapers. Obviously there are consequences to that, but that was the way it was.
Now think about the manger. Perhaps the reason that Jesus was wrapped in cloths or diapers was that there were some guests who heard that a baby was born. There may have been some wealthy travelers who had some cloths. Maybe they had babies as well. They may have shared some cloths with Mary for Jesus. Remember Mary and Joseph were poor. Now think about a baby wrapped in cloths that are normally used by a wealthy family. He is lying in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. That is incredibly inconsistent. It did not make sense. Therefore, it was a sign.
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. Luke 2:13-14 (NASB)
Shepherds Search for Christ
At this time of the night the city must have been quiet. No excitement … but that was about to change, because in verse 15 we are told,
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. Luke 2:15-16 (NASB)
Now just think about the angel’s message for a second. The shepherds were out in the field. There were probably 100-300 homes in the area of Bethlehem. How are they going to find this baby? They probably went from one house to another house to another house getting the people in the community very excited. Each time they went to a house, they asked about this baby. I can just imagine the shepherds going up to one house and saying, “Hey, do you know where this baby is that is wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger? Do you know where He is?” I can imagine the questions. I can imagine the interest that occurred in that community. Finally they found Him.
Verse 17,
When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. Luke 2:17-18 (NASB)
The people were abuzz. The city was abuzz. The whole region was alive with interest about the birth of the Christ. Verse 19 tells us that Mary was also.
But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. Luke 2:19 (NASB)
Angels were Filled with Great Joy
Just imagine the emotion in the community. But not just the community, not just Mary and not just Joseph were excited about the birth of Christ—there was someone else whom we often overlook. No, I should not say “someone.” I should say a group of angels. The angels had been waiting and anticipating the birth of Christ. You say, “Wait a minute, how do you know that?” The answer is found in 1 Peter 1:10-11,
As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 1 Peter 1:10-11 (NASB)
These two verses are very simple. It says the prophets had prophesied. The prophets were seeking to know about the time Christ would come. Verse 12 adds,
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven . . . 1 Peter 1:12 (NASB)
Do you know what the prophets were told? God let the prophets know that they were not writing for themselves, but for us. The prophets were writing for the people in the future and not for themselves. Now notice the last part of verse 12,
. . . things into which angels long to look. 1 Peter 1:12 (NASB)
Do you see what it says?
. . . things into which angels long to look
The Greek word for “long” is epithymeo. It has the idea of great emotion or great desire. It is sometimes translated as “lust” to give you a flavor of the emotion involved, or to care for or covet. This is a strong word involving emotion. So we are told that the angels longed to look.
The word that is translated as “to look” is the Greek word parakypto. It has the idea of one stooping and stretching the neck in order to gaze at some wonderful sight. I have a picture of angels in heaven looking over, stooping down, looking down to earth to see. The word has the idea of stooping to look. It has the idea of tremendous interest. We have two very powerful words put together, strong emotion with a tremendous desire to understand. That describes the attitude of the angels.
There are two very important points to take away from this verse. The first is that the prophets wanted to know, and the angels also. Not just the prophets, but the angels wanted to know. Think back to Daniel 9:20-27. Earlier in Daniel 9, the prophet Daniel had been asking God for an understanding of a passage of Scripture. Consequently, Gabriel the archangel was sent to Daniel to give him the answer. When Gabriel arrived, he gave Daniel the answer which is recorded in verses 20-27. In that passage there is a prophecy about the time Jesus would come, when the Messiah would arrive. Do you know what that tells me? It tells me that the angels understood at that point in time when the Messiah would arrive.
The second takeaway is that the angels have emotion. Think about this, angels long … to look. The angels long to look. Think about angels having emotion. Angels are not some sterile group or like Spock on “Star Trek.” Luke 15:10 tells us that the angels rejoice when sinners repent. This means that angels have emotion. The angels are excited when people come to a saving knowledge of Christ.
Therefore, we know that these angels who knew when Christ would arrive were excited about what was happening. They were emotional about His birth. Just think for a moment with me; Gabriel probably—we don’t know for sure—but I tend to believe that Gabriel was thrilled about the announcement he gave to Mary. He had the opportunity to share the name by which this baby would be called—Jesus, the Christ! Think about Gabriel’s emotions.
How about the joy of the multitude of angels who announced there would be peace among men, with whom God is pleased. I believe they enjoyed giving the announcement to the shepherds. The angels longed to look. The angels wanted to know. The angels participated from the very beginning of Christmas on earth to the very end. The angels were involved in the announcement of Jesus’s birth. The angels were involved in ministering to Jesus at His temptation. The angels were at the grave when Jesus was resurrected. They greeted the women. The angels were at His ascension in Acts 1:10. The angels watch us (1 Corinthians 4:9). Hebrews 1:14 tells us that they minister to us. The angels have been involved in the plan of salvation from the beginning to the end.
In Ephesians 3:10 we are told that God revealed His grace of salvation to the angels through the Church. The angels were looking. They are still looking and they are wanting to know more. John MacArthur writes the following with regards to the passage in 1 Peter 1:12,
Though the angels will never experience redemption, the book of Revelation contains a fascinating portrayal of their interest in it.
And He, Christ the Lamb, came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. When He had taken the book, the four living creatures, and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands and thousands saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory, and blessing.” Revelation 5:7-12 (NASB)
The holy angels will join the song of redemption even though they have not experienced salvation. They have been witnesses to the greatness of God’s salvation and they long to look.[1]
They desire to know.
Conclusion
When Jesus was born, it was an awesome event here on earth. It was great news, and the great news was what? First, that the Messiah was born. Second, the great news is that peace is available to men, with whom He is pleased. It always fascinates me every time I look at a Christmas card in the store. It has peace and good will among men on the front or inside of the card. That is not exactly what the Biblical text says. The verse says, “peace among men with whom He is well pleased.”
Think about Zacharias. In Luke 1:79 at the very end of the verse, we are told that the Messiah will guide our path into the way of peace. Jesus tells us that He came to bring peace, not as the world gives. He does not offer peace carte blanche. His peace is not escape from suffering, anxiety, war, struggles and trials in this life. That is not the kind of peace Jesus came to give. Jesus said the kind of peace He gives is not the kind of peace in which the world is interested.
In Acts 10:36 we are told that peace is through Jesus. In Isaiah 9:6 we are told that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. In Romans 5:1 we are told that we can have peace, the kind of peace that the angels were talking about, the kind of peace that Jesus is talking about and it is peace with God.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . . Romans 5:1 (NASB)
And the verse goes on to tell us that peace is acquired through faith. Did you know that peace is acquired through faith? Peace with God is acquired by faith. It is not by something you do. It is not by your work. It is not by your activity. It is by faith. It is by believing that Jesus is the Messiah, that He is the fulfillment of the prophesies, and He is the one who came and died for our sins. The angels were interested in the plan of salvation. They were interested in what it was all about. They were interested in His birth as well as His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. They were interested in all of it. They wanted to know, and they still want to know. They are still interested, they are still learning. There is a song whose lyrics are:
He is our peace
who has broken down every wall
He is our peace, He is our peace
He is our peace
who has broken down every wall
He is our peace, He is our peace.
Get the point? He is our peace. “He is our peace, who has broken down every wall.” He is the Prince of Peace. Jesus came to offer peace. Jesus came to give us peace, “not as the world gives, give I unto you.” He gives us spiritual peace by forgiving our sins when we believe in Him. It requires that we believe that we are a sinner. It requires that we put our faith in Jesus Christ as the only one who can forgive us of all our sins. It requires that we are repentant of our sin. These are the ones who find peace with God. These are the ones who find real peace. Ultimately, we will have peace in heaven. We will be free from sin, free from war, free from suffering and free from anxiety. It will be peace in the broadest and best sense of the word. Jesus brought joy on Christmas.
References
1. John MacArthur. 1 Peter. The MacArthur New Testament. Moody Press. 2004., p. 58.
Are You Spiritually Mature?
Our study is the third warning in the book of Hebrews. It begins in Hebrews 5:11 and continues to chapter 6 and verse 20. The first warning occurred in the first part of Hebrews 2. That warning challenged us to listen to the gospel about Jesus and not to drift away from it. If we ignore the warning, we will miss eternal salvation.
The second warning starts in Hebrews 3:7 and continues into chapter 4 verse 13. There we were warned to not harden our hearts, but instead to believe. The third warning is a rebuke to those who claim to be Christians and are spiritually dull. It will become clear later that there are reasons to doubt if some of these people were Christians because they were not growing spiritually.
This study interrupts a discussion about Melchizedek that began in chapter 5. In chapters 1 and 2 the Holy Spirit proved to us that Jesus is greater than the angels. That was important for the Jewish readers who highly respected angels. In chapter 3 the Holy Spirit made the point that Jesus is greater than Moses. In chapter 5 we saw that Jesus was also greater than Aaron and that Jesus is our eternal high priest after the order of Melchizedek. That is, Jesus is God, is more faithful than Moses, is an eternal high priest, and His priesthood continues forever. That has been the message so far.
Now the Holy Spirit interrupts His discussion and teaches us some deeper truth about Melchizedek, but those to whom the book was written were too immature to be capable of understanding (Hebrews 5:11). Therefore, the Holy Spirit rebuked them using six unique Greek words that only appear in the book of Hebrews. Now there is only one reason why the Spirit would use these six Greek words in His message. The Greek words were needed because that was the best way that He could communicate His message. These words do not show up in the rest of the New Testament. This reveals the importance of this passage of Scripture. In this study you will discover what the Holy Spirit told them, and understand why those who claimed to be Christians needed to hear His message.
Teaching About Melchizedek Interrupted
Our study starts with Hebrews 5:11 and you will discover immediately that we are reminded of someone called “him.”
Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. Hebrews 5:11 (NASB)
The first question we need to ask is, “Who is ‘him’ in verse 11”? Is this person Jesus or Melchizedek? The answer is Melchizedek. The reason is that the author of Hebrews has been discussing Melchizedek from verse 5 though verse 10. At the end of verse 10, the author of Hebrews referred to Melchizedek.
. . . being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:10 (NASB)
Notice that Melchizedek was the last person in the discussion. Therefore, it is only natural that the ‘him’ refers to Melchizedek. In fact, the author will resume his discussion about Melchizedek later in Hebrews 6:20 and then continue through Hebrews 7:20. Therefore verse 11 is an interruption of the Spirit’s discussion about Melchizedek in order to give a warning.
Now I have to admit that when I first was introduced to Melchizedek as a young man, I was not interested in learning about him. Melchizedek seemed to be a rather boring and uninteresting person. I also discovered that some people enjoyed arguing about Melchizedek, and that caused me to pull away. This time when I studied this passage, I said to myself, “Melchizedek cannot be very interesting.” But this time the Holy Spirit helped me understand that Melchizedek is a very important person. I have enjoyed learning about Melchizedek this time.
Major Sign of Immature Christians
The Holy Spirit tells us in verse 11, “Concerning him we have much to say.” The Spirit had the author of Hebrews write, “it is hard to explain, since you are dull of hearing.” Now when the author of Hebrews says that it is hard to explain, there are only three possible reasons this is true. The first reason why it may be hard to explain depends upon the quality of the teacher. The second reason is that the subject matter may be too difficult. The third reason is that the hearer or the listener may have a problem learning. But the problem cannot be a poor teacher since the teacher is the Holy Spirit. He is the ultimate teacher. The subject matter cannot be the problem either because the Holy Spirit is motivating the author of Hebrews to write Scripture. That is, the words are inspired. Therefore, the listeners are the problem. That is why we are told that they are “dull of hearing.”
Now we have a question, “What does ‘dull of hearing’ mean?” If we compare various Bible versions, we discover that the New King James Version Bible also reads “dull of hearing.” The New International Version reads “slow to learn.” The New Living Translation says “spiritually dull and you don’t seem to want to listen.” So what does dull of hearing mean?
The first word in the phrase “dull of hearing” is dull and it is translated from the Greek word nothros. Nothros occurs only two times in the New Testament and both times it appears in the book of Hebrews. The first time it appears in Hebrews 5:11 and the second time the word appears in Hebrews 6:12. Hebrews 6:12 reads as,
. . . so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:12 (NASB)
Did you find the translation of nothros in this verse? The word nothros is translated here as “sluggish.” We must ask the question, “Why is it translated as ‘dull’ in one verse and ‘sluggish’ in another verse? Why are there two different translations of the same word?” The reason is that the word has a range in meaning. Variations like this often occur when this is the situation.
The Greek word nothros can mean “sluggish,” “lazy,” “slow,” “faltering,” “listless” or “negligent.” The literal meaning of the word is “no pushers.” It does not mean slow to learn. The idea is that they did not push themselves. They were not interested in pushing themselves to understand the Scriptures. They were lazy and wanted to be spoon-fed the word of God. Serious Bible study did not appeal to them.
That is a stunning statement for anyone who claims to be a Christian and only opens their Bible on Sunday and then eagerly waits for the pastor’s sermon to end! How would you like to have the Holy Spirit, a teacher, or pastor say, “You are dull of hearing! You are lazy. You are not pushing yourself.” It is obvious the people to whom Hebrews was written probably did not like hearing these words since they were not studying the Word of God, as we will soon discover. They wanted the Scriptures to be spoon-fed to them.
Over the years I have found that a church can offer a Bible study on some important topic and people will come to the study, listen and praise the teacher for his excellent teaching. But if homework is required, fewer people will come, or the dropout rate is unusually higher. To be blunt, some Christians are not very serious about Bible study and doing some digging on their own. They think they have more important priorities. This is not uncommon. It happens because many people are just like the folks to whom the letter of Hebrews is written. They are “no-pushers.” They are not interested in pushing themselves to discover the deeper truths of God’s word. That is the Holy Spirit’s message.
When the people to whom the book of Hebrews was written are described as “dull of hearing,” the Holy Spirit is not saying that they had difficulty hearing. He is not trying to insult them. He is warning them. Their problem was that they wanted the study of the Bible to be easy. They liked the stories of Daniel in the lion’s den, the story of Jonah and the fish, the fall of Jericho, Jesus and the magi at Christmas, or Jesus and the shepherds. They wanted application of the Word. They were not interested in actually learning the Word of God in depth. For some, the idea of taking a survey of the books of the Old Testament, a Bible study about the minor prophets, or a Bible class in systematic theology does not sound appealing. They respond, “That is not something I am interested in. That sounds like a college class.” Such attitudes are a reflection of the sad state of Christians today.
We can imagine that a Bible study about Melchizedek would be poorly attended and that is why the author rebuked them. Who would want to attend a class about him? The author wanted to discuss Melchizedek, but he knew they would not understand nor would they be motivated to understand because they were not used to digging in the Word of God. The Holy Spirit wanted to discuss Melchizedek but it was going to be difficult. Therefore, He informed them of their problem and explained that the teaching was going to become difficult.
Christians often comfort themselves that the Holy Spirit will guide them into all truth. They quote John 16:13 and claim a promise that Jesus gave to His disciples that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth. While the promise does not apply to us, it does illustrate the truth that the Holy Spirit helps us to know and understand truth. In 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 we are given the principle that the Holy Spirit is the one who teaches us. I have heard some Christians say, “The Holy Spirit teaches us. I can learn the Bible on my own.” That is true to some degree, but such comments miss the important truth that the Holy Spirit has given us spiritually gifted teachers because we need them in order to learn! Why give us spiritually gifted teachers if we do not need them (Romans 12:3-8)? We cannot learn every biblical truth on our own without help. The truth is we cannot learn everything on our own.
If you are a no-pusher, there will be some truths that will be very difficult for the Holy Spirit to teach you. Yes, He is the teacher, but if you are not accustomed to working hard to learn the Word of God, if you are not regularly digging, if you are not searching for the nuggets of gold in the pages of Scripture, if you are a nothros, then you will miss precious truths. You will discover soon in Hebrews that you are an immature Christian. The folks to whom Hebrews was written were not mature in the faith. They were not growing in their faith because they were either not Christians or not willing to push themselves to study in order to understand Scripture.
Andrew Murray, a famous Scottish pastor, has the following to say about this passage.
In the Christian Church there are at last too many of whom we would fain hope that they were believers, who are living in this state. They are content with the thought of pardon and the hope of Heaven. They rest in their orthodoxy, their attachment to the Church and its services, and their correct deportment.[1]
Dr. J. Vernon McGee echoes what Andrew Murray says when he writes the following.
Ear trouble, today, is the biggest problem of believers. Christ as a priest after the order of Melchizedek is a difficult subject, and the writer is going to deal with it forthrightly. To understand the subject requires sharp spiritual perception. It requires folks to be spiritually alert and to have a knowledge of the word of God, and to be close to it. The Hebrew believers being addressed here had a low S.Q., not an I.Q., but an S.Q., spiritual quotient. It was hard to teach them because it was difficult to make them understand. They were babies, as many of the Christians are today, and they want baby-talk, even from the preacher. They don’t want to hear anything that is difficult to understand. This is the reason some preachers are getting by with murder in the pulpit–they murder the word of God. They absolutely kill it and substitute something from their own viewpoint, and the congregation likes that kind of baby-talk.[2]
Andrew Murray lived about A.D. 1828-1917 years ago and Dr. J. Vernon McGee lived about A.D. 1904-1988 years ago. They would only be more discouraged if they were alive today.
One would think that Christians would be different now. Some years ago I was talking with a local pastor who confided to me that he had a difficult time explaining some of the deeper truths of Scripture. His comment revealed the spiritual condition of the people in the church.
The same problem existed at the time the Holy Spirit wrote the book of Hebrews in A.D. 67-69. Andrew Murray and J. Vernon McGee echoed the same truth. It is a problem that has continued down through the ages to our time. It is a historic problem in the Christian Church. Some of those who attend the church are either not Christians or they are spiritually lazy. They are not pushing themselves to understand the deeper truths of Scripture.
When a person is not growing in their faith, there is reason to doubt they are a Christian, because Christians should be growing in their knowledge of the truth. It is a sign of spiritual maturity (1 John 2:12-14). Therefore, Hebrews 5:11-14 is a warning section. The warning is that either you are not a Christian or you are not growing. If you are not growing, then there is strong reason to be concerned that you are not a Christian. The question is, which are you?
Mature Christians Will Know the Word
Now you may ask say, “Why were they not growing?” Verse 12 begins to answer the question.
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. Hebrews 5:12 (NASB)
This is a difficult passage to accept because it says, “For though by this time you ought to be … teachers.” He says, “by this time.” By what time? Sometime since they claimed that they were Christians. These folks had claimed they were Christians and time had elapsed. Now the Spirit says, “By this time, you ought to be able to teach others.” He is not saying they should have the spiritual gift of teaching.
What the author of Hebrews is saying is they ought to be able to teach others. No matter who you are, a mature Christian is one who will eventually be able to teach others. This does not mean that you are gifted in teaching. In fact, you may be a poor teacher, but you should to be able to at least explain the truths of Scripture. Can you share the gospel with somebody who does not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord? Are you able to share Romans 3:23 where it says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”? Or how about Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”? How about Romans 10:9 where we are told, “. . . that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Can you describe what they are saying? These are basic verses about Jesus Christ and salvation that every Christian ought to be able to share with others.
They Need the Elementary Principles Again
Now notice the middle of verse 12.
. . . you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles. Hebrews 5:12b (NASB)
He says “again.” Did you get that? He says, “You have need again.” In other words, he reveals that at one point in their life they knew the biblical truths, but now they needed to be taught again. Notice that he says they knew the elementary truths or doctrines of God.
I have always been fascinated that whenever a church offers a class on basic church doctrine often very few people attend the class. Most Christians think that they know the Bible. The truth is most Christians do not understand what they don’t know. There are various levels of doctrinal truths in the Bible. Some of the truths are very simple and more appropriate for new believers in Christ. They have just come to know Jesus. They are babies in Jesus. Therefore, they need the elementary truths of the Bible or we could say the milk of the Word. Then there are doctrines that are more difficult to understand. These are for the more mature Christians.
What we have discovered is that when we offer a class on biblical doctrines, we need to change the wording from “basic doctrines” for something that is more appealing. Then people will come and discover that there is something they have not learned. As soon as most people hear the words “basic” or “elementary,” immediately they respond with, “Oh, I know that. I am not a baby in Christ. I am more advanced. I have gone beyond that.”
Notice that the author of Hebrews said they needed to be taught the elementary principles again. You might ask, “What elementary principles is he talking about?” The answer is given to us in Hebrews 6:1. He introduces us to at least some of them. Most likely all of them are not listed. Hebrews 6:1a says,
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching … Hebrews 6:1a (NASB)
He is going to list some of the elementary principles.
. . . about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God . . . Hebrews 6:1b (NASB)
Notice that he is referring to doctrines or teachings about the faith. Verse 2 continues the list of elementary truths.
. . . of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. Hebrews 6:2 (NASB)
Most of us would say, “I know the elementary doctrines of the faith.” On my bookcase I have many books about doctrines. When I started studying, I realized that I knew very little about the faith. There are truths about the faith I am still learning. Do you know some of the elementary truths of the Holy Spirit listed? Do you know about repentance, the resurrection of the dead, or how about eternal judgment? The message the Holy Spirit sent to these people is that they needed someone to teach them the elementary principles once again.
Babies Are On A Diet Of Milk
Next notice in verse 12 that the Spirit says: “You have come to need milk.” The word “need” is in the present tense and implies that they were in a state of ongoing need. They need milk! In verse 13 the author of Hebrews explains further.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. Hebrews 5:13 (NSAB)
This is a sad verse. It reveals that these people, who claimed to be Christians, were spiritually immature. Notice that the Spirit says, “For everyone who partakes.” The word “partakes” in the Greek is also in the present tense, and it has the sense that these folks were habitually on a diet of milk. Milk is for babies. He says at the end of the verse “for he is an infant.”
In the Greek there are different words for different stages in life. There is a Greek word for a newborn baby and several other words for older children. The word that is used here for infant is nepois. It does not refer to a newborn, but to a child that is older than a newborn but less than three years. The Holy Spirit told these Christians that they were not spiritually mature. They were just like toddlers. They were just barely beyond infancy. He said, “They were not a brand-new Christian, but they had not grown very much beyond that.”
When He said “again” in verse 12, He revealed that they once knew the elementary truths or doctrines but now they had regressed. They had gone backwards in their spiritual life and now they are once again spiritual babies. They are back on a diet of milk and not solid food.
Wasn’t the Holy Spirit tough with these folks? Many Christians would feel insulted if someone told them, “You thought you were a mature Christian because you have lived for so many years as a Christian, but the Holy Spirit says, ‘You are a baby Christian.’ You are on a diet of milk and you have regressed backwards. You have slipped backwards in your spiritual walk with God. Now you are a spiritual infant just a little bit beyond being a newborn baby in Jesus Christ.”
This verse reminds me of one of our daughters. When she was born, we were excited. At first, she needed milk but later we started giving her some baby food, ground-up food, maybe carrots or meat. We would put some on a spoon and put it in her mouth, and I was amazed that she spit it back out! She would push the food out with her tongue and it would drop on the table. She did not want the solid food. She did not understand that she needed meat such as steak, chicken or something solid. She wanted the milk. The Holy Spirit warned the Hebrews that they were on a baby’s diet of milk. They did not want the solid food. They just did not want it! Therefore, the Holy Spirit warned them that they were not growing spiritually. The worse situation was that some of them may not be Christians since true Christians will grow in their knowledge of the Word of God (1 John 2:12-14).
Mature Christians Are On A Diet Of Meat
In verse 14, the Holy Spirit now contrasts spiritual infants who are on a diet of milk to the spiritually mature who are on a diet of solid food.
But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Hebrews 5:14 (NASB)
The word “practice” implies a pattern of repeated behavior. It refers to a diet of solid food. Mature Christians are not on a diet of milk but on a diet of solid food which is the Word of God. They are either on a diet of stories and application or they are chewing on the meat of the Word containing bone and gristle and in the process applying the truths to themselves, by the help of the Spirit. Notice that those who are on a diet of solid food or meat are able to understand the difference between good and evil. Those on a diet of milk will not. How are you doing?
The message of this passage is that Christians are either growing toward maturity or slipping backward. One cannot stand still spiritually in the Christian life. The Christian life is like a woman walking up an escalator that is going down. If you stop climbing up the escalator, you will begin going down. When a Christian stops digging in the Word of God, they are no longer moving toward maturity but returning to infancy. A person who gains Bible knowledge and then thinks they can stop studying because they know much will start to lose it.
Conclusion
Where are you? Are you a Christian? If you say that you are a Christian, what kind of a Christian are you? Can I give you a test to help you understand where you are? Here is the test. Check out your spiritual diet. For which of the following two groups of classes, if you had a choice, would you sign up? The first class in this group is called the “Keys to Spiritual Growth.” The second one “How to Have Victory Over Anger.” The third class is “Biblical Principles For Financial Prosperity.” Maybe you would like “Keys to a Successful Marriage,” or “A Woman After God’s Heart,” or how about “Spurgeon on Practical Wisdom”?
The second group of classes includes these studies, “The “Study of the Trinity,” “The Doctrine of Salvation,” “Studies in Systematic Theology,” “The Attributes of God” or a “Study of Ezekiel.” Question: Which of these groups of studies appeal to you? Do you like the first group, or do you like the second group of classes? What’s your passion?
Maybe the better question is, which set of classes would you ultimately have chosen? Your answer reveals whether or not you are really serious about maturing in Jesus Christ. Your answer also reveals the diet you have already been on. People who are used to eating bread, cheese and steak are not happy with milk all the time. Your choice will determine if you desire to mature. Those who are mature will seek the meat of the Word of God because that is the diet to which they are accustomed.
The first set of classes would be wonderful. I would enjoy teaching or attending some of them. Even though you might like the first of classes, would you ignore the second set of classes? The second set of classes is not elementary. The second group of classes will cause you to grow beyond expectations. The second set is for those who want to mature in the faith. They will cause you to grow more than the first set will. The first set will help you, but it will not help you grow in giant steps. The second set is the kind of classes that will significantly cause you to grow in Christ.
This is a call to not be spiritually lazy but to grow and assure yourself that you are in fact a real Christian.
References
1. Andrew Murray. The Holiest Of All. Fleming H. Revell. 1993 p. 216
2. Dr. J. Vernon McGeee. Thru The Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1983. vol. V, p. 542.
Jesus – Our Eternal High Priest
T[/dropcap_1]he Jewish priesthood began after the Israelites left Egypt and were en route to the land of Canaan. You might recall that the nation of Israel was encamped at Mt. Sinai when Moses ascended on the mountain to talk with God. He went up to do more than just bring down the laws which we call the Ten Commandments, or the Decalogue. While he was up there, we find that Moses was directed to establish a priesthood. In Exodus 28:1, he was told to appoint Aaron as high priest and his sons as priests. His sons’ names were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. They were the initial priests. Aaron, though, was a special individual. Just imagine, of all of the Israelites, God selected Aaron to be the high priest.
Among the Jewish priests, only one is called the high priest. He was special and was supposed to be the holiest of them all. He was the priest of priests. He was to be the mediator for man to God. It was his responsibility to offer sacrifices in the Mosaic system of worship. He had the responsibility to teach the Scriptures and be compassionate for the people. He was their representative to God. That is who Aaron was. Our study is about two high priests: Aaron and Jesus Christ.
Background
In our study of the book of Hebrews, we have discovered that Jesus is our merciful and faithful high priest. In our last study we were told that He is our great high priest. He is compassionate, understanding, and He is one who helps us when we have needs. We said last week that Jesus does not bail us out of our problem. Instead He comes alongside of us and gives us grace and mercy to help us through our trial, but He only offers the grace and the mercy at the right time, at the specific time when it is best for us. All too often we want instantaneous relief. We want relief now. We saw in the last study that it does not happen immediately. God does not give us instantaneous relief. Instead He gives us grace and mercy to help us through the problem. He helps us to go through the trial because the trial is what shapes us, molds us and makes us more like Jesus.
Now if I had been a Jew at the time of Christ, under the old Mosaic system, and someone announced that Jesus is our high priest, I would be asking the question, “Who made Him the high priest? How do we know that He is the high priest? Did He appoint Himself? He is not part of the Mosaic system! He is not one of the Levites! Why is He the high priest?” The answers to these questions will be given in this study, but the major question is, “Is Jesus really a high priest?”
High Priests Were Chosen From Among Men
Hebrews 5:1 is an introduction to the first ten verses of this chapter. Verse 1 is not about the common Levitical priests but about the high priest.
For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins . . . Hebrews 5:1 (NASB)
In verse 1 we are told three things about the high priest. First, every high priest is appointed from among men. The author could have just said that every high priest was appointed from men but he did not. When God appointed Aaron, he was a man. He was taken from among men. Aaron, however, did not live forever. Aaron eventually died, and his son, Eleazar, was the second high priest. The high priest kept his office until he died. After Eleazar, there was another high priest, and then another repeatedly over countless centuries, all the way down to Jesus Christ.
It has been estimated that at the time of Jesus Christ, there were probably about 18,000 priests, but only one high priest. The high priest typically served for a lifetime. Imagine for a minute that you know the high priest, the priest of priests, and you are attached to that high priest. Imagine what this godly, holy, caring individual would be like. You and other people become attached to the high priest and then eventually that high priest dies.
All of us have been in a church when at some point the pastor moved on. Some people were extremely disappointed that he moved on. Some people might have been devastated that he moved on, that he died, or that something tragic happened in the ministry and he could no longer continue. When people love a high priest and he moves on, that is really a difficult situation. There were many high priests and all of them, “every high priest,” was appointed from among men.
High Priests Were Appointed By God
Verse 1 gives another point about high priests. It says,
For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God . . . Hebrews 5:1a (NASB)
Notice the high priest is appointed by God. He is appointed for the purpose of representing God to men. In Jesus’ day, unfortunately, the high priest was not appointed because he was holy. The high priests were not appointed because of their outstanding character quality. They were appointed for political reasons. The office of high priest was a political appointment. What a tragedy for the priesthood! Imagine discovering that your high priest was not picked because of his relationship with God, but he was picked for political reasons. What a real disappointment that would have been. It should not have been that way. But Aaron was appointed by God. The successors were Aaron’s sons and they were also appointed by God.
High Priests Offered Gifts And Sacrifices
Then the third thing we are told about high priests in verse 1 is that the high priest offers gifts and sacrifices for sins.
. . . offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins . . . Hebrews 5:1b (NASB)
If we went to Leviticus 2 or Numbers 18, we would find that the gifts people brought to the tabernacle or temple were offered to God. The gifts were the meal or grain offering. It was a voluntary offering. The sacrifices were the other offerings: the burnt, peace, sin, and guilt offerings (Leviticus 1-6:7). Therefore, all that the Holy Spirit says that the priest was responsible for offering the gifts as well as sacrifices for sins. That was his major ministry. It was spiritual and not organizational. In our churches today the most time-consuming function of most church leaders and pastors is organizational – maintaining the organization.
So the three major points of verse one are that the high priest is taken from men, he is appointed by God, and he offers gifts and sacrifices for sins. Now, all three points are going to be repeated and further explained in verses 2 through 10. Verse one was the summary.
Benefits Of The High Priest Being A Man
The first point from verse one is that a high priest is taken from among men. Verse 2 is talking about the high priest and expands on the benefits of the high priest being a man.
. . . he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness . . . Hebrews 5:2 (NASB)
We are told right up front that every high priest who is taken from among men is beset with weaknesses. I knew a man years ago who used to pray for his besetting weaknesses, the sins that beset him. I always thought to myself, what does he mean by “besetting sins” or “the sins that beset me,” or “my besetting weaknesses”? He may have remembered this verse and that is why he prayed that way, I do not know.
The Greek word for “beset” has the idea of wrapping something around something. The idea is that he is consumed with this particular weakness. I know of some people whom we might call worry warts. Do you know anyone who is a worry wart? They worry about everything. Such a person is beset by worry. Their weakness is worry, and they are beset by it. They worry about money. They are worried about cleanliness. They are worried something does not look right. That is their besetting weakness.
Every high priest taken from among men is beset with some weaknesses. Now you say, “Why is that important?” It is important because then he can understand us. A high priest who has weaknesses can understand other people. Why? Because other people are like him but not necessarily exactly like him, but they have weaknesses too! The high priest has weaknesses and his people have weaknesses. He can understand other people.
High Priest Can Help Others
Now notice what verse 2 says:
. . . he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness . . . Hebrews 5:2 (NASB)
The fact that the high priest has his own struggles and problems enables him to deal gently with the ignorant as well as the misguided. The word “ignorant” conveys exactly what the Greek word means. It means uniformed. “Misguided” has the idea of wandering off the path. Do you know anyone who is uninformed about certain things in life? Do you know anyone who has wandered off the path, but they think they know everything? They think that they are on the right path? I had an opportunity recently to talk with someone, and it was rather apparent they did not know something was true; nevertheless they thought they knew everything. They thought they were the expert. There are people like that. They are wandering off the path, and they do not know it. They do not understand that.
It reminds me of Proverbs 18:2.
A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind. Proverbs 18:2 (NASB)
Notice that the fool delights in what he or she thinks. Do you know someone like that? They do not want to listen to what you have to say. They just want to tell you everything. The high priest, because of the fact that he has struggles himself, should be able to be gentle in dealing with the uniformed and those who are wandering off the path. It reminded me of what elders and pastors in a church are to be like. In 2 Timothy 2:24-26 we read,
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NASB)
What are elders and pastors supposed to be like? They are supposed to deal gently with those who are in opposition. This means that a high priest or an elder or a pastor should not deal with somebody impatiently. There should not be any yelling. They should not call others names. They should not get angry. They should respond with gentleness, be emotionally controlled, and try to help someone in need, those who are uninformed or someone who is off the path. How should the people respond? Look at 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14.
But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14 (NASB)
This is an admonition as to how we are to relate to other people, but also how we are to relate to those who are in leadership roles.
So what does Hebrews 5:2 tell us? The answer is that a high priest is taken from among men and as a result, since he is beset with weaknesses, should be able to gently deal with other people, including the uninformed and those who are misguided.
High Priest Can Offer Sacrifices For All
Verse 3 reveals his obligation. Since others have needs, he must offer sacrifices for their sins and his own sins.
. . . and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. Hebrews 5:3 (NASB)
Since he is beset with weaknesses, and the people are beset with weaknesses, he can offer sacrifices for their sins as well as for his sins. Now that is an interesting statement, “for himself.” That reveals the high priest is a sinner too!
In Numbers 28:4 we are told that burnt sacrifices were offered in the morning as well as at twilight. They were offered two times a day. I was thinking about the fact that sacrifices were offered in the morning and then at twilight. If I had been a Jew and I knew that offerings were occurring every day for sin, it would be a constant reminder that I was a sinner, and that I had weaknesses or needs.
What an interesting picture. But when we come to Jesus Christ, we have already been told in chapter 4, verse 15, that Christ was without sin! Jesus was not like a human high priest. Jesus was without sin. Jesus did not have our frailties. He was not beset with our weaknesses. Jesus did not need to have sacrifices offered for Himself. Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He was and is perfect! Do you know what that means? Jesus is greater than any high priest. Jesus is greater than all of the high priests, including Aaron the high priest. Jesus is unique.
Therefore, the first point the Holy Spirit makes in these two verses is that every human high priest is taken from among men, and he is to help people and offer sacrifices for sins, both theirs and his.
High Priests Are Appointed By God
Verse 4 is about the second characteristic of the high priest. He did not appoint himself. God appointed him.
And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. Hebrews 5:4 (NASB)
Here we are reminded that Aaron was appointed by God. This is a reminder that men who are elders and pastors need to be appointed by God. In Acts 20:28 the apostle Paul was speaking to the elders at Ephesus under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he said this,
Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers . . . Acts 20:28 (NASB)
Notice that we are told, “the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” The men did not make themselves overseers. They did not decide to become overseers on their own. Instead God appointed them to be overseers, and that is the way it should be today. True elders and true pastors are men who have been appointed by God.
Now you say, “How do we know if an elder or a pastor has been appointed by God?” Here are a few quick points. First point – they will meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. There we are given a list of requirements that an elder needs to satisfy. I believe the Holy Spirit works in a man’s life to make him qualified, to bring him to a point of spiritual maturity so that he meets the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and in Titus 1. If the Holy Spirit does not do that, the man will never be qualified. The Holy Spirit also gives a man the spiritual gifts he needs for teaching and administration. The Holy Spirit selects a man and works in the man’s life to bring him to the point where he qualifies for the office of elder or pastor. The second point is that God will put a desire and a burden in a man’s heart to be an elder or pastor. The desire and burden will be a compelling passion to preach and to teach God’s word. The third point is that the people need to affirm that he is called by God.
Many years ago I had an opportunity to work with men who were planning and preparing for the ministry. One of my responsibilities was to help evaluate their life, to help them through the ordination process, help prepare them for their ordination council, and on some occasions accompany them when they candidated churches. Once in a while we discovered that a man had a passion for the ministry, felt qualified, but a team of elders did not believe that his life measured up. As a result, we had a difficult time agreeing with him that he was qualified to be an elder or a pastor. It was doubtful that God had appointed him to be a pastor.
All three parts are needed. The man needs to have a burden from God that he is called. He needs to meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and people need to affirm, to attest that this is true. When a man truly is called by God, God is going to bring a consensus and people will listen, follow, learn, and grow as a result of that.
Now notice that verse 4 says when God calls a high priest it is a position of honor.
And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. Hebrews 5:4 (NASB)
Aaron was called, and God is still in the process of selecting men to be his ministers. Jesus Christ tells us in John 8:54 that God gave Him the honor. In John 5:37 we are told that the Father testified about Jesus. The Father testified through miracles, signs, and wonders. It is interesting to note that in John 5 Jesus lists different people who affirmed who He was. Jesus did not choose Himself. It was the Father who chose Him and gave Him the honor. It was the Father who identified Him as being the Savior, as being the Messiah. And we are going to see in verses 5 and 6 that the Father also identifies Him as being a high priest. Who chose Jesus to be a high priest? How do we know that Jesus is a high priest? The answer is the Father appointed Him.
Jesus Is A High Priest Also
Verses 5 and 6 now address a problem with which Jewish readers would struggle. How could Jesus be a high priest since He was a descendant from the tribe of Judah and not Levi? We will discover that the Holy Spirit masterfully addresses this issue.
So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him,
“YOU ARE MY SON,
TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”;
just as He says also in another passage,
“YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER
ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.” Hebrews 5:5-6 (NASB)
Verse 5 is a quote from Psalm 2:7. The quote in verse 6 is from Psalm 110:4. Note that God the Father is speaking and we are told that Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, is appointed a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Now you may ask, “Well, who is Melchizedek?” In Genesis 14 there are two armies, and they are in a battle. We will not walk through all the details, but one army eventually wins, and takes Lot, his family, and his possessions captive. Abram is pursuing the armies in order to rescue his nephew. Verses 17-18 says,
Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. Genesis 14:17-18 (NASB)
Verses 17-18 inform us that Abram returns. He brings back Lot, Lot’s family and all their possessions. Then we are introduced to the King of Salem, also known as the King of Peace, or Melchizedek. He comes out to meet them and offers bread and wine. Verses 19 and 20 describe a blessing that Melchizedek gave to Abram.
He blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
He gave him a tenth of all. Genesis 14:19-20 (NASB)
When the last part of verse 20 says, “He gave him a tenth of all” it refers to Abram giving a tenth to Melchizedek. This is the first tithe in the Old Testament. What happened? Who is Melchizedek? He was a king, but he was also a high priest. He left Salem (also known as Jerusalem) and blessed Abram. This is the first time that Melchizedek appears in the Scriptures. He appears again in Psalm 110:4. The third time he appears in the Scriptures is in Hebrews chapter 5. He appears again in chapter 6 and the last time is in chapter 7. Chapter 7 will be a major discussion about Melchizedek. Melchizedek leaps onto the pages of Scripture in Genesis, and leaps off the pages of Scripture in Hebrews. He has no genealogy. There is no trace of his family in Scripture since his death is never recorded. He apparently has no beginning and no end in the sense that Scripture never mentions his birth or death. Therefore, one would draw the conclusion that Melchizedek was a high priest and is still a high priest. He continues being a high priest. It would appear that Melchizedek’s priesthood never—watch this—ended. That is the way it appears because Scripture does not talk about his death or his birth. It looks like Melchizedek is an eternal high priest (Hebrews 7:3).
The message of Hebrews 5:5-6 is that Jesus is a high priest just like Melchizedek. You may ask, “Who said that Jesus was a high priest?” God the Father did! God the Father said He is a high priest just like Melchizedek.
Christ Struggled At The Point Of Death
In verse 7 the Holy Spirit introduces us to the third point that a high priest needs to offer gifts and sacrifices. The answer we are given is,
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Hebrews 5:7 (NASB)
You may say, “Wait a minute, it says that He wanted to be saved from death. Is that right? Did Jesus really not want to die? Wasn’t the purpose of His coming to die on a cross to take away our sins? Isn’t that the reason He came?” The answer is that is absolutely true. In the Garden of Gethsemane we are told that Jesus cried out to the Father. Hebrews 5:7 reveals to us facts we are not told in the gospels. This verse tells us that there was loud crying and tears. Jesus was in anguish. He was asking for God the Father to save Him from death, and someone will say, “This doesn’t make sense!” The explanation is given in the first part of the verse.
It says, “in the days of His flesh.” Jesus responded that way because He was in the flesh. Think about this for a second. How would you respond if you knew you were going to die on a cross? Would you struggle if you knew you were going to be nailed to the cross, beaten, whipped, stabbed with a spear and die an excruciating death? Crucifixion was a horrible death. Think about it now. In His humanness He was struggling with what was going to happen. Yet, He obeyed the Father. In His humanness He struggled and submitted and God the Father helped Him.
Christ Is The Source Of Eternal Life
Verse 8 continues describing the sufferings of Christ.
Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect . . . Hebrews 5:8-9a (NASB)
We need to ask, “What does it mean that Jesus became perfect?” In Hebrews 4:15 we have already been told that Jesus was without sin. That means Jesus was perfect. Then how is it that Jesus learned obedience from the things He suffered? The answer is fairly clear. He was holy in His character and demonstrated it by His obedience. He was already holy in His character as God. He demonstrated that He was holy by His obedience. He learned what it was like to be obedient in a way that He would never have understood before He took on human form. In that sense He was made perfect. The rest of verse 9 says,
. . . He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation . . . Hebrews 5:9b (NASB)
Do you know what Jesus was and is? He is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the source of eternal salvation. He is the source because He was the perfect sacrifice. The human high priest offered sacrifices for himself. Jesus did not have to offer a sacrifice for Himself, but He did offer a sacrifice. Jesus offered gifts and sacrifices. The sacrifice was Himself and the gift is eternal salvation for you and for me. We can have eternal life, and it is a gift that Jesus offers.
Christ Is Our Eternal High Priest
Verse 10 is the final verse for this study.
. . . being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:10 (NASB)
Why is it important that Christ was designated a high priest after the order of Melchizedek? You might think this is not very important. This may seem to be a boring piece of theology. But that is not true. The fabulous message is that a high priest is the epitome of compassion, comfort, and spiritual maturity. A high priest is one who is a mediator between God and men, and that describes Jesus perfectly. Also Christ is an eternal high priest.
What would it be like if Jesus ceased to exist tomorrow? How would you feel? Remember we talked about a high priest establishing a relationship with other people. What would it be like if you were in a church and all of a sudden the pastor disappeared? How would you feel? Hopeless? Deserted? Despondent? Alone? Imagine what it would be like if our great, merciful, faithful high priest who died for us, who is our intercessor, who defends us, who helps us, who is gentle, who helps us in our ignorance, who helps us when we are off the course—what would it be like if He died tomorrow? This passage gives us comfort because it assures us that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. He is our eternal high priest.
I’d like to close with a part of a hymn. The title of it is “Moment By Moment.”
Never a trial that He is not there.
Talking about Jesus Christ.
Never a burden that He does not bear.
Never a sorrow that He does not share.
Moment by moment I’m under His care.
Moment by moment I’m kept in His love.
Moment by moment I’ve life from above.
Looking to Jesus till glory does shine.
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am thine.
Never a weakness that He does not feel.
Never a sickness that He does not heal.
Moment by moment, in woe or in weal.
Jesus, my Savior, abides with me still.
Moment by moment I’m kept in his love.
Moment by moment I’ve light from above.
Looking to Jesus, the glory does shine.
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am thine.
– Daniel W. Whittle – 1893
Great hymn, great words. He is our merciful, faithful, caring high priest who is with us forever.
Finding Help In Time of Need
Psychologist James Dobson has stated that on one occasion he was in Southern California. During his visit he saw a sign outside a convent. The sign read, “Absolutely no trespassing! Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” As he was looking at the sign, he noticed down in the corner a signature that said, “The Sisters of Mercy.” I thought that was really sad. The sign did not leave the impression that these ladies were actually very merciful. I was left with the feeling these Sisters of Mercy needed to have some mercy. Unfortunately, I suspect they did not mean to leave that impression.
The letter to the Hebrews is written to people who were struggling in their relationship with God. They had suffered a lot, and were looking for some mercy. In Hebrews 10:32 we are told what had happened to them.
But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Hebrews 10:32-34 (NASB)
These three verses tell us that these folks had suffered greatly. They had been made a public spectacle. That means they had been publicly embarrassed. They had gone through great emotional anguish and had their property seized. They had visited those in prison and lost property. These folks had suffered much, including suffering persecution. The bottom line is they were disillusioned. You might ask, “Well, how do you know that they were disillusioned?” Look at what the Holy Spirit says in verse 35.
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. Hebrews 10:35 (NASB)
This is the same theme that we have been seeing since the early chapters of the book of Hebrews. These folks had been through trial and tribulation, one problem after another. They were at a point in their life where they were thinking about leaving Jesus.
They were struggling; they were losing their confidence in Jesus. They were thinking about going back to Judaism. That is where they were. This reminded me of some years ago when I was speaking at a church in southern Arizona. The pastor had suddenly left the church. It was a very traumatic situation. One of the ladies asked the question, “Isn’t there something more to the Christian life than this?” She was hurt and disillusioned. She was really struggling. I can imagine that some of these people to whom the book of Hebrews was written were asking almost the same question, “Isn’t there something more to the Christian life than this?” They were struggling. They were thinking about going back to Judaism. The truth is some of these people were like the soils in the parable of the sower of the seed.
Parable of the Four Soils
In Matthew 13, the four soils represent four responses people have to the gospel. Here is Matthew 13:18:
Hear then the parable of the sower. Matthew 13:18 (NASB)
Jesus is speaking.
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. Matthew 13:19 (NASB)
The First Soil
The first soil is beside a road. God is the Sower of the seed and the seed is the Word of God. We are told that the evil one snatches away the Word of God so that this type of soil or person does not hear it. Now that can happen in many different ways. There are many people who have not heard about Jesus Christ. Some have heard the words but they really did not understand. They heard, but they didn’t hear. Maybe they read some words, but they did not understand the words. They just did not understand. Thus the first soil is soil that is beside the road. It represents people who, although they may have heard the gospel, they did not understand. In some cases they just did not hear at all.
The Second Soil
Verses 20 and 21 is about rocky soil.
The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. Matthew 13:20-21 (NASB)
Now we are told the seed or the Word of God is sown, and notice what it says in verse 20, “This man hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.” Now what does joy imply? It means that this person responds positively. He or she hears the Word of God, understands something, and responds with excitement. Yet, their joy did not last.
Now I want you to think about a plant that starts to grow. It germinates and sends out a root, but the root does not go down into the soil very far, so it dies. The root had a brief start. Even though the seed started growing and it looked like it was going to grow into a plant, even though it appeared that something significant was going to happen, it dies. It just dies! In verse 21 we are told the seed never become a plant because it died. He or she sprouted for a while, but the root was only temporary.
Why was it temporary? We are told that affliction or persecution arose and, therefore, it died. Immediately he or she falls away, withers and ceases to be. This is a picture of a person who looks like a Christian, may act like a Christian, we may think he or she is a Christian, but they are not really a Christian. They hear the word of God. They may even be involved in the Church. They may be thrilled about what they are hearing, but they are only temporary. Trials and difficulties occur in their life and they disappear.
The letter of Hebrews was written to a lot of people who were just like this soil. Maybe they had been persecuted, or had experienced suffering; maybe they struggled in their relationship with God, and they decided to leave the Christian faith. They were never real Christians, just temporary.
The Third Soil
The third soil is described in verse 22.
And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Matthew 13:22 (NASB)
This soil is thorny soil. The seed lands on it. It hears the word or understands it to some degree, but the worries of the world and the comforts of this life cause it to become unfruitful. This person can be in the church. They look real. They may even think they are Christians, but they worry and struggle because they want a life of comfort. Somewhere along the way they stop attending church, singing in the choir, attending a Bible study, and reading the Bible. The message of this verse is that they were never real.
The Fourth Soil
Verse 23 is the last soil, the fourth soil, and this is the good soil. Just the name “good soil” reveals what kind of soil this is. This soil is the person who has a right relationship with Jesus Christ. The verse says,
And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word . . . Matthew 13:23a (NASB)
Now read what it says.
. . . and understands it. Matthew 13:23b (NASB)
This is the only soil that is described as understanding the Word of God. He or she hears the Word of God, really hears it, reads the printed word and understands it. He or she bears fruit: maybe hundred-fold, sixty-fold, or thirty-fold. This is the person who is a true Christian. He or she produces fruit—maybe a little bit, or a lot. But it does not really matter how much. They are producing something. This person is the real Christian.
Now, the message of the parable is that true Christians continue in the faith and their conduct proves it. True Christians hear the word, understand the word, produce fruit and never leave Christ. They do not wither away and the troubles, luxuries and comforts of life do not become more important than God. Trials may come, but a Christian continues. The desire for comfort and pleasure may exist, but they hold on. They remain Christians!
Hebrews Written to Various Soils
The book of Hebrews is written to folks who have gone through persecution. Some of them have been in prison and suffered difficult times. We could say that the book of Hebrews was and is written to various “soils.” The book of Hebrews contains a series of warnings because the author did not know what kind of soil he was writing to—the Holy Spirit did—but the author did not.
Before we go further into our study we will quickly review the last two warning sections in the book of Hebrews. The first warning started in Hebrews 2:1,
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. Hebrews 2:1 (NASB)
The message of the first warning was very clear. It warned the readers to listen closely, to pay closer attention to what they had heard, so that they would not drift away. It is amazing what happens when we experience the struggles or difficulties of life.
Events have occurred in my life as I grow older in the Lord. I have discovered that increasingly I turn to the Lord in confidence that He will take me through my trials. But I can also remember that early in my life when trials would come, my first reaction was to blame God. My first reaction was to wonder about God. Did He really care about me? Well, these folks were more than just wondering if God was caring about them, they were thinking about leaving God. That was their problem. Notice Hebrews 3:6. Here we are told,
. . . but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house — whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Hebrews 3:6 (NASB)
Notice that believers hold on. That was the same message we saw in Hebrews 2:1 and Hebrews 3:14. Hebrews 3:14 says,
For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end . . . Hebrews 3:14 (NASB)
The point is that at some point you believed in Jesus Christ. At some point you said that you were a Christian. He says, “Hang on!” Hang on to the belief you professed to have at the beginning. If you hang on until the end, it will prove you are a partaker of Christ. You are a true partaker of Christ, and you are not just associating with Christ. These folks needed these warnings and maybe some of us do too. Maybe you need the warnings as well. Are you struggling in your relationship with God due to trials or because life is not quite the way you think it ought to be? If so, there is cause for concern that maybe you really do not belong to Jesus.
Last time we saw in Hebrews 4:11 a call to faith. In this passage it is a figurative statement to rest. To stop working to go to heaven.
Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:11 (NASB)
We saw at the end of Hebrews 3:19 that the Israelites did not enter into rest because of unbelief.
So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. Hebrews 3:19 (NASB)
Chapter 3 was about unbelief. Chapter 4 was about unbelief; and when we came to Hebrews 4:11, there is a call to believe. In verses 12 and 13 we are reminded that God knows our heart. You may claim that you believe in Jesus. You may want others to think that you are a Christian; but if you are not really a Christian, you are only kidding yourself. God sees your heart. God knows who you are and what you really are like. God can see into your heart and He knows whether or not you are believing in Him and trusting Him for the forgiveness of your sins. That is the message of these warning sections. That is the primary message of Hebrews. It is a call to the four soils to believe in Christ. Hebrews is written to four soils or to the four heart conditions of people, some of whom are struggling in their relationship with God. The second and third soils are truly in danger.
Jesus is Our Great High Priest
Our study begins in Hebrews 4:14. I would like to read the verse as we get started. So verse 14:
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Hebrews 4:14 (NASB)
This is a very interesting verse because it tells us three important things about Jesus. We are given one new piece of information, and then we are given two pieces of information that we already know. The new information is given to us at the very beginning of the verse. It says,
Therefore, since we have a great high priest….
We have already been told in Hebrews 2:17 that Jesus is a merciful and a faithful high priest. He is merciful because He clothed Himself in human flesh. He lived among us. He saw us, associated with us and understood our human frailty. Now He understands exactly what we are like. Therefore, Jesus is our merciful and faithful high priest. In Hebrews chapters 2 and 3, He is the high priest of our confession. That is what we would want a high priest to be. We would want a high priest of our faith. Who would, if you are a Christian, go to someone who is a high priest of another faith? You would not do that. Jesus is the high priest of our confession. Jesus is the high priest of what we believe or of our faith.
In Hebrews chapter 4:14 we are told that Jesus is our great high priest. He is not just a high priest. He is the great high priest. There is no high priest greater! It is interesting that this phrase “great high priest” shows up only one time in the New Testament. It is here in this verse. This is the first and only time we are told that Jesus is our great high priest. This is the crowning moment in the book of Hebrews!
The second thing that we are told about Jesus is that He has passed through the heavens. Paul talked about having gone to the third heaven. The Jews considered our atmosphere to be the first heaven. The next heaven is what we refer to as outer space, and then the third heaven is what we call Heaven. And so we are told that Jesus passed through the heavens. It is a reminder that after Jesus died and rose from the grave, He ascended back to heaven. It is a reminder of where He is. It is a reminder of what He did. Now He is seated in Heaven.
I was thinking about this. Some of us might think of power. That is the first thought that went through my mind. Power! He is in a place of power. He is in a place of authority. Then I thought, “Wait a minute, it is a place of holiness. That is really what Heaven is all about. Heaven is a place of holiness. That is where God is!” If there is one major distinction between God and man, it is that we are sinners and He is holy. Verse 14 tells us that Jesus went up to Heaven, a place of holiness.
Jesus is the Son of God
Next we are told, “And He is the Son of God.” We have already seen in our studies that the expression Son of God means very simply this: God. He is God. It does not get any simpler than that. It means He is God. We saw that in John 10. There we were told that Son of God means God. In John 10:33, 36-39 we are told that the Jews wanted to stone Him for blasphemy because He said that He was the Son of God. Son of God simply means God. So verse 14 reminds us of three important things about Jesus. Christ is our God. He ascended, that is, He returned back to Heaven, a place of holiness. And the third important truth is that Christ is our great high priest.
Therefore, Hold On
So we should not be surprised that at the very end of this verse we are told,
Therefore, let us hold fast our confession.
Why should we hang on to our faith in Christ? There is every reason to hang on! There is nothing here in this life that is as important as Christ. If it is a choice between this life and Jesus, it should be Jesus. Why? Because He is our God. He is in a place of holiness and He is our great high priest. Now the truth is that true Christians will continue in the faith. Those who are not true Christians will not continue. Eventually they will stray from the faith. Somebody might say, “Well, I believe in God. I prayed the Sinner’s prayer. I believe I am Christian. I believe I am going to heaven someday.”
Do not forget that the apostle Paul gives us a warning in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2. Paul tells us that it is possible to have vain faith. This means that there are two types of faith. First, there is true faith and, second, there is vain faith. There is a faith that is real and there is faith that is not real. It was obvious in Jesus’ parable of the four soils, that there are two types of soils that did not have true faith. Those represented by two types of soil thought they were! They thought they were Christians. They thought they were okay. They professed to believe at some point, but then they drifted away.
Do you know what this statement “let us hold fast our confession” means? This describes salvation from the human viewpoint. We hold on, but it is really God who is holding on to us. We hold on and God holds on. That is the message of John 6:44. There Jesus said that whoever the Father gives Him, He will not lose any of them. He will raise them up on the last day. Because God hangs on, we hang on.
Jesus Sympathizes With Us
Now verse 15.
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses . . . Hebrews 4:15a (NASB)
That is really great. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. The Greek word that is translated as sympathize has the idea of understanding; has the idea that somebody understands our inner struggles and emotional hurts. He understands our sense of loneliness or discouragement. Consequently, Jesus sympathizes with us. I think we have all been discouraged at some point, maybe lonely, or we feel like we are all by ourselves. Notice that after the verses says that Jesus sympathizes with us, we are told why.
. . . but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15b (NASB)
Why does Jesus sympathize with our weaknesses? It is because we have One who has been tempted in all things just as we have been, but He never sinned. Now you might ask, “In what ways was He tempted?”
1 John 2:16 describes sin in general terms. Sin includes the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. If you compared 1 John 2:16 to Matthew 4:1-11 where Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights, you will discover that Jesus was tested in all three areas. In Matthew 4:1-11 we are told that Satan came to Christ and tested him. The word for “tempted” here in Hebrews 4:15 is a Greek word that is better translated as “tested.” Christ was tested and Satan’s goal was to cause Him to sin. We must remember that even though we might be tested or tempted to sin, the temptation itself is not a sin. Giving in to the temptation is the sin.
When He was in the wilderness He was tested in all three major areas. Guess what they were: lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. For example, remember the first test Jesus experienced was a challenge to turn stones into bread so that He could eat because He was famished. He had not eaten for forty days. That was an appeal to the lust of the flesh.
How about the second test, where Satan showed Him the kingdoms of the world and Jesus was encouraged to bow down? If Christ would bow down, the liar and deceiver Satan said that Jesus would be given all the kingdoms of the world. That was an appeal to the lust of the eyes.
The third area was the pride of life. When Satan said, “If you are the Son of God,” he appealed to Jesus’ potential pride. Satan was not sure how the God-man would respond, so he tried. But Jesus responded with scripture. Every time Jesus responded with scripture. Every time Jesus thwarted Satan’s test with scripture. Jesus was tempted or tested in every way.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been tempted with something, and you struggled and struggled and eventually gave in. Did that ever happen to any of you? How about a candy dish. Maybe some chocolate at Thanksgiving or Christmas? The candy is there in a dish, and you walk by and say, “I know I should not eat that, but . . .” You look at it and think, “But….” You look at your waistline, but you reach and eat it anyway. That was a test and you failed the test. I am not sure it was sin, unless you should not have eaten it from a health viewpoint. But that was a test, and you struggled with that.
How about pigging out on pizza? Now that test falls into the area of gluttony and that would be a sin. A large pizza arrives, and other people are eating it. You are grabbing slices as fast as you can because you want the last piece. You want to eat as much as you can. That is sin.
How about a sexual habit or perhaps you are struggling with anger. Maybe you are having a conflict with somebody. You know you should not blow up at them. You know you should not let all the words out, but you do it anyway! You just gave in. You struggled briefly—you sinned. But He never gave in. Jesus never, ever gave in. Therefore, He can really understand our struggles. He can really understand what we are going through.
Let us Draw Near to the Throne
Now verse 16,
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace . . . Hebrews 4:16a (NASB)
Do you know why we can draw close with confidence to the throne of grace? It is because He understands us. He understands you and He understands me. We can draw close with confidence, with boldness, because He sympathizes with us. He understands exactly what we are like. I like the phrase “the throne of grace.” It is not the throne of judgment. It is the throne of grace. I could not help but think it is the throne of holiness. It is the throne of grace, the throne of judgment and the throne of holiness.
Draw Near to Receive Mercy and Grace
Then we are told why we should draw near to God’s throne in prayer.
. . . so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16b (NASB)
The last part of verse 6 explains why we should draw near with confidence to the throne of grace. The reason is so that we can receive mercy and we can find grace. You may ask, “What does mercy mean? Does mercy mean love?” No, it does not. Mercy is simply compassion for someone who cannot help themselves. Jesus showed mercy again, and again, and again, during His earthly ministry. He healed many individuals. He showed mercy to those who could not help themselves. Jesus showed mercy to us who are sinners because we could not help ourselves in our sinful state. When He died on a cross, He showed us mercy. Because He died on the cross we have the opportunity by faith in Jesus Christ to become a Christian.
Sometimes when I am going through a trial, through a difficult situation, I feel that need for help. Have you ever been there? You feel like crying out for help. So you pray asking God for help because you know that the only person who can help you is God, and you can’t help yourself. That is the idea of mercy.
So we may receive mercy and find grace …
Grace means unmerited favor because of what Jesus has done. So these are great encouragements! Now notice why and when we receive the mercy and grace,
… to help in time of need.
Mercy and Grace Helps Us
These two words, “help” and “time” are very important. I want to talk about each of these words in order to unlock what this verse is describing. The word for “help” in the Greek has the idea of an object that provides help. It has the idea of “to supply what is needed.” It is actually a nautical term, or a naval term, and it is used only two times in the New Testament. It is used one time right here, and the other time is in Acts 27:17. In Acts 27:17 it is translated as ropes that went under a boat to hold the boat together as it went through a storm. The passage tells us that Paul was on the boat along with 266 other people. The boat was going through a storm, and the sailors were afraid that the boat was going to break up. Therefore they put ropes around the boat to hold it together, to help it go through the storm without breaking up. The word for “help” can also mean ropes.
Therefore, what we are to understand in this verse is that the help is like placing ropes around us to help us go through the storm—not to necessarily take us out of the storm. All too often when we are in a difficult situation, as these Hebrews were, we just want out. We just want to be rescued. We just want God to reach down from heaven and take us out of the boat. But God says, “No, I am going to leave you in the boat. I am going to puts ropes around the boat so you can go through the storm.” You say, “Why wouldn’t God just rescue me out of my trouble?” Because God uses trials in our life to grow us spiritually, to make us into people that He wants us to be, to make us more like Christ.
If He just takes us out of the storm, He blunts our spiritual growth. He might give us a little storm that, with time, becomes a gale. In some cases the storm becomes a hurricane, and there is only one place to turn. The only place to go is to Jesus because He wants us to look to Him. All too often we seek help from people and not from Him.
Mercy and Grace to Help in Time of Need
Now notice the next words “in time.” The Greek word for “time” can be found in Mark 6:21. The occasion being described is a birthday party for Herod. He has invited the lords, military commanders and leading men of Galilee. His wife is called Herodias and she hates John the Baptist. She wants John the Baptist dead. Mark 6:21 states,
A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee . . . Mark 6:21 (NASB)
Instead of “strategic day,” the NIV says “opportune time.” The New King James version says “opportune day.” But I would translate the Greek word as “best time” or “the strategic time.” So a strategic time came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords, military commanders, and the leading men of Galilee.
. . . and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” Mark 6:22 (NASB)
Next we are told that Herod’s daughter tells her mother, Herodias, that she can ask for whatever she wishes. Herodias had a plan. The daughter returns to the banquet hall and asks for John the Baptist’s head. The strategic day came. The strategic time came. Herodias saw the strategic opportunity to have John the Baptist killed. That is what this phrase “in time” means. It is the best time. It is the opportune time.
Now if we return to Hebrews 4:16 we discover that we can receive mercy and grace to help us through the storm—at the strategic time, at the best time. You say, “The best time for me is right now!” God says “No, no, and no! The strategic time is My time for you. I know you better than you know yourself. I know what I want to accomplish in your life, and the strategic time is a little farther down the road.”
I find that that is usually true in my life. I start complaining. I start asking for help, and God just waits. He waits! It might seem that He does not want to help me right away because—now watch this—the strategic time has not arrived. So we can come boldly to the throne of grace because He understands. We can ask for mercy, unmerited favor, and God will give it to us. He will give it to us at the strategic time, and usually it is to help us go through the storm, and not take us out.
Conclusion
I know I have been through many storms. I suspect that many of you have as well. The storm starts small, grows into a hurricane, and life seems impossible. But I make it through the storm, and I am a better person on the backside of that storm. These folks to whom the letter of Hebrews is written had gone through struggles. They had been through some real trials. Rather than leaving Jesus because the trials were difficult, they needed to hang in there. They needed to hold on. They needed to continue in their faith.
This study reminds us exactly how much God really cares for us. He is merciful and He is full of grace and He helps us at the right time.
Believe and Then Rest
This study is the second one in a series that deals with a warning that is given to everyone. The first study in this warning section, Hebrews 3:16-19, was titled, “You are Partakers if You Hold Fast.” In that study everyone was challenged as to whether or not they were Christians. Maybe you are wondering if you are a Christian? Maybe you are hoping you are a Christian and that you will go to heaven. Maybe you have not yet asked Christ to save you from your sins, or maybe you have rejected Jesus. Whoever you are, this second study is for you. Regardless of who you are, you have been blessed by God. God has provided for each one of us. It doesn’t matter who you are. God has blessed you. That is the message of Scripture.
The Unbelieving Israelites
We discovered in our study of the book of Acts that God blesses us. He provides seasons. He provides our food. He provides all that we need. He takes care of us. We have discovered that the Israelites were blessed by God as well. God blessed them in many different ways. He protected them, guided them, and cared for them. God did a lot of different things for these folks. What is amazing is that every time a difficult moment came, God provided for them. When they needed water, food, felt lonely, discouraged, or were fearful, God helped. Every time a difficult trial occurred, they complained against God.
We cannot help but remember how we have reacted on occasions. As we go through life, God provides for us. But invariably when the more difficult moments occur in our life, we get upset or angry with God because He did not make life nice, easy, and comfortable for us. We want everything really nice. We want a life free of trials and difficulties. We are like spoiled children. Little children get upset if they are served spinach instead of ice cream. Little children would prefer ice cream for every meal!
The Israelites were not any different. They sinned again and again. They got angry and disobeyed God. In Numbers 14:22 we are told that they complained against God. They did this ten major times (see the last study). Each time they rebelled against God, and each time their hearts grew colder. Each time they grew more distant from God, and their faith in God diminished.
We are told in Hebrews 3:12-13 that their unbelieving hearts were hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Their sin was unbelief. In verse 13 we saw that God was dealing with the Israelites from the time that they left the land of Egypt until they reached the promised land. Ten major times they sinned against God. Ten major times they struggled in their relationship with God, and the tenth time was the worst time.
God’s Promise of Rest
On one occasion they were ready to go into the promised land. They were right at the border and getting ready to go into the promised land. It was the land where they would finally rest from their wanderings, but then something bad happened.
Let’s listen in on a conversation between Moses and God in Exodus 33:14. Moses is on Mt. Sinai and he is talking with God.
And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14 (NASB)
God is speaking. God is talking to Moses. In verse 15 Moses speaks,
Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” Exodus 33:15 (NASB)
God makes two important statements in this verse. First, “My presence is going to be with you, and then I am going to give you rest.” At first that does not seem to be terribly significant. But when we look at another passage, we will start to understand the importance of verse 15.
In Deuteronomy 12:8 Moses tells the Israelites,
You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell . . . Deuteronomy 12:8-11 (NASB)
In verse 10 Moses quotes God who says that when Israel crosses the Jordan River and goes into the promised land, He is going to give them rest – R-E-S-T. Notice, God promised to give them rest!
In Joshua 1:13, Joshua urges the Israelites to . . .
Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, “The Lord your God gives you rest and will give you this land.” Joshua 1:13 (NASB)
What we have discovered in these three passages is that when the Israelites entered the promised land, God was going to give them rest. They would have rest from their enemies, rest from their weariness and rest from their journey. The promised land was intended to be a place of rest.
Rest Denied Due to Unbelief
In Deuteronomy 12:8, we are told the Israelites were about to enter Canaan, the place of their rest. Twelve spies went and checked out the land, returned, and ten of the spies reported, “Oh it is a really great place, a wonderful place, but we are going to get killed if we go there.”
Then what did they do? They looked at their circumstances and thought back to the past. Most likely, they remembered their disappointments with God. In their selfishness they trusted themselves. In the past they felt that God had not provided exactly what they were hoping for. Now their hard, unbelieving hearts did not think about God. It appeared to them to be a logical decision. Therefore, they acted as if they were on their own. As a result of unbelief, they were afraid to enter the Promised Land and they were not able to go into the Promised Land. Moses records that God forced them to wander for forty years before the nation of Israel could enter the land, and the unbelieving generation died in the wilderness. They never entered the land.
It is sad that as a result of repeated trials they struggled in their relationship with God. Their unbelief in God was a sin, and that sin kept pulling them farther away from God.
In James 1:2 we read,
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-3 (NASB)
Do you know what happened when the Israelites had a trial? They were like us. When we have a trial, we can react in one of two ways. We can either trust God in the trial, or we can complain, get bitter and sin like they did. There are only two ways you can respond to a trial. Either you complain or you take joy and rejoice in the trial. The other option is to pull farther away from God.
We either draw closer or pull farther away. Those are the only two choices. The purpose of a trial is to bring you closer to God and not to draw you farther away. That is what happened to these folks. While it appears these folks made a logical decision, that is only because they had drawn farther away from God. They were actually guilty of unbelief. They were not trusting God, and they made a bad decision.
In Hebrews 3:19 we have discovered that the Israelites were not able to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief.
So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. Hebrews 3:19 (NASB)
They were not able to go into the Promised Land because they did not believe God. That was horrible. They made a bad decision and so they ended up wandering in the wilderness for forty years before they arrived.
Application of Israel’s Unbelief
Our study starts with Hebrews 4:1. This is the beginning of the second part of the warning. The first part of the warning was an illustration about Israel. God used the Israelites as an example to prepare us for the second part of this warning which is directed to us. It was directed to those who were reading the letter of Hebrews and it is also directed to us today.
Let’s see God’s message for us.
Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. Hebrews 4:1 (NASB)
The author of Hebrews encourages us to be fearful. He has already told us about the Israelites who were fearful of entering the land due to unbelief. Now we are warned, “Let us be fearful.” We are to be in a state of fear also so that while a promise remains, we do not fail to enter rest too! We need to be concerned that we might not enter “His rest.” Notice what the author of Hebrews is talking about. He is not talking about rest in the Promised Land. He is talking about a different kind of rest – “His rest.” Now you might say, “What does he mean by rest? What is he talking about?”
Verse 2 starts to answer the question.
For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. Hebrews 4:2 (NASB)
He says, “We have had good news preached to us.” The good news is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We saw earlier in Hebrews 3:14 that he was talking about Christ. His topic is Christ. In fact, chapter 3 is about Moses and Christ and the latter part of chapter 3 is all about Christ. Therefore, when he talks about good news, there’s good news about who Jesus Christ is.
In 1 Corinthians 15 we are told what the good news is. Here is verse 1,
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel . . . 1 Corinthians 15:1a (NASB)
The gospel means good news,
. . . which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1b-2 (NASB)
Then he goes on to talk about how Jesus died and rose on the third day. That is good news.
He says in Hebrews 4:2, “We have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word that they heard did not profit them.” They heard about a promised land that was great. They heard about a promised land that was flowing with milk and honey. The land provided abundant food and water and provisions. It would take care of them. They had great news and we have had great news. Then he says, “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word that they heard did not profit them because it was not united by faith.”
Call to Enter into His Rest
The implication is that we have a problem believing. The message is that faith responds to the good news given by God and then one can enter into His rest. Now you might ask, “What does He mean by His rest?” Verse 3 gives us more insight.
For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,
“As I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest,
Although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.”
Hebrews 4:3 (NASB)
The verse contrasts the opening statement to the middle of the verse which quotes Psalm 95:11. At first we are told that those who believe enter His rest and that is contrasted to Israel’s absence of faith in God. Faith is the key. By faith one enters into rest. When faith does not exist, one cannot enter into rest.
Now what does the author of Hebrews mean by “although His works were finished from the foundation of the world”? First, He is saying that the Father had already finished His work and then He rested. If one has already finished his/her work, then he/she rests, right? When you and I have a task and then we finish the task, what do we do? We usually rest.
The author of Hebrews is saying that God had already rested in the past from His work, which included His plan and preparation for the believer’s eternal rest in heaven. In other words, we have an opportunity to enter into His rest just as the Israelites had an opportunity to rest in the Promised Land; but they did not get that rest. They did not rest in the Promised Land. Why did they not get there? They did not get there because of unbelief. The point is that unbelief will keep us from eternal rest or eternal life.
Verse 4 helps us understand verse 3. In verse 3, the author left his readers hanging and verse 4 will help us.
For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS” . . . Hebrews 4:4 (NASB)
He just quoted Genesis 2:2.
. . .and again in this passage, “THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.” Hebrews 4:5 (NASB)
You may ask, “Why does he repeat Psalm 95:11 again in verse 5?” It is important to realize that this entire passage is about rest. The emphasis is rest. The Israelites had the opportunity to enter the Promised Land which was their rest. In contrast, God is talking to us about “His rest” or “My rest” and there is an opportunity for us to enter “His rest.” The author of Hebrews is playing off the theme of rest. The Israelites had an opportunity to enter a rest, their rest, but not “His rest.” Their rest was not God’s rest. It was not “My rest.” They did not get into “My rest.” The Israelites had an opportunity to enter into rest (Joshua 1:13). The author does not say they entered into “His rest,” God’s rest, or “My rest” because the opportunity for rest that they had was the Promised Land.
God is Speaking to Us
Now I would like to just pick on a little word in verse 4. Notice the word “somewhere.” The first time I read that word I thought, “Wait a minute. Is he saying that he did not know where this verse was in the Old Testament? Did he really not know the Old Testament Scriptures and so he just said, “Well somewhere I remember this . . . ?”
Stop and look at this passage. Here we will find that the author does not tell us who the prophet of old was who wrote these Old Testament passages, except one time. Look at Hebrews 1:5 which says,
For to which of the angels did he ever say . . . Hebrews 1:5 (NASB)
. . . and then he quotes an Old Testament passage of Scripture. Then he says, “And again,” and he quotes a passage.
Then in verse 6,
And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, . . . Hebrews 1:6 (NASB)
Once again he quotes a passage but does not tell us who the author is. In Hebrews 1:13,
But to which of the angels has He ever said . . . Hebrews 1:13 (NASB)
. . . and he does not tell us who wrote the verse in the Old Testament. Or how about chapter 2, verse 6,
But one has testified somewhere, saying . . . Hebrews 2:6 (NASB)
. . . and he just quotes the Scripture passage and does not tell us who wrote it. In Hebrews 2:12 he says, “Saying…” and then quotes a passage. Then in Hebrews 2:13 the author quotes another passage and just continues this way all the way through the book of Hebrews. He does not tell us who the authors of these Old Testament passages are, except for one time.
Now notice what happens in verse 7,
Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE . . .”
Hebrews 4:7a (NASB)
The whole point is that God is speaking. God speaks through David.
. . . after so long a time just as has been said before,
“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,
DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.”
Hebrews 4:7b (NASB)
. . . and he quotes another passage. He does not tell us who the authors of the Old Testament passages are in the book of Hebrews except for one time, and that is here in verse 7. We have to ask the question why? I believe the author wants us to understand that God is the one who is speaking to us throughout this book. 2 Peter 1:20-21 teaches that every book of the Bible has two authors: the Holy Spirit plus a human author. There are two authors of every book in the Bible. But here in Hebrews the human authors are normally ignored because we are to understand that the message is from God. The point is, the Holy Spirit wants us to know that God is the one speaking. God is talking to us. That is what He is trying to tell us.
The Meaning of “God Rested”
Now return to verse 4,
For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS” . . .
Hebrews 4:4 (NASB)
But what does it mean that God rested? You ask the question, “Did God not rest? Doesn’t Scripture say that on the seventh day God rested from all of His works?” The answer is, “Yes!” Now may I ask an important question? Does this mean God is not doing anything anymore? Does this mean He just quit? He is resting? He has His feet up, figuratively speaking, on some sofa, has lain back and is reading some book or doing something like that?
Look with me at John 5:17, a great passage. Jesus is talking and says,
But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” John 5:17 (NASB)
Do you know what Jesus just said? He said that God the Father is working! God the Father is not resting! He is doing things! God the Father is working! Now you say, why did God rest then in the Old Testament? Does that mean He got tired? No! Isaiah 40:28 tells us that God neither slumbers nor sleeps.
God does not get tired. So we have to ask the question, “Why is the Holy Spirit telling us that God rested on the seventh day?” In what sense did God rest? God rested from His decrees and creative acts. That is the message. God made the world. God made the universe. God made the heavens. God made angels. God made man. God made everything that is on the earth and then finally God rested.
But God did not quit. God is still working, Jesus says, God did not need the rest. What He is saying is that God rested from His creative acts – from His decrees. The plan of salvation was part of the creative decrees. God planned it all out. You say, did He really do that? Yes, He sure did. In fact, God planned heaven. He did that all in the past.
How do we know that? Look at Matthew 25:31. Jesus is talking,
But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.” Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?” Matthew 25:31-37 (NASB)
Jesus has just said that the kingdom has been prepared from the foundation of the world in time past. When God rested, He had finished planning the kingdom. He planned everything, including heaven too, because when the judgment is over, some people will go into the eternal heaven and some do not go into heaven.
Look at verse 46,
These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Matthew 25:46 (NASB)
Jesus is talking about judgment. Here we discover some go into eternal life and on into heaven. That is what happens to those of us who are Christians. Do you see that it is all planned before the foundation of the world? When God rested, He rested from all of His creative acts and decrees.
Remember in John 14:2 Jesus says that in my Father’s house there are many “rooms”? Heaven has already been planned. When God rested, He rested from the decrees related to the plan of salvation. “His rest” or “My rest” had already occurred and so all that is left is for us to enter into “His rest.”
It is important that we are also told it is “My rest.” This implies that He will be there too! It reveals where He is going to be. I often make the comment that I am looking forward to the day when I can be with Him and see Him face-to-face. You know what that means for us? We are going to be with Him in His rest. It is His rest and it is going to be our rest too!
Seeking Rest According to Our Plans
Now verse 6,
Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience . . . Hebrews 4:6 (NASB)
The author now repeats the key parts of verses one and two. In verse 1 he had urged us to be fearful lest we do not enter into rest. Those who have heard the gospel about Christ have heard the good news. In verse 2 we were told that the Israelites who heard good news failed to enter because of disobedience. They were not able to get there because of unbelief.
In Numbers 14:39-40 we are told,
When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. In the morning, however, they rose up early and went up to the ridge of the hill country, saying, “Here we are; we have indeed sinned, but we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised.” Numbers 14:39-40 (NASB)
These folks were unbelieving and when they were told that they were not going into the Promised Land, they mourned. All of a sudden they had a change of heart and decided that they would go up to the hill country after all. They said, “We are ready to go.”
Now watch verses 41-42.
But Moses said, “Why then are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD, when it will not succeed? Do not go up, or you will be struck down before your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. Numbers 14:41-42 (NASB)
These folks were fickle. One time they are not going to trust God and then all of a sudden when they discovered that God would not let them enter the Promised Land, they flipped and said we are ready to go. Then Moses said that they would be defeated if they tried to enter the land. They were not going to be successful.
That is exactly what happened. They were defeated in their attempt to enter the Promised Land. They were disobedient and unbelieving people. Both go together. They had good news preached to them, but they failed to enter – not only because of a lack of faith but also due to disobedience.
Next, verse 7,
He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,
“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,
DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.”
Hebrews 4:7 (NASB)
The emphasis of this verse is time — today. Today is the day. Today is the opportunity, and the author quotes Psalm 95:7-8, “Did you know that today is the day?” He is writing to the readers and today we are reading it. Today is the day! Today is the day of salvation, and we are encouraged not to harden our hearts. The Israelites had hardened their hearts. Due to unbelief, they missed their opportunity to enter their rest. We have an opportunity to enter His rest. Today is the day to decide. Today is the day to respond.
How to Obtain the True Rest
The author now jumps ahead to the time when the remaining Israelites actually entered the Promised Land. Verse 8,
For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. Hebrews 4:8 (NASB)
This is a great statement. Remember the unbelieving Israelites who did not get into the Promised Land? Those who did not enter were everyone twenty years and older. They wandered for forty years in the wilderness and all died. Once the unbelieving Israelites finally died, the rest of the Israelites were allowed to go into the Promised Land. Who was able to go into the Promised Land? The ones who had been less than twenty years of age and their children. Joshua led them into the Promised Land.
Verse 8 says, “For if Joshua had given them rest…” Who is them? Those whom Joshua led into the Promised Land. There were many who died in the wilderness, and verse 8 is talking about those who did get into the Promised Land.
Now watch this: Some people did not enter their rest. Some people actually made it. They got into their rest. Then verse 8 says, “For if Joshua had given them rest…” The implication is that they really did not get the real rest. They entered into a human rest, a physical, worldly rest, but they did not get a real rest. “He would not have spoken of another day after that” if Joshua had given them the real rest. He is saying that Joshua did not give them the real rest.
There is another rest. Verse 9,
So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9 (NASB)
The point is there is yet a rest in the future for those who believe in Christ. There is an ultimate rest. There is a true, lasting rest, and it is for the people of God.
Colossians 2:16-17 says,
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day — things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Colossians 2:16 (NASB)
Here we are told that the Sabbath was not the real thing. It is a shadow of something to come. The Sabbath is a shadow of “His rest,” “My rest,” the real rest, the ultimate rest and how do we get there? We get there by faith.
The Benefit of His Rest
Let’s read verse 10.
For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Hebrews 4:10 (NASB)
What has he been talking about? Here is a summary. The Israelites had an opportunity to enter their rest. Because of unbelief, most of them did not get there. Only a few were able to get into the rest, but it was not the final rest. The real rest is in the future. There is an opportunity for us to enter His rest because it is both present and future.
The writer says, “For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works just as God did from His.” Every Christian who trusts Christ for forgiveness of sins rests from trying to be good enough to get into heaven. We rest because Christ has totally forgiven our every sin – past, present and future. We can rest in Christ. But there is also a future rest. When we finally die and leave this world and enter heaven, we are going to have real rest. It is going to be a great rest: no more sickness, no more disease, no more physical fatigue. We can forget our old bodies that just do not seem to work properly for us anymore. It is going to be a great rest. It is going to be a wonderful rest. Revelation 14:13 speaks of our future rest.
And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” Revelation 14:13 (NASB)
Call to Believe and then Rest in Christ
In verse 11 the author changes gears all of a sudden and really socks it to us.
Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:11 (NASB)
We are urged to enter the heavenly rest that the Father has prepared for us. The author ignores the Father’s sovereign role in salvation. Just as Christ did throughout His ministry, he now appeals to us to respond. He connects unbelief and disobedience. Doubting God is an act of disobedience. Do you trust God or are you guilty of disobedience? He urges us to not be like the Israelites but to believe in God, that is, in Christ.
All too often when we look at the next two verses, we get a funny idea about what they mean. Verse 12 talks about the Word of God. He is not really trying to give us a tutorial on the Word of God. Instead he is using what we know about the Word of God to make a point.
What is his point? Let’s look at verse 12.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NASB)
The purpose of the passage is to remind us that God knows what you are thinking. God knows your heart. God knows what decisions you have made. God knows whether or not you are a believing person or an unbelieving person. God knows everything about you. You cannot hide from God. That is the primary thrust of the verse. Therefore, are you a Christian or an unbeliever? Whatever your answer, God knows the truth!
Verse 13 reminds us that we cannot hide any secrets from Him.
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Hebrews 4:13 (NASB)
The message of verses 12 and 13 is that when you come before God, God will know whether or not you really believed in Him or not. Remember how the Israelites responded when they were told they were not going to get into the Promised Land because of unbelief? They responded by saying they were going to go up to the land anyway. Moses replied, “Oh, I warn you to not go because you are going to be defeated,” but they went ahead and experienced defeat.
Unfortunately, some people try to enter His rest – heaven – in their own way. Some people try to get into the ultimate rest by their own effort. They think if they will just try hard enough, they can go up to the hill country and get in. We cannot deceive God. He knows exactly who you are, what you are, what is going through your mind, and whether you believe in Him or not.
Conclusion
The Israelites thought they were going to get into their rest on their own, but God said you are not going to get there because you did not believe in Me. It is amazing how faith in the Christian life can be so easily misunderstood. We are to walk by faith. Doesn’t that sound familiar? The saints are to walk by faith. Faith is a part of a Christian’s life. We come to Jesus by faith. Then we are to walk by faith. We are to live by faith.
In Romans 1:18-20 we read the following,
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20 (NASB)
God is taking care of us. God revealed Himself in nature, in the world, in stars, in planets and in the way He takes care of us.
Romans 2:1 says that God also reveals Himself in another way. He says,
Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. Romans 2:1 (NASB)
Then the Holy Spirit goes on to talk about the fact that God has put in our conscience a sense of right and wrong and that we are without excuse. God has made Himself known to us. We are without excuse.
This section in Hebrews is a warning. It has been a warning about our relationship with God. If you are a Christian, if you have really put your faith in Jesus Christ, you have a place of rest. There is a place of rest for us. A day is coming in the future when we will really get a chance to have rest. Watch it — lasting rest! And we will rest with Him in His rest. He calls it “My rest.”
If you are not a Christian and you have doubts, maybe you have second thoughts, maybe you are unsure, then read the following true-life event.
A sailor and a miner lost control of the row boat they were maneuvering above a waterfall. The swift waters started hurling them to their destruction and someone from the shore flung a rope to the two as they were tossed from their boat into the pounding current. At that same instant, a floating log shot by. The sailor grabbed the rope and hung on, but the miner saw the log and wrapped himself around it, ignoring the rope. The man grasping the log was borne irresistibly along to his destruction and the other man was pulled to shore safely.
We have a choice. You can either grab onto the log or grab onto the rope. I urge you to grab onto the rope that is faith in Jesus Christ. The rope to hang onto is Jesus Christ. It is the only way to avoid destruction. It is the only way to avoid hell. It is the only way to avoid wandering aimlessly in a wilderness and then dying and never getting to heaven — “His rest.”
Today is the day of salvation – not tomorrow but today. Today is the day. Let’s pray.