[Transcript represents full sermon's text]

       Our pathway continues today through Hebrews chapter 12, picking up in verse 14: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears” (ESV).

       Presented before our eyes are two different subject matters to get us started right of the bat. Two different areas of contemplation. The first, the first, is that of living at peace with everyone, which would include those inside the church and those outside. The second would include our personal purity, as Christians, and how we conduct ourselves in the world and out of it in regard to our sexuality. Let’s go ahead and dive into each area.

       It’s interesting, isn't it, that these two areas are two of the biggest, if not the two biggest, when it comes to hangups for individuals in the Christian life? The first deals with that of peace—being at peace with everyone. In our day of divorce being so common, that’s an easy area where can get hairy, isn’t it? We are aware of that; we’ve seen that; perhaps, we’ve been someone who’s been part of that. It’s also true that persons can experience what is commonly referred to as ‘church hurt.’ This ‘church hurt’ can occur when leaders in power abuse that power—when they either domineer over others, to try to control them—or, when they go against others thinking they are right about something, and then go full-speed ahead in their bulldozer. Familiarity resides within us as pertains to that, and may be the bull-dozer ourselves, or the one who got bull-dozed. It’s seems this area would be out-of-date, like something that happened back in the twentieth century or before, but we know it still happens even in our time. Maybe it’s at a more legalistic church, or perhaps it simply happens due to competition between people. The writer speaks of a “root of bitterness.” He doesn’t act is if it could happen, but more likely that it will happen at one point or another. And he notes it just doesn’t affect the person who’s hurt, but rather it affects others as well. Usually, it involves the person leaving that said body of believers because the damage caused by the bull-dozing person is too great to easily overcome.

       The truth is, disagreements are going to come—that’s enviable. Have you ever thought about why disagreements occur in the first place? Why do they occur? These events occur as everyone is coming at things from a different perspective. Due to different prior past experiences, and people’s even various learnings throughout life, they can see things differently. An offensive situation to one person might not be offensive to another. What might be sin to one person isn’t sin for another. Remember, the Apostle Paul discussed this in Romans 14. The problem is our pride, right? When we believe that the way we see things is right, and we are trying to conform everyone else to the way we see it, that’s when a “root of bitterness” can spring up. The failure to relinquish their pride, and stay firm on a stance, can blossom into a real problem. That’s why it’s only best to stand our ground on the fundamentals, which, one of those being what the writer is next talking about, in talking about sexual immorality. That’s a fundamental. But whether a church should have a trick-or-treat event is not a fundamental. Okay? Things that are gray aren’t fundamentals. It can even get to the point where doctrinal matters aren’t fundamentals, and yet people think that they are. For instance, the easy one is that there are all kinds of different views on the End Times. We understand that, and most accept that. Yet, a variety of views on the Atonement also exist, and what happened at the cross. A lot of persons don’t know that, yet there are. Again, not a fundamental like might presumed. Or, how about how time works and the future? Some think everything is predetermined, and others do not. Not a fundamental. The Bible isn’t easily clear about certain subject matters, and arguments can be made on both sides of a topic which are compelling.

       So, those are the general things, like doctrine differences, which can occur and come to light. But probably more-so individuals are thinking about those things which are personal matters. Like, perhaps, a leader accused a member of a sin which the person didn’t actually commit. Or, maybe a leader gave someone a ‘hard time’ because they wouldn’t serve in this or that ministry—spend their time doing what ‘they’ thought they should be doing. After all, their the one God put in authority, they might say, and people need to listen to them. We’ve probably all seen or experienced that to some degree. Again, it all stems back to pride. Leaders can become proud thinking they have figured everything out, thinking they have all the answers. As a matter fact, we know that even children don’t like parents who are domineering. Thus, neither do grown-up church people. What causes persons to like the leaders, or anybody to like anybody? It’s friendliness. Yes, friendless (and that’s hard to bare for some us who are more introverted). Yet, it’s true. When leaders or anybody acts in an overbearing way, it causes that person, really, over time to become isolated. What’s ironic is that people aren’t going to listen to what the person has to say due to the way, the vibe, by which it is being said. A “root of bitterness” can spring up as the actions of the leader lead to individuals opposing that leader. Then, at the end of it all, nobody is happy. A war get’s started, which, usually, can lead of un-forgiveness on one or both sides to the war.

       Let us key-in now on the second area of trouble in the church setting, that of sexual immorality. This area of discussion may be hard for some to bear, and it seems a forewarning is necessary. What is being said is going to be strong. The example of Esau is brought to our attention. It is stated that we shouldn’t be like him as pertains to the area of our sexuality. Esau, we are aware, in the Old Testament (see specifically in Genesis chapter 25), gave up his birthright because he was hungry. Was it wrong for his bother to do that—tempt him out of his birthright? Certainly. But he still gave it up. It’s the same way when individuals give up their purity to sleep with another person simply for one night. It’s not worth the pleasure, and the consequences of sexual sin can be far reaching. For one, a child can come into being with a person that the other isn’t planning on seeing again. Consequently, now that person is tied to other person for life, and more importantly, a child is coming into the world who, from the start, most likely isn’t going to have proper parental relations. The other thing that could happen is disease. When a person is sexually immoral, they can catch all kinds of things, and some of them are permanent in nature, affecting the health of the individual for the rest of their lives. A third thing that can happen is damage or obliteration of one’s reputation. We’ve seen that, haven’t we? We’ve seen in the news where someone is famous and it comes to light that way back when they had an extramarital affair or something, and then that past event damages the person’s reputation. And, we know, it even happens in church settings, and most have probably experienced that. Anyhow, that’s three different negative consequences that happen when engaging in sexual immorality.

       The writer then says Esau wanted to inherit the blessing, but he could not. And why could he not? Because his birthright was sold. That’s why he couldn’t. It was a one-time done deal. That’s the way it goes for the person who becomes un-pure through sexual immorality. That person’s psyche has now had that experience. Sure, they can become spiritually pure, but they have now had that experience that was supposed to be reserved for marriage. That being the case, it could be that, for instance, like Esau in his tears couldn’t repent in that he regained his birthright, so it is that perhaps a person is now limited in the persons they can marry. If another pure-Christian doesn’t want to marry a person who’s been impure in the past, there’s nothing the impure person can do. No matter how much crying takes place, what’s done is done. It could even be that the impure person now has a disease, and they don’t want to pass that disease onto someone else. Again, no amount of tears or repentance can fix this problem. If a person now has a child from a previous relationship of immorality, again, that can limit and change how the future is going to go for that person, and who will want to marry them. Thus, we can see that sexual immorality can have far-reaching consequences. This is why God warns about this matter, though, we often don’t want to think of these things in terms of the bad stuff that could happen. That’s not said to be prudish, or to sound legalistic or arrogant, but simply to make the point that we all should be considering carefully this area and how we conduct ourselves, and how that might affect the life-experience down the road both for ourselves and others.

       Let’s read the next paragraph in whole. Verse 18: “For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (ESV).

       Once again, and for the final time of the whole epistle, and author compares and summarizes everything he’s been stating, specifically the contrast between the Old and New Covenants. He gives the Hebrew Christians the vivid image of the Old Covenant. He says, for starters, that it could be touched. It was something tangible, something on the earth, something of the earth. Images are brought to their minds of fire blazing, of darkness, of gloom, of the thunderous sound of the trumpet, of all the voices of the people who were afraid of God and his signs shown to them. You see, that was the goal and motivation behind the Old Way; it was a fear-based way. Why was it a fear-based way? One could assume that it was because the consciousness level of the people back then was so low that that’s the only way God could get through to them, by using fear. Fear works when there is a lack of understanding. God even made the point of telling them if an animal touched his mountain that the animal would die. God was emphasizing his holiness in contrast to their unholiness. And even Moses himself was troubled by the whole thing, so that even he was afraid of what might happen as a result of God’s strictness toward them. In the end, it was an un-fun setup, a setup which required strict rules and regulations. Nevertheless, interestingly, it was a setup they likely wanted—a setup they had likely asked for in wanting to be like their pagan neighbors. That was the mindset of the Israelites. Notice how the whole thing ended up causing an ironic separation between God and themselves. God’s true desire was to be close to them, but that could not be achieved through this form of covenant.

       In contrast, the New Covenant is compared with Mount Zion versus Mount Sinai, which was where Moses received The Ten Commandments, and everything we were just talking about was taking place. Mount Zion was said to be where the presence of God dwelled on the earth. Because sin has been dealt with, because there is no longer an unholiness on our part as believers in God, we are able to approach him in perfect holiness through trust in Christ’s accomplishment on our behalf. This, again, shows why salvation is a one-time process, why it happens from the moment we believe. If our holiness before God was not inputted but rather a continual, living thing, then we would not be holy perhaps until the end of our lives, if ever. Yet, God sees us as holy through Christ’s shed blood so that we can approach him and be with him. We are even let in on the fact that in Heaven, from time to time, the angels of the Lord apparently have some kind of festal gatherings with God. It’s a fascinating picture, and one that it seems is missed quite a bit. Christians are called “the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.” What a picture; what a picture. And that we are “the righteous made perfect.” This New Covenant is really nothing like the old when it is analyzed; it is a night and day difference, somewhat literally so to speak. Christ’s blood represents the New Covenant, where Abel’s blood represents the old. Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance upon his brother, remember? Christ blood does the opposite. It cries out for mercy for ourselves, and mercy for others. This is the message that we tell others, a message of forgiveness and peace for the hearers.

       Now, our final paragraph for today: “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (ESV).

       One final warning is given to the Hebrew Christians who would seek to refuse the Jesus Christ part of their religion, who would seek to follow the old way without including Christ. For it to be simply animal sacrifices. It is pointed out that under the Jewish Law, those who violated it and didn’t adhere to it were in danger of death. This is the warning. It’s a warning since it is reality. Jesus Christ is the only way for them to become perfect before God, by trusting in his shed blood on the cross. If one isn’t willing to do that, if one isn’t willing to forsake the sacrifices and instead trust Christ’s sacrifice, they are going to be separated from God upon their death. No life will be able to be had since they didn’t trust in the one way in which there is life. The author quotes the promise of the shaking of the earth from Haggai 2:6. The point seems to be that God is going to re-establish everything. Right now, these Jewish Christians have to deal with persecution. They have to deal with people not liking their choice. They have to deal with some uncomfortable-ness. Well, the day is going to come, actually, yes, physically on the earth where things are changed. The Lord is going to change the setup of the earth so that there will be no opposition. We know this as the Millennial Reign of Christ, that 1,000 year period where Jesus Christ will rule and reign on the earth as King. This is what was promised to the Israelites, and God is still going to fulfill that promise. Understanding is present that before he does, he will renovate the earth, after the antichrist is captured with the false prophet and after Satan is locked up for 1,000 years. After that comes the even more glorious event, and that is that God himself is going to shake up the Heavens so much that there is a New Heaven, and New Earth. The old current setup will be gone. Yet, that which is righteous—those righteous principles—for all time will remain.

       Thus, what should be these Hebrew Christians response to all this? What should be our response to all of this? It is that of gratitude, that of thankfulness to God for his enabling us to be partakers of the whole thing. Because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, by his death, burial, and resurrection from the dead, by our free-choice to believe in that work, we can come to know God and be at total peace with him. It’s an incredible thing. We have peace with God, as the Apostle Paul told the Romans. Of course, the end result of this realization is going to be worship out of gratitude. Why, that’s what we do every Sunday morning, right? We worship God because we are thankful for what Christ did, for it shows how great God himself is. We do this with “reverence and awe,” not because we have to, but because we want to. This doesn’t mean we will always feel like singing to the uttermost extent, for we all have bad days and we all have life periods that have some gloom in them. Yet, at the same time, when for a moment we do focus on that ‘big’ picture, we get to see that what really matters is God, and the personal relationship that we have with him. That’s what is permanent; that’s what can’t be taken away from us. The writer reminds us that “God is a consuming fire.” The Jewish people were familiar with that; they knew that well. We are reminded of it ourselves, because, due to God’s holiness, he will not and even cannot let anything dwell with him longterm that is actively in rebellion against him, or who wants to follow sin. You see, the righteousness of the Universe is really something that’s outside of God. That is, righteous principles are righteous since they are inherently so. If we want to be like God, we want to act and live in righteousness. This isn’t resultant of being afraid of God, though, initially it might be. That’s the lower consciousness response. But, it is because that is what is in fact good, what is in fact the way things should be. God will by default deal with anything that violates that, but if you are aligned with goodness, you won’t want anything else anyway.

- Daniel Litton