And all who believed were together and had all things in common....Greet one another with a holy kiss.

 Romans 16

And all who believed were together and had all things in common....Greet one another with a holy kiss. Acts 2:44, Romans 16:16

This afternoon, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I moved to chapter twenty Christian Friendship, which covers Romans 16.  My focus today is v16:1-16, 21-23, which my commentary refers to under the heading How Christian Friendship Is Emphasized. More so than anywhere else I can recall in scripture, in Romans 16, I see a very personal connection that Paul has to so many people that he names them individually/specifically.  We see a gratefulness from Paul for all that these people mean to him as he recalls specific acts or characteristics such as: 

• being a patron (providing for material needs) (Phoebe/v16:2)
• risking lives for believers (Priscilla/Aquila/v16:3)
• being first of converts in Asia (Epaenetus/v16:5)
• kinsmen and fellow prisoners (v16:6/Andronicus and Junia)
• my beloved (v16:8/Ampliatus)
• fellow worker (Urbanus/v16:9)
• my beloved (Stachys/v16:9)
• approved in Christ (Apelles/v16:10)
• kinsman (Herodion/v16:11)
• fellow workers (Tryphaena and Tryphosa/v16:12)
• worked hard in the Lord (Persis/v16:12)
• chosen in the Lord (Rufus/v16:13)
• Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them (v16:14)
• Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them (v16:14) 
• fellow worker (Timothy/v16:21)
• kinsmen (Lucius and Jason and Sosipater/v16:21)
• scribe of letter (Tertius/v16:22)
• Paul's host (Gaius/v16:23)
• city treasurer (Erastus/v16:23)   

I am drawn to Acts 2:42-47 where the Fellowship of the Believers of the early church is described. In Acts 2:44 it is said that these early believers "had all things in common." The most important bond of all - one that transcends race, gender, culture, age, education, income, etc. - is a shared belief and passion for Jesus Christ.  This is the basis for Christian friendship.  We are called to attend church corporately, to study Bible together, to sharpen our understanding of God and scripture, to pray and encourage one another, to serve with one another, to support one another, to confess our sins to one another, to hold each other accountable, etc.  We are to acknowledge our need for one another and the power of togetherness. 

My commentary highlights how this chapter was a personal thanks to believers all of which we know little or nothing about - it shows how ordinary people through togetherness demonstrate the power of Christ - as the church is intended. Friendships, community and relationships are key - our faith is weak without them. I am urged to look back at Genesis 2:18 where God Himself says "[i]t is not good that the man should be alone."  We must encourage and spur one another one on (Proverbs 27:17), and help one another avoid sin.  We are also urged to see in today's text the diversity and how despite the diversity there is oneness in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:28). 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has provided so many fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who have blessed and sharpened me, etc.  Thank You Jesus!  I am grateful...yet undeserving.  My sin of worry and other sins continue.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Hebrews 3:12-15

To avoid drifting (Hebrews 2:1) and the subsequent unbelief that may follow a sustained period of drifting, the author of Hebrews implores us to focus on our unity as a church body:

¹² See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ¹⁴ We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

Key to me in these verses is verse 13:

¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 

I see two key messages from this particular verse:
1.  That we should walk along side our brothers and sisters in Christ and to encourage one another - this is something about which I already feel strongly about and this is also supported throughout scripture.
2. That we should encourage everyday - encouraged is defined as "to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope" - this is done either by our action or by our words.  We can encourage both believers and non believers and most importantly we are to glorify God by demonstrating the hope that only Jesus Christ can provide.

My Prayer: Lord, I love You deeply because You have saved me from slavery to sin and slavery to death.  You provide hope everlasting.  Yet there are times when I am not hopeful and I am also deeply sorry that my faith is weak in these times and seek Your forgiveness.  Help me grow in my faith and my trust in You and help me daily demonstrate the hope everlasting that can only come through the good news of Jesus Christ

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility....Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Leviticus 3, 7

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility....Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ….Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Ephesians 2:14, Romans 5:1, John 14:27

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - wrapping up at chapter three - Peace with God - covering Leviticus 3:1-17, looking specifically at the final themes We Express Thanksgiving to God, We Give Our Best to God, We Share Our Lives with the People of God, and We Find Peace with God. Here, my commentary describes the peace offering in Leviticus 3 and 7 (ESV) as the fellowship offering, and a quick check of the NIV translation reveals how these translations (ESV and NIV) both refer to the same offering - peace (ESV) and fellowship (NIV).

Aligning with the themes for today, my commentary urges us to see how the peace/fellowship offering:

• offers thanksgiving to God for providing a path to atonement and communion with Him
• represents how we are to give our best to God as the fat portions of the animal are seen as rare and as such a delicacy at the time of the Old Testament - an offering of fat was to be giving God our best
• describes corporate worship and fellowship both with God and with other worshipers - in the presence of God, eating of meals together from the fellowship offering; we are to share our lives not just with God but also with the people of God; the commentary urges us also to look at how we are to pray for one another (James 5:16), encourage one another (Hebrews 10:25), bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2), exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13), love one another (John 13:34), serve another (1 Peter 4:10), be kind to one another, and forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32); "[c]learly God intends for us to share our lives with His people."
  
•  in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, provides the perfect sacrifice for sin and Jesus is our peace (Ephesians 2:14, Romans 5:1, John 14:27)

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who provides peace - with God, with others, and peace of mind - thank You Jesus!  You are truly amazing and I am not deserving how You reconciled me to Yourself...I continue to sin.  Worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Hebrews 3

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. v12-13

Encouragement of one another is key to warding off sin and unbelief.  Encouragement that God is real, that He is great, that He loves you, and that you can trust and belief in Christ as your Lord and Savior. Our encouragement should be daily and the implication is that we are to seek encouragement from God daily, not just from one another.  See also Proverbs 8.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God full of love, compassion, gentleness, mercy, etc. for me...this is amazing because You know everything about me, including my sin and brokenness. Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I am lazy and selfish.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Please help me seek You out daily and encourage others in my life.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength, comfort and freedom from pain and discomfort.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 3

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. For this morning, I maintain my focus on Hebrews 3:7-19, moving to what the commentary describes as the second division "Exhorted to Endure," which looks at Hebrews 3:12-19.  The primary takeaway for this division, as the division title indicates, is for believers to encourage and admonish one another as a means to both keep and grow in faith - this is key for believers to avoid falling away from faith (as many of the first generation Jews did when they wandered through the wilderness in search of the Promised Land).  The commentary shares that "[i]mmersing oneself in the community of saints, in the care and watchfulness of the local church, in the preaching of God’s Word, and in the exhortation of fellow believers remedies an evil, unbelieving heart. These things protect us from falling away."  We are referred to Colossians 3:16, where Paul offers the same remedy to "combat evil and unbelieving hearts".  Fellow believers - encourage one another!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a good, good God who provides my church, and my brothers and sisters in Christ who are able to exhort, admonish, and encourage me - helping me keep and sharpen my faith.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.

2 Samuel 23

But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it. v16-17

David had his Mighty Warriors and together I suspect these men would do anything for each other.  These men exemplified the love for one another that Jesus refers to as the 2nd most important commandment:


Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus restates this command (with what appears to be a higher bar):

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

First and foremost, we all need Jesus.  So that we all remain "sharp" (Proverbs 27:17) and we also all need our own Mighty Warriors.

See also post here.

Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head.  My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers. Psalm 141:5

 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:11

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has given me my own mighty warriors who have sharpened me and encouraged me. Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love as I continue to be harsh with my words and actions.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working....My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

James 5:12-20

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working....My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:16, 19-20

My preparation for teaching this upcoming Sunday 25AUG on James 5:12-20 continues and today I prepared the presentation I will use to guide our discussion.  The core of the discussion looks at prayer in suffering and how we should pray, and how a community of believers is important to support and encourage one another from wandering from the truth into sin.  

I look forward to our Sunday school's discussion!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me Your Word, the Holy Spirit, my church and so much more to help me understand Your Word and help me understand the message You have for me.  I am not deserving of my salvation nor any of the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.

Psalm 37

The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip. v30-31

I know that "the tongue is also a fire" (James 3) as I have used my words to tear down others, including people close to me.  I also know that when I focus on "being transformed by the renewing of the mind" (Romans 12), my heart and my life are transformed.  As a result, more of my words are used to build up and to encourage one another.  

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Hebrews 3:13-14     

Fathers,do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

 

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You indeed are a great God in that Your Word is flawless and it never fails.  I know that apart from You I can do nothing (no good thing).  You are such a great teacher, full of compassion, patience, mercy, etc.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such a God as I am not  compassionate, patient, merciful, etc. with others as You are with me.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin.  Help me use my words to encourage and to build up others (vs tear them down).  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Chapter 44: Pages 621-630

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) with Part 3 "The Nature and Extent of Providence", moving to Section 8 "Providence Over Christian Living" - moving to chapter forty-four "The Triumph of Missions and the Coming of Christ".

Here Piper focuses on the certain victory that awaits believers persisting in the current age: "[n]ot one Christian is made perfect in this life.  God's way is to magnify the patience of grace through the persistence of sin.  We have not yet seen the climax of God's saving achievement." As believers await victory and glorification (final day), Piper describes how "[t]he Lord of the harvest will catapult his workers to the nations" and "His mission cannot fail". Piper goes on to say that "[w]hen the gospel has done its appointed work in all the nations, the end will come (Matthew 24:14)."  But Piper continues (using Matthew 24:30-31), encouraging us to not see this as the end but instead as the "beginning of something radically new....Jesus is coming with power and glory to 'gather his elect'.  He is not gathering them for nothing....This is the consummation of what he has been doing for the elect during all of redemptive history.  He has predestined his elect, called them, justified them and sanctified them, and now he is gathering them for the eternal future of their glorification." Piper provides 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 as another example of the ingathering and states that "[t]his is a work of omnipotent providence.  No one but God can do this.  Just as the flood swept the old world clean of sinful people, so the resurrection will fill the new world with the redeemed and renewed people of God."

Piper wraps us up this description of the ingathering by ending on a somber note as both joy and sadness accompanies this time because not all will be save but instead some will perish - "conscious misery forever."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is saving a place for me in Heaven and You promise to gather me and all believers to bring us there - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of this - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin does continue...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 15

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. v7

Just as it says in John 15:7, " My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you;", Paul tells us to accept one another for who we are.  God wired each person to be who they are for a specific purpose and also brought people together for a specific purpose - all for His glory, and for His pure and perfect plan.  While we can encourage one another...it is to be done in love, and not for us, but for Him.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God full of love for me, completely accepting of me, knowing everything about me even before I was born.  You came to earth for me and willingly laid down Your life for me.  What a great God You are!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love and blessing.  I am harsh with my thoughts, words, and actions, among my many sins!  Thank You that You love me anyway but please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up

1 Thessalonians 5

I know that one of the key areas where I can use refinement is coaching and encouragement.  I am a critical person - of myself and of others.  Paul's admonishment to the church in Thessalonica strikes me to the heart:

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.

...

¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

  

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

 The urging to be patient with everyone is certainly expressed throughout the Bible.  Yet it continues to be a lesson with which I struggle.

My Prayer: Christ Jesus, Lord of Lords, You are patient with me as you have blessed me even though I am not patient.  I know this is just one measure of Your great love for me.  You are a great and loving God and the only God for me.  Please forgive me for my impatience and my anger.  Purify me of these sins and transform my heart and my life so that I can be sanctified and be holy.  I want to be more like You so that I can more fully serve and glorify You.

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Psalm 133

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! v1

God wants us to live in fellowship with others - it starts with the 2nd greatest commandment:


And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:39

We are to bring others to Him...to be a light.

For us to bring others to Him and to be a light, believers must be in unity to support, pray for, and encourage one another.

Genesis 2:18 
Acts 2:42-47 

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an amazing God You are that You created all of us to share life together, believers and non believes alike so that we can support, encourage, and pray for one another and so that we can bring others to You.  Thank You Jesus for my immediate family, and my brothers and sisters in Christ and for the church.  I am blessed.  Yet I am not worth such blessings.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.

James 4

¹¹ Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? 

I sit in judgment often, not seeing others as God sees them.  In addition, God says this:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Col 3:12

,,,

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.  1 Thes 5:11

In fact, I often sit in judgment with those most close to me, including my wife Lisa and my sons Zach and Dustin. 

My Prayer: Lord, You are awesome just because You love me - I say this because I am full of sin and deeply broken.  I slander often.  I thank You of course for Your love but also for the many blessings that You pour out to me and over me...again and again and every day.  Please forgive me for my slander and purify me of this wicked sin.  Purify and transform both my heart and my life.  Help me be more like You.

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:11-13

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 4:1-13, as I move on to what the commentary describes as the third division "Entering with the Word," which looks at Hebrews 4:11-13.  Here, the commentary calls out how the text in v11 reinforces the exhortation to "strive to enter [God's] rest."  Key to this effort is how we encourage one another daily (see Hebrews 3:12); the commentary shares how corporate worship enables this encouragement: "[t]his is one of the things we do every Sunday in corporate worship when we sit under the preaching of the Word of God. This is what we do when we sing together. This is what we do when we pray together. This is what we do when we fellowship together. We gather in corporate worship to encourage one another to be fully satisfied in Christ and in him alone, lest we fail to enter his rest."  The commentary then pivots to how the text in v12-13 highlights the Word of God and the key role it plays to helps us avoid "falling away." It shares that "[s]ince God is the author of Scripture, it is not a dead book. As God lives, Scripture lives....Thus, Scripture, because it is God’s Word, is alive and life giving. The Bible is not a bunch of dead, lifeless words. It is the living Word of God.  It accomplishes everything God wills. As the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah, 'so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do' (Isaiah 55:11)....The description of the Bible as a sword that can pierce and divide the soul demonstrates the invasive quality of the Word....it is Scripture that reads us. Scripture untangles the human heart and unearths sin like no other book can. No other book can discern the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Only God’s Word can do that....In conjunction with the Holy Spirit, the Word of God cuts through the sin and darkness of the human heart to restore spiritual health and vitality for Christ. Without the Word, we are as good as dead. God’s Word, however, eradicates the disease of the human heart and breathes life where there is death....Without the Word, we are as good as dead. God’s Word, however, eradicates the disease of the human heart and breathes life where there is death....Scripture strips us bare before our own eyes and before the eyes of God because it exposes God’s ineffable character. As Calvin famously stated, “It is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked on God’s face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself” (Institutes, I.I.2). God gives us the gift of Scripture so that we will not follow the example of Israel’s disobedience." Worship and commune with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and read/study God's Word! 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who provides the church, my brothers and sisters in Christ, and Your Word, so that I am armed to not fall away...thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of these blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.

Psalm 75

It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. v7

As humans it is not impossible to form judgements, about people, circumstances...we are constantly making judgements.  However, we should not condemn others regarding their sin.  That is between that person and God alone.  

In the church, however, we are to support and encourage one another by speaking truth into a brother or sister's life.

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. Matthew 18:15

We are designed to live together (Proverbs 27:17) and to confess our sins to one another.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You alone are judge...and You are just.  You are also full of mercy and grace, holding back punishment when we deserve it, forgiving us, and blessing us also when we don't deserve it. You are an awesome God!  Thank You Jesus as I am not worth such mercy, grace, and blessing.  I am broken...full of arrogance, pride, selfishness, etc.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.

Psalm 5

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. v11

In this Psalm, David is acknowledging that God protects His children. In world where sin is ever present - as it has been since the dawn of man - God is our only refuge.  In this specific verse (and in the remaining verses), David prays for his fellow believers.  We must encourage one another as believers...there is power in community.

See also posts here, Acts 2:42-47.  In particular:

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Hebrews 3:12-14.

My Prayer: My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an incredible God You are...I know You love me, You encourage me, Your Word encourages me, my brothers and sisters in Christ encourage me and You provide the Holy Spirit that is always with me...awesome!  I am not worthy of such a God.  I am harsh in my words and often discouraging to others.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin.  Help me turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects of chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin, and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. v24-25

As a result of Jesus sacrifice on the cross, the author of Hebrews wants us to "hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (v23)."  Our ability to "hold unswervingly to the hope" we have in Jesus is very difficult outside of our brothers and sisters in Christ who spur us on through encouragement and sharpening.

John Piper provides many other scripture examples on these topics.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has given me brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage me and help me grow into who You desire for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and encouragement.  I am often harsh with my words and actions and I gossip.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help em grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.