The Purpose of Trials (Hebrews 12:3-17)
Our trials are a tool that our loving Father uses to help us grow. Jesus suffered; you will too. But your suffering is purposeful. It’s evidence of his love and it’s designed to help you grow. So keep going. I never would have wanted the trail that we went through. You probably don’t want trials either. But you’re not alone. Your Savior suffered for you. Even in trials, your loving Father is at work, and he will use it for our good. Keep your eye on him. He will bring you safely home.
A few years ago, our family entered one of the most severe trials in our lives. It’s not the first time we suffered, but it was the most intense time of suffering we’ve experienced. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
We would get the kids ready for school. When they were gone, we would sit on the couch, not knowing how we were going to get through another day. Sometimes we’d sit in silence. Sometimes we’d cry. We’d often pray, but our prayers weren’t articulate prayers. Our prayers were sometimes just simple requests for God to help us.
That period lasted about four years. God was good, we learned a lot, but it was brutal.
I’ve learned that we’re not alone. As Ray Ortlund comments on the book of Job:
I used to think that the book of Job is in the Bible because this story of suffering is so extreme, so rare and improbable and unusual. I thought the message of the book is, ‘Look at this worst case scenario. Now, come on. Surely in your comparatively small problems, you can find your way.’ I don’t think that anymore. Now I think that the book of Job is in the Bible because this story is so common.
What should we do when we face troubles like this, when it feels like we’re barely hanging on?
Some of you know what it’s like to experience extreme trials. You know what it’s like to lose a marriage, to stand at the grave of a loved one, to experience chronic illness. What do you do when you face this kind of suffering?
Hebrews is written to a church in which some had experienced intense suffering for their faith. Their particular trial was persecution for the cause of Christ, something that you and I may face too. But what he writes also applies to other kinds of suffering too.
In this passage, the writer tells us three things we can do when we face this kind of suffering.
One: Consider Jesus (12:3-4).
“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (12:3).
You are not alone! God the Son himself knows what it’s like to suffer. As verse 2 says, he endured the cross and despised the shame. Jesus understood what it was like to be betrayed by friends. He knew what it’s like to be unjustly accused. Jesus understood physical pain. But even beyond that, Jesus experienced a kind of pain that you and I never will. He bore the sins of all who those who call him Lord. Jesus experienced an even more intense level of pain than you and I ever will.
In fact, that’s the point verse 4 makes. “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” You’re suffering, but, unlike Jesus, you haven’t shed your own blood in the struggle against sin. If Jesus endured this greater trial, you and I can endure the lesser trial we’re facing.
Consider the suffering of Jesus:
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53:3-6)
Jesus did this for me and for you. Jesus was willing to suffer for our sake. Jesus was willing to suffer the agony of the cross so that anyone who turned to him could be free from the penalty of sin. John Stott wrote:
I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the One Nietzsche ridiculed as ‘God on the cross.’ In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of the Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in Godforsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his.
Consider him, so “you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” When suffering, don’t lose heart. Don’t give up. You are not alone. Jesus suffered too. Consider Jesus and his sufferings. Remember his faithfulness and perseverance. Consider his willingness to suffer for you, and your sufferings may become more manageable in light of top his.
But that’s not all.
-
Deacons: The Office & How to Decide
This is an important office given to the church and Paul takes care to describe the one who feels led to seek it…First Timothy chapter three and verses eight and nine contain five descriptions that either qualify or disqualify a person from serving as a deacon.
The office of deacon is an important one. In one sense the deacon or servant is not distinctive. Christ described himself as a servant in Mark 10:45 saying, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” The word serve is the verb form of the noun. Followers of Christ must also serve. Paul describes himself and other ministers as servants (Ephesians 3:7, 6:21). Even the magistrate is a deacon of God (Romans 13:4). The role of servant is, shall we say, all encompassing.
However, the Lord gifted his church with gifted people. Again, this does not nullify the obligation enjoined on all believers to carry out their God given responsibilities. For example, all people are to give joyfully (II Corinthians 8:6-7) but some people have the gift of giving (Romans 12:8). Those not given to contribution should not withhold saying they simply aren’t gifted in that area. They must give. But the one gifted should exercise his gift liberally. Thus, all who belong to Christ are servants. But there is also the office of servant (deacon) with its accompanying gifts.
This is an important office given to the church and Paul takes care to describe the one who feels led to seek it. I simply want to look at some of the things Paul says about the one who might occupy that office in the church.
First Timothy chapter three and verses eight and nine contain five descriptions that either qualify or disqualify a person from serving as a deacon. First, a potential deacon must be dignified or worthy of respect. Their character must be stamped with virtue. It is a mistake when a church asks a lazy member to fill the role of deacon in order to motivate more participation! This is laughable but it sadly happens. The potential deacon must be an upright individual. Let me put it another way, if we were voting on a potential deacon we might ask ourselves a simple question, what sort of person am I voting for?
Read More -
Oaths in God’s Name—Deuteronomy 6:13
In Scripture God very specifically addresses the matter of using his name in a reverent manner:
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”Exodus 20:7
“It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.”Deuteronomy 6:13
In the Third Commandment God forbids using his name vainly, but does that include taking an oath in God’s name as is often done in courts of law, entering government service, and in marriage vows?
We should never take oaths lightly.
Essentially, an oath is calling out to God who knows our heart and the truth of what we affirm. The Heidelberg Catechism, first published in 1563, is a highly regarded summary of the Christian faith and has the following to say about the Third Commandment:
Read More -
10 Things You Should Know about the Most Famous Blessing in the Bible
Written by Michael J. Glodo |
Sunday, October 1, 2023
It is a great reminder when pronounced at the end of worship that we are to live every moment of life Coram Deo, before the face of God. As we go into the world, we do not leave the presence of God, for by his benediction he has set his name on us (Num. 6:27). The Aaronic blessing, the most famous blessing in the Bible, explains why faces are so important to us. It’s because they are important to God. God made us with faces so his could shine on ours.Aaronic Blessing
The most famous blessing in the Bible is arguably the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24–26.
The Lord bless you and keep you;the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Since it is the most frequently used benediction in Protestant worship, it’s quite possible that this Scripture text is the one you’ve heard most often in worship. Here are ten things you should know about this most famous blessing.
1. God’s face is a major biblical motif.
The story of the Bible could be summed up as a story of faces—God making us in his image with faces, us hiding our faces in shame, wrestling with God to see his face, seeing God’s glory in the face of Christ, and living in the hope of glory until we see God face to face. As Luther thought the Psalms “a little Bible,” it’s possible to think of the Aaronic Blessing as “a little gospel.”
2. It is a word of grace.
In its immediate context it follows redemption and consecration (Num. 5:1–6:21), meaning that it is a word of God’s grace in response to a people under grace committed to being a holy nation. God saved Israel out of bondage before he gave them the Law, and the people consecrated themselves in response. The Aaronic blessing wasn’t earned, but with it came the great responsibility to bear the name of God (Num. 6:27). Therefore, it is a benediction, a “good word” from God which both affirms our standing and exhorts us to be holy as God is holy.
3. It is a “stairway to heaven.”
The number of words and consonants in each line (3/5/7 and 15/20/25, respectively) show a progression toward a face-to-face encounter with God, forming verbal stair steps into God’s presence. The first part of each line is the cause for the effect which follows, incrementally raising us up to that most blessed state of peace, shalom.
4. It is not a prayer.
A prayer is a word from the people addressed to God, but the Aaronic Blessing is a word from God to us through his appointed messenger. Since it is the promise of God shining his face on us, it’s appropriate to look up to receive the benediction when God’s minister pronounces it. This is why God’s minister should memorize several benedictions so he can raise both hands and look God’s people in the face when he pronounces the blessing.
Read More
Related Posts:
