I ended last week's message on the note: Don't be an Esau! (I hope you'll go back and read part one and two of this series, if you haven't yet)
Today I'd like to expand my thoughts on that idea.
Galatians 6 verse 7 says: “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked.”
You may be able to fool some of the people some of the time, but that secret, ongoing sin you’re holding on to ... God sees, and He wants so much better for you!
Hebrews 12 tells us the way to pursue holiness: run a straight race, pursue peace, submit to God’s voice, strip off the weight of sin ... because only then can we worship God in reverence and awe!
The writer of Hebrews gives us three strong motivations not to be like Esau:
Firstly, let’s read Hebrews 12 verses 18 – 24... 'You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.'
At Mount Sinai, the Israelites refused God’s voice and chose to worship an idol instead ... but in the New Covenant the voice we hear is the voice of Christ the Mediator, and His voice says, “I love you. I forgive you. I cleanse you. I purchase you. I will always be there for you.”
Our primary motivation not to be like Esau is the preciousness of the Saviour and the unshakeable Kingdom He offers to us.
Don’t hold on to smelly, old, rotten sin, shutting out God’s voice and His grace, when this sweet promise of forgiveness and restoration is being offered so freely.
The second reason not to be like Esau is in verses 25 – 27 ... 'See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks.If they did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time His voice shook the earth,but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.'
We are warned that it is a fearful thing to ignore or reject the tender voice of the Lord. This warning is intended to shake us from our love affair with the things of the world, so that we can look into the eyes of the One who loves us most.
But then we receive the promise ... if we let go of the “shakeable things”, we will be cemented into God’s Kingdom, the great unshakeable Kingdom which will remain when all else is removed.
And thirdly, verse 28 - 29 ... 'Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
Why shouldn’t we be like Esau? Because our God is a consuming fire!
This is either a promise or a threat ... If you trust the promise of the unshakable Kingdom and lay up treasure in heaven, and worship Him in reverence and awe, then the fire of God will consume your adversaries and refine you as gold.
But if you reject the Lord, and instead prefer the fragile, shaky kingdom of this world, then you will meet the consuming fire of God as destruction, and not deliverance.
Does this jar with your preferred view of Jesus as gentle, meek and mild? Does this clash with your view of God as all-loving kindness?
Good – it should shake us and wake us!!
Don’t be fooled, friends ... God is truly a friend to those who love Him ... but He is not a homeboy, or a bud, or a "tjommie" (to use a word from my culture) ...
The revelation of the Word, the Good News of the Gospel, is truly the revelation of the kindness and goodness and grace of God.
But just as it would be cruel and unkind of me to see a man speeding down the highway, and I knew that just around the bend the bridge had washed away, and not do everything in my power to warn him – so it is both cruel and wrong of ministers of the Word, of churches and of individual believers not to warn our brothers and sisters of the dangerous game we play when we take God’s Word lightly.
God is both a consuming fire as well as a God of infinite love and forgiveness – and it is this very kindness and goodness that makes Him warn us of the Truth.
Let me speak now about those who are not believers ... that may be some of you here, and this may also be for those of us who have friends and family who are unsaved to take away today.
There are two huge false beliefs that are rampant in the world today regarding our eternal destiny.
The first is that everyone is going to be saved. There are some who preach, and many who believe, that whether a person accepts Jesus or not, whether they repent or not, makes no difference, because everybody’s going to be saved.
The truth is, there is no hint of truth to this in God’s Word. Hebrews 10 verse 29 and 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 15-16 tells us clearly that if a person rejects Christ, treading underfoot the blood of the covenant, that person is given over to the wrath of God.
The other false belief in the world is that of “annihilation” – that when we die, we are just dead – there is no life to come.
Again, there is not a grain of truth to this in the Word of God. Daniel 12 verse 2 tells us that those who lie in the dust will be raised – either to everlasting life or everlasting shame and contempt.
There is an eternity, but it is only in the here and now that we can choose where we will spend it.
Have I shaken your little Christian boat a little this morning? This wasn’t your usual feel-good type message, was it ... ?
Hebrews 12 is a slightly dark, almost threatening passage of Scripture, especially in a modern world where people prefer religion to make them feel BETTER about themselves, to make gods that suit their needs and their lifestyles.
Modern Christians have tended to cut God down to their size, to make God speak in their voices. Jesus is everyone’s good friend, a cheap therapist to make us feel good, and give us happiness, health and wealth ...
Except He isn’t, is He??
He is a REAL GOD, a BIG GOD, a GOD whose will and whose Word clashes and collides with our morals, our relationships, our politics, with every aspect of our lives ...
One of my favourite quotes is from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where the children are talking about Aslan, the Lion. Susan says, “Ooh, I thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe?”
“Safe?” said Mr Beaver ... “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”