Whom do you Run to?

Hebrews 4:16

Why did most of us run to mother as a child, when our little world turned bad?  When big brother locked us out of the room with his friends, or would not let us play ball at the big park, or when we had fallen from our bike or the mesquite tree and needed some monkey blood (iodine) to clean out our scrape.  Why did we run to mom, was it not that mother was full of mercy and dad often wasn’t?  So as an adult whom do you run to?  In many cases it is no longer mom or dad, in fact they may be coming to you for advice, so who is your source?  I’m sure your needs have increased along with your responsibility, and as an adult you have had many bought lessons about who can be trusted, and you often feel as if you are carrying the worlds problems on you shoulders.

If we cut to the chase, it comes down to whom can we trust, who will put our needs and interest before theirs?  I’m blessed to have friends, a few that I would trust with my life and the life of my wife, but would they die for me, and a better question is, would I die for them?  I’m not sure they would or that I would if called on to do so, but this I know: Jesus Christ has answer to that question, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  It goes on to say we were more than sinners, we were enemies of Christ, and yet he died for us.  That is why Hebrews 4:16, speaks to my heart, I find in Christ one who has all the resources, who is full of grace and mercy, who put my needs above His dignity.  He being God had every right to demand my respect, my honor, but He chose to place my needs above His. 

Let these words enter your heart if you need a friend to run to with a broken marriage, loss of a child or family member, the need of a job or a way out of a harmful circumstance.  Hebrew 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

My blog; http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

A Box for Everyone

Hebrews 4: 14-16

I’ve come to the understanding that most people want to put you in a box; it is so much easier that way, he is a lawyer, he is a doctor, he is a salesperson, he is a Catholic or Baptist.  When asked the question, where do you go to church, or where do you work; it is more about the box than anything else.  If you say Catholic, they have a box, if you say Baptist the box gets larger, and if you say lawyer or politician, we all know the box that you fit in.   
When you think of Jesus what box do you put Him into?  Do you see Him as your High Priest?  Growing up Baptist we did not have priest, we did not have Bishops, we had pastors, and in the small Baptist churches I attended as a child, they all had one thing in common, they did what the deacons told them to or they were in for a hard time.  If you are of another group it may come as a surprise that each Baptist church calls its own pastor, and does not answer to any other person or church official.  So when it comes to priest or High Priest, the only understanding we have is from what the Bible tells us of priestly duties.
The high priest was responsible for the Tabernacle, its daily offerings and functions and also its regular Feasts, three times in the year: at Passover, at Pentecost and at Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (which was followed by a week of joy in the Feast of Tabernacles), as seen from Leviticus chapter 23.
On the Day of Atonement it was uniquely the high priest's responsibility to take the blood of the sacrificed goat into the Holy of Holies on behalf of all God's people for forgiveness of their sins.  Now this was an ongoing responsibility that was required each year.
But Jesus is our high priest, in fact He is referred to in this way; “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

All others who serve in the role of high priest, from Aaron until now have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but not our great high priest Jesus who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  All the others had to first make sacrifices for their sins, just as they did for the people.

Most of us do not think this man, who is my priest or pastor, is a person who like me chooses to sin, who like me needs someone who understands his weakness, and the sins that entangle his life.  And like you and I, he needs a high priest who is able to sympathize with his weaknesses.  As my first mentor loved to say, “Smile you Rascal, God knows all about you but He loves you anyway.”  Not only is Jesus our Creator, our designer, our Lord and our God, He is our high priest, and he is making intercession before the Father on our account.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Manufactures Handbook

 

Hebrews 4:8-13

Part of being a Christian is to put others before self, sounds easy, but it goes off message from what we have seen and learned in our self absorbed culture, or as the Scripture states, in this present darkness.  To do an act of righteousness, with no thought of a return on your investment, of money, or time, only because the thought came into your mind, that is what Jesus would have me do.  Once we set out minds on serving, and not to be noticed, or to win the approval of someone other than God the Father; we begin to enter His rest by faith. Redemption was an act of Jesus Christ for the sin of humanity by His death on the cross, but as a believer, all around us is a world in decline, and our job is to be light in this present darkness.  Our calling is to tell the world that we come in contact with, that they must cease trusting in their work for redemption, and look only to the finished work of Christ.  That is my take on verses 8-11, and yet that is a total impossibility without a full understanding and trust in verses 12 and 13.

“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 4:12-13)  My dear friend Carroll Ray Jr. referred often to this as the Manufactures handbook on living life on planet earth.  It tells us that in the beginning there was God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God with three personalities, and three different tasks or functions, but in total oneness and purpose.  It gives us insight into the creation and the Creator, and we have a glimpse of life without sin, and the deception and enticement of sin, the fall of man as sin entered the world.  We have many accounts of God coming to men like Abraham and Moses; examples of God using men to lead a fallen people back to Him.   It shows us the intent of man is evil, bent on being in control of His life, of being his on little god.  But it also shows us the love of the Father, the love of the Creator for His creation, and the price that He was willing to pay to buy us back out of sin.  It is a guide on life, it gives us instruction on how to love our wife, or husband, our children, and our neighbors.  It gives clear instruction on the workplace, and how we are to conduct business, on wealth and possessions and how they are to be used.  It teaches us that life is not about acquiring stuff, but seeking and worshiping God and being content with all that you have been given.  It is a handbook about living life, not on just making it through another day.  It is about having a relationship with your Creator and enjoying His fellowship; it is worth your reading and asking the Author to open your heart to the many truths that are there for the true seeker.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Noise is a Huge Factor

 

Hebrews 4:7

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”  Have you given any thought to how hard it is to hear the voice of God in this noisy world we live in?   For the last two years Jan and I have hosted ten young ladies at our home in what is called a “Believers weekend.”  This year it was eight eighth graders and two college girls as leaders, and it is a given that the noise factor was a might above what this home is used to.  In fact, it was going strong until 3:00 A.M. when Jan, in a nice way, said girls it is time to go to sleep.  Now that may not be the best example, but I’m suffering from sleep deprivation.

Noise is a huge factor, often we talk about desiring quiet, but when we attain a quiet setting, we often are very uncomfortable and look forward to the TV, radio, or computer to relieve the silence.  We have been trained like a bird dog to want noise.  But is God in the noise, or where can we hear His voice.  In First Kings 19, we have the account of a great prophet of God who has encountered the enemy and comes away with a great victory.  But somewhere in the aftermath, God chooses not to remember our sins. He chooses never to bring them up again Elijah seems to forget who gave the victory and is running for his very life from the evil Jezebel.  He is hiding out in a cave when he hears a word from the Lord, asking, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  But that was not the end of the story, God told Elijah to stand at the mount before the Lord.

We pickup the story in verse 11b, “And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.  And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.  And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.  And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah.”  What can we learn from this, first, that we are all open to a low after a great spiritual victory?   Also, that we like Elijah, are often listening for God in some mighty act, but God had to get Elijah to a quiet cave, in order to hear the low whisper of God’s voice.

I also believe it is important to understand when God is not speaking to you.  The enemy of your soul also has a voice that speaks to our minds, that voice sounds just like your voice, and all too often we believe it is from God.  So how can we know that it is not the voice of God; “If you confess you sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)  God does not beat you up over what has been forgiven, in fact; God chooses not to remember our sins. He chooses never to bring them up again, it a grace thing.  The Holy Spirit never attacks your character, two things that come to your mind that are never from God; Is that you have no worth or value, or that you deserve something, anything.  But these are tools of the enemy of your soul, and if you are not trained to understand and taught to listen for you Fathers voice you will be taken captive.  Jesus told us this; “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Some did but many did'nt

Hebrews 4:2

“For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.”

Wow, did you get that, I read over that many times, and it is the first time I grasp what is being said and the ramification for the local church.  If I understand, some listened and by faith believed and yet others refused to receive the message of faith, they wanted programs, charts, and ways to measure the results.  So we have the ones who listen and receive by faith and received the benefit, and a much larger group that also hear the message, but received nothing because they would not faith it. 

Now I said the ones who heard the message, but did not receive any benefit, is consistence with what took place in Moses time, and a good example is the manna that God sent with instructions on when to gather it and what to do with any that was left over.  Here are the instructions from God, passed on by Moses to the people; “Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”  However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.”  (Exodus 16:19-20)  Now we know that on the sixth day God gave different instructions, on that day they were to gather twice as much as needed because God would not send any on the seventh day.  Did that stop them from going out on the seventh day, no way, and many did not follow the instructions together twice as much on the six, so they heard the message, but they were full of knowledge, without the benefit of applied faith.  Picking up the story in verse 28, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?”

I believe the Lord is still asking that question of His church, of you and me who are His hands and feet, are we not His body, are we not His church?  Often, way to often, I have to confess that I have a very small faith in a great an mighty God, and that I’ve been in the group that does not keep commands and does not follow instructions to often.  I’ve stated many times that we have a faith problem, we have a belief problem, and we have a history of people just like us. 

Do you recall the account of Jesus appearance in another form to two of his disciples after his resurrection and they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.  In the gospel of Mark 16:14-16, we have this report; “Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked then for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”  Yes, you and I fall into a very select group of unbelievers, but take heart, they listen, and they received the Holy Spirit power.  And by faith, they became not only headers of the word, but doers, they were world changers and so can we.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Have you failed in Reaching it?

 

Hebrews 4:1

When reading a verse like the one above it brings fear to my heart, not for myself, but for the many who did what I did, joined a church but did not enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Jesus being God knew all things, and from the beginning he knew that man wanted to be in control, that he wanted a god that was like him, or one that he made.  Jesus also knows that mankind is willing to be very religious and the more his religion requires the better he performs.  Jesus knew that to ask a person to deny self and by faith to trust in His atonement, His finished work on the cross, the victory over sin was going to be a stumbling block for many.  It was for me for 27 years, I believed in my head, but was fearful of entering into His rest, it came down to this, I was not sure Jesus loved me and I had many reasons to believe that no one who knew me could really love me.

Hebrews 4:1, “Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.”  Most of my life on this planet I’ve been admonished not to fear.  Fear is the opposite of faith, but both the Old and New Testaments have one theme in common, fear God.  What does that mean?  Is God not our Father, has He not spoken of loving us so much that He allowed His only Son to die in our place, and without question the answer is yes, that is the gospel.  I find myself coming back to that He is Creator God and I am created, His ways are not my ways, and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts.  I am the only creation that was made in His likeness, you and I have this in common with God; we were given the ability to reason.

 My prayer for all of us who struggle is found in Psalm 86:11, “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.”  And when we have learned to apply this verse to our life, it will not mean we are free from trials and troubles, but we will learn to believe, trust, and wait on our loving Father.  As I ponder on these thoughts, I found myself in the book of Micah chapter 7 and verse 7, “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”  Remember that God has given you the ability to reason, in that way you are in His likeness, and it is of eternal importance, what is the object of your faith?  There is one truth, one God and one baptism, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Promise is a Promise

Hebrews 3:16-19

A promise is a promise, especially with it comes from our Creator, and it was first given to Abraham in Geneses 12:7, a promised land, the land of Canaan.  And we understand that the chosen people were enslaved in Egypt and God used a man named Moses to lead them to the land of promise.  But many who had been chosen, never entered that land, verse 19 gives this insight: “So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” 

Often, when we read over the cost of their unbelief, our minds do not go to what an unbelieving heart cost others.  It cost their children 40 years in a wilderness going to funerals, watching their older brothers and sisters, their mothers and dads, and even grandparents die and be buried.  The promise was theirs, but most did not believe the promise, they had misplaced faith in a man, Moses, and when things got hard they rebelled.  Rebellion will always come when the people lose faith in the object of that hope, and these people, the ones who followed Moses had misplaced their hope in Moses, and not in the God who parted the Red Sea.

Are you in a wilderness of unbelief?  Have you misplaced your faith in a church or preacher?  Who is the object of your faith?  Do you have any understanding of what has been promised to you, and I’m not talking in the hereafter. You and I have a responsibility to “act like Jesus tells the truth” that is faith, and it is faith that others watching will desire.  This world system is built on self, greed, and putting your trust in governments, Corporations, money, or anything but the promises of Jesus Christ.  So unless we act on those promises, unless we teach them at home, and unless our Children and grandchildren see the object of our faith, will they not also wander in the wilderness of unbelief?

Many of us often go to church, we attend Bible studies, but we seem to fall short, we still live life on our terms.  If you are on that road, and you are sick of self, sick of always coming up short, it is time to grit your teeth and ask God to guide you to “How.”  Psalm 119:9-11 gives us this, “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your word.  With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!  I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”  What you and I store up and treasure in our hearts is what we will draw from in time of need, in times of catastrophe, so store up His word, know and put to memory His promises; then when you hear His voice you will know how to answer.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice