Hebrews 4:12-14 Hidden Sin, Really?

Hebrews 4:12-14  “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.   Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (NASB)

So, I was in Boise this week and stayed at a hotel downtown where the company had arranged the meeting that I came to attend.  This particular hotel chain is one that I frequent a lot although I had never been to this particular property.  My experience is that the rooms are always clean and comfortable and I can always count on a comfortable bed.  I’ll start by saying my overall experience was different this time.

I always have road warrior travel stories.  This one started in near tragedy when the shuttle driver handed me the other guy's bag at the second to last stop upon arrival Monday night.  In the darkness I didn’t notice, just toted it in and started to check in.  Oddly when I let go of the bag to reach for my wallet it flopped over – NOT MY BAG.  Well, that’s just how this visit went with the TV remote not working, the key reader to the outside door not working and etc.

Well after the first day of meetings I returned to my hotel room briefly to drop my computer bag and rejoin the group for dinner.  When I walked in, I saw something that didn’t register at first.  Something odd about my suitcase; something out of place.  When I looked purposely at it I saw the maid had left her rubber gloves behind.  Not only left them behind in my room, she left them behind IN MY SUITCASE!

Now, I don’t really know the ins and outs of housekeeping down to the last detail.  I couldn’t make a hotel bed just the way they do and I don’t have an endless supply of those tiny mints.  But I’m pretty sure the first page of the housekeeping manual says – DON”T PUT YOUR DIRTY RUBBER GLOVES IN THE GUEST'S SUITCASE!

So, she knew what she was doing was wrong – she just thought she would get away with it.  You know, she worked all alone in that room with her cart strategically placed so no one could follow her in.  What she did in there was completely HIDDEN!  Or was it?

You see, as benign as this little housekeeping incident seems it is sinful behavior; it is sin.  And it is sin that I’m quite certain the maid had not intended to reveal.  You know, sometimes there are sinful behaviors that people do flagrantly – IN YOUR FACE sins.  The parades in San Francisco come to mind as examples.  It would be hard to argue that anyone involved in some of that outlandish behavior regardless of their misguided beliefs could think what they do in some of those parades is upright and wholesome behavior.  That’s IN YOUR FACE sin.  The maid’s actions were not, she committed her deed in private.

The problem with hidden sin is that it can sometimes fool the perpetrator into living a double life; putting on the sparkling image in public but knowing secretly of their dark and shameful behavior.  Sin is that way – it eats at us – it ultimately will KILL us.  That is if it is not dealt with.

Scripture tells us of the remedy.  As believers the Word of God – Scripture itself is referenced in the passage quoted today.  “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  So, as Christians the Word of God is at work in our lives as a spiritual scalpel.  It can actually cut through with surgical precision to “Judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  That precision work of rooting out the evil that continually creeps into our lives because of our sin nature is a preservative surgery we need on a continual basis as believers.  We’re all sinners – all of our hearts are darkened by that stain of sin that fell upon our kind since the fall of man.

But, I’ll just HIDE!  My sin is mine alone!   

Baloney!!!

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”  Scripture is pretty clear here – THERE IS NO HIDING!  You can’t get away from the black and white facts.  You may fool your fellow man.  You may even tidy up after yourself most of the time by picking up those gloves you left in the customer’s suitcase – but your sin is not hidden from “His sight”.  “All things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him.”  So, who are you fooling?  Yourself?  Your family?  Your friends?  Your fellow church goers?

Some years ago the elders went through study called, “Experiencing God” together.  It is an intensive study and I highly recommend it to anyone individually but especially to a small group.  That said, my own experience when it came time in the book to “Walk with God” was quite profound.  The instruction was to go someplace alone with no distractions and simply bare all before your creator.  It took me several days to figure out how and where to accomplish my “Walk with God”.  I finally did it on a lonely drive home one night.  It is something I will never forget as I finally understood standing before my God, “Naked and ashamed.”  I came to terms with the truth that was always there but finally was real to me – there are no secrets with God, there are NO HIDDEN SINS!  I shook in the reality of that moment and unexpectedly I am sobbing even now.

But, our God is good!  He doesn’t leave us alone in that state of weakness and vulnerability.  He’s been there, done that.  Read on in the passage, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.´  We can trust in Jesus because He has walked among us and experienced every temptation and worse and yet did NOT sin.  That’s a great thing because it gives us a Savior in whom we can confide, in whom we can trust.

And although previously unquoted I will close today with the end of the chapter which sums things up nicely, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:15-16 (NASB)  AMEN!

James 1:9-11 Pray Scripture

James 1:9-11  "But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;  and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.  For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away". (NASB)

A few weeks back Sam Ingrassia came to speak to our men.  Men had been encouraged to come and many did to what I had thought would be a motivational call to leadership in the church and at home.  What I found instead was a challenge for me to lead my wife in a prayer life under our own roof.  Sam pointed out the obvious; you can have the best intentions and even start all gung ho in praying with your wife but before long you will notice that your prayers begin to be repetitive.  After you pray the same old thing time after time you’ll begin to wonder, “Why am I doing this” or you maybe just quit all together.  Praying together was something I had been challenged to do many times before and knew I should.  Besides the guilt trip however, I had never been given the tools to accomplish the task.  That is until that Saturday with Sam.  Sam’s simple solution – pray Scripture.

Sam’s full message in three parts is on You Tube linked below.  Here is the simple four step process:

1)Read a section of Scripture together

2)Think about what it means allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you

3)Discuss what you are seeing and how it may apply to your lives

4)Pray

Sam was clear, “You won’t do this every day” he said.  And he was right.  With my travel schedule and the way our household works, Sharon and I have done this now exactly three times.  But we know when we are going to do it and we know what will come next as we work through the book of James one section at a time.  It is remarkably simple and very rewarding.

Last night we came to the passage above – James 1:9-11 speaking of brothers of humble means and another, the rich man.  We read the passage and came up with the clear contrast of the two men.  We were reminded of the Scripture about the challenge of the rich man entering into heaven, thus the “High Position” of the “Brother of humble means”.  We were also reminded of the brevity of life, “Like flowering grass he will pass away” and “For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed”.  This also reminded us of the preciousness of life and the need to make the most of the time we have.

Then we prayed, Sharon first and then me and thanksgiving for the blessings of a recent bonus were shared along with thoughts of reliance on Him as an expected raise had not come through.  We prayed about the brevity of life and thought back to our prayer time last in seeking wisdom for life events taking place and our reliance on Him.  We thanked Him for this precious life and asked Him to constantly remind us to frame it for us in the context of eternity; to keep our priorities right and to help us with parenting in that regard.

So, the passage prompted our prayer; we prayed Scripture.  You can too following the simple formula and allow the Holy Spirit to prompt you from there.  And this is a NO GUILT ZONE!  Sharon and I have done it three times, but we have done it. You should too!  AMEN!

John 15:7-11 Joy Complete

John 15:7-11  "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.   "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.  "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.  "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full”. (NASB)

There are those in Christian circles that claim what has been referred to as a “Prosperity” gospel.  Simply put it is a “Name it and Claim it” attitude that says God wants us to have everything we ask for.  All we have to do is go to Him earnestly in prayer and He will grant us whatever it is.

Poppycock!  That is just not the way it is.  Creator God is not a genie in a bottle waiting to grant our wishes.

This passage in John’s gospel however does point to some things that might be misunderstood as a prosperity gospel message when if fact that is not the case.  Let’s take a closer look at these words of Christ.

Let’s stipulate up front that the passage does say, “Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”.  If that was a standalone thought it might be argued that you have your genie in a bottle proof text.  That is not in fact the case.  The condition of, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you” preceed the “Ask whatever you wish … “statement.  So what does He mean when He says “Abide in me” and regarding His words that they “Abide in you”?  Abide means to “Continue in a place” according to Webster.  I like to refer to it as taking up residence.  So you might paraphrase the passage to read, “If you live in Me and My words live in you …”.  So the condition on the name it and claim it appears to be an inseparable relationship with Christ.  Living in Christ and His word living in you results in the capacity to “Ask whatever you wish and …”. 

Now that sounds a little different than just dream something up and ask for it.  Why?  Because when you are that close with Jesus you won’t be thinking selfishly.  You will be in fact thinking correctly about things such that when you pray it will be according to His will.  Jesus prayed in the garden, “…, Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42 NASB).

So the bottom line here is that we can ask for and expect to come to pass exactly what we ask when we are praying perfectly in God’s will.  Sounds simple right?  Yep!  Do you know why?  Because of grace.  Grace provides a couple of helpers in the process.  First, a little humble pie though.  Scripture tells us quite clearly, “We do not know how to pray as we should”. (Romans 8:26 NASB)  So it’s hopeless then right?  Wrong!  The full passage reads this way, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words”.

But you said there were two helpers.  That’s right.  Jesus Himself helps in the process of prayer.  The book of Hebrews speaks in long passages of Jesus’ ministry as our “Great high priest” ministering on our behalf.  See Hebrews 6-8

Now there is a point to all of this praying and that is that when His will is accomplished when we pray that way then it can ultimately be counted or even measured.  There is something that has transpired that can be pointed to and taken not of.  In the same way a farmer harvests his crop bringing it to yield the Lord refers to the work that is accomplished through this ministry of prayer.  John records,  "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples”.  This is a direct outcome of the abiding and the praying which of course is something that Christians that are submitting to the Lord do.  So the bearing of fruit or yielding good things for Christ is the way we can count the accomplishments that are done by God through his servants.

I want to get to what I see as a critical point in the passage and one reason I clipped this long passage in the first place.  John wraps up this section by showing us another result beyond fruit being produced when we submit to Him in our abiding and our prayer.  That result is a direct benefit to us, the believer.

JOY!

John records that when all of this abiding and yielding fruit takes place we are filled with joy.  Jesus said it this way, "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full”.  So he is letting us in on this information for this specific purpose – so that His, “Joy may be in you”.  Isn’t it exciting to think that Jesus thought enough of us to share this thought with us letting us in on the understanding that if we will abide in Him, allow His word to abide in us and pray according to His will yielding fruit as His servants then His joy will be in us?  And that isn’t the whole thing.  He says, “That your joy may be made full”.  Other translations say “Made complete”.

Now that is a great closing thought indeed.  Jesus wants us to abide in Him and His word in us ultimately so that through the accomplishment of His will through us His servants we will receive abundant joy.  AMEN!

Philippians 4:6-8 Anxiety Cure

Philippians 4:6-8  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (NASB)

So, it’s 3:30 in the morning and I’m sitting in my hotel room after a week of meetings here at the “Happiest Place on Earth” and I’m writing my BLOG.  OK …  Most folks would be sleeping you’d say?  Well, it’s not like I just got in from a late night of carousing with the gang.  We did have a nice banquet to close out the meeting but then I turned in.  After some decent sleep I found myself thinking and actually wrestling with the events of the week and the meetings and decisions that need to come next.  Yep, right here at Disneyland, I was tossing and turning anxious about business decisions ahead.  After an hour or so of being fully aware that was going on, I gave up and got up.  I’ll BLOG then decide it is time to sleep or just pack up and drive back to Wasco.

As I came to clear thinking this Scripture came to mind.  “Be anxious for nothing” was the phrase that the Holy Spirit recalled to my memory.  It comes from Paul’s letter to the Philippians and comes in chapter 4 of 4 near the close of the letter.  I don’t know that you would call it a benediction but it is a portion of the closing remarks, the thoughts Paul wants left on the minds of the readers.  Thankfully, Paul doesn’t just give the admonition to not be anxious and drop it there; he gives some direction.

Paul adds, “But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God”.  So, being anxious for nothing is not simply one of those self help techniques; a mind over matter deal.  No, “Be anxious for nothing” is the state of mind as we come to prayer and petition of the Lord.  And how are we to pray?  We are to offer our prayers and requests (supplications) with “Thanksgiving”.  With an attitude of thanksgiving we lift up our prayers and our requests to God and when we do, the promised result … “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.  WOW!  So, if I’ll just stop a minute and with an attitude of thanksgiving give a little prayer to God about how things are and what’s on my mind, he’ll return to me more than I can possibly understand in the form of peace.

I feel better!

And now that I do, Paul gives me a little more … “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things”.

Shazamm!  Not only has Paul shown me the remedy for my anxiety but he’s shown me with what to fill the void.  Fill up my mind with good stuff and there simply won’t be room for all that crud anymore.  God’s Word is good! AMEN!

James 5:14-16 Pain in The Neck

James 5:14-16  "Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;  and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.  Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much". (NASB)

So as I was about to leave the new doctor’s office the PA said is there anything else?  I said well, there is this lump in my throat.  My old doc said it was probably acid reflux and to take Prilosec which you can just get over the counter now.  So that’s what I’d been doing for the past six months.  But since she asked – I went ahead and mentioned it.

She asked if I’d had an upper GI and I said I hadn’t so she thought that would be a good idea.  She also thought an ultrasound of my thyroid would be a good idea since it’s in the same area and I do take thyroid medication.  Well, I did that a couple of days later then I went off and did my marathon week of travel to Arizona.  When I was at a gas station in Burbank filling up the rental car I got a call to check in with the Dr. and they wanted to have me come in.  The next week on Wednesday at about as late as a Drs. Office is open I had my appointment and we went through all the other tests the PA had run.

We were about to part and I said “Hey,  what about that ultrasound”?  She said, “Oh yea”!  She consulted her laptop computer.  (She only uses a laptop computer – doesn’t write anything down at all – everything is in the computer – I like that)  Anyway – she looks at the computer and starts reading.  She reads for a L O N G   T I M E.  When she finally looks up she says well, “You have a ‘nodule’ on your thyroid”.  “You actually have a very LARGE nodule on your thyroid”.  Hmmm!  So, “What does that mean” I said.  She said "It's  either a cyst or it's cancer".  Well, how do you like that? 

Now the interesting thing is they can’t do much more until I go off of my stinking thyroid medicine for four weeks.  Then they’ll do a “Nuclear” test and that will show “Hot Spots” if there are any.  Whatever that means.  So, it’s a bit of a waiting game right now.

So this is a personal BLOG today.  Why am I sharing?  Well, you have been faithfully reading and as such I’m hoping you are also men and women of faith and men and women of prayer.  I’m now asking for your prayers for me.  I have asked the elders of our local church to follow the Biblical model shown above and pray for and anoint me in the service this Sunday.  As I shared with them earlier today in an e-mail I don’t know how sick I am but I know that I am sick.  I covet your prayers and a quick healing from the Lord and those He chooses to use with wisdom and skill.

In closing I would like to share an interesting perspective.  While this has been taking shape over the last couple of weeks the company I work for has also announced a restructuring.  I’ve been through those before and there is little risk my current job is in jeopardy so there is virtually no concern there.  But, I do have some aspirations for a management position.  I can tell you that with a health based life and death situation shaping up on one hand and a career change looming on the other the life and death one is the easier of the two.  My eternity is secure.  That’s the no brainer.  AMEN!

Hebrews 4:16 Time of Need

Hebrews 4:16  “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. (NASB)

My son is away at school an upper class-man at Fresno State and on track to graduate in four years.  I am blessed by his diligence toward his schooling as he continually gets high marks.  I am likewise blessed that he has found employment with a company that has turned into more than summertime work.  He has continued to work through the fall semester and has now started back during the spring.  In addition, the work is in his field of study so at least the work experience will qualify him upon graduation for full time employment somewhere.  At best, the company he works for may want him permanently.

All those remarks on our blessings are to set the premise for our suffering.  His work requires him to travel half an hour to and from the yard where he can pick up his company truck.  That extra wear and tear has taken its toll and we have recently found ourselves with unexpected repair bills.  Front end, tires, starter and flywheel, tune up, towing and now a catalytic converter add up to thousands of dollars we hadn’t planned on spending.

OUCH!

What to do, what to do?  As I write the BLOG today this is what’s on my mind and I have to turn back to Scripture to remind me to pray.  I have in Jesus a “Great high priest” Hebrews 4:14 who has walked among us and suffered all we have suffered and so much more.  I also have to put in perspective my troubles with those of others facing much worse.  I am so blessed yet find a situation for which I don’t have an easy answer.  I need to give this one to the Lord and pray and think and yield to Him.  I don’t need to panic or face despair or get angry; none of that will help.

Scripture says I should pray so pray I will.  I won’t pray for the easy answer but I will pray for the revelation of His perfect will under these circumstances.  If we are called to a season of doing without, well maybe that’s just what we need.  What I do know is that God’s Word is true; when I draw near to the “Throne of Grace” I will “Receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”.  AMEN!

Jeremiah 17:13-14 Healing

Jeremiah 17:13-14  “O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD.  (14)  Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.” (NASB)

Today my dad is having surgery and I’m sitting in the waiting room with my mother and brother anticipating a good outcome.  As we wait I decided to search through Scripture on healing and find many references.  It is clear Jesus and the Apostles performed miraculous healing during their ministries.  But what about today?

The first Scripture I’d like to share is this passage from Jeremiah.  I think the attitude shown here is the key and a lesson for us to remember today.  First, the prophet acknowledges God, “The Hope of Israel” and the stark reality that all will not accept Him.  He says, “All who forsake You will be put to shame.  Those who turn away on earth will be written down”.  That is remembered but not in a good way.  The truth of who God is and our relationship to Him is the foundation for what comes next.

The prophet yields to God as he writes, “Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise”.  This yielding to God’s will is the attitude we are to have with regard to His healing and His saving us.  In other words, the position is one of faith in the Lord and acceptance of His will; “Your will be done” Matthew 6:10.  So with regard to our reliance on God’s healing it is to be from a position of reliance, hope, faith and submission.  “Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed”.

In the New Testament, James 5:14-16 addresses the topic.  It begins by giving instruction to call on the elders to offer prayers for the sick.  I have been involved in that process several times and there is something special in both praying for and being prayed over in this situation.  The key remains praying for God’s will to be done.  This passage goes on, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16 (NASB)

The first step again is getting right with God through confession.  Then, it says to “Pray for one another so that you may be healed”.  This means that when we get right with God and come to Him with our prayers, yielding to His will, He hears our prayers and will accomplish healing in our bodies.  Please don’t misunderstand, it is when we pray according to His will that healing is accomplished.  “Heal me. O LORD, and I will be healed”.

All this to say, when we offer to pray for one another we are following the instructions provided in Scripture.  It is a good thing we do.  So today, as you read the BLOG please pray for my dad, Ken Nicol.  “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much”.  AMEN!

Hebrews 4:14-16 Our Great High Priest

Hebrews 4:14-16  “Therefore, since 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 cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (NASB)

Do you pray?  When you do, to whom do you pray?  As Christians we have been granted a unique privilege, the right to enter through prayer right into God’s presence with whatever praise or petition we wish to offer.

This is actually a big deal because until Christ’s work on the cross was complete it just didn’t happen.  Even now it only happens for those covered by the blood of Christ through faith.

Historically God spoke to and through a prophet.  Hebrews says, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,” Hebrews 1:1  An example of prayer on behalf of the people is given in 1 Samuel, “Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you." 1Samuel 7:5  Prayer was on behalf of the people, not by the people themselves.

Likewise, under the Law, there was a certain way for meeting with God.  Only the high priest appointed for that year following all necessary sacrifice and cleansing could enter a special place within the tabernacle and later the temple.  “Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,” Hebrews 9:3  It was there in that special place at the appointed time the high priest could speak to God on behalf of the people.  Meeting with God then was a very special and unique thing.

At the point of Christ’s death a very special thing occurred.  Matthew's gospel records the event this way, “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.” Matthew 27:51 

The significance is that upon Christ’s death the barrier between a Holy God and sinful man was removed.  It is symbolized by the torn veil but more importantly it provided the opportunity for those with faith in Christ to speak with God directly.  The Hebrews passage sited at the beginning sums it up, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace…”. Hebrews 4:16

We are able to pray to God because our high priest is Jesus himself, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”  Hebrews 4:14 

AMEN!