November 1932
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
477
His seat at the Father’s right hand; the resources of His past work on earth and His present ministry in heaven are available to faith. With some such argument, the writer makes his appeal. A dmonition Following the exhortation, the apostle, proceeds to ad monish his hearers. Verses 4 to 16 may be considered under this heading. These Hebrew Christians were ex posed to persecution. The trial of faith, though precious, was severe. The race was becoming strenuous for them. But it might have been far worse, for “ ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” The sin o f unbe lief and spiritual depression is doubtless in view. They were suffering reproach and loss, and their souls were sorely tried. So. the writer proceeds to quote from Proverbs 3:11 and 12, “ My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord; nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” But why ? The answer seems to be this— “ God dealeth with you as with sons.” He permits the present suffering in order to secure beneficial results. These results are mentioned specifically in verses 7 and 8. Observe them carefully. Suffering or chastisement is “ for our profit” and “ that we might be partakers o f his holiness,” and also that “ the peaceable fruit o f righteous ness” might be produced. By this process, all the sons in the Father’s family are conformed to the image of that only begotten Son in whom the Father finds all His delight. A comparison and contrast follows between human and divine fatherhood. “ We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us.” During the days of our childhood, they chastened us according to their judgment and in order to meet their responsibilities. They might have been mis taken in judgment, therefore their correction would be quite imperfect; yet we gave them the respect due to them, flow much more then should we be submissive to Him whose judgment is perfect, and whose fatherly love goes beyond all human affection! The exhortation continues along two lines. In verse 14, it js personal; in verses IS to 17, it is social. “ Follow peace with all men,” even though they criticize and persecute. Follow after holiness, cultivate kindness, unselfishness, and love. Let your heart be right. Keep sin confessed up to date, so that the life may be constantly cleansed. Without this holiness, “ no man shall see the Lord.” Social respon sibilities are to be recognized and discharged. Exercise watchfulness and care for others. Let them not fail by your neglect. Some “ root of bitterness” may produce poisonous influences “ and thereby many be defiled.” The thoughtful reader will see the wisdom and aptness o f such counsel. Many a trying situation in the local church or community arises from the lack of prayerful supervision and concern for others’ good. Leaders fear or hesitate to interfere and correct, so the “ root o f bitterness” yields the fruitage o f trouble and defilement. Esau is mentioned as “ a fornicator, or profane person.” This should be understood in the spiritual sense. Esau bartered spiritual good for sense gratification. He forfeited future blessing in order to gratify an appetite. He turned away from the covenant-keeping God, which is the same as spiritual adultery. He had no appreciation of “ the things o f the Spirit.” This is profanity. When he saw what he had lost, he was greatly disturbed. In the words o f verse 17, “ he found no place o f repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” That which Esau sought was not repentance, but the blessing which he had foolishly for feited. He sought to reverse the result of his folly and get the blessing for himself, but in this he utterly failed. It
could not be. He might get another blessing but never that one. He had lost it forever. It was not the place of re pentance that was denied him. This is never denied to any man when it is sincerely sought. But blessing foolishly for feited is gone forever. Other blessings will come, but not that one. “ For one morsel o f meat,” a single meal, Esau sold his birthright. What a vivid contrast, what a small consideration! The peril o f selling future good for pres ent gratification is always with us. T he O ld and the N ew Beginning with verse 18, the apostle presents in a sub lime antithesis the limitations of the ancient Hebrews under the old covenant and the gracious privileges of those who live under the new arrangement. Sinai, fire, blackness, darkness, tempest, and terror—-these words are descriptive of the giving of the law. “ So terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.” Would these Hebrew Christians go back to that ? Will they not rather, by faith, lay hold of the Christian position and possession ? In spirit, it was theirs now; in person, they would enter into it later. They had come, not to Mount Sinai, but to another mount, even Sion, and unto the city o f the living God—the heavenly Jerusalem. Connected with this there were the angelic hosts, and God the universal Judge and the redeemed o f earth described as “ the spirits of just men made perfect.” Then there was “ Jesus the mediator of the new covenant,” and “ the blood o f sprinkling,” which speaks of a righteous judgment for sin and righteous grace for those who put their faith in the atoning blood of the Lamb of God. What a contrast! It was dark at Sinai, it is light at Sion. So glorious was the heritage o f the present as com pared with the past, that it was worth while to suffer and endure anything and everything rather than to forfeit their spiritual birthright for gratification or gain. Thus, by the grouping of privileges and advantages, by the portrayal o f “ the glory of his inheritance in the saints,” the Spirit of God seeks to hearten and encourage the people of God in their pilgrimage. A W arning The closing verses contain a warning against the peril of turning away “ from him that speaketh from heaven.” [Continued on page 480] Making the Lord’s Supper Central B y E . A . E arns Is the communion service too frequently an appendix to the morning sermon? I f the observance o f the Lord’s Supper is to mean anything, why should it be an appendix to the morning service? Feeling the need o f a change, the writer now takes only ten to fifteen minutes for an inspirational message, centered about the significance of the Lord’s Sup per—and there is abundant material to use—standing be hind the table instead of being in his pulpit. Then the dea cons are instructed to come at once without any call to the table, and the service begins. The reaction has been wonderful. The people have ex pressed their hearty approval of the change and declare that the Lord’s Supper has taken on a new meaning, since it is made the central thought of the morning worship in stead of, as formerly, only an addition. Another advantage of this plan is that the service is no longer than any other morning worship, and this, too, is appreciated. It is a blessed thing to remember our Lord’s death “ till he come.” Why not make the service central, sacred, and solemnizing ?
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