Living in the Light of Eternity

Transcription

1 Living in the Light of Eternity Hebrews 10:32-39 There are a number of metaphors the Bible uses to describe the span of time that we live on this earth. For example, the book of Job says that our days pass swifter than a weaver s shuttle (7:6). Isaiah says we are like the wildflowers in the field which are vibrant and colorful one day, and the next are dried and withered (40:6-8). We are told in another passage that life is like the morning mist which vanishes as soon as the sun comes up. These statements are not the poetic reflections of men who marveled how fast time flies. They are statements which are intended to help us understand and appreciate the nature of ultimate reality a reality that transcends time and space and what we experience with our five senses; a dimension that is far more profound, far more substantial, and far more glorious than our present earthly existence. The fact is our earthly lives, even though they seem quite real to us, are merely a shadow of reality. That s why the Bible calls us strangers and aliens in this world. The Bible says that for the believer this world is not our home, we re just passing through. Our citizenship is in heaven where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Heaven is ultimate reality. Ultimate reality is Jesus Christ sitting on a throne in heaven, everything revolving around Him, the Center of everyone s undivided attention, the Object of everyone s unceasing worship. In C.S. Lewis last chronicle of Narnia, The Last Battle, Peter and Edmund and Lucy are being ushered into heaven by Aslan Himself. And here s how the author described it: for them, it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page; now, at last, they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth had read; which goes on forever; in which every chapter is better than the one before (C.S. Lewis The Last Battle, page 212) The Apostle Paul made some personal statements in Philippians chapter 1 that revealed his perspective about life on this earth in comparison with life in heaven with the Lord. He said, I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far (1:23). And he summarized, in just a few short words, what his life was all about. He said, For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (1:21). That statement naturally goes against everything we are as human beings. We are, by nature, survivors. We instinctively cling tenaciously to life. Why would Paul say that death is gain? Because he said in another place, To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Being in the presence of his dear Savior having unhindered, uninterrupted, uninhibited, unending fellowship with Him was the goal of Paul s existence. And it is the goal of ours as well. Because that s when we start to really, truly live. That s when we will get to experience a depth of love and joy and peace and bliss of which we only get a taste in this life. That s when we shall know fully, even as we are fully known by Him now. That s when all the restraints and shackles and limitations of our human flesh will be removed and we shall be able to do things we cannot possibly do in this earth realm with these earth suits that we presently wear. To die truly is gain, simply because it means we will be metamorphosed to a much Hebrews Living in the Light of Eternity Page 1

2 better existence. But let s be honest. It s easy to forget that. It s easy to lose that perspective, especially when our circumstances in this earthly life are continually wearing us out, or causing us pain, or breaking our hearts. Difficult and distressing circumstances can lead to discouragement, and discouragement can rob us of our eternal perspective. And when we lose an eternal perspective, when we forget that this world is not really our home, that our citizenship is in heaven, that our life here on this earth compared to our life in heaven is like a breath, when we forget this because of discouragement, we can succumb to spiritual paralysis. We can stop walking and climbing and moving forward in our Christian walk. We can be deceived into defining ourselves by who we are and what we have in this present life, rather than by who we are and what we have in Christ. And we become vulnerable to the forces of this fallen world which are ever grabbing at our spiritual shirttails, attempting to pull us downward. That s what was happening to the people to whom the writer of Hebrews was addressing. They were Jewish believers who were being harassed and persecuted for being associated with Jesus. And since it had been going on for quite some time, they had become discouraged. Many had been driven from their homes and families and, in some cases, their communities. Some had been put in prison, some were in financial ruins, some had lost all their earthly possessions. And these things had taken such a toll on them that some of them had lost their eternal perspective. They had taken their eyes off of Jesus and, instead, put their focus on the pain, the hardships, and the losses. Instead of thinking about heaven, they were thinking about how to make it through the day. And the writer of Hebrews gives them two very timely words of exhortation. The first one is found in verses But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. This passage provides the writer s most clear description of his audience and their circumstances than any other in the letter. What is particularly noteworthy is that these people were not novices in the faith. They had been in the trenches on the front lines in the heat of the battle, and they had been faithful during a time of great suffering. They had come far and made much progress in their Christian walk, and had paid a great price for their commitment. But they had also endured suffering in an extraordinary way, and the author calls attention to this as a means of encouraging them to persevere in their present 32 circumstances. Look again at what he says in verse 32. But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings The word translated endured means to stand one s ground or remain on the field of battle instead of fleeing. It was obviously used in a military context to describe perseverance and endurance in the midst of perilous circumstances. What the author is saying here is that these Christians did not abandon their faith when the heat was turned up. They did not wave the white flag when they were being assaulted and abused and there was no letting up. They did not go AWOL when all they had to do was simply renounce the name of Jesus. They stood firm, even at great Hebrews Living in the Light of Eternity Page 2

3 personal sacrifice. Furthermore, the word translated hard struggle, is an athletic metaphor, that describes an incredibly intense, aggressive contest, which, in this context, involved the severe persecution and suffering of Christians. Some scholars have suggested that this is a reference to a time when Christians were specifically targeted by the Emperor Claudius and expelled from Rome in 49 A.D. Verses describe the specific nature of the suffering. Look, first, at verse sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. Please note that these people were personally affected by this persecution. The author seems to suggest that all of them had to endure verbal abuse and hardship. The verb translated reproach (theatrizo) originally meant to bring up on the stage, but it came to mean, figuratively, to make a public spectacle of. It means to publicly ridicule, scorn, or deride, in order to demean and shame. I don t know about you, but being ridiculed and shamed is not easy for me, especially if I haven t done anything wrong. I don t mind being teased; I can handle a sarcastic quip, but being publicly put down pricks my pride in ways that few other things do. And I get far more agitated and upset when people ridicule my loved ones. That s intolerable. And yet, that s what these Christians endured and were commended for. That s what Christians have been commended for since the beginning, because that s what Jesus did. Peter tells us, When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). I would submit to you that these Hebrew Christians were also able to endure because they entrusted themselves to Him who judges justly. They saw the bigger picture, they understood, just as Paul did, that their light and momentary troubles were achieving for them an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. And so they fixed their eyes, not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor. 4:17-18). That s also why they had such tremendous solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Christ, a solidarity that compelled them to support each other and stand by each other and care for each other when they needed assistance and encouragement. These were family members fellow citizens of heaven, with whom they would be spending eternity around the throne of their great Savior. So when some of them were in a bad way, they all felt it deeply. Look at verse 34a. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison This word translated compassion means literally to share the same feeling with. In this context it means to feel the very same hurt that one feels, which is a way to describe a deep, deep love. But notice what else, verse 34b. and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Have you ever been robbed? Ever had your house broken into? Ever had somebody rummage through your things, taking some and then scattering the rest? Remember how you felt? You probably felt violated. You probably felt a mixture of fear and anger. You might have felt degraded, like you didn t even want to touch those remaining items. But I wonder if you felt joy? The writer of Hebrews tells us that when these people s property was plundered, they joyfully accepted it. And by the way, it wasn t because they had a good insurance Hebrews Living in the Light of Eternity Page 3

4 policy to replace the items that were spoiled or stolen. They were joyful, according to verse 34, because they had an eternal perspective. They knew that they had better and lasting possessions. Once again, they viewed themselves as strangers and aliens in this world who were just passing through. They viewed their real home as heaven, and their real possessions their heavenly ones, which Peter called an inheritance in heaven that can never perish, spoil, or fade kept in heaven for you (1 Pet. 1:5). By faith they saw and celebrated these spiritual realities, even though they were invisible. And that tells you something about their spiritual condition. This kind of joy is a fruit of the Spirit. It is an evidence that they were walking in the Spirit, living in sync with the Spirit, letting Him preside over their faculties obviously. Financial ruin and joy do not go together, unless there are some supernatural forces at work. Public humiliation and joy do not go together, unless there is some supernatural influence. But these were the responses of these believers in the past, and the author exhorts them to remember them, verse 32, recall them, as if by doing so it can rekindle their commitment to the Lord and motivate them to respond to their present crises. Does that work? Does remembering the past have a bearing on your present responses? Witnessing the births of our three children have had a profound impact in my life, and it wasn t just the powerful experience of seeing our offspring emerge into this world. It was what my wife went through. You see, I had heard what Carol Burnett had said about what it feels like to give birth. She said, It s like taking your bottom lip and stretching it over your head. That helped me appreciate what Mindy endured. I was so awed by her courage, so stunned by her endurance, so impressed and grateful that she was willing to experience such excruciating pain for the sake of another, that while she lay recuperating in that hospital bed after having our first son, I made a few simple resolutions. I said, Mindy, if I ever say an unkind word to you again, if I am ever the slightest bit irritated with you for something you ve done, if I ever complain about how hard I ve worked or how tired I am or how much something hurts, I hope you ll punch me in the nose. I had been unaware that behind the curtain in the bed next to Mindy there was an eavesdropper to this intimate conversation. She, too, had just had a baby, though it was obviously not her first. Apparently she was not very impressed with my resolutions, for, with a twinge of annoyance and cynicism, she called out to Mindy, Girl, you d better get that in writing. I hate to admit that this intrusive stranger knew me better than I knew myself at that moment, because eventually I violated every one of those resolutions. Why? Was it because I was insincere? No. When I said those things to Mindy I was never more sincere in my life. Was I being dishonest? Not at all! I meant what I said and I fully intended to follow through with those resolutions. Was it because the experience was not as powerful as I thought it was? Of course not! Those were, and are, the most powerful experiences of my life. What was it then? An inherent flaw in my nature? I m afraid the answer is yes. One of the most unpleasant, regrettable realities of our humanity is the tendency to forget and, consequently, our failure to maintain our appreciation for the profound significance of something or someone; to forget even the big things, even the most Hebrews Living in the Light of Eternity Page 4

5 important persons the things and persons that have changed our lives and made us what we are. Oh, we don t forget them completely they re still there, tucked away in some remote corner of our memory. But they don t surface very often at least, not as often as they should. As human beings we need to be deliberate about remembering. Sometimes we need something to jar our memories something that can bring that past experience into the present, so that we can once again be impacted and affected by the truth we encountered in that experience. There have been times when Mindy and I have had a conflict, and suddenly I d forget about what she did and endured at the hospital. Suddenly I d forget she was my hero. Now she was my adversary, and all I cared about was winning. Until I d go to my office, and open my desk drawer for something and there it was. A photograph; one that only I have the permission to see. It s a picture of Mindy lying on a hospital bed holding a fresh out boy, just seconds after giving birth. Suddenly those angry feelings vanish, and I m filled with completely different emotions and attitudes. Compassion, shame, appreciation, respect, love, devotion. All because my eyes caught a glimpse of a photograph a photograph that jolted me back to reality. The Lord s Supper is much the same thing. It s a way for us to deliberately remember what Jesus did for us on the cross. And I believe that is why Jesus established the Lord s Supper as an ordinance for us to observe frequently. He knows us. He knows about our propensity to forget. He knows that, for some of us, our default mode is to worry and fret and live in fear. He knows that, for some of us, our default mentality is to actually to believe and live as though we are in control of our lives and that if we pull the right strings and push the right buttons we can build our own little kingdoms and secure our own destinies. Jesus asked us to regularly and intentionally remember His death because He knows that, for some of us, our default perspective is to think the world revolves around us our plans, our wants, our needs, our problems, our dreams, our projects, our schedules, our activities. He wants us to remember His death until He comes because what Jesus did for us on the cross is the foundation of everything we are, everything we have and everything we hope for. Without Jesus sacrifice on our behalf we are nothing. So we observe communion every few weeks to try and keep the memory of Jesus death fresh. We ingest the elements in order to remind us who Jesus is and what He s done for us, so that we can honor Him as He deserves to be honored, so that we can ascribe to Him the glory that is due His name, so that we remember that the universe is Christocentric that in truth everything revolves around Jesus. Remembering can, indeed, be powerful. In the same way, the writer of Hebrews tells His audience to remember the supernatural blessings they experienced when they went through what would have otherwise been unbearable circumstances, because remembering them might very well encourage them to re-fix their eyes on Jesus, as they did back then. It might inspire them to have that same eternal perspective they did back then, and to live their lives in the light of eternity like they did back then. Hebrews Living in the Light of Eternity Page 5

6 Remembering is a good thing. Not so we can live in the past, but so that the past can inspire us to live well in the present. I d like to ask you to take a moment and reflect upon your present spiritual condition. Are you in a spiritual rut? Are you discouraged? Are you weary and worn out? Does God seem distant? Are your circumstances overwhelming you to the point that spiritual realities seem very dim? If so, would you take a moment to remember a time when God visited you in a special way in your past, and not only did His grace prove to be sufficient for your need at that time, but He opened your eyes to see spiritual realities in a way that made Jesus and heaven and your citizenship there seem even more real than anything in this earth realm? Maybe it was a specific answer to prayer. Maybe it was a time when God healed you. Maybe it an acute sense of His presence during a time of deep loss. Maybe it was a time when He spoke clearly and specifically to you. Maybe it was when you first came to know Jesus and you couldn t get enough of Him, you couldn t wait to be in His presence. When Jesus addressed the Ephesian church in Revelation 2 He commented that they were doing all the right things, including combating false teaching and being faithful to His Word. But He said, I have this against you, You have lost your first love! Then He tells them, Remember the heights from which you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first (Rev. 2:4-6). According to Jesus, the first step toward restoring your spiritual passion is remembering those intimate times with Jesus when He was so near and dear to your heart. Remembering is powerful. I don t have time to comment on the following verses, but they also tell us how we can live in the light of eternity. Let me read verses Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For, Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. Hebrews Living in the Light of Eternity Page 6

7 Living in the Light of Eternity Hebrews 10:32-39 Main Idea: Remembering the blessings one experienced while persevering in past trials and anticipating even greater blessings that are obtained by persevering during present trials, are sources of encouragement to faithfully endure until the end Remembering the Past (32-34) Their sufferings in those days (33) Personal affliction Identification with the affliction of others Traits displayed in those days (34) Compassion Joy Eternal perspective Persevering in the Present (35-38) Holding on to confidence (35) Remembering the reward (35b) The need for endurance (36) The promise of His coming (37) Living by faith all the way until the end (38) The Author s Confidence in the Status of his Audience (39) Hebrews Living in the Light of Eternity Page 7