The Dwelling Richly Podcast

Hebrews 12:25-29 {Lesson 12/Day 8}

What’s our natural and healthy response to fire? Keep clear! Come close, but not too close. All through the message of Hebrews, the author has been pointing out that what was once unapproachable is now available – Draw near! Come close! In fact, he’s reminded us that not only are we able to draw close, God has already entered in. God is so closely in that he reminds us that God’s Word is now on our heart! That’s close! They way of closeness has been made possible because of Jesus – our anchor of hope who made the way past the curtain keeping us out and left the curtain open for us – better, he dramatically ripped it open! With all that closeness we might be tempted to rush in and lather up in the grace thankful that it is His kindness that drew us in...but his kindness, while kind is only truly kind if we remember the alternative – consuming fire! It’s not a call to draw near to a cuddly God who has no concern for our past as much as it is a reverent response to the Creator of the universe who calls us in his kindness to repent of our sins and then approach with confidence – leaving the sins and weights behind so we can with uplifted hands and straightened knees walk to Him. And walk we must or face the consequences. God beckons us by his love and kindness and God also warns us to come by His way, not ours – through Christ.
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Hebrews 12:18-24 {Lesson 12/Day 7}

Growing up I went to church camp. The youth group would pile into the big church bus and wind its way up into the mountains for a weeklong or weekend getaway – a fun mix of teaching, worship, campfire songs, and shenanigans. I can't think of any time I didn’t experience a personal revival up there. There’s something transformational that happens up the mountain. It’s no wonder that God first met with His people at a mountain. From Noah’s landing on Ararat to Abraham's faithfulness at Mt. Moriah and to Moses’ at Sinai we see how God fulfills, tests, and reveals – but each are reminders of being close to God. Mountains have been where people experience God, and they still are. Zion will be our ultimate Mountaintop experience...but here’s the thing...we don’t have to wait to go there! We have Zion now! We “have come to Mount Zion” the Word tells us. When we are in Christ we have angels partying, the cloud of witnesses cheering, and Jesus going before us as
our amazing mediator! The reality is we have the joy of that experience right now! Wow! No fear. No trembling. No worries...joy unspeakable and yet, joy we can’t help but speak!

Hebrews 12:12-17 pt 2 {Lesson 12/Day 6}

Esau is a reminder to me today to see Jesus, consider Jesus, fix my eyes on Jesus. There are plenty of opportunities each day for me to squander the great reward I have by crossing the line like Esau did. In fact, the word translated “unholy” (βέβηλος/be-bē-los) in referring to Esau is better translated “profane” or we might say, “secular.” It literally means “unauthorized crossing of a threshold.” Esau tossed out his eternal and spiritual reward for the immediate gratification of the now – in his case a hot meal. He then lost access to God. He was unfit to approach God because of his blatant lack of faith. The author keeps circling back to this exhortation for us to get our spiritual priorities in order and to come alongside one another and care that others do the same. While we’re fixing our eyes on Jesus we cannot neglect to notice one another. We must lift our own dropping hands and we must notice when others are drooping too. We can’t, as my grandma used to say, be so “heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good.” This isn’t just an individual race, it’s a team sport. We absolutely must take care of one another. There’s no getting around the point in this passage. There’s none of this “my faith is personal and private” business – that’s an Esau mindset! See how that turned out for him? No, our faith is personal in that we are accountable to God to personally receive and believe faithfully in Jesus, but it is community in that we have to pay attention and strive for peace with everyone, don’t allow anyone to fail to obtain God’s grace, pluck out any roots of bitterness, and care enough to reach out to one another and into one another’s lives!

Hebrews 12:12-17 pt 1 {Lesson 12/Day 5}

I don’t think it’s possible to read – really read – the Bible and miss the idea that this life as a true believer is not easy. It’s not easy as it is in life in general, but, add to that the higher calling of life in Christ and you would have to be some kind of special to miss the reality that when you choose this life, you choose to enter a race that will necessarily be difficult. Think of just a few of the words of Jesus himself talking to his disciples and by extension, us: trial, tribulation, temptation, persecution, poor in spirit, mourning, being reviled, mocked, scorned...shall I go on? With that being said, I’d like to suggest that if you are not experiencing at least moments of one of the above, you’re doing it wrong. If you’re complaining, or shocked, or troubled, or doubting all this (the Christian life), you’ve missed the big picture. If you’re weary, feeling the pain and pinch and discomfort of discipline you should have a big fat smile of thankfulness and satisfaction on your face. God is at work in you. Better that He was than He wasn’t, right? So, what now? Mope? Be discouraged? Give up? Walk away? No! The author of Hebrews is saying, lift those hands up! Praise Him! Straighten those knees and get to work on that path – not only for your own feet but for the feet of those who are coming along with you! Fix your eyes on the holiness of God, and let’s put our backs into this and stop acting like the tough times are the exception – they’re the rule, my friend!
We should...
raise up holy hands
To praise the Holy One
Who was and is and is to come!
Set our heart and mind on Him who will sustain us and look around to encourage and clear the path for our brothers and sisters so we can be in this together.

Hebrews 12:5-11 {Lesson 12/Day 4}

Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel said that the opposite of love isn’t hate, but apathy – just not caring. Do you see that
truth in this passage? God’s love is so real and true for His children that He loves in a way that keeps our attention even if it is
through hardship. What if God saw us drifting and just didn’t care? What kind of God would that be? Definitely not a loving
one! Remember that discipline and punishment are not the same. When we feel the pain of discipline, instead of responding
with “Why me?” what if we responded with relief? What if we thought, “Thank you, God for loving me! You are refining me
through this! Help me grow in my faith and love for you!” Would it be possible for us to grow and mature without pain and
suffering? I don’t think so. Reflect on any season of growth in your life and you’ll see it also was a season of at least some
difficulty and probably pain. C. S. Lewis said it so well, “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our conscience, but
shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Are we hearing God? Are we attentive to His work in our life?
The truth of the discipline in our life is not that we should behave so that we can avoid it, it’s that we should submit so we can
bring glory to God in it. Joseph, after being betrayed, sold, enslaved, and rejected by his own family summed up the ultimately
redeeming trial with these words, “What you (his family) meant for evil (and boy-howdy did they ever!), God meant for good.”
God’s got your good in mind. Do you trust that?

Hebrews 12:3-4 {Lesson 12/Day 3}

When I first learned to drive I remember my dad’s advice: “Look past the hood ornament.” I was so annoyed at the time, “Ugh. I know, daaaaaad.” Now, with umpteen years of driving under my belt, I can appreciate that advice. The truth was that while I was beginning to drive, I saw very little of what was going on around me and my car – or as my grandma used to say, “That 2000-pound death trap on wheels.” (She took the bus and never learned to drive, but I digress.) The thing is, when we’re immature, we see very little around us. We see the instruments and gauges and have a sense of things but it’s all so hard to consider anything else other than what’s right in front of us. We see ourselves, how others will impact us, how we fit in or don't, etc. Our story is about us, and isn't our walk with the Lord a lot like that? When Jesus was crucified, the disciples not only lost sight of Jesus, they felt they had truly lost Jesus. Their immature eyes were fixed not on the tomb, waiting for His return, because they were too wrapped up in their own loss, completely missing the tremendous gain they were hours away from knowing. How different things would have been had they “looked past the hood ornament.” Had they understood that Jesus was their promised one, they could have been gathering everyone to be ready for His return. The author of Hebrews is coaching and exhorting us not to be immature but to, “Look past the hood ornament! See the great cloud of witnesses?” and then he goes even further to the biggest, best, greatest thing to see – Jesus! He asks, "You’re weary? You’re overwhelmed? Take your eyes off yourself and consider what Christ has done, what He endured, and for whom...us!" This is our hope today! Look past the hood and see Him – the author and perfecter of our faith and the one to whom all will ultimately consider when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We must do the same today. Look to Him now. Consider Him now. It's not your story it's His and that makes all the difference. Fix our eyes on Him and endure.

Hebrews 12:1-2 {Lesson 12/Day 2}

Does it feel a little out of reach to see the example of Jesus and think, “Well, He did it, so can I?” It does to me, and that’s the understatement of all time! There is no way that I could ever by my efforts even come close to enduring what Jesus did let alone living the life that He lived. And yet, in Hebrews 12:1-2, the author of Hebrews says that I should be “looking to Jesus.” I’m done before I start if I take that to mean that I have to do what Jesus did in order to earn heaven. Thankfully, that is not what this message or any message in the Bible means. See, Jesus is the founder of my faith – he started it. Jesus is also the perfecter of my faith – He finished it – or better, he enables me to make it to the end. Sigh. That is something I can get excited about and not be overwhelmed by. That message brings me great hope and joy actually! What a relief!
The message is that Jesus was the focal point of every witness – that great cloud of them – that have gone before me.
Rather than looking around at what I’m going through – my sin, my shame, my trials, my shortcomings...
Rather than looking at the promises that don’t seem to be fulfilled – I look to Jesus.
I look up, turn away from and above all that is swirling around me and I...
see Him.
consider Him.
look to Him.
hope in Him.
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Hebrews 12 {Lesson 12/Day 1}

Read through Hebrews Chapter 12, and let's get ready for a great study!

Is Your Faith Enough?

Is Faith Just Wishful Thinking? Hebrews 11