Hebrews 12:1 - Victory Over Besetting Sin

By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC Weekly, 2003-09-14

Text: Hebrews 12:1

Is there some habitual or besetting sin in your life that you have been struggling with? If there is, you can take comfortkthat you are not alone, for many godly saints have also shared the same struggle you have. For example, Abraham struggled with the besetting sin of telling half-truths when he was overtaken by fear. He did this on at least two occasions: first to the Egyptians and later on, to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines. Other besetting sins include gossiping, losing one's temper, and indulging one's fleshly lusts. 
The important thing that you need to remember at all times about your besetting sin is that you must never change your view of its sinfulness. There are times when a Christian keeps on falling into the same sin, and after some time he gets so used to it that he loses the sense of its seriousness in God's sight. He no longer feels guilty after committing it. He becomes tired of resisting it any longer, and begins to excuse it as his own personal weakness. Such sugar-coating of a sin is the easiest way to give the devil a grip in your life by which he can draw you further and further away from the Lord.

The feelings of guilt that come when you have sinned is actually good for you, because it acts like a warning bell, urging you to repent and put away the sin. But if you ignore this warning bell too many times, your conscience becomes dead. This is a dangerous state to be in. Your conscience plays a very important role in your life. A building that has its fire alarm system disabled will burn down and be completely destroyed! When a Christian has a dead conscience, his life will soon show it, and his testimony for the Lord will be ruined. He will backslide terribly and his prayers will have no power, because God's Word says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18).

Therefore, your attitude toward besetting sin must always remain the same as God's - You must hate it enough to keep on striving to get rid of it! Let your heart be challenged to do this by Hebrews 12:1 - "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" However, removing a besetting sin is easier said than done. Victory may either be immediate or gradual. The following are some steps that you can take to gain victory over the sins which easily beset you. 

1. Make no provision for the besetting sin. Romans 13:14 tells us to "put ye on the Lord esus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof." Examine the factors that precipitate the sin - is there a consistent pattern of circumstances that tend to lead you into it? If there is, then see if any of them can be removed or avoided. Stay away from any place or scene that triggers off the besetting sin. It is significant to note that we are to resist the devil (James 4:7), but we are to flee from youthful lusts (2 Timothy 2:22, cf. Genesis 39:12). Many do the very opposite, to their own detriment. Anyone who deliberately allows himself to linger in a tempting situation, thinking that he is strong enough to resist, is making provision for his own fall%2q

2. Cultivate a mind that is unfavourable for the besetting sin. Keep your mind saturated with spiritual things. Isaiah 26:3 - "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." Romans 8:5,6 - "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." A mind that is always filled with thoughts of God and His kingdom will not be a conducive place for thoughts of the besetting sin to take root and lead you down the slippery path of sin.

3. Overcome the besetting sin through Christ. In order to have the discipline to implement the above steps, you need Christ's power in your life. Jesus Himself said, "He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing." The power of Christ who indwells believers is alone sufficient to lay aside besetting sins. This is why, after mentioning the need to lay aside sins which so easily beset us, the writer of Hebrews adds: "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2) 

How can you avail yourself of this power? It becomes available to you as you walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Through prayer, ask the Lord to let the Holy Spirit influence and lead you. You may need to make this prayer again and again, whenever you become conscious that you have gone out of step with the Spirit. The ideal situation is to walk in the Spirit at all times.

Dear reader, if you are in Christ, God has graciously provided all that you need to deal with the sins that easily beset you, but it is your God-given responsibility to apply them constantly. 2 Peter 1:3 assures us that "according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue." May the Lord enable you to keep pressing on the upward way, laying aside every besetting sin in your life.

Hebrews 11:21-22 - Faith That Triumphs Over Death

By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 8am Service, 2004-08-08

Text: Hebrews 11:21-22

Our subject for this morning's message is one that many people do not like to think about. In fact people who are superstitious would even say that we should not mention it all, lest it should become prophetic. But we all know too well that death is the grim reality of life. The sober fact that we all must learn and accept in this life, is that sooner or later life ends in death. No matter how hard you may try to avoid this truth or to keep it out of your mind, it comes back to you in one form or another!

You hear of it in the news everyday: Tragic deaths in local road accidents, and in fires, including the one last Sunday that killed over 300 people in a supermarket in Paraguay. You hear of deaths in suicide bomb attacks and killing of hostages almost every week. You hear of awful murders and suicides. In fact, there is not a single day of life on earth that ever goes by without death, and so the pages of obituaries in the newspapers will never be empty! Even as you sit there in the pews right now, someone out there is taking his last breath. Death stares at you in the face whenever you attend a vigil service or funeral and look in the casket. And death especially brings sorrow and pain to your heart, when the one who lies in that casket is a close friend, relative or loved one. 

And this may sometimes cause you to wonder: When will the 'grim reaper' come for you? When will it be your turn to have your name and picture appear in the obituaries? When will your turn come to lie down in a narrow casket, all cold and lifeless? Dear friends, if that is to be your final end, with absolutely nothing more after that, then all the joy of living now becomes senseless, for there is nothing, absolutely nothing at all to look forward to in life if this is the way that it must end.

The good news for us is that there is something that those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ can look forward to, even with the reality of death. How can we look forward to it? The answer is, by faith in what Jesus Christ can do and will do for us beyond death. This faith that triumphs over death is sometimes expressed in the last words that are spoken by those who died. It is interesting to study the last words that are spoken by people before their life comes to an end. There are many things we can learn from them. There is even a book that has been written called, 'Famous Last Words.'

A person's last words sometimes reveal some deep philosophical insights that have been distilled out of a lifetime's experience. For example, when Queen Elizabeth I was about to expire, her last words were: 'All my possessions for a moment of time.' 

Last words sometimes inspire us to take up the challenge to follow an exemplary life. For example, Joseph Addison (1672-1719) was an 18th century English poet who wrote the hymn entitled 'The Spacious Firmament on high.' (RHC No. 6) What he said on his death bed to all those who were present was: 'See in what peace a Christian can die.' Six centuries before him, there lived a godly archbishop named Thomas Becket (1118-1170). Just before he was martyred at the age of 52 Becket said, 'I am ready to die for my Lord, that in my blood the Church may obtain liberty and peace.' Some of the finest last words spoken by men have brought glory to God, like the words of a godly British general called James Wolfe (1727-1759). When he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Quebec, James Wolfe said, 'Now God be praised, I will die in peace.' 

Dearly beloved, when your turn comes to utter your last words, what will you say? May we be like these godly people who glorified the Lord before leaving this world. The way that Christians face death cannot be that same as those who do not have Christ. Romans 14:8 tells us, 'For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord.' The Scriptures give us accounts of the way that some men of faith have lived and died unto the Lord.

In our passage of Scripture two of such men are mentioned: Jacob and Joseph. Both of them spoke with great expectation even upon their death beds. Let us turn our Bibles now to our passage of Scripture to find out what the faith of these men enabled them to do and say upon their death beds. Hebrews 11:21-22 'By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.'

I. Faith Triumphs over the Futility that Death Brings.

The first death mentioned here is that of Jacob. To understand his dying words, it is good for us to know something about him. Jacob was the younger son of Isaac, and the grandson of Abraham with whom God had made a covenant. In this covenant, God had promised that his descendants would become a great nation that would one day inhabit the land of Canaan. The most wonderful part of this covenant however is that through his descendants all the families of the earth would one day be blessed (Genesis 12:2,3).

However when Jacob was born, there did not seem to be much hope that this covenant would be fulfilled through him or through his brother, Esau. This is because both of them were rascals. They strove and fought with each other even when they were still in their mother's womb. Since Esau came out first, he enjoyed all the benefits of being the first-born son - this was something that Jacob resented a lot. Esau turned out to be a carnal man, seeking only to please himself and satisfy his own appetites and desires. He threw away his birthright when he was hungry, just for a bowl of delicious hot red pottage. And he married two wives against the will of his parents. 

Jacob was quite different from Esau, He was a selfish schemer and supplanter. He was the one who had cooked the delicious red pottage just to get his brother's birthright. Jacob had no scruples at all about deceiving his own aged father (taking advantage of Isaac's blindness), in order to steal Esau's blessing from him, and he succeeded. As a result of all this, the enraged Esau went after Jacob's blood. So Jacob had to flee for his life and live in exile far away from home for about 20 years. He had learned avery painful lesson: that a life of foolish scheming and deceit only brings futility and the fear of being killed. But after those 20 years, Jacob learned another lesson. He learned that a life of faith in God brings freedom from danger, and fullness of divine blessings.

The turning point came at when he was making his journey back home to his parents and he heard the news that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. Imagining that the very worst was going to happen, Jacob could not sleep, but struggled with the angel of the Lord until daybreak, until he cast himself entirely upon God for help to face Esau, and God delivered him: the meeting turned out to be a pleasant one. From then on his name was changed to Israel. This change of name also indicates his inward change to a life of faith. Later on, when he was 130 years old, Jacob's life of faith led him and his whole family to leave Canaan and dwell in Egypt, with the full assurance of God's continued care and comfort.

Having learnt to live the life of faith so well, Jacob ended his days in Egypt at the age of 147. While Jacob was dying, his son Joseph came to see him with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. The aged Jacob laid his hands on the heads of the two boys and blessed them (Genesis 48:9-20). But the manner in which he blessed them was quite unusual. Following the usual custom, Joseph had placed the older boy (Manasseh) at Jacob's right side and the younger boy (Ephraim) at his left side, expecting his father's right hand to be on the firstborn son.

But Jacob crossed his hands when he pronounced his blessing on the boys. Why did he do this strange thing? Because he knew that the greater blessing would fall on his younger grandson, Ephraim (Genesis 48:19). God had probably revealed this to Jacob, and Jacob fully accepted and believed that it would happen just as God had said - Ephraim would become greater than Manasseh.

A few hundred years later, this prophecy was gloriously fulfilled, with the tribe of Ephraim becoming a dominant tribe in Israel. Out of this tribe came the man called Joshua, the great hero of faith whom God used to lead Israel across the river Jordan, to give them victory over the Canaanite forces, and to settle in the land of Canaan. The territory of Ephraim became very prominent when it became the very first location where the Lord's Tabernacle was set up (at Shiloh) as the centralized place of worship for all the tribes of Israel.

Our text in Hebrews 11:21 tells us that Jacob worshipped when he blessed his grandsons. This last act of worship shows that Jacob ended his life looking to God and trusting Him fully for the future. What a difference that trust or faith had made in his life. In his early life Jacob had lived without faith at all, and all that he had reaped was only futility and more futility. But when he died, he died full of faith and he reaped an assurance of a blessed future for all his posterity. 

Dearly beloved, faith in God can also make a great difference in the way that we encounter death today. Faith enables us to know that there is a glorious future that awaits God's people beyond death. God's Word reveals to us that death is not thekend of the soul's existence. Those who die without Christ will find themselves suffering in hell. But those who die believing in Christ, receive the divine promise of eternal life with Him in heaven. Faith enables us to say with the apostle Paul, 'For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.' (Philippians 1:21). Faith enables us to have the confidence that death is not a loss to us but rather a blessed, wonderful gai.. For it is 'to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.' (2 Corinthians 5:8). Now, in the same way that Jacob was enabled by faith to see the rich future blessings of his descendants in Canaan when he died, so the Christian who dies can see by faith the future bliss of his soul in Heaven. And with such faith, he can triumph over death!

A few months ago I had the privilege of witnessing this kind of faith in a dear member of our church, a few weeks before he went home to be with the Lord. Some of you may know him - the late brother Chua Too Swee. When we visited him, he told us that he was looking forward very much to going to heaven and to being with Jesus, and he was just waiting for God to take him home. To him death was like a day of promotion up to glory. He eagerly told us who visited him that he had made a special recording of his last words and testimony on a CD, that he would have duplicated and distributed to all his children and grandchildren. He wanted to instruct and challenge them to have faith in the Lord. Isn't this a wonderful legacy for a Christian to leave behind to all his loved ones? The legacy of a triumphant faith!

The Bible records that the OT man named Joseph did something similar to this. He left behind a wonderful legacy that also inspired others to have faith in the Lord. We are told in 22 of our text - 'By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.'

II. Faith Triumphs over the Fear that Death Brings.

The actual words that Joseph spoke to his brothers when he died at the age of 110 are found in Genesis 50:24 'And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which He sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.'

Now these words of Joseph were spoken with the same confident faith that Jacob, his father had when he died. It was faith in a promise that God had personally revealed to him. But here in Joseph's death we see how faith triumphs over death in a different way from Jacob. In Joseph we see a faith that triumps over the fear that death brings. Although Joseph was among the youngest of the 12 sons of Jacob, God eventually made him the greatest among them. 

Joseph's brothers had been so jealous of the good favour he enjoyed from their father, that they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God used this wicked act of theirs to make Joseph the prime minister of Egypt. Joseph was then able to bring his whole family to dwell in the best part of all Egypt - the land of Goshen which is the eastern part of the fertile Nile delta area. As long as Joseph was alive and in power in Egypt, the brothers had nothing to fear. Even though they were all aliens in a foreign land, Joseph was their protector. No Egyptian would dare to harm them. Joseph was also their provider and sustainer. Through him, they had access to all the granaries of Egypt, and they did not have to worry at all about famine or drought.

But when Joseph was about to die, his brothers were probably concerned about what would become of them now. Suddenly they would be bereft of the one who had protected them and provided for them. Would the Egyptians take the opportunity toturn against them since Joseph was gone? Quite likely. Would they lose their privileged status in Egypt? They probably would. Would the Egyptians now abuse them and turn them into slaves? These fears were not unfounded, because the Egyptians eventually did turn the Israelites into slaves. What comfort could they have from all these fears, in the face of Joseph's death? Who will be with them to help them? This is where the words of Joseph gave them such wonderful hope 'God will surely vi3it you and bring you out of this land unto the land which He sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.' 

I would like you to notice what a firm tone of assurance and certainty there is in these words: 'God will surely visit you' These words leave absolutely no room for even the slightest doubt! And to strengthen their faith even more, Joseph went on to tell his brothers that when God visits them to bring them safely out of Egypt, they must not leave him behind! They were to carry his bones with them and rebury them in Canaan.

In the same way that faith enabled Josephe27s brothers to triumph over their fears when he died, faith can also enable us to triumph over our fears when we face the death of a loved one. When someone we love very much is taken away from us, it is most natural for fears to arise - how will we cope with life without them? Can life ever be the same from now on? What if the one who is taken from us is the sole breadwinner of the family? Who will take care of the family he has left behind? In the face of the awful sense of loss that death brings, there is only one thing that can bring sufficient assurance and comfort to us - faith in God's sure care and provision. The Bible tells us that God has a special care for those who face such loss. For example, in Psalm 68:5 we are told, 'A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.'

Dearly beloved, if you are fearful now that death is soon going to bereave you of someone that you love very much and whom you depend on very much for financial and emotional support, you must exercise faith now to trust in this promise of God. He will take care of you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. In the midst of all your loss and grief, He will surely visit you and help you. 

But perhaps your fear of death may be a different kind of fear from this. Perhaps it is not a loved one's death that you fear, but it is your own death that you fear! A few months ago, I was interviewing a catechumen to ensure that he is ready to be baptised at our Easter Sunrise Service. I asked him the question, 'Where do you think you will go after you die?' He was able to say with conviction, 'I know that I will go to heaven, but I only hope that the process of dying will be a very short and painless one.'

I think that many of us here can understand and empathise with this sentiment. We don't mind the outcome of dying, which is to be in heaven. But what we are most fearful of is the experience of dying. What will it be like to breathe your last breath? How will you feel when you close your eyes for the very last time? Nobody knows. But this one thing we know: 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me' (Psalm 23:4)

Here in the comforting 23rd psalm ,we have an assurance from the Lord that the experience of dying will be nothing for us to fear when we know that the Lord Himself is near, and He will be with us to see us all the way right through the portals of death. We think of how Stephen, as he was being stoned to death, saw the heavens open, and the Lord Jesus Christ welcoming him (Acts 7:56). And this turned his awful experience of dying into a most blessed one! Dearly beloved, may you be encouraged by this to have faith that will enable you to triumph over your fear of death. 

Now, there is one more comforting thought that can strengthen your faith to triumph over death. And that is to know that the Lord Jesus Himself has visited those same portals of death and gone through them. When he hung from the cross and breathed out his last words, 'Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit' Christ walked through those same portals of death that you and I will have to walk through one day, if the Lord tarries. And since our Saviour has already gone through it, surely we will find it much easier to go through it. By experiencing death, Christ now knows every detail of those portals - and He is now familiar with every little nook and cranny of them. And He lives forever to help us go through them well. Is He not the best guide you can ever wish for, who can see you safely through the portals of death?

This is one of the reasons why Jesus had to become a human being and die as a man. Without experiencing death, He would not be able to deliver us from the fear of death and the terrible bondage that such fear brings. This is stated in Hebrews 2:14-15 'Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.'

III. Faith Triumphs over the Finality of Death

Now, our Saviour's death brings to us one more good reason why we can triumph over death. Jesus not only experienced death. He also conquered it! We all know that death could not keep Him in its power for long. His resurrection from the dead has taken away the sting of death. Death is now swallowed up in victory - His Victory! And so now we can look at death in the face and say, 'O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?' (1 Corinthians 15:55). All who die in Christ will one day be resurrected in new glorious bodies, never to die again. This, dear friends, is the ultimate triumph we shall have over death - the triumph over the finality of death through our own resurrection from the grave. Let us look forward to that glorious day.

As we partake of the Lord's Supper this morning, and as we remember as vividly as we can how our Lord Jesus died, and how His death has saved us from eternal death, let us express our fullest trust in Him to triumph over death. Dearly beloved, let us have faith to triumph over the futility of death, to triump over the fear of death, and to triumph over the finality of death.

Hebrews 11:1-4; 12:1,2 - Christ, The Author and Finisher of Our Faith

By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 10:30am service, 2003-11-16

Text: Hebrews 11:1-4; 12:1,2

Thus far in our study of the book of Hebrews, we have seen many interesting points of contrast between the old and the new, and each point of contrast gives us a fresh appreciation of the supremacy of Christ. We have seen Christ to be a better deliverer than the Old Testament deliverers, Moses and Joshua. We have also seen Christ to be of a better priesthood than the Old Testament priesthood. We have seen Christ to be the mediator of a better Covenant than the Old Covenant. And last week we saw Christ to have made a better atonement than could ever be made by all the animal sacrifices that were offered in the Old Testament. 

What does all this mean for us? It means that if we have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we have the very best of everything we need! God has made Him our Prophet, Priest and King. He is also our Righteousness, our Hope, our Joy, and our Crown. Dearly beloved, Jesus is truly our all in all, and we stand all complete in Him! How blessed we are to belong to Him, and that He belongs to us! When we are able to realize all that Jesus is to us, everything else in this world pales into nothingness. Let us never leave Him at any time nor forsake Him for anything or anyone in the world. To do that would be the greatest mistake anyone could ever make. Now that you have Christ in your life, love Him, be sure to always treasure Him and never let go of Him. Be like Mary Magdalene when she found the resurrected Christ at the Garden tomb - she clung to Him dearly and refused to let go of Him!

This morning we will discover yet another reason why Christ should be lovelier and dearer than all to us. This reason has to do with our need for faith. One thing that all of us as Christians always need is faith. No matter what your station in life may be - young Christian or old Christian, pastor, elder, deacon or church member - you will still need faith. In all my years as a Christian, I have never heard anyone say, 'I have all the faith that I need.' Instead, I have met many fellow believers who confessed that they lack faith, or that they desire to have more faith to trust in God. One good way to have more faith in God is to study the lives of great heroes of faith. 

These Old Testament heroes and the faith they had are all found in Hebrews chapter 11. Some describe it as a condensed register of the OT heroes of faith. But the purpose of this chapter is not to praise these heroes or to exalt them to be venerated by us (as the Catholic Church has done unbiblically for its many saints). Actually all of these heroes of faith of the Old Testament were sinners like us, with their weaknesses and faults recorded in the Scriptures. The purpose of Hebrews chapter 11 is to show that the Lord is the secure foundation of their faith, and that He is ever ready to reward those who have faith in Him. As we study the examples of faith, let us be convinced that the faith that worked for these people can also work for us.

A. The Necessity of Faith

The chapter begins with a definition of faith: 'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' Faith gives reality or substance to things hoped for. It leads us to feel and act about things we do not see, as though we can actually see them. To those who do not have faith, 'seeing is believing' but to those who have faith, 'believing is seeing.' 

For example, how do we know for sure that the world came into being by creation and not by evolution? No one was there to see what actually happened. No one except God. And since God has given us the account in Genesis 1 about how He created all things, we simply accept it and believe it on the basis of God's truthfulness, even though we have not seen it. To say 'I will not believe in creation until I have seen for myself solid scientific evidence for it' is to doubt God's Word, and to live not by faith but by sight.

And we all need faith all the time to live a life that pleases God. Hebrews 11:6 says, 'But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' This was the way that many people have pleased God - by their faith in Him (v.2 'For by it the elders obtained a good report.') 

B. The Heroes of Faith

We shall proceed now to see how each of the heroes of faith pleased God by their faith in Him. The list of these heroes in chapter 11 proceeds in chronological order, beginning with those who lived before the Flood, 

A Men Before The Flood:

1. ABEL (v.4)

(Heb 11:4 'By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.') Some have assumed that the reason why Abel's offering was accepted God and Cain's offering was not was because only Abel's offering was a blood sacrifice. And if Cain had also offered a blood sacrifice like his brother did, God would also have accepted it.

However a look at the account in Genesis 4 will show that this was not the case. Genesis 4:2 tells us the reason why their sacrifices differed: 'Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.' Both brought a portion of what they had produced. Since Cain was a tiller of the ground he naturally offered the fruit of the ground to the Lord. There is nothing wrong with offering this to God. The fruit of the ground was in fact one of the kinds of offerings that could be offered to God in the OT Law (Leviticus 2). Why then did God accept Abel's offering and reject Cain's? Gen 4:7 gives us the answer, when God spoke to Cain: 'If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?' This means that difference between Cain and Abel was the attitude and manner in which they offered their sacrifices. And Hebrews 11:4 now explains that Cain did not offer his sacrifice by faith in God, but Abel did. May we also offer our sacrifices of praise, worship and gifts to the Lord in the right manner and attitude: by faith in Him! Without faith, our worship would be in vain. The next man of faith is:

2. ENOCH (v.5)

Heb 11:5 'By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.' All that we know about Enoch in the OT is given in Genesis 5:24 'Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him' Only a man of faith in God can enjoy such close communion with God And in the communion that Enoch enjoyed with God, God even showed him glimpses of future events, including the Second coming of Christ, as the book of Jude testifies 'And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds'. May we, like Enoch seek to walk with God and fervently warn others about the second coming of Christ - that they may flee from the wrath of God. The next hero of faith was the great-grandson of Enoch, who is:

3. NOAH (v.7)

Heb 11:7 'By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith'.

The nature of Noah's faith is seen in his good response to God's warning - immediate obedience to God's specific commands regarding the ark. The response of the rest of the world at that time was the very opposite. Instead of moving with fear and joining Noah to prepare the Ark, the people just scoffed at his preaching and refused all his pleas to be saved from God's judgment by entering the Ark (cf 1 Peter 3:19,20; 2 Peter 2:5). Thus by not having Noah's response of faith, they brought condemnation on themselves. Today there are many people who are doing the same thing: Refusing to be saved by entering into the Ark who is Christ. If you are such a person, please do not delay to enter, for God's judgment this time will not be by a great Flood by by fire! Having seen the heroes of faith who lived before the Flood we come to the next era in biblical history:

B. The Patriarchs

These include Abraham (v.8), Isaac (v.20), Jacob (v.21) and Joseph (v.22). These received the same covenant promises from God - one of these was that their descendants would become a great multitude of people who will possess the land of Canaan. But though they received these promises, they could see their fulfillment only afar off. And yet they lived and died with the fullest faith that God will fulfill all these promises. Heb 11:13 'These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.' 

You will notice that this verse states that the patriarchs were not only persuaded of the promises but they also embraced them. The word 'embrace' is the same word used to describe how one would greet a good old friend - with no hesitation at all, but with welcome, open arms. This makes it more personal, as if the fulfilment of the promises of God had become so real to them. And this is the reason why they never returned back to the comfort of living in the developed land of Mesopotamia where they had originated from (11:15), but chose instead to 'sojourn in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles' (11:9).

And no greater commendation can ever be given to any man than the one given to these patriarchs: that 'God is not ashamed to be called their God' (v.16). This was how God introduced of himself to Moses at the time of the Exodus (Ex 3:6 'I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'). How wonderful it would be if God is not ashamed to be called your God! May this motivate you to have the same faith in God that the patriarchs had. Now we look at the details given in this chapter of each of these patriarchs: The first is

1. ABRAHAM (vv.8-10,17-19)

The first aspect of his faith which is noted is his personal obedience to God's call to leave his homeland. (Heb 11:8 'By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.') The significant feature of Abraham's faith is that he accepted an inheritance on trust without even knowing where it was to be. This faith was further extended into the many unpleasant experiences that he endured as he sojourned in the land of promise. He lived there, not as the rightful possessor of the land, but as an alien. We too need to have the same faith as we sojourn in this world now as strangers and pilgrims.

The supreme demonstration of Abraham's faith was the offering up of Isaac. Heb 11:17,18 'By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called.' Abraham's faith is seen here in his obedience to God's specific command to offer up his son as a sacrifice to Him. The term 'only begotten son' must be understood in relation to the promises that God had made to Abraham earlier on. Ishmael, who was born earlier, was also Abraham's son, but only Isaac was the heir to the promises. It would be difficult for Abraham to offer any of his sons as a sacrifice, but doubly so for Isaac who was the child of promise. V.19 brings out the maturity of Abraham's faith when it says that he accounted 'that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead.' Instead of choosing to doubt God's goodness or wisdom in commanding such a sacrifice, Abraham chose to trust in God's power to raise his dead son back to life! We too need the same kind of faith, when a loved one who is in Christ goes home to be with the Lord - by faith we know that God will raise him or her from the dead and we will be united again. Now we come to the first woman of faith mentioned in this chapter:

2. SARAH (v.11)

Heb 11:11 'Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.') Sarah is cited as an example of faith because of the important part that she played in the birth of Isaac. In view of her old age (90 years old), she was already unable to conceive and give birth a child. Although Sarah at first laughed when she heard that she was to have a child, her laughter turned into faith long before Isaac was born. The birth of Isaac was a great miracle. But an even greater miracle was the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we have Sarah's faith to believe it! Now we come to:

3. ISAAC (v.20)

Hebrew 11:20 'By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.' The blessing which passed from father to son was of great significance to the Jewish mind, because it was often prophetic. And when Isaac blessed his two sons, he believed all that God had revealed to him concerning their future, although Esau was the older son and would normally have the greater blessing. But God revealed that Jacob's line would have the greater blessings than Esau's. The elder would end up serving the younger.

4. JACOB (v.21)

A similar thing happened when it was Jacob's turn to bless the sons of Joseph. Manasseh and Ephraim. Hebrews 11:21 'By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.' When Joseph brought his two sons to be blessed by their ailing grandfather Jacob, he placed Manasseh, the elder son on his right and Ephraim, the younger son on his left. He expected Jacob to place his right hand on the elder son - which means that he would get the greater blessing. But because of faith in God's revelation to him, Jacob crossed his arms to bless the two boys and gave the greater blessing to Ephraim. These two examples (Isaac and Jacob) show us that when we have faith in God we will accept that His ways are always the best, even though they may run contrary to our own expectations (Isaiah 55:9 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.')

5. JOSEPH (v.22)

We come now to v.22 where we see the faith of Joseph described 'By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.' By divine revelation Joseph was informed of Israel's future exodus from Egypt. Joseph fully believed this and gave final instructions for his burial accordingly - that the Israelites would take his bones from Egypt and bury them in the Promised land. We now leave the time of the Patriarches and move on to the heroes of faith in the next era of biblical history:

C. The Exodus Generation

1. MOSES (vv. 23-28)

The description of Moses takes up 6 verses of this chapter because of his importance in Israel's history. The first evidence of faith was exercised by Moses' parents on his behalf. The parents of Moses disobeyed the king's command that all male children be cast into the river Nile at birth (Exodus 1:22) and they committed their newborn son to God, believing that in some way he would be preserved from death. They hid him for three months and after that, when they could no longer hide him, they floated him down the Nile in a basket, even though the river was known to have crocodiles. How abundantly God rewarded their faith. Not only was their child preserved from death but he was found by the princess of Egypt and given a royal upbringing as well, in the courts of the King of Egypt!

When Moses grew up he was able to exercise faith on his own behalf. V.24 tells us 'By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter'. This must have been one of the most difficult choices ever made by faith: The choice between enjoying all the manifold pleasures and treasures he could have enjoyed as the next king of Egypt, and suffering affliction with the people of God who happened to be the slaves of Egypt! The faith of Moses stands therefore as a real example of self-denying faith, since he chose to suffer affliction rather than to enjoy attractive pleasures. Like Moses, we Christians today need this kind of faith to discern the true value of all things as God sees them.

The next few verses (vv.27-29) relate the end results of this choice that Moses made - He left Egypt together with the rest of the Israelites after delivering God's command to the king 'Let My people go!' and bringing the ten awful plagues upon Egypt when the king tried to resist God's command. The mention of the Passover in v.28 relates to the last of these ten plagues (11:28) - the death of all the firstborn. It required faith for Moses to prescribe this measure for Israel, because it is hard to understand how the sprinkling of the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts of a house can protect its occupants from the plague.

The crossing of the Red Sea also required great faith both on the part of Moses as well as the Israelites. In front of them was the formidable obstacle of the Red Sea. Behind them were the Egyptian armies in hot pursuit. This was a really great crisis, and there must have been many 'what if' questions in their minds - What if nothing happened when Moses stretched out his rod over the Red Sea following God's instructions? What if the Egyptians arrived at the time when the Israelites are crossing the Red Sea? What if the waters could not hold up long enough for everyone to get across? What if the Egyptians also got across? There was just one answer to all these questions - Faith in God. This is what Moses told the Israelites 'Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day' (Exodus 14:13). 

2. JOSHUA (v.30)

The power of God is not limited to parting the waters of the Red Sea. It can also bring down the walls of Jericho. This is mentioned in v.30- 'By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.' Although Joshua is not mentioned at all in this verse, anyone who knows the account as given in the Book of Joshua will recognize the key role that he played in the conquest of Jericho. To an experienced military commander like Joshua this strategy of taking a well-fortified city by just marching around the city several times and blowing trumpets would have seemed quite strange and futile. But through this Joshua learned an important lesson - Faith in God is a very formidable weapon! 

3. RAHAB (v.31)

While Joshua learned that faith in God can be a force for destruction, Rahab who lived in the city of Jericho learned that faith in God can be a help for deliverance. Heb 11:31 'By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.' This, by the way, is the second woman of faith in this chapter after Sarah. And besides that, Rahab was a harlot and not even an Israelite. She was a Gentile. Her inclusion in this list of heroes of faith shows us that anyone can exercise faith in God and receive the same rewards.

D. After the Conquest of Canaan (vv.32-40)

In the last 9 verses of this chapter, the writer of Hebrews very quickly lists the exploits of faith that come from the rest of biblical history, after the Promised Land had been conquered. This includes the times of the judges, kings, Israel's exile, return from exile and even the period of time between the Old and New Testaments. V.32 'And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets'

Their achievements of faith are arranged in 3 groups of 3: The first group are the attainments: The conquering of kingdoms, The establishment of justice; The inheriting of spiritual promises. The second group consists of feats of endurance: Stopped the mouths of lions (A clear allusion to Daniel in the lions den); Quenched the violence of fire (A reference to the ordeal of Daniel's 3 friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Dan 3); Escaped the edge of the sword

This is followed by the third group which are achievements: Out of weakness were made strong (eg. Samson's last act of destroying the Philistines when he was blind); Waxed valiant in fight; Turned to flight the armies of aliens. More remarkable feats of faith are described in vv.35-38: Women received their dead raised to life again - 2 such instances are recorded in the OT: Elijah's raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17ff) and Elisha's raising of the Shunammite woman's son (2 Kings 4:18ff). 

Verse 35 mentioned those who were able to face painful torture - The primary reference here is generally held to be the torture and martyrdom of seven brethren during the Maccabean period of Israel's history. The 'Mockings, Scourgings, Bonds and Imprisonment' mentioned in v.36 may be a reference to the persecution that many prophets of God had to endure. E.g. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, who was imprisoned in a deep dungeon. As for the mention of being sawn asunder, this may be referring to Isaiah's death as recorded by some church fathers.

C. The Author and Finisher of Faith (12:1,2)

However, impressive as all these examples of faith may be, there is no greater example of faith than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This is actually the climax of the whole list of heroes of faith - Hebrews 12:1,2 'Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.' It is important for us to note that for none of the heroes of faith in the previous chapter are we ever told to look unto them.

Why are we told to look only to Jesus, and not to the rest of the examples of faith that were cited earlier on? Because none of the Old Testament heroes of faith were perfect like Jesus. If we keep looking unto them alone, our faith would never rise above their imperfect faith. They all had their sins and weaknesses. And there were times when their faith was very weak. But Jesus had no sin at all, and He never wavered at any time in the path of faith. He has endured more by faith, accomplished more by faith and attained more by faith than anyone ever had. He endured even the shame and agony of the Cross. 

Therefore Jesus now stands as our supreme example of faith and we should look at all times to Him. This truth is echoed in 1 Peter 2:21 'For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps.' May the Lord help us to keep on looking to Jesus and following the example He has set for us.

Hebrews 01:1-14 - Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God

By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 10.30am service, 2003-09-07

Text: Hebrews 1:1-14

It is a joy and privilege once again to be able to bring the Word of God to all of you. Many of us here may perhaps have come to church today feeling a little discouraged because of all the news in the past week over the CPF and wage cuts that will be implemented soon to enable Singapore to compete with the rest of the world. Coupled with this is the news of more retrenchments in the months to come, businesses not doing well, houses being taken over by banks. Add to that the fear of a resurgence of SARS in the coming cold season, and the cloud of terrorism that still hangs over this region - with all these, one can easily feel overwhelmed with fear. What will become of me? How will I cope with my own problems? Those among us who have been retrenched may be wondering when you will be able to have a successful job application. Those of you who are students and taking important exams soon may be wondering how you will do in your coming exams. If you are in such a state right now, there is one thing that you need to do: Keep looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Dearly beloved, in times like these we must heed these words. In an age where the church at large and individual Christians in particular are losing their focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, there is an urgent need for us to regain and maintain our focus on Christ. In whatever sphere of life we can think of, Christ should always be at the very centre of it. He must be the central aim and object of everything, whether it is of creation, of knowledge, of wisdom, of teaching, of the Church and even of the whole of life itself!

At the risk of becoming too repetitive, we too must keep on making that same emphasis again and again. Why? Because of the danger that we might get tired of Jesus Christ, and be distracted away from Him. People are always initially excited with something new (e.g. car, house or dress), but after the novelty wears off, they become tired of it and go on to seek after something else that is new to them. But if we were to leave Christ for something else, then we stand to lose everything that really matters in life! 

We must therefore resolve to focus our vision, our thoughts, our meditations, our hopes and desires, yea, even our life upon Jesus Christ. And to help us to do this, I propose to study a Book of the Bible with you which presents Christ to us in His full glory - the Book of Hebrews. It is my hope that this study of the Book of Hebrews in about eight messages may be used of God to help us all to be deeply rooted and built up in Christ. Let us begin with an:

A. Introduction to the Book of Hebrews:

Do you know that the Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most magnificent books of the Bible? Firstly, it ranks with the Book of Romans in Importance While Romans focusses on God's Plan of salvation, Hebrews focusses on the Person of salvation. Sometimes it is regarded as 'the fifth gospel' since it takes up what Jesus did after His ascension - reigning at the Father's right hand and interceding for us! Secondly, It ranks with Luke's Gospel in literary perfection. The Greek of Hebrews more closely resembles the classical Greek epics like Illiad and Odyssey (600-300 BC). Someone has said that in the treasure chest of God's Word, the Epistle to the Hebrews is a gem among gems: It soars to heights of doctrine, leaving the reader almost breathless. Then it plunges to depths of practical application, compelling the Christian to greater piety and practice.

One question that has often been asked about the book of Hebrews is: Who wrote it? (This is because the writer did not identify himself) Traditionally it is believed that the writer must be Paul the Apostle, since he mentions Timothy in chapter 13 (13:23), and was in prison (10:34). But on the other hand, the style and vocabulary of this book are quite different from Paul's epistles.It is unlike Paul to leave out identifying himself as the writer. Other possible writers that have been suggested for this book are: Luke (Calvin), Silas (Selwyn), Barnabas (Tertullian), Philip (Ramsay), and Apollos (Luther). Conclusion: As Origen stated 'Who wrote the Epistle God only knows' This should not be a cause for worry to us, because there are other books of Bible where the also human writer is unknown - Esther, Job 1&2 Kings, and 1&2 Chronicles. But every one of them bears the marks of divine inspiration, and so does the book of Hebrews.

Who was it written to? The title and content shows that it was meant for Jews who were Christians. They were likely to be members of a Church in Rome around AD 65-70. These Jewish believers had apparently been Christians for a long time, but they had failed to grow, and were now in danger of going back to their old ways of Judaism because of severe persecution. For this reason, one of the purposes of the writer of Hebrews was to warn them against leaving Christ. And he included five passages of warning altogether (2:1-4; 3:7-19; 5:11-6:3; 10:26-31; and 12:25-29) and they are interspersed between the writer's exposition of the doctrine of Christ. These passages of warning are also useful for us - to help us to examine our own spiritual lives to see if we are leaving Christ. We will be seeing more of this in the latter part of the message.

Now, the central theme of our study of the book of Hebrews is 'Christ, Supreme in Our Lives' And for our first message, we will begin with the topic of 'Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God.' 

B. Proofs of the Deity of Christ (Chapter 1)

The main emphasis of this chapter is the divine nature of Jesus Christ. His equality with God is assumed throughout. Here we find that Christ is, indeed, the 'fullness of God' (Col 1:19; 2:9). If one were to ask the writer of Hebrews, 'How do you know for certain that Christ is truly God Himself?' he would cite five great proofs of his deity, and they are the ones given in this chapter. 

1. His Divine Names

Christ is called 'the Son' (vv.2,5,8). God has many sons (that's what we are called in John 1:12), but He has only one Only-begotten Son. (cf John 3:16). One may then be tempted to think that He is then not God Himself, since He is called the Son of God. But the second name given to Christ is the one in v.8 'God' Here the writer quotes from Psalm 45:6,7 'But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever' The third name of Christ is the name 'Lord' that is found in v.10 'And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands'). This name reveals that Jesus is none other than the Lord Jehovah, the one who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and who said 'this is my name forever' (Exodus 3:15). Having seen the three divine names given to Jesus as proof of His deity, we go on to look at the second proof which is:

2. His Divine Works

There are three works of Christ given here: The first divine work that shows the deity of Christ is His work of creation. V. 2 'by whom also He made the worlds' Verse 10 tells us that Christ laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the works of His hands, Col 1:16 'For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.'

The second work of Christ that proves His deity is His present ongoing work of upholding all things by the word of His power. This means that Christ is all the time sustaining all that He has created. Colossians 1:17 puts it this way 'by Him all things consist (hold together)'. If Christ should cease His work of upholding all things and holding all things together for just one moment, everything would disintegrate instantly! When He was on earth, at His powerful command the angry waves and wind were stilled; at His powerful command disease and death loosed their hold on man, and demons fled away. And even right now all things are sustained by His Word of power! As we gaze into the starry sky and look at the galaxies and stars in their positions and orbiting with mathematical exactnessfor thousands of years, we know it is all by the upholding power of the Son of God, our Saviour!

The third work of Christ that is proof of His deity is His glorious work of salvation (v.3 - 'purged our sins') As none but God can create and sustain the universe, none but God Himself can purge away our sins. This is the word of Christ that we should be most thankful for - for by it we are delivered from sin and eternal death. Now we turn to the third category of proof of Christ's deity: 

3. His Divine Character

This is stated in the main sentence of the first three verses, 'God hath Spoken by His Son' According to the first 3 verses, God the Father has revealed His character to men through many revelations and using different modes of communication, e.g. dreams, visions, but the final complete revelation is through Christ. There are two significant terms used in v.3 to describe how Christ reveals the Father. The first is 'The brightness of His glory...' (v.3a) This term brings out the extern!l equality of Christ with the Father in outward glory. The second term 'The express image of His person...' shows that the equality is not only external but internal as well. In Jesus we have the expression of the essential nature of God. If we want to know precisely what God is like, we must look to Jesus. Cf. John 14:9 'he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father;'. 

4. His Divine Position or Rank

He is heir of all things (v.2). The word 'heir' here indicates possession. He is the Sovereign owner of the universe. All things belong to Him (v.2, Ps 2:7, John q6:15). Men may claim to own lands, properties and objects and produce title deeds to prove their ownership. But in reality all are only on loan or lease to them. All things belong to Christ and will be returned back to Him!

Secondly He is seated on the right hand of the Majesty on High (v.3) (Ps 110:1). The right hand of God is the closest position to God. This exalted position in heaven is His right to have, and His alone.Thirdly He is higher than all the angels, vv.4-14. Angels are an order of created spiritual beings whose chief attributes are strength and wisdom (2 Sam 14:20; Psa 103:20; 104:4). They are exceedingly numerous (Mat 26:53; Psa 68:17: Rev 5:11). Their power is great (2 Kings 19:35); and their place is about the throne of God (Rev 5:11; 7:11). But as powerful and wise as the angels are, and as high as their rank is, Jesus is far better. He is called the Son (vv.4,5, not angel); He is worshipped (v.6, unlike any angel); He is ruler of the world to come (v.3,7-9, angels are subjects, not rulers. He is the creator (vv.7-12, angels are creatures).

5. His Eternal Existence

Vv.10-12 teach us that Christ's existence is eternal. He transcends time. He was with God at the beginning (John 1:1) and shall remain the same throughout eternity (Hebrews 1:8). Thus we have seen from the whole chapter, five great proofs of the deity of Christ. When we combine all these proofs of Christ's deity, we can have no more doubts about His deity. We can see Him now as our supreme Lord and our God, in all His heavenly glory! 

C. A Warning To Lukewarm Christians

But now we must come to the first four verses of chapter two where the whole discourse on Christ as the Divine Only Begotten Son is wrapped up with strong words of warning. The thrust of this warning is this: Now that we know that Christ is God's only Begotten Son, by His divine names, works, character, position and eternal existence, we must take special heed to the Word that He has spoken to us: 2:1-4 'Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?'

1. The Danger: 'Letting Them Slip'

The warning here is: Let us give more earnest heed to His Word from now on! Because of Who the Lord Jesus is, we cannot take Him and His Word lightly any more! To do so would be a great insult against Him! Christians need to receive warnings like this from time to time, because we have the tendency to get so used to the things we hear from the pulpit, that we forget their importance and gravity. We lose the initial excitement we once had for them, and our spirits are dampened. We lose our firm hold on them and so we 'let them slip' into a place of secondary importance in our lives. 

2. The Result: A Lukewarm Spiritual Life

One of the problems of Christians today is this light-hearted attitude toward Christ and the things of Christ. Many people come to church on Sundays, they go through the motions of worship, prayer and even Bible study, but their hearts are not fully in it. Christ Himself said, 'This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.' (Matthew 15:8)

Dearly beloved, if you find that this accurately describes your present life now, please be careful. Perhaps you have grown light-hearted toward the things of Christ, and you are not even aware of it. Perhaps you have been coming to church more out of a sense of duty than of love, just because you feel that you have to do it each Sunday, and not really because you want to. If your heart is cold and not really present here in the worship service; If you find that you are just going-through-the-motions when people around you are singing and praying; If you do not find great delight in the things of God and have to force yourself to pray and read His Word, please be very careful. This is a very dangerous situation to be in.

3. The Possibility: A False Security

Do you know that a person who calls himself a Christian but does not show it in his life may be in greater peril than he can imagine? He may be having a false sense of security. The scriptures make it very clear to us that the grace of God must naturally produce lives that are devoted to God. If your attitude toward the Lord is light-hearted and lacking in serious devotion, this may be an indication that you are not saved at all! One of the warning passages in the Hebrews speaks about this (6:4-6): 'For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.'

This does not mean that a person who is saved can lose his salvation. Salvation is of the Lord, and therefore it can never be lost. But some people can appear to be in Christ, and yet not really be in Christ at all. They claim to have a part in Him and profess to be like the rest of the branches that are joined to the true Vine. They may even call Jesus 'Lord', as Jesus said in Matthew 7:22 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.' But their true unsaved condition becomes evident after some time, when their lives display no real transformation, or when they deny the Lord and fall away from following Him. This is mentioned in another of the warning passages in the book, namely, Hebrews 10:26,27 'For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.'

On the day of the Lord's Judgment, their false profession of faith in Christ will not be of any help to them at all. They will have no part at all in the wonderful bliss of eternal life, but will be cast into the outer darkness. This is really a most frightening prospect, so frightening that I would urge all of you to make very sure today that you have not been deceiving yourself into thinking that you are saved, that you have a part in Christ, when you actually do not have a part in Him at all.

4. The Probability: A Backslidden State

Now, while that frightening prospect may be true of some of us, and we ought to make sure that it is not, it may also be true that we are already genuinely saved, but who just have backslided into an unhealthy spiritual state. Perhaps there was a time when you were more zealous and did much more for the Lord, a time when your heart was burning hot with love for Him. But what has happened since then? You have left your first love. You have backslided, and if you are not careful, you may one day stop coming to church.

What has caused you to backslide to such a state? One cause of backsliding comes from the cares of this world and other pursuits. A Christian backslides when he allows these things to overtake his devotion to the Lord, and his walk with the Lord. You are living for the thingskon this earth and not for things above. You have become too occupied with your work and with your own interests. The question you should ask yourself is: Is it worthwhile? Can you do all this without compromising at all on your devotion to the Lord, and your walk with the Lord? Is it worthwhile to do all that you can to assure yourself and your children of the best security and comfort this life can afford, but end up as a spiritual shipwreck? Dearly beloved, if you are convicted that this describes your present situation, then you need to learn how to get out of it. Let us now consider:

5. The Remedy: Return To Your Fir3t Love

The first thing you need to do is to repent of your backsliding. Take careful stock of your life now, and remove all the idols you have been serving - whether it is your wealth, your comfort, or your career. Make nothing else but Christ supreme in your life. Think about what Jesus means to you. He is none other than the only begotten Son of God, who is called 'God' and 'the Lord', the one who has created all things, and who upholds all things by the Word of His power, the one who purged away our sins, who is heir to all things and sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Remember also that He is your Lord and your Saviour who died for you and gave Himself for you. No love can ever surpass the love that Christ has for you. Let that love draw you close to Jesus right now to rekindle your first love for Him!

Hebrews 11;5,6 - Enoch: Faith That Pleases God

By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 8am Service, 2004-07-18

Text: Hebrews 11;5,6

Faith is the one thing in life that all of us always need as Christians. No matter what your station in life or spiritual standing you may have - young Christian or old Christian, pastor, elder, deacon or church member - you will still need faith. In all my years as a Christian, I have yet to hear anyone say, 'I have all the faith that I need.' Instead, I have met many fellow believers who confessed their lack of faith, or that they desire to have more faith to trust in God. One good way to develop more faith in God is to study the lives of great heroes of faith. 

These Old Testament heroes and the faith they had are all found in Hebrews chapter 11. Some describe this chapter as a condensed register of the OT heroes of faith. But the purpose of this chapter is not to praise these heroes or to exalt them to be venerated by us (as the Roman Catholic Church has unbiblically done for its many saints). Actually all of these heroes of faith of the Old Testament were sinners like us, with weaknesses, failures and faults that are recorded in the Scriptures. The purpose of this chapter is to teach us what having faith in God is all about. Faith isn't just a mental belief that certain things are true. Faith isn't just a nice feeling of security and confidence. As we study the examples of faith in this chapter, we will see that their faith was a faith that worked tremendous things in their lives! May we be fully convinced that the faith that worked for these people can also work for us, to the glory of God.

Last week we began our study of this chapter with the life of Abel. We learned that the life of faith begins with a sacrifice for sin, when we fully accept God's plan of salvation for us. This morning we go on to Hebrews 11:5,6 where we meet the next hero of faith: Enoch. From him we are going to learn that faith is needed in order to please God. Let us read these verses: 'By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.' The point that often captivates readers in these verses is that Enoch did not see death. He went up to heaven without dying!

Enoch was the first of two individuals in the Bible who never had to go through physical death in order to get to heaven (The other one was Elijah). From this, I am sure we all would love to know what kind of man Enoch was, that God should spare him from going through death. Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot of information about his life. The main historical data about Enoch that we have is contained only in four verses in Genesis 5:21-24 'And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.' 

I. The Origins of Enoch's Faith

In these verses we can detect a definite turning point in Enoch's life - the time when Methuselah was born. We are told that Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah. Perhaps before he had Methuselah, Enoch was not walking with God at all. Perhaps he was walking the way of the world for 65 years. But at the end of those 65 years, God revealed Himself to Enoch and told Him about things to come. 

How do we know that? One clue can be found in the unique name that Enoch gave to his firstborn son - Methuselah. This name contains a cryptic and ominous message 'When he dies, it shall come.' Apparently God had revealed to Enoch that something very great was going to happen at the time when Methuselah dies. What was this great event? Well, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years - the longest that any man has ever lived! But what is interesting to us is that the year that Methuselah died was the exact year of the Great Flood - The universal flood that destroyed all life in the world except for 8 souls who were in Noah's ark.

So now we know what Methuselah's name means - When he dies, the Flood will come! Could it be that when this baby boy was born, God actually revealed to Enoch the fact that the Great Flood was to come upon the world? Perhaps. Could it be that God had also told Enoch why the great Flood was to come - that it was because of Man's sins filling the world to such a great extent that Divine Judgement could no longer be withheld? Perhaps. Could it be that through this revelation Enoch was so convinced that he himself was a sinner worthy of divine judgment for all his sins of 65 years, that he desperately needed salvation? Perhaps. And could it be that Enoch came to realize how merciful and gracious God was to him, to reveal Himself to him now and to warn him to flee from the wrath to come? Perhaps.

Whatever the actual situation may have been, there is one thing is that is certain: It was at that point in time that Enoch turned to God with all his heart in true repentance, and trusted in Him alone to save him. From then on, Enoch no longer wanted to walk the way of the world any more. >From then on, he walked with God. From then on, he began to grow in his newfound faith - the faith that pleases God!

Dear friends, if you want to have a faith that pleases God, you too need that turning point in your life, which is also known as conversion. And you do not have to wait until you are 65 years old like Enoch, or when you have your first child in order to be converted. Enoch lived long before any portion of the Bible was written. He lived at the time when the Word of God was conveyed only by word of mouth, or by direct revelation from God. But now that the written revelation of God has already come and we are holding it in our hands right now, we can easily learn from it about the wrath to come and flee from it! And just at Enoch was warned through divine revelation that God was going to judge the sinful world with a Great Flood, we are now warned through the Bible that God is going to judge the sinful world once more with the most awful end time plagues and judgments.

Dear Friends, if you have not yet repented of your sins and turned to Jesus Christ to save you, please do not put it off any more. No one can tell exactly when the end time judgements will come. In Enoch's case, God's judgment came 969 years later. But when Methuselah was born Enoch did not know he would live that long. All he knew was that when Methuselah dies, it will come. Methuselah could have died any time, at the age of 10 or 20 years since sickness was already in the worl then. He could even have died soon after his birth! And so it became most urgent for Enoch to seek salvation from sin without any delay at all, if God should choose to take Methuselah early in his life.

I trust that God-willing, there may be someone here today who will follow in Enoch's footsteps, and begin to walk with God this very day by receiving Christ as your Saviour and Lord. May this very morning be the turning point in your life, when you choose to walk no longer in sin, and no longer with the world, but to walk the rest of your life's journey with the Lord Jesus Christ!

II. The Object of Enoch's Faith

We return now to our study of Enoch's faith, and we turn our attention to the object of his faith. The kind of faith that pleases God is faith that has God Himself as its object. This is what we see in v.6 of our text - 'for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.' From this we can learn three things about Enoch's faith in God. Firstly:

A. He believed in the Eternal Existence of God

The people who inhabited the world in Enoch's time were not much different from people who live today. Like the world today, there were probably many at that time who did not believe that a personal God exists. The sinful nature in them made them quite blind to the message so clearly proclaimed in every part of creation - The message that there is a God who made all things. Psalm 19 says, 'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.'

Despite such clear evidence of God's existence and power, there were probably many in Enoch's time (and notably the descendants of Cain) who had either rejected God, or reduced Him to a form that they could grasp and control - an idol. And this led them to think that they could live and do as they liked without any fear of judgement or retribution. Sin always thrives whenever God's existence is rejected. The sixth chapter of Genesis records that by the time of the Great Flood, sin had multiplied at such an alarming rate, that every imagination of the thought of men's hearts were only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). In such an ungodly environment, the faith of Enoch to believe in the existence of a personal living and true God would surely have stood out very, very starkly. 

We who are Christians today are no different from Enoch in this aspect. In order to become Christians, we had to believe this most basic truth about God - the truth of His existence. 'For he that cometh to God must believe that He is.' Unlike the world of Enoch's time, however, the world today claims to have very solid grounds for not believing in God's existence. 

Ever since Charles Darwin propounded the theory of Evolution in the 19th century, the unbelieving world has eagerly believed that everything that exists was formed entirely by chance from pre-existing material, over billions of years, through natural physical and chemical processes. And every type of animal and plant that exists today evolved from lower forms of life, by genetic mutation and natural selection. Now, evolution has never been conclusively proven. 

It is still a theory, although it is often taught and propounded in schools and colleges as established scientific facts. The truth is that there are so many flaws, faulty assumptions, unanswered questions and inconsistencies in evolution theory that it actually takes more faith to believe in evolution, than to believe in creation. Let us understand what the theory of evolution really is. It is the Devil's most cleverly devised tool that he uses to deceive millions of people and to keep them from believing in the most basic truth that they need to believe - the truth of God's existence. Dear friends, if you have not known Christ yet, let me tell you this: Please, do not be deceived by the theory of evolution, or by any thing that makes you doubt God's existence. If you sincerely want to come to God, if you want to walk with Him and please Him, you must begin by believing that He exists! 

But this is not all that you must believe. The devils also believe that God exists and according to James 2:19 they even tremble at this truth, but it brings them absolutely no benefit at all. In order to have a faith that pleases God, you must go on to believe in another thing about God, as seen in Enoch's faith:

B. He believed in the Excellent Goodness of God

Now, God's goodness can be seen in nature - in the sustanence of His creation with life and with food. Matthew 5:45 says that 'He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.' But what Enoch believed about God was more than that. According to Hebrew 11:6 he firmly believed that God is a rewarder. He believed that in His excellent goodness, God is ever willing to bestow blessings, and ever ready to reward those who come to Him. 

Since the day that Enoch began to know God, he must have been thoroughly enthralled at God's goodness to reward him. Perhaps there were times of crises when Enoch prayed and God answered him. Perhaps there were moments when Enoch was oppressed and persecuted by sinful men, and God delivered him out of their hands. We know from Jude verses 14 and 15 that Enoch preached to the unbelieving world around him that God's judgment was coming. God must have given him the courage and boldness he needed to declare His word to men. 

Dearly beloved, if we know these things, let us not hesitate at all to exercise our faith in God. Let us prove that He is as much a rewarder to us, as He was to Enoch. In 1 Corinthians 2:9, the Word of God tells us: 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.' In 2 Peter 1:3,4, we are told that God's 'divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.' Dearly beloved, there are great and glorious rewards awaiting those who put their trust in God!

And do you know what is the greatest reward that God can ever give? The greatest reward is Himself. This is what God told Abraham: 'I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.' (Genesis 15:1). Asaph testified, 'God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.' (Psalm 73:26). There is really no reward that is better than this! Nothing can compare with the blessedness of having God as your reward and your portion. In His presence is fullness of joy; at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). 

It was probably because of this that Enoch sought the Lord diligently. His faith was so much in God, that he diligently sought to be with Him as oftern as he could. This is the third thing that we can learn about Enoch's faith.

C. He believed in Endeavouring to be with God 

This comes from the last part of Hebrews 11:6 'for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.' What we want to highlight here is the earnest endeavour and effort that is put into seeking after God. Are we diligent enough in seeking after God? Do we seek after God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? 

King David did. He wrote in Psalm 63 'O God, thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.' And those who diligently seek God like this will not find themselves disappointed - for God Himself says, 'And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD.' (Jeremiah 29:13-14) - that was God's promise to Israel, and it still stands as His promise to us today.

Dearly beloved, this is the promise that you should claim everyday when you have your daily quiet time. You must believe that as you seek to commune with God, He will be found of you, and you will experience the wonderful delight in your soul of being with Him, in His holy presence. Your daily quiet time should be so filled with delight that it becomes the very best part of your whole day. But perhaps for many of us here, our quiet time has somehow degenerated into a meaningless routine that we just perform to get over with, and sometimes, because we are rushing for time, we skip it altogether! 

If this is the state of your personal devotions right now, you really need to do something about it. Prepare your soul to commune with God. And for those 10-15 minutes, just put aside all other thoughts from your mind and heart. Don't think about the things that you need to do for the day, or the problems that you are going to face for the day. Just keep your thoughts focused on seeking diligently after God. Meditate deeply on the words of Hebrews 11:6 'he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.'

Tell Him how much you long to be with Him and commune with Him. Let your heart be filled with praise and thanks to God. And as you seek God, believe in that promise He made to you 'I will be found of you.' Then read a portion of Scripture, and let God speak to you through His Word. Let Him show you what He wants you to do for the day. He may reveal to you a sin in your life that you need to confess, or a command that He wants you to obey. He may strengthen you with a word of assurance and comfort. And when God has been found of you and blessed you with His Word, give thanks to Him and pray for grace to do all that He wants.

This is what your daily quiet time ought to be - a personal, spiritual time of blessed communion with the Lord. And such daily communion with God will then become your source of spiritual life and strength to live for the Lord each day. I would therefore urge you not to be satisfied with the present state of your devotional life until you have this daily walk with the Lord. Make a commitment to the Lord right now, to keep not just daily quiet time, but daily quality time with the Lord enjoying blessed communion with Him.

Enoch apparently enjoyed this communion with the Lord, because we are told not just once but twice in Genesis 5 that Enoch walked with God. Verse 22 tells us that he walked with God after he begat Methuselah for three hundred years. If you ever think that it is much too difficult for you to sustain a consistent daily walk with God for a few months - think of how Enoch sustained his walk with God everyday for 300 years!

All those years of walking closely with God wrought good results in Enoch's life. And we now end our message by considering:

III. The Outcome of Enoch's Faith

A. Enoch Pleased God

The faith that led Enoch to cease walking in the way of the world and to walk with God for three hundred years brought pleasure to God. By doing this, Enoch fulfilled the primary purpose of his life. Revelation 4:11 tells us that all things are created for God's pleasure ('Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.') Now, that includes us as well. God created all of us not for our own pleasure or anyone's pleasure, but for His pleasure. But are we pleasing God? Do our lives bring pleasure to Him? Hebrews 11:6 says that it is impossible to do this without faith. If we are to please God we must have faith to believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Now the second outcome of Enoch's faith was:

B. Enoch Served God

He became a prophet to the people of his time, warning them to flee from God's coming judgment. And it is interesting that the judgment that Enoch preached about was not the immediate one that was to come - the Great Flood, but the ultimate judgement, at the coming of Christ to judge the whole earth. Jude 14,15 - 'And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds'. The faith that Enoch had as a result of his close walk with God gave him the power to preach this message boldly and courageously. Besides pleasing God and serving God, Enoch's faith brought one more result:

C. Enoch was Taken Up by God

This took place after he had lived up to the age of 365. Hebrews 11:5 says, 'By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him.' Why did God take Enoch up? Perhaps it was done to spare him from facing severe persecution that may have arisen as a result of his bold preaching. What happened to Enoch will happen on a much bigger scale in the Last Days - in an event called the Rapture! Believers who are living on earth when the Rapture takes place will be instantly transformed and taken up to heaven without dying. How wonderful it will be to be taken up to be with our Lord Jesus Christ forever, and with all the resurrected saints, including Enoch! 

Dearly beloved, are you looking forward to this event? If you are, then think of Enoch - the very first believer to experience something life the Rapture, and think of his faith - a faith that pleased God and enabled him to walk with God and serve God effectively. Let us be powerfully motivated by his example to cultivate the kind of faith that pleases God and that will enable us to walk with God and serve Him.

James 5:12 - Victory through Truthful Speaking

By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at Life BPC 1045am Svc, 2013-05-26

Text: James 5:12

Since the beginning of this year we have been studying the book of James, a book that has much practical teaching on many areas of our life. One area of life that James gives plenty of instructions on is how we speak. Earlier in this epistle, he had talked about words that are spoken in anger (1:19,26). In chapter 3 he had shown what awful hurt and terrible destruction this small little tongue can cause when it is used in a sinful manner. Then in 4:11 he warns his readers not to slander one another. And now as we come to James 5:12, he highlights another sin of our lips. Let us listen carefully to what he says here – “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”

The fact that James returns to this subject again and again, tells us one thing: We must take the sins of our lips very seriously! We cannot afford to ignore them. And this is not an easy thing to do especially when we live in a world that thrives on such sins. We find ourselves lamenting like the prophet Isaiah, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” (Isaiah 6:5) So much lying and deceit goes on everyday and in every place that we have gotten quite used to it. John MacArthur said, “Our society is built on a framework of lies, leading one to wonder whether our social structure would survive if everyone were forced to speak the truth for even one day.”

There is a pervasive culture of deceit in today’s world. Media commercials make the most extraordinary claims about products just to boost their sales. Politicians make promises they cannot keep in order to gain more votes. Businesses protect themselves from losses by drafting contracts with intentionally ambiguous wording. Large corporations and organizations employ highly skilled ‘spin’ doctors to handle every disclosure them make to the public. Whenever some unfortunate event threatens their reputation, they will manipulate public opinion in their favour. By craftily-worded statements they make denials that are non-denials, and apologies that are non-apologies. They use an amazing array of devices to persuade people to believe what is false. Lying is a chronic problem that is found in every level of society.

In June last year, a well-known plastic surgeon was fined for making his clinic staff take the rap for his speeding offence. A month later, a pastor was convicted for tampering with his car’s fuel gauge and lying to an immigration officer about it. A survey of over 2,600 people that was done by Readers’ Digest 9 years ago revealed that 63% called in sick to work when they were not ill; 18% misstated facts in their resume for job applications; 32% lied to their spouse about the cost of a recent purchase; 28% lied to their spouse about their relationship with another person; and 71% lied to their friends or family members about their appearance to avoid hurting their feelings. Lying always seems to provide the easiest way out doesn’t it?

How much have you been involved in this culture of dishonesty and deceit? Have you ever tried to impress others by referring to people you barely know as ‘close friends’? Or have you ever inflated numbers and statistics just to create a good impression? Have you ever tried to evade responsibility for an offence you committed by cooking up some strange excuse? Have you ever told someone, ‘I’m not feeling so well today’ when the truth is that you just don’t want to talk with him? Can any of us say that we have never told a lie or deceived others?

I think we all have to admit like Isaiah did that we are a people of unclean lips and we dwell in the midst of a world of unclean lips. But we cannot make this an excuse to keep on doing the same thing. It is so tempting to say, ‘Everybody’s doing it.’ We have to be different from the world because we are God’s people. We no longer belong to the Devil who is the father of lies. We belong to God and must change the way we speak because He is a God of Truth, and therefore being truthful matters a lot to us. This is the whole point of the injunction that James gave in our passage. He said, “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” (James 5:12)

I. The Practice of Taking Oaths

Here James deals with the practice of taking oaths. The Old Testament Law had made provisions for taking oaths. For instance in Numbers 30:2 the Israelites were told – “If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.”

Oaths were taken for two reasons: The first was to guarantee the truth of what a person said. E.g. When taking the oath to tell the truth in court as a witness, one is required to place his hand on the Bible and “swear to tell the truth,… so help me God.” Every court of law in this world can mete out justice only as far as the witnesses are willing to speak the truth. No justice at all can be served, if people do not speak the truth in court.

The second reason why oaths were taken was to ensure the keeping of a promise by elevating it to the status of a sacred vow. E.g. In a church wedding when a bride and groom stand before the congregation and take their marriage vows, God is called upon to be the principal witness to the truthfulness of their vow. And any vow that is made must never be broken. As God has said in Deuteronomy 23:21 – “When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.”

Some may ask the question: Can an oath or vow ever be legitimately broken? The answer is: Only when they contravene God’s laws. E.g. A band of Jews bound themselves with an oath not to eat nor drink until they had murdered the apostle Paul (Acts 23:12). We cannot disobey God’s moral law under the pretext of obeying the same moral law. Such sinful oaths must be repented of and confessed to God. God alone has the authority to forgive as well as to release a person from a sinful oath.

II. The Protest against Abusing Oaths

And so we see that the law concerning oaths was given to man for very good purposes. But just as many good things have been abused by man, so the law concerning oaths became abused as well. How? All oaths are supposed to be made in the name of God. The person who swears is actually appealing to God Himself to be his witness that what he says is true or will be fulfilled. And if what he says is not true or is not fulfilled, then he will come under severe condemnation – the condemnation of having taken God’s name in vain (cf. Exodus 20:7).

But if you were to look at v.12 in our text you will notice that James was speaking of swearing not by God’s name, but by heaven or by earth. Apparently many  people were doing this. Why did they swear by heaven or by earth? They were doing this to avoid taking God’s name in vain. They did not want to be condemned for breaking the 3rdcommandment.

But there was another reason why they did this: It was to make distinctions between oaths that are less binding and oaths that are more binding. This provided a loophole that they could use. To wriggle out of their oaths Let us look at what Jesus said on this in Matthew 23:16-22 – “Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by thetemple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the giftthat is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.”

    From this we can see that the Jews had developed a very sophisticated system to judge how binding an oath really was. Incredible distinctions proliferate under such a system. To them, swearing by heaven and earth was not binding, nor was swearing by Jerusalem, though swearing toward Jerusalem was. Such extensive distinctions can be found even in the Mishnah, which records all the traditions of the rabbis which the Jews use to this day. But all these distinctions are artificial, because in reality everything is under God’s jurisdiction. Heaven is God’s throne and the earth is God’s footstool. Whatever object men may choose to swear by, God is always brought into the oath as a witness. Thus the severity is exactly the same – they will face the same condemnation if they were to break their oath, as breaking an oath that is made in God’s name.

But by making such false distinctions the Jews had turned oath-taking into a horribly sinful practice. Instead being used to uphold truth, oaths were now being used to disguise falsehood and to deceive the unwary. Sinful men were using oaths to make promises they did not intend to keep! Their victims may confront them like this: “You promised to do this for me, and I believed you because you swore to me that you would keep your promise.”But the reply he gets is, “Yes, I did swear to keep this promise, but it is not binding at all since I did not swear by God’s name. I swore by heaven, and so I don’t have to keep my promise to you.” “But God lives in heaven. So how can you say that your oath is not binding?”

“Oh yes, but God lives in the third heaven. You see I did not swear by the third heaven, but by the first heaven – which is just the plain blue sky above the earth. So what action can you take against me?”

Can you imagine how much dishonest speaking and insincere promising resulted from the kind of swearing that became so common in the time of James? One example of this is Simon Peter’s denials of Christ (Matthew 26:72,74). The situation got so bad that people did not trust one another anymore. It became a habit for people to swear very often because no one was speaking truthfully, and words could no longer be trusted. Many promises were made, but few were kept. It was in this situation that James gave the injunction in our text – “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath...”

Some (e.g. the Anabaptists and Quakers) have gone to an extreme in applying this injunction. They say that we should not swear at all, not even when we are required to do so in a court of law, or on our first day of National Service. To them, oath-taking of any kind is forbidden. The problem with this view is that the Israelites were actually commanded to swear by the name of their God. For instance they were told in Deuteronomy 10:20 – “Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.”

Secondly, swearing by God’s name was considered to be worthy of praise Psalm 63:11 –“But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory….”

Thirdly, Jesus permitted Himself to be placed under oath. We see this in Matthew 26:63-64 – “But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said…”

Fourthly, the apostle Paul often said, “God is my witness” and took at least one oath (Romans 1:9, 1 Thessalonians 2:5, 10). Fifthly, an angel with uplifted hand swore an oath to God in Revelation 10:5-7. And finally, God Himself takes oaths and swears by His own name in Hebrews 6:17 (“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath” cf. Psalm 110:4; Jeremiah 44:26).

What then was James’ purpose in giving this injunction in v.12 against swearing? He was not speaking against oath-taking, but against the oath-breaking and insincere promising that had become so prevalent at that time. This was a terrible practice, and God’s people should not follow this. What James says here is therefore not against taking formal oaths (like those required of witnesses in a court of law). It is rather a plea for truthful and honest dealings with others. People should be able to trust everything that we say. We should not have to constantly resort to swearing in God’s name just to prove that what we say can be trusted.

In today’s world people do not use oaths as much as before to validate what they say. The accepted practice now is to put everything down in writing. But even that may be challenged if it is not properly signed and notarized with stamp duty. And so there are still legal loopholes that dishonest men can make use of to get their way even when things are put in writing. All these measures (oath-taking in ancient times and putting in writing in modern times) have become necessary only because we live in a culture of deceit and dishonesty.

III. The Prescription of Truthful Speaking

The ideal situation is that our Christian character of honesty and truthfulness should make all such measures unnecessary. The taking of oaths and vows should be reserved only for matters of great importance like marriage. To use them in everyday speech is to make a mockery of God’s name. Hence, in the latter part of v.12 James says, “…but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”

It should be that whenever we affirm something or deny something, no one has any reason to doubt that it is the truth. If we have to keep convincing them that ‘this time’ we are really telling the truth, that means that we have not always been honest. And once we have been dishonest, it will become very hard for us to persuade them to believe whatever we say. We may end up saying, “I know that I was not entirely truthful with you last time, but this time, I really mean it. Please believe me this time. Look, I’ll swear on a stack of Bibles that this is true; Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Why should we need to say things like that, or anything more than just a plain “Yes” or “No”? Saying more than that only betrays a basic dishonesty that destroys our credibility. And when our credibility is destroyed, what will become of our relationships with others? They will be destroyed as well.

If we were to ask people, “What is the most important quality that you look for in a relationship?” the answer nine times out of ten will be honesty. Conversely, if we ask them, “What caused the deepest disappointment in your relationship?” the answer will usually be dishonesty.

But there are more serious consequences than that. Losing our credibility will not only destroy our relationships with people. It will also disable our witness for Christ. No one would accept the testimony of a witness unless he is credible and trustworthy. For this reason, lawyers doing cross-examination always try their best to prove that the witness in the stand is not credible, and that his testimony ought to be thrown out of the court. Once our credibility before others is destroyed, how can we convince them that what we say about Christ is true? Who will believe us when we share the Gospel, if they can’t even believe what we say in other matters? Therefore if we want to preserve our effectiveness as witnesses for Christ, we must keep our credibility intact. Otherwise we can never fulfill our mission of making disciples Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).

I hope we all can see by now how careful we must be with our speech. Remember that your word is your bond. It must be reliable and sincere. I would like to end by suggesting some steps you can take to have victory through truthful speaking:

Firstly, if you are not saved yet you must turn to Christ for salvation. Without being changed from within, all your efforts to change your speech will be futile. In Matthew 15:19 Jesus said, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” Confess to Him that you are a sinner, guilty of sins like lying, deceit and dishonesty. Only the blood of Christ can wash you and make you whiter than snow. Ask the Lord Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, and He will make you a new creature, one that is able to speak truthfully.

Secondly, think carefully before you say anything or make any promise. Ask yourself: Do you really mean what you say? When you say, ‘Yes’ do you really mean Yes? And when you say, ‘No’ do you really mean No? Do not ever let your tongue speak faster than you can think. Proverbs 10:19 tells us: “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.”

If you have a problem ensuring that everything you say is sincere and truthful, then please make the same prayer that the psalmist made in Psalm 141:3 – “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.”

Thirdly, whenever you commit yourself to do something, make sure that you do it no matter how difficult it is to do it. You must keep doing this even though others may fail to keep their commitments, or renege on the promises they had made to you. For instance, if you tell someone that you will meet him at 3 pm, make sure that you are there by 3 pm. If you tell someone that you will return his call, make sure you do it. If you tell someone that you will be praying for him, then don’t forget to pray for him.

Parents, if you want your child to be truthful and faithful to keep his promises, then you must always be truthful and faithful to him. Make sure that you keep every promise you make to your child. There is no such thing as an insignificant promise. Think of how faithful your heavenly Father has been in keeping every promises He made. Not a single one of them has failed. By keeping every promise you make, you become more conformed to His glorious image.

Fourthly, whenever you fail to be truthful in speaking, or you break your promise, deal with the matter immediately. Do not procrastinate. If you are in the midst of a conversation with others and you realise that something you just said is untrue, admit it immediately and do not be afraid of the response you will receive. It is a lot better to correct yourself rather than to be corrected by someone about your false statement. If you break a promise, be sure to make a sincere apology without delay. Admit that you have caused disappointment and that you need to ask for understanding and forgiveness.

May the Lord help us to apply these steps so that our Yes will always be Yes, and our No will always be No. There is just one more thought I would like to leave with you before we close – If you have made any commitments or promises to God before please be sure to keep them. Can you recall how you had responded to all the previous sermons you have heard from the Book of James? Perhaps your heart was moved to make certain changes in your life. How much have you followed through with them? God holds you accountable not only for every word you utter to people but also for every word that you utter to Him.

  1. James 4:4-10 - In The World But Not Of The World
  2. James 4:13-17 - God's Plans Versus Our Plans
  3. James 3:1-12 - Victory over an Unruly Tongue
  4. James 2:14-26 - Justification by Faith Alone

Subcategories

Gospel in Dialect

Do you face a language barrier when trying to witness for Christ to dialect-speaking relatives? Or do you need to polish up your Mandarin in order to share the Gospel with your Mandarin-speaking friends? This Gospel toolkit will help you to learn how to share the Gospel in Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and Teochew.

There are 15 lessons covering the various topics in gospel presentation. Each lesson consists of a set of phrases, written in English, Chinese characters and Hanyu Pinyin.

To hear the proper pronunciation of the phrase, click on the respective plugin associated with each phrase. When the phrase is read for you, you should repeat it aloud. You can keep on playing back the phrase and repeating it aloud until you have mastered the phrase. Then go on to the next phrase in the lesson.

As you learn to speak new phrases, keep on reviewing the ones that you have learnt. Finally, test yourself to see if you can say the following in Mandarin / dialect aloud: 

Family

Introduction

Why a family resource page?  It has been often said that the family is the most important institution in the nation.  But never has this sentiment been as greatly emphasized in our history as a nation than now in recent times.  Indeed, the family is the most important institution because it is the first environment to which every person is exposed; it is the primary influence of a person, especially in his early formative years.  And failure of the family to influence and mould the child positively has contributed to the moral and ethical breakdown of societies.  Even the expert opinions of sociologists and psychologists point to the truth of this statement.  Counselors and mental health workers increasingly have to rely on Family Therapy to deal with the problems of the clients, seeing as how many adult conflicts and problems are actually conflicts and problems not resolved in youth within the family.  Of course, it is not surprising to find such delinquency and immaturity in the world.  And sadly, it is not surprising to find such worldliness and worldly problems in the church, as families capitulate their God-given rights.  More than ever, there is need for a family resource page, where families can be encouraged and taught to raise up Godly homes and to revive the Covenant family.  

And one of the main emphases of this resource page is on the subject and discipline of Family Worship.  According to the Westminster Directory of Family Worship, we are told that “BESIDES the publick worship in congregations, mercifully established in this land in great purity, it is expedient and necessary that secret worship of each person alone, and private worship of families, be pressed and set up; that, with national reformation, the profession and power of godliness, both personal and domestick, be advanced.”  Herein, it is suggested that national and ecclesiastical revival finds its genesis in the home.  And this is biblical. 

The theological foundations of family worship is in Deuteronomy 4:9,10 where believers are told to “keep thy soul diligently…[and to]…teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.” 

It is also in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 where the words which God had commanded believers should be taught diligently to their children, that they should “talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”  The chief Christian educators of our children are their parents, who have been given this sacred duty.

Psalm 78:2-7 also teaches this, especially when it says regarding the law “which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.” 

According to Dr Joel Beeke, “Every church desires growth. Surprisingly few churches, however, seek to promote internal church growth by stressing the need to raise children in covenantal truth. Few seriously grapple with why many adolescents become nominal members with mere notional faith or abandon evangelical truth for unbiblical doctrine and modes of worship. I believe one major reason for this failure is the lack of stress upon family worship. In many churches and homes family worship is an optional thing, or at most a superficial exercise such as a brief table grace before meals. Consequently, many children grow up with no experience or impression of Christian faith and worship as a daily reality.”

“Would we see revival among our children? Let us remember that God often uses the restoration of family worship to usher in church revival. For example, the 1677 church covenant of the Puritan congregation in Dorchester, Massachusetts, included the commitment ‘to reform our families, engaging ourselves to a conscientious care to set before us and to maintain the worship of God in them; and to walk in our houses with perfect hearts in a faithful discharge of all domestic duties, educating, instructing, and charging our children and households to keep the ways of the Lord.’”

Douglas Kelly says that “Family religion, which depends not a little on the household head daily leading the family before God in worship, is one of the most powerful structures that the covenant-keeping God has given for the expansion of redemption through the generations, so that countless multitudes may be brought into communion with and worship” of God. 

So may these resources help all Lifers to build up their families in the fear and admonition of the Lord; that Family Worship would not be an optional exercise but a time of day and activity well-sought after by Godly parents and children.  Amen.

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