Warnings of Disobedience

Read Hebrews 12:14-29


Title in NIV: Warnings of the dangers of disobedience.



Without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Let us live in peace with every man). Be holy because He is holy. All we can do is try...daily.

Bitter roots cause trouble and defile many. I always say, "I don't know what that person is going through in their life so I won't get offended leading to bitterness toward them. They may have just run over their dog or had a fight with their spouse etc."

Do not be sexually immoral. The world has made this a relative term. But God's best way for us is to keep ourselves pure til our wedding night. Then we are pure as a married couple.

Do not be godless like Esau. Later he was rejected. He could not change the mind of Jacob even though he was asking in sobs. (His heart was not right.) Always examine your heart...before the decisions in a situation.

Vs 18-21 describes, I think, what it is like to come to God but not being right with Him or not having the right heart and motives. It is out of reach and looks like it would hurt you. It is darkness, gloom, and stormy. The voice of God is so powerful and holy you shrink in fear. The sight of him makes you realize how sinful you really are and you tremble in fear.



BUT, for those who strive to follow Jesus, coming near to him is like coming to a mountain of heavenly angels. Awesome! It is like coming to a spirit who makes men perfect. It is coming to Jesus, our mediator who gave his blood for us. I don't understand why anyone would choose the darkness, gloom and storm of God over the angels on a mountain. Don't get me wrong, at times I have chosen the darkness, but I was smart enough, maybe broken enough to turn back to God. Those that reject God don't know what they are missing. We need to make the Word look attractive to them and show them...."so that in every way making the teaching about our Lord and Savior attractive." Titus 2:10. An extreme example: I'm 99% sure no one going into an abortion clinic changed their mind because people where there yelling, throwing rocks and calling them 'murderer'. I'm sure no one has ever ran over to the hostile crowd and said, "Y'all are right. I am a murderer. What was I thinking." That is not attractive.



Warning: See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks [about the Savior]. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us form heaven?



Do not “put stock in” created things (of earth) that can be shaken, but put all your faith in what cannot be shaken, because it will remain. Grow your faith into what cannot be shaken.



Vs 28-29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.


Let us ponder what is God's best for us. Discipline may seem harsh, but how do we learn? Do you only teach a child a life lesson when he makes a good choice? NO. You teach a life lesson when he steals something or punches another kid at school or forgets to clean his room or talks back or looses her basketball shoes etc. We get disciplined when we gossip and it spreads so far the person it is about hears it and is hurt...we feel bad and try to tame our tongue, we get disciplined when we speed and get a ticket, we get disciplined when we spend our money out of control, we get disciplined when we judge someone and then find out they are them most giving person who is looking for God that we know etc. God allows all these things to shape us into the people he wants.

Blessings!!