gospel – Grace Still Amazes

Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (Daniel 4:18-23)

Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men could not interpret his dream (4:4-7), so Nebuchadnezzar turned to Daniel and told him his dream (4:8-17). Now Nebuchadnezzar asks Daniel to interpret it.

Whereas the king’s cabinet was unable to interpret the dream (Dan. 4:6-7), once again Daniel, because he serves the true God, is able to correctly interpret it for him. However, this is not a good dream for Nebuchadnezzar’s sake.

Daniel, out of his concern for the king, knowing it was about him, was “greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him” (Dan. 4:19). The word “perplexed” has the idea of being struck mute. Being overwhelmed, you just don’t know what to say. This lasted “for a time.”

Nobody likes to be the bearer of bad news, especially bad news about the supreme ruler. Like Daniel, we all shrink back from telling someone something negative about themselves. It is a highly uncomfortable situation and requires courage. But like we saw earlier, the king depended upon Daniel because Daniel was a truth teller. I truly believe that Daniel was less concerned about the consequences for himself as the bearer of bad news, than he was truly concerned about what was going to happen to Nebuchadnezzar.

Oh that we could have that kind of love for unbelievers. It’s reminiscent of Paul, isn’t it? I could wish myself a curse if my own kinsmen according to the flesh would but come to Christ and confess.

Seeing Daniel’s consternation, Nebuchadnezzar, out of his concern for Daniel, said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.”

Ironside comments: “Nebuchadnezzar must have discerned the anxiety and sorrow in the face of his minister, for he speaks in a way to give him confidence to proceed with the interpretation. He did not want smooth words made up for the occasion. Little though he (the king) realized what was coming, he still desired to know the truth. It is a blessed thing for any soul to get to the place where he can say: ‘Give me God’s Word, and let me know it is His Word, and I will receive it, no matter how it cuts, and interferes with my most cherished thoughts.’”

Joseph Parker notes: “Only the Divine Spirit could make him equal to the responsibilities of that critical hour. Many words we can utter easily, but to pronounce doom upon a life, any life, old man’s or little child’s, is a task which drives our words back again down the throat.” He goes on to point out how we must not shirk back from declaring, when necessary, judgment upon those to whom it is justly due, to warn people of the horrors coming to the wicked man.

I learned a new word a few years ago when I read Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton. It is the German word schadenfreude, which means “rejoicing over someone else’s misfortune.”

That is what makes Daniel’s response to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream so interesting. This was the man who had kidnapped him from his home, emasculated him, and forced him to serve in his own court, encouraging him to follow foreign gods. This was the man who was responsible for the destruction for the temple in Jerusalem and the slaughter of many of Daniel’s fellow countrymen. However, here we see no gloating on Daniel’s part, no silent glee that this terrible judgment was about to happen to Nebuchadnezzar. Instead, he didn’t want this to be true about his king. I find this amazing, because I know my own heart. In my worst moments, I’m likely to seek a little schadenfreude.

“Daniel gives us a superb pattern of how to preach the judgment of God to people. It needs to be done with a broken heart, with a true concern, pointing out the consequences with mercy” (David Jeremiah, The Handwriting on the Wall, pp. 91-92). The message of judgment must always be delivered with a broken heart.

Dwight L. Moody once said, “I cannot preach on hell unless I preach with tears.”We cannot preach on God’s judgment without some deep sense of grief. Well, we can, but we shouldn’t. This is why hellfire and brimstone preaching developed a bad reputation—lack of tears. If we lack a deep sense of heartbreak when speaking about hell, we will sound callous.

David Jeremiah then goes on to give this illustration:

It was in London when a great preacher by the name of Caesar Milan was invited one evening to a very large and prominent home where a choice musical was to be presented.

The musician was Charlotte Elliott born in Clapham, England, on March 18, 1789. As a young person she had lived a carefree life, gaining popularity as a portrait artist, musician and writer of humorous verse.

Now at thirty, her health began to fail rapidly, and soon she would become a bedridden invalid for the remaining years of her life. With her failing health came great feelings of despondency. The visit that night by the noted Swiss evangelist, Dr. Caesar Malan, proved to be a turning point in Charlotte’s life. Charlotte thrilled the audience with her singing and playing. When she finished, the evangelist threaded his way through the crowd which was gathered around her.

When he finally came to her and had her attention, he said, “Young lady, when you were singing, I sat there and thought how tremendously the cause of Christ would be benefited if you would dedicate yourself and your talents to the Lord.

But,” he added, “you are just as much a sinner as the worst drunkard in the street, or any harlot on Scarlet Street. But I am glad to tell you that the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, will cleanse you from all sin if you will come to Him.” In a very haughty manner, she turned her head aside and said to him, “You are very insulting, sir.” And she started to walk away. He said, “Lady, I did not mean any offense, but I pray that the Spirit of God will convict you.”

Well, they all went home, and that night this young woman could not sleep. At two o’clock in the morning she knelt at the side of her bed and took Christ as her Savior. And then she, Charlotte Elliott, sat down and, while sitting there, wrote the words of a favorite hymn “Just As I Am”:

Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot, To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, tho’ tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt, Fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind— Sight, riches, healing of the mind, Yea, all I need in Thee to find— O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

And then the final stanza: Just as I am—Thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; Because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come!

My friend, may I say to you, that this is the basis on which all of us must come to Christ.

So “It seems that genuine affection had grown between king and wise man. Daniel had accepted that the Lord had placed him in this position, and he was striving to do his job to the best of his abilities” (Amir Tsarfati, Discovering Daniel, p. 87).

It reminds us once again of what Jeremiah had written to the exiles in Babylon. Jeremiah had told them:

5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:5-7)

Daniel knew that as the king went, so went the kingdom. And as the kingdom went, so went the living conditions of his fellow exiles. So he served his king wholeheartedly and gladly. It is difficult to serve anyone with your whole heart if your heart is against them, whether it is despot on the throne, your boss at work or your husband at home. Did Daniel agree with all that his sovereign did? (Remember the last chapter, requiring everyone to bow to his image?) Even so, he truly desired what was best for the man. Like Daniel, we live in this world to love and to show the truth of God’s salvation to all sinners, great or small, evil or kind, friend or enemy.

So Daniel provided the key for the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Initially it was good news, for the majestic tree represented Nebuchadnezzar in his glory as the center and pivotal point of the entire universe. “As with the king’s dream of a statue in Daniel 2, where Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold, this dream acknowledged Nebuchadnezzar’s power and might” (Iain Duguid, Daniel in Reformed Expositor’s Commentary, p. 66).

This was the good news.

20 The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.

This is you, O king, you are this mighty tree!

Renald Showers comments:

Showers comments that…

God’s representation of Nebuchadnezzar as a large tree that provided food and lodging for all was very fitting for at least two reasons. First, in several of his inscriptions Nebuchadnezzar had boasted about the peaceful shelter and abundance of food that he had provided for his subjects through Babylon. Indeed, in these boasts he used language descriptive of a tree when referring to his rule through Babylon. In one inscription he said, “The produce of the lands, the product of the mountains, the bountiful wealth of the sea within her I received. Under her everlasting shadow I gathered all men in peace. Vast heaps of grain beyond measure I stored up within her.” In another inscription he declared, “Under her everlasting shadow I gathered all men in peace. A reign of abundance, years of plenty I caused to be in my land.”

Second, as a result of military campaigns that took him several times through the forests of Lebanon, Nebuchadnezzar became greatly captivated by the huge cedar trees of that land. This attitude was reflected in one of his inscriptions where he described the trees as follows: “mighty cedars, tall and strong, of costly value, whose dark forms towered aloft, the massive growth of Lebanon.” Indeed, in his inscriptions Nebuchadnezzar boasted that he personally had cut down some of these huge trees with his own hands. He even had a picture of himself cutting a cedar inscribed on stone. One gets the impression that the king exalted in the fact that he could cut down such a towering giant of strength (The Most High God: A Commentary on the Book of Daniel).

Well, so far, so good! Nebuchadnezzar had built an empire that spanned the world of his day. Other empires would be grander than his, taking in more territory and lasting much longer. But in some ways his empire truly was greater than those others (Dan. 3). Again, his reign began that important biblical time period called “the times of the Gentiles.” Here, at the zenith of his power, he was the great tree that overshadowed the earth.

But the bad news was (and you can almost hear Daniel pause, gulp, and take a deep breath)…

23 And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’

Which is why Daniel had said to his king in v. 19, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries!” The implication, of course, is that this dream does apply to Nebuchadnezzar, sadly.

Daniel drew his breath. He was in a situation much like that of Esther would and might have qujietly said to himself, “If I perish, I perish.”

The description of the tree reaching to the heavens (4:11) reminds us once again of the ancient attempt of the buildings of the Tower of Babel to construct an structure whose top would enter the heavens (Gen. 11:4). Such acts of hubris inevitably lead to disaster. In this case, a divine lumberjack will bring the mighty tree crashing down to the ground, removing it from is place of influence and glory (cf. Ezekiel 31).

Not only would Nebuchadnezzar be brought low, losing his power and authority and glory, but also his very humanity would be removed from him for a time.

Warren Wiersbe notes: When men and women refuse to submit themselves to God as creatures made in His image, they are in grave danger of descending to the level of animals. It’s worth noting that God used animals when He wanted to describe the great empires of history (Dan. 7) and that the last great world dictator is called “the beast” (Rev. 11:7; 13:ff.; 14:9, 11). Men and women are made in the image of God, but when they leave God out of their lives and resist His will, they can descend to the level of animals. “Do not be like the horse or like the mule,” warned King David, who was guilty of acting like both (Psalm 32:9, NKJV). Like the impulsive horse, he rushed into sin when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then like the stubborn mule, he delayed confessing his sins and repenting (2 Sam. 11-12). When the Lord arrested Saul on the road to Damascus, He compared the pious rabbi to a stubborn ox when He said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9:5, NKJV). (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: OT Ediction, pp. 1357-1358).

Daniel interprets the dream to the king. Realize sometimes that truth hurts. We have a tendency to avoid telling the ones we love about the sin in their lives, knowing we live in glass houses ourselves, but the most loving thing to do is to tell them the truth.

So this is the bad news. The tree, Nebuchadnezzar, would be cut down.

The Gospel is good news, literally, that is what the word means. But the good news is only good news to us if we first realize the bad news. The bad news is that we are all sinners; we all are guilty before a holy God. Even our righteousness has no value to God. We cannot earn our way into His favor.

The good news is that God has provided a Savior, a substitute who came to earth, lived a perfect life, obeying every command of God without ever sinning, so that He could die in our place for our sake on the cross.

That death is accepted by God as payment for our sins. We don’t have to die for our sins, but we can live eternally IF we accept the payment Christ made for our sins. If you’ve never done that, I hope you will contact me at Grace Bible Church so we can talk.

Stick with the New Covenant and Its Blessings (Hebrews 12:22-24)

Our author (of Hebrews) is attempting to keep his audience–who were New Covenant believer–to stick with the new covenant and its blessings. Last week we noticed that we “have come” (a past action with continuing benefits now) to a new place (Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem) and we are accompanied by “innumerable angels in festal gathering.” Today we’re continuing to go through this amazing list of New Covenant blessings…

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Fourth, we come to God —“and to God, the judge of all” (v. 23b). Although the scene in Zion to which we come is a joyous festival, it is not a casual thing. We dare not come flippantly. We come to Zion to meet the very God of Sinai, who is Judge of all.

We come to God, the Lover of our souls, the One who chose us before the foundation of the world to be His children, the One who has secured our pardon through the blood of His Son. It is the saint’s delight to “see his face” (Rev. 22:4) and to dwell forever in His presence.

When it comes to “seeing God,” of course He is still spirit and thus invisible to even our resurrection eyes. We see Him in Christ. Our “sight” of God, in Christ, will be both immediate and continue to ripen forever. It will never become static and, as Edwards writes, never boring: “After they have had the pleasure of beholding the face of God millions of ages, it will not grow a dull story; the relish of this delight will be as exquisite as ever” (“The Pure in Heart Blessed,” Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 2).

The infinite God will never be done showing us the immeasurable riches of his grace, or the full vista of himself, coming to us in love, not wrath.

We have come to this God of greatness and goodness, but this God is also “the judge of all.”

We understand regarding him that “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (4:13). We also know that he said, “‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And as our author will soon say, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (10:30, 31).

Thus, the apostle Peter encourages us, “Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” We come to God’s presence not with abject fear and horror, but with reverent fear. We do not come to Him in craven dread, but with highest reverence.

How could it possibly be a joy to come to a God who is judge of all? One reason is that these were persecuted people. It would be a joy to them to realize that one day the judge of all would make all things right, would avenge them for the wrongs done to them. When God judges wicked Babylon in the end times, the saints are encouraged (and likely obey): “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”

Also, we can rejoice because we know that God will reward everything that we have done for the name of Christ. As Hebrews 6:10 reminds us, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” Therefore, we should not lose heart, but continue to do good. So we are encouraged in verse Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Third, we can rejoice that we have come to the Judge, who is God of all, because living with that awareness will keep us from sinning and ruining our joy. Who would commit a crime right in front of the police or while standing before the judge in court? Knowing that God will judge causes us to make sure we are living in holiness every moment, so that “we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28).

Mount Zion doesn’t do away with God as “judge of all.” Rather, the work Jesus did on Mount Zion satisfies the justice of God, bringing forth “the spirits of the righteous made perfect.”

“Being made perfect means that they have finished their race, are totally delivered from all sin, and enjoy the reward of God’s presence” (John Owen, Crossway Classic Commentaries: Hebrews, 255)

The mention of Jesus, the Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2), and Himself perfected through sufferings and death, in His resurrection and ascension (Heb 2:10; 5:9), is naturally suggested by the mention of “the just made perfect” at their resurrection (compare Heb 7:22). Because Jesus has borne God’s wrath and satisfied His justice against us through the cross, we now can join the heavenly worship around the throne and sing the miracle of His grace as forgiven sinners.

This refers to all of the saints who have died and gone to heaven. They have not yet received their new resurrection bodies, which awaits the second coming of Christ, but their spirits are made perfect. They are absent from the body, but present with the Lord. For them, all temptation and sin is over. They are completely righteous in Christ, and will be throughout all eternity. Although we are still in the body, fighting against sin, we are one with these saints, and one day soon we will be with them in heaven.

We share a solidarity with those who have gone before us. The same spiritual life courses through us as through them. We share the same secrets as Abraham and Moses and David and Paul. Here is an amazing thing—they died millennia before us, but God planned, according to 11:40, “that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” They waited for centuries for the perfection we received when we trusted Christ, because that came only with Christ’s death—“by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (10:14). Because of Christ’s work we are not one whit inferior to the patriarchs, for through Christ we are all equal in righteousness!

Most importantly of all these blessings of the New Covenant, we “come…to Jesus, the mediator of [that] new covenant” (Heb. 12:24a). Our author holds the best benefit of the New Covenant to the last. “This climactic fact is the very basis of all that has been described beginning in verse 22. And the reference to the new covenant here redirects the reader to one of the author’s central arguments (7:22; 8:6–13; 9:15)” (Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 226

Significantly, Christ’s human name [Jesus], recalling the Incarnation, is used here because we have come to the man “like us, and the man for us” (Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1982), p. 24).

Moses was the mediator of the old covenant, but as great as he was, he, too, trembled fearfully at Mount Sinai (cf. v. 21). But through Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, we can draw near to the throne of grace with boldness. The promises of the new covenant are sure, for they are in Jesus. He is the source and dispenser of all for which we hope. He is in us, and we are in him.

There is only one mediator between God and man, as Paul tells us, “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). We needed a mediator because through our sin we had become enemies of God, and as such rebels we were destined to experience God’s wrath. Ever since the fall of humanity, sinners have been unable to approach God without going through a mediator. In the Old Testament, it was the priesthood that mediated between a holy God and sinful man. But as the book of Hebrews has pointed out again and again, they were insufficient, in that they, too, were sinners and eventually they died. We needed a mediator who was not a sinner, but completely holy, and One who lives forever. Thus, there is only One who truly fulfills the vocation of mediator between God and human beings, and that is “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).

Stephen Charnock, in his magisterial The Existence and Attributes of God, says, “God, apart from Christ, is an angry, offended Sovereign. Unless we behold Him in and through Christ, the Mediator, the terrors of His Majesty would overwhelm us. We dare not approach the Father except in Christ because of our sins. We first fasten our eyes upon Christ, then upon the Father. If Christ does not bear our guilt and reconcile us unto God, we perish! Before any man can think to stand before the face of God’s justice or be admitted to the secret chamber of God’s mercy or partake of the riches of His grace, he must look to the Mediator, Christ Jesus.”

Like Paul, our author stresses the humanity of Christ in today’s passage as a reminder that Jesus shares in our humanity so that we can be joined to Him and thus stand before God. Moreover, it must be noted that to be an effective mediator, Christ must be truly God and truly man. A mediator is a go-between who can represent the interests of both parties. As God, Christ brings divine justice and mercy to bear on our relationship to our Creator, and as man, Christ brings the perfect human obedience we need to be reconciled to God.

The ”new covenant” does not employ the usual term (kaine), as applied to this covenant in Heb. 9:15, which would mean new as different from, and superseding the old; but rather the term nea, “recent,” “lately established,” having the “freshness of youth,” as opposed to aged.

It is this “new covenant” in which we now, in this age of grace, participate, enabling us to enjoy all the spiritual benefits predicted by Ezekiel and Jeremiah.

The “sprinkled blood,” the seventh benefit of the New Covenant, refers to the sacrificial work of atonement which Jesus effected from the cross. The Old Covenant was ratified by the sprinkling of blood. Exodus 24:8 records: “Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.’” The reason Christ’s people are able to be on Mount Zion is that blood has again been shed (see esp. Heb. 9:15-22), fulfilling the model of the ceremonial “sprinklings” of blood in the OT (Heb. 9:13, 19, 21).

David Guzik notes that there were three occasions for the sprinkling of blood in the Old Testament. As we’ve mentioned, there was the establishment of Sinai or Old Covenant (Exodus 24:5-8). But there was also sprinkling of blood at the ordination of Aaron and his sons (Exodus 29:2). And then there was the special situation of the purification ceremony for a cleansed leper (Lev. 14:6-7). Guzik says, “The sprinkling of the blood of Jesus on us accomplishes the same things. First, a covenant is formed, then we are ordained as priests to Him, and finally we are cleansed from our corruption and sin. Each of these is ours through the work of Jesus on the cross.”

The Apostle Peter says of the believers in Asia Minor, “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance” (1 Peter 1:2).

Why bring up Abel here in this comparison between the blood of Jesus and the blood of Abel? He had nothing to do with Sinai or Zion. “It may have been suggested by the reference in v 23b to the presence of pneumasi dikaion, ‘the spirits of righteous persons,’ in the heavenly city, since the writer had specified in 11:4 that Abel was attested by God as dikaios, ‘righteous.’ It may also have been the writer’s intention to evoke the whole history of redemption, from the righteous Abel to the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus, mediator of the new covenant …” (William Lane, Hebrews 9—13, p. 474. Cf. Casey, pp. 380-82)

The “blood of Abel” does not mean the blood he shed in his martyrdom. Rather, it was the blood of the sacrifice he made – the first recorded sacrifice from man to God in the Bible. It “speaks better” because it cries out to God for mercy and pardon on behalf of those for whom Jesus shed it. For the last of twelve times in all, the author uses the word “better,” this time to describe the blessed gospel message of forgiveness spoken by Jesus’ blood. (Richard E. Lauersdorf, The People’s Bible: Hebrews, 166)

Again, the writer confronts his readers with the superiority of Jesus’ blood as over against that of the any other sacrifices.

“Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance (11:4), but Jesus’ blood speaks a better word, assuring us of forgiveness and acceptance. All must face the judgment of God, but those who trust in the atoning power of Jesus’ death can look forward to acquittal and life for ever in God’s presence” (David G. Peterson, “Hebrews,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), p. 1351)

“In 11:4 our author took note of Abel, writing that “by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” Here, however, the reference appears to be to Genesis 4:10, where the blood of Abel “cries out to me from the ground.” This is the message of the blood of Abel. But the blood of Christ speaks of better things—most conspicuously of the forgiveness of sins associated with the inauguration of the new covenant (8:12; 10:17f.). Christ’s atoning blood speaks of the end of the old covenant and the establishment of the new. It is this blood that has brought the readers to the benefits of the new covenant and to their present glorious status wherein they have begun to experience the fulfillment, the goal of God’s saving purposes, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), pp. 226–227)

Whether we understand the latter as meaning the blood of Abel’s sacrifice or Abel’s own blood which was shed by Cain, it is still true that Christ’s blood speaks more graciously.

The blood of Abel cried, justice must be satisfied, bring vengeance. The blood of Jesus cried, justice has been satisfied, bring mercy.

As fellow-pilgrims in the great marathon, we must not veer off course toward Sinai, because Jesus has met Sinai’s great demands for holiness and perfection at Calvary atop Mount Zion.

To run and work the law commands,

Yet gives me neither feet nor hands;

But better news the gospel brings;

It bids me fly, and gives me wings.

So the question of the day is “Where are you living?” As a believer in Jesus Christ, you “have come” to a new place with new companions and better benefits. But are you living there? Are you living on Mount Sinai, trying to earn acceptance with a holy God by keeping His law? If so, you should be in terror, because it is impossible to meet the demands of His holiness.

I mentioned last week that legalism is our default mode. Why? Because everything in our childhood and adult life reinforces that if we want to experience the approval of others, if we want to experience advancement in work or sports, if we want to feel good about ourselves, we have to work at it; we have to produce.

The wonderful thing about Jesus Christ is that He has done all the work so that we can rest in Him and what He has done for us through the cross and resurrection.

So, if you have trusted in Christ, keep looking to him. Stay focused on what He has already done for you. Remind yourself of every spiritual blessing you have in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3-14). Yes, you must “work out” your salvation, but you “work out” what God is “work{ing] in you” (Philippians 2:12-13). You don’t produce good on your own. You do it in dependence upon and in union with Jesus Christ.

Also, it is important for us to maintain a balance between familiar fellowship with God our Father and reverential fear of God our judge. We are to draw near to His throne to receive grace for our every need (Hebrews 4:16), but we also need to remember that “our God is a consuming fire” (12:29).

All of this is to show these Jewish Christians that they should not even consider going back and preferring the religion of Mount Sinai to the relationship of Mount Zion. These seven differences between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion show the clear superiority of the latter.

Faith that Holds on for God’s Best, part 3 (Hebrews 11:16)

We are in Hebrews 11, verse 16. Let me read this whole passage about Abraham’s forward-looking faith.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

We have noticed throughout this passage that it is faith produced by grace that redirects our affections from this world to the next, from earth to heaven, from now to them.

This is basically one way we can determine whether we are practical atheists. I’m not talking about theological atheists, who argue that there is no god, but rather Christians who live like there is no god. They value man’s authority over God’s authority, they believe more in the material world than the spiritual world, and they value this life more than eternity.

Abraham wasn’t like that. He took God at His word, by faith saw the rewards of heaven, and lived his life for eternity.

And this leads us to our second point in this text. First, faith produced by grace redirects our affections. Second, faith produced by grace also arouses God’s affection for us.

Look at verse 16b, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

“Therefore,” on the basis of this kind of faith that focuses our hearts and minds on God’s future, heavenly rewards, “God is not ashamed to be called their God.”

This is so incredible! To think that God not ashamed to be referred to as my God. It doesn’t bother him that I claim him as my God, rather it delights him!

When I served as a hospice chaplain I would sing hymns to my hospice patients. Over the years I sang many of the hymns in The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration. I found six hymns, and I never would have expected this, that talked about God’s smiling face.

For example, the hymn Jesus, I Am Resting Resting by Jean Pigott, begins the fourth verse with “Ever lift Thy face upon me As I work and wait for Thee; Resting ‘neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus, Earth’s dark shadows flee.” Yes, when we see His smile all the pain and heartache of life begins to disappear.

Or take the hymn He Keeps Me Singing, by Luther B. Bridgers, where the third verse joyfully exclaims: “Feasting on the riches of His grace, Resting ‘neath His shelt’ring wing, Always looking on His smiling face—That is why I shout and sing.” You can shout and sing and claim the sweetest name of Jesus because you keep your eyes focused on “His smiling face.”

In the hymn O That Will Be Glory by Charles H. Gabriel, he talks about the joys of heaven: friends will be there, joy will overflow, “Yet, just a smile from my Savior, I know, Will through the ages be glory for me.” That smile will be our joy and delight throughout eternity.

Other hymns that have that concept—the smile of God—are Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts, Sunshine in My Soul and Trust and Obey. Look them up and let these songs edify your heart.

Far too many Christians feel that God’s countenance towards them is a frown, not a smile, laboring under the false supposition that God in his wrath is about to rain down lightning bolts of anger toward them. Nothing could be further from the truth as a Christian.

There’s no doubt that God’s heart must be grieved by sin and evil in our world but that is not the main headline! God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son for us!

The image of God’s smiling face first appears in the priestly blessing of Aaron mentioned in Numbers 6:24-26: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

The image of God’s face shining upon someone paints a picture that signifies God’s divine favor. Like warm rays from the sun, God’s favor is shining upon his people. When we read “the Lord make his face shine upon you” it shows God’s radiance warming our lives with love, grace, compassion, guidance, joy, and all other attributes that flow from him. Again, we see the abundance in which God blesses his people.

To “be gracious to you” shows that this isn’t something we deserve; rather it’s unmerited grace that God is giving us. Because God loves us, he gives us what we need and not what we deserve. That’s grace.

God was not ashamed to be called the God of Abraham, even though Abraham faltered and failed numerous times. In fact, God later proclaimed to Moses, “I am [present tense] . . . the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). The most notorious weasel of them all was Jacob, and God delighted in calling Himself Jacob’s God. And did you know that God refers to himself three times more often as the “God of Jacob” than of Abraham or Isaac?

“Not ashamed” (cf. 2:11) is a litotes implying that God is willing and happy to be called their God. Our author uses this figure of speech in the negative “not ashamed” to emphasize the more positive: God is proud to be my God. He delights in associating His name with mine.

No higher tribute could be paid to any mortal. But God proudly claims whoever trusts and obeys him, and they can humbly insert their name in the divine proclamation, “I am the God of __________!”

We all have seen or heard of family members who turn their backs on a member of the family that is erring and rebellious and who has caused them shame. Do you realize that Jesus would never, never do that of you? He would NEVER do that to you.

Jesus said to Mary, after his disciples had all abandoned him, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (John 20:17).

Did you hear it? “Go to my brothers…” My brothers! Even though they had abandoned Him in His greatest time of need, he still regards them as brothers. Back in Heb. 2:11 we read that Jesus Christ was “not ashamed to call us brothers.”

It is faith, not perfect obedience, that brings pleasure to God. It is our dependence upon Him, recognizing that we are weak and needy and powerless. It is trust that does manifest itself in obedience and endurance, but it is primarily the faith that pleases God. Remember Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please [God].” So the reverse is also true: God is pleased with our faith. That is what delights his heart.

On what basis does God delight in calling himself my God, or Jesus calling himself my brother? The answer is right there in v. 16. Notice that God “has prepared for them [and for us] a city” (v. 16b). This is the New Jerusalem that will come down upon the New Earth. This is a reference to our eternal home.

And what was their response to this marvelous promise of a New and Glorified City that would be established on the New and Glorified Earth? They “desired” it! The word “therefore” in the middle of v. 16 points back to the first half of the verse. In other words, it is because these OT patriarchs “desired” a better country that God is not ashamed of them. Faith focuses the heart and the mind on those future promises of God.

So how is it that God is not ashamed of us when we are so often ashamed of ourselves? It has to do entirely with His grace! I remember reading a few years ago about a pastor in his early 30s who was diagnosed with cancer. After many tests, the doctors gave him the worst possible news. He was dying of cancer—sooner rather than later. It turned out exactly as the doctors predicted. He lived for a few more years and then he died. But as long as he was able to preach, he spoke to his people about what he was learning. The young pastor was given an insight that he shared with his congregation. It went something like this.

Twenty seconds—and the clock is running!

When you begin your Christian life, you realize that you have a long way to go, but you think to yourself, “I’ve got a lifetime to grow in grace.” Even though you know that you’ll never reach perfection in this life, you assume that over the years, you will grow much closer to God. And while you struggle with various sins, bad habits, and a long list of negative tendencies, you think, “Someday I’m going to be a better person.” After all, when someone points out a weakness to us, what do we usually say? “I’m working on that,” which means, “Give me time and I’ll get better.”

But what if you don’t live long enough to make even the elementary progress that you planned on making? That’s the dilemma this young pastor faced, knowing that he didn’t have much longer to live. And it was precisely at this point that he gained wisdom from God.

He realized, “I’m not going to live long enough to get any better. I’m going to have to die the way I am right now.” That’s a shocking and sobering truth! Suddenly you look up at the scoreboard and where you thought you were in the middle of the second quarter, with plenty of time left in the game, to your dismay the clock shows 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. And the clock is running!

What do you do then? It’s either the grace of God or it’s nothing at all. The young pastor shared with his congregation a fresh insight from Romans 5:8, a verse we normally use in our evangelistic efforts with the unsaved, the Romans Road: “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Did you notice the word “still”? “Still sinners.” Jesus gladly gave His life for us while we were “still sinners.” That word “still” comes from a tiny Greek word—eti. Christ died for us while we were “still sinners.” You and I, we were and still are “sinners.” The dying pastor got up and said something like this: “I realize for the first time that I’m going to heaven because of that little Greek word eti. I am still a sinner, and I don’t have any time left to get better, and when I die, I’m resting my hope on the fact that Christ died for me while I was still a sinner.”

Near the end, William Jay visited his friend John Newton (the composer of Amazing Grace), who was then barely able to speak. He wanted some advice on being a pastor, a successful pastor. But Newton said: ‘My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour.’”

That is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what “being saved” really means. That is our entire hope of heaven.

All of us who believe in Jesus Christ, even the very best among us, have so far to go that we’ll never live long enough to measure up on our own. Someone else has to do the work for us. And the good news is that Jesus Christ did. He lived a perfectly obedient life and then died a sacrificial death in the place of those who did not and could never live that perfectly obedient life.

That is why Paul says, in Philippians 3:4-8, that all those things he had counted on and depended upon for righteous standing before God before, he now counted “as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ [and then notice verse 9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith… (Phil. 3:7-9)

That is what pleases God, our faith, our total dependence upon His grace and goodness towards us. It is this kind of total dependence that brings a smile to God’s face.

And why is God smiling? What makes God proud to be called my God? He gives two reasons, one at the beginning of verse 16 and the other at the end. We’re going to look at the latter one first.

“God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared for them a city.” As John Piper says, “The first reason he gives why he is not ashamed to be called their God is that he has done something for them. He made them a city—the heavenly city “whose architect and builder is God” (verse 10). So the first reason he is not ashamed to be called their God is that he has worked for them. Not the other way around. He did not say: “I am not ashamed to be called their God, because they made for me a city.” He made something for them. That’s the starting point. The pride of God in being our God is rooted first in something he has done for us, not vice versa” (https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-unashamed-god)

We also called that “city” heaven, or the New Jerusalem. God has prepared it, but not for everyone, only for “them” who live and die in faith. All preparations have already been made, as Jesus promised His disciples, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3) It’s a “prepared” room in a “prepared” city” in a “prepared kingdom” (Matthew 25:34). It’s just like C. S. Lewis said, in The Last Battle, everything prior is but the title page. From the time of death or the rapture everything will just get better and better from this time forward.

But such is not the case for all people. For those who refuse to believe a different prepared ending occurs: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matthew 25:41)

And that brings us back to the first reason why God delights in being called our God.

It goes like this: “They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.” “Therefore” signals that a reason has just been given for why he is not ashamed. The reason is their desire. They desire a better country—that is, a better country than the earthly one they live in, namely a heavenly one. This is the same as saying they desire heaven, or they desire the city God has made for them.

So two things make God unashamed to be called our God: he has prepared something great for us, and we desire it above all that is on the earth. So why is he proud to be the God of people who desire his city more than all the world? Because their desire calls attention to the superior worth of what God offers over what the world offers.

In other words, the reason God is proud to be our God is not because we have accomplished something so great. But because he has accomplished something great and we desire it. (John Piper, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-unashamed-god)

Heaven has been prepared for you and God delights in being your God IF you believe that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross is sufficient for your forgiveness. If you go back to trusting in yourself and your own goodness, then it is not heaven that is prepared for you and God will say, “I never knew you.” If you don’t possess this kind of faith, then cry out “Help my unbelief.”

Let me summarize four lessons from this paragraph in Hebrews 11:13-16: First, see God’s promises fulfilled in the future tense. Bank on them. Second, embrace your foreignness on this earth. Remind yourself that this is NOT YOUR HOME. Third, redirect your conscious thoughts and yearning desires toward heaven. And fourth, revel in God’s delight in you…and delight in Him.

Each example of faith that the writer has cited so far is a positive one involving a believer who kept on trusting God and His promises in spite of the temptation to stop trusting. That is what the writer was urging his readers to do throughout this epistle: Keep on trusting and do not turn back. In every case God approved and rewarded the continuing faith of the faithful.