JULY 2015 Vol. 13, No. 10 IBT Founder Rev. Prof. S. Panneer Selvam WORD OF TRUTH - Annual Subscription : Rs. 100/- PUBLICATION OF INDIAN BIBLE TRANSLATORS Single Copy : Rs. 10/-. PERSEVERING TO THE END The Apostle Paul wrote to the early warning that he wanted the believers to take Christians in the form of letters, called seriously. 'Epistles' one of them is the Epistle to the Hebrews written to the Jewish Christians. In The children of Israel, in their wanderings writing this letter, one of the issues that Paul in the wilderness did many things not addresses is that of perseverance in the pleasing to God. Paul quotes from Ps. 95, Christian faith till the end. In this article I plan which gives us a description of how God's to just take a look at Hebrews Chapter 4 and heart was grieved for forty years. They see how Paul encouraged the early Jewish rebelled against God and Moses. They saw Christians and to learn from it how our own the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of walk with God should be. Heb. 4 begins with cloud by day. The Lord dwelt among them. the word 'Therefore', which means we have Many miracles were wrought by the hand of to read the previous chapter to understand God and they still went astray. The Psalm why he said 'therefore'. However, the first ends on a sad note, "So I swore in My wrath, word in Chapter 3 is also 'Therefore', which 'They shall not enter My rest'". God did not means we need to read the previous chapter permit anyone over 20 years old who left 2 to get the flow of thought in his letter! I will Egypt to enter the Promised Land. They were only touch upon Chapter 3 to get the so happy and rejoicing when they left Egypt, background and then proceed to the fourth but fell along the way. Ps. 78 describes more chapter. Paul gives a warning to the Jewish of the behaviour of those people and God's Christians in Heb 3:12 "Beware, brethren, lest grieving heart. We are no better than they for there be any of you an evil heart of unbelief we too disobey and murmur and have in departing from the living God". This is a exhibited unbelief. In Gal 3:3, Paul says, "Are SATHTHIYA VAARTHAI1 JULY 2015 you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, fall short because of our lack of faith, but are you now being made perfect by the have a holy fear of the One who made the flesh?" Paul here points out a very significant promise to provide eternal life to all that put issue. We may begin our Christian walk with their faith and trust in the finished work of the great joy and as we pass through wilderness Lord Jesus Christ. Disobedience to the laws in our lives, are we walking in the spirit or in of God is the result of a lack of or not being the flesh? It is not so much important how "God fearing". Disobedience to the laws and we begin our Christian life, but how we commands of God is a sure indicator of a sustain our walk with God to the end. In lack of fear of the Lord. Paul explains the Heb. 4, Paul gives us very specific ways in disobedience of the children of Israel in Heb which we should walk so that we finish well. 3: 7 -19 resulting in their not entering into the When people run in any competitive race, rest that God had prepared for them. Before some may be the lead runners in the he begins Chapter 4, he says, "Therefore, beginning, but the judges observe the since a promise remains of entering into His finishing line to select the winners. rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it." Since the letter to the Paul gives a warning to the Jewish Hebrews was written to the Jewish believers Christians in Heb. 3:12 "Beware, brethren, of his days, he was telling them to make sure lest there be any of you an evil heart of that they did not fall short of fearing God, like unbelief in departing from the living God". He their ancestors did and failed to receive the then follows up in Heb. 4, by providing a promise of rest. God expects us to fear Him procedure by which they can sustain as written in Jer 5:22-24 "'Do you not fear themselves in the faith to the end. In Heb. 4 Me?' Says the Lord. Will you not tremble at we are going to take a look at FOUR specific My presence, Who has placed the sand as "Let us" that Paul describes so that we can the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, persevere to walk with the Lord till the end. ….." In fact it is so important as in Prov 15:16 " .. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, 1. Walking in the fear of God (Heb 4:1-10) than great treasures with trouble". Fear is the Paul exhorts them to walk in the fear of beginning of knowledge (Prov 1:7) and the Lord. This is a holy fear of the Almighty wisdom (Prov 9:10). All great men of God God, who has promised rest from all our obeyed God by fearing Him. Noah as in Heb labours. He says in Heb 4:1, "… Let us fear 11:7 was "moved with godly fear", Abraham lest any of you seem to have come short of (Gen 22:12), Jacob (Gen 28: 16, 17), it". They did not have faith that God's Cornelius (Acts 10:2, the early church (Acts promises are true, that He was leading them 9:31) are some of the examples of exercising to the Promised Land. They failed to rest in godly fear. God even wrote a Book of His promise. As a result, God decided that Remembrance with the names of those who they were not going to enter into His rest. feared the Lord (Mal 3:16). Someone once Paul picks this up to warn that we should not said "We fear men so much, because we SATHTHIYA VAARTHAI2 JULY 2015 fear God so little." Jesus says in Matt 10:28 disobedience". Webster's 1928 Dictionary "And do not fear those who kill the body but describes the word ‘diligent’ as 'steady in cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who application to business; constant in effort or is able to kill both soul and body in hell". exertion to accomplish what is undertaken; Jesus describes the seriousness of fearing not idle or negligent'. The purpose and goal God rather than men. Matthew Henry says, of a Christian is to make every effort to follow "Those know enough who know how to fear the Lord. We need to make a constant effort God, who are careful in everything to please to pursue in keeping with the Word of God. It Him and fearful of offending Him in anything; would have been easy for Paul to think about this is the Alpha and Omega of knowledge." his past and dwell on his intense persecution This truth is absolutely essential in the life of of the believers before he met Christ. But he a Christian. It is this lack of fear of God that says in Phil 3: 13, 14 " … but one thing I do, results in wilful sinning and living in sin, forgetting those things which are behind and because people take God for granted. reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press towards the mark of the goal There is a great blessing in living in the for the prize of the upward call of God in fear of the Lord as in the following Christ Jesus". Paul was not going to be scriptures: dwelling on his unbecoming past, because he • Provides Holiness: "The fear of the Lord was in pursuit of God to lead him to follow is to hate evil" ( Prov 8:13; Prov 16:6 ) the guidance of the Holy Spirit as he preached to spread the gospel. Jesus • Gives Life: "The fear of the Lord is a addresses the issue of following Him. He fountain of life" ( Prov 14:27 ) says in Lk 9:62 "None having put his hand to • Purifies us: "The fear of the Lord is the plow, and looking back, is fit for the clean, enduring forever" ( Ps 19:9 ) kingdom of God". We are not to look back, but to 'press on'. • Gives Wisdom: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" ( Prov 1:7 ) The Apostle Paul went through many difficulties in his ministry. He could have • Brings revival: " .. And walking in the fear easily been discouraged. The opposition to of the Lord and in the comfort of the the gospel preaching was great, but he Holy Spirit, they multiplied" (Acts 9:31) endured all types of persecution. He did not give up, but diligently followed the Lord in 2. Walking with diligence (Heb 4:11-13) spite of all the hardships. He says in Rom Paul further goes on to call on the 8:35 "Who shall separate us from the love of Jewish Christians to walk with diligence as Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or the SECOND 'let us' in Heb 4: 11 "Let us persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest or sword?" The answer of course is obvious anyone fall after the example of as he continues further saying " .