Hebrews 4:11-13: - 11 “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints
and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is
uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account”.
We can corelate with 1
Thessalonica 5:23.
1.The Bible provides everything we need to know the
difference between truly selfless, spiritual deeds, and acts which are actually
selfish and ungodly (Matthew 7:21–23).
2.Bible also says in 1 Corinthians 2:14 (AMP) “But the natural
[unbelieving] man does not accept the things [the teachings and revelations] of
the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness [absurd and illogical] to him; and
he is incapable of understanding them, because they are spiritually discerned and appreciated,
[and he is unqualified to judge spiritual matters].
Most battle we struggle in invisible world. There is fundamental
difference between spirit and soul and most of the believers do not understand and
enemy execute his shuttle schemes through it and we do not know it.
3.(I
Never Knew You) Mathew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy
in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in
your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from
me, you workers of lawlessness.’
4.It is
possible to read the Word and yet fail to follow God's will, due to rebellion (2 Peter 3:16) or pride/
adamancy (John
5:39–40).
5. (2 Peter 3:16) “as he does
in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are
hard to understand, which
the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the
other Scriptures”
"Unlearned and unstable people" , "Twist...to their own
destruction" , "As they do the other
Scriptures",
Implication: The verse
serves as a warning to be diligent in studying scripture, approaching it with
humility and a desire for understanding, and being wary of those who would
distort it for their own purposes (Soulish way).
6.(John
5:39–40), You (religious
leaders and a crowd of Jews) search the Scriptures because you think that in them you
have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet
you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
Application
John 5:39-40:
The
verses suggest that focusing solely on religious rules or intellectual
knowledge of the scriptures is not enough; true life comes from coming to
Jesus himself.
7.The
context of this verse is crucial. Hebrew 4, Verse 11 warned
Christians to strive to obey God, lest we lose our heavenly rewards. (2 Corinthians 5:10) “ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the
body, whether good or evil.”
8.Here in Hebrew 4 verse 12 we
are reminded that the Word gives us all the power we need to learn the true
will of God (Romans 12:2 (Do not conform to the
pattern of this world)
Philippians 1:9 ( prayer by the apostle
Paul for believers to have their love increase and
overflow with knowledge and all
discernment
).
9.Hebrew 4 Verse 13 will point out that God's judgment is impossible
to escape: nobody is beyond His sight.
What they did: -
1.Offered unauthorized fire / strange fire in
their censors -disobedience and not as per instruction or mentioned in the word
( word of God) was given to them.
2.Did not follow God's command. Their
sin was a serious transgression that violated the holiness of God and the
duties reserved for the priesthood, as they did not follow the correct ritual
for the incense service
3.Operated outside their priestly role ( as per their mind ,
will and emotion).
11. Jesus rebuked Peter: - Matthew 16:13-28,Mark 8:27-9:1,Luke 9:18-27 ESV
Let is see through the Mathew: -
17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed
are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this
to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
24 Then
Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take
up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever
would save his life[f] will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what
will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For
the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his
Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has
done.
12.What Jermiah says about our heart in 17:9.
The
heart is deceitful above
all things, and it is exceedingly
perverse and corrupt and severely,
mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive,
understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]?
What is heart as per Bible: -
Core functions of the heart in the Bible
- Emotions and desires: The
heart is the source of affections, feelings, and what a person loves or
hates. For example, the Bible mentions a "glad heart" and
"heartache".
- Intellect and will: The
heart is where a person thinks, understands, and makes decisions. It's the
seat of one's resolve and intent, such as when Daniel "resolved in
his heart" not to eat the king's food.
- Moral and spiritual life: The
heart is the seat of one's conscience and moral character. It's the
"springs of life," meaning its condition affects every aspect of
a person's life.
Biblical
examples
- 1 Samuel 16:7: The Lord said, "the LORD sees not as
man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the
heart". This shows God's focus is on the inner person, not just
outward appearance.
- Proverbs 4:23: "Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life". This verse highlights the
heart's central role and the need to protect it.
- Matthew 22:37: Jesus commanded loving God with all your
heart, emphasizing that this love is a total commitment of your entire
being.
================
1.So let is walk in spirit (in line with word of God)
and no in flesh ( in line with our mind, will and emotions.
1. The cross is a place: (Ephesian
2:20).
2. of execution,
3. not a place of willpower,
4. a point where one’s soul
life carrying self,
5. selfish interest is crushed
6. and self (soul life- our
mind will emotions) lost it power (crucified Ephesian
2:20).
7. If our soul life (mind
will and emotions) expresses through the word of God then you are walking in
spirit.
8. If you are still trying to be a better version
of yourself,
9. boost that you are the one
who knows truth rest all are garbage then you are walking in flesh.
10. Did Christ come to boost,
walk with pride and create group of people in that manner.
11. He himself was God but
while in human form he surrendered to the will of father God completely.
12. He became so humble that father
gave everything in his hand.
We need to understand what the cross demands. By
accepting the cross, you can find spiritual rest and overcome the obstacles
that hold You back and enforce you walk in flesh.
2.The cross
does not perfect, destroy, or reform, but it ends.
People often cling to parts of themselves that
should have died long ago, fearing losing control and the illusion of security
and prove themselves the best.
This fear is not due to God, but because they can
no longer control the results and receive recognition.
This frustration is necessary because it pushes
them to the end of themselves, which is the beginning of Christ.
3.Resisting,
people try to balance spirituality with human life, but this exhausts them.
1. The cross demands
surrender, not strength.
2. Since human being died spiritually due to sins
and walked based on self (soul life), learned many wrong things which still
make him to switch over to that side although saved by grace (spiritually
regenerated).
3. We carry many wrong things
learned, called strong holds (work of the flesh as mentioned in Gal.5:19-21).
4. Whereas the world of God
says, we are crucified with Christ (Gal.2:20), but still swing both side (soul
/ spirit).
5. We are called to walk in
spirit (totally surrendered to God / died with Christ, not to lean on our own
understanding (self-life Proverbs 3:5-6) because self is
crucified with Christ.
We carry our own choices our own liking of
disliking, do not like that person or this person, hatred, bitterness or like
that and that is the works of the of flesh and not of the spirit.
We do not want to lose self (which is already
crucified with Christ).
4.We are
called to walk in spirit means, died in the Christ, not that person what we
were before being born again but now Christ live in is.
We are to live life by trusting on the word of God
and not on ourselves.
This is not possible overnight but we need to
practice it by faith every day.
Let us ask God to open the eyes of our mind to know
that.
5.People
often run from the power of the Spirit without the cross, seeking influence but
not humiliation.
The Spirit can only fill what has already been emptied
and the fight against resistance is often against themselves.
God is waiting for people to surrender to Him.
But their resistance and stubbornness are not
accepting the process of death.
6.The Bible
emphasizes the importance of surrendering to God and surrendering to His
will/words.
As long as one tries to control/improve the flesh
(self-life), the cross will continue to be just a speech, causing exhaustion
disguised as spirituality. The Spirit works to expose one to freedom, not
shame.
7.To live a
true Christian life, one must die and surrender to the finished work.
This involves seeing situations differently, loving
without expecting a response, and serving without expecting applause.
This is freedom, and one is called to live with
Christ, not as a concept but as an experience.
Accepting that
one has come to an end, such as pride and justifications, is crucial. The
flesh does not need control, but the cross.
Surrendering
is necessary, and if the cross has not killed the old you, you have not yet
known what it is to live in the Spiri.
Pt . Ramesh C Koundal