Falling Short Of God's Grace Part 3

  Heb 12:14---Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

At first glance, this verse seems to be teaching salvation by works if we successfully pursue peace and holiness. But the truth is that a person who is not saved cannot pursue either peace or holiness.

Phil 4:7--- And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind through Jesus Christ.

Isa 57:21---There is no peace saith my God for the wicked.

Isa 64:6---But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags....
Any righteousness we try to produce apart from God are as filthy rags.

Only those who are saved has the ability through the Holy Spirit to live in peace and Holiness. Because we have the peace of God, we should be peacemaker. Because we are counted righteous and Holy we should live righteously and Holy. Our practice should match our position, being saved and sanctified.

Follow peace with all men refers to loving men.

Rom 12:18---If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

We are to live peaceably with all men. Peace is a two-way street. It is not possible for person or two nation to live peaceably with each other if one of them is persistently beligerrent. Jesus was peaceful toward all men, but not all men are peaceful to him.

We are only responsible for our side of the peace process. We cannot use another's beligerence as an excuse for responding in kind. We have an obligation to live peaceably, whether or not those around us treat us peaceably. If they do not live peaceably that is their problem, it is never our excuse.

Holiness has to do with our loving God.

It means the pure obedient life we live set apart for God's Glory. When we love him, we will want to be like Him and when we are like Him, others will see him in us and will be attracted to us. Love toward God and toward men are inseparable.

Heb 12:15---Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.

Looking diligently means we must be on the lookout always. We are to oversee one another, helping one another to grow in holiness. We are also to look for those others who are in our midst, those who are unsaved, to be able to present salvation to them in every opportunity.

The first purpose of our looking diligently is to prevent our falling short of God's Grace. We must always be on the lookout, careful that the enemy may sneak in and take some grounds. Fall short of the grace of God means to come too late, be left out. We are exhorted to look diligently not only to keep ourselves form falling but also to be able to influence those who are not saved, that no one around us lives under the illussions of being saved when he is not, that no one is exposed to the gospel and turn away from it.

The second purpose of of looking diligently is to prevent bitterness. Moses warned the Israelite in the wilderness that there should not be among them " a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turn away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of those nation, lest there shall be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood. And it shall come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst.

Poisonous fruit also carries the idea of bitter. The root of bitterness refers to a person who is superficially identified with God's people and who falls back into paganism. But he is no ordinary apostate. He is arrogant and defiant concerning the things of God. He thumbs his nose at the Lord. God's response to to such boastful unbelief is harsh and final.
V20 The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke againts that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven.

An important purpose of vigilance is to be on guard againts such apostates, lest they cause trouble, and by it many be defiled. Some apostates simply fall away from the church and are never heard from again. A person in the root of bitterness, however is a corruptive influence, a serious contamination in the Body. He stays in or near the fellowship of the church and spreads wickedness, doubt, and general defilement. He is not content to apostatize by himself.

Heb 12:16-17---Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Perhaps the saddest and most godless person in Scripture outside of Judas is Esau. On the surface, their acts against God do not seem as wicked as those many of the brutal and heartless pagans. But the Bible strongly condemns them. They had great light. They had every possible opportunity, as much as any person in their times, of knowing and following God. They knew His word, had heard his promises, had seen His miracles, and had had fellowship with His people; yet with determined willfullness they turned their backs on God and the things of God.

Esau was not only immoral, but was godless. He had no ethics or faith or reverence. He had no regard for the good, the truthful, the divine. He was totally worldly, totally secular, totally profane. We are to be vigilant that no person such as Esau contaminate Christ Body.

When Esau finally woke up to some extent and realized what he had forsaken, he made a half hearted attempt to retrieve it. Just because he sought it with tears does not indicate sincerity or true remorse. He found no place for repentance. He bitterly regretted, but he did not repent. He selfishly wanted God's blessings, but he did not want God. He had fully apostatized, and was forever outside the pale of God's grace. He went on sinning wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth and there no longer remained any sacrifice to cover his sins.

We must be vigilant so that no one turns from the truth, becomes bitter, or follows the course of selfish, Esau, who wanted God's blessing--but not on God's terms.