Pursue peace with all men, and sanctification

Hebrews 12:14-29 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵ See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; ¹⁶ that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷ For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

¹⁸ For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, ¹⁹ and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. ²⁰ For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” ²¹ And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.” ²² But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, ²³ to the general assembly and church 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, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

²⁵ See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. ²⁶ And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” ²⁷ This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸ Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; ²⁹ for our God is a consuming fire.

There is a call in the nation that this is a time to unite, a time for us to come together and end the division that has affected us for more than a decade. This nation was founded as “One nation under God.” Our money declares that “In God we trust.”  The second paragraph of the United States Declaration of Independence starts as follows: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.-- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."  Today’s text begins saying:  Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. To sanctify is defined as:  free from sin; purify - cause to be or seem morally right or acceptable.  The two, peace and sanctification, go hand in hand. As believers we cannot be at peace with sin and immorality. If we are to have peace and unity, it should be as was intended at the founding of our nation, under God, who is the source of our unalienable rights. The government derives its power from those governed, rather than executing its power over them. Sanctification, purifying our nation from sin and restoring the proper relationship of people and government, are the terms of the peace we should pursue. Unity can be achieved if we focus on the common unity that we have in God and Christ. In John 17:23 Jesus prayed that we would have unity saying:  “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

The text says:  See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.  Many today fall short of God’s grace, not because grace does not reach far enough, but because they sell their birthright, God’s grace, for immorality and godlessness.  Our culture and society have focused on cultivating the roots of bitterness, till it grows like kudzu, an invasive vine that chokes out other vegetation. They do it by promoting reparations; holding people accountable for things that happened generations ago. They try to create equality through acts of inequality. They cultivate the roots of bitterness by focusing on the things that make us different like race, gender, age and social standing, rather than what should unite us; the truth that we are all created in the image of God.

Indeed, it is a time for our nation to unite and heal. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God tells us the way for that healing to come. He says:   If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. The text says:  See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.   Those who intend to cause unity and equality through human ideology will not succeed. Daniel 2:20-21 says:  “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.”  Human institutions, their ideologies and their authority on earth will come and go.   Psalm 145:13 says:  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.  May we be unified in what is eternal, rather than focusing on what is temporal.   Revelation 22 ends saying:   “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.  Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”  The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost…  He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

May the lyrics of this song by Jason Upton be our prayer and declaration today:  We are one in the Spirit  We are one in the Lord  We are one in the Spirit  We are one in the Lord  And we pray that all unity  May one day be restored  And they'll know we are Christians  By our love, By our love  Amen.