Jared Longshore's Blog, page 8

The Two-Edged Sword

Introduction

Charles Spurgeon once offered a humble recommendation for how to defend the Bible. He kept it quite simple, “Let it defend itself.” His statement gets to the heart of our problem. We want to hold up the Word of God, forgetting that it holds us up. We want to cut with the Sword of the Spirit rather than have it cut us. We treat the sword like it is an inanimate object in need of the living to wield it. But our text says the word is alive and we are the ones in need of animation. We’re the ones in need of entering into rest, being prodded to enter that rest by the two-edged sword.

Survey of the Text – Hebrews 4:11-13

Given the example of the Israelites, many of whom after being delivered out of Egypt still died in the desert, new covenant saints must labor to enter that rest (v. 11). That rest is not just any rest, more about this particular rest in a moment. We can enter that rest because of the Word of God, which is quick and powerful, sharper than the sword that splits the heart (soul and spirit), body (joints and marrow), and mind (thoughts and intents) (v. 12). This Living Word doesn’t only carve up the individual, it exposes all of creation, every creature being laid open today by the same Word to whom they will one day give an account (v. 13).

Into That Rest

The rest here described is a very particular kind of rest. It is called that rest. And that rest was defined in the previous verse, “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his” (v. 10). God’s rest was previously described as “the seventh day” when God rested from His work of creation (v. 4). But in verse 10 we hear of another, who entered into His rest like God did from His own. And then our text in verse 11 says that the saints should enter into that rest, namely the man’s rest from verse 10. So who is that man? 

The context identifies that man as Jesus Christ, who “is passed into the heavens” (v. 14). As God rested from His work of creation so Christ has rested from His work of redemption. And the saints must labor to enter that rest, the rest of Christ’s completed work. There is a future fulfillment of this rest when you arrive in heaven. But there is a present reality of this rest for all those who will have it.

The Word of God Is Quick

Verse 11 provides the directive but it doesn’t supply the fuel for completing the directive. You can hear the exhortation to enter into rest well enough and still be left troubled about how you’re actually going to enter in. Even if Christ is in you, your flesh is no help at all, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin” (Romans 8:10). But verse 12 supplies the remedy. Enter into Christ’s rest “for the word of God is quick.” 

The Word of God in this passage is not merely the prophets and the apostles but the Living Christ Himself. Quick in our text is often translated living. And the same sense comes through in both words. The Christ Word is always up to something. Creation itself was formed by that Word. The soul of man was formed by the same—”The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1). New life comes by this same Word (1 Peter 1:23). The maintenance and maturity of that new life comes likewise (John 17:17). 

In whatever the Christ Word is up to, He is effectual. God says through the prophet Isaiah that His Word is like rain or snow from heaven and it will prosper in the thing whereto He sent it (Isaiah 55:11). But that prospering is not as straight-forward as some make it out to be. His sword cuts to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, thoughts and intentions. It goes places we can’t go and accomplishes there things we can’t accomplish. 

What it accomplishes is always good, but it can take us by surprise. God’s Word is a fire that melts cold hearts and a hammer that breaks hard hearts (Jeremiah 23:29). So this Christ Word enfleshed dry bones in Ezekiel’s valley and, at the same time, disemboweled King Jehoram due to his sin. This two-edged sword plagued Pharaoh, hanged Haman, and sent dogs to eat Jezebel (2 Kings 9:10). But it also humbled Nebuchadnezzar, turned Manasseh from his evil way, and spared Nineveh. 

Creation Exposed

This living and effectual Word is the same Word to whom man will one day give an account. Verse 13 says that all things are already exposed before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. This is a reference to the judgment seat of Christ—

“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ . . . So then ever one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10, 12).

But the only way to give a faithful account to the Word it to have that Word carve you up. The only way to go before Christ with a load of good works done in the body is to enter into His rest. 

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All Things New

Baptism is a sign and seal of new life. In this sacrament, God swears an oath that the old man is dead and the new man alive, that what we lost in Adam has been found in Christ. While Adam could only give us his fallen nature by natural generation, Christ gives us glory and immorality through supernatural regeneration. Behold, He is making all things new. And by faith, even us. 

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Level Up By the Spirit

There are times in life when you simply need to level up. The church leveled up from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth. David went from killing the lion to killing the giant. So it is with you. You encounter new terrain and must conquer there. And this you can do for you have not been given a spirit of fear but of power and of love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

But this is just the thing. Your spirit must level up. The flesh is no help at all. And for your inner man to level up, you need the Holy Spirit Himself to blow upon your spirit that yours would be stirred, enlarged, spunky. Many have tried to level up by the flesh be they cutthroat politics, backstabbing coworkers, juicing athletes, or climbing clergy using the hooks of filthy lucre. But whatever rise these fleshly make, it results in the fall of Haman. And for that matter, their rise is nothing like that of Elisha who asked for a double portion of the spirit of Elijah and received it. It is nothing like the rise of Solomon who asked for wisom he didn’t have in order to bless others with it.

If it is your spirit that needs to level up, then take an honest assessment of your spirit. More than your flesh is here. Look around. There are many souls on board in this church hall. Some are dejected, some numbing due to sin, some unrecognized, their owners nearly having forgotten about them.

With that honest assessment in view, ask the Father to blow His Spirit upon yours. You can’t twist the Spirit’s arm. He blows where He wills. But you can humble yourself and ask for the Spirit of wisdom and power Himself to enliven the life He has already given you.

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The Power of Levity

Modern investigators of miraculous history have solemnly admitted that a characteristic of the great saints is their power of “levitation.” They might go further; a characteristic of the great saints is their power of levity. Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly . . . One “settles down” into a sort of selfish seriousness; but one has to rise to a gay self-forgetfulness . . . Seriousness is not a virtue. It would be a heresy, but a much more sensible heresy, to say that seriousness is a vice. It is really a natural trend or lapse into taking one’s self gravely, because it is the easiest thing to do. It is much easier to write a good Times leading article than a good joke in Punch. For solemnity flows out of men naturally; but laughter is a leap. It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. Satan fell by the force of gravity.

GK Chesterton, Orthodoxy

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Proclaim the Lord’s Death

When our Lord instituted this table, He said that as we eat and drink, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. By focusing on His death, this sacrament keeps us grounded. His resurrection and ascension raise us up on high. And His death keeps us humble and low. 

You have likely seen this with a new believer, fresh into the halls of the kingdom of God. He is the first to admit when he’s wrong about a particular thing, being so recently notified that he was wrong about everything. The man who only two days ago thought north was south and south north, has no problem fessing up to his compass now being only a few ticks off. 

So it is with us at this table. We proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. And as Stephen acknowledged of His persecutors, so we have acknowledged of ourselves. We became His murderers. He was bruised for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities.

If we can proclaim that truth here on Mount Zion, together in the blazing light of the throne room of God, while eating and drinking, what a silly thing that we’d attempt to avoid admtting our wrongs down in the nooks and crannies of life. Are you really going to avoid admitting that you fumbled the football in that old man’s pick up game when we are all admitting here, before the face of Jesus Christ, that we sold the nuclear launch codes to the Russians?

Eat and drink now in the joy of humility. It is a lowliness that raises us up to heaven. And how can the way down be the way up you ask? Christ is dead for you. That’s how. So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

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Raise the Bar and Lighten Up, Jeshurun

As our church and community has walked under the heavy blessing of God for some time now, we should pay close attention to the instruction given to those who walk under such blessing. “Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked” is a fitting warning for us (Deuteronomy 32:15). But that warning requires that we know the true nature of the problem and a key ingredient to the solution.

The problem, of course, is not growing heavy with the blessings of God. You’re supposed to do that. The problem is that often our truncated vision can’t keep up with what God wants us to do with those blessings. He equips us with weapons to conquer nations and we are satisfied with twenty acres. The problem with the rich man who built bigger barns wasn’t his crop, nor was it his saving. It was that he didn’t know where to spend all of the blessings that had accrued to him. He was to be rich toward God. But his vision for honoring God was too small.

The solution is to labor toward a grand vision of the public honor of God. Among many things, this involves rainbow flags falling form “so called” houses of worship in this town, the city council swearing allegiance to Christ, households being marked by holiness, and Christian education flourishing amid the demise of the secular kind.

But a key to working toward this grand vision is found in the phrase: Raise the Bar and Lighten Up. Given the war chest of God’s kindnesses that has come to us, it would easy to raise the bar and tighten up, subduing yourself and others to excellence overload, as it would be easy to lower the bar and take a load off. But the way forward is to level up while letting our arms swing free like a young and plump Jeshurun whistling his way down the sidewalk, careless enough to conquer kingdoms.

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Egg Flew Hither and Thither

Eggs flew hither and thither. The air was dark with vegetables of every description.

P. G. Wodehouse, Much Obliged, Jeeves

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Wine, Bread, and Oil

Psalm 104:15 says that God brings forth “wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.” All of these have a natural application. A cabernet does gladden the heart. A loaf of bread gives the body strength. And oil causes man’s face to shine. But there are sacramental applications of each of these as well. Before us is heavenly wine that gladdens the soul, celestial bread which strengthens that soul, and the unearthly oil is our dwelling together in unity, this unity being like oil upon the head which runs down the beard of Aaron (Psalm 133).

These three: gladness, strength, and the glory of unity. These three are present here in our midst. These hallmarks of the Christian faith stun the world, which traffics in the opposite. To them, all is sorrow, weakness, and fragmented darkness. No wine, no bread, no oil.

So see to it that you come to partake of these heavenly gifts. God makes them grow, after all. They do not originate with you and neither can you go out and earn them. They come to you from your generous Father who does not change His stance of steadfast love toward you and yours.

You will need continual supplies of these three. To discover you are in need of gladness, strength, and the unity of the Spirit is no trouble at all. That is expected. You are hungering, thirsting, and dimming by design. Each of these come to you like your daily bread does. So your job is not so much to store up these provisions in the pantry for future use as it is to eat, drink, and shine. So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

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Beware the She Bears

The tongue is a world of iniquity. A world in your mouth that sets the world outside ablaze. The little muscle behind your teeth can defile all of the muscles in your body and ignite the present age with the fires of hell (James 3:6). There are many ways to go wrong with the tongue. But I’d like to focus this exhortation on reviling.

Reviling should not be mistaken for potent speech. Potent speech is commendable. But the reviler flails with limp words and limp wrists. Shimei reviled David and that King of Israel could have had Shimei’s head anytime he wanted it throughout the stone throwing. The little tatter tots of Bethel reviled Elisha with “Go on up you bald head.” That holy servant cursed them and two she bears had forty-two children for breakfast.

Revilers are listed among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:10). And no wonder, that kingdom is full of light and life, both of which are seldom found in the comment section on X, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. This Reviler has companions who will also not inherit the kingdom: thieves who have not what they steal, covetous, who have not what they desire, and drunkards who have not the filling of the Spirit.

This Reviler’s name is Ichabod for the glory has departed. All that is left is venom, malice, and corruption, railing before the prophet like 42 children from Bethel Elementary.

It is easy to return reviling for reviling. But the command is to return a blessing for reviling. But blessing those who rail against you requires that you be under the heavy blessing of God. This we will be as we humble ourselves. 

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Kingdom In Our Midst

Every baptism is a reminder to us that the kingdom of God is in our midst. It is a kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven. Through baptism, God brings people into His kingdom, which will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. This sign of God’s covenant with us is designed to strengthen our faith. It is a visible word to us from our Father in heaven, through His son Jesus Christ, and by His Spirit. It is a sign to be received by faith; it is a Divine Word to which the only faithful response is Amen.

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