The Only Right Answer

The Only Right Answer

(God Speaks and Man Answers)  

Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV  Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

The writer of Hebrews is telling the scattered believers  to guard against certain sins that can and will corrupt the nature of God living within us. Last week was sexual immorality,  this week is covetousness.

Here we have the same connection of thought in the following verses- 

Colossians 3:5  Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Ephesians 5:3  But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;

The word “conduct” used here is the Greek tropos– (from trepō, “turning, adopting a new manner“) – a new direction from taking a turn or adopting a new manner (mannerism, fashion); the new course of conduct someone has because knowing Christ as Lord.

Let your new life in Christ be without covetousness– aphilárgyros (from 1 /A, “not,” 5368 /philéō, “fond of” and 696 /árgyros, “silver”) “not fond of silver,” i.e. not covetous for money; free from the love of materialism; not dominated (over-influenced) by the desire for financial gain; or materialistic.

It is remarkable that “covetousness” is akin to idolatry and “uncleanness” in NT

1 Corinthians 6:9-10  Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]homosexuals, nor [b]sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Covetousness is a grave sin that will shut one out of heaven.  And the writer of Hebrews gives us the remedy “find contentment in the situation you are in, because God has said He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1 Timothy 6:3-10 NKJV   If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the [a]doctrine which accords with godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 [b]useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. [c]From such withdraw yourself.

6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, [d]and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

 

This means that true wealth and satisfaction do not come from material possessions or chasing riches. Instead, living a life devoted to God (godliness) coupled with being satisfied with what you have (contentment) brings the highest possible reward. 

Proverbs 27:20  Hell[a] and [b]Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Covetousness is the sin of never being satisfied and always wanting more. Our eyes always want more. It’s never enough. It is the lust of our eyes that choke out any fruit in our life. Let me give you an example of what it means to covet.

I don’t want more money. I don’t need more cars, houses, furniture or stuff. In these areas, I am a minimalist. But I often covet clothing. I will see a new pair of shoes, and immediately think to myself, I do not need these. But I keep going back and looking at pictures of the shoes and ruminating on them, over and over like an addict until I give in to my coveting and buy them. 

Paul tells us that true happiness and godliness is living a simple life of faith, righteousness, and devotion to God. Ephesus was where timothy was a pastor and it was a very wealthy area. False teachers of the time were promoting the idea that spirituality was a tool for financial wealth, probably not unlike today’s prosperity gospel that tells you, you deserve to be rich and it is a sign of God blessing you. This is a corrupt doctrine. Paul argues that devotion to God is the goal and the blessing, not a get-rich-quick scheme. 

What then is contentment? The mental and spiritual state of being satisfied with where you are in life.  Happiness is often triggered by exciting and external events, contentment is an enduring, internal state of well-being. You can experience contentment even during difficult times by accepting your situation and finding peace with where you are in life. Single, married, widow, kids, no kids, rich, poor, or in between- you can be content.

In the following verses, Paul notes that if we have “food and clothing,” we should be content, as we entered the world with nothing and will leave with nothing. This does not mean we do not hope for and pray for God to bring these things into our lives, but that we are content knowing God has us in this moment as we wait for Him to answer those prayers

The author redefines success for the believer in Christ. While the world measures success by net worth and accumulation of goods, a heart that is anchored in Christ and free from the anxiety of greed is the most valuable and profitable asset a person can have.

SO then, the writer of Hebrews gives us remedy for coveting- His great promise, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you”

This frees us from not only the love of money, but from all fear associated with provision. I am free to tithe and to give generously, free to not worry and fear about who will take care of me or who will provide for me. God promises these things. Tithing breaks my heart of fear and giving generously breaks my heart of greed.

The author of Hebrews writes to these scattered and fearful believers, “HE has said’ so that ‘we may… say.”

There are two voices- God’s voice of promise to care for His own, and man’s answering voice of confidence. God speaks to us that we may speak to Him; and when He speaks His promises, the only answer is to accept His words as true in all their fulness, having a fixed confidence and trust in Him.

The writer of Hebrews quotes two passages from the Old Testament: 

When Moses was handing over the charge of his people to his successor, Joshua, he said first to the people and then to Joshua, 

Deuteronomy 31:6  Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

The other passage comes from the 118th Psalm. 

Psalm 118:5-6 I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Point 1. God speaks.
He has said two things, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” 

Notice that there is a distinct parallel between the position of the people to whom this letter was addressed, and that of the Hebrews to whom the original promise was made. The original Hebrews were standing on the verge of a great change. They were passing from under the leadership of Moses, and going under the leadership of the younger Joshua. 

Recall that Joshua and Jesus are the same name; the difficulty which Israel on the borders of Canaan had to face, and the difficulty which these Hebrew Christians had to encounter, were similar, they were coming under new leadership – they were to not look to Moses anymore but to begin to take commands from another. 

In most of the chapters, the writer of Hebrews has been arguing to these scattered Hebrew believers that Christ is Messiah, He is their High Priest, He is God in the flesh and He has replaced Moses as their anointed leader.

Just as Moses said to his generation, the author of Hebrews says to the scattered Hebrew believers-  you may change the leader, but Jesus is the same God that goes with you. AS He was with Moses, and Joshua, so will He be with you.

To every one of us in Christ the message is the same, ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you.

 The first sentence, “I will never leave you” both in the Hebrew and in the Greek the word which is translated “leave,” means the withdrawing of a hand that sustains. 

It is more nearly the original expression to say, 

“He will never drop you”; HE will never let His hand slacken, He does not withdraw His sustaining power, but will forever, day by day, give us not only the strength, but the security that comes from feeling His faithful hand, keeping you tight. 

Psalm 145:14  The Lord upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down.

Psalm 94:18  If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.

I knew a man who was a mountain guide and had scaled most of the mountains in the world. He used a technique called “tying in”

This is highly structured safety system where you are tied into a rope team to safeguard against crevasse falls. In this setup, the guide acts as the team leader, managing the rope, navigating hidden hazards, and anchoring the team.

The guide usually walks at the front of the rope line to navigate and probe for hidden crevasses, or at the back when descending.  Team members are spaced 8-10 m apart to ensure that if one person falls the remaining members have enough distance and time to stop the fall.  Keep the rope between you and the next person straight but not pulling. A sagging rope can snag on ice or create slack that makes arresting a fall much harder.

Match the Pace of the guide. Walk at a consistent speed. Sudden acceleration or stopping disrupts the rope tension for the entire team. Step in the Tracks. Always walk exactly in the footprints of the guide. They are actively choosing a path that avoids weak snow bridges.

Be Ready to Self-Arrest. You must hold your ice axe in your uphill hand, ready to drop into a self-arrest position instantly if you hear the command or feel a sudden pull on the rope. 

Is this not a great example of following Christ along this narrow path? WE are tied to a guide whom we are following closely, matching His pace and following in His perfect footsteps, but when we fall, He is there, and we are tied to Him so that HE can lift us back up unto our feet

Life sometimes feels like we are scaling a glacier. It gets hard to climb, it is slippery, icy and wet. We get weary and tired. The air gets thin and its difficult to breath. But we are tied to a guide that will never fail. Like Peter, walking out on the water and he begins falling because of fear, we cry out and HE lifts us up. He is never too far away. We are tied to Him.

Psalm 27:10  When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me

All human love has its limits, even parents can leave us and forsake us. As a parent, this one is hard to understand, but I have seen it, even in my own life.  People get mixed up. They allow things in their life that mess them up. Humans, including our parents, are selfish and self-centered. But God is not a man. His love is not emotional and finicky. His love is faithful to the covenant promise. He will tightly hold you! 

“I will never drop you”- this first promise is His sustaining strength according to our need. 

The second half of that promise “nor forsake thee” – the same promise, in a different form-

Here is a promise for the loner and the lonely. The one who has forsaken all. The one who  feels alone, rejected, misunderstood and shunned. The one who feels they have no friends, no family, no ties to anyone, the orphaned and the outcast. God promises companionship.

This has been me before Christ. I moved around a lot. I lived in 18 places in 21 years, that I can remember, lived in different homes with different people. I was always the last one picked, the new kid is more of a leper than the kid with a broken arm

Some of us are called to walk a lonely road. Ministry is often lonely. The call to go to another land and place, to forsake all is often very lonely. To be the tip of the spear is to be misunderstood. People will question your heart, your actions, your words and your motives.

Moses and Joshua must have felt alone, leadership is a lonely walk. Jesus often got away to be alone with the Father. No one could understand the purpose of His life, only the Father.

The narrow path is often very lonely. Our loved ones die, and take half our hearts with them. People misunderstand us. We feel that we cannot share our hearts, for fear of rejection. “If they really knew the real me”, so we hide ourselves away

“I will not drop you” – is the of strength according to our need. But, “I will not forsake you,” is companionship in our loneliness.
I have been with the Lord 32 years, all my life He has been faithful, even on my darkest and loneliest days. He has always fulfilled His promise to never forsake me.

But do not let us forget that all God’s promises have conditions. 

Before crossing the Jordan River, Israel held a divine promise of land inheritance paired with a clear condition of active faith and obedience to God’s commands

Joshua 1:5-8 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall [a]divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may [b]prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you[c] shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

 

Does Israel today look like a nation that God would never leave nor forsake? Certainly not. And why? Because God’s promise of not dropping us, and of never leaving us, is contingent upon our not dropping Him, and of our never leaving Him.

 

John 10:28-29 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

 

No one can snatch us from our Father’s hand; but we can wriggle ourselves out. We can break communion; we can separate ourselves, and we can drift, develop a hardened heart through greed and coveting and forget the God who saved us. The writer of Hebrews has already given us several warnings throughout the letter.

There is a second voice.

Point 2. Man Answers

If God speaks to you, He waits for you to answer Him. 

Your answer should be immediate, and you should affirm as true all that He has said to you. Your answer is not according to your emotions, or your fears, or your faulty understanding of things you do not really grasp; but it is built upon His faithful promise. 

 

Do you speak to God in the manner in which He speaks to us? David did-

Psalm 27:8 New King James Version

8 When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

 

When He says, “I will” does your heart leap with joyful confidence, and you answer with a firm assurance, “HE WILL”!! or do you meet His firm assurance with a feeble, faltering faith? 

How often do you turn God’s “I will” into a doubting- “perhaps He may”?? 

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

 

Some read this like, “All that I want from God is yes and amen”. But that is not what it says- His promise to never leave me and never forsake me are TRUE 

Do you say with an unswerving faith, in the face of fear, in the face of adversity, in the face of rejection, affliction and persecution, “God will do what He said He will do! He will not leave nor forsake me!” This is the only right answer to a faithful God.

“He has said” and then He pauses and listens, whether we are going to say anything in answer. When He promises, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you,”  Are you bold to say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me”??

This is the answer the Lord is waiting to hear from you. He is not asking you to do it on your own strength. He is not telling you to go alone. He is waiting for you to acknowledge His faithful presence in your life. 

 “The Lord is my helper.”  A strong help in time of need. This is the only right answer to the promise. Grab a hold of it, and do not hesitate to implant His promise in your heart. And then what comes next?

 “I will not fear.” 

We have the power of God to control our fears, but it is not by mustering up some kind of fictitious courage where we brace ourselves to meet the difficulty, in our own strength. This is not what the Lord asks of us. I can recognize fear, and I have a choice. Give into the fear, or put myself in the Lord’s hands, trust His promise and say, “The Lord is help” 

Whatever comes, whatever I must go through, whatever storm I find myself in– God is with me. “The Lord is my helper “– this promise is the foundation and the courage which speaks to all my fears,

Isaiah 12:2   Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ ”

Faith is the antagonist to fear, because faith grasps the fact of God’s loving and faithful promise to take good care of His own children.

1 John 4:18 New King James Version

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

 

If we fear, we are not resting in and relying on His love. And as all of you know, fear has torments.

 

So, the writer of Hebrews tells us, “Be content with such things as ye have,” for He hath said, “I will never leave you”. BE content where you are in life. BE content with what you have. Do not love and pursue money, or riches or want more stuff. 

 

If He will never leave me, then such things as I have are enough, and if He goes away, nothing I have is of much good to me. 

And then comes the last stage in our answer to what God says, “What can man do to me?” 

If we begin with what ought to come last, and look first at what man can do unto us, then fear will overtake us. But if we follow the order of faith, and start with God’s promise, “I will never let you drop. I will never leave you alone”, solidify His promise in our heart, and crush the fear that tries to steal our heart, 

then we can look out with faith upon all the things that threaten us and seek to bring in fear and doubt, and say, “The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do unto me?”

Altar call- Those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. This is what Paul tells the church in Rome, it is an OT principle, when we call out to Him to help us, save us, deliver us, we recognize we have no power to do these things on our own, and we need Him to save us.