Therefore, make every effort

The Gospel is wonderful. Recently we were privileged to go overseas to look at some machines for the factory. In the plane one has much time to think. It is a good thing to sometimes sit and just think. I considered where I come from, where I have been, what the Lord has done for us and what He is doing for us each day. If we just sit and think a bit we will realise what a privilege we have to be part of this revival.

Then at the same time, we should think – where am I going? What is my goal, where do I want to go? What path should I take and which one to avoid. So I can ask the Lord to show me the way forward, show me what He wants from me, to show me where I failed, so that I can repent and follow Him.

This should be a daily part of our lives. To be conscious of God. There whether I am on the sports field, at my work, whatever I do, to be conscious that God is there and He can speak to me. It’s essential to have an ear to hear, otherwise I will miss what He is saying.

I was listening to a service of Rev Stegen and he spoke about reading God’s Word. He said, when you read God’s word, it cleanses your life. Just think of that – when I read God’s word it cleanses me. It doesn’t mean I can sin and then just read God’s word for cleansing – no, that is not what he meant. But as I read God’s word He speaks to me, He guides me, He teaches me. In that way He cleanses me and changes my way of  thinking. Shouldn’t we read the Bible more?

Rev Stegen said in one service, it is his desire that every person should reach that Heavenly goal. As I stand here, I am nothing. I can’t do anything if God doesn’t speak. But as he said it, I agreed, that is my desire too. May every person, whether here in the auditorium, or listening via live streaming, wherever you are, reach that Heavenly goal.

Recently I was reading in the book of Hebrews. The author of Hebrews is not known. Some say Paul wrote it, but most believe that it was probably written by one of his scholars. It is a wonderful book. It addresses the believer, the unbeliever, the doubting believer, even the believer that has grown cold. Every person can read the book of Hebrews, there will be something for each one.

It is amazing to think that it was Paul’s scholar who wrote it. Paul could relate the Gospel to this person and he grasped it because he had seen it lived out in the apostles. So he wrote accurately what God wanted to be passed on. We have received God’s good news from those who went before us. Can we pass it on to our children, to our work colleagues – in a way that it is still accurate, true and just? Does my life confirm that which was passed on to us?

When I was in the plane, I found some old services from Rev and Mrs Stegen. I could listen to them and ask myself, am I still living and passing on that which they taught us? We don’t want a new Gospel, we don’t want to change things, we want it as they taught us. You go and read Hebrews and let the Lord speak to you. When I read this portion I thought the whole gospel of Christ is in this letter.

Billy Graham said something interesting. He said, ‘hell was never meant for mankind, it was meant for the devil and his angels. God never meant for any person, any man, to go to hell. So, He paved the way for us that we don’t need to go to hell. But if you choose hell, you will go there. Even though God speaks about heaven, He speaks three times more in the Bible about hell’.

Hebrews 4:11 Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience [as those who died in the wilderness]. 

The first word I want to emphasize, “therefore”.  It makes me think I need to go back in this book to find what was written beforehand.

So, if we can quickly turn back and highlight some points from Hebrews.

The first few verses of chapter 1 explain how God created everything. He is the lawful owner of all things. Then we read that He maintains and propels all things, He steers everything.

If we believe in Him and if we follow Him and live the way He wants us to live, we need to be aware of it, we need to believe it, and we need to know that Christ has everything in His hands. Even if it looks like things are out of control, it is not so, He has allowed things to happen. Let us not be led astray by our intellect and ways of thinking. We think we have it all worked out and then someone else changes it, we may think that all has gone wrong, but it is not so, God propels and steers everything the way it should be.

In Chapter 2 verse 1, he warns about people who drifted away. He warns us to be careful not to drift away. As others have subtly, slowly, done so.

If you have criticism, you are drifting away. All those questions in your heart, you are drifting. The love of the world makes us drift away. You don’t do the worldly things, you just long for them. Your focus is not where it should be, you are drifting.

Recently, at the start of January, we were driving to Namibia. It is a long way through the desert. In some places there are a lot of insects and as you drive they hit and dirty the windscreen. The windscreen becomes full of the insect splashes. When you drive normally it is necessary to look far ahead on the road. But when all these insects hit the windscreen and it is full of it, then the road becomes a blur. If I focus on all these things on my windscreen, I can’t see the road. But if I focus ahead on the road, the insects become a blur. I know they are there, they are somewhat disturbing but I don’t concentrate on them, otherwise I will drive off the road.

In life there are insects, there are things that happen. Maybe something is said that I don’t like and things seem to go wrong; I would have done that differently. Know that such things will always happen or be there.  But if we keep our focus on the road, these things becomes a blur.

Usually you shouldn’t try and remove the insects with wipers. You make a bigger mess. If you say, I am going to do something about this mess, and you switch on your wipers, it smudges everything. Then you have to wait for the next garage to clean it properly.

Focus on your destination.

The author speaks of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Catherine Booth said, ‘God never gave this gift of the Holy Spirit to any human soul who had not got to the point where he would sell everything he had to get it. While there is a spark of rebellion, impatience, (where I say I know better, why is it like that? Maybe I even think God is making a mistake), one will never get it. Truly submissive and obedient souls only enter His kingdom.’

Hebrews 2:9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while [by taking on the limitations of humanity], crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering of death, so that by the grace of God [extended to sinners] He might experience death for [the sins of] everyone. 

We all know this that Christ died for everyone, He didn’t just die for me, He died for the next one as well, He died for the person I despise and the loser in my eyes, maybe I’ll treat that person differently if I remember that Jesus died for him or her too. What does Christ’s dying mean to me? We must not tolerate sin or lower God’s standard if we remember this, but how do we treat the next person?

A while ago we were in Italy in a very beautiful area up in the mountains. We visited a company, and when we walked out the front entrance there was a beautiful little church. I commented on its beauty to the man accompanying us and he asked if I knew the history of that church. I didn’t and then he told us that there is a thorn from the crown of thorns that Jesus wore in the church. As the church was locked we could not see it, but he told us the story of the man whose statue was outside the church building.

When he was a young man, he had killed someone. The authorities wanted to lock him up and execute him. So he fled and joined a mercenary army. This army went up far north, fighting. At some point they conquered a certain district and in this area they found what they believed to be the crown of Jesus. He spoke to his commander pleading for just one thorn from the crown. He took that one thorn, and set off on his way back to his home town. I wonder what happened to him when he had this thorn in his hand, maybe it changed his life. He took the thorn back home, knowing that it would mean a lot to his people. When he got home he said that he needed to speak to the mayor and the local priest. He said to them, ‘I have with me a thorn from the crown of Jesus, I will give it to you if you take away my guilt and the sentence that is hanging over my head. If I can give you this thorn in exchange for my freedom, I would love to live in my home town again.

They agreed and took that thorn, removing his sentence. He stayed with them, but he became someone special to the townspeople because a statue in his honour was erected outside the church. I thought, here is a murderer, a killer, a mercenary,  who, when he saw the crown, knew that this can set me free. Just one thorn of the crown of Jesus will set me free from the guilt of murder. Do we realise what the death of Christ should do in our lives? It should set us free from our burdens of sin. Do we realise that, or did that killer have more common sense than we do?

You can read Chapter 2:17 that Jesus was tempted. He knows what it is like to be tempted. Because He was tempted, He understands what it means to us, so we can go to Him. Just to add – when you are tempted, you haven’t sinned. There is a difference between being tempted and then yielding to that temptation. The devil brings something to you where you see something or he reminds you of something evil, if you yield to it, you sin. That is why the Bible says, don’t yield to temptation. At that moment when the temptation is there, that is when I must say, no! Devil leave me alone, and where you pray and say, Lord Jesus Christ, please help me, grant me the strength to resist, and He will do it.

You can read on about the rest. He speaks of two types of rest. The rest here on earth which He gives us from our burdens, sins, worries. Then he speaks about the second rest – the rest when we reach heaven.

In Numbers you can read that when the Israelites rebelled, complained and criticised, then Joshua stood up; ‘If the Lord delights in us’, he said, ‘He will give us the promised land’. Does the Lord delight in my life? In what I think, do, and speak, does He sit in heaven and say, ‘I am delighted with this person’?

Hebrews 4:13 And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account.

Everything is revealed and open before God. Your life lies open before God’s eyes. It is an open book. Is it a delight for Him to behold? If not, you won’t reach the Heavenly goal.

Hebrews 4:11Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience [as those who died in the wilderness]. 

Christ has done all in His power – now you do the same. Half measures are not good enough, go all the way or call it quits now. He wants everything from us, if it is not everything in our power, it is as good as giving Him nothing. In my actions, thoughts, the way I do my business, in everything do your best.

Do whatever you can and in your power to reach the goal.

Mrs Stegen told a true story in a service. In the North of Ireland there was a king who had two sons. When the king passed away, both sons were in line to the throne and both wanted the position.  Some people supported the one and others the other one. They could not agree on who it would be and then they said, let there be a competition. The two brothers would start on this side of the lake, row to the other side and the first to put his hand on the shore on the other side, would be king. Everyone agreed, they set the date for the race. Some people were on one side, others on the other side of the lake. It was a big occasion. With great pomp they set off on their way.

The two men rowed with all their strength. They were desperate to get the prize and it was very close. As they were rowing, one of them was dropping slightly behind – he rowed as hard as he could, but he could not keep up. He thought, what will I do, I have to come first, but he could see that he was losing. As they approached the shore, he was a few metres behind. In those days they always had a sword or a knife on them. As it had been said, the first hand that touches the shore wins, he thought of something. He took out his sword, chopped off his hand, and threw it so that it would touch the shore first. He became king.

He had been prepared to sacrifice his hand. He was the king with one hand and from that time on his people proudly wore the red hand on their clothes or any flag or emblem in honour of him, as he allowed his blood to flow for the kingship.

Are we prepared to chop off our hands if necessary? To chop our tongue if necessary. Mrs Stegen said in that service, your tongue is a terrible thing, it moves before you even think. Am I prepared to say, let me just bite my tongue and not speak because I say the wrong thing? Christ requires everything from us. He requires every effort from us.

David Livingstone said, I regard everything as worthless that doesn’t have to do with the Kingdom of God. Everything that doesn’t benefit me to get to the goal is worthless.

Yes, we have things, we have cars, other things, but are they worth more than the Goal to us? May we say that if I must give it up, I will give it up, it will be worthless to me, what is most important is that, which will get me to the heavenly goal. If that is our heart’s desire, God will grant it to us.

May He be merciful to us and may each one of us reach that goal, may nobody fall away. That is also God’s desire.

Detlef Stegen

May the Lord impress these truths onto our hearts, and onto our lives. Other than that we are lost. We should not deceive ourselves. Jesus said it is better for you to pluck out your eye and enter heaven with one eye than to remain with your two eyes and be cast into hell. Likewise, with your right hand.

Are you diligent spiritually? Or have you become slack?

There are many things that people deny themselves for an earthly cause, and earthly achievement, they can spend nights without sleep, part from their families, go away for months – just to reach their goal.

How terrible if you are more diligent in your earthly ideals than this ideal, this purpose, this goal of which we have heard this morning.

Just this morning I took something which I had received in a pack from the aQuelle office. It is wonderful that even aQuelle can proclaim the Gospel.

I opened it and on it was written: If your striving does not lead you to the feet of Jesus it is worth nothing.

If you attend this school, be in earnest. You will be held accountable before God because of the lessons you were taught, the work you were given, the message of the Gospel preached to you, and if you didn’t fall at the feet of Jesus, He meant nothing to you.

We’ve been urged and given examples to spur us on to diligence.

The writer, as we have read in chapter 2:9, says, but we see Jesus.

Have you become a Christian because of your parents, the preacher, or do you see Jesus? Friend, if you don’t see Jesus, even being a Christian will help you nothing.

He testifies, but we see Jesus. How wonderful if you can wake up and you can say, I saw Jesus this morning. You offer your prayers and supplications because you see Him. He is not an idol on a stand, He is with you wherever you are, even in your temptation you see Jesus.

Now we should say, Lord write all these words into my heart, that as I have seen you today in the church service, as I leave, may I see Jesus – otherwise your coming here to the service is worth nothing.

Rev Stegen at times prayed and said, Lord, write these words into our hearts with indelible ink. I think we, in all we have heard , need to guard this. Forget about your ideals, wishes, dreams, seek Jesus above all, and these things will be alive and drive you, because Jesus is before you – not just a thorn of the crown that pierced His brow, Jesus Himself will be with you.

You have an opportunity to cry to Him and say, Lord, I have been busy with my own things. I have not sought to enter into your rest, to fall at your feet, I have not been diligent. Repent and say, God may I see you as I have never seen you before.