Falling Short of the Grace of God
Reflection: The author of Hebrews, as he moves to the application part of his sermon, urges the believers not to fall short of the grace of God. That is an interesting saying and worthy of meditation. How does one fall short of the grace of God? Other writers, like the apostle Paul, have similarly urged us to not receive God's grace in vain. How can this happen?
Ezekiel gives us a glimpse of the people of Israel, who were likened to the wood of the Vine that is burned up and worthless. Rather than being the fruit of the Vine, they were like dead wood, good for nothing. They were severely judged by God because they did not become what they were intended to be.
Fast forward back to the Hebrews passage, and the author says see to it that no one falls short of the grace of God like our brothers and sisters in the faith. Then he gives us a few examples of how this can happen. First, he says to live at peace with everyone. Then, he says see to it that none of you are engaged in sexual immorality. Finally, he says see to it that no bitter root grows up among you but, be holy as The Lord is holy. No one can see The Lord without the holiness that comes with the holy calling.
So there is an interesting interplay from the grace of God, which we receive in Christ, and then what it means to be living according to it. As my favorite theologian Dallas Willard, who has recently passed away to be with The Lord has said, "Grace is opposed to earning not effort." And this indeed I believe is a teaching that would apply to us today. We see the great need in the Church today for Believers to live lives worthy of their calling. We see a great need for character to grow out of our deep, abiding relationship with the True Vine, Jesus Christ (see John 15 for the New Testament application of Ezekiel 14).
My hope in writing this Daily Bread is that by starting each day in God's Word and being nourished by it, that we might start each day abiding in the True Vine, through which we bear fruit that will last. One day we will be measured by only one thing, the fruit we have borne as disciples of Christ. May we not fall short of the grace of Christ, but live according to it in His power.
Psalm 116:15-19
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord—
in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
Ezekiel 14:12-15:8
Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable
12 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 “Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, 14 even if these three men—Noah, Daniel[a] and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.
15 “Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, 16 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.
17 “Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals, 18 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.
19 “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, 20 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.
21 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to kill its men and their animals! 22 Yet there will be some survivors—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. 23 You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Jerusalem as a Useless Vine
15 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? 3 Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on? 4 And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? 5 If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?
6 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. 7 I will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord. 8 I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Hebrews 12:14-24
Warning and Encouragement
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.
The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[a] 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[b]
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. Genesis 1:31
To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. 1 Timothy 1:17
O Ancient of Days, we praise you for your creation of the world and all birds, fowl, animals, and humankind you placed here as well. Empower us to be caretakers and stewards of that which you have given us. In your holy name we pray, Amen.
Ezekiel gives us a glimpse of the people of Israel, who were likened to the wood of the Vine that is burned up and worthless. Rather than being the fruit of the Vine, they were like dead wood, good for nothing. They were severely judged by God because they did not become what they were intended to be.
Fast forward back to the Hebrews passage, and the author says see to it that no one falls short of the grace of God like our brothers and sisters in the faith. Then he gives us a few examples of how this can happen. First, he says to live at peace with everyone. Then, he says see to it that none of you are engaged in sexual immorality. Finally, he says see to it that no bitter root grows up among you but, be holy as The Lord is holy. No one can see The Lord without the holiness that comes with the holy calling.
So there is an interesting interplay from the grace of God, which we receive in Christ, and then what it means to be living according to it. As my favorite theologian Dallas Willard, who has recently passed away to be with The Lord has said, "Grace is opposed to earning not effort." And this indeed I believe is a teaching that would apply to us today. We see the great need in the Church today for Believers to live lives worthy of their calling. We see a great need for character to grow out of our deep, abiding relationship with the True Vine, Jesus Christ (see John 15 for the New Testament application of Ezekiel 14).
My hope in writing this Daily Bread is that by starting each day in God's Word and being nourished by it, that we might start each day abiding in the True Vine, through which we bear fruit that will last. One day we will be measured by only one thing, the fruit we have borne as disciples of Christ. May we not fall short of the grace of Christ, but live according to it in His power.
Psalm 116:15-19
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord—
in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
Ezekiel 14:12-15:8
Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable
12 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 “Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, 14 even if these three men—Noah, Daniel[a] and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.
15 “Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, 16 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.
17 “Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals, 18 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.
19 “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, 20 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.
21 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to kill its men and their animals! 22 Yet there will be some survivors—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. 23 You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Jerusalem as a Useless Vine
15 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? 3 Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on? 4 And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? 5 If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?
6 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. 7 I will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord. 8 I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Hebrews 12:14-24
Warning and Encouragement
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.
The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[a] 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[b]
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. Genesis 1:31
To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. 1 Timothy 1:17
O Ancient of Days, we praise you for your creation of the world and all birds, fowl, animals, and humankind you placed here as well. Empower us to be caretakers and stewards of that which you have given us. In your holy name we pray, Amen.
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