approved – Emmanuel Pentecostal Church Gateshead Resources

FRIDAY 5^th

Hebrews 11:17-31

Yesterday I left off by suggesting that I would choose the words ‘God’s approval’ from the different translations of Hebrews 11:2. Here is why, the best reason or answer I can give is based on something that is sentimental, something from my past, a memory, the memory has also been a real challenge to me over the last 40 years. I only have one other possession beside my teddy bear that I can recall that my mother gave to me and it is a Schofield reference Bible that she gave to me at the time when I was studying at the Apostolic Church Bible College back in 1980. (My mum died in 2003)

I valued the Bible of course I did and still do, but it was another one of the few that I already owned, and my Bible collection has also grown significantly since then as well and I hardly ever use that actual Bible now! What was the challenge to me then was the verse that my mum wrote on the inside cover alongside the words: ‘To Haydn from Mum.’ It was a Scripture which has been a constant challenge and reminder to me when preparing and preaching the Word of God. It was 2 Timothy 2:15, as it was a KJV translation, I will quote that translation first and then from the ESV.

KJV ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth’

ESV ‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth’

Notice the challenge? DO YOUR BEST or try your hardest as a worker or an individual that handles the word of God to handle it in such a way that you gain God’s approval.

I believe with all my heart that God will call every man or woman who handles the Word of God in a preaching and teaching sphere to account on the way in which we have handled it. Therefore, we need to be careful how we interpret it or how we use it. This is a challenge to me! (James 3:1 ‘Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.’)

The words approved or approval, to be approved by God comes up again in some other scriptures:

Galatians 1:10 ‘For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ’

1 Thessalonians 2:4 ‘but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts’ 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.’

The lesson I want to bring from our look at this word today is this, whose approval are we looking for, or whose approval do we seek, man or Gods?

If we want to win the approval of mankind or society today, then there is no doubt that we would have to mishandle the Word of God! Sadly today, to gain approval, many are watering down the Word of God, instead of preaching the full gospel, the message of the cross, they are as Scripture says twisting the Word of God to please the itching ears of those listening. (2 Timothy 4:1-5) It is a sad reality that the message of the Cross which is considered foolish by the world has also become an offence to many who claim to believe, and to preach the need for us to daily take up our cross to follow him goes against the message preached in so many places. I have had personal experience of this where I was told by someone who attended the Church(not in Gateshead) that I preach too much about the Cross and the resurrection. Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For, I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. (Galatians 6:14, Romans 1:16)

This is only one of many applications, but what about in our morality, integrity, righteousness etc.

Do we act in ways that God’s approval would be upon us as a people who should be living by faith or, do we act in ways in which if we were to stand before God today we would be ashamed? We close today with the words of the Psalmist David, Psalm 139:23-24 ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!’

We will continue tomorrow.

Search me, O God, and know my heart today,

Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray;

See if there be some wicked way in me;

Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;

Fulfill Thy word and make me pure within;

Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;

Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;

Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;

Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;

I now surrender, Lord, in me abide.

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;

Send a revival, start the work in me;

Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;

For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.

^{Edwin Orr CCLI 788682}

Daily Devotion June 4th

THURSDAY 4^th

Hebrews 11:8-16

I will continue today with another look at the subject of faith drawing from this chapter. As I have been preparing, what I want to share in this devotion is too long for one, so will break it in such a way as to share over three days.

Verses 1-3 ‘Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.’

I use the English Standard Version, which in verse 2 uses the phrase ‘received their commendation’

This is how it is translated in another six translations:

NIV ‘This is what the ancients were commended for’

NLT ‘Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation’

CSB ‘For by it our ancestors won God’s approval’

NASV ‘For by it the men of old gained approval’

NKJV ‘For by it the elders obtained a good testimony’

KJV ‘For by it the elders obtained a good report’

Also, from the Amplified Bible, ‘For by this [kind of] faith the men of old gained [divine] approval.’

I wonder what each of these words conjure up in your mind when you put them into the context of living a life of faith?

In the normal usage of the terms I conjure up the following:

Commended reminds me of a flower or fruit show where an individual is commended for their effort, obviously hoping to be the highly commended choice.

Earned a good reputation reminds me of an individual who has excelled in his trade and as a result of his excellent work such as a blacksmith, or painter and decorator they have a good reputation in the sphere of their trade. You would have no questions over recommending him (or her) to someone and you would not hesitate to give them doing a job to do for yourself.

Won approval or gained approval reminds me of something like an award given to a company or an individual who has achieved the highest standard in design, or quality of product and therefore are given a seal of approval. Much like a company that has been given the Queens stamp of approval.

A good testimony reminds me of someone who is an individual of good upright standing in the community, however hard you tried you would not be able to point the finger of suspicion towards them for anything.

A good report reminds me of the end of the school year report that goes home to the parents – I think in all my years at school I failed to receive a good report! Always could have done better or needs to improve in this or that area!

I’ve drawn the varied conclusions because at the end of each day and at the end of our earthly lives every single one of us should have sought to have lived in such a way as believers that God could use any of these phrases to sum us up.

So how can we assure ourselves of receiving a commendation, a good reputation, a good testimony, a good report, or God’s approval? Hebrews 11 answers it for us, it is BY FAITH, by living a life of faith. It happens when we learn to totally rely on and trust in God and this trust needs to be evidenced in every area of our lives. Let us remind ourselves what Hebrews 11 says: ‘Now faith

is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it (that is by faith) the people of old received their commendation, or good report, approval etc.

Although I use the ESV, if I had to choose any of the translations or phrases from the list already mentioned it would be difficult. I want to have a good report, I want to be commended, I want that I would have a good reputation, I want to have a good testimony, I want to gain or have God’s approval, it should be the desire of each one of us and I want that it is not just something that will be a final analysis when I have died as the Hebrew writer is doing here about the various characters, but that it could be said of me now, but I know that far too often I fail, but then I am reminded that at times so did these OT heroes, and God didn’t give up on them and he will not give up on us, we are still work in progress.

But if I had to choose and there is the sense in that we agree whichever phrase is used we know what the writer is meaning, I would choose ‘God’s approval’ (the NAS and CSB) we will continue from here tomorrow with my reason why.

I have chosen a hymn today which is one of my favourites, it reminds me that to know God’s approval in our lives we need to align our heart to his will, which comes through in the words of the hymn. It is a hymn that was constantly my prayer while growing up, ‘ready for all thy perfect will,’

O Thou Who camest from above,

The pure celestial fire to impart,

Kindle a flame of sacred love

On the mean altar of my heart.

There let it for Thy glory burn

With inextinguishable blaze,

And trembling to its source return,

In humble prayer and fervent praise.

Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire

To work and speak and think for Thee;

Still let me guard the holy fire,

And still stir up Thy gift in me.

Ready for all Thy perfect will,

My acts of faith and love repeat,

‘Til death Thy endless mercies seal,

And make my sacrifice complete.

Charles Wesley CCLI788682