Chicago Conference: 1983
Table of Contents
Luke 12:31
Reading
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King and communion.
Rather.
But rather seek ye the Kingdom.
Of God.
Now what is the Kingdom of God?
It's a general term that's used.
Many expressions in regard to the Kingdom, The Kingdom of Heaven.
The Kingdom of his dear son.
But the Kingdom of God is an overall expression, I believe. But I believe what we have in Luke's gospel is rather the side of the Kingdom of God, shall we say, that is moral, the permanent aspect of it, when everything else ceases?
And that is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Is what characterizes the Kingdom of God. It is not made and drink.
But righteousness?
Peace, joy in the Holy Ghost.
Now, brethren, this will be our portion for all eternity, and this is the character of heaven.
Joy in the Holy Ghost. Then we have these three things now.
Or shall we say, don't we have them now?
Yes, because of the work of Christ we have righteousness.
He is made unto us righteousness. That's one Corinthians one, the end of the chapter.
Do we have peace? Oh yes, we have peace, but He is our peace.
That's Ephesians 2.
Do we have joy in the Holy Ghost? Indeed we have. That's Romans 15. I believe we have joy and the Holy Ghost now, because having believed, you are sealed without Holy Spirit of promise.
But the Spirit of God is seen in different ways and.
In connection with the believer and so we have also mentioned the earnest of the Spirit.
Now, I believe that expression, earnest of the Spirit not only includes the promise that we'll have the whole thing later, but it includes the thought that He has already given us that joy that belongs to it. We have. The joy of the Holy Ghost is connected with the earnest, I believe.
And so we have the Kingdom of God mentioned here.
Seek ye the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Now remember, this is the gospel we're reading and those who have.
Come to the place of knowing the Lord Jesus, their Savior has been gathered to His name.
Perhaps have a little more advanced line of things introduced to them, to the epistles of Paul, but it doesn't take away from what we have here in one bit and so.
Fear not, little flop, are we not, little flock?
Little Flock God has always had a little flock just once.
At different times they were under certain conditions. Today we find there's a little flock, as there has been, and everyone who belongs to the Lord Jesus is in that little flock.
Everyone who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior belongs to that little flock. Good pleasure.
Now we have something else. When we get home to glory, we're going to find that everything that happens to us is the result of the Father's good pleasure. Not simply God's good pleasure, but the Father's good pleasure. And that's Christianity, really.
It's the Father's delight.
To bless you and me.
The Father's delight.
One of the last things.
Mr. Darby mentioned in his writings that he had learned in scripture was that the 4th chapter of.
First, John.
Was.
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God.
Who loves you? It isn't just Jesus, that's true, but it's the whole Godhead, Father, Son and Spirit.
And he said that all the years he had only thought of it as being the Lord Jesus. But in his later years it came home to them, him in that 4th chapter of the first epistle of John, that is God. And just think, brethren, that we're going to be in a place where the one who created all things, the one who had purposed all things.
He's the one who finds his good pleasure, as it says here.
To give you.
The Kingdom.
Now I don't want to bring in the subject of the Kingdom except in this way.
That there is a heavenly department to the Kingdom, and an earthly department.
The heavenly department is being formed now and is called the Kingdom of the heavens. It belongs to the heavens, and it will be known then as the Kingdom of the Father, as we read in the in the.
Gospel of Matthew.
In the 13th chapter, 44th verse I believe.
Kingdom of the Father and so there is a heavenly department of the Kingdom and there will be rewards in that day in connection with that Kingdom.
And have in connection with the believer and his life down here.
There will be rewards given in that day of the Kingdom. And so it says it's your father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Well, now if he's going to give us the Kingdom.
Then why not sell all that we have down here?
Why not sell it all? That's what he's telling us here. And what does this mean? Well, I believe it means this, brethren.
It means for you and me to evaluate everything in our lives.
When you go to buy something, especially in other countries where.
There's a trading principle used in buying and selling. You have to evaluate what you're going to buy. You won't necessarily pay the price that you've asked. You evaluate what it is. I believe that's the thought here.
Evaluate everything that surrounds you down here. What does it work?
In comparison with what the Father is going to give you and what you have laid up in store in heaven.
Cell that you have and give alms, provide yourselves bags which wax not old. Now in the Old Testament the prophet warns about the bags that have holes in them.
And oh, how many bags that have holes in them are going to lose everything, but these bags have no holes in them. A treasure.
In the heavens.
And so he's speaking now of something that we're looking forward to.
Providing bags that wax not old.
And then he speaks of a treasure in the heavens, and he note and notice what it says. That faileth not where no thief approaches, neither moth corrupted. For where your treasure is, there will your hearts be also, and that's Jesus.
Whatever you can learn of that precious savior, that's what we have here in this treasure.
As we could say, it's the moral value of things as compared with the physical value. As we look on them down here, we think of natural things and how much the price is. And that's what he's been talking about before. What we eat, the clothes that we wear, all these things are material, but what is a real value is that which is going to abide. And so he says here.
Sell what you have and give alms. I often think of it in this way that.
Before we were saved, we considered everything we had as our own. Was my car, it was my house. But after we are saved, there's a new ownership and it all belongs to the Lord. We give it to Him, and then He makes us His steward, and we use everything that we have, not with a sense of the money value, but of the moral value. What value in comparison with what you were Speaking of? The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink. It's not the food.
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We eat. It's not the clothes that we wear. It's as it says, it's righteousness and peace and joy and the Holy Ghost. What value does our car have in relation to these things? Is it being used in connection with the things that really count and that really value? And Speaking of giving them the Kingdom, I was thinking of that in Revelation Chapter 11.
First of all, in Revelation chapter 10.
And verse 7.
But in the days of the voice of the 7th Angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God shall be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Then the 11Th chapter and the 15th verse and the 7th Angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.
And the four and 20 elders which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces and worshiped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and was an art to come, because thou has taken to thee thy great power and has reigned well. These things have been spoken to the prophets, that is, these things have been declared to us. We have already formed the proper sense, or should have.
Of values. And we're looking forward to the time when the Lord Jesus takes all that is.
Rightfully his and when he does then he's going to take possession of the whole scene. It'll be the earthly that's referred to here. The kingdoms of this world about the ones who were talked about, the four and 20 elders are in the heavenly side of things and now they're looking down and here all these things they live for and valued. The Lord is now openly taking his rights. He's taking possession of the whole thing. Kingdoms of this world have become his and all those things that we.
Thought were ours. Now he's taken. But the four and 20 elders, they rejoice, they say at last the Lord is given his rightful place. Well, this is going to be so publicly. And here is a little flock. Believers, as you say, not just ourselves, but those who have recognized the rights of Christ, who see him as it says in Hebrews 2. We see not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus.
Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor. So we see him in that place. We own Him, Lord and Sovereign now. And what a glorious day that will be, when the whole redeemed company fall on their faces, and say at last, the Lord has taken what is rightfully his, and they rejoice. But the point I believe in what our brothers brought before us.
In Luke chapter 12 is.
Do we realize this now? Are we living in view of that time? Are we saying this is mine?
Are we saying, well, the Lord has shown that it all belongs to Christ and I'm only a steward to use it. So in the Lord Jesus was here while he used the transportation that was here. He used the boat to get across the sea. He ate the food that was provided. But his whole desire and purpose down here was to do His Father's will and teach men a true sense of values.
And so the whole of the 12Th of Luke is really opening that up.
A man who wanted the Lord to speak to his brother that he divided the inheritance. A man who had great possessions and was thinking only of enjoying them down here. Now he says, you believers shouldn't be like that. You should have a proper sense of values and live as those who recognize the rights of Christ.
Even now and wait for the time when there will be the open display of it. Interesting in that 11Th chapter of Revelation where after the declaration has been made, the kings of kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and the Saints have rejoiced. Then it says the nations were angry. Man doesn't like this interference. He doesn't like to. He likes to say it's my life, it's my time. I.
Have a right to do as I please and it's called man in his world. The nations are angry. They would like to see a lot of errors and evils corrected in the world, but they don't want the rights of Christ. But you and I who are believers, may the Lord grant that we will acknowledge his rights in connection with our whole life, our possessions and everything, and our true values will be.
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Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Loins are the place of strength and often used that way in Scripture.
But I believe also that we could include the thought of.
Where it says let your loins be girded about.
That is one who?
Is is running a race, one who has definite objects before him. He won't allow his garments to be thrown loosely about, he'll gird them up.
But also I believe it takes in the thought of the affections.
This may not seem this way with some, but I think you'll find that in the some of the writings like Mr. Billets and so on, he included this thought with the affections.
It's so easy for one's affections to go after the things around us now. If we have one treasure before us, we will have our affections girded up.
We won't allow ourselves to be taken up with other things about us and so.
Let your loins be girded about.
That's the first thing that's mentioned.
Because if this isn't true, the lights won't be burning.
The light suggests.
The testimony of the believer.
In his way down here.
Not simply one who goes out and preaches the gospel, but the whole life of the believer.
Is a life among whom ye appear as light.
In this world, it says in Philippians. Philippians 2.
He appears lights in this world, but if our hearts have gone out after other things, if we have settled down in this world, we haven't girded our loins.
Then there won't be a light burning. Now all this is in view of the Lord's coming. It's in view of that moment when we'll see His face. And seeing that moment is so near, brethren, it's at our very door.
Outfitting This passage is for us this morning as we leave these meetings.
Let your loins be guarded about.
1001 Things can occupy us the minute we leave this room.
Everything down here, we're living in a world that is.
Multiplying in its interests in such a fashion that.
The mind is just in a world as to what's going on about us and the believer, especially some who are in business, have gotten so entangled in their business that they just sigh at the pressure that's on their spirits because of it.
And would like to get out of it because it hinders their spiritual life. Well, we can even in this have our loins girded and.
Girded about.
And then our lights will be burning.
And something on Christian giving in connection with giving alms. I am afraid that many times.
We are well aware that we are not on the ground of the law. We do not have to give the 10th, you know, we do not have to look at it in this legal way and perhaps.
We are flagged in realizing our responsibility and years back.
A brother presented this thought in connection with.
Joseph in the land of Egypt.
I thought it was so helpful at that time to me, and it might be to you now.
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When Joseph.
Had gathered up all the plenty of the land and the seven years of famine came.
He.
Bought everything for peril, for food that people had to sell, everything they had. I think that's a beautiful picture of what is taught here in Luke, that all that we have belongs to him. When he saved our soul, he didn't only save us from hell. That we personally belong to him. All that we have belongs to him.
We also see that in connection with.
Leaving Egypt One of the compromises that Perot offered the 4th one was to leave their possession in Egypt. And the answer was not a hook shall be left behind. But a brother's comment was in that connection. He said if the law demanded the tent, we find that Grace would give more because as a proof that all belongs to Pharaoh or they had to give the 5th.
So.
I think this is very helpful. We should never get the idea, beloved, that just because we are not under the law, we don't have to give 10%.
Now there might be those who do not have.
The means to even give 10%. The Lord certainly would not want us to go into debt or not live up to our obligation in order to support the Lord's work, but those who are able to.
Would certainly do more than what the law demands. I thought it might be helpful not to get off on that, but to exercise our souls to have the right attitude.
We see that beautifully demonstrated there. Everything was bought for Pharaoh and everything belonged to him, and the fifth of all would have to be given to Pharaoh. Grace would do much more than what the law ever demanded. There's a verse in Malachi I'd like to have you turn to.
Malachi 3 and starting with.
Verse 8.
8-9 and 10:00 and if someone will please read it in Mr. Darby's translation.
Malachi.
3.
Verse 8-9 and 10.
Will a man rob God? But ye robbed me, and ye say we're in, Do we rob thee?
In tithes and eve offerings.
He are cursed for the 1St and be ye robbed even this whole nation.
Bring the whole tithe into the treasure house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith that Jehovah hosts, if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and bore you out a blessing till there be no place for it.
The point I want to emphasize this the whole time, the whole tide, not simply bringing all the tides.
You'll find it possibly seven times that the the rider here.
Speaks to God's people about things in which they have failed.
And this is toward the last.
And he says, Will a man rob God?
Now when it says the whole tithe, it doesn't give you at all the thought of 10%.
It gives you the thought of what's in your heart.
And I believe that's what our brother was calling our attention to.
Word for the conscience of the Jew to bring the whole tide.
Into the storehouse, in other words, to bring that which not he feels the responsibility about merely, but that which he knows will please the Lord. That's the point the whole time.
I was thinking about the Apostle Paul said that a man saw account of us as stewards of the mysteries of God and that verse that was read that you suggested in Malachi.
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That there may be meat in my house. Isn't it very possible for us to be so busy gathering money and perhaps giving very faithfully to the Lord, but neglecting the things that really are important and how often? There's plenty of money to build a nice meeting room and everything, but a lack of that freshness in ministry. And so the Lord said that there may be meat in my house. What a blessing to come.
And sit down in the meeting and there's food for the soul. I believe that our meetings ought to be such that when we come together that each one would go away feeling well. I've really been refreshed. There was something there that met my present need. And I believe, brethren, if we were as much exercised about that, one has found that there's generally plenty to meet the needs even this these meetings. How marvelously the Lord meets the.
Need and the Saints are very generous.
But is there not a lack of meat in my house? And I was thinking too of how Paul, when he spoke to the elders at Ephesus, he said to feed the flock of God. Peter again, and his epistle and speaking, he says to feed the flock of God, taking the oversight thereof. And there's even a great need of that spiritual food among us. And there can be a neglect of that time that ought to be spent in reading.
Meditating upon it. So when Paul exhorts Timothy, he says, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Meditate upon these things, give thyself holy to them. Such a person might have less to give to the Lord in a material way, but a great deal that would be a blessing to the glory of God and to the blessing of his people. And if I could just say this little word of encouragement to those who are young in the pressure of life and trying.
To meet the present needs of trying to pay for a home and set up our responsibilities in a home, there's a tendency, and it's very easy to get it, to neglect that which is really important. And so the Kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy and the Holy Ghost. So may the Lord encourage us in that way so that in giving to Him there will not only be stewards of the material things, but stewards, as Paul said, of the mysteries of God.
And of that spiritual food for the Saints.
This 34th verse where your treasure is there will your heart be also is very important. The Lord is reaching into hearts in this gospel back in the second chapter.
When this child is spoken of, we might just read it in the 34th verse of Luke 2. Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary's mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall, and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against, yes, or shall Pierce through thy own soul also.
Not the thoughts that many hearts may be revealed.
I believe we see as we trace the Lord Jesus in His ministry, in this gospel, that He's always.
Bringing out the thoughts of the heart and he has done that in this gospel. I mean in this chapter concerning that man. Notice in the in our chapter 12, there was one of the company verse 13.
Said unto him, Master, speak to my brother that he divided the inheritance with me. The Lord didn't go and speak to his brother that we know about. He went right on and speaking to that man and reaching into his heart. Now I believe the Lord is trying to reach into our hearts this morning through this ministry. Where is our treasure? Where our treasure is?
There our heart will be also. It's not just really.
The material things, although that is important too. We might go to 2nd Corinthians 2 and get a little ministry as to the heart, and I believe the way that Paul applies it in the 6th chapter of Second Corinthians.
Paul says to them in the 11Th verse, O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you.
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Our heart is enlarged though the heart of the apostle for that company of believers.
How he longed for them.
But then he says in the next verse.
We are not straightening us, but ye are straightening your own bowels.
Verse 13 Now for a recompense in the same I speak as unto my children be also enlarged. He wanted their hearts to be enlarged, so that they would take up the same way of looking at things that the apostle did. Now if we go to the last.
The 14th chapter, no. The 12Th chapter, Second Corinthians 12 and the.
14th and 15th versus.
We have an application here.
Or an example in Paul speaking about his children.
2nd Corinthians 1214 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be burdensome to you. That's those Corinthians, for I think, not yours. He was looking for their material goods at all, but you, who he wanted their persons for. I seek not yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents.
But the parents were the children. Well, he looked at himself as their parent, and he was longing that they be enlarged in their hearts, even as his heart was enlarged for them, not just in physical, material things, but in the wonderful truths that he developed in these two epistles. So then he can say in verse 15, I will.
Very gladly spend and be spent. For you though, the more abundantly I love you.
The less I be loved. Well, that was his heart. He was willing to sell all that he had spent, everything that he had for those dear Saints of God.
Just like to add, while we're in Second Corinthians, the 8th chapter connection with this subject and this follows nicely on what our brother Clem was just saying that the apostle didn't seek theirs but them in 2nd Corinthians 8 verse 7.
Where he takes up in these two chapters, 8:00 and 9:00, the subject of Christian giving. What is the motive that ought to motivate us in giving all He says in verse seven of chapter 8? Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that He abound in this grace also.
And then he gives us the powerful motive.
That ninth verse which we often read at the breaking of bread. For, you know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. That he through his poverty might be rich. That's really the motive. That's what motivates us as Christians. It's not because we're under the law, not because we have to give a 10th, but he gave his all.
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus. He was the rich one. He became poor. He sold all that he had that He might bring us into blessing, and that he He ends this whole section, chapter 8:00 and 9:00 with the last verse of Chapter 9. Thanks be unto God.
Unspeakable gift. Could there be anything more God like than giving? The Lord Jesus said to the woman at the well, If thou knewest the gift of God, the free giving of God, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. Anything more Christ like than to give to to those who are in need?
Not with the thought of how much, but there's a need, and we meet that need. It's the outflowing of the renewed heart.
As we see needs around, it's just the opposite of ministering to ourselves.
It's ministering to others. The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. What a privilege to give. It is more blessed to give than to receive. God has given all that he could give. He couldn't have given more, and he wouldn't have given less.
What a privilege to be a part of that. Let this grace Paul says abound in you also. Now there are three things here that we can notice which will help us to recall the thoughts of this chapter.
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There's the waiting.
And there's the watching and the doing.
In the 36th verse you have waiting and in the 37th watching.
And the 43rd doing.
Now those three things are important for us to notice.
And also, may I suggest that there is a special reward?
In connection with each of these.
The special reward that the Lord is offering.
In connection with each of these things that have been mentioned.
Waiting.
So that.
It's a wonderful thing to have.
The one treasure before us, and to be waiting.
For the Lord.
That would suppose that we would be at the door ready to open the door when he comes.
Is that not what it says?
They may open unto him.
Immediately.
Now I don't need to think. We need to hurry over these thoughts. I just bring them all three together at once. But it's something we don't need to hurry over. It's something we need to meditate on.
Just think of what it would be.
Those who are waiting for him suddenly to be able to open the door for him when he comes.
Its figurative language, of course.
Because when he comes, it's going to be in the twinkling of an eye. All will be changed, but a glorious moment.
But the thought on our part, are we going to be in such expectancy that we're going to be ready to to open that door when he comes?
Now there are some who are going to have the door closed upon them. We get that in the 7th chapter of Matthew, I believe, and they're going to have to knock and still it'll never open again.
I speak of that by contrast, and there may be someone here this morning who are going to be standing outside the door. I trust not. But if you haven't put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you'll be standing outside of the door.
And the door will never open to you. You may have all of your relatives inside. You may have those that are the nearest and dearest to you.
Inside of the door, but the door will never open for you unless.
You know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, but all how precious the thought that you're waiting for the Lord Jesus and you're going to have the privilege turning that door, opting the door.
For him it says here.
Ye yourselves like unto men.
That wait for their Lord. This is characteristic of Luke the expression men.
The subject is the Son of Man and his companions. Lovely to think of it, but he's going to be a man forever.
And we're going to be with him in communion, having the same nature.
Divine nature, of course, but he.
Is human as well.
And so.
It says when he will return from the wedding.
The Spirit of God does not open to us the differences between.
Israel and their portion and our portion.
In the Gospels, we go to the New Testament, that is, to Paul's writings.
To get these differences. And so this is just a general expression when he will return from the wedding, but that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open onto him immediately. Now just think for a moment.
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If, if I was so engaged in the things of this world that I'd forgotten all about his coming.
And I really believe, brethren, that the reason the Lord has given us.
The remembrance of his death each Lord's Day is so we won't forget his coming because it says until I come and we need this.
In fact, in the earlier days, I believe that the disciples gathered oftener than every Lord's day and.
We need this to be sure that we're there to remember him, but also.
To remember that he's coming, coming back and to be so near, to be able to turn that door.
When he knocked him. That's why the verses that go before have to do with our own.
State of soul, first of all, in the 34th verse the heart, and then in the 35th the loins and the lights burning. So there needs to be a moral readiness. It's the same as in the armor before it speaks about the sword of the spirit, it talks about, it says the loins gird about with truth, the blessed breastplate of righteousness, the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
How often there's a hindrance. We'd like to be in that attitude, but maybe there are things that need to be set right in our lives. Do we have the proper sense of values? Where your treasure is, there would your heart be also? We'd like to be saying why? I'm waiting for the Lord to come, but here it's the matter of the heart wanting to see Him not just taking us out of a difficulty.
So we first have the heart and then the loins. I believe the loins bring in also the thoughts of desires.
It says, and Peters epistle, it says, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober. And there are a lot of things in this present world presented to us. They allure us. They appeal to our natural desires. But we have to have our desires under control, don't we? And if our hearts are right with the Lord, then we don't want something that wouldn't be pleasing to him.
And so the loins are gird about with truth, and His word is the truth. It's that which sets before us His mind and His will.
And surely we wouldn't want to have something that we know is not pleasing to him. And then there's a testimony to the world. Do the world see that we are really living in view of eternity? Or do they see us just like themselves taken up with these things? So I believe the 34th and 5th verse are first applied to ourselves. And then there's the waiting, then there's the watching, then there's the serving. And so if the results of these.
Things are to search our hearts, to give us a proper sense of values, to seek us to judge anything that we're desiring. It's not according to his mind and will. And that our testimony before the world would be such that it would be shining for him. Then I'm sure that there will be this desire produced in us. He's coming back. He's coming for us and opening to him immediately. We all know that feeling.
Someone comes to the door and there are things that aren't just right. We'd like to straighten them up before we open the door, but if everything is right in the house, the door can swing open right away. We're glad to see them that everything is in readiness. So that should be with us, that at any moment we could lift up our hearts and say Even so come Lord Jesus, not just as a doctrine, but something that is a personal thing in our souls, that we'd like to see Him.
I heard of a man who was a businessman and every night when he left his desk, he always said, Lord Jesus, come. Well, he thought to set his house, his business in such a way and didn't want to leave something that he would feel grieved if it was left behind, Maybe intend to set it right tomorrow. But I believe our lives ought to be like that.
That at any moment and at the close of any day, we could say.
Lord Jesus, come. Well, these things speak to our conscience, as I'm sure they speak to mind. But this is what is brought before us here. And it's all in contrast with the world that is seeking after the things that pass away. But our treasure is in heaven, and we're just waiting for the moment when we're going to possess it all in company with our precious Savior. Thinking of that.
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Word at the start of our meeting little block great thing to belittle in the sight of the Lord and of all the.
The address here is to little flock. We find that within that little block there are those men who are found waiting, there are those servants who are found watching, and there are those servants who are found doing. The size of the flock isn't important, it's the quality of the flock, is it not? And that is important. If we were to learn, look back in Deuteronomy. We'll see that the Lord chose Israel not because they were large in number.
They were the fewest of all people on the face of the earth. But because He loved them isn't that precious? The Lord isn't interested in size. He's interested in that which his heart can go out to.
And I was thinking too of in I believe it's Haggy I too where there were those we've been speaking about giving and our brother brought a an exercising word to our hearts in connection with that. They were dwelling in the houses that were sealed houses. They had their houses finished and they were exercising the days of that captivity there under Darius about the House of the Lord.
Well, they built the House of the Lord there in that second chapter.
And it wasn't very great, it was little, and there were those who could remember what it used to be like. But the Lord says that I will give you peace in this place. It's the quality. It's that which responds to the heart of the Lord, that which the Lord can find His delight in. The count, dear brethren, will soon be going to our respective assembly. Some of them are, perhaps.
Numerically speaking, very little, perhaps even as far as spiritual gift is concerned.
We might look upon them as being very little, but it is the place where the Lord finds his delight amongst his Saints. May we value that it's it's a warning. Solomon, you know when he was chosen to be king, following his father David, he prayed to the Lord in the in these in this expression, I am but as a little child and the Lord honored Solomon in his humbleness.
Just the opposite before him, Saul was once small in his own eyes, but he he became pumped up and he became proud. Made since the fact we've been at a large conference.
Still our hearts with humility and a sense of the goodness of the Lord and blessing us as we've been together here, and perhaps, shall we say, largeness of numbers. But may we not go back to our own assemblies with any sense of discouragement because we are little, because the Lord is still in our midst. He's still present there.
And we remember Him, each one of us in our own respective assemblies, and He is everything, no matter what the size of the assembly is, the Lord is there in our midst history. So I was thinking how lovely it was brought out. It started out to an address to the little flock, not to fear little flock, joy to be little. You know, the parents always are delighted with a little baby that's born into their home and all they look upon that little.
And they see all their, shall we say, natural hopes and.
Their natural love goes out to that little one, but they also see.
That which typifies their own weaknesses. They see the care that that little one needs. And so I believe the Lord gives us little ones in our families rather than large ones, that He might humble us and give us a sense of our own nothingness. And He is everything, makes everything of Christ. And may we always be little in our own eyes, but not discouraged by the littleness.
But rather encouraged to think that the Lord sets his love upon us even though we're not large enough.
Thinking of children.
My brother Hale was calling attention to having everything up to date.
I'm going to use a little illustration for the children, I'm sure the older ones will bear with me.
There was a little.
Two little boys.
And they always knelt with their mother or father before they retired at night.
And.
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They each one prayed to the Lord.
I'm speaking now for the children here as well as the older ones.
And.
The first little child prayed.
And then it was turned time for the second one.
And he said, Could you wait just a minute, Lord Jesus?
And he got up and he ran downstairs and he was down there for several minutes and pretty soon he came back.
And then he prayed.
And after it was all over, his mother said to him, now Johnny, why was it that you made the Lord Jesus wait? Well, he said he wouldn't have listened to me. I had turned my little brother's toy soldiers upside down and I had to straighten them up before.
I could pray. Now, that may seem a very simple thing, but there are children here, little children who are saved.
And they will understand this account.
It has to do with waiting for the Lord Jesus.
To have everything settled, everything in order.
And even in our prayers, to be sure that we have judged things before we go into the presence of the Lord Jesus. Now let me tell you one more.
There was a little boy on his way to school.
And he said, I'll see you this noon, mom. And his mother said, I'm not too sure you will. He said, are you going shopping? And she said no.
Why won't you see me? Well, she said, Maybe the Lord Jesus will be here, and then I'll be gone.
Oh, he said.
Well, goodbye Mom. I'll see you at noon.
But I told you that I may not.
Now I've been thinking about that mother.
And he went into his little room, and he got down and confessed Jesus Christ as his Savior.
Now that was a faithful mother.
Who kept with a child and impressed upon the child the fact that Jesus was coming.
And that led the little child to make the confession right now. You know, dear brethren, as we get older, our hearts get harder and harder and harder.
And it's harder for one to make the confession of Christ. And you little children here remember.
That behold, now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation.
Put your trust in the Lord Jesus now, and if you are a Christian, let's just bring everything up to date. If there's something wrong, let's remember the Lord will be here at any moment and we want to be waiting for Him without anything to interfere with.
In the next part, we have a blessing.
Oh, how precious the next verse is.
Not to belittle anything that's said, but all how precious that blessed moment when those who are watching for Him, it says, Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find what you.
Verily I say unto you.
And he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meet.
And will come forth and serve them.
Now this begins with Blessed are those servants.
How? What a blessing it'll be at that moment. We are blessed already with every blessing in Christ Jesus, but the reality of this, the reality of that moment, the full expression of it, when actually our blessed Savior who has served us when he went to the cross and is now serving us up there.
Is going to take and guard himself he's going to set us down to me and beloved he's going to serve us what a day that will be that's heaven what an encouragement it is for us to do any little thing because the time is so short the Lord says occupy till I come and when we think that the little time of service here is so very very short the privilege of living for him and.
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Serving him and his people are telling out the gospel how short it is and how long will he serve us. Well, in Exodus 21, we see that that Hebrew servant, he served forever, didn't he? And so our little time of service is so short, but it's so worthwhile when we think that the Lord would come forth and gird himself and serve us, not just for a time because we sometimes get weary, but.
He's going to do it for all eternity, and that is, I believe, rather than for all eternity, is going to continue to minister to our happiness. That verse in Ephesians chapter 2 Says that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus through all eternity. He is simply going to be forever reminding us that we are the objects of His love.
And all of his He has prepared as the result of his finished work is there for us to enjoy.
In company with him and he himself, the one ministering to our happiness forever.
How worthwhile I'm to do anything for him here, to meet in two seasons, that is especially wouldn't it be a word for those who.
Are exercised and gifted to minister to the needs of the Saints. I'm afraid that many times, perhaps what is said in the Assembly meetings is not necessarily wrong, and it might be.
Accurately presenting truth. But is it really that which is needed? That seems to be the point here. The meat in due season are good for us to be exercised to bring before God's people that which is really timely, and the Lord will give grace for that.
This seems to be the burden here of the Lord, isn't it?
Meet in two seasons. It's not just enough to accurately present truth, but is it really that which is needed at the present time, at that particular moment?
Peter had to speak to John who lay on Jesus bosom to get the answer. That is the principle there is the one who lays on Jesus bosom will be more than likely.
To be prepared with meat in due season.
And to have the right answer and what is necessary. We get this a little later in our chapter in connection with doing, and I believe that.
It's a question of communion with the Lord to have made in due season. There are many things we can enjoy. May I just say this that one may get up to speak.
To address his brethren with something that he has really enjoyed himself, but it may not need to be.
Season at all. In fact, it may be something that would discourage the Saints or even cause difficulties.
And so we should be sure that what we give.
Is something that is seasonable and profitable, even though it may appear at first.
Like something that's harsh and difficult.
And not readily accepted at the start, but I believe that if it's meat and season, the Spirit of God will make it.
Known at the time, usually that it is meat and season before the speaker is finished.
This has promised here in this 37th verse, this promise in this 37th verse. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching.
Is given to these people who are watching that the Lord will come forth and serve them. Then I think the way that.
Lord answers Peter. Peter comes with a question in verse 41.
And says, Lord, speaketh thou this parable unto us, or even to all that?
That's the way the Lord answers Peter's question is with another question. This again is the Lord reaching into the heart, bringing the thoughts of hearts out, not just Peter. The Lord takes the occasion of Peter's question to exercise Peter's heart. And what is it? Verse 42? Who then is thy faithful and wise stupid?
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Already remarked about this, that what has been given to us when it's when we're saved, it's really belongs to the Lord. And then he makes us a steward of what really belongs to him. So the Lord takes it up that way and says, who that is? Well, that ought to exercise our hearts, who that is am IA steward.
Am IA faithful and wise steward of what the Lord has given so.
Going back then to our verse, blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching. Verily I send you that He shall gird himself and make them to sit down to meet, will come forth and serve them. So then he tells about doing something. Now it's our opportunity for service, as we've had in all these meetings, and then as we've had also.
The Lord's service will never stop, will it? It'll just go right on and on.
Here it seems to me that Peter's question here shows a danger with us all that we're very ready to say, like him speak of style, is parable unto us, or even unto all. We're quite often ready to apply the truth to others, but not to ourselves. And so, as our brother who remarked already, we don't have a real revelation of the rapture here. There isn't a clear indication about the Lord coming and giving the shout and calling us, but the moral that is brought.
Before us is important for us in regard to the Rapture. It will also apply in connection with his return for the.
Deliverance of Israel. But we could get so taken up with, well, does this apply to Israelis or to us as to miss the point altogether? And sometimes we can get so occupied with a detail that we don't apply the truth to ourselves. And I believe there's a moral application of the word to ourselves that is often very important, which we miss sometimes by trying to apply it to somebody else.
I was thinking of Acts, the 13th chapter.
Acts chapter 13 and verse 47. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light unto the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. Well now this scripture that is referred to here is from the 49th chapter of Isaiah, and directly it applies to the Lord Jesus himself.
And we might have said, Paul, you shouldn't apply that. That way it doesn't apply to you, it applies to the Lord.
But Peter about Paul, I should say, took this as a command to himself and brother. And I, I believe sometimes the Lord might give us a verse, not in its direct context, but something that He may give to apply to our own hearts that will speak to us. And we can lose a great deal by saying, well, that applies to Israel and not to us, but we can apply the moral of it to ourselves. And that's what the Lord is doing here.
And so whenever we read the Scripture, whether it's the Old Testament or the New, whether God is addressing Israel.
Or whether he's speaking to us in the church period. Let us remember that the moral ways of God don't change and that we can learn from all these things. They were written for our learning. And Peter learns this when he said, Speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
Always valued faithful and wise servants, whether it was in Israel's time or in this time. And how are we going to be faithful and wise? Only as we walk in communion with the Lord, because only as we're near Him, we'll be able to speak the right word at the right time. The Lord always spoke the right word at the right time and in the proper tone of voice and everything. And it's in communion with Him that we learn.
So may the Lord help us. We can get books that tell us how to answer people and so on.
But brethren, I feel the important thing is to be close to the Lord, and he'll give you a word.
May not be a thing in its direct connection, but it will be perhaps a word from the Lord that He may use in blessing to assault. And so this applied to Peter and it applies to us. I believe that this is very helpful and should be pursued individually with anyone who has exercised as to serving the Lord in any way for this reason.
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I believe that it was here that Peter discovered his kind of work.
To do.
Now I hope you understand me. Peter was called as a disciple before.
But Peter had a special work to do in connection with a little flop.
And so it's here that Peter learns what he's to do, that is.
Now the Lord doesn't come directly to you and say, now listen John or Mary, I have a certain work I want you to do.
But you can.
You can overhear in an assembly a scripture that the Spirit of God brings right home to your conscience.
And that scripture is what the Lord is using to tell you.
The path that you are to take. That is why you and I should always be listening for his voice.
And it's so, it's so necessary, the truth that we have here with Peter, because Peter was the one who fed the flock of Jerusalem. He fed the Jewish flock. He learned that in the end of John, feed my sheep, feed my lamb. And the other disciples, of course, each had their work to do. But this is an example given us of how Peter learned.
Because immediately Peter answers, he's exercised, He proves it. You're speaking to all, speaking to us. Peter, this fits you. The Lord doesn't say so. Peter's heart said so. He saw it immediately. And that's what the work that he took up. I want to mention one more thing in connection with this.
We won't turn to it, but the same subject is taken up in Matthew.
On the.
24th chapter and 25th in the first of all, it's taken up serving the household, and there it's a question of a faithful and wise servant. The two things required in the household, faithfulness and wisdom.
But in the 30 in the 25th chapter.
It's a question of giving out the gospel. It's a question of telling out the goodness of the Master.
So it's a question of a good and faithful servant. He must.
Not only tell out the goodness of his master, but he must manifest the same characteristics as his master.
Goodness. And also it's necessary that He warned souls of the coming judgment. He must be faithful, not only telling out the love of God, but he must also telling out the solemn consequences of rejecting that Savior. So you have those two things in connection with the servant that are so necessary. If I say one word about the little flop, just as encouragement.
It will not always.
Be a little flop. Notice in the 14th chapter In the 23rd verse.
The Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them it to come in, that my house may be filled. Then in Revelation 9, Revelation 7, and verse 9.
Our brother has been reminding us of heaven, giving us little glimpses of heaven. Here is another revelation. 79 After this I behave. And lo, a great multitude. That's not a little clock, a great multitude which no man could number of all nations.
And kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne.
And before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands.
And tried with a loud voice saying salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. Based on that, I God wants quantity. He's going to have it. He's going to have quality too. He's going to be a large company there. Well, he's been addressed as Lord. But brethren, we've really had Jesus before us this morning.
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And it's proper to address Jesus as Lord.
So he's addressed as Lord here, but it's Jesus and we'll know him in heaven just like the disciples do him down here as Jesus.
The one who went in and out among men and mixed with them.
Sitting down and eating with Republicans and sinners.
So that he might do them good and coming in and entering into the afflictions and trials, all of them says he healed all that were sick.
All the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and as it has been mentioned before, this book of Lutheran heavenly grace.
Hebrews 9:24-28
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Nine, beginning at verse 24 to the end of the 25th verse of the 10th chapter.
9 verse 24.
For Christ is not ventured into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the truth, but into heaven. It's now to appear in the presence of God for us.
Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the High Priest entereth into the Holy Place every year with blood of others, for them must be often have suffered since the foundation of the world.
But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.
And unto them that looked for him shall he appear the second time, without sin unto salvation.
For the law, having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, and never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year, continually make the comers there unto perfect.
For then would they not have ceased to be offered?
Because that the worshippers, once purged, should have had no more conscience of sins.
But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Or it is not possible that the blood of bulls and the goats should take away shins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he said, sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not but a body. Hast thou prepared me in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin? Thou hast had no pleasure.
Then said I Lo, I come in the volume of the book. It is written of me to do thy will, O God.
Above when he said sacrifice and offering and bird offering offerings and offering for sin, thou wouldest not.
Neither has pleasure there is which are offered by the law. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, he taketh away the 1St, that he may establish the second, by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily, ministering and offering, oftentimes the same.
Which can never take away still.
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Or by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us. For after that He had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, that the Lord I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his pledge, and having an high Priest over the House of God.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies walked with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful to promise.
And let us provoke, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the matter of some ends, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approach. What I was particularly thinking is brought before us in the end of the ninth chapter of Hebrews.
Is the Lord's 3 appearings.
That is, He appeared first to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, and now He appears in the presence of God for us, and then He is going to appear again for our deliverance. And these are brought before us at the end of the ninth chapter. And the result of knowing these things then introduces us into the blessedness of our position in Christianity.
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We have boldness and access.
Within the veil as worshippers, and then the result of it in our lives is the threefold character of Christianity, faith, hope, and love. I just mentioned this because that's why I thought the end of the ninth chapter is connected with it. Or if we see this wonderful provision that has been made.
Let me say again, the Lord Jesus appeared first to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
That He has accomplished that now at present, He appears in the presence of God for us, and we get all the grace that we need. For the pathway is our high freeze. And even if we have failed, He restores and then we know that He's coming again for us. And then we can enjoy as a present thing our standing before God as the result of His work and our access into His presence. And then we should each be.
Exercise that this might have this result in our lives or his glory book of Hebrews opening up to us through long lines connected with the children of this that is, Moses was the leader and the children of Israel were seen as his companions going through the wilderness. And we have the same principle in Hebrews. We don't have the church in Hebrews.
Exactly.
It is the church, but I mean a dissension That way. It's mansion rather that the people of God are the companions of the Lord Jesus. You have that in the first chapter.
And other places. And so it's a company that's seen on their way to that glory land, just like the children of Israel were seeing on their way to the land of Canaan. So the expression that's used.
Is brethren or we? It's as though they were following a leader.
So we find that with all the types and all the pictures that we have in the Old Testament, whether it be prophet, priest or king.
In themselves they have all failed, but they have pointed to one perfect person, and that's the Lord Jesus. Now what we have in Hebrews is more the thought of.
His office as priests.
But it's an office now that.
It's forever.
And after entirely new order.
The priest can never die. He can never fail.
And the intercession that he made is forever.
Could never be changed.
It's a final thing.
Really what we have in Hebrews for the believers that which is eternal.
So he introduces us, you've said in this.
9th chapter.
Person himself.
Place that he is now for us.
And he's there just like he was here when he was here.
He was serving in this world, serving his people.
Now he's up there, Sir. He's our great high priest.
And he's in the presence of God serving, which the very, very want marvelous thing for us to consider today, The Lord Jesus is in the presence of God serving his people.
I like to couple that with the thought of his original intent.
That we read up in the book of.
The 8th chapter of Proverbs.
His delights were with the sons of man.
Now.
We find in the Old Testament the Angel of his presence followed them.
It's true that Moses was a leader outwardly, but it's the Lord that followed them all the way through.
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And it was his present that preserved them as a people.
Another thought in that connection.
The Lord finds all his joy, we might say, in that way, as a man with his people.
And we get that inept and I as well.
The thought of his joy in his own.
I don't remember how to quote the verse, but I've forgotten at the moment, but remember the first in Zephaniah, Michelle Joy over there was singing. Yeah. So rest in his love. Yeah. And so we get that also in connection, do we not with the fact that the Lord Jesus not only is the priest and on high, but his inner are personally with us down here.
And His love is personally with us in every circumstance we pass through.
The first time that we have the coming of the Lord mentioned in its Christian character, I suppose, is in John 14.
And right there he is anticipating going to the Father's house, going to that place that's spoken out here as the holy place. We have a picture of this in the Tabernacle. We had the court which answers to the heaven of the atmosphere where the birds fly. Then we have the holy place which answers to the realm of the stars.
The heaven of the stars. But then we have the holy place, the holiest of all, which answers to the place where the Lord Jesus Christ is now. The high priest went into that.
Holiest of all, once a year and not without blood. Well, the High Priest there is simply a figure of the Lord Jesus Christ who has now gone in to minister on our behalf.
Up there in the glory. But what I was thinking about was.
The anticipation that the Lord had when he even spoke of that in John Port P, He says, I go to prepare a place for you.
Anticipating that he would have us with himself there.
Well, no wonder He's up there now serving us at best present time as High priest to get us through this wilderness. He's anticipating the journey will be ended and He'll have us with Himself there in the glory. I got to thinking about that. When it speaks of Christ is not entered into the holy place made with hands which are the figures of the truth, but into heaven itself.
Now to appear in the presence of God for us.
Oh, the Lord is longing to have us with Himself there in the glory, because he says, if I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. Well, we have that brought before us too, a day of deliverance that her brother was Speaking of. He's looking forward to that thing when he will come to receive us to Himself.
To take us to the Father's house.
But I think this is wonderful to be meditating upon the Lord's care for us while we're on the way.
Isn't that the thought that we have in Jude and the 24th verse? The Lord caring for us now in every detail?
It reads now under Him that's able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. That's His desire, isn't it? And it's it's His purpose, and it will be.
Wonderful. Without him we wouldn't even get there, but he's able to keep us as well.
Let's look at a couple of verses they in Exodus to have this contrast brought before us.
As it has been spoken of realizing that the book of Hebrews was written to that people from that nation who had professed in the Lord Jesus, and we're now professively Christians, but have been brought up under the old order of things. Reference was made to Moses and the angels. Let's look at Exodus 23.
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And get that.
And then see the contrast of the better things that we have in Christianity. The 20th, 1St of Exodus 23. Behold, I send an Angel. Notice that capital A there I send an Angel before thee, to keep these in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Now look in Isaiah chapter 63 to see how.
The Lord Jesus carried that out. We believe he was that Angel who came down and went with the children of Israel.
Those 40 years, Isaiah 63, nine.
In all their affliction he was afflicted.
And the Angel of his presence, in his love and in his pity he redeemed them.
And he spare them, and carried them all the days of old.
Now the promise was to come down and the Angel of the Lord to walk with them and to bring them into their promised land, the land of Kenan. And he did that in spite of all their failures and murmurings, he did bring that nation in.
Now, when we think of the reference to John 14.
When the Lord was going away, he says, I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. So now it's not an Angel out of that character at least that the Lord is bearing us and.
Serving us and bringing us into that.
Heavenly possession. He has lost the work of redemption on the earth.
And now, as our faithful and merciful High Priest is serving us, and.
We'll.
Certainly bring us in so that we get this last appearing at the end of the chapter.
Under them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. There we get the full redemption of the body too. But now it's wonderful to think that not just an Angel.
Has come down to bring us through the desert, but the Lord himself has come down to save us and has gone up on high as the man to service and to protect us. Test the Spirit of God down to be with us, to intercede here below, and finally He will bring us in as to the body too, right into the full redemption.
The characteristic word of the Epistle to the Hebrews is better.
And for the people that were accustomed to things that they could see, that is, they had a leader whom they could see, and that was Moses. It's true he represented the Lord. But it says when they crossed the Red Sea, they were baptized under Moses in the cloud and the sea. They saw the building where the sacrifices were made.
Everything was given to them for sight, and the high priest went in and then he came out again. There was everything that they could see.
And there was a tendency with them now that Christianity had been brought in. We walked by faith, not by sight, to want to go back to that which they could see. But brother, and I believe it's very important for us, if we are going to be happy Christians, we must walk by faith. We must realize that that blessed work the Lord Jesus has accomplished has been a word that you and I have not seen, but we have.
The Lord said after he rose from the dead. And Thomas wouldn't believe, unless he could see the Lord, that blessed are they that have not seen, and get up, leave. And every one of us in this company who know that we're saved and that our sins are forgiven, are relying wholly upon a work that we did not see, but we believe he appeared to.
To put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. We believe He has done that. We believe he has glorified God.
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And is now seated at the right hand of God as the one who has accomplished redemption. And then to the priest was to have compassion and the ignorant and those that were out of the way he they were the high priest was a man who they could see and they could talk to him. Eli was there and he didn't fully understand the burden that was on the heart Al Hannah when she prayed in the temple. But there he was the person that we he that she could.
But rather than the one we go to is one who is now up there in the glory. We can't see him, but He's really there. Do we need help? I'm persuaded that many of us have come to these meetings with deep burdens upon our hearts. We really need help, and we really need the one who can provide that help, and that is the Lord Jesus. And as we look up in our need, He's there at the right hand of God.
Or us.
And he says, let us come bully into the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And then too, it's all a matter of faith. We see things going on in this world. We see things getting worse and worse. What is going to encourage us all? We're looking to see that Blessed One.
To the time when faith will be changed to sight, when we look into the face of the one who died for us.
You'll see those marks in his hands and feet inside. We'll know that He supplied the help that we needed and often restored us when we had failed. And then we're going to look into his blessed face. And so how much better this was. Now, there was a tendency with these Jewish believers to want to go back to something that they could see. And I believe rather than it has a message for us too, because there's a tendency today in Christendom.
To want to have that which appeals to the site and to the senses, the rudiments of the world, as it's called in Colossians. But God would have us here to lay hold of these things by faith, to be led by the Spirit of God into the present enjoyment of these things in our souls. To go away. Rejoice not 'cause we've actually seen the face of the Savior.
By natural sight, but that we can say like it says in the second of Hebrews, but we see Jesus.
Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. Brown with glory and honor. We don't steam with our natural eyes, but I hope in these meetings, by faith we'll see him and that he'll lay hold of this help that's available to us, and we'll be living in the expectancy of his return. And so I believe the important Hebrews is to bring before these people who are used to a system of things that they could see.
And alas, Christendom has introduced a great deal of that sort of thing.
So that there's a sort of a mixture of Judaism and Christianity, but the spirit of Gods that's to lead us out of that into set. But what is such so much infinitely better to be occupied with the Lord Jesus, but he has done what he is doing and what we can expect when he comes for us to take us to be with himself.
You speak of health and time of need.
I think I'll tell a little story.
About that, it's not very long ago that down in Tampa I was driving down the street and all of a sudden my car stopped right in the middle. Well, we're right outside the city limits and it was a two lane Rd. and there my car was stopped right in the middle of the road and I couldn't start it. It wouldn't start. It wouldn't do a thing, just did.
So as the car stopped, I just.
Perhaps consciously or unconsciously, I just lifted up my heart. Lord help me.
Well, there was a time of need right there.
And I was usually impressed with that, Gordon, by what your father said, that all we have to do is lift up our hearts, say, Lord, help, we don't have to sit, pray a long prayer. Well, I did that that day. And while I was pushing the car off to the side of the road onto the grass.
There was a man that came in the opposite direction on the other side of the road and there was a side street right back of me and he turned into that side street and he parked over there on that side street and he came running over to me and he said, were you asking the Lord for help?
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But when my message had gone to the glory.
And the Lord had sent a message down to that brother Jesus. He was a child of God.
Ask the Lord for help, he says. I know what's the matter with your car. My wife has a car just like it and there's a resistor on the inside of the dashboard on the motor side and it's dead. I'll go home and get one. We have a spare there. In 5 minutes he was back again and he put that resistor on and off the car started.
We'll have a little talk with him, a little business with him. He's the Lord.
The message was sent to the Lord for help in that time of need and he sent it right down. Well, he does perhaps doesn't always do it that way, but perhaps others have had an experience like that and it's precious to see that the Lord really is looking after us, and shame on us that we don't trust Him more than we do. I'm sure that.
These practical things.
Are good for us to recall, realize that he cares for us every detail.
I believed all that. In Hebrews we have also.
Spiritual side of things that we must not neglect, but go with it. Now when Moses was called, he said to God.
I can't speak because they do make them out.
But he finally said, well, where's Aaron? Your your brother.
And so we find that the two together.
Become a type of Christ.
And in the book of Hebrews.
When the apostle brings these Pikes into the light of Christianity, as we have in the second and third chapters.
We see Moses set aside as the one who gave the mind of God, and the Lord replaces him.
We see Aaron set aside as the one who brings the people into the presence of God.
The Lord Jesus replaces him.
All the way through Hebrews, we find the Lord Jesus replaces not only these individuals, but the.
The sacrifice. The altar sanctuary.
He is everything now.
There are two things I'd like to mention.
And one is that.
Not only does the Lord Jesus, as has been said, care for us in all of our circumstances down here.
And there's a very touching thing to experience these things.
Especially those who have suffered, because you'll never have that experience in heaven.
You'll learn the sympathies of Christ here in this world as you pass through trial.
But there's more than that to his present work.
The question of his intercession for us before God as to our sins is the thing that's passed. That was done long ago.
But he's interceding for us.
All the way home we might be preserved.
In separation from evil and preserved in communion.
That's what his intercessions about, besides what's been mentioned.
And not only that.
But the part of the priest was.
To instruct the people.
And so the present work of the Lord Jesus.
Not only interceding that we might be maintained and kept there even in the physical way.
But also that our souls may be kept from, stray from the path, be kept in in communion.
But also that our hearts may enter into those better things that have been mentioned. That's part of his intercession for us.
Is interceding now that.
Each one of our hearts may be taken up with Christ himself.
Because it's our object that forms us. And I believe that this is important for us to see in the book of Hebrew. It's stressed, of course, more in other places, but still it's here. And that was the part that the priest was to do. He was to instruct the people what was to instruct from the mouth.
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The person of pride, we're going to be just like him up there.
Well, there's a moral likeness that's taking on down here. The result of that present work of intercession on his part.
It says he's entered. He's now to appear in the presence of God for us.
That's the purpose wonderful is for us. I was thinking when Peter was heading for the great fall, he said I pray the Father that thy faith fail thee not now he's interceding for us and our faith won't fail. Peter failed, but not his faith. It was the faith of God. That's a wonderful thought, isn't it, even though.
At times we fail and how sad it is.
We had a failing testimony, perhaps we did not confess our Lord, but He's interceding. He's there for us always the wonderful thing to realize that that's the purpose of His being now at the right hand of God for it.
But I don't think our faith could never fail. Ultimately that isn't being lost. But I do believe that there is a danger when one has failed to become so discouraged that his faith in that sense fails, is confident in God to restore and to be able to use him again. And so we find that with Peter, he might have thought, it's all over with me because I've so dishonored the Lord.
But we see that when the Lord restored him, he said, when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. So that now he's encouraged to see that it wasn't all over, although he had failed. And no doubt would never forget that failure because he speaks of the grace of God a great deal in his epistles. And we shouldn't forget past failures, but we're also thankful that the Lord can and does.
And there might be someone here who has failed and you think, well, I'm no use anymore. It's all over. Well, the Lord not only interceded to keep Peter and also is our advocate when we have failed, but I do believe that he wouldn't have us to be discouraged but have us to know that he is able to restore and.
So David could say, when he had failed, restore unto me the doing of thy salvation.
Withhold me with thy free spirit. And I believe it's a blessed thing to to realize that the Lord can restore, and He can give us that renewed confidence in Him, not in ourselves. Every failure ought to teach us how weak we are in ourselves, but it also ought to give us to realize that He never fails, and that His grace is always sufficient to keep us.
And sufficient to restore. He restoreth my soul.
Has developed in a fuller way in John. Isn't it the Epistle of John, second chapter, the first epistle? Yes. Perhaps it's important to see that that in Hebrews the truth of advocacy is not really developed, because the important thing in Hebrews is settling the question of sin.
And that was settled once for all of the cross. And so the advocacy of praise has nothing to do with putting away our sins before God. It's the restoration to communion. And when it's the question of sin, it's completed, as it says in the next chapter here by one offering yes, purple to forever and that are sanctified.
So that the work of Christ has settled that. Nevertheless, I think the thought is implied.
Of his priestly work, and I like to think of him as our advocate when we have failed.
When it speaks of him and John, it says if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. It doesn't say if any man confess his sin we have an advocate. But if any man sin we have an advocate. And so that when the believer sins, the Lord Jesus appearing in the presence of God for us.
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As it were, can say I paid for that sin.
He's righteous because that sin was settled at the cross. Now the work has to be wrought in our souls to bring us to confession and restoration, to communion, but not again to raise the question of sin between ourselves and God, that as to our standing has been settled.
Once for all I believe, brother Gordon, that I remember your father making a statement like this, that all our failure brings from unbelievable of the goodness that's in the heart of God for us and I believe that in Hebrews we do have the contrast between unbelief and.
Fate all the way through the accorded.
That just to live by faith. We get that 11Th chapter here. Perhaps the emphasis on faith in the 12Th chapter we're warned about the sin which does so easily beset us. Likely that is in this book especially unbelief. It might be something else, but considering your Father's statement.
All our failure springs from unbelief.
Of the goodness that's in the heart of God for us. So peace comes in here.
In Galatians, where that verse is quoted, the just live by faith, it may be the emphasis is on faith. In Romans, where it's quoted, the just shall live by faith. Perhaps it's unjust, but it's the same verse, and you get it in the Old Testament as well in Habitat.
So that those.
Saints of the old dispensation, they believed God according to the revelation they had from Him. And there was that sanctuary down on earth after the Tabernacle was set up, typical of what we have here in its fullness, the Lord Jesus now not entering into that holy place made by hands, but into heaven itself.
Now, if we believe that, if we really believe that our priest is up there and that he is there as a man, the man who has, as our brother has stated here.
Taking the place of Moses.
Aaron of the sacrifice of the century, of everything, if we believe that he is up there for us as this first states, won't that keep us walking on in faith and the just living by faith so that we enter into the good of that now and.
Can find our way through the wilderness with His help, knowing that He will bring us there ultimately where He has gone.
It's true that he will put away the.
He will is laid the basis for the putting away of sin from the presence of God forever. That's true.
Labor, He has already put away our sins. That's the fruit of of sin, and that's already put away so, so much so that God has promised that He will remember them no more. There'd never be a remembrance again made of the fruit.
Of sin in our lives.
Never again.
The guilt that attached to us has been put away forever.
And he appeared once for this.
By the sacrifice of himself, and that includes all of his work.
The whole work of the Lord Jesus.
He was.
As we have in the end of Romans 4.
The end of that versus he was raised again for our justification.
He went through the whole work and was raised and seated at God's right hand. That's what we have here. He's on high.
And he was once offered to bear the sins of many, not all.
But for whoever has faith.
Whoever believes, because even in the book of Hebrews there is the question mark.
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That even those who were called brethren, there might be some among them who are still unbelievable.
That's solid.
And it's a warning to any in a company like this who make a profession of Christianity.
But still are unbelievers. They've never taken the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, have never applied that precious blood to their own guilt that might be put away forever.
And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin. That is, I take it to mean, without a sacrifice, with sins not the thought as opposed, not taking up the question of sin again, as because it has been settled.
And saw that really in the 26th verse, as you mentioned, we have sinned and in the 28th verse sins, is it not? But we have on the Day of Atonement in Israel, we had the two goals. One, the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat, providing a way of approaching to the presence of God. And then all the vessels of chemistry were sanctified were sprinkled with blood too. And so the Lord.
By his work at the cross has laid the basis of blessing for whosoever will, and also for the bringing in of a time when there will be no trace of sin or its result. It's the same thought as in John chapter one and verse 29. It says, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
That looks on to a future day and that work the Lord Jesus accomplished.
Laid the basis by which there will be a new creation in which there will be no trace of sin or its results. And now the blood is on the mercy seat. And so we can go to any creature of Adam's race and say price died for you. A way of approaching to the presence of God has been provided, but we cannot scripturally say to him the Lord Jesus for your sins.
Their brother pointed out.
It says he bear the sins of many and so only those who will be brought into blessing are included in this 28th verse.
If we don't understand this, why? How could God put sinners into hell if the Lord Jesus bore their sins upon the cross? God would be requiring double payment, first at the hands of the Lord Jesus, and then again that the Sinner must bear his own sins. Now let us be clear that the Scripture shows us He died for all. He opened up the way of blessing for all.
He has provided the blood on the mercy seat so that again I say you can say to any Sinner.
There's a way of approach for you. The blood is there and God can receive you and the scripture says him that cometh to me. I will in no wise cast out.
But we can't say to him the Lord Jesus for your sins, because we don't know that. We don't know whether they're among the many. If they receive the Lord as their Savior, they take their place there by faith and God who has the knowledge of all things. Why he knows He has, He knows before, as it says, Oh man can come unto me, except the Father which has sent me draw him.
But it's open to all, and that's why.
There's sin and sins, and so it says in this 27th verse. It is appointed on demand once to die when sin entered the world. Why death was pronounced. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And how could we escape that awful penalty that had been pronounced? Only that there should be another, the 2nd man, the last Adam, the Lamb of God's providing.
Who has taken up and settled the question of sin?
And now we look to see him the second time not to take up the question of our sins. That has been settled, and this is said to, as a brother has remarked, to not to supply help for us. We won't need that in heaven not to restore us when we have failed. We won't fail there. He's going to appear to make known to us and to lead us into the full and eternal enjoyment of the result of the work that He has accomplished.
Oh, what a blessed thing. And so I believe that this last verse, brethren, not only refers to His coming for us as believers at the rapture, but also His coming for the deliverance. Deliverance of the remnant of Israel who will share in the results of that glorious work. Because there will be the two companies, the heavenly caught up with the rapture to that heavenly portion, and there will also.
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Those who will wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb, who will be blessed in the earthly sea. And so when the Lord appears for the remnant of Israel, for their deliverance and blessing, it will not be to take up the question of their sins. Little though they realize it, their sins too were settled at Calvary. And as they look at Him and see those marks in His hands, why he'll show them.
That the one whom they rejected accomplished that work for them too.
So there's a great scope in this 28th verse. There is the blessing that will come, both heavenly and earthly.
As the result of that one glorious work accomplished by the Lord Jesus.
That's Revelation 14, the 144,000 with the Lamb on Mount Zion.
Looking forward to the day when those who were delivered out of the great tribulation will stand with Him in that place of blessing when he appears now in this verse, I believe that the Spirit of God would have our conscience as exercised. There's not a question in my mind.
But what? Everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior?
Are saved not for eternity, but notice what it says.
And unto them that looked for him.
I believe this is a word for our consciences.
If we are taken up with this world and the things of this world and making an object of anything here, whatever it may be.
We can hardly place ourselves in this verse as those who look for him in a practical way, I mean.
And I believe we should be conscious of our position as Christians, that we're not a part of this world, we don't belong here, we don't have our objects here and our interests here. We have our responsibilities, that's true. But to allow anything to become an object, we'll just in that measure, take the eye away from looking.
For the Savior to come.
And this is the day when we especially we should be looking for him because He's coming now, brethren, at any moment we can expect him at any moment. Now, with regard to the word many, it seems that we have other language of Scripture to help us on this. I think of the Scripture in person. Corinthians chapter 15.
Where Paul says Christ died for our sin.
And Peter in his first epistle the 2nd chapter says he bore our sin and his own body on the tree. That gives us the proper language to use in preaching the gospel in Speaking of this, because that word our defines a company referring to the menu and.
I'm glad that our brother brings this out, because in Christendom you hear this all the time.
Some preacher saying Christ died for your sins while he's speaking to an audience that's full of unsaved people and it's it's not right. It's not scriptural even it's not scriptural language. So we have the scriptural language to use. Christ died for our sin. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree and how precious it is when Paul was writing, when Peter was writing.
Who did they have in mind? Or they had in mind those who had believed?
And those who had trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ and received him as our Savior and had their sins forgiven and the blood of Christ applied for the cleansing, and they could address them in this way and said our our sin, we are in a company that belongs especially to the Lord Jesus Christ. We've been cleansed in the precious blood of Christ, and we can testify to that and that very testimony.
Can use to speak to others that they might want to be in that company too, and they can come into that company by simply receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, leaving that he died for them and that his precious blood was shed that their sins might be washed away. It is the scriptural to say he died for all that stated in Second Corinthians chapter 5, but that's different from saying before the sins of all.
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Or that he died for their sins?
It's just the fact that He died for all. Because if we're not for that, there would be no way of offering salvation to sinners. There must be a way of approach provided, and the death of Christ has provided that way of approach for whosoever will. That's why babies who die go to be with the Lord. It isn't because the babies haven't sinned because they were born with sinful fallen natures, but they go there because Jesus died.
And they're not old enough to express their own will. And the Scripture says it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. And so because they have not expressed their own will, they be coming to the blessing of the Father's will. But brethren, I say again, it has to be founded on a righteous basis, and it's founded upon the death of Christ. And that it says.
That the Lord is not willing that any should perish, and so he died for all to open up the way of salvation.
But when man says no, I won't have it, then he rejects the provision that has been made. But the Scripture is always accurate. We're not always accurate in things that we say, but the Scripture is always perfect and it's good for us to lay hold of these things. Really it.
The reason many get into the doctrine of being saved and lost is because they don't see this side of the truth because once you see that the Lord Jesus or your sins and you have received that by faith, why, if that has been settled at the cross, it couldn't be charged to you again. What is. Our brother London has remarked there might be a professor who has made.
An empty profession never received the Lord in his heart, and the Lord knoweth them that are his.
And he looks for reality. It isn't enough just to make a profession. It must be a belief in the heart. With the heart man believeth, under righteousness. With the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.
We could turn to First Timothy along that line. Second chapter.
To have the thought at the end of verse three, God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and come under the knowledge of the truth. Let's the full gospel have a gospel being preached by many today, but to come under the knowledge of the truth, that's really God's will after we're saved. But notice there's one God.
And one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Who gave himself a ransom for all?
That's the thought we've been thinking of. Now have you turned to Romans on the 3rd chapter? You'll see in verse 21 it's Speaking of righteousness not coming by the law, but the law having a purpose of making all guilty before God. So the law can bring us to Christ in verse 21, but now the righteousness of God without the law.
Is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, but upon all them that believe. So you see, it's for everyone who gave himself a ransom for everyone. It's being offered to everyone.
But it's upon all that belief matter of faith.
And how wonderful it is if you're among those that have believed, that's a gift of God. You know the faith itself. And it's a solemn thing to go along with those that are the Lord learning the language.
Not being real.
We've had in the last three years at least four who were saved at one of the conference gospels who were at the table. Solemn thought it could happen. It did happen. So anyone here, if there's any question in your soul, have it settled. It's too important if you don't believe, if you're not settled in your soul.
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Ask the Lord, you'll settle it right now.
It's on to everyone here.
Solemn thing at the beginning of this verse, isn't it? That it?
Christ himself do this work, Isaiah says. I looked and there was number man.
So my own arm brought salvation.
And as we think of the price that was paid for our salvation.
This brings all this to light and in a way that to touch our hearts that that the Lord Jesus went through all the suffering, the pain.
Giving up his his life and his lifeblood.
So that you and I might have eternal life.
And hard the heart that would reject such a savior.
I was wondering about these two verses, what we have in verse 27 and 28.
As it is appointed unto men once to die, then we get in verse 28. So Christ was once offered to bear the sin of many, the sins of many.
Would it would it appear that in that we find.
Thought about the Lord Jesus Christ, that He became a man and he came under the judgment of God, but not for his own sin, for somebody else's sin, for our sin. He became a man, as it is appointed unto men once to die. This means that the Lord Jesus Christ had to become a man that He might go to Calvary's cross in our place to take that judgment that was due to us.
Would that be a thought in that I'm sure it would be was necessary. It's been said God has God could not die, but God became a man. So it tells us in Hebrews chapter one it says in our translation he spoke by his son, but in the new translation is he he spoke in sun at these last days spoken unto us in sun.
So that God became a man and the person of his Son.
In order to glorify God about the question of sin and bring in this blessing, I just.
Like to add a comment in connection with what's being said about being sure of salvation, because I know there are some Christians who have doubts about their salvation and yet I believe they're real believers but they do have doubts.
The fact that a Christian has a doubt is not the manifestation of the fact that he's not real. But what Hebrews brings above brings in is that the apostate is one who gives up Christ. Now this is something that a real believer would not do.
And perhaps some have heard me tell a story about a dear brother that lived among us many years ago who went to see a sister in the hospital who had lost the joy of her salvation. Everyone who came to see her tried to help her, but she continually was saying, well, I'm afraid that I was never saved at all because she was so overcome with these doubts that.
She was in utter misery and yet most who knew her and knew her life believed that she was a real believer.
But the enemy had robbed her of the toy of her salvation. Though this brother, when she presented him with this, saying that I'm afraid I was never a real believer at all because I have so many doubts. His reply was, well, just why don't you give up Christ and die without him? Oh, she said I'd never do that, said I knew you wouldn't, and.
God used that to break the spell of Satan.
Who was seeking to bring her into misery by these doubts? And I believe that God has recorded in the Scripture such a wonderful man as John the Baptist, who when he was cast into prison and couldn't understand God's ways with him, he sent a message to the Lord saying, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Now we can see real doubts that came into the mind of John the Baptist. Was there any question that he was a believer?
The Lord said among those born of women, there hath not risen the greater than John the Baptist. But John the Baptist was overcome with a situation. He couldn't understand why the Lord had allowed him to be put into prison. And so the enemy used this to bring those doubts into his mind. So if there should be someone here like that, I just want to say this, that.
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What we're speaking about is not really a Christian having doubts, but one who is only has a lit profession.
For one who, having made a profession, is quite prepared to give up Christ all together.
Not to believe in him as their savior or as their as his blood to put away their sins that have really turned away from him. And that was what was happening with these Hebrews. And if you go on to the 10th chapter, we stopped at the 25th verse, but in the 26th verse it says.
What if we sin willfully? After that we have received the knowledge of the truth. There remaineth no more sacrifice for sin.
The willful sin was turning away from the one sacrifice of Christ. And what he is saying is, if you do that, God has no other The sacrifice of an animal will never put away your sins. And if you turn away from Christ, there's no Savior for you, because you've turned away from the only One who can, and by whose work alone you can be brought into blessing.
So I just say this, if there's one who has doubts, it's not right that we should have doubts and we should get before the Lord and just tell Him that we accept His word and realize that these are attacks of the enemy. That's what the shield of faith is for, brethren. It quenches the fiery darts to the wicked. And I suggest there's anyone who has those doubts. The only way you can meet them is to quote a verse of Scripture.
The word of God they received in simple faith that quenches those fiery darks. I remember shortly after I was saved. I was saved when I was 16.
And about a week after I confessed the Lord, I was standing by the old stove in the meeting place and it just seemed like somebody said, how do you know you're saved? Well, I knew it come from the enemy.
And right away it seemed that the Lord helped me and turned me to a verse of Scripture. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. While it just drove that thought away, the Lord took care of it by the Scripture and it showed dependence. Well, at that time my faith was weak, and we're always weak. But it doesn't matter how weak we are if we're dependent upon the Lord and upon His Word. That's the power.
This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith, faith in the Lord Jesus facing His word. Could I just add another little incident because there may be some even have a difficulty with that verse. A dear brother who has been gathered with us for many years, he said to me, he said I just went through an awful period of doubts and every time that word believed was given, he said.
It can't apply to me because I have doubts, so I'm afraid I don't believe and.
He was just constantly in doubt and he said one time he heard the preacher take up that verse in Romans chapter 10. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Oh, he said, that's for me, that's for me, said I know I've called upon the name of the Lord. He said, I'm not quite sure that I always believed because I have doubts, but I know I called upon the name of the Lord. I'm saying, So what?
Converse and what God by His Spirit might give to one, He may give a different verse to another, but it's always God's Word.
The book of Hebrews was written at a time when there was a great persecution, and probably about the time when Titus swept away the whole Jewish economy. And so we can understand the feeling of the Jews at that time who had escaped, and some had made a profession of Christianity.
Many of them, no doubt, were not real, but they made the profession.
And so Paul was used to write this epistle.
Not just for that one reason, but at this time so that they might have something stable to rest upon.
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And even adds in the 13th chapter after God has swept away all the outward signs of the Jewish.
Rituals, Paul adds. We have an offer. In other words, he wanted to impress upon the Jews that they still have something visible.
To look at, and that's Jesus. We'll have for all eternity a person, a man that they can go to now by faith, but in the coming day they'll be in his presence forever. And all the signs, all the ritual, everything that belonged to the Jewish economy simply spoke of Christ.
And that's what Paul is bringing out in this book of Hebrews to encourage those who had faith.
In fact, he writes to them, not like you, like he wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2 dead and trespass and sins, but he writes to them as those who were still going on as believers.
Ignorant of the meaning of the Old Testament scriptures, but still.
Believers like we have in the 90th song, Lord Dousman, our dwelling place in all generations. Well, that's simple faith, trusting God, even though there may have been much ignorance with them. So we do have the bright examples that are given to us in the Gospel of the Mary's and the Simians and the Zacharias of all these who had that simple faith.
Even in spite of all that's going on around them, trusting in the law.
There's something very beautiful in that 27th verse that was just quoted to as is appointed under man wants to die. But after this the judgment doesn't say all men and that's wonderful as we sit here and think about it. God used the word all whenever he could because.
He said all have sinned, all we like sheep have gone astray. As by one man sin came into the world, death by sin. So death is passed under. All uses it because it it it brings in everything of our failures, our needs. But here he didn't use it. I don't expect to die. This isn't appointed. I don't think necessarily under me.
Christ died for me and He's coming for me.
Elijah didn't die. Enoch didn't die. Translated. So as we sit here, it's a wonderful thought to me, but it doesn't say it's appointed under all men. I believe the very fact we're here going to Christ is one of the reasons it isn't all men.
The law was a shadow, wasn't it?
And as has been mentioned in Hebrews we have The better things are that which was intended.
Be seen by faith.
But the shadow was a picture of.
And they were heavenly things that were open to Moses on the mount.
We have then heavenly things in Hebrews.
We have the better things than Hebrews. We have the eternal things in Hebrews, whether it be salvation, whether it be an inheritance, whether it be a throne that Jesus sits on, or whether it be judged. In Hebrews we have that which is eternal in its character, so our souls can fully trust now.
In the revelation of God in connection with the Old Testament types that have been open to us.
Now in the book of Hebrews and other places in the New Testament, so the law.
Was a shadow notice of good things to come. And what, brethren, could be better than what we have in Christ?
What could be better?
And as the Spirit of God opens to us little by little, what we have in Christ, we realize.
That we couldn't have anything better, the good thing to come. And so it still is faith resting upon God in view of that coming day, but the faith that enjoys now as though it were already a sure thing that which is to come.
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It was only a shadow of good things because the tendency with them to go on with the shadow and not be in the enjoyment of the reality which had come.
And so it was, it was only the shadow of these better things. And now that they had come to go back to the shadow was really to deny that they all these things had been fulfilled now in Christ and much of Christendom has gone back to the shadows. That is, they have all these things. They have an ordered priesthood of man, they have a special building and they have special class.
Priesthood and so on.
But now in Christianity, all these things that were a shadow have come to an end because the reality has come. All these shadows have been fulfilled in Christ. And to go back to the shadow is to fail to enter into and enjoy the blessing. It seems that with these Jews, they put say to Paul, but we're following a religion that was given us of God.
And more than that in the 6th chapter of Hebrews.
They even spoke of the word of the beginning of Christ because when the Lord Jesus was here, he said the Pharisees sit in Moses seat all therefore that they bid you observe that observe and do so they could say well we have a God-given religion. The Lord Jesus endorsed that by saying that we were to follow that, but they needed to realize that now the Lord Jesus had fulfilled all those types and.
And if you turn over to the 12Th chapter, I think there's a very important verse here, Hebrews chapter 12 verse, beginning of the 24th verse. And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel, see that she refused, not him that speaketh.
Or if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not re escape.
If we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.
It is the voice of a glorified praise speaking from heaven that leads our souls into the enjoyment of the truth that flows as the result of his finished work. And I always remember a remark that our brother Chapter Brown made. He said that when he was in one of the systems. Why? He said we studied the birth of Christ, the life of Christ, the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and.
Ascension of Christ, we followed him, he said, till a cloud received him out of their sight. But he said Christianity begins the other side of the cloud. I believe that was a very important remark and for us to realize that it's the voice of a glorified Christ from heaven, brethren, that leads us into the full blessedness of Christian position, knowing that the one who.
Upon earth who put his full approval on all that had been set up under Judaism as a shadow now has fulfilled the shadows and all the type himself. He is as you said, the sacrifice he's the altar he's the priest he's the he's the great high priest he's the advocate he's everything now in Christianity and what he is telling them here is that they need to hear that voice from heaven and they.
Enjoy true Christian liberty and position. Unless they did. And in this 10th chapter he is seeking to lead their souls out from the shadow into the reality, and then, as we remark, the full fruit of it, in the place of nearness inside the veil, enjoying those 3 characteristics of faith and hope and love.
Hebrews 10:1-7
Reading
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In a part of Hebrews 10.
And.
Veteran are happy to go on with it.
I'd like to make a remark or two.
Before the portion is read.
There are many young people here, and sometimes there is a certain amount of apprehension in connection with reading the book of Hebrews.
But may I just point out that in the 1St place you'll find?
That it's Jesus that is before us. If it's the blood, it's the blood of Jesus.
And so on. You'll notice that as you read it beside that.
It's the man Christ Jesus.
Now it's true. In the first chapter we have his full glories. God.
Jehovah and man, But in general we find that the subject is the man Christ Jesus.
Besides that, the subject is just like it was in the Old Testament where Moses was leading his companions to the land of rest. The Lord Jesus is with his people in Hebrews. It's true that He's in heaven interceding, but it's just as true that He's with us down here.
And that.
We can have that sense of companionship with him as we read these passages, because in Hebrews the believers see not in the position of the church exactly, although it is that, but the believers seem rather as his companions.
On their way to that rest now I just make those remarks because.
It would help us, perhaps, to see that the Lord Jesus came down as a man.
To do all the work and to bring us into the presence of a holy God.
Without spot or stain. And so while we are thinking of the Lord in that place of nearness, we must remember.
That the place He brings us is into the presence of a holy God.
And that is most solemn besides the fact of the nearness.
By which we approach the throne. It's a solemn thing to consider that He's brought us into the very presence of God himself.
Through his own precious blood.
Now what verses was it that we were that we stopped at?
I suppose we might as well read from the first verse of the 10th chapter, perhaps to the end of the 25th again. Hebrews 10 from verse one to verse 25 from someone read it again.
Hebrews 10, verse one.
For the law having a shadow of good things to come.
And not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year, continually.
Make the comers thereunto perfect, for then would they not have ceased to be offered?
Because that the worshippers, once purged, should have had no more conscience of sins.
But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Or it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice and offering. Thou wouldest not but a body. Hast thou prepared me in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin? Thou hast had no pleasure.
Then said I Lo, I come in the volume of the book, it is written of me to do thy will, O God above, when he said, sacrifice, and offering, and burnt offerings, and offering for sin, Thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein.
Which are offered by the law. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, he taketh away the 1St, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
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And every priest standeth daily, ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices.
Which can never take away sin, but this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins.
Forever sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting, till His enemies be made his footstool, or by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
The Holy Ghost also was a witness to us, for after that he had said before.
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord.
I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren.
Boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way.
Which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.
And having an high priest over the House of God, let us draw near with a true heart.
In full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.
And our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.
For he is faithful that promised, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love, and to good works.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.
But exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.
The reason he brings this in, as he does in the first part of this 10th chapter, is the danger of the Hebrew Saints going back to the ritual of Judaism. And it's important for us because we find much of Christendom as a mixture of Judaism and Christianity, and he is seeking to lead their souls into the full enjoyment of that which was typified in the.
Tabernacle and the provision that God made.
But not into the Tabernacle itself, or into the temple itself, but rather into the place that we are brought in Christianity, and where it's not a building made with hands, but into the very holiest of all. And he is showing how all these things in the types and shadows fell short of the reality, and that it was in the eternal purposes of God.
That there should be a way into the presence of God, not through a building made with hands, but through a person, as our brother said.
The one who came down in lowly grace, who took the name of Jesus, will save his people from their sins. And in connection with what our brother was saying, I was thinking of that verse in the second chapter of Hebrews, the captain of our salvation, bringing many sons to glory.
So as the captain of our salvation, he's leading us and leading us home to glory.
But he would have our souls to be in the enjoyment of our present position and standing. For how many dear Saints of God do not enjoy this, and are occupied with things that are seen and the rudiments of the world? The purpose here of the Spirit of God, I say again, is that we might be in the enjoyment of our present standing and position as the work, as the result of the work of Christ being accomplished.
Sometimes.
Children play with chatter.
By seeing children play with shadows.
Particularly, sometimes children step on one another's shadow. Of course you have a shadow when the sun is shining, and I've seen them play games with that.
Well, when they're stepping on the shadow, they're not stepping on the real thing.
There is a real thing.
That's making it a shadow.
Who is the real faith? What are the real things that speaks of the?
Very image of the thing, although it has Christ and all that's connected with him.
That's the real faith. And Turley, the writer of Hebrews, was very much exercised here and had a burden.
And who was it that laid this burden on his heart? That was the Lord Himself. And he wrote under the direction and guidance of the Spirit of God. So these words come right from God Himself. And he wanted his own dear earthly people to get occupied with a very image of the thing, to get occupied with Christ Himself.
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It was true. Perhaps they were going to be occupied or wanted to be occupied with.
Messiah down here on earth and all the things of Judaism that they thought would be connected with him. But that wasn't enough. Christ had been here. He'd gone to glory. And we find four times, I believe in this epistle, and one of them in this chapter where the Lord Jesus Christ is in glory, sat down at the right hand of God.
And the the Spirit of God.
Was occupying them through the apostle Paul with that very thing. Christ himself in glory. He'd already gone up there and he sat down.
We used to term that might be helpful to explain.
Right, Christendom and Christianity.
Now there were remarks made on Saturday about Christianity and when we think of Christ going up in the beginning of AD.
There the king went up into heaven, and we might say that Christendom lost sight of Christ right then. And then the remark was made That is helpful on Saturday is that Christianity begins the other side of the cloud. It begins with a Christ in glory and brings the light of Christianity back to the earth.
When we think of this people.
Israel, whom God worked with.
For many years, but especially for their 40 years of children in the wilderness.
They, after they were redeemed, had a thought of bringing God down to dwell with them.
Let us prepare him in habitation, they said in Exodus 15.
And God took them up on that.
Proposition and.
Gave them the directions to build a house, the Tabernacle.
And when they had followed the pattern and built it, he came down and dwelt amongst them.
A type of something better.
For God's thoughts always exceed our own.
What we have in Christianity is not God come down to dwell with us. Exactly.
Although he does do that by faith and certainly the Spirit of God dwelling in the house, but the purpose is to bring a people up to dwell with him. That's the whole thought of God, to bring a people up to heaven. That's Christianity. That's our hope. But nevertheless, the Lord having gone up there and serving us now as our high priest, having finished the work of atonement.
He is there to intercede for us. But our brother's remarks introductory are so needful and helpful. The last chapter of this book says, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. And so the Lord Jesus comes down, and he is known to faith, to direct and to bring his people through the wilderness, but to teach us of heavenly things, and that our worship now is not.
Sanctuary.
We were remarking between.
Just individuals after the meeting on Saturday that the law having a shadow of good things to come.
It just says that those visible things that they had were a shadow. That seems kind of strange when we think of it. They had that wonderful building covered over with gold on the inside, both the Tabernacle and the temple. And the law says, or at least here it says, those things were just a shadow of what is a real thing.
And so it is, Peter says, silver and gold, which corruption, the most durable substances that we know can't compare to the eternal values of what we have in Christ, all settled in heaven for us to enjoy now.
00:15:04
President Kalashnikov, third chapter, the second verse, that's your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. If he be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sit us on the right hand of God, you're dead. Your life is dead with Christ in God. That's where our life is, is with Christ in him, and he's there.
That's Christianity and I was thinking.
When this was several years ago, when Khrushchev was torn through our country from the Atlantic to the Pacific, all the states taking the scene, everything, he met many of Chrysodom but his statement in San Francisco when a reporter asked him, what do you think about Christians? And he said.
If that Christianity, I don't want any part of it. They want heaven.
They don't want it now. They want it when they die. That isn't the way we are. We want it now. We want Christ now. We want him to come take us home while we're here. There's things to do, that's right. But our hope and our expectancy is to be there. That's Christianity. Well, he may have met Christian, but they weren't living in the good of us.
What we have with Christ, the right hand of God, that's where our life is.
In Colossians chapter 2, our brother was just reading from the third chapter. In the second chapter of Colossians, verse 16, the apostle says, let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of in holy day or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come. That's what we've been reading about.
The law having a shadow of good things to come.
Here, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ, What are they a shadow of? What are all these things in the law and in the Old Testament economy? A shadow out there, a shadow of Christ. And the body that casts the shadow is Christ. And so we have in Hebrews the Lord Jesus as the substance and fulfillment of all those shadows and types.
They were not the very image and that should serve as a warning to us, lest when we interpret the Old Testament types we become fanciful and go beyond the leading of the Spirit of God. I believe we should be very guarded in how the Old Testament types are applied and be sure that that our applications are according to the New Testament teachings. But all these types and shadows of the.
Testament have Christ as their substance, His body as it were, cast the shadow. But as it says here in Hebrews 10, these are not the very image of the things and what we have in Hebrews over and over again.
Are comparisons and yet contrasts? Because these types and shadows are not very imaged even in the comparison.
It comes out in the final result as more of a contrast, for instance, the inverse 11 of Chapter 9. But Christ being common high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building or creation, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood.
He added in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption.
So the comparison is the blood of the goats and calves compared with the blood of Christ. But that's really a contrast because the blood of goats and calves have no eternal value whatsoever. Their only value lies in the fact that they pointed forward to Christ. But now our eternal redemption has been affected through the precious blood of Christ, and where he has entered, that's our place.
And so the 10th chapter says, having therefore brethren, boldness for entering the holiest.
By the blood of Jesus, he's entered there in the power of and characterized by his blood. Not the blood of bulls and goats, but by his precious blood. He's entered. He's come, and he's entered the glory. And now we can enter where he is gone by the blood of Jesus.
00:20:09
There is a tendency with everyone of us and that's the reason we need these scriptures.
To take on the character of the shadows in a religious way. And so in the first verse it says.
Shadow of good things to come. Now it's the good things to come, or the heavenly things that the Spirit of God would set before us in Hebrews. And when it says heavenly things, it's referring to a person who has replaced all things that were once shadows.
Now in the 6th chapter, the apostle said, let us go on to perfection. What does he mean?
He means to go on to heavenly things.
Of course the subject is the priesthood there, and it's the after the order of Melchizedek, but still heavenly things that is the exhortation. There are many things that are religious in their character, but if we stay with them without remembering that we are a heavenly people, we will only become a part of the religious camp around us.
And beside that.
Unless you and I are continually fortified by the scriptures.
That bring before us heavenly things, we will lose a sense of our secret.
And become worldly Christians, and we will take on the character of this religious world around us, and we will begin building the things that make for the shadows. But if we are simple in our souls, and we have Christ before us, or Jesus as we have here, we will be occupied with the good things to come.
Because that's where he is now.
And we want to go there, and we're waiting for him to come, just to take his home to himself. And so it's the heavenly things, the things that belong there, not the things that belong to earth. And it's not only the religious things either. There's so many things down here that would take our minds and hearts that would hinder the progress of our souls in heavenly things.
Because the moment we fill our minds and our hearts.
With things, whatever they are, religious or temporal, we're going to in that measure not leave room for these heavenly things. You can't fill a vessel with two things at once. And if we're going to really be in earnest, we will be taken up with heavenly things. And of course that means that we will be occupied with Christ and as we are occupied with Christ.
We we take on that character.
That he manifests when he manifested it here but also up there.
It was important for these Jewish believers to realize that this was no afterthought with God. In order to be a shadow, there has to be a reality to cast the shadow and this is what He is bringing out here, brethren, is that it was no off afterthought. Way back in eternity God had these eternal purposes. There was the volume of the book that was written of Christ.
God had purposes that Christ was to have a bride, that there was to be a heavenly people.
And the Tabernacle was on the pattern of things in the heavens. And so God gave this to the people while they were under trial. Some might say, Well, why did God give all that? Why didn't He at once introduce that which was in his mind, the reality of things as we speak of them now? Well, God must first Test man. Galatians says, when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son.
Of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law and so man was under trial. Could he fulfill God's requirements? So God makes known all his requirements to him and what did he do? How he violated everyone showed his incapability and not only his incapability, but that he did not even have the desire. All that there was such a heart in them. The Scripture says that they might walk in my ways.
So there was neither the heart nor the desire. People will say, oh, but if we had a grand building and beautiful music and robes and ritual, people would be drawn. So in the trial, God gave everything. Everything in heaven is going to be grand and glorious, but it will not be used as an appeal to man in the flesh. But God makes an appeal now, and he sets up everything under the law that would appeal to the senses of man.
00:25:21
With this grand building, with all this ritual, change men's hearts and draw them to God. What was the result of the trial? The result was that the people who had all these things, when the Lord Jesus came, they said away with Him, away with him, crucify him. The shadow, the outward thing did not change the heart of man. So it's an entirely new thing and they're just passing on.
And ahead to the 20th 1St.
I am new and living way which he hath consecrated or made news through the veil. It's an entirely new thing now, because God begins all over again. And where does He begin? He begins inside. And so it's a new way and it's a living way. It's new because all the ritual is now passed away, and it's now that which is reality. And it's living because let me put it very simply.
You don't have to be saved to enjoy music and robes and fine buildings, but you have to have a new life to sit down quietly and enjoy the presence of the Lord inside the veil. As a worshiper, you have to, as I say, have a new life. And So what He is showing them, I believe in this chapter, is that all those things that they were tending to go back to were only a shadow, and it wasn't any afterthought with God. He knew all this beforehand, but He put that under trial.
And when the trial was over, then he pronounced judgment upon the whole thing of what man is in the flesh. And we are the circumcision which worship God by the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. If you're rejoicing in a nice building in robes and music, you're not rejoicing in Christ Jesus. You're rejoicing in what you can see and hear.
But Christianity is this new thing, as our brother was talking.
Christendom, and Christianity christened them, is the sphere where Christianity is known, and Christianity is the entirely new thing. And as the Lord said, brethren, the new wine must be put into new bottles. The new joys of Christianity are not contained in the old order of Judaism. Now they were slow to learn this, and God has gone into a great deal of detail in the Epistle to the Hebrews to.
Lead these people out of that and it's important for us.
Because what Christendom has done, and this is what is called the camp in the last chapter, is to rebuild the old order of things and introduce into it a mixture of the two things, Judaism and Christianity, and what the Spirit of God is seeking to lead us to. And I hope our hearts lay hold of it, that we should quietly sit in the presence of the Lord Jesus, just enjoying this blessed, glorious person.
As our brother said, the man Christ Jesus.
The one who stood in the midst of his own in an upper room, not in the temple, but with all kinds of entertainment, shall I say, but just quietly stood in their room where the doors were shut, in a place of separation, and showed them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.
And if the reading of this portion draws our hearts more to Him than as our brother has just been saying.
It will not only give us to realize what true Christian position is, but it will also make us separate.
From the world and from all that the world has set up to appeal to the eyes and to the senses, not only in a natural way, but in a religious way too. All that our souls might be LED into what God by His Spirit is introducing us to our new physician, where we can enjoy the person of Christ as his companions, knowing him as the captain who's leading us to the scene where everything will be perfect. A.
Seen for all that's there will minister Christ in all his fullness to our hearts. Well, that's what we're going on to, and what God wants us to enjoy is this thing now by the Spirit as understanding the truth of where Christianity has brought us, consequent upon the work of Christ, and God will surround himself with nothing but perfection.
And so not only.
Is that which speaks of the order of things to be perfect. But the believer himself must have something more to rest upon than the blood of animals. And that's what is led to here, that the sacrifices that were made before did not leave the conscience perfect.
00:30:24
They had to be made again every year.
But in Hebrews, in another passage earlier, we learned that the sacrifice has an eternal character.
In fact, as we noticed yesterday, everything in Hebrews leaves us with that thought.
Of having an eternal character, the inheritance of salvation, and even the judgment, so that God is going to surround himself with that which is perfection itself. Now this is a wonderful thought for us to think that those of us who by nature and practice were far off from God because of not only what we were, but what we have done.
Are are going to be seen as those who are perfect.
In Christ forever we are already, but in that coming day God is going to surround himself with children.
As we have in the second chapter of Hebrews, just like Christ. And so in order to do so, there had to be a work accomplished. That in itself was perfect. The victim had to be perfect, and he had to be a man.
And all this was provided back in the councils of God, as we have in our chapter the volume of the book mentioned in those Councils of God. He had this in mind. And we have added here one expression that was not in the 40th Psalm.
A body hast thou prepared me? That is, we find that it's the man Christ Jesus. And to me this is so precious that the Lord Jesus came down as a man.
It wasn't that that God came down in a way that you and I would run. No, He came near unto us. And as you find in Luke's gospel, if you would go out in the morning, you would find the Lord Jesus standing on the corner possibly.
Healing the sector, cleansing the lepers or encouraging some poor soul that needed help. That was that was his business. Day by day he was near his people and he came to enter into their trials and difficulties.
Now he's the same yesterday and today and forever. But.
The work we're thinking of just goes much deeper than that. It's the work of our eternal redemption. That's in view here in our chapter. And so the blood of animals will never do. And these sacrifices were performed year after year. Once a year, the high priest went in, not without blood. I'm not saying he went in every year, because Scripture didn't tell us that, but we know he went in once.
But at least the the the type is there.
That he went in a type of Christ going in in the efficacy of that blood. I say that because there's a false doctrine out that Christ took his blood into heaven, which is not true. He went in in the efficacy of that blood and the value of it for us. He enters the presence of God.
As a result of that, there will never have to be another sacrifice for sin. I say sins because it's the guilt.
That attached to each believer. That's all taken care of.
Those sins will never be remembered again. They're all taken care of now. In this we have perfection, because the sacrifice was perfect.
The work itself was perfect.
The person himself was perfect.
And so, brethren, we have something solid to rest on that this world and this religious world knows nothing about, with all of their ordinances. They know nothing about the perfect finished work. And you speak to some of them, they'll say, you say, are you a Christian? Yes, Oh yes. Are you trusting in the blood? Well, I, I don't know what you mean.
I don't know what you mean.
00:35:00
And so you see so many today who are simply trusting in what is called a common faith.
A common faith, not as Jude uses it, but as the Christendom uses it, something that they all sort of believe in a general way that you should believe on Christ. Now that's not Christianity. It must be the blood of Christ so that there's one sacrifice and only one sacrifice that puts away every spot and every stain, because if there's one left, left, you'll have to go to the cross.
We know you never will do that. We found that out in the first verses. We read the end of the previous chapter. Once in the end of the world, hath you feared you'll never come again. For that purpose, it's all finished. And so we have a perfect sacrifice. We have a perfect Savior.
We have a perfect rest as a result of it.
We could say that verse 14 is really the key to the Epistles we're in. Or by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified. The work is done and complete. Now we've been mentioning that there's criticism.
More Judaism than Christianity, and I believe it's true today, if more of Judaism than Christianity. Why?
It appeals to the flesh. It's something to do, but it's all done. And I was thinking in Acts 15, just for one or two verses, we see how quick it came in, how quick it was a problem.
There they were trying to get those Christians to be circumcised and follow the law of Moses. And in verse five it says at the end the Pharisees told them it's needful to keep the law opposed.
Why would they do that? Why would any even think of it when we're completely free and saved forever on that work of the cross? Well, it's the flesh. It gives the flesh something to do. Keep called Moses. That's what they want to do today.
They're doing things, but notice what Peter said when he rose up. He said at the end of verse 7.
Hear the word of the gospel, and believe God, and God which knoweth the hearts, bear them with us, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us Jews, and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Now therefore, why tempt you God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear, But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved. Notice, even as they, the Jews now, even as the Gentiles, the shadows are gone.
Christ has come, the blood has been shed. That's the thought.
There they quickly wanted to get back under the law. The Galatians really want to get back under the law.
Today, Christianity has brought him. The law is solemn, isn't it? The flesh is the reason it brings the flesh into play.
Isn't it true that in Prestonham we have an element which is 5 words in Judaism?
It's really a mixture of Christianity, Judaism and idolatry.
And as the principle of Judaism.
Is the deadening effect on the spiritual growth of the believer, though it is also with the principles of idolatry. This is really the mixture that we are facing today.
At Christmas and Easter, where do they have their origins? I believe we need in faithfulness to warn ourselves that we do not with our hearts cling to those things which really have no origin in God.
Its origin in God and was given to the Jews by God. And he has much patience with his people who had difficulties realizing that these things had no more values.
Looked in Acts and throughout the pressures in the early days of the church how patience God was in bearing with His people, because after all, what they had had its originate God.
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What excuse do we have for clinging and Christendom, and for clinging to custom, which has their origin in debt, which is most faithful to God? Idolatry. So may the Lord help us, because if we do not sober us, then these things are what they are and will have a deadening effect on our spiritual growth.
It might hinder us to reach perfection as we have it presented in the 6th chapter, although they are most definitely referred to Judaism.
How wonderful, and I do not make these comments, to have us get off that wonderful subject of perfection that we have reached through the sacrifice of Christ. There seems to be here especially before us, and that has given us a standing before God which is perfect to which we cannot end, and from whom nobody can take anything away.
But has asked the question, What is a Christian? And it was answered, A Christian is one who is in Christ where Christ is, and one who is for Christ where Christ is not. And I believe we have that brought out in this very Epistle in the 24th verse of the 9th chapter of Hebrews. Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true.
But into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us, We read in verse 12, He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. Now he appears in the presence of God for us, but he's entered into heaven itself. And that was a tremendous thought to a Jew, to these Jewish Christians.
To realize that it wasn't an earthly religion.
It wasn't an earthly order of things, but Christ has entered into heaven itself. Now that defines our place. The present position of Christ with respect to God and with respect to this world defines our place in chapter 10, verse 19. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way.
Which he had consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.
He's entered in. He is there. Now we enter in. That's our place. Christ in heaven, Christ in glory is our place. But turn to the 13th chapter. And here we have in verse 11, the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp.
Wherefore Jesus also.
That he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate. So in with respect to God, he's entered into heaven. He's entered into heaven to appear in the presence of God. For us. That's our place. We enter there, that's where we worship yesterday morning when we remembered the Lord and worship and praise and adoration.
We didn't worship here, we worshipped in the holiest. We added into the very presence of God.
But what's our place on earth with respect to all the religions of man, with respect to everything that appeals to man after the flesh? What's our place that's outside? He suffered without the gate. Without what gate was it? It was the the metropolis, the center.
Of earthly religion it was that people that had the law. What people was it that crucified Christ?
It wasn't the heathen, it wasn't the gentiles, it was the Jews. It was those that had the law. The very chapter you've been referring to, brother.
They're the ones that wouldn't have Him, the ones that had a religion suited to man after the flesh. Christianity is not that at all. It's something altogether new. Let us go forth, therefore unto Him, without the calf bearing His reproach, our place down here.
Is outside of all established religion that man after the flesh can find some comfort in Christianity? Is not that at all? Let us go forth unto him without the camp bearing his reproach, for here we have no continuing city.
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Seek one to come. Our place is defined by Christ. It's in heaven. But down here it's rejection. It's outside the camp. And I just want to make a few comments on Galatians 4IN connection with what Brother Heinz has brought before us in Galatians 4, he said that in Christendom there's something worse than just Judaism.
There's idolatry, but the principle of idolatry and the principle of Judaism.
In principle are identical are identical Galatians 4 verse 8. Albeit then when you knew not God, He did service unto them, which by nature are no gods. He's talking to Gentiles who were converted to Christ and he says when you knew not God you worshipped idols. But now after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again?
To the weak and beggarly elements.
Whereunto you desire again to be in *******? Why does he say again twice?
Because in principle they weren't going back to idolatry, they were going to the law. They were going to be made perfect by the flesh, by some efforts of the flesh, he said. In principle, that's exactly what you came out of when you came out of paganism. You're going back to the rudiments of the world. And that's what Christendom has become. It's a vast system of religion suited to and adapted to man after the flesh.
He observed days and months and times and years. Christendom is doing that. We heard Christmas and Easter and all these holidays that are being celebrated. Is that Christianity? No, it isn't. That's that's paganism. That's the principle of the world, that's bringing in things. And Judaism too, he says. I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you.
Labor in vain? Well, I believe a faithful word is needed.
As we realize, as we have Hebrews before us, we realize that our portion is in glory. It's not anything that the flesh can glory in. The flesh has been judged and set aside at the cross. Our place on earth is outside the camp, bearing His reproach, but entering in to the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
What you were?
What you were what you were referring to?
In Galatians is of course connected with the Gentiles. The apostle Paul had been all through that land country of Galatia preached the gospel, tolls had been saved, little companies of Christians had sprung up there, little assemblies. And what happened then? Well, there were those in Judaism that thought they needed something that fall didn't reach.
So they went up there and those poor Christians are just young in the faith. They were affected by this.
And they were taking up with this thing. And it's really a solemn thing just to see that inverse 8 of what you were reading chapter 4 of Galatians when you knew not God. He did service unto them, which financial were no gods referring to their time in idolatry, worshipping idol. And then came along these who introduced this other thing. But we had experience of that in the Congo way back in the 30s.
We went about preaching the gospel.
And time and again I would go on a gospel trip through the villages, preaching Christ, nothing but Christ and him crucified.
And then it wasn't long until someone else came along.
And told them that what I was preaching was not right, it was wrong. I was leaving them astray. And these very men that went through the villages, after I had been there, they introduced to those people a different kind of idolatry.
Those natives had idols in their houses, idols that they themselves had made and which had been sanctified, according to them, by the witch doctor. Sacrifice had been made, blood had been sprinkled on those idols and those who were the ones they worship.
When this man who came afterward, when I preached the gospel, he said, well, these idols, you ought to have new idols, And he would bring out images of the Saints and even of Christ, and said, now you put these in your house in there. And there, there they were standing. I saw them in the very place.
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Where the natives had had their own idols before taking them away from 1 system of idolatry to another. And that's all they can do. That's all that system has been doing for years. And to think that that kind of thing can creep in amongst all those in Christendom is solemn indeed. But who is behind all of this? It's the enemy of souls, the enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we we thank God for the scriptures we have.
To point us to the Lord Jesus Christ. And how wonderful to point people like that, pagans to the Lord Jesus Christ and they find rest, joy and blessedness. We find here in Galatians in this same chapter that the apostle Paul has to say to them, where is then the blessedness you speak of? They were robbed. They were robbed by this system of things.
For I bear your record that if it had been possible, he would have plucked out their own eyes and have given them to me. That's how happy they were in this, this freedom they brought in and brought into liberty in Christ.
Liberty from the ******* of idolatry, liberty from worshiping Satan, worshiping demons. Because Paul says plainly that the things that the Gentiles sacrificed to idols, they sacrificed to demons. So it's just another form of demon worship when different idols and different systems is introduced. But it's still idolatry. And it's it's sad. Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
But this is solemn too. We become the enemies of those.
Who want these religious things to give expression to the movements, the motions of the flesh? That's all it is. And we become their enemies. May God give us grace just to cleave to Christ and all that we have in Him. He's enough. Oh, I have enjoyed this.
Course about the Lord Jesus Christ being perfect in every aspect, and then we read in Colossians and ye are complete in Him. He's complete and we're complete in Him. How wonderful.
Have this given to us by God. One could ask how do we avoid these things that we're talking about? Paul gives the answer. I would just think how brief it is in Philippians 3, just the the second verse he tells the three dangers. The third verse he gives the three ways to avoid it and the first verse he tells me we've been speaking about in Hebrew.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. That's the thought. Everything is in Christ. But noted, beware of God.
Evil workers, beware of the concession. These three things really bring in everything we've been talking about. What's the solution for? We are the circumcision, which worship God by the Spirit. That's the first thing, Rejoice in Christ Jesus. That's the second thing. Have no confidence in the flesh.
That's the third really. There's the solution for all these things we've been talking about.
We worship by the Spirit of God, that's the answer. And we have no confidence in the flesh. I trust we don't. We may act in the flesh at times, but I trust there isn't any confidence there. Satan is clever. He gets the flesh moving and acting. That's true. But we shouldn't have confidence in it. It's absolutely worthless.
Paul said. I know that in me, that is my place. No good thing. Let's get that. Let's get that at home in our hearts.
Let's remember it. But the biggest thing is rejoice in Christ.
That's it. Verse five of our chapter.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice and offerings Thou wouldest not, but a body Hast thou prepared me? Remarks were made a while ago about the change here from the 40th Psalm, and I think it is so very interesting and helpful to look at this as.
The Council of God in the past eternity. Christianity.
Is no second thought with God at all. He had a purpose to glorify His Son in heaven and in earth and in manhood too, and to have a company around him in both spheres to the glory of God. In all perfection this will all be accomplished.
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But in the Psalm it says My near hast thou oh, or dig.
The difference is this, that in that Council in a fast eternity.
The Father and the Son, we may say, considering what would take place in the fall of man.
And a ruined creation. What should be done? Well, they had the plan.
And it meant a sacrifice.
Oh, the Son heard the will of God to make things clear.
And simple. Sometimes we say that everyone of us who are saved.
Are saved because of the will of God and the work of Christ.
And the witness of the Holy Spirit, we have all these things in these verses here.
Well, if the sun was going to do the will of God, he had to hear what that will was.
And then in order to do it, a body has self repaired me. He was to become a man. The word was made like God manifested in the place Christ come down a man to be this perfect sacrifice. Now he has done that. Yesterday twice we had bread for us. Those words it is.
Finished. The atoning work is done.
All that is necessary for the salvation of.
Every Sinner that will have him, and that which will take away all sin finally is all done. This work is done, and the moment that it was done and the Lord Jesus yielded up His Spirit. It says the veil of the temple was rented train from the top to the bottom.
For two reasons.
God has, as it were, been shut up in that darkness, although God is like the way was not made manifest while that first Tabernacle was standing. But the moment the work was done, the veil was rent by God Himself from above to below, so that He could come out into the light unto man and reveal all this Christianity we're talking about.
Which brings man in. That's the other side.
Man come into that light and how in peace, because it's a perfect work and that's where our worship is.
In heaven itself now, it doesn't arise there through organs and pianos.
And instruments of mine.
It was quoted in Philippians 3, referred to twice.
We are the circumcision which worship God by the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Man did. Man was tested by God in the flesh. We've had us fully brought out and the end of it. Christ on the cross. Now in Christianity just to make this simple and clear as to worship.
And why we do not use musical instruments? I think we should turn 2 verses more.
We've already had one.
And to rejoice that God does receive worship and praise from us. Romans 15.
We will read first.
Verses 5:00 and 6:00.
Romans 15 five Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus, that he may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the way our expressions are praise and worship.
Enter into the holiest of all, into heaven itself.
By Christ Jesus, who is there to present this to God? One more verse to make it clear in Acts 17.
Our young people run up against these problems and it's good to have an answer from Scripture.
To help satisfy others who may be inquiring as to why we don't follow the pattern of the great house around us, there must be an answer.
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Here Paul preaching to the Athenians in Acts 17, the most cultured and educated people of the day. He gives them the most elementary things, But it's Christianity.
Verse 24.
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. We're having this too in our chapter. Neither is worshipped with men's hands. No, not with hands, not musical instruments, not with dancing of feet either. As though he needed anything.
Seeing He give us to all life, breath and all things. So now, beloved in Christ, we have access right up to the throne of God. He is there to appear for us, and it's there that our worship arrives.
But it must be, according to the light that has shined out in Christianity, to be followed so that what we present will be acceptable to God by Christ Jesus.
And when verse 7.
Of our chapter.
I believe that there is one subject.
In the volume of the book, and that is the person of Christ as a man.
That's the subject of the volume of the book.
Because He was the one who was to come down and glorify God in everything.
And to complete all of those councils as a man.
That expression that we have in our chapter.
Which is not in the 40th Psalm. A body hast thou prepared me? Of course is inferred, but it isn't there. But we have it here. He actually took a body as a man. And I believe that's what the Spirit of God would occupy us with this morning. Mainly is the person of Christ as a man and his work.
And we have his work here in this chapter.
There are many things that relate to it, but it's good for us to keep our thoughts.
Mainly on the person of Christ and his work, as we have set before us here in this chapter, because.
We have.
The fact of the sacrifices.
Now there was only one sacrifice that God would accept.
And so the Lord Jesus had a body.
And in that body.
That sacrifice was made.
Now we have the illustrations in the Old Testament. The lamb kept up to the 14th day and so on to show all the perfection of that person.
That the work itself will be seen in this perfection because of the sacrifices and perfect.
How can the work be perfect?
And I think it's so beautiful to see that here, that if our hearts are directed to the person of Christ who see perfection.
In everything.
It's perfection in the counsels of God as to Christ.
It's the perfection of the sacrifice.
The perfection of the work that's accomplished and the results of it.
Are all in perfection because of Jesus, the one who said before us this morning in this chapter.
And say also that the.
That fries the human heart more is an open door.
What we have in this one, who is here in this perfection, is I come to do thy will, O gone.
When we have a closed door, as in the Old Testament, man can say I cannot go in.
But when the door is open, man must say, I will not go in.
And what we find is, as in the case of Cain.
Pain did not just make a mistake and offer as a worshiper to God that which was unacceptable.
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We learned from first John that Cain was of the wicked one. He offered an open rebellion to God.
My brother asked Are you read where the question How can you turn again?
Well, it's open simple rebellion. A man that will not follow this example of perfection, that is to do the will of God.
Though he seeks to set up his own will. Again, a man seeking to prove that God is not right when he says that there is nothing good in the flat and that all perfection is in Christ. And I'd also like to add.
You know, in Hebrews the failure here is not so much the failure of going to business. That's the real danger for us to turn aside, to go into business.
To turn aside from Christ to go into.
Grow sins of this world to turn aside from Christ to go to church.
Go into religion.
May we heed these warnings that are set before us and when it says in verse.
23 to hold fast our profession.
Just a reminder to us that giving out a gospel tract and saying I'm a Christian, I'm saved is not what is totally not what is contained in this verse.
Walk as those who do have access, who do have an open door, and who do enter in that open door because it's all under sink that when God opened the door and would show forth the perfections of this One who has come.
Man closed it back again. I can just picture those priests and Pharisees and Sadducees with a needle and thread, just closing that veil back up again. And isn't that what we have around us? So indeed, let us.
Guard ourselves against taking a lower revelation of Christ. And one more verse, if I might, in Hebrews chapter 6.
Verse one A verse has been referred to.
Tells us of different levels of revelation of Christ.
And he says leaving the beginning, the.
Print of Christ, I believe is the way it should read.
There you have the teachings of the Christ or the Revelation of Christ in the Old Testament up to the time of the cross I would suggest.
Now we have another Let us go on.
To maturity go on to Christ seated in glory.
Our brethren around ensnared in Christendom, they do enjoy Christ.
But they lose that revelation of price that belongs to maturity, that is to go on to Christ seated in glory.
Through an open veil, not exercise our will and say I won't go in, but to following his steps and do the will of God.
Wonder if I could just add a little comment in connection with this. The blood of bulls and gold should not take away sins. You'll notice all through the Old Testament it never speaks of the animal sacrifices taking away sin. We do have the expression accepted to make an atonement and the word atonement comes from the Hebrew word to cover. And so those sacrifices for the time being were accepted and the sin was.
In the presence of God by a provision that he had made, but only temporarily. Now it's a question no longer of a covering being made. But first John says he was manifested to take away our sins and this is what God would have us to enter into and enjoy. We sang the atoning work is done. There's no necessity to go on with any of those sacrifices anymore. It's all completed now.
In this one glorious work that the Lord Jesus accomplished.
And this also explains why it tells us here that God didn't have any pleasure in the sacrifices that were made before. We might say I don't understand that because it speaks of them being a sweet saver. But as we think of all those animals that were slain, thousands upon thousands of them, did God take pleasure in the death of all those animals? It was a necessity.
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Caused because of man's sin.
And the enormity of man's sin was perhaps emphasized by those many sacrifices that were made, and how terrible a penalty that actually thousands of animals had to be put to death, but God always had in view when those animal sacrifices would come to their end.
And the Lord Jesus, the one perfect sacrifice, the one who could say a body has thou prepared me, the one who came down and took a body not subject to death, but capable of death, and there upon the cross glorified God, that one sacrifice so complete that now it doesn't ever have to be repeated again because.
By one offering us perfected forever them that are sanctified.
And so he is showing these Jewish believers that this whole thing had now come to its end. The one sacrifice had been provided. The way of access into the presence of God was now made known. And as our brother has said, the important thing for us is to live in the enjoyment of it in our hearts. Are we sewing up the veil and placing God at a distance?
And saying we must have someone to come between US and God. But the Spirit of God is leading us here.
Is to realize the blessedness of this work that gives every believer the place of a priest to come in with holy boldness, not to sew up the veil, but to rejoice in the veil being rent. As someone has said, it was rent for two reasons. That God might come out in all the riches of his grace because he was hidden, as it says in Second Corinthians chapter 3 that in that ritual.
It says the children of Israel could not.
Notice the word could not behold those things because.
The way into the holiest was not made known, but now it's not a question of could not, but would not. And so it goes on to say, let's look at it because it's quite interesting. I believe Second Corinthians chapter 3.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 3.
Verse 12 of.
Verse 11. For as that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth his glorious.
Seeing them that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech, and not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel notice that could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. It was not possible for any in that dispensation to know all these wonderful purposes that were in the heart of God. There was, as it were, the veil, and when the temple was built, it says that God dwelled in the thick darkness.
But it says here, But their minds were blinded, for until this day remain at the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart, and that's why in the last verse.
It says we all with open are the correct translation. Is we all with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord?
Are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Why doesn't Israel see this? It's not because the veil is upon the heart of Christ. The veil has been taken away. The work has been done, the way of access has been provided. Where is the veil? The veil is on his heart. And brethren, it can be on our hearts too. We can each ask ourselves, are we really enjoying this wonderful privilege that God has given us of access?
Into His presence as Purge worshippers, are we entering into it and enjoying it when we gather?
Do we enter into this wonderful privilege that we can be there and that each brother is LED of the Spirit, can give out of him or raise his voice in Thanksgiving and praise? And the sisters too, our priests, although they don't take the public part, still they're also in this same place of nearness. And if we're not enjoying this, it's because the veils on our hearts, there's no veil upon his face. We always unveiled face beholding the glory.
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The Lord and in this chapter he's seeking to lead us into this holy liberty. And what will be the result? Well, it produces as we see Christ like us. It's not only that we enjoy this place, but it also produces something in US so that others take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus. They say all those people are different. And why? Well, we've been actually in His presence and in some measure should reflect something of the glory of it.
May God by His Spirit lead us to enjoy these things. They're given to us to enjoy, not to just look around and find fault, but to only wish that others might be in the blessedness of it. Because God is being robbed of the blessedness and they are being robbed too. If my family don't know I want them near me, near me, I'm robbed that they're not near me, but they're robbed of something that I want to display to them. And God is robbed and we are.
We're not enjoying what is opened up to us rather than this 10th chapter of Hebrews and I suggest too in the comments that was just made.
I'm sure our brother will allow.
This that, the beginnings of the Christ.
That expression and its connection in the 6th chapter where it says let us go on to perfection, would lead us up to the beginning of Paul's ministry and especially the prison ministry, because as we have said already in these meetings.
Of Christianity begins on the other side.
And anything before that, whatever it may be. And there are so many.
Of those who make professional Christianity Today, who stay in the beginnings of the Christ, they do not accept Pauls ministry. And so I believe we can, if you allow that go that far in saying that the beginnings of the Christ with all that which goes before.
Has been taught of Christ, but still not yet.
Going on to perfection, which is heavenly things.
That scope of things that is brought to us through the ministry of the apostle Paul and chiefly in his present ministry. Speaking of pleasure, giving pleasure to God, That's what we read about here. We read about the Lord Jesus. He said, I do always those things that please him.
God got perfect pleasure, joy, satisfaction out of the Lord Jesus Christ.
While He was here and now He's sparing the glory at His right hand, the highest place in heaven. God was exalted him to that place. He finds pleasure in him, and if we find pleasure in the Lord Jesus Christ, we will be occupied with Him and exalting Him, and that too will give pleasure to God.
132.
Hebrews 10:8
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Hebrews 10, verse 8.
Above, when he said sacrifice, and offering, and burnt offerings and offering for sin, thou wouldest not, neither has pleasure therein which are offered by the law.
Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, he taketh away the 1St, that he may establish the 2nd.
By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.
Once for all.
And every priest standeth daily, ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices.
Which can never take away sin.
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Or by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
We're off the Holy Ghost also as a witness to us for after that, he had said before.
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh, and having an high priest over the House of God.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised, and let us consider one another to provoke, and to love, and to do good works.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.
But exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.
Took all those different offerings under the law to bring before us the complete picture of the work of Christ. And there were five different offerings. There was the murder offering, the meat offering or meal offering. There was the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. And they bring before us various aspects of the work of Christ.
The burnt offering what the work of Christ is to God, who was fully glorified in the work of His Son.
Then there was the meat offering which shows that the Lord Jesus became a man in order to accomplish that work that glorified God. And then the peace offering there could be called a communion offering because Sam had broken fellowship between God and man.
And now it's restored through the work of Christ. The sin offering has to do, particularly with what we are in our nature, the trespass offering of what we have done.
So the whole question of sin was taken up and those various offerings just bring before us the various aspects of the work of Christ. We often say that we worship in the bird offering character because it's very blessed that we see this, that not only has God been satisfied in connection with the work of His Son.
But that he has been glorified, the whole, all that he is in himself has been told out.
Sometimes illustrated like this, I had a great debt that I wasn't able to pay, and someone else paid the debt for me and I receive a receipt that it's paid in full. Why? I have the satisfaction of knowing that the debt is paid, but I haven't learned to know anything about the heart of my creditor. Maybe he likes me, maybe he doesn't. All I know is that he is satisfied.
But if my creditor were to say to his son, you sell your home so he can raise the money.
So that this death can be taken off our books and his son sells his home to.
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Pay the debt. And now he sends me a receipt paid in full through the kindness of my son. That's much more than knowing that my creditor is satisfied. Now I've learned to know my creditor. I go to thank him and I say, oh, I think it's marvelous that you have such thoughts of love toward me that you have a son like that who would be willing to.
Sell his house in order that my debt might be paid. That's much more.
And that's why, brethren, the Burnd often comes first. It tells out the heart of God, not only meets our need, but it tells out the heart of God. And so the meat, the meat offering our meal offering. Christ became a man. I was afraid of my creditor before. I didn't want to meet him because I felt so unable to meet his requirements. But now I have pleasure to in meeting him. I know He loves me. He must love me when He would be willing to ask His Son to.
In order to tell out his heart toward me. And now that's the peace offering or the communion offering, the sin offering and the Pisa and the trespass offering have to do with meeting my need. So here he told these different offerings offered under the law, but he said those were only types and shadows. And now all this has been set aside.
The first has to do with the first covenant that made blessing to man conditional on something himself.
The second makes all the blessing conditional upon what God has done in the person of His Son. And so the whole of the first has come to an end. Now because there were conditions connected with a turn back to Hebrews chapter 8 and you see this Hebrews chapter 8, I'll read from the sixth verse.
But now have he obtained a more excellent ministry? By how much more? Also he is the mediator of a better covenant.
Which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second, or finding float with them? He said, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel, and with the House of Judah.
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in that day, when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their minds, and write them in their hearts, and I will be there to them of God, and they shall be to me of people. They shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord. For all shall know me from the least to the greatest, and I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins. And.
Will I remember no more when God brings in this time of blessing for Israel? Why it will all be founded upon the work of Christ, and so their sins and iniquities he'll remember no more. And more than that, He'll give them a new life, a life that He likes in pleasing God as the law was given. Why there wasn't such a heart in them, Says in Galatians. If there had been a law given, which could have given.
Fairly righteousness had been by the law so we can see the setting aside of the whole order of things. Now we'll see later on in the chapter that we are not the subjects of the new covenant, although we come into the blessing of it. But I believe it's important for us to see right here how that all that which was given an order to God has now been set aside because.
It was a question of whether there was something in man that would respond to the claims of God. There was nothing.
And he couldn't meet his own need. God made a temporary provision through the sacrifices, but now a full provision has been made. The work is complete. God has brought us into blessing, and everything is founded upon what has been accomplished on the cross of Calvary.
And so he shows us that it's all through what Christ has done, not through those sacrifices, not through anything they could do.
Besides, God couldn't find his pleasure in it, could He instead? So here He wasn't satisfied with it, and he couldn't find his pleasure in it. But the what has been brought in not only has fully satisfied God, but he finds His full pleasure in it. And that's the beauty of what we have before us here. All that pleasure is found in the person of His Son and the work of His Son.
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So God is fully satisfied and he's filled with joy, the very thought of his Son going through this for his glory. And it's beautiful to see as well that.
You and I.
Ephesians 51 I think it is.
Our acceptance.
Is on the basis of.
I think I should read it Asian, someone may quote it.
Ephesians 5 Two, Christ hath loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. Now the burnt sacrifice and the peace offering and.
The meat offering were all sweet savour offerings, were they not?
But the meat on the the burnt offering especially, it seems to me it's connected here with not only that God himself has been glorified by his Son, but that we have been brought in on that same basis, the blessing.
In Ephesians chapter 3.
Chapter One.
And.
Verse 6.
Reading from verse 5 Ephesians chapter 15, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has man is accepted in the beloved.
When we think of that in connection with God the Father having complete and full delight in His beloved Son, and then we read that we are accepted in that beloved one, but can we say about just think of that He had pleasure in us too, because we are accepted in that One who has given His heart complete and full pleasure.
This is wonderful, what a place we've been brought into.
I think we could bring that in in connection with the burnt offering because the burnt offering was the acceptance of offering. The one that brought it was accepted in that offering. And so we're accepted in the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who's been offered up to God as sweet smelling savored, and we are accepted in him.
What a place to be in today. I wonder if we might go to.
2nd Corinthians 3.
That was referred to this morning.
And I'd like to make a statement more as a question connection with what's been said in 2nd Corinthians 3.
You're here in Hebrews have the two covenants, the 1St and the 2nd. As we understand the second it has to do with a Jew in a coming day.
When they will all know the Lord, the law will be written in their hearts and in their mind. But it's been referred to that Lee and Christianity come under the blessings of the new covenant without being under the covenant relationship. But here in 2nd Corinthians 3, the apostle at the beginning of the chapter verse two says about them.
The Corinthian St. ER our epistle written in our hearts.
Known and read of all men, for as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stones, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
And the chapter goes on and takes up the Old Testament and the New Testament and the administration of condemnation and the administration of righteousness. This morning our brother was talking about the veil, and that's over the heart, especially of the Jew. But we come down to the 17th verse of 2nd Corinthians 3.
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It says now the Lord is not spirit.
And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And then the last verse 2. But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Well, it's not it says that.
Now in Christianity, through the light that has shined out, we look back at the Old Testament and see Christ everywhere. By the Spirit of God we seek Christ pointed out everywhere in figure and in shadow, as we have had in our portion here in Hebrews. And then there is the liberty to enjoy the Old Testament.
And in light of the new so that now we have all this.
Written in our hearts now in Christianity.
Have you had a remark on that, brother?
Believe the law was written on tables of stone because that was a picture of the heart of man. There was no response to the claims of Christ or of God. And so God made known his demands, but there was no response. But now she says in Christianity, it's the spirit of the living God written on the fleshy. Writing on the fleshy tables of the heart. God has given you an eye, a new life that responds.
And so it's liberty. I might just comment here that.
In the you read this third chapter and the sixth verse.
Who also have made us able ministers of the New Testament? Not of the latter, but of the Spirit. Or the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. And the seventh verse to the end of the 16th is a parenthesis. And so if you read the end of the sixth verse, for the latter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
It was as James spoke of it. It was ilk of ******* which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear. I guess it was Peter said that.
And so it was, therefore it was to them. But now all that the Lord wants us to do is to us liberty. I've heard it said that if it been possible to take away the Lord's liberty, which of course it could not be, it would only have been to take away his liberty to do his father's will. That was the liberty in which he walked down here. Was it any ******* to him to do his father's will now he said The good pleasure of thy will.
By delight, and let me say to every believer in this room, God has given you a life and nature that delights in pleasing God. If you don't have that life in nature, you're not a child of God at all. Now it's true we still have the flesh within us and sometimes we try to pound things on a with tables of stone and the heart and the natural heart never responds to the claims of Christ.
And what Paul was desiring to do.
Was in his ministry to speak to the Newman and if these meetings speak to the new life that God has given to us. If Christ is written upon the fleshy tables of the heart, what will be the response? All the heart will just say, oh, I want to please the Lord God. I have to not must I give up this or must I make this change in my life, but I desire to now of course, as our brother said, the Old Testament was a picture of this.
It wasn't fully brought out, but now it's fully brought out. And so the, the thought is that we're not going back to law as a principle, but that we have a ministry that touches the heart, draws out the heart to Christ. And so I can put it this way, the law said, thou shalt not covet. Do you? And I not desire not to covet because the law said that. No, we say, well, I know it.
Pleasing to my Lord, He has given me all that's necessary, and he sees my need, and so it wouldn't be right for me to do that because I want to please Him. Why does a Christian not kill? Why does he not steal? It's not because we're under law, brethren, but it's because the new man wants to please the Lord. And so the righteousness of the laws fulfilled in US who walk not after the flesh, but after.
Spirit so the whole of the old order of things is set aside. It's true. It's typically Christ and his work, but not until God had given us a new life if we want to please him. And now I say again, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in US and I've enjoyed in that third chapter, second Corinthians, the fifth verse where Paul said not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of.
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Ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. Often when you see a a true Christian getting away from the Lord, you feel totally insufficient, unable to be a help to them. But just remember this, if they're truly a child of God, there's a new life there. And if you can just have contact, so to speak, with that new life so that they feel that love of Christ and the claims of Christ.
By the heart will respond, and this is what Paul was seeking to do, he said. I'm not sufficient of myself.
But I know that if the ministry touches the Newman and there's a response created, there will be a desire to please the Lord. And this is to me most beautiful because there were a lot of things going on in Corinth that were causing much grief to the heart of the apostle. But he says, how am I going to meet this? Oh, I must just try and write Christ on their heart. They must try and minister to them so that the love of Christ would constrain them.
That's Christianity. He takes away the 1St that he may establish the second. The whole of the whole order is set aside. And new Christianity is not a system of laws and ordinances. It's fully liberty. And so I believe that's what's brought before us. And this is what he is showing here in our chapter, that there's liberty to come into the presence of God and to enjoy His presence.
Because of what Christ has done and because of this new life we have received. And God was behind it. Because in that third chapter of Second Corinthians, the Spirit of God contrasts the old order and the new as to their glory, and he shows how the first was introduced with glory.
That is, it was introduced by Angel.
Barriers of Angels 68 song.
And in the Exodus, we learned that the elders of Israel were there. We learned that the God of glory was there. And we we learned too, that it was introduced on a pavilion of sapphire stones. A man would think this was tremendous glory. That was that's the way the law was introduced.
But Paul says there's a glory that excels, and as he goes on in the chapter, he shows that.
The glory that excels, the first glory, it just disappears completely.
With the glory that excelled and that's the glory of the introduction of the Spirit. And then in it's the it's the beginning of Paul's ministry in that sense that in the 4th chapter he shows how it all comes about for the individual. Just like in Genesis, God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness and shine in our hearts to give the light.
The knowledge of the glory God in the face of Jesus Christ, showing that the new order has nothing to do with man or his doings, but it's God himself who's behind it. But it's in Christ. And God commanded the light to shine out of darkness, and now there's a glory that excels.
Any other glory that you can think of, and it's really found in the person of pride, and that's Paul's ministry in Second Corinthians, is the glory that excelleth.
Every other glory and we are found as associated with this, with it in Christ. That's our position.
There were two things that were necessary which could not be brought in under the law, and that is that.
The sacrifices were not able to put away sin. It was not possible that the blood of bulls and of dogs should take away sin, and the law couldn't give a new life. Now he shows that these two things are provided in Christianity. And I think that's so beautiful, the way it's brought in here. The whole question of sin settled and then.
A new life imparted. It's a new and it's a living way. And I feel it's very blessed for us to get hold of this because when this old order was introduced, the question of sin must be brought up. But those sizes didn't put away sin. They didn't make the man perfect as pertaining to the conscience. And a new life was not imparted. And so there was no response.
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But oh how blessed it is. Now in Christianity it says here a tenth verse. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.
Once for all the 14th verse. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. What a marvelous thing for us to enjoy this fact. The question of sin, brethren, has been settled once for all. It isn't that we're sanctified and perpetuated until we sin again, but it's once for all forever.
The value of the Word of Christ can never, never cease.
And so that's what he is showing, the contrast that it was necessary that all these things, they were in shadow there, but they had to be repeated over and over again. And the priests went as often said, there was no, there was no place for the priest to sit down. We have a lot of chairs here and we're sitting down and doing some of these precious things. But there was no seat in the Tabernacle, only the mercy seat where the blood was sprinkled. But that wasn't for a person to sit down.
There was number seat, the priest was busy all the time and oh how wonderful just to sit down and know that the Lord has done all this for us, that our standing is perfect before God through the work of Christ. This is what he's bringing before us here. And these verses in connection with the work and for them to return them to the old order of things. He's taken away the first, He's established the 2nd.
You have the, you really have the blood here and you have.
The sanctification that is being set apart for God, do you not? And what we have been planned by that precious blood that God is satisfied with, that blood is shed. We have the body of Christ mentioned, and I believe that it's in connection with our being set apart for God, is it not? In that sense?
He had a body, was prepared for him to do his Father's will, and He gave that precious body, who his own self bear our sins, and His own body on the tree, glorified God as man, and offered himself, as it was mentioned in Ephesians, without spot to God.
Saw that that whole question now has been taken up and settled, and the Spirit of God is a witness to us of all this that has been brought about. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Either which will is the it's the will of God fully. The Lord Jesus subjected himself in every way to the will of God.
Either which will we have been set apart.
So there's no will in it, but God's will.
That's where we stand.
He would never set apart for himself something that wasn't pleasing to him and it has to be holy and pure. That's what we're Speaking of the work of Christ here, isn't it? It's like the vacation is a wonderful thing and that's brought in here. He's taking a peep loud this world for himself. And once we are safe in Christ, we have been set apart by God the Spirit unto himself. But.
Please, your wife, you are sanctified. You are justified.
By Jesus Christ, I think through the Spirit, I'm not sure how that went, but the three things are all true. And there's that sanctification that forever the work of God by the will of God. But of course there's the practical aspect to Israel that our brother brought that up with Washington and we we need to think of that too practically as we go through this theme here, we're Speaking of the sanctification that was the work through the flush.
Glenn stunts and made us fit and pleasing to him, but we've been set aside from this world for himself. In connection with the comments about ourselves as Gentiles not being part of the covenants, we noticed in Hebrews whenever it speaks of the new Covenant, it has to do with the House of Israel and if you go back to Ephesians chapter 2.
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And verse 12.
He is addressing the Gentiles. He says that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. The covenants had to do with Israel, and perhaps we could have sort of illustrated like this.
The covenant, as we know, is entering into a kind of an agreement, and when Israel came out of the land of Egypt.
Then they entered into an agreement, an agreement that is, that they would fulfill God's requirements.
They said all that the Lord has spoken we will do and be obedient and so.
The blessing was conditional on their obedience, and they forfeited every right to blessing on that ground. And so the only way that they can be brought into blessing is that there must be a new covenant, and that goes back to those unconditional promises that were made to Abraham. When God made promise of the possession of the land to Abraham, there were no conditions. It said, In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be.
US and so they forked at every right under that first covenant. There was number blessing for them that way at all.
And now if they're going to be brought into blessing, why it must be founded on something outside of themselves altogether. And here was this one who came, who took a body, who glorified God as man, who finished that work and by his work has brought us into a new place of blessing. And so Israel haven't yet entered into the enjoyment of this.
They're still looked upon as being set aside.
And they as a nation, not my people, is written across them. But there's a day coming when they're going to see that one whom they Pierce. They're going to acknowledge their guilt, and then they will be brought into the blessing. And God will make a new covenant. He'll impart a new life. The Spirit will be poured on him from on high. He'll take away the Stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh. And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Now as to the Gentile.
Be just like if you had two boys and one boy decides that he's going to try and merit something from you by doing things while he breaks down entirely and you say there's no, there's no good for you under this pledge that you have paid to do what you're told. You've been disobedient. You've earned punishment instead of earning.
The things that you were looking for and someone else takes all his guilt and now he can receive the blessing.
Well, there's another boy in the family and he said, Dad, give me a chance. I'd like to try and see if I can't live up to your requirements. Maybe I could. And then I could tell my friends that I had really earned the things by my own work. All his father says we're not going through that again. You're going to get the same thing as your brother, but you're not going to get it by entering into any agreements on what you can do. It's going to be on the same basis as your brother's going to get it. It's all going to be because.
Somebody else takes your guilt and brings you into a place of favor. Now, brethren, that's our position as Gentiles. We were, we had no part under the first covenant and the promises when that woman came and said, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. Why the Lord said it's not feet to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs. But when she took her place as a Gentile dog and said.
Yes, it's true, she said, but the dogs under the table eat of their masters crumbs. The Lord said, all woman great his life faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt. In other words, he said, you're going to get blessing, but you didn't have any claim for it as one of Israel's children. And so we're not part of Israel or part of Israel's blessing and our blessings not going to be on the earth, brethren. We're going to have something better though.
We're going to have something far better.
We're going to come into the blasting that flows from the work of Christ. And brethren, that's what he opens up here, Our place, which is a more blessed place than Israel ever enjoyed or ever will enjoy, A place of nearness, of worshippers inside the veil and the Holy Spirit sent down.
To be a witness to us, to bring us into the good of this, not of the new covenant which has to do with Israel, but of the blessing that flows from the work of Christ. A far greater blessing than what Israel will have when God finally brings them into the promised blessing in the land of Canaan.
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That covenant, even that covenant, is upon a different basis, is it not? And that's why David is mentioned, is it not in Romans one and the 2nd chapter of of?
Timothy because Christ comes after the seed of David, that is.
It's on the basis of mercy.
It's been said that the sure mercies of David.
We're sure because they didn't depend on David.
That is, David was the king.
And Christ is coming after that line, and that's what Israel is looking for. He's going to come, though, after another order.
Not the original order. He's coming after the order of Melchizedek because we have in Hebrews.
But still it says the seed of David.
And so it's it's on the basis of mercy.
That Israel is going to have a new covenant. It won't be a covenant like to make an agreement on equal terms. It'll be in a covenant which God makes the terms and Israel comes under the blessing of those terms. But as you've said, we're not under any covenant, but we come under certain blessings before the covenants are ever made.
That are mentioned in connection with the covenants.
But our blessings are heavenly and of entirely different character, and we have them now by faith already in the enjoyment of them. And they're sure. And I like that expression that we have in our chapter. It says in the.
In the.
Eighth verse, once for all, the 10th verse by the which will we are sanctified and set apart through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. Once or all that finishes it. There's nothing to be added to this. There's no covenant connected with it. The work is done. We come under the blessings of it.
It's once and it's for all.
Connection with what you were saying about.
It was a covenant is between two people. I just like to look at a difficult verse in Galatians 3, which I think is very beautiful in that connection, it says.
The 17th 1St Galatians 3. And this I say that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which was 430 years after cannot dis annul that it should make the promise of none effect, or if the inheritance fee of the law.
It is no more a promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Now wherefore then serve with the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made. And it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is 1 so.
Isn't this very, very beautiful that a covenant is ordinarily agreement between two people?
But if there was going to be any blessing, if it was between God and man, there couldn't be any because man could never fulfill God's requirements. So God becomes a man in the person of Christ. And now it says God is 1. And so God who made the promises, and his blessed Son in whom all the promises are going to be fulfilled, they're one. So the promise that it's secure because it all depends on price.
And thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
And so that before those covenants were ever entered into with Israel, or will be in a future day, God had made a promise through the through the seed, and not just for Israel, but all the nations of the earth. How wonderful are the ways of God and how blessed for us to see that nothing depends upon man. All the promises of God in him are yay, and in him Amen to the glory of God by us.
They're all in Christ, and yet He was a man.
So the covenant is between God and Christ. It can't fail. He fully did his Father's will. He was perfect, as we've noticed in every way. And so the blessing is secured.
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What are labor connected was connected with the 1St order from morning till evening.
In the Tabernacle, continuous labor and what a contrast it is with.
The position that you and I are in today we had before us in one of the meetings. Let us therefore labor.
I I really believe that there's some sense in that verse in Hebrews 4.
That that.
We have the privilege now, as believers, of laboring.
Not in any sense that they labored, but now because we have the love of God in our hearts, that we have this privilege and the interval before Christ comes. This is what should occupy us, the things that have to do with his glory down here, not just place herself.
I believe it's it's something to be exercised about. We think of all the labor that attended the work of the Tabernacle and the offerings and all, but we're not under this anymore.
There were as Gentiles, but we do have the opportunity now of laboring an entirely different way than we should be.
In verse 18 it says now we're remission of these is there is no more offering for spin.
Well, the 17th verse says and their sin and iniquity will. I remember no more.
Well, whether Jew or Gentile, all must come on that basis of.
Having their spirit and iniquities forgiven and he will remember them no more. And why is it that our sins and iniquities are forgiven? How can they be forgiven and God not remember them anymore?
Well, every time they offered a sacrifice in the Old Testament.
It wasn't long until they remembered the sin again. Then they had to offer another one, and then they remembered the sin again.
But Christ has come, and he has given himself a sacrifice to God.
He has settled a stint question and now all who believe in him perceive him as their savior. They can have the forgiveness of their sins. God will forgive their sins because.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
Has laid a solid, complete, pure foundation upon which God can forgive their saving. They can be forgiven and not even remembered anymore. Just think of that. Not remembered against us anymore. They're gone because as we have had before.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect sacrifice and He has done a complete work.
And so as far as our sins and iniquities are concerned, they are gone forever. It's complete, completely gone. And they're in the depths of the sea. God remembers them against us no more.
This is something that really, if we meditate upon it, it's going to melt our hearts and we'll thank God. And actually, when we come to remember the Lord, we are remembering that God will remember our sins no more because of the sacrifice of faith. We come to show the death of Christ. Why? Because it means so much to us.
Because it means that the complete work has been done.
Sins and iniquities won't be remembered against us no more. So we remember the Lord and show his death till he come. Well, it's connected with having life. These two things are together here. We have life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to die for us. We have the forgiveness of our sins because his precious blood was shed in Calvary and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son cleanses us from all sin and even though after.
Been saved, yet we have the forgiveness of our sin, and that's why we can come and confess them to Him. We don't have to be cleansed from our sins in the sense that we have to have a fresh application of the value of the precious blood of Christ. No, that means that we have the forgiveness of our sin, and it's on that basis that we can come and confess our sins.
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Cleansed from the defilement of sin, what a foundation has been laid for us. God will remember them against us no more. This is as to our standing, of course, and this is what is developed here in Hebrews. Sin in the believers life may and does interrupt communion with God, and there is such a thing as the governmental ways of God and even action in the assembly, but that has nothing to do with our standing every believer.
Even the one who has failed the worst as to his standing is always holy and without blame before God in love. But as to the governmental ways of God and our enjoyment of these things by that can be interrupted and it's a very serious thing, but that's not brought in here. And I believe it's important that we notice the things that differ. We must first of all be at rest as to our standing and then when we know that.
By them. When something comes between us to hinder the enjoyment of that, we want it to be removed. If I know that I'm in a place of favor and acceptance before someone, I'm careful that nothing happens to hinder the enjoyment of that. And if something does come between, I want to have it made right now. That has to do with restoration. But brethren, we need to see that it's not brought in here.
So that when it says their sins and iniquities, I will remember no more.
It doesn't mean that we don't have to confess failure in our lives. It doesn't mean that our lives won't pass into review.
But sin will never be charged to us in the way that sin is charged to one who is still in his sins, saith before God has been removed once for all through the work of Christ. And this is what is being brought out here. And what gives us that boldness to come into His presence is the knowledge of this, the enjoyment of it in our souls. And every believer is entitled to know this and to have boldness to enter into the.
Us by the blood of Jesus. Now he may forfeit the enjoyment of these things through allowed sin in his life by his standing before God is always perfect, founded upon the work of Christ and he sat down, it says forever sat down on the right hand of God. And so he's in that position is having completed everything. There's no more to be done.
So all this rests upon that basis, but not then why is it this next verse comes in here quite a different kind of subject, The 13th verse. From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool, he's now not talking about his friends, but his enemies.
Why is that introduced here? Well, there's only one way that sin could be put away.
And those who reject that provision that God has made will have to meet him as judge instead of as Savior. Now is the opportunity. The one who proclaimed the gospel tonight is inviting sinners to come and meet God as a Savior God, and to know that the blood is on the mercy seat and there's full and free cleansing. If they will only receive it. If they refuse it, then they must meet him as a judge.
And so as the Lord Jesus now sits down at the right hand of God.
It's never again to take up the question of putting away sin. That has been done once for all. Those who reject that provision, there's no hope for them. They'll just have to meet him as the one who is the judge, and they as his enemies, and they'll have to be made his footstool. They'll have to come under His righteous judgment. In that He died. He died unto sin once.
That reminds me of a lady who was brought to know the Lord as her savior.
And she was very happy in the knowledge of salvation. And after a few weeks, she came to the brother who was holding the meetings out in the farmhouse. It was. And she said, I was so happy when I was saved and I knew that my sins were all gone. But she said, I'm afraid that I have sinned since I was a believer. And what about those sins? Well, his brother said to her, I just like to ask you 2 questions.
How many of your sins were future when the Lord Jesus died?
00:50:00
Well she said, I guess they were all future because I hadn't even been born. Well he said, the second question is do you think the Lord Jesus is going to die again for sin? Well no, she said, I don't suppose he will. And the scripture answers that in that he died. He died unto sin once, but in that he liveth. He liveth unto God, or here by one offering He has perfected forever them that are sanctified. Well he said to her, if the Lord Jesus didn't.
Going to be your sins at the cross, they'll never be settled. And that's the thought here. And if there's someone here who's not saved, why if you have rejected the Savior and you continue rejecting him and go on in your sins, why you'll have to meet him as a judge instead of as a savior. But he wants to be your savior now the blood is on the mercy seat. The way is open for you and.
So how blessed it is that we can beat him as a Savior.
Instead of having to meet him as this verse says, as a judge, just add 1 little thing and that is in Hebrews in Romans 3. There's a verse that somewhat misunderstood here, Romans chapter 3 beginning at verse 23.
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation that means a mercy seat.
Through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God to declare, I say at this time his righteousness, that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
It's misunderstanding this 25th verse that has kept some from enjoying the security of the believer. When it talks here about the remission of sins that are passed, it doesn't mean that when you receive the Lord, your past sins are put away. It's talking about those who lived and died before the work of Calvary and all those sins were met by the Lord Jesus on the cross.
How did?
How could Abraham be brought into blessing when he died? How could Moses be brought into blessing? Were there any sacrifices that they had ever offered to put away their sins? No, that wasn't possible. But in forbearance, God passed over their sins in view of Calvary and the sins of Moses and the sins of Abraham were placed upon the Lord Jesus, and God declared His righteousness in regards to their sins because.
No one, whether before the cross or after, but ever befitted for the courts of glory apart from the work of Christ. It's just as if there was a debt to be paid. And you say to the creditor, well, don't press that claim on my friend, because in 30 days I'll pay it for him. So he leaves the creditor alone because you've made a promise. And so God made a promise.
A way back when sin entered, he said that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head. And so God declared his righteousness in regard to all those past things. But now I go to a Sinner and say it's not a question of your past sins or your future sins.
God is just and the justifier of one who believes in Jesus. He's just because the payment was made in full. He's your justifier because you believe. So let's be clear about this. The question of sin was settled once for all, and the moment you receive the Lord Jesus, you come into the blessing of that and it's a once for all thing.
The word propitiation is brought in and doesn't that bring before us?
The side of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that's complete and tells the same questions for bodies concerned, and he's glorified, and the work is of such a character and such fullness and completeness that all could be saved.
But although they all don't believe, they don't accept the Lord Jesus Christ as substitute. Substitution and propitiation are two things that so often are confused. But in propitiation we have before us a full and complete work that the Lord has done, which is enough to save every human being in this world, if they would believe.
He died for all, but it doesn't say he died for the sins of all.
00:55:01
Back to that we were talking about again, He died for all so that all could believe and be saved. That work is complete and full so that no one can have any excuse for not being saved. And yet the only way to get the benefit of that work that's been done is to each one individually, personally receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior own that He is their substitute on Calvary.
Say He died for my sin. He died for my sin.
So that word propitiation sometimes is stumbling, but that word mercy seat really brings before us the mercy of God. He's not willing that any should perish. He wants all to be saved. He wants all to come to repentance. This is God's sight of it. But the substitution side of it is that only those who believe get the benefit of.
Investigation don't be answered in the Day of Atonement. In those twenty months, the first was slaves.
And the second animal, the sins were confessed upon that animal and sent into the wilderness, both a type of the death of Christ. But the first animal speaks of propitiation.
Doesn't have so much the thought in mind of meeting the sinners.
Need but glorifying God and satisfying this place. But the second animal substitution is seen. The sins were confessed upon an animal, and an animal sent into the wilderness to perish, and that speaks of substitution, and there we can say He bore the sins of many.
The first animal propitiation we can say he died for all God's glory has been maintained in the death of Christ and to everything that anybody has ever done, but it doesn't have to thought too much in mind of saving anybody, but glorify God. But the second animal since confessed, that is the side that we can cling to who by faith have accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior.
Propitiation is laying a right to spaces upon which any who want to come may come.
A substitution is the Lord Jesus taking the place of the Sinner who did fund.
His substitution now in the 14th, the 14th and 15th firsts of our chapter.
For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
Now we already noticed the sanctification that has been set apart by the body of Christ mentioned before. We've been set apart, but now he says we're of the Holy Spirit as witness that is.
He says to us, I suppose that Paul still is has in mind the Jewish people in a sense because.
Remember at the time of Stephen.
That was the witness of the Spirit of God to that nation, and they refused it.
But that witness is still here. To the individual Israel as a nation is is blinded.
But the the witness of the Spirit is still here for Israel, for you and me of course, too. But he's he's writing to the Hebrew people and the Spirit of God is still here in this world. It's the day of the Spirit and he's a constant witness to the conscience of man, that of the.
14 first by one offering, he has perfected forever them that are sanctified.
And so we can apply it in that way that the witness is still here and will be here until Jesus comes. But I like to also plot this way that supposing I get discouraged.
Exposing my faith fails to me. I have the spirit of the witness of the Spirit. It's it applies in that way too. I believe we have this constant witness of the Spirit.
Of the very truth of the previous verse. So all we need to do.
Take the witness of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Read it, believe it. We're, we're at rest in our souls, but simply believing the witness of the Spirit. Can I just say this in connection with the matter that's been talked about, propitiation and substitution and Speaking of Christ dying for all the bearing the sins of many.
01:00:17
And perhaps this might help to simplify it a man might say to you well I couldn't help it that I was born in sin.
You can reply to him. God is not going to send you to hell because you were born in sin, that Christ died for you and he has opened up a way of blessing for you because people will say that I couldn't help it. Well, that baby that dies, it was born in sin, but it goes to be with Christ in glory because the Lord Jesus by his death has opened up the way of blessing. So if anyone ever says that to you.
Your reply can be Christ died for you.
But you must receive him to have your sins put away. If you receive him and your sins will be put away, that substitution. Well, I just mentioned that because somebody say, what do you mean Christ died for all? Well, no one is going to be sent to hell because he was born in sin.
The work of Christ is so glorious, so wonderful, that it's opened up the way of blessing for the whole human race.
I wondered if we might have both of those things pictured to excite one more case in Israel with the sacrificial lamb, the Passover lamb. In the verse that says, when I see the blood I will pass over you as being God's side of things. He is propitiated through that blood. He is the one who had been offended.
And his rights come in primary. They are first, always thought first.
But the other part of the verse is, The blood shall be unto you for a token.
There's the blood applied by that family, that person there, the first born sheltered under it and that's the exclusion. That's the the man's side of thing. He realized that God is has been propitiated. And then there's expiation. God will not charge him with those sins just in that one verse if we don't have propitiation.
And expiation both. What a contrast is 19 versus to the way things were in the Jewish ritual.
It must have been with fear and trembling that the high priest went in every year with blood and incense, when Nadab in the Bayou attempted to go in apart from God's provision. We know that they were Smith and Dad, and so there must have been that measure of fear. But how lovely this expression. I think it's precious to my heart. Having therefore, brethren, boldness. We have the same word in Ephesians chapter 3 and.
Boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him the believer can come.
With this holy boldness and his only ground is by the blood of Jesus.
There's nothing in himself, not in some sacrifice of a lamb that a priest in Israel might offer, but it's the work that has been undertaken by God himself, satisfied to the claims of satisfied by God, glorifying him. And so we have boldness, and we come not just into the holy place, but into the very holiest of all.
The very direct presence of God Himself.
And we're perfectly fit to be there.
Don't we need to go back to the 9th chapter and the eighth verse and connected with it to see that wonderful contrast? The 9th chapter in the eighth verse, the Holy Ghost, this signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest well as the first Tabernacle was yet standing.
Not made manifesting, could not go in.
All those shadows and figures of the law.
Told them you can't go in.
But everyone of those shadows and figures pointed to Christ who would open up the way so that we can go in. And now he has gone in as a man. Now he says, you come too and are standing. Gives us that wonderful fullness to go right up into heaven itself, where He has gone to take our.
Offerings of praise.
01:05:01
Adoration presents them.
God is liberty, isn't it? Coldness? Yes, it's nice to think of this, that we have liberty. In fact, it's really the place where we belong.
The holiest. It isn't simply.
Occasional visit, but this is where we belong.
In the holiest, as believers, we belong in the holiest, whereas the Jew is shut out of the holiest.
It's quite a contrast.
We belong there as priest. I was thinking, Peter says in second chapter of the first Peter fifth verse. He as lively stones are filled up the spiritual house, a holy priesthood to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. There's our boldness. We have priests qualified.
In Christ. And it's wonderful, isn't it? We know it's accepted.
Sacrifice is accepted, and I was thinking of one expression also of boldness because of Christ. That's in the Epistle of God, first Epistle of John.
The 4th chapter and the 17th verse.
Herein is our love, faith for the love of God with us, made perfect, that we may have boldness. We have it not only now, but boldness, the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world.
That's a wonderful thought, isn't it? We even have boldness.
Dead judges.
Well, you know, if you were the judge, you don't tremble on that side of the bench.
The others probably do, and they often tremble even looking at the judge, But we're one with him.
The thought, isn't it? As he is, so are we in this world, even we should ever have a thought of fear in that sense. Fear in the sense of reverence to a holy God. That's different, but never that kind of fear.
His entering in is that only in connection with the worship in the assembly or prayer, or is that a privilege of the individual believer?
It's a 24 hour thing for every believer I noticed back in Chapter 9 and verse 12, either by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood he entered in once into the Holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
By his own blood, by the virtue of his own blood, by the power of his own blood that was shed at Calvary, he entered into the holy Place. And now.
By the blood of Jesus we have wholeness to enter into the holy place, right into the very holiest, into the presence of God. And I think we should remember that, that when we come into the presence of the Lord. Now speaking about coming into the assembly.
In the presence of the Lord Lord's day, that we are in the holiest in the very presence of God. And then when we consider that it's a 24 hour state because that's really where we've been brought into that place, but the Lord has gone there and we have told us to enter into that, I suppose.
The lack of seeing this is what keeps so many.
From the enjoyment of this.
Of being in the holy right, in the very presence of God.
When you think of our being taken to be with the Lord in glory.
Into heaven, into that holiest where the Lord has gone. How much of A change is there going to be for us?
If we are more in the good of being in that place here, it will not be such a great change for us to go there. I believe it's something that we should be exercised about to enjoy this into which we've been brought, and it's by the blood of Jesus. There's no other way we could come into that holiest but find the blood of Jesus.
Precious blood that's been shed. Do we really know the value of that blood Peter speaks of? It has more precious than gold and perishes.
01:10:03
We know it's valuable. It has a great value, that plug, but how much do we value it? But here it's making a tremendous statement about what is ours by virtue of that blood. We have a beautiful picture of this very simple picture.
The 7th chapter of Luke won't turn to it.
But we see that sinful woman, which is a picture of ourselves, entering Simon's house because Jesus was there.
Wherever Jesus was, that was the place for her. I say it's a very simple picture, but it illustrates the point. Jesus has gone into the most holy place.
For us, we have the title because he is there. That woman would never enter that home at Jesus. Not been there. But as to the comments of her brother and John a moment ago, is it not in John that we have the love that was behind it all?
What we are noticing also now is the work that accomplished it all.
John shows us the love that was behind it in the heart of God.
John, First Epistle of John four. He was quoting, I suppose.
But now we have the work that has completed it all so that we have that assurance that we belong there.
They belong in the holiest. That's our place, because Jesus is there.
Will not have a better standing in heaven than we have already. We already are in the same place of acceptance before God as when we get there. And so it's a new and it's a living way, something that was never known and enjoyed by those in the Jewish rituals that now this is new, that the believer can come. The veil has been wrenched and it's beautiful the way the veil is brought in here.
And if you have a margin in the Bible, you'll notice it says New maid with a new and living way, which he hath new made for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.
That beautiful veil of blue and purple and scarlet and fine, fine linen is a picture of the various glories that shone out in the person of Christ. But as the Israelite looked at those that beautiful veil, what did it proclaim to him? No entrance here, No entrance, that's what it was saying. But isn't it wonderful that that blessed One who came down?
And became a man the veil, that is to say, his flesh and faith could see in him all those glories, the Blues Speaking of him, Mr. Heavenly 1.
Purple, I believe, speaking to us of his royalty, the spiral of his infinite perfection as man.
Glory of man and then his perfect spotless walk.
Fine wine, linen, fly, all those things we say, oh, I'm far short of that, but oh, how wonderful that when the Lord Jesus did that word and the veil was ran, all God claims against me were met. But there were two things that came from the side of the Lord Jesus, the blood and the water. And the blood speaks of expiation, putting away sin before God. But the water brings in the thought of an entirely new.
In which we have been brought the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Or as the Lord said to Peter, when he was washing their feet, He that is washed, he does not save to wash his feet, but is clean everywhere.
So as we enter this place now, always say, I thought I fall far short of that one in whom all those glories shine out. But through his word He has brought thee in, and I I'm not accepted in what I am in myself.
Accepted in the Beloved One, and as it was read to us, as He is, so are we in this world. Where is He? He's there as the one who has glorified God about the whole question of sin. That's my standing before God. And when I lay hold of that, and then I see that through the rent failed, I stand before God in all the perfection of Christ, and He looks upon me as accepted in Him.
And so it's a new way and it's a living way not as it's new, it's entirely different in Christianity. But I say again, one must have a new life in order to enjoy that. And if I could just pass on, that's the thought in this 22nd verse where it says here.
01:15:08
Our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. That's the blood and our bodies washed with pure water. That's not the thought of our.
Feet having to be washed to restore communion. It's all the thought of the believers standing, so sin is taken away from the conscience by the blood. My standing is perfect in Christ, and so I can come now with holy boldness into His presence. And we'll never really enjoy sitting in His presence on Lord's Day morning unless we enter into this, brethren, and see where God heals us.
As it's been remarked, it isn't just on Lord's Day morning that we can be in his presence.
But there's something special when we come there to appreciate and enjoy and thank him.
For what He has done to fit us to be there. And so unless He thought of laid hold of our souls and are enjoyed by the power of the Spirit, we will not feel at home in His presence. It won't be with boldness, but as the Spirit of God brings them home to our souls today, and we see that we are before God in Christ. That I can say sin God for my conscience through the blood.
God feeds me as a new creature in Christ Jesus.
The righteousness of God in Christ accepted in the Beloved. By now I can enjoy this new and living place, and the priesthood of Christ here is to maintain our souls and the enjoyment of it. What is he doing now? Does he have to offer sacrifices? No, that's all fast. But what is he doing? He's up there. I'm live to lose the enjoyment, but I've got one up there who says you need help along the way so that you don't.
Enjoyment of my love there He is to supply that help. Everything's been provided so that we could happily enjoy this place where grace has brought us through the work of Christ in the 25th 1St. Would you not say the day of apostasy that's approaching?
And then so the expectation before that, let us consider one another to provoke unto law and to good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as the man of some is, but exhorting one another so much the more as you see the day approaching. And we do see it approaching, even if we looked at it the other way, the day of Christ coming either way.
This should exercise our hearts no matter which way we look at it.
And I just mentioned that in the just to make a connection in the 24th, in the 23rd verse, the new translation is let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. So we have faith that lays hold of where God has brought us. We have hope in the 23rd and then in the 24th we have love. And this is very blessed.
Behold fast the confession of our hope. When Israel left Canaan, they had the hope of entering the land.
Did their entrance into the land depend on their faithfulness? They would have never entered it on that ground. What does it depend on? Something that in US? No, I'm holding fast because he's faithful. He's the captain. He's bringing me home. And so for the whole fast, the confession of our hope never waver. Because, oh, you say I'm unfaithful. But he's faithful. He's made a promise.
Founded upon a righteous basis in the Blessed.
Faith and hope and love all made secure to us through what He has done.
Digged-Opened-Pierced