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Hebrews.
11.
1St 26 verses.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for.
The evidence of things not seen.
For by it, the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the world were framed by the word of God.
So that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
My faith Abel offered unto God, a more excellent sacrifice than kings.
By which he obtained the witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts.
And by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Thy craziness was translated that he should not see death.
And was not found because God had translated him.
For before his translation he had this testimony that he Please go on.
But without faith it is impossible to please him.
For he that cometh to God must believe that he is.
And let her use the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
By faith, to know being warned of God, of things not seen as yet moved with fear.
Prepared an ark to the saving of his house.
By the way, she condemned the world and became heir of righteousness, which is by faith.
By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed.
And he went out not knowing whether he went.
By faith he so turned in the land of promise, as in a strange country.
Dwelling in Tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob heirs with him of the same promise.
We looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is gone.
Through faith also, Sarah herself received strength to conceive seeds, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Therefore spring there even of one, and him as good as dead.
So many as the stars of the sky and multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable.
These all died in space, not having received the promises.
But having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embrace them and confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
00:05:09
For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had the opportunity to have returned.
But now they desire a better country that is unheavenly.
Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their gods, for he hath prepared for them a city.
By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac.
And he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.
Of whom it was said that in Isaac till 9 speed because.
Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure.
By faith Isaac blessed to Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
5 Faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph, and worship leaning upon the top of his staff.
By faith, Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel and gave commandments concerning his bones.
By faith, Moses, when he was born, was his three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child and they were not afraid of the King's commandments.
By faith, Moses, when he was come the year, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Choosing ralla to suffer affliction with the people of God and to enjoy the pleasures of sin for seasons.
Exceeding the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
Under the law, the rights of the the was based upon what man could do.
And we find that man was not able.
To meet God's requirements.
But there's an entirely new order of things.
Brought in by the gospel. Now this was known, of course, by some.
Like Daniel and David and others who acted on faith in that day.
But according to that which had been set up formally in Israel, a religion had to do with man in the flesh and he never could please God. But in our chapter it says without faith it's impossible to please him.
No other way to please God, but faith. Now faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God.
And so there isn't any really real faith unless it's based upon the revelation that God has given and man acting on that revelation.
We find that those who are mentioned here and the order given, and I'm sure the book is very orderly, we find that we have that the forest of Abraham the patience of faith, and in Moses the energy of faith.
And so those two things particularly are outstanding, I believe, in this chapter. And we need them both. We need the patience of faith, that is, to always wait upon the word of God and act upon it and on nothing else. Because if we use our own minds, natural minds aside from the word of God, we're going to go wrong.
00:10:04
But then we need the other side too, and that is, there's a power within.
The Spirit of God that gives us energy to act for God. I believe we have both of these set forth.
In this chapter now you'll notice that.
In the cases set before us.
At the beginning.
Abel and.
And.
Enoch and Noah, they all acted on.
Something that was known.
That God had revealed to them.
They didn't act on their own mind or thought that the acted on a revelation from God, either verbally or written.
So the active in space, and that's what the Spirit of God was set before us here. And then we might just say too.
That faith always looks on to the end, that God has been used, and in Hebrews it's the rest, the remains of the people of God. And it's found in connection with the Lord Jesus, the forerunner, who's already entered in for us into that heavenly place.
You're right, Brother Barry.
I think.
What we have proceedings in the 10th chapter.
As Hot introduces the subject of faith in the 11Th chapter.
And the 10th chapter and the 37th verse So yet a little while, and he that shall come.
Will come and will not, Perry. I believe it yet. A very little while, that is. We have the Lord coming.
Right before us as the hope of the believers.
Fell in in the meantime while waiting for the fulfillment of his promise.
1St.
Are we to learn as to the pathway of those who have this folks, well, these words?
And the last person attempts.
But no, it's.
The.
You know the 28th verse.
There's a 38 first, but the just shall live by faith.
You know that that quotation from the books of Habakkuk.
I think that's the book is found in three places.
Found in the first chapter of Romans.
And it's it's found in the.
The third chapter of Galatians and is found here. In each place the emphasis is on a different word.
And I believe this is correct and.
Romans one, it suggests how live.
Well, in the third chapter of the lations it suggests.
Put in contrast with all that.
Are not in that enjoyment or have not known the truth of justification.
Then in the this chapter before us, the subject is faith, is suggestively by faith.
Well, I just mentioned that it's not developing a chapter, but it's nice to see that that is the pathway for the believer. And then he developed the subject of the Walk of the Believer.
00:15:05
And that is a walk is a walk of faith.
Your father used to say, Brother Hale, that Christianity is a religion of faith. Seek people when you have nothing.
He doesn't. Anything that we can see is isn't what is visible to the natural man. If something completely out of the range of the natural mind and man, it's something that has been revealed.
By God Himself and His Word, and whenever we flew sight of that.
Why? We're just carried along with stream of human wisdom and have no bearings, no guidance at all.
But why is a man an incident? Because he believes in himself and not in God. And why is a man a Christian? Because he believes in Christ and not in himself. But I believe it's also important to see why this capture comes in here. The Hebrews had all this religion that was given of God, and they were slow to see that God had brought in the better thing now in Christianity.
And so this chapter shows us that before the law and all the ritual of Judaism were introduced, that God had one principle on which He blessed, and that was the principle of faith, because faith doesn't demand anything in man at all. But to believe God testimony and believing God's testimony be rest upon the revelation. God is just hugging himself and of His grace and of the whales of approach into his presence that He has provided.
And this was true even before the giving of the law. And Abel learned that, and approached God in the right way. Then, during the dispensation of law, as our brother remarks, the law said that this do and thou shalt live. But no one ever got blessing on that ground.
And so to return to the law, or to return to something under which no one had ever received blessings. Why was it introduced then? Why? We're told in Galatians that was brought in as a test for man, and it was also used to hold man in checks. The law was our schoolmaster until Christ came, so that the dispensation of law proved man's helplessness. But it also held man in check.
But even during the dispensation of Law, which Moses and others lived, and God was blessing on the same principle on which he had always blessed man, and that was faith. Now he said, there's no new thing when this is brought in. In Christianity, this is the ground of blessing which God has always asked upon.
Because God knew from the beginning that there was nothing good in man at all until he said this beautiful chapter faces, these men say, ending up, as we know on the 12Th chapter, with the one who was the perfect man of faith, the Lord Jesus himself, the one who began and completed the path of faith.
But if you and I are going to please God, we must act by faith. We might do right things, but unless we do them by faith, there are no value to God. He might come to these meetings. He might partake in the remembrance of the Lord tomorrow. But unless these things are done by faith, unless God is the object, unless they're done to please him, there's really nothing that is of any value in the sight of God in the carrying out of the things.
And so I think the chapter is very important in the Epistle for the Hebrews as showing us now this ground and bringing before us, as we all know, these different aspects of faith able learning to approach God in the proper way.
Enoch learning to walk with God in an evil day by faith, nor preparing this art for the saving of his house and condemning the world like faith and Abraham are leaving all of equals asked, and going out a stranger in the strange land, and possessing all in the hope that he had of a city which had foundation to build her a maker of God. So I saved them. Faith characterized the whole Christian life.
00:20:02
But it not only characterizes the Christian life, but it is the only principle on which God can bless man because there's nothing good in him. The reverse of all is God himself.
Brother Hale that an infidel is an infidel because he believes in himself. I was thinking of what Bob Ingersoll said it his brothers grave. He said this and here was a very wise man and he made wonderful lectures. He was a very gifted man of speaking. But when he stood at the grave of his brother he said this. He said life is a star.
Dreary vase.
Between the dismal mountain peaks of two eternities which cry aloud.
However, we try to stay beyond that. The only answer is the echo of our wailing Lord.
Alfada. Terrible conflict. Nothing just has dark and dreary at one end, doesn't let the other end, and nothing but uncertainty at the end.
We wouldn't have this book before us because every book that man writes is the wisdom of man trying to find answers to the questions that perplex them in connection with life.
But here we hold in our hands a revelation from God. We don't judge this book. It judges us. It reveals God to us. It tells us where we came from. It tells us where we're going to. It is the only book that really brings the knowledge of God to us. The real reason that we're here upon her is the answers to those questions that are so important to us. We find them lonely in this book.
If we turn to the reigns of man, we have a confusion of opinion, because as you said, man just hears the echo of his own voice. But isn't it wonderful, brethren, that we have a revelation from God? And I'd like to say here too, in connection with this first verse, that this verse is not a definition of faith. It is what faith does. A definition of faith is found in John Three. He that hath believed his that God's testimony.
Has set to his field that God is true.
That's the definition of faith. That's what God is. It's when God speaks to say, well it's the truth. Because God said it, I may not be able to understand it, but since God said it must be true because God cannot lie, this chapter shows us what faith does.
But if you want a definition of faith, you must turn to job free. But here we find what faith was. It makes real to us for those things that we haven't seen. It explains to us where this world in which we live came from and what life is all about. So that.
If the evidence of things not seen, it makes those things that are unseen real to us and how real they are by faith as we sit here this morning.
She says it were in all the wisdom of man just leads up to a Stonewall that he can't.
Know anything or understand anything beyond our faith takes us over the wall. So the squad is beyond all the wisdom and all the.
Learning of math. Oh well, for the young people.
In these days when there's so much unbelief and infidelity in the schools to be established in this that unless.
They truly and absolutely believe the word of God.
They're just like you took a man into a dark case with a light and then blew his light out and left him there to just stumble and wander in the dark. Then in Mammoth Cave years ago, and he told the stories of men that got lost there.
They were guiding some way, Mistress. One man wandered for three days until he lost his mind.
Well, let's just say position.
Those who haven't Faith.
They're just wondering. Their light is blown up and they're just left to wander their way in darkness and never come to any escape at all.
00:25:15
In second Timothy.
To the third chapter.
In connection with the scriptures.
We noticed in our chapter.
That.
References made continually to the Old Testament and the wilderness.
And the examples of the Old Testament saying.
Right on to the end of our chapter. Now there are three verses that I'd like to read in different parts of the New Testament in connection with the Scriptures.
The 16 first of the third chapter of Second Timothy.
All Scripture, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for improved, for corrections or instruction in righteousness.
That the man of God may be perfect.
Truly furnished unto all good work now this verse tells us.
Where Scripture comes from and the purpose of it. Now if you'll turn to Romans 15.
Romans. Yeah, 15.
And the fourth verse.
Romans 15 and four.
For whatsoever things were written, the four times were written for our learning.
That we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.
Now the first verse we read tells us where Scripture came from and what it's for. This tells us who it's for.
Now one more verse in Corinthians.
One Corinthians 10.
Verse 11.
Now all these things happened under them for example.
And they are written for our admonitions, upon whom the end of the world are come.
We have heard, it said.
Sadly.
Oh, that's in the Old Testament as much as to say we don't need to pay attention to that.
That belongs to another day, but I believe these scriptures we read, show and confirm what we have in Hebrews 11 That.
These examples given us here in Hebrews.
Our very person, very much to the point for our walk through the wilderness to pleasing God, and for keeping us in the enjoyment of that blessed hope.
It is said you know of Joshua and Caleb.
Who were willing to go into the land within a few days from the time they left Egypt.
But the others would hold them back because of fear and unbelief. But it was said of them.
That is, I speak now of what a brother said, that the wilderness heir was bracing for this because they had hope. They were looking on to the end of the journey, no matter how long it took, and they were willing to go on with the people of God, even though the rest did not have faith.
They were willing to go out and learn the lessons because the lessons of the wilderness were necessary. And so these things are written for our learning, but also for our admonitions.
That is, we need instruction, we need corrections. We get all this, do we not, at least in part, in the book of Hebrews 11,000?
Testament when we have the New.
00:30:01
Well, brethren, we know that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.
I might say a word concerning this wonderful book, as there are a number of young people here.
This book we hold in our hands is the word of the living God.
It doesn't merely contain the word of God, as I was taught when I was a student. It is the word of the living God.
And concerning the Old Testament, we find that the Old Testament characters.
Bear a give special light concerning New Testament teaching and doctrine entitled Now we have mentioned here.
In the 11Th of Hebrews, Noah, well, what do we see in Noah but ruin and resurrection?
That glorious truth of resurrection, It has to do with the Remnant we know, but we apply the truth. We fail if we don't apply the truth to love.
What do we see in Enoch but ruined and reception. Reception. It's a beautiful type there of what we're talking about, the coming of the Lord. We know too that this has a special set setting concerning the Remnant, but we apply the truth.
Well, even in Adam we see Rowan and redemption.
He need not ruin and reception.
Noah. Ruin and resurrection. His redemption.
Resurrection and reception in my Father's House of many mansions. So these Old Testament characters are of very great importance now concerning this blessed book we hold in our hands.
It's composed dear young people of 66 books.
And we know it's written.
In 30, at least 30 different men rules from fishermen to Empress on the throne.
It's the most remarkable book this is, and it's written in three different languages.
In our schools, we have this book ridiculed.
I was telling them in a reading concerning a Doctor of Laws.
He ridiculed my telling the students in that college that this was the word of God.
He said it's full of contradictions. Well, I said, you're a doctor of laws. Will you kindly point me out one? Will I point out a few?
And at last it came down to 1.
Would you kindly show me one contradiction?
He says. I think it's in the in Ephesians. And you know where that dear man was looking? I handed in my Bible. He was looking in the book of Exodus.
He had never read this blessed book. Now, you, dear young people, you will get poisoned all the time. And our colleges today concerning the authenticity of this blessed book. This is the word of the living God. We believe it from cover to cover.
Oh, I'm sure we're all happy to mention that we believe this book from cover to cover.
And I've often thought of it. Even the dots, the dots and the tipples, they're imperishable.
One day a gentleman came into the BTP office there to buy a gospel, and he said to my wife, would you kindly show me the gospel of one of the Gospels? And she showed him this, the gospel. He says, I want several thousands of these.
But when he looked?
For one little job.
00:35:02
Jotha title. There's Hebrew.
He couldn't find that little dot there and he says I don't want one of them because that makes the Lord Jesus born of a woman instead of a virgin.
So these Johnson titles are inspired below.
Writings of this blessed book are God breathed, holy men of God wrote as they were born along by the Spirit of God.
Its doctrines are complete.
This is the word of the living God. And it's cannon, by the way, is perfect. We, not we can't find one flow in it. Well, I just mentioned that, by the way.
Because sometimes our young people are getting poisoned in the colleges concerning this blessed book. This is the world of the living God, beloved. Let us believe it.
Now, concerning faith, I've often thought that faith governs the heart.
And governs the conduct. Here in this scene, faith governs the heart and governs the conduct.
I'm sure you can go along with it.
I suppose we all as Christians, desire a good report when we're at the judgment seat of Christ. When our life down here is revealed, brethren, how can we have a good report?
Well, we're told in the second verse of our chapter.
For by it, the elders obtained a good report.
However, we're going to have a good report in heaven.
It must be that we have walked a life of faith down here, and that life of faith has, as our brothers, been bringing before us the importance, the infallibility of the word of God.
That we've been guided by the word, We have been obedient and subject to it. We have yielded our wills and our thoughts to it, and acted upon it.
And so the Spirit of God gives us.
Has a little lovely life and history of these elders who walk the path of faith.
So that beloved we too might be.
Given grace.
When our journey here is over, and it may be over at anytime, any moment, that there will be a good report awaiting us up there. I guess they've all heard the illustration that it it clears. This makes this matter clear years ago in the railroad depot where they had a gate man.
That punched the tickets before the passengers went on.
Through to get on their trains and there were people that were very impatient to get to the gate and someone said to the gate man always said don't hold everybody up, he says You'll never get popular that way.
The Gateman quietly pointed up to the office over the depot where the records were being kept. The men that worked for the railroads, he says. That's where I'm looking for my popularity up there.
1211 Let's be satisfied.
With like these elders, who were some of them like Enoch, little known down here?
For we have no record of his having any importance in this world, but oh, he had a good record up there, and he's gone to the scene where his record will be for long be displayed.
To the glory of God and for eternal gain in that scene.
In the 19th Zombie of God's 2 testimonies to man, we have His testimony in creation. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament show us His handiwork. And then also in that song it tells us about God's word. Thy testimonies are very sure so that we have these two testimonies and it's important that we see that recognizing God as a creator is of all importance.
00:40:18
Indeed, our Bible begins with these words. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The God reveals Himself as the Creator. The reason man would like to destroy this truth about God as Creator is because then they get away from the knowledge of His responsibility. So it's most important that we see He is the Creator. That testimony has been given to every nation under heaven.
And that Psalm tells us there's no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. There's not a place upon the face of the earth where a man cannot see the testimony that God has given that he is the Creator, and then his word reveals himself. We have a table here.
We can examine the table. We can tell whether the man was a good Workman or not, but we don't know his character by looking at the table. But if the man came and made himself known to us, now we know whether he's a kind man, whether he's a good father, whether he's an upright man. So we have God's testimony in creation that witnesses his wisdom and his power. But we have His word to bring his character before us.
And I just like to say a little about this third verse, which I think is most important. Through faith we understand that the world's were framed by the word of God. Now there are many books written today to try and prove to young people that God is the Creator. Now let me say this, dear young people, we have something better than all the best books written by scientific men. Through faith we understand that the world were framed by the word of God.
A lot of these books have the research that Christian men who had studied science have made. They bring out many interesting facts. But your reason and mine for believing that God is the Creator is not because some wonderfully clever man have brought some facts before us. Our reason for believing it is that God has revealed himself through His word as the Creator.
And there's no other.
Firm foundation on which to stand. A young person showed me a number of books that have been written to prove that the Genesis account of creation was true. And these books stated a number of scientific facts. He went over them one by one and he said look here now science has changed their opinion in this matter. He closed that book and he opened another. He said look here, science has changed their opinion in this matter. He said if you rest on that as a proof that the Bible is true.
Your your professor will tell you, well, science has changed their opinion about that today.
But if you take your stand upon God's Word, it's an unchangeable word. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. I know two young men who started college. They were called at the beginning to write to essays in connection with the science.
One of them wrote an essay in which he substantiated a lot of things he said by books that he had read to prove the Bible true, and the professor marked out how science have changed here and there.
And it really upset the faith of that young boy until he has wandered away. The Lord knows whether he's really saved, but his faith didn't stand upon the revelation of God, but on the wisdom of man. The other young man, he just brought out proofs from the Bible.
Well, maybe the professor didn't believe the Bible, but he couldn't deny the authority on which he took his stand. The young man passed. He's going on too, for the Lord today. And the reason is that he took his stand on something that didn't change. And let's remember this, dear young people. You'll be preserved if you take your stand on this book, because it's God's book. It's the wisdom of God. It's always up to date, in fact, the more.
We go forward in time and men make more discoveries. The more thankful we should be for this wonderful book.
00:45:01
Revelation from God. So let me just read this third verse. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. So the things which were are seen were not made of things which do appear. That's simple enough and conclusive enough for the one who simply takes God at His word and it will sustain us because it's the if they can succeed in shaking your faith about God as Creator.
Next step will be to try and question your responsibility. And then once that is gone, why everything is gone. Oh how wonderful that we have a God revealed as a creator and God's character revealed in his book. A God of holiness, a God of love. A God is interested in every one of us who cares for us. There's not a thing in our lives that he's not concerned about. He's made a little tiny insect so small they can only be seen through the microscope.
And then He has made others so large and the vast heavens above us, showing us God's interest in what is great, His interest in what is small, And oh, how this precious book and this chapter ought to be a help to us, because the only thing that will sustain us in this present day.
And you only have to be a very simple believer to take God of his word.
Psalm 12.
Psalm 12 and verse 6.
Words of the Lord are pure words.
As silver tried in the furnace of earth purified 7 times, what should we do? The 4th chapter of Deuteronomy?
And verse 2.
Deuteronomy 4/2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you.
Neither shall ye diminish or promise.
You may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you.
And the verse in Proverbs 30.
Verses 5:00 and 6:00.
35 and six Every word of God is pure.
He is a shield unto them that put that trust in him.
And thou knock under his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
And the 22nd of the Revelation.
The 22nd chapter of the Revelation.
Verse 18 Brian testified unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things.
God shall add unto him the flakes that are written in this book, And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his pop out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Father Smith was reminding us of the importance of the dots and commas in Scripture, and I do think we should respect them very highly if we turn to the Luke 23.
Because this verse is so often misquoted.
Luke 23 and verse 32.
Here we find the most important comma inserted by the Holy Spirit, verse 32, and there were also two other comma manufacturers comma.
Met with him to be put to death. Now it's often read this way, and there were also two other manufacturers.
Well, that would really imply that the Blessed Lord was 122 others beside him.
So the Spirit of God is guarded against this by putting the comma here, which is so important.
And I do believe we should be very careful in reading scripture too, because he's come as a place there by the Spirit of God for definite purpose. So here in this verse there were also two other the two other were manufacturers, not the third.
00:50:13
Not the Blessed Lord.
Turning with me to a verse in Psalm 33. In connection with this verse three of our chapter, there is a very interesting verse there, Psalm 33, verse 9.
Psalm 33 verse 9.
He spake, and it was done.
And He commanded and stood fast. So this is wonderful to see in connection with creation, He spake, and it was done.
That's the way it came into being, this universe that we see in connection with these three Saints of God in the Old Testament, Abel.
He knocked. And no one. I have enjoyed the stove. And faster than you, dear brethren.
In the case of Abel, we have acceptance.
Because he brought the right sacrifice, there was blood.
And the way of God this says to us that without shedding of blood there is no remission. And so he had the right sacrifice. So we have acceptance.
In the case of Enoch.
As that has already been mentioned.
The result of a faith and acceptance we have walked. But I noticed something very blessed too. We have the translation of the heavenly Saints. You notice to say here that by faith Enoch was translated. He is a type of the heavenly Saints, and in particular I believe that those that they're going to be alive when the Lord Jesus comes at the rapture.
And then in the case of Enoch, we have a type of the eternity people that they're going to go through the tribulation and through that they're going to be safe.
How does the order and this chapter we get? As we were calling attention to the second verse, he speaks of the elders obtaining a good report. Then in the fourth verse he he tells us how those elders obtained a good report.
And the third verse that Brother Hale was commenting on and others have attitude gives us a subject of creation.
But I was thinking that the order follows very much what you would get in the book of Genesis. That is, in two chapters you get.
The whole of creation brought before us, and then the third chapter we get the fall of man. And then when you go through all the books of the Bible, the subject is.
God's grace and saving the the creature that has fallen under the power of sin. And Satan. So in considering creation, wonderful and amazing as it is.
It's not the great and all important subject. We can spend our whole life studying geology and astronomy and and our souls would wither up during the time. I don't say that you shouldn't get some thoughts on geology and on astronomy, it's very interesting indeed, but isn't it important brethren and view of eternity.
What the elders gained that we are more occupied with God's grace to sinners and we are with the wonders and amazing discoveries in this creation.
So the spirit of God just passes that subject. You wouldn't have omit it. And it's the subject of faith, just as everything in this chapter is a subject of faith.
And then he turns immediately to God's grace, to sinners and the first.
00:55:04
Mentioned elder is that of Abel covered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
So the two religions of the world come out in that verse. One is the religion of two and the other is the religion of done. And the whole world is divided between the two. You can take any.
Religion. Whether it's a Muhammadan or the Buddhist religion, it's always a religion of works.
Yet outside of that, there is that which we see in Abel a man who had faith to offer the sacrifice that God could accept, and that sacrifice, as we well know, the first thing of his flock.
Was tight or a picture of Christ going into death for our sins. And it's lovely to notice there too, that it says by the which he obtained witness that he was righteous. Not by what he did, not by his discovering the right way, but through this sacrifice he was accounted righteousness.
And it mentions here God testifying on notice of his gifts. What were the gifts? Well, he offered the lamb and the fat bearer. Will you find Valerie? As you look into the subject of the different offerings, especially in Leviticus, you'll find that they were always to offer the fat on the altar was to be burned.
That is, it. Was that about the offering Which folks, what was so precious to the heart of God?
In his beloved Son offering himself up as a sacrifice for sin. So we get that Lamb, the only way that a sitter can be in God's presence, Christ bearing our sins as the Lamb of Calvary. And then we get the preciousness of that sacrifice to the heart of God the Father, so that he can be accepted now.
And all that God delights him as he looked down upon.
The Blessed Lord laying down His life and glorifying him about the whole question of sin.
One and 21.
We'll read it, but I wanted to make a mention of our brother. Hail has called her attention to the two testimonies. In Psalm 119, that is.
The creation, that is God, the Creator and also the Word of God.
Psalm 21 and many other psalms we get the person, the king shall join thy strength and so on. So I believe we have 3 testimonies in the Old Testament.
That is what was brought before us the Creator, the word of God, and the person who would be the Savior.
Now in this.
Chapter first, Peter One and 21.
Well, we'll read a little earlier.
18 First, and this goes along with the sacrifice of Abel all over. Abel was particularly setting before us the death of another that is the victim, Christ. But here we have the blood marked out in this verse.
For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your father's.
But with a precious blood of Christ, and as of a lamb, as of a lamb without lambish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, who was manifest in these last time for you now this 21St birds.
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Who by him not by creation, but who by him, do believe in God?
That raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. Now this gives us the means then of salvation. This gives us the way. And so if God is the author and the source of all blessing in the Spirit, the power, we find that the Lord Jesus was the one who came down to make all these things good to us.
In his work on the cross and giving himself as a sacrifice and also the shedding of his precious blood.
Wonderful thing, isn't it, for a Sinner to have the witness in himself that he is righteous. But how can he have that witness?
Well, you get that in the third chapter of Romans. Now the righteousness of God without the law is with.
The righteousness without the law.
It is fulfilled, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ under wall, and upon all them that believe.
So it isn't any goodness or any.
Walk of my own. That is how clear and and it should be. But it's all found in Christ. And what a thought of poor, unworthy, unfaithful.
Sinner that knows only too well that he has failed.
So much and yet he can stand and have the witness to be sit here in the calm assurance that he's righteous before God.
Everything I'm saying is so important, 11.
And we rejoice that the Lord Jesus definitely and eternally with the question of sin.
And as regards our sins, he is born in his own body on the tree.
That we being dead unto sins not sins, but sin.
Live unto righteousness by whose stripes we've been healed.
Wand of our elder brethren one day, he said. Sin is what you are.
Sins are what you do.
Well, that caused us to think. But is it not wonderful to remember that as regards sin, the Lord Jesus has definitely and eternally dealt with it, beloved on the cross of Calvary.
So that if you belong to Christ, you stand in all the perfection of His beloved Son.
Does not sustain. There's nothing there. It's gone. Now that's a wonderful truth to get hold of for the younger Christian.
But since he's born in his own body on the tree.
And then he says, being data unto sin.
Might live unto righteousness by whose stripes we've been healed.
One day crossing the Atlantic.
I noticed in the in the ocean, the point of a continent. Well, I didn't know what it was. I said the captain. I said captain, what is that little point, that little island out there, Mid-Atlantic, he says. That's the point of a continent. Smith.
Said What depth is it here?
He said 5 1/2 miles deep and this is the point of a continent. I said, well it's strange they don't have a lighthouse on it. He says they cannot put a lighthouse because it vibrates and the lighthouse falls. Then this was a hard boiled captain and I said captain, you know where my sins are.
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They're buried in the depths of the sea now, he says. Here you go, preaching again.
And I, said, Captain, another little Quentin.
While we're on this, how far is from the east and the West? How far is east from the West?
Or he says there you go again, he said. I don't know.
Well, I said. That's as far as my sins have been removed. As far as the east is from the West so far. Have you removed my transgressions from it? And in the depths of the sea they've been buried and gone forever. Well, he was a hard boiled captain. They didn't seem to register, but wasn't that interesting.
In that 5 1/2 miles deep.
Was there, brethren? That's where our sins have been buried. You'll never see them again. Praise God. We'll never see them again.
So the difference between sin and sin.
I would like what you brethren would think about that statement of one of our old brethren. Sin is what you are.
Sins are what you do.
And forgiveness of sins, sin is ever forgiven.
It's judged and the Lord Jesus judged it forever.
And finally, on the cross of Calvary, what a wonderful savior we have.
Would you give us a sacrifice with joy, the thought of the bird offering character, because it shows what the work of Christ is to God, and because of this now we can rejoice in the place of acceptance that we have been brought into. God has been perfectly glorified. He's not only seen sin put away as it's brought before us in the sin and trespass offering, but we see in the bird offering what it is to God.
And so we are accepted because of what Christ has done. God has been glorified, and so we stand now before him, accepted in the beloved. And I think that is what is primarily brought before us and able sacrifice.
Because it's a blessed thing to know that our sins are gone, but it's still more wonderful to think that we are before God in Christ, not only the righteousness of God in him about accepted in all the favor in which he is, as before, the heart of God his Father.
312.
Lead on, Almighty Lord, lead on the victory.
Encouraged by thy blessed word with joy, we follow thee 312.