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Hebrews 10.
Well, let's read from 21 for the context.
That'll be fine.
For the context, having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
By a new and living way. But she hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh. And having an eye priest over the House of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith. Having a heart 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 you see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, fire, indignation. What shall devour the adversaries? He that despise Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God?
And has counted the blood of the covenant or whether he was sanctified an unholy thing.
And have done desperate under the spirit of grace. For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me I will recompense, saith the Lord, and again the Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Remembrance the former days in which, after you were illuminated, He endured a great fight of afflictions, partly whilst you were made a gazing stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly.
All she became companions of them that were so used.
For yet compassion of me and my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away, therefore your confidence, which have great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise for yet a little while. And he that shall come will come, and will not carry. Now the Judge shall live by faith.
But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe that the saving of the soul.
I'd like to make a comment or two in connection with priesthood again for a moment. We took something of it up this morning. But I think it's important to realize, brethren, that again, we are all priests.
In in God's house in the Old Testament, there was a priesthood set up beginning with Aaron and his sons, and that priesthood passed down from 1 to another. And as I think Brother Bob said this morning, to be a priest in the Old Testament, you had to be born into Aaron's family. Not everybody was a priest in the Old Testament, and that priesthood interceded on behalf of the people.
And there was something between God and the people. There was the priesthood, and the people could come, but they could only come and approach so far. But I want to go over to first Peter for a moment and read a verse or two there.
First Peter, chapter 2.
And verse five, ye also, as living stones are built up a spiritual house.
And holy priesthood to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. There's another aspect to our priesthood. I'll just read it in verse 9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and holy nation of peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of him who have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. And so we find here that we can come now.
Right into the presence of God. There's nothing standing between US and God, nothing between US and the Lord Jesus, and we can come boldly into his presence. As we said this morning, that wasn't true in the Old Testament. And even the priest didn't have real confidence, I suspect, in coming into the presence of the Lord and going a little further than the people and even the high priest into the.
00:05:09
Into the holiest of all. But what I'd like to say in this connection, brethren, to encourage our hearts is that to be gathered to the Lords name, where we enjoy this in a very real way, collectively, is perhaps a privilege that we don't realize. There are many of our dear brethren, many very godly Christians who do not enjoy this privilege. They're going to come perhaps tomorrow morning to a place of worship.
And there's going to be set up by man something that will hinder the work of the Spirit of God.
In in a priestly function with those ones that are there, they may sit in a room and may have something that the Spirit of God places on their heart as to praise and worship, but because there's someone or individuals that are placed at the front to take all the part, they're not going to be able to exercise their priesthood. That's a very sad thing. What a privilege they're missing out on.
They have a hymn on their heart or some scripture, but they're not free because of the ******* of the system that they are connected with and the fact that there is an earthly, I'll speak very plainly, and earthly clergy or eldership set up. And only they are the ones that, as far as that group is concerned, are ordained to take part and exercise their priestly function. And even with them there may be a preset requisite.
You know, I, I knew a man who took the position of being a so-called pastor or minister in one of these Christian fellowships and he told me himself, he said, you know, I'm not free on Lords Day to just give out any hymn I want or to speak on what I want. He said from the head office I get some pre programming and they expect me to incorporate what the head office says I have to put into my sermons and the worship service and and so on.
In that sad that is not allowing us to the Spirit of God to cause us to function as priests before God.
Very important that the Spirit of God have liberty. That's the character of our worship. Now is in spirit and in truth. When it says in truth, it is according to the revelation of God that we have now in the Lord Jesus.
But it's in spirit, and the Spirit of God is the one to guide. There is a worship leader in our midst. It's the Spirit of God. It's no human.
Person that's there to do it and but brother and I, I do feel like.
Jim said that it's a tremendous privilege, but we can fall into forms ourselves that do not allow the Spirit of God liberty.
We were mentioning this morning and during the break of brother spoke to me about things that hinder and cause those long pauses at times. We're not cultivating fellowship on a daily basis, and so when we come into the Lord's presence, we're not vessels ready for the Lord's use and so we need to be exercised. What is it that hinders us, brethren?
To being useful to the Lord. And when we come into the Lord's presence, it doesn't mean that every time we come into the Lord's presence, I'm going to participate audibly. But there should be the exercises I sit down in his presence that if the Lord wants to use me in some way in giving out a hymn or in worship or praise or prayer, whatever it may be.
That I would be a vessel ready for his use. So we need to be exercised about these things, brethren. Another thing here in our chapter that I would like to mention is verse 21 where Bill is going to begin reading. And I think that's where we left off really. But it says having an high priest over the House of God. You go back to the fifth chapter you find.
What the high Priest was for in verse one of the 5th chapter, it says, For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men and things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way? For that He himself also his compass with infirmity and by reason there hereof He ought As for the people, so also for himself to offer for sins.
00:10:33
So that's speaking about.
The ironic high priest is Aaron was first the high priest and then his son after him. But it was because of the weaknesses and infirmities of the flesh. And as we offer our sacrifices of praise to God, often there is things that doesn't correspond to the truth.
I've heard sometimes a young brother may get up to give thanks and he says.
Our God and Father, thanks so much for dying for our sins. Well, it's not an exact expression of what really is the truth. He, the Father, didn't die, but he got up in the desire of his heart to give praise to God. And so the Lord Jesus, as one of our little hymns says.
To all our prayers and phrases Christ adds his sweet perfume. He is there because of those weaknesses. And I want to encourage our young brother and to take part even there might be a mistake made. But for that reason, the Lord Jesus is our High Priest over the House of God. And so give the praise that the Lord lays on your heart, and the Lord takes that and presents it properly.
To God the Father, that's a wonderful thing to know that we have.
And High priest over the House of God.
Just in that connection, it might be helpful to go back to the 28th of Exodus for a moment.
And see how this is illustrated with the high priest. While you're turning to that, I'll just tell you a little story, a rather sad story. I knew of a brother who never took part in the assembly, all the years that he was gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. The reason was that as a young man, his mother told him if you don't open your mouth in the assembly, you'll never make a mistake. Isn't that sad? Isn't that a sad thing? I hope there's no mother here that would ever tell.
Their son coming along in the Lord that, but I wanted just to emphasize this and what brother Bob has said. Let's read in Exodus 28 and verse 36.
And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet holiness to the Lord. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the miter. Upon the forehead of the mitre it shall be, upon the front forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron now notice this may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hollow in all their holy gifts.
And it shall be always upon the forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord. I believe what we learn from this is that even in our holy things, even in our worship, even in our prayers, it's checkered sometimes with self. Sometimes we do things publicly for the wrong reason, for the wrong motive. Maybe, as Bob said, it isn't always expressed in a proper way. Maybe we address the wrong person of the Godhead in connection.
With a certain aspect of things we're praying about or speaking about, and it's true, brethren, we want to grow and mature and we want to be intelligent in our prayers. To thank the Father for dying for us is unintelligent, and he wants us to be intelligent in our prayers. But I think the hymn writer expressed it very well. He said to all our prayers and praises, Christ adds his sweet perfume and love. The sensor raises these orders to consume.
And it has been a great comfort to my own soul to realize that when I pray, and what my prayers and my praises, as imperfect as they may be, and as checkered with sin and self as they may sometimes be, by the time they reach the ear of God the Father, Our High Priest has taken it, put it in his sensor, so to speak, and he's brought it perfectly to the ear of God the Father, and it is a sweet savour to him.
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And again, I want to encourage those who are younger, don't be afraid and don't be afraid or offended to take correction. I told about a young man this morning whose prayer wasn't a scriptural. And when it was brought before him, he took it very well. He accepted it in the proper spirit. That's how we grow. And if an older brother comes to you and says, you know, that wasn't quite expressed the right way, we appreciated you giving thanks. But.
Here's here's, here's perhaps a better way it could be expressed. Take that as from the Lord. And let me say this to those of us who are older. Let's learn to be gracious and patient with our younger brethren. I'm afraid sometimes, brethren, we cut off the ears of those who are older, are younger. We silence those who are younger because we come down too sharply. Yes, admonish, but admonish in love. Yes, correct.
But do it in a, in a great, in a gracious way, and the Spirit of God can use it. One other comment too, about prayer. I believe that those of us who are older when we pray in the prayer meeting need to be exercised to leave something for the younger brethren to pray about. You know, collective prayer doesn't mean we all pray for the same thing. We may if it's a special burden on the assembly at the time.
But I think some of us who are older prey around the world and we, the younger brethren don't feel there's insufficient time or insufficient things to pray about. Let's be careful as older brethren, that we give space and in worship as well. Lords, the morning I no long pauses are more a sign of weakness than they are a sign of piety. But let's be careful, brethren, that we give time and space for our younger brethren to read a scripture, say a little word of praise and and worship.
Or to give out of him. I believe we would see the Spirit of God work in a mighty way if we would carry this out practically.
So verse 22 is really the climax of the whole book, isn't it? First, we have the authority of the person in the first four chapters who does the work. We have as high priesthood and as sacrifice, and it all climaxes here. It's a new order of things. He's the high priest, and his sacrifice has brought us into this condition. And verse 22 really is a reference to the consecration of the priest, isn't it?
Exodus 29, So we can't miss that reference. The priests both had blood applied and they were washed all over with water. And that's exactly the reference here, having our hearts sprinkled with an evil conscience. That's the blood and our bodies washed with pure water. This is positional sanctification, isn't there? Sometimes terms vary a little bit, but it's absolute sanctification. It's a new position that God has brought us into.
I have two thoughts that perhaps tie a little bit better to what we had in the last meeting, but this drawing near with the true heart would just like to make one quick reference and this is something more for the sisters kind of what we had before. If you turn for a moment to First Samuel chapter one, it takes up something there where?
In verse.
In verse 13 it says now Hannah, she spake in her heart only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Now Eli responds and ill advisedly, but he doesn't find out what the petition is, but he does say in verse 17, the God of Israel grant by petition which thou hast asked of him and so.
In essence here the thought is, is that the God of Israel was able to understand what that petition was, even though it was spoken without any words. It was something that was said in her heart. And so there was a drawing in her heart, you know, to what she fully wanted to express. And she was able to do so. And the God of Israel was able to hear her even though words did not come out of her lips. And it's mentioned that in connection what we had in the last meeting.
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That there is something, you know, that sisters can indeed participate. It's a very real thing to speak in ones heart in that way to the Lord. But there's one more thought here too that I was also struck with. And it again, it ties a little bit back with what we spoke about earlier and but in reference to nearness drawing near. And if we go back and look at Psalm 84 for a second.
And we look at.
Let's just read verse two in the interest of time. My soul longeth, yeah, even fainted for the courts of the Lord.
Down in verse 10 we read for a day in thy courts is better than 1000 and if we were to read, I think in Psalm 96 you have more references to, you know, the the courts of Jehovah, you know.
Wasn't a wonderful thing that even though a person was not a priest in that day, there's a place where they could give expression to the thoughts that were in their hearts, the delight that they wanted to give to the God of Israel, we might say, to the Lord, to Jehovah. And they were able to do so from those courts, but they did not come within the veil. And this is what we've had now before us, the ability to come, not just, shall I say, out in the courts.
But we have the privilege of coming right inside the veil into the very presence of God. Astounding to me to think about how God has opened up the way to the person of the Lord Jesus for us to come that near.
Like to comment on the fact that the exhortation is given in the way it is in verse 22.
Let us verse 23. Let us verse 24. Let us, and in other parts of the Epistle as well, It assumes, brethren, that there is.
In us, the divine nature that responds to.
This and will respond, and that's what's so beautiful to see is the truth of God presented in simplicity and laid hold of in our souls. What is going to be the result? Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Over other and where is holding back here?
I don't know. Sometimes I see younger people that haven't taken their place at the Lord's Table. I don't know why. The reason is I remember myself hesitating when I came to that question as a young person, but I came to this if I mention anything of my own lack.
In the question, we are not laying hold of what God has done for us in the Lord Jesus. He has made every single thing possible. He's made it possible for us now to come with boldness right into His very presence.
Why am I going to hold back now?
Isn't there not that desire in my heart to come?
As he has said with boldness, full assurance of faith, if I lay some problem out that's hindering me, I am really saying there's some lack yet. And of course, the lack is on my part, not on his part. Sometimes give this illustration if the president of the country would invite me to dinner and I say, well, I don't know that I have the right.
Proper type of clothing to come to sit in the at the president's table to participate. And so he sends me a full outfit just suited for me so that I will have the right outfit to come into the sit down at his table. And so the time comes and I come into the place where the dinner is going to be celebrated and I take a chair at the table and I pull it off into the corner and say I just don't feel.
00:25:21
Worthy to sit down here. What is the President going to say to me? I've done everything possible so that you can sit down at my table and you still have a problem with that? Oh, brother. And the Lord help us to understand it, that there would be. We cannot force anybody to break bread at the Lord's table, but it should be the response.
Of your heart and mind to desire to come into His presence, to sit down at the Lord's table. Brethren, I don't think that there is a privilege greater in this world than doing that. And sometimes we allow other things to come in to hinder that. Let me ask you right now, just let these words weigh on your soul.
Let us.
Draw near with a true heart.
In full assurance of faith over other, this is the place He wants us to enjoy with Him.
As has been mentioned.
It's Jim mentioned it that it's the sprinkling or was it you, brother Eric? Sprinkling is the sprinkling of the blood.
And the bodies washed with pure water is the.
All over Bath that was given to the priests at their consecration. It's figurative of.
The washing of regeneration that's mentioned.
In Titus chapter 3 verse five and it's helpful to understand that it's a washing that's done once for all. Remember when the Lord Jesus got down to wash his disciples feet?
Peter first said Lord.
You'll never wash my feet and he said if I wash you not, you have no part with me.
Then Peter went to the other extreme, and he said, Lord not my.
Feed only, but also my hands and my head and the Lord Jesus said he that is washed and that word means bathe need not be bathed again, but is clean every whip. That's what we have here in this verse. It's the washing of water that we have here with abortion of pure water.
It's it's helpful to understand that that's the place that we've been brought into.
Perfect place. The consecration of the priest didn't make the man a priest, but made the man a priest. Was he was, as we've said, he was born into the family of Aaron, but it brought him into a position where he could function and serve as a priest. Water in Scripture brings us from one position into the other. Just like with the crossing of the Red Sea, it brought them from under the authority of the Egyptians and Pharaoh to under the authority of Moses.
Who was going to lead them through through the wilderness? I enjoyed the simplicity of a comment that chapter McIntosh made in commenting on the soldier with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came throughout Blood and water. He said blood cleanses my sin and water cleanses the Sinner. I thought that was very helpful. In other words, it brings me into that new position now where I can serve as a priest. When I just say that to help us to understand, it didn't make the man a priest.
But it brought him into that position and we have been brought into that position, brethren, we're there whether we exercise our priesthood or not, we are in that position. And it is the to be the privilege of everyone to exercise that position and and privilege we've been brought into.
I wonder if this would be helpful that the brazen altar gave them title to enter, but the labor gave them fitness to enter in a moral sense.
00:30:11
So that again is the distinction between positional and practical sanctification, isn't it? The consecration was once for all, but the washing was a daily and a necessary action, wasn't it? And so.
You just got the washing all over. You don't get the practical sanctification.
What is there a reason for that? Here in the book of Hebrews you only get him as a high priest, not as an advocate.
His high priestly work is in connection with God. That's power.
His advocacy is in connection with the Father. That's relationship, lest we so there's all the power there is to his high priestly work when it comes to his advocacy, lest we think the relationship is broken through sin. It's not. It's an advocate with the Father, but that's the subject of first John here. It's simply the position we've been brought into and the privileges we have as to that position we've been brought into.
We don't, we don't have the right understanding of the position.
We don't have a right way for application of the principles. That's why it's so important to understand position. It's been said the sin is fatal in Hebrews.
Sin in first John, it's you don't have the father in Hebrews. Yeah, but once father of spirits. But it's not the relationship of family, is it? They have the high priest to keep us from sinning. So I take it here. That's why you have the positional side. It's not about cleansing from the file, but here. So it's certainly a line of truth. It's just not what's taught here. Very helpful.
It seems to me I just wonder if we don't have a hit of practical sanctification though in verse 38, the just shall live by faith.
It's based on positional of course, but.
It wasn't necessarily that they had sinned. Practical sanctification doesn't mean they had necessarily sinned. But there's defilement along the way, isn't there?
And we need that daily cleansing of the Word. That's why we need our Christian disciplines are so important, isn't it?
And that's part of the reason why there's often silence. I believe in Lord's Day mourning and other times is that we haven't been diligent in our Christian disciplines, reading and prayer and meditation, being in the Lord's presence. We can't all expect all of a sudden expected all to come on Lord's Day morning. But it has to be a daily, a practice, doesn't it?
And that's practical sanctification, not just when we sin, but in order to cleanse us in the daily pathway.
That OK bird.
I don't think we should separate too much. The positional and the practical. It's to go together, even though what we have here, the focus is the positional. I'm going to say a young woman is going to get married and she puts on this beautiful white dress.
And there she goes to the place where she's going to get married.
Out on the street, there's some dirty cars out there. You think she's going to be careful how she walks?
I should say she is going to be careful. Why is she so careful? Because she's got this beautiful white dress. And brethren, if we walk in the enjoyment of the fact that God has brought us into a place of complete perfectness, how careful that's going to make us walk practically in this world. So they go together.
But the focus here is the position perhaps.
I just think our position is so, so settled that some things that are characteristic in the old priesthood, like if the priest didn't go in, I mean if he didn't wash at the labor, that's the practical cleansing. Before he went to sanctuary, it was fatal. But with us it's it's fatal to fellowship.
But we can get, you know, there's provision, we have an advocate and that can be taken care of through acknowledgement, confession of sin. And we're clans and the blood has an office there too. But.
00:35:05
It's interesting that.
Greece provides so much a richer.
Foundation for life we don't lose it if we.
Do something wrong, you know, if we fail, it's like the Lord said, it is important. It's very important because the Lord said to Peter, if you don't let me wash you, that is just wash your feet. You have no part with me. And that's practical. I believe he's still, he's still clean all over. But it's, there's no practical fellowship in the Lord's work or, or his service.
I think we have a nice example too of the distinction between the two.
In the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, don't we? The Passover was to be the beginning of their year, and that's the beginning of our Christian life, isn't it? But then immediately following the Passover, as soon as the Passover was completed, was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That's practical sanctification. So the Passover is the foundation once for all. But then the Feast of Unleavened Bread was for seven days. That's a complete period of time.
Until we're taken home in a new position. That's practical sanctification.
Could you say something more about what you said about first John, that the father an advocate with the father and and?
Well, it's not part of the subject here, but since you bring it up, there is a contrast between the priestly work of the Lord Jesus and His advocacy. They're two very different offices that He's fulfilling. I'll just say briefly that again, when it's his high priestly work, it's in connection with God.
It's his, it's the power that's at our disposal and in connection with some of the comments that have been made, I would just say that in the measure.
In which you and I avail ourselves of his high priestly intercession. We won't need his advocacy because his high priestly intercession is to preserve us. It's to keep us in the path of faith and service. And he has a continual priesthood.
That's why it's contrasted in earlier in the book of Hebrews, the priesthood under Aaron, the ironic priesthood, Aaron and his sons is contrasted with the Melchizedek priesthood, the Melchizedek priesthood, it wasn't continual. It passed from one to another and so on. And it's like the doctor that retires. You've gone to him all your life and you got to start over with a new Doctor.
The ironic priesthood, Yes, and so.
The you have to start over with the with the new doctrine. You say the other doctor knew my family background, my history, but we don't have to start over with the Lord Jesus. And so the Melchizedek priesthood, it had no beginning and it was, it was superseded the ironic priesthood and the Lord Jesus is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek and it's continual. It's it's always there on our behalf. And if we would avail ourselves of it, we wouldn't need his advocacy. But what I the comment I just made in passing and I'll qualify it. I'll elaborate just a little bit because it is helpful.
It's with the advocacy of Christ in first John. It's not an advocate with God. We have an when if any man's sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Why is it with the Father? Because that's relationship. Maybe there's some young people here and you go to work or you go to the office, or do you go to school and you have Christian friends who tell you you can lose your salvation.
If you sin or something like that, you lose your salvation. If it said we have an advocate with God, we might well wonder.
But it says we have an advocate with the Father showing that when sin and failure come into my life.
In no way is the family relationship broken, but I do have to do with my father. So any of us who have had children, when they disobeyed or went against us, we didn't bring them up to the court of law, but they had to do with us in the aspect of parents as a father to to a child. And so we have an advocate with the father. It's also Jesus Christ the righteous. Why?
Because when we sin, there's no compromise on his part to restore us. When I sin, it's just as if the Lord Jesus in the presence of the Father says to the Father, I paid for that sin. Let me take time to just use a simple illustration. Suppose I'm brought up to the court of law and I've gone against society, and the judge listens to my case, and maybe I'm a good talker or I get a good lawyer and the judge lets me off.
00:40:27
He's not. If I'm really guilty, he's not a righteous judge. But we'll suppose the judge listens to my case and he says, now Jim, I know you're guilty and the penalty for going against society is less and so, but now I'm going to pay the penalty so you can go free.
Now he's a righteous judge because in the sense of my illustration at least, because now he has the claims of society have have been met and all my sins were taken care of at the cross of Calvary by one offering he perfected forever them that are sanctified we had earlier in our chapter. And that's how he can be a righteous advocate. But to come back to Hebrews, you do not get the advocacy of Christ in Hebrews because.
All the power of his high priestly work is at our disposal. We don't have to fail. We don't have to sin. It's only in John first John if any man sin well in in other words, if the occasion arise, if it does happen, then there's a there's advocacy, but all the power in Hebrews.
Of the High priestly work of Christ is at our disposal. And where is He as our High Priest? Back in the 8th chapter, He's at the right hand.
What is the right hand in Scripture? The right hand is always the place of power. Now, brethren, I want to just switch gears for a little for a moment because we've talked about why so often we don't exercise our priesthood in the assembly collectively. And I want to go back to a comment and use a Scripture, an illustration from Scripture, and it's only an application.
I've I've been exercised about that verse in my own soul. Let none appear before me empty.
I'm afraid that sometimes at 10:50 or whatever the breaking of bread meeting is in your home assembly. I'm afraid sometimes we sit down 10 minutes before and we're empty. What do I mean by that? We haven't filled our lives with the person and work of Christ during the week. Now I want to make this a simple and basic as we can.
Perhaps sometimes some of us on the front row know a little bit more what we're talking about, but we need to make this basic, brother. We need to bring this right down.
And I'm going to draw on a incident in the life of the Lord Jesus, which I know has a millennial application, but I think there's something practical for us to consider. You remember the first miracle that the Lord Jesus performed. It's brought before us in John's Gospel, chapter 2, the marriage at Canaan of Galilee. And again, I know the third day in the water pots filled with wine has a millennial application meaning, but I've often thought of those six water pots in connection with you and I.
You know, earthen vessels are sometimes used as a figure of the human form. Those of us who know Christ, it says which treasure we have in earthen vessels. We sometimes sing to Him. Our earthen vessels break, the world itself grows old. And I like to think of those six vessels as six days of the week and when they locked wine at the marriage, which often speaks of praise and Thanksgiving and worship in Scripture.
What was the remedy? Well, first of all, they had to fill the water pots with water. I like to think of it as filling our lives with Christ. 6 days of the week there were six water pots there. And when they filled the water pots, it's interesting, they even went beyond the instruction of the Lord Jesus. He simply told them to fill the water pots. They filled them to the brim. He didn't tell them to do that, but by faith they filled them to the brim.
If you fill a vessel to the brim with water, there isn't room for anything else. And if we fill our lives with Christ, the water through the water of the word contained water speaks of the word. How are we going to fill our lives with Christ? It's the word of God. It's Christ where we ever we read in Scripture many things about his personal work, but it's Christ. They filled them to the brim and then what was the governor? What were they able to do? They were to able they were able to take and pour out to the governor of the feast.
The Lord turned the water to wine, and what we enjoy 6 days of the week in our earthen vessel, the Lord can then take and turn to joy and praise and Thanksgiving so that when we come we'll have something to pour out to the true governor of the feast. But brethren, if we come with empty water pots or half filled water pots, there isn't going to be that praise and worship. There's not going to be the exercise or the ability to function as a priest.
00:45:27
Like we ought to.
So Hebrews 415 and 16.
Come in there, right?
Yes.
It's not advocacy, but it's help and time of need.
Perhaps today there's a brother.
Or sister.
Maybe in Jordan or Syria?
They're trying to encourage a new babe in Christ.
And the need to cross some area.
Where they know the war is going on.
They know the message they have is from God.
And their hearts are filled with fear, not fear of the Lord.
Feared the dangers.
And they have a high priest just like you and I. They can ask the grace to help time of need.
Recently, services for weakness and infirmity.
That is not sin in itself. If we give place to weakness, it can become sin, but it's to help us so that we will not sin. Then when we do sin, which is the.
What is taken up in first John?
Then is where we need the advocacy, which is a different function of the Lord Jesus, and He's there for us for that too. But here it is.
Weakness and infirmity, not sin necessarily.
Just to go on, because their time is slipping away. We find there's another aspect to our function of a priest as a priest, not just to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices as holy priests. That's true, and we've spoken of that at some length. But we read in Peter that we're also royal priests, and that has to do with showing forth his praises to one in testimony.
And I suggest that perhaps one reason why in our chapter he goes on in verse 24.
To say, and let us consider one another, to provoke unto love and good works.
Are we showing forth the Spirit of Christ in our lives as royal priests? We often think of royal priests in connection with our testimony in the Gospel and so on, and that's certainly part of it. But brethren, what about our interactions with one another? And what about not a some not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is? Does this not come under the same?
Aspect of functioning as priests.
So there's two aspects of our priesthood. There's the art where holy priests to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices. We're royal priests in connection with our testimony in this world and our interactions with one another. Is that right, Eric?
And let us his responsibility, isn't it? We've had the foundation and now beginning with verse 19, we have our responsibility. That's where the let us comes in.
Verse 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. And then it's so wonderful, the last part of that verse. For He is faithful that promise. It's not a question, brethren, of our faithfulness, but of His faithfulness. If it depended on our faithfulness, we wouldn't make it, but it's His faithfulness.
So let's continue on. We live in a day when there's a lot of giving up. And that's a part of the focus here in in Hebrews is that the there were Jewish people who had made a Christian profession who perhaps were not real and they were perhaps thinking about going back. He says, don't do that.
00:50:21
Let's be real with God. And there's always the tendency perhaps in this room.
Those who are not real, you haven't gotten it straight. I can't judge. And I look around this company, but sometimes I wonder, is there everyone is they are they real? The Lord would come. Is there going to be people who will be left behind?
And so we need to this exhortation. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.
For He is faithful. It's not a question of our faithfulness, it's a question of His faithfulness.
And the rest of the chapter is a parenthesis, isn't it? There's five parenthetical warnings in the book of Hebrews, just as you were speaking, Bob, There's a danger. And so there's five warnings given to us in Hebrews. We might just go over them very briefly because there was this danger of them going back. The first warning is in chapter 2, verses one through 4, the danger of neglect. We've been speaking about that.
There's a danger of how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation. So that was the first warning to them. The second warning is chapter 3, verse 7 through 413, the danger of unbelief. Some were in the position of profession, but they never made it their own. As you were saying, there was a danger of unbelief. And then in chapter 5.
One through 620, there's a danger of not maturing times. We see that, don't we? We see somebody that seems to never grow in their soul. We think they're real. They seem to have a real affection for the Lord, but they just don't grow. What's the problem? Well, it points it out there. A mature person has mature habits. That's the way it should be translated there.
Even those who by reason of use it says, or by reason of habit, the better translation is have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. These are the Christian disciplines we were speaking about. We won't make progress in our spiritual life if we don't have the spiritual discipline daily and weekly and during the week we won't make progress. So there's a danger of not maturing.
In our chapter here, verse 26 to the end of the chapter, there's a danger of drawing back. We were saying there were some that were professing they were Jews, they professed to be Christians, but there was a danger of them going back to the beggarly elements of Judaism. And then finally in chapter 12, verses 25 through 29, there's a danger of refusing God SO5 warnings to these professing believers.
And their warnings we need to take to heart.
23rd verse It speaks again about the profession of faith, or another translation says confession of hope, and what that hope five times is referenced in in this particular epistle.
I would just suggest it's those who look for a better country that is in heavenly or has a Chapter 11 brings out or chapter 13 the continuing city.
But what happens if there's not a holding on to those kind of things? There's then the tendency to not want to come to the place where these things are upheld and taught. If you're, if you have an interest in pursuing the things of the flesh, are you going to want to be at a place like this? Or if you're, if you want to, you know, satisfy your flesh, if you want to satisfy, you know, the lust of your eyes, of the pride of life, those kind of things, this is not the place where you're going to be encouraged to do that.
And so there's a tendency then to forsake the assembling of oneself in a place such as this. But on the other hand, we need to remember, too, that the children of Israel, as they were wandering through the desert, you know, thinking in terms of Brother Eric just brought before us, there was a desire, you know, in the hearts of some to return back to Egypt, not to look forward to the land that had been promised to them, the land to which they were heading, but to look back and remember the leaks and the garlics and things of that nature that they sat around and ate.
00:55:19
And so.
What happens is if there is not, shall I say, an exercise in our souls about what is before us, the country to which we're heading, there's going to be a temptation to turn back and and to lay these things aside.
Yes. And so I think it's helpful in that word faith in the middle of the 28th, 23rd verse, Mr. Darby translates it Hope. And again, it's a contrast, isn't it?
Because when Peter writes to Jewish believers, he writes to them and encourages them as to a living hope. In the Old Testament they had hope and it was connected with this world, It was connected with the Kingdom, and so on. In fact, even after the Lord rose to the dead from the dead, they said we thought that it was he that should restore the Kingdom to Israel and so on. And the disciples themselves found it hard to lay aside that hope for something that was not connected with this, with this world.
And so.
These believers, these Jewish believers, they had a hope, but it was connected with a man in the glory now, not with a man on earth the way he was with the disciples, Not a hope connected with this world, but it was a hope that was beyond this world. So even Abraham, he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker was God. And there were those who didn't receive the promises, but they saw them afar off and embrace them and confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
And Christianity presents to us a wonderful hope. And faith always needs a hope. Faith always has an eye to the future, something that is ahead. You give up if there isn't something better in the future.
Verse 25 is important too, rather than not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
To come together with those of like precious faith to encourage one another is so important, and it seems like little by little we give it up.
I must say I enjoyed a lot.
From my dear Latin brethren, learn from them. One of them was speaking about those four things mentioned in.
Acts 242. They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine #1 and fellowship #2, and in breaking of bread #3, and in prayers #4.
When brother made this comment that stuck with me. Says you have a table with four legs. It's pretty steady, but take away one of those legs.
And you might be able to prop the table up against the wall so that it will stand, but it's not real steady. Take away another leg. You might still be able to profit against the wall so that it'll stand in a little measure. But take away another leg. Maybe you can profit into a corner so that it looks like it's standing, but it's not very steady. Oh, brother, and we need to be together.
And I just wanted to encourage young people I have grown up in assembly gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. Must say, there were times when it didn't seem like there was much in the reading meeting to glean. There was always something and to come.
In expectancy into the Lord's presence, there was something there and those little somethings that had gleaned over the years.
Have become a treasure in my heart and I encourage you to be at the reading meetings, even though there is a lot of weakness. And I encourage you younger brothers, if there's questions that can be presented, they can be very helpful in developing the truth. You know, sometimes I feel like there's a gap between the older and the younger people.
01:00:01
Sister once said to me, we're not. You're talking above their level. That's what she said to me.
Well, it might be true. That's where our younger brother need to interject a question that would be helpful so that we could break it down in a way that would be more understandable. Let's not give it up rather than just because there's a lot of weakness. And I say you, younger brother, and God has given you a gift as well. And gift is developed with use.
So use it. So may the Lord encourage us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together to be together. I don't know why it is in Latin America. I find the prayer meetings are a lot better.
Attended than up here in the United States. Not sure why exactly, but prayer is important. Prayer meeting. May the Lord encourage us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
Now our time is almost up, but I just if I could just for a minute, I just go back to the 24th verse about per post vote. We have several scriptures about that and provoking can be good or bad in Galatians it it talks about.
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, entering one another an Ephesians that talks about not provoking our children to.
Wrath, visit or anger? And so here we were exhorted to provoke one of them. Love. So what is provoking? I mean, it can be good on the bad.
How? What provokes you to love brother?
Some brother come along and put my heart and thaw him around me and.
Love provokes love.
When we think of what the Lord Jesus has done for us, O brethren, how we need to show that love to one another.
Going on, I think it is important to perhaps explain from verse 26 we have what relates directly to what we call apostasy, giving up the Christian faith. Notice what it says verse 26.
If we sin willfully, after that we have received.
What the knowledge of the truth? It doesn't say this person has received the truth.
He has received the knowledge of the truth. A person who is not real can receive the knowledge of the truth, and that's the danger. Then they go back. Then there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. There is no salvation for apostasy, because they've gone back from the only One who can save the Lord Jesus Christ.
And let me say it this way, a true believer can never be an apostate. An apostate is one who has made a profession of faith without reality, and we don't know who they may be. Judas Iscariot was amongst the 12 disciples and none of the other eleven ever guessed that he was not real.
The Lord knew it all the time and so people can take up the Christian profession.
And perhaps have us all hoodwinked to thinking that there's reality there. The Lord knows them that are his. But here it is a very real danger in the Christian profession of those that have received not the truth, but the knowledge of the truth to give it up and to go back. And so there's an extremely serious warning in connection with it.
And right down through verse.
31.
It's a warning that we have several times in the book of Hebrews about apostasy. I think it is important to see that.
01:05:08
Became a reality in 1780. They went back if they went back to Judaism, went back to the temple for their services there they were, and they were destroyed by the Roman army.
This was written possibly about six years before that.
But perhaps we can mention some of the last verses of the chapter here. I think they're so wonderful. Verse 35 is a verse to be encouraged about brethren, cast not away. Therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward for you, have need of patience. Sometimes you know we don't get the answer.
To our questions, to our confidence in the Lord right away.
God is working, and He works in a different way than we think.
His ways are higher than our ways, as the heavens are higher than the earth, and so when He doesn't answer our petitions the way we might think He might, given that He is God, and given that He is all powerful, we have need of patience.
But don't give up your confidence in God. That's the way the enemy worked on Eve. He came in and put a question in her mind as to God's faithfulness. And it wasn't long before Eve fell, and Adam too with her. Don't give up your confidence. If your confidence is in yourself, you might have reason to give up.
But our confidence brethren, is not in ourselves, it is in God and so don't give it up. I like the verse and proverbs that says in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge. Isn't that wonderful? Have strong confidence. We live in a day of giving up. Don't give up. Your confidence is in people or organizations.
Why? I understand why you might give up, but it's a time to stand back and to reflect is our confidence in God and in His Word. There is no reason to give up.
That's not away your confidence and there's a reward for that, isn't there? Maybe you say there's nothing else I can do, nothing I can do to help the situation.
I feel so weak. But just to have confidence, repeat a little story about a young brother he was visiting in a convalescent home. And he came to a bed and there was a lady there who was a believer. And they got talking and she said, you know, I've been here so long, I'm helpless.
And she said there's nothing I can do to get reward. Nothing I can do for the Lord to get a reward. Well, he opened to this verse and he quoted it to her cast not away. Therefore thy confidence for of such is great recompense of reward. And he encouraged her that just to lie there on that hospital bed and to have confidence in her God, to trust the Lord Jesus, there would be a great reward and maybe there's someone here and you're facing some.
Brick wall in your life so to speak. He says nothing I can do about the situation but just trust him. He's faithful as we said earlier and just to trust him he's going so much does he value your confidence in mine that he's going to reward and then Bob brought out about patience. But then he says in verse 37 for yet a little while he that shall come will come and will not tarry. What are the.
Days that we might wait for something simply trusting compared to eternity or God's schedule. He says it's just a little while in another place. It's the sufferings of this little time it's in. I know it doesn't always seem that way and I I'm a man of impatience and I want things straightened out and sorted out and I'd like to get this over with and on with life. My mother always said I wanted things yesterday. But if we have patience and realize that God has a perfect.
Timetable and agenda.
01:10:01
And it may not always happen as quickly as we think it should, but if we're to, if we commit our way unto Him, trust also in Him, He will bring it to pass in His own time and way. And brethren, when He does come and we look back, what are we going to? What are we going to say? Oh, it was just a little while. It was just suffering for a little while. It was just a short time compared to what is ahead. An eternity in the glory.
And then the just shall live by faith. You know, there's still a path of faith for us, brethren. Or even amidst days of giving up, forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, lack of faith, apostasy, the seeds of apostasy coming in on every hand. Can we still go on? Can we still live by faith, brethren? Yes, we can. And so he doesn't close the chapter here without saying again in verse 38.
As he says to other places in the New Testament, now the just shall live by faith. Brethren, be encouraged. There's a path of faith for you. There's a path of faith for me, for the little time left until the Lord Jesus comes.
The name of that being when the savior appears, although.
Crown incorruptible. That would be theirs rich compensation.
Lost 168 please.
#168.