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Clearly reading 23.
Maybe we'd start with 22 just to get the connection.
Hebrews 10 and verse 22.
Let us draw near with the true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, or 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 a matter of some, is but exhorting one another in 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 of a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye? Shall he be thought worthy, who have trodden under foot the Son of God, and have counted the blood of the covenant, that wherewith He was sanctified?
An unholy thing, and hath done despite unto 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. But call the remembrance the former days in which after you were illuminated, He endured a great fight of affliction, partly while she were made a Casey stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly while she became companion to them, were so used.
For ye had compassion of me and my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourself that ye have in heaven a better and 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. Forget a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just 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 under position.
But of them that believed to the saving of the soul.
We've had our relationship with the Lord established in verses we've been considering.
Now in the tight, you might say, we're now leaving the land of Egypt and going to cross the wilderness and in the wilderness.
Those who came out of Egypt, it says they were a mixed multitude and so.
And the verses we'll be considering, we will be considering our wilderness pathway and.
That wilderness manifested an evil heart of unbelief and many of those who took the place, as identified with the Lord, coming out of Egypt.
And so down in verse 29, it speaks about those who were sanctified by the blood, and yet they perished. That is, they have this outward positional relationship with the Lord at the blood of Christ dropped them into but.
They really weren't real. And so we begin our wilderness journey now.
Having our hearts sprinkled and our bodies washed, that affixed eternal relationship. But now we come to the subject of a profession. Let us all pass the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful. That promise. We have, you might say, the equipment to make it through the wilderness pathway. We've got the high priest there, accessing to the holiest, and now we begin our journey.
That little parentheses at the end of verse 23 is so tremendous, Brethren, to get ahold of not a matter of our faithfulness, it's a matter of His faithfulness. He is faithful. When you go around and you hear the problems that God's people have from place to place, what a set of problems we have. Sometimes I call them brain Busters and they are hard to figure out.
00:05:28
What's going on?
But brethren, God allows problems, so we have the opportunity to prove that he is faithful. And so nothing. I give up the profession of our faith. And it's, it's helpful to understand, like you were mentioning, that there were those who had made a profession of Christianity and were in danger of turning back from that profession of Christianity only in the outward sense, because a real believer can never.
Become an apostate. Only one who takes an outward position of being a Christian without being real is in danger of becoming an apostate. And so it's in view of that. And we say, well, we have never been Jews, and so we are not in danger of turning back. Perhaps so. But if there is a person here who has only made an outward profession of being a Christian, that's the kind of person that can become an apostate.
And that's a very real danger.
In the book of Hebrews here, it really refers a lot to that condition that if you look down at verse 26, the verse that sometimes troubles believers says if we sin willfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth.
There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. Was that referring to? It's referring to the sin of apostasy. What did this person receive? Did he receive the truth? It doesn't say that. What he received was the knowledge of the truth. And a person who is not real can receive the knowledge of the truth without actually receiving the truth. And so Judas Iscariot, perhaps as an example of this, he had knowledge of the things of the Lord.
But he had never made it real in his own soul, and when he turned from the Lord, he went to his own place. Awful, awful end to that man.
He had said repeatedly in the Epistle to the Hebrews, while the Epistle is addressed to the Hebrew Christians again and again warnings are made beginning in chapter 2, the first verses, and we have it again we repeatedly a very well known passages. Chapter 6. It is impossible to renew to repentance well people.
Have said that is when a Christian sins.
And know that he isn't able to be let back to repentance, but it is again apostasy and there are quite a few things mentioned there of what the person has been exposed to in chapter 6.
And once enlightened, have tasted of the heavenly gift, and where must make particularly the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world come if they fall away. That's an apostate, you know.
Someone has explained tasting of the gift.
This way, which helps, I believe you're invited to a home.
For suffer, you know, you walk into that house and here a beautiful smell reaches you. The lady is preparing the meal and you say, boy, if that meal tastes as good as it smells, it must be good. You see what I mean? That's how somebody explains that.
And we can be in the presence where the activity of the Holy Ghost manifests itself without really benefiting from it. They were all exposed to these things.
And they were only outwardly among the Christians by profession and they are in danger of becoming apostates. Now this passage in chapter 6 begins through the earlier that they had become dull of hearing and the believers, those who are truly believers on the Lord Jesus, they're stunted in their growth through.
00:10:07
The adherence to the old order of things, to the times and chatters.
But the mere professor is in danger of apostasizing, turning completely back, abandoning the Christian profession, crucifying for himself the Lord Jesus. Now for us, it's very important to see that those of us who are truly believers, if we are not delivered from what is wrong about us, which is really introducing Judah is a major Christian done.
It stands our growth. We are not making progress. According to the time process, you should be teachers.
But they needed to be taught again what was the what were the elements, the beginning of the message connected with the coming of the Lord Jesus. And so we had to go beyond even what is connected with the beginning of the coming of the Lord Jesus as he comes for Israel. You know, there is no truth introduced now in Christianity. You cannot even cling to the truth that was prominent when he was here on earth with his decisive.
And a relationship that we are in now, even if we should have known Christ after the flesh, it says in 2nd Corinthians 5, we don't know him in that way any longer. There is a new relationship. There is a new creation.
So we have to go even beyond what was true at the time when the Lord was here on earth, moving there with his disciples, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. And there is further truth now, and that is what applies to us as Christians. So.
We have to lay hold of these things in order to grow and.
The apostasy is really abandoning Christian Christian altogether. And in the case of the Jewish professors who were only professors, they went back to Judaism by others in the Christian profession might go to Islam or some other religion. They are apathetic and there is no hope for an apathetic. They cannot be renewed to repentance very serious.
I had a conversation with an individual that I think fits that category a couple of years ago.
We were just a visit at a family event and somehow we got onto a spiritual subject and topic and I was puzzled by some of the comments he made and and I kind of questioned him about his his background and his upbringing and he acknowledged that for 25 years.
He was part of a Christian group. It was, I believe, a Mennonite group, but part of professing Christendom. And he was telling me that you had to go outside of Christianity to get a full definition of who God was. And I was kind of stumped as to how to answer this, this man and his his question that he raised as to a definition of who God was.
And I, I couldn't help but think of John 316 by definition of who God was. And I began to quote that. I said, what better definition than for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever. And he cut me off right there. He said, no, I've heard that before that.
That is not a definition of who God is. And I I travel to this day for that man and the position he's in because I think that he's.
Here and this person, this state.
Falling away and Hebrews is always fated. I believe in Hebrews it's fatal.
And I don't know that we can definitely pronounce on who is an apostate, but definitely there are cases like you mentioned that appear to be one who has given up Christianity completely and turned from it. But it's a solemn fallen thing. A real believer cannot become an apostate, but a real believer can be affected by the apostasy that we see in every side. And that's where we need the exhortation of verse 23.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. We hear these things.
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These questions raised about Christianity.
Brethren, we have a God who is faithful. We can trust Him. He has proven himself again and again, and that is a bulwark to my soul. Brethren, He is faithful. That's promised. If it depends on your faithfulness, It depends on my faithfulness. It's all gone. Every hope is gone. It doesn't. It depends on His faithfulness. That's beautiful, you know, Hold it in our souls, and it will prevent us from wavering when we hear.
So much that is confusing. Doubts presented about Christianity don't give them place. While a Christian cannot become an apostate, the principle of apostasy might manifest itself even in a Christian. But I mean to say is anytime you turn away from the truth of God, from any measure of the truth of God, it's the principle of apostasy. And that's a serious thing. If it doesn't end, where does it end? You know, those who have been gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
We recently were told a statement by one who grew up amongst the gathered things. So we have a pastor and you don't. So what does that mean? What difference does it make, You know, embracing the clergy system and whatever else, I don't know, where does it lead to? Where will they end up? And the sort of principle of apostasy, the spirit of it, I should say, can manifest itself in the believer anytime you turn your back on any aspect of the truth.
That's the spirit of the past. They need that the life that is in thee be not darkness, for the light that is in thee be darkness. How great is that darkness? I think that's the principle. And the day of apostasy is strong, although all around his brethren. And that's why we need these exhortations in verse 25. Notice one of the things that it exhorts us about is 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.
Years ago, I remember hearing Mr. Armstead very commenting on this verse and he says the day that it speaks up there is the day of apostasy. It's not the Lord's coming that is mentioned there. It's the day of apostasy. And the day of apostasy is ripening fast and it's evident in every side. We need to be aware of it. Brethren. What is one of the ways to not come so much under the influence of that spirit of things around?
Is not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of sun is brother and the public meetings don't give them up. It's so easy to just stay at home and one excuse and another to give up the meetings. We need to be assembled together. We need to exhort one another. Doesn't say one exhort all the rest. No, I need exhortation. You need exhortation. We need to exhort one another when we see these things beginning to affect us.
Believe that word in verse 23 is the hopes rather than the faith yes, let us hold fast the profession of the hope without unwavering Mr. Garvey put it and the faith our faith it tells us about the hope and so faith to some might become kind of.
Just kind of a negative thing or a not something quite real. But if we have a hope before us, like I said earlier, a hopefully which hope we have as an anchor of his soul will sure instead that.
And so there are those that we read off in thesimonium that speaks about it says those who have no but we have a hope, and this faith tells us about the hope. And sometimes if we have fine things find the world creeping in and our face is waving a little bit to think about the whole.
To think, think of what is ahead of us, think of what is ahead of the unbeliever noble. But we have the hope. And so it's hope. You're other than faith. And I think it makes it, it's a little more to the heart.
It's not forsaking the assembly.
I like to say not forsaking the assembly. Look at how close it is to for if we sin willfully.
And one brother is writing.
He said nothing more willful than choosing my own church.
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You know, is that being true hearted to Jesus?
Who paid so much that we might?
Enter the holiest, as it were. You know, by the blood of Jesus and the way.
George, what is so bad about forsaking the assembling of ourselves together? Is it because we're not coming together with our brethren?
We're coming together around the Lord Jesus and we're despising His presence. Do we remember when we stay away from the meeting carelessly for any silly excuse?
That we are really despising the fact that we have a meeting with the Lord of glory. A lot of privilege that is, and we brethren disappoint each other at times. But there is a verse here that we must not pass over provoking each other to love and to good works. You know, we should. That kind of provocation is good, you know. And He can do that.
Each other and one of the things that shouldn't be by my example of being there every time, you know, instead of letting some silly excuse keep me away, maybe I have a little slip out or whatever, you know, and then stay home. Well, we would occupy my seat till the Lord comes. Occupy till he comes. Yeah. And this.
True hearted but.
True hearts, true heart into Jesus one writer book.
It's so long to neglect and to go back and turn from these things. I think we should emphasize that Jude is and brings before us apostasy. Apostasy too. And there we're told, keep yourselves in the love of God. You hear some people pray sometime and maybe we do it ourselves and say ask the Lord to keep us in his love, But we are told there to keep yourselves in the love of God. How do we do that? He's the one that keeps us as neat, but we're told there to keep ourselves.
And I think this is like just as a as a suggestion to my own soul is to to be there at the assembly meeting whenever possible is helping to keep myself in the love of God. It's one of the ways.
It's I enjoyed the illustration the brother gave one time and winter time up here in the north and and you're walking down the street and do you like to watch them the shady side or do you like to walk them the Sunnyside? I think we all picked the Sunnyside in the cold weather.
That's keeping yourself in the love of God, isn't it? It's in the consciousness that we have a God who loves us, but in the assembling of ourselves together is where we can be a help to one another. And brethren, none of us are sufficient in ourselves. We all have needs for as much as we may know, none of us know enough to be balanced. We need our brethren to help us. And so it's a very important thing, just like to say in connection with verse 24.
What provokes love?
Me and my brother. How can I provoke you to love Brother Ken? Love him?
He said. That's what I was going to say.
Love provokes love, doesn't it?
To I think that's important to realize that the love that it talks about is divine love. It's love that loves when there's nothing lovable about a person. And so often I noticed, I've heard in traveling around complaints, my brother will say there's no love in this medium.
And I say the person that complaints is the first one guilty because the kind of love we're talking about in Scripture is love that loves when there's nothing lovable. Well, if there's no love here, you start. And love provokes love. Brethren, we need really to be exercised about this. What characterizes Christians more than anything else is love one to another and.
The command that the Lord gives. It's interesting in John's epistle, John's writing in his Gospel, and in his epistles, there are 7 distinct times when.
00:25:01
Commands us to love one another and it's not as we had in the Old Testament where it said love your neighbor as yourself. The reference point in the Old Testament was myself. How do I love myself? Well, I got to love you the same way.
That's not the reference point anymore. The reference point has changed and that's why it's a new commandment. As I have loved you. So we're not looking at ourselves anymore, we're looking at the Lord Jesus. It's a totally different motivation now. But to love one another is so important. Sometimes our my brother may irritate me. What he does irritates me. OK, we all have those fleshly things in US.
But love, brethren.
Loved in spite of all. When you think of the Lord Jesus, how they hit him in the face, how they spit in his face, He never turned aside in his pathway of love towards us. There's our example. How did he love us? We are to love one another, to provoke, to love and to good works. It's really interesting in the New Testament to see how often good works are exhorted about running. We need to be occupied more with good works. We need to be known.
By good works to do things for other people. Show our love through the good works.
The Lord help us to be provocative rather than not to anger, but to love and to good works.
There's a great similarity between provoking and beginning. Love begets who I love so.
It's like fathering, it initiates that.
Well, I've covered the multitude of sinus. It doesn't say that it covers evil, but it covers a multitude of sins. And I believe, or thought there too, is that we can that that love manifesting itself to our brethren will overlook those things that irritate us and about about him or they about us. And if that's divine love, only they can do that, not naturally.
Sorry, sorry, I was thinking going back just a step or two about this, keeping ourselves in the level of thought. I was thinking of what we get in John's gospel too, but where he says that the father have loved me, so have I loved you continue ye in my love. And I, I, I've told the story before. I know about old brother tolerance. And it's maybe embarrassed telling again because I thought it was so unique. But someone saw him sitting in his chair and with his eyes closed, his head down and decided he wasn't well. And they said, brother Kohler, are you not well? And he said, Oh yes, I'm fine. I'm just sitting here letting God love me.
Well, that's what he was doing. He was keeping himself in the love of God, the love that the God had to him. He was occupied with it and just letting it, like you say, sitting on the sitting on the sunny side of the street.
In the 13th chapter of our book here it says by him Lord Jesus Christ.
We offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. And the next verse says, But to do good and to communicate, forget not. Now here's the highlight of this verse. It says, For with such sacrifices God is well pleased. So you see, Romans and Romans were told that to beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. Well, sacrifice is always cost.
And we're willing. If we're really in love with Christ because he's of His love for us, then there's no price that we're willing to not pay to become a living sacrifice for Him.
But to do it in a simple way, to do good in the communicate, share, give, God's people ought to be known as a giving people, a loving people. And when it's done for his name and his name, then it's a sacrifice, well pleasing to God.
In Ephesians 2 we have been not based by words.
But goes on.
For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has prepared, which God before ordained, that we should walk in there. Now I have gone to Ephesians after that and noticed how many things are mentioned that we can classify as the worst alerts mentioned about.
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Contributing, you know, to the need that exist and that certainly part of it. But you read Ephesians for yourself.
And with that in mind, to see how much is mentioned there, especially in the latter part of the epistle of good works that can be so classified, you know, keeping the unity of the Spirit in the United front of peace is one of them, right? That's how somebody thinks begin so.
We who understand eternal security and that it isn't by works, that it is all great.
We sometimes perhaps neglect to emphasize the need for good works. And so it's important for us to take notice of that, that works are mentioned over and over again in the epistles, and not just in the Gospels, you know, but in the epistles as well. And we do and should allow that to touch our hearts and our consciences.
Not that we do what we do like under the law to gain God's favor. We do what we do because we have it. And we prove that the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And that we can do these things not so much with the idea of getting credit for it, but to prove that He has loved us and has brought us into favor.
And that we are now in this relationship and in our weak way can reflect what is perfectly demonstrated by God, the imitators of God as beloved children. You know, these are all things that come under good works, somebody has said.
The faith that saves is a faith that saves without works, but that same faith that saves is a faith that works, and it's true. Rather, it works. If you've got the true faith of God, it's going to be a faith accompanied by works. It's going to be evidence. It's interesting. In the book of Titus you have 3 chapters, and I found it interesting. In chapter one you have works mentioned once. Chapter 2 you have works mentioned twice.
Chapter 3, You have works mentioned three times, but it's important, like you say, it's mentioned a lot. And brethren, it should be characteristic of us. We should be occupied in good works.
Like you say, it's not because to gain any favor with God, but it is to it should be in gratitude for all He's done for us, to do all we can for Him. James takes out a promise reading his book too. Doesn't he show me that faith by that.
I want to draw attention to one little item here. You notice in the end of verse 24 it's not a period.
It's a colon, therefore that means the thought is not complete, so therefore provoking to love and for good works is finalized and expressed in the not forsaking of her thinking of ourselves together.
Is that accidental? I don't believe so. Is it by the assembling of ourselves together that this?
Activity for God's glory is exercised. What better place is there to provoke unto love and to good works other than the assembly?
That's where we can learn together how to provoke into love, into good works.
Close proximity.
But exhorting one another, and pretty difficult to exhort one another if we're not with each other, like the safety in connection with those that nurse 24 the first part of it said, let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.
It just seems like this is a there's a real need rather than our little gatherings to consider each other. Because sometimes there's a brother maybe that I don't get along with.
Maybe I just shun him. Maybe I just say I can't. I can't stomach that brother.
The scripture says let us consider to provoke to love and get it worse. You know if you do a certain thing that it's going to provoke a negative reaction. Don't do that.
That, you know, you think about it, you put it in the presence of the Lord. What can I do that would create a positive reaction? My brother, lay it before the Lord, and perhaps it's going to be like Lord instead of sacrifice. But consider, put it in the presence of the Lord because it's not proper. It's going to be a problem if you leave a situation between two brothers in that state of affairs, it's going to be a problem further on. Satan knows how to capitalize on that situation.
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We need to consider to provoke, Don't leave things like that, but get into the presence of the Lord. Consider what would be something perhaps that I can do that would provoke in the right direction.
I like to read Romans 15 verse 14 because I think it fits in here. I myself also am persuaded of you, my brother, that he also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able to admonish one another. You know, if we are characterized and known that we're characterized by goodness.
And by true knowledge, not knowledge that pops up, you know, but spiritual, intelligent. But especially I want to emphasize goodness. You have been known for that. People more readily and willingly accept admonition from such a person, you know. And I think that is what should exercise us. Are we known by being characterized by goodness, by true knowledge, spiritual knowledge?
That we can intelligently apply the scriptures to situations.
I'm sure we all have to come admit that we tumble around many times very poorly, don't we? But that should exercise us because that makes us able to acknowledge.
I'm thinking now that what Paul says to us in Romans 12, it says it has expression, they're given to hospitality that needs to be committed or dedicated. That's that's what your bent is. That's what you're known to do. Given the opportunity to do something, you're given to it. You'll take advantage of every opportunity.
There's no verse 25. There's so much. The more as you see the day approaching. What is that day referring to? I think Bob already mentioned that.
My brother mentioned that it's not the coming of the Lord Jesus. That is the day of apostasy approaching.
I have to admit that I used to think that that was the coming of the Lord in connection with rewards, but it helps me to hear what for the answer that very felt. Some thought it could refer to the appearing as well, but this I suppose.
I believe it is honestly in this context here, certainly the Lords appearing will come shortly after the day of apostasy. But what I think is the thing important to see is that we see things developing in the world around and this humanism that you see today rather, and it's scary, the glorification of the will of man that precedes the coming of the willful king, the Antichrist and the.
And the the development of that is what we're seeing in the world around that willful king, that Antichrist cannot be manifested before we're taken out of this world. But the development is taking place. And if we don't?
Assemble ourselves together. We're bound to be affected by that spirit of things. That's the point.
Is it true that the day of apostasy is terminated by the day of the Lord?
I'm thinking also here in Ephesians there are another benefit to not to assembling ourselves together. As we well know these verses in Ephesians 4 verse 16 that says Christ from whom the whole body by simply joined together by and compacted by that which every joint surprise according to the effectual working. Then the measure of every part maketh increase of the body into identifying of itself and love. Now that seems like a lot of of difficult words to follow.
But what it really presents to my soul is that everyone of us is a joint of supply. And like the members of our own body, we are joined. Our members are joined together under the control of our head. And whatever one part of the body needs, then the other part of the body joins in and and tries to supply that meet that need. But when we're assembled together, then we have that effectual working of the edifying of the body itself and love by the contribution that each one of us makes as we are together.
00:40:16
Now if we're not together.
There's a loss.
And each time we.
Miss the appointment with royalty, shall we say? It's never gained back. It's like taking out a loan and you may pay back the loan, but you'll always be behind by the amount that you borrowed.
Do the sisters.
Contribute in the meeting by all means.
I think that's important to you to remember sometimes more than the brothers. Sometimes I think maybe the sisters think, well, I can't say anything any more than a nod on the log. It doesn't matter if I sleep or no. But I've noticed so much. Rather than that. When you go around and you see sisters sometimes that are more alert and more eager to learn the word, it has a definite effect on the spirit of the whole meeting.
I can point you to a meeting down in Bolivia.
That I say it's going on today because of the faithfulness of two sisters. I can't point to any specific brother there, but because of two sisters, I really believe the Lord is preserved to testimony there.
So your sister is put you give us some help on this verse 29 some reference already has been made to.
Countered the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified.
This might well be taken by somebody, you see they have come under the sprinkling of the blood and that can only refer to a safe person and so on. But it is obviously not what their teachers. Can you help us to get a proper understanding? Well, I think, I think it was Henry that mentioned it, wasn't it? It's just the outward position that was taken and I think what you mentioned.
Henry is a good illustration of the children of Israel coming out of the land of Egypt. It's because of the blood of the lamb that was shed that they were sheltered from the judgment of God in the land of Egypt. But a mixed multitude went out of the land of Egypt and in the wilderness there were tests, and some of them proved that they were definitely unreal.
Say they occupied a place amongst the people of God outside.
Of Egypt and amongst the people of God there they were looked at as the people of God. And yet you have the rebellion of Korah. No evidence to believe that those people that went alive down into the pit were ever saved. No evidence to believe it. Awful thing. They were amongst the people of God in an outward way, but they were not real.
That's the way I understand today. Maybe we can even get some help from Jude 22Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. (Jude 2)/5.
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though He wants to do this. How that the Lord having say, notice that the people out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed them that believed not even the word saved you, not the way we use it as to the salvation of our souls. That is in connection with deliverance. You know that that is used that way in James here. I think that helps even as to the understanding of that verse here in Hebrews 10.
So I think it's helpful to see in our chapter in verse 26.
Down through 29 is really Speaking of a person that's not real. He's one who has made a profession of Christianity. And again, it's it's an apostate one who turns back and is not real.
Lots of people read a verse like 26 and it is and they become fearful and.
And don't want to lessen any exercise a careless person may have.
True Christianity, the true grace of God, never leaves a person to be careless in their Christian testimony. The person is careless. You need to really think seriously about your position before the Lord. Are you real? If you're not really real, you need to get straight with God right away. But that a person who is not real is a candidate for being an apostate. Be careful.
00:45:05
Where you are.
Would it be right to think that Judas was among those number? Is he a representative of those?
Having associated close association with the Lord.
Although Judas wasn't in the time of the Christian profession like we are today, but still he knew that the Lord Jesus in an outward way and he turned back.
Called the son of Perdition, but he didn't turn back to Judas. No, you know, he betrayed the law and became manifest by his action that he was never saved. And Scripture never refers to him in any other way than that he would be the one that betrayed the Lord all along. So he was never real. So in a, in a, in a strict sense, you cannot call him an apostate.
But because he didn't turn back to something other than.
You know he best just manifesting himself to be false.
So does a person, an apostate have to turn back to something or he just give it up?
Well, we explained earlier, Lawrence says there is the principle of apostrophe and that even the Christian can be affected by that. But abandoning truth, So giving up with the. Yeah, but in a strict sense, you know?
It has been explained, I think you mentioned it in your ministry, that he thought that the Lord would deliver himself. You know, he was just at the money and then he.
And he found out that that was not coming that way, that the Lord would be crucified, you know, be repented, but not in true repentance. You know me. It was just regrets and but there was no restoration or there was never any real relationship anyway. But there was no true repentance. I'm just thinking of of Christians, even those whom were once gathered the Lord's name.
Where are they now? They're just doing nothing. They don't make a profession of anything. They have no fellowship with anybody. That's just as if they're lost in the world.
But a true believer could never be in a possible no, no, but the the effect of giving up is, I mean it always be the Lords if they're always, if they've ever been a Christian.
But the fact that they just give everything up as if there was no more value in it, that's why we have to leave the final judgment of that was the Lord, don't we? The Lord knows them that are his that we can say. It appears that that person has given up completely. But you would not say a person that leads the Lord's table is an apostate unless he gives up Christianity completely. And you would ask them if they're still Christians, they would say yes, and they're not apostates giving up.
It comes from the word. I think in Latin word that post means to go back. It's really what it means. Let's go back.
It's a fearful thing.
Falls into the hands of the living God. I think that is the judgment of the apostate. It's a fearful thing. And this is the God that we know as a God of law, of peace.
But His Holiness.
Demands that such wickedness is going to be unfairly judged.
And just think that this so-called Christian world, which is a myth anyway, but where so much of the truth has been known, and look what you find. Look in England, look in Germany, the land of the Reformation. How much is there left of two fundamental Christianity?
And we will be judged. These nations will be judged more severely than those who had never had the light of Christianity. It's humbling to see how we, those who are in the Christian profession, have not been faithful in handling that which has been entrusted to us. And I even go so far, and I'm sure you'll agree with me, we as brethren have not been faithful in handling.
That which has been entrusted to us, we have failed as brethren. I have been to myself, myself fully with the failure of brethren, with that which has been entrusted to us. The highest truth, the very thing we have failed here, you know, and the proper place is that we acknowledge this and cry to the Lord for mercy to keep us and preserve us. That is still a collective path, but it begins with acknowledging our failure, like Daniel.
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You know, after Henry has pointed out in Chapter 9 by Daniel identifies himself with the failure of God's people, that's where.
Spiritual exercise begins identification with the failure, acknowledging it, and then looking to Him for grace to be preserved in the past. That is still left in spite of the rule. Second Timothy teaches that as well.
Need to walk an exercise of heart in the truth of God. Brethren, never should it become lackadaisical about the truth. It should be something that always exercises the ministry of the truth of God. Makes me go to sleep. It's not right ministry. It should stir me up. And we need stirring up in these last days. I can think how the enemy takes this over the course of time to a position where we can actually oppose the truth we profess to hold.
And we always see the errors somebody else faster and we see it in ourselves. I'm going to use an illustration of the Lutheran denomination which professes, which was begun by Martin Luther, tremendous instrument that God used in Germany to recover the truth of justification by faith. Today much of that denomination that all but much of it has no idea what the truth of justification by faith means they would oppose it.
If it was presented to them, isn't that amazing how the enemy can take, over the course of time, people around in a circle to where they actually oppose the truth they profess to hold. And so we profess to hold the truth of the one body, brethren, tremendous, beautiful truth of the Word of God. Let's walk and exercise. Let's be stirred up to make it a practical reality in our lives, not just we talk about it.
But it be something that is visible in our lives practically.
I'm impressed with what appears to be the apostles great awareness of who the God was and is with whom we have to do. Because not only do we get this expression in our chapter that is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But if you look over the last verse of chapter 12, we get the thought there for our God is a consuming fire.
These verses that follow are a real encouragement to true believers that especially to these that were going to lose everything they had as they were used to in the Jewish economy, to relating material prosperity to the favor and blessing of God. That's the way it was in the Old Testament. You live faithfully for God. Why God prospered you economically and and materially.
And when the Lord Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God?
Why? The disciples all wondered. Because that was a person who was favored by God, a rich man, and but here we find that they're losing everything.
It was certainly I'm afraid we can't like playing too much of this rather, but there are parts of the world where the Lord's people and I would say the majority of God's people in this world are severely persecuted Muslim countries. We don't know what's going on. There's no press allowed in there to to reveal the persecution. Some leaks out and well, brethren.
Our prosperity sometimes is a hindrance to us to to make us realize the reality of what is really ours. But what impresses me when you have something about reproaches, afflictions, persecutions, the spoiling of your goods, is that word joy.
And I have known a few in Latin America who have lost because of their love for the Lord Jesus.
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Oh, the joy, the deep joy that there is there rather than we're missing out. Maybe a little bit on that. Maybe the Lord will allow us to be tested up here. I don't know. But but it was to be an encouragement to these Jewish believers who thought that this was the favor of God, and now they're losing everything. But God gives real joy in persecution.
Spirit of glory and of God rested upon you if you're persecuted for His namesake.
Ahead in heaven, a better and abiding substance.
That's two of us, an inheritance incorruptible, and that passes another way, preserved for us in heaven. That's what Peter says, again, encouraging these Jewish believers. And the problem is for us living in a land of prosperity, that our hearts become attached to these things. There is nothing wrong in having things if you have it with the right attitude.
If we look at whatever He entrusts to us and it's not belonging to us.
That it is belonging to another earth. What do we read in Luke?
We're not faithful in death, which is another as stewards. The material things belong to another. The true riches cannot be entrusted to us. And if somebody is characterized by covetousness and trying to get more and more, more than what he really needs, way beyond, he loses out spiritually. He can always observe that, you know, that just does not go together.
And.
Young people do well to even early in life, except that as a warning because you have the possibility by getting good education, get good jobs and so on. But remember one thing that we noticed is taking place in the working world is that they demand more and more of your time. The companies cut down on personnel and others have take over jobs that others said they have ousted so that they make more profit.
You know, so they drained you of every ounce of energy if they can. So you better be careful that you don't lose out spiritually, that you get so entangled in these things that you lose out. You know, there was a time in my life, allow me to make reference to that, when I thought that I had to provide continued employment for my people because competition has moved in and I was in danger. I was afraid I couldn't continue to employ them all.
And I want us to reach out, you know, by another business. Somebody was dying of cancer. I'm so thankful as I look back, as the Lord prevented me from doing this because I would have been so entangled in it. I would have been up to my ears in work and wouldn't have time for the things of the Lord. I was thankful to have my own business. I could take time off for the things of the Lord, which I couldn't have done if I had worked for somebody else. But at the same time, there was a real danger.
To get entangled to a point that I would lose out spiritually. And that danger exists for you, for all of us. And the more capable you are, the more they want you, you know? And really.
Want to milk you? Make profit on you, you know. So be careful. Our purpose in life is not to make the buck. We have to work in order to make a living. But the purpose in our lives is not our jobs.
The purpose in our life are the things of the law, and if we are in danger of getting entangled to the point that we don't have time for the things of the Lord.
For a way out, even if it requires another job, the.
We may not have persecution, but the Lord definitely allows trial in the life of God as people. And I'd like to really draw attention to this verse 35. It seems to be such an important verse.
We mentioned that. I think it was in him you gave out Brother Lawrence at the beginning of the conference. Sweet as the confidence, thou get us to go high above our praise. Confidence in God. So vitally important, brethren. And any of us who are God's people are going to experience times that are hard, that are not easy. Maybe we don't have persecution to deal with directly, but we live in a hostile world.
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And the Lord Himself, when we feather our nests, puts real thorns down in the feathers so that we don't get to settle down down here. But brethren, when those trials come our way, here's the verse that really is an exhortation to us all. Cast not away your confidence, which have great recompense of reward. Maybe you have something that's really oppressing you, your spirit.
Take it from the Lord, Trust him no matter what, He's faithful. He's always proved himself faithful. He is nothing less. He cannot be anything less than faithful. Notice a verse in Second Timothy chapter 2 That I so much enjoyed.
Paul is trying to encourage Timothy in these days that we're.
Perilous times. And here's one of the things he says in chapter 2 and verse 13. If we believe not yet he abideth faithful, He cannot deny himself.
Why can't he? Because he's God and God is faithful. He can be nothing less than faithful. And I may fail and the enemy is quick when I fail to come to my ear and say, hey, you can't go back to the Lord. You failed. And that's the very person we need to go back to because he's still faithful even when we fail. He's faithful. Oh, what a bulwark that is, brethren, in these days when we when we're living here.
Everything crumbling on every side to realize we have a God who is faithful, always faithful. Cash not away. Your confidence has great recompense of reward.
Hebrews 3 and six has a very encouraging word along that it speaks here of the Christ, the Son over his own house. Whose house are we if we hold fast, the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm onto the end, the end of our pathway. And that's just nearby. It's fast approaching.
Today could be the day.
I'm not going to give his name. You all know him. One of his last statements to his wife was disrupts cast, not the way to your continent. You know, even in such a painful experiences, you know, she knew she would be losing her husband. To be reminded of that, that would be a very painful thing to go through that.
Don't castaway your confidence. He's going to be with you. I have to leave, but he's going to be great. You know, that's what he was implying. And So what a wonderful comfort it is to have him with us. But.
He has need of patience.
You know how beautiful that is. I certainly need that definition to be patient.
And then, after we have done the will of God, he might receive the promise. You see, it might look many times as if our confidence is placed wrong.
But be patient, you know we do not doubt that he will make good his promise.
So patiently continue.
And he is going to.
Give us the promise in due time.
Sometimes when brethren faileth, sometimes when our friends fail us, I find that we have a tendency to doubt the Lord. Why did the Lord allow that to happen?
And I say, if you want to doubt me, you probably have a reason to. If you want to doubt other people, you may have reason to. But never allow a question mark when it comes to God and His word. If you allow question mark, it's just the way Satan operated with Eve. He came up to her and he put a question mark as to what God had said, and Eve entertained that question mark.
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Don't hang any question marks on God or His Word.
Hang them on me, please, but don't hang them on anybody or anything to do with God or His Word, because He's completely faithful. So we need to challenge ourselves about that. Satan is trying to ruin us, get us away from that simple confidence in the Lord.
I think it's important to see here too that it says after you have done the will of God.
We can perhaps set ourselves in the all searching eye of God. Have we done the will of God? Is there something there that that we know we have not?
We we have been going on with perhaps it is not the will of God and yes, we don't judge it. Then where is our confidence? I I believe if we if we have something there in our life that we are going on with it is not a God, We will not have that confidence. We will not have on that breast that righteousness. There will be that the enemy is going to use to shake our confidence. But if if there is nothing between.
Then and we know we have done the will of God.
And then we look forward to that for that coming day when we will meet the sure reward of it. But our confidence will remain permanent. At the end. We can look forward to the Lord's coming. Hold on to that which you have given us.
I have 3 verses that go through my mind. Be still and know.
That I am God.
And then God is our refuge and strength, a very present help and trouble.
The other is Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteousness to be moved.
The just shall live by faith. It's good to mention something on that. You know we have it three times in the New Testament quoted from the oral and the emphasis is always on a different part of the verse. I believe here the emphasis is on faith right in Romans under just because justification.
And inhalation that is living, you know, we are living by faith, not by submitting through the law. But.
Faith is to be characteristic of our life. We living by faith and our faith is not resting in circumstance. Faith always rests in the Word of God and in the Lord Himself. That's where our faith is placed. I hope it is.
Always.
And he's promised, he keeps his promises, and we will not be left to ourselves.
And the outcome, the end, I should say, of our life is glory. You know, difficulties might be apportioned here, but the end is glory. And that for eternity. He has promised it. He will keep it.
We've seen 288.
288 Will thou whose mercies far exceed all we can do or say, as in Thy people thou indeed us daily more display, Let for our happiness of God on us, while here below, by virtue of Christ, death and blood thy richest blessings flow preserved by flock most graciously.
Within thyself and the full 288.
I urge you all right.
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Now and what thy grave transplant explore.
Gracious daughter, Father, we're so thankful for the light and instruction of Thy precious word.
And our hearts could then search.
By this portion and we would ask that we would be given grace.
To walk in the light of it, we see the apostasy getting more and more pronounced on every side.
We confess, Lord Jesus, we can't trust ourselves, not for a man.
But we look up to the Lord Jesus as that one who is always faithful.
We're thankful, Lord Jesus, for thy keeping power, but help us, as has been mentioned, for us to keep ourselves in the love of God. So we thank Thee, Father, for these moments together. We pray for the rest of the day and the gospel that goes out this evening in a special way, not only here but everywhere where it goes out. And Father, we're thinking of a lot of our brethren on the roads now. Take care of them too, and give them.
A real sense of Thy love where they are, and all thy dear people. Father, on the face of the earth, we know that so many are scattered and confused in different systems of men. We confess our part in the awful ruin of the public testimony that has taken place, but thank thee at the same time, Lord Jesus, that we have found thee to be one in whom we can always trust. We thank thee, Lord Jesus, commanding ourselves in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Father. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen, Amen.