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Hebrews chapter 12. Then they commence with verse 18.
For your not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire no one to blackness and darkness and Tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they that heard and treated, that they should not be spoken to them anymore. They could not endure that which was commanded. And if so much as the beast touched the mountain, and shall be stoned or thrust through the darkness, and so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.
But your come on to Mount Sinai and unto the city of the living God.
The heavenly Jerusalem, And to an innumerable company of angels, to the General Assembly and Church of the first born, which are written in heaven. And to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. And to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, And to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
See that you refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escape not who refused him that spake on earth much more Shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven? His voice then shook the earth. But now he hath promised, saying yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. In this word it once more signifies the removing of those things that are shaken.
As of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain, wherefore we are receiving the Kingdom which cannot be moved. Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.
There's a lot in these remaining 12 verses.
I uh.
I wonder if it would not be useful for some brother to give an overview of 18 through 21.
Without lingering on those.
Not to diminish their importance, but to give an overview of it. And then?
Spend a little more time on the time that remains on the versus, umm 22 onwards, what we are come to.
What we're not come to is, importantly, from the standpoint of the Hebrews.
Also to us, but it's more important from their standpoint.
Uh, and then give one to what we are come to.
Sometimes we.
Uh, linger a little too long.
For the reason that probably we can tell all the Lord to give us a an orderly and, uh, helpful summary of 18/19/20 and 21.
Please, brethren, I'm not trying to take the place of the Holy Spirit in making that suggestion. It's just a suggestion.
What we find in the book of Hebrews that he makes a contrast between that which we had under the Levitical order, the Jewish order of things in the Old Testament, and that which we have in grace. And I think this is characteristic of the whole book. He takes up first of all the subject of angels. He takes up the subject of Moses and Joshua. He takes up the subject of the ironic priesthood.
Of the old, uh, ordinances, the worldly sanctuary. And the worry goes through every segment of the old order of things. And he, uh, brings it before them as to the fact that it was right and proper in its place and ordained of God for the time. But he sets it aside because we have something better in Christianity and under the dispensation of the grace of God. And so the law could never bring blessing because man couldn't live up to God's standard.
It's remarkable that when the law was given, we have here what took place. So terrible was the site that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. And at the giving of the Law there were about 3000. There were 3000 souls slain. But in contrast, if you go over to the book of the Act, as the dispensation of grace dawns and the gospel goes forth there in the second of Acts, I believe it is you find there were about 3000 saved. What a contrast.
00:05:25
The law could only condemn it was this due and thou shalt live, but man couldn't keep it. He said at the giving of the law at Sinai. All of the Lord our God has spoken, not what we do, but it wasn't very long till he broke the 1St and the greatest commandment that they weren't have any other gods before them and they set up the golden calf as Moses delayed to come down from the mount. And so I think it's important to see this contrast that he makes and I've enjoyed the 13 times in this book that you have the word better.
If I can just illustrate it this way, when when my wife and I were engaged to be married, we were engaged for about 11 months before the marriage took place. And on my desk at home, I had a large photograph of my wife because we lived quite a distance apart at that time. And that photograph assumed a great importance in my life. It wasn't I, I never went in the room without looking at that photograph. But then the day came when we were married. Now I had something better. So I can put it this way, I had the real thing because.
And, and so the because my wife was with me now and we were there together. And so it wasn't that I threw out the photograph. I still value the photograph, but it doesn't assume the same importance to me now that it did when my wife and I before we were married and we were separated by a great distance. And so I believe what he brings before us in Hebrews is that now you have that better thing. And brethren, what is that better thing is Christ the law and, and that which we have in the Old Testament, the sacrifices in the ordinances, they were just tail reflections.
They were just feeble foreshadows of that which was in the heart of God. But now Christ has been revealed and the heart of God can flow forth now, not under the order of the law, but uh, under the dispensation of grace. And I believe that's what he's bringing before us here. That was, no, the last thing couldn't fully flow forward under the law because of man's failure. But now he's brought in something that doesn't depend on your faithfulness and mind. It depends on Christ.
We have that better thing, and that's the Lord Jesus fully manifested, and we rest on the work of Christ, not in those sacrifices. In the Old Testament they could never put away sin. They only atoned for that one sin.
And then they had to bring another, and another. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down on the right hand of God.
I had another thought, if I made it that Jim, in regard to the.
Character of the uh, that which what it came to. It didn't draw their hearts out.
It didn't at all grow their hearts out.
Now I just want to ask, has anything we've heard over the last two days?
Made you say, oh, I'd love to know more about that. I'd love to hear more about that. I think nearly everything we heard had that character, didn't it? But not here. They said, hey, that's enough. We don't want to hear anymore.
Please don't say anymore. Why, Because there's anything wrong with what they heard. No, because it didn't bring grace in, of course. Uh, and it condemned them. There's a whole sense of.
Of darkness over this whole thing, isn't there. Why? Because there was anything wrong with what God communicated. Whose side of it? No, of course not. But man in his sinful heart could never keep that. Before Moses had ever gotten down from the mountain, that had been manifested fully. And so, uh, I think that's another aspect of it. It did not draw out our hearts. It wasn't something we want more of.
It was necessary to bring out where we were and what we were. But you sure don't wanna hear any more about it. I think that's good because we hear a lot today about Christian liberty. And Christian liberty, I believe, is contained in the verse that says if a man loved me, he will keep my commandments. As you say, under the law. They had no choice. It was this, do and thou shalt live. But I've enjoyed a little illustration that helped me to understand the difference between what you have under the law and what you have under grace as far as our response.
00:10:04
The illustration has been heard by many, but we'll suppose that a man hires a housekeeper to do his housekeeping, and as he hires that housekeeper, there's a salary established and a set of rules, perhaps of regulation, perhaps go up on the kitchen wall. Perhaps she's required to do the, uh, washing on Monday, the ironing on Tuesday, the baking on Wednesday, the cleaning on Thursday. And we wouldn't raise an eyebrow at something like that. We think that that was all right and proper and that a proper salary be established for her service.
So what's the pause for the sake of illustration, that the man in time falls in love with his housekeeper and the feeling is mutual and so he marries her. Now you'd be very surprised if that list of rules stayed up on the kitchen wall. You'd be surprised if there was the same salary and regulations that there was before. But you'd also be very surprised if she didn't do the laundry, if she didn't do the baking, if she didn't do the cleaning. In fact, she'll probably do them better now because there's a new motive. And that motive is love. And that's why the Lord Jesus said to the disciples, if a man loved me.
He will keep my commandments. And I believe, brethren, as I say, that true Christian liberty springs from a response of heart to Jehovah, to Jesus, to the Lord Jesus. If we love the Lord Jesus, if he has touched our heart, then there's going to be a response and we're going to keep his word. Not because we feel it's our duty or because we feel this book is a set of rules and regulations, but because we delight in that one. And when we delight in someone, a request has the power of a command over us.
I like to just temper, umm, what Brother **** and I have said too, because with a practical comment, because I fear there's a great movement in Christendom today to set aside the importance of the Old Testament and to say, well, this is a dispensation of grace for in Christianity now, and the Old Testament isn't important. I just want to say to those of us who are younger, particularly, we need to read the Old Testament because in the Old Testament we have the types and shadows.
And the illustrations that help us to understand the doctrines of the New Testament. I think you mentioned, Brother **** the other day that we don't have doctrine in the Old Testament, But what we do have are the illustrations that help us to understand the doctrines of the New Testament. And if you don't read the Old Testament, you're not going to see clearly the truth. Again, let me illustrate it this way. I'm not very good at putting things together, figuring things out, and I try to avoid buying things that stay on the box. Some assembly required.
Because it frustrates me, but sometimes you have to. And so I bring something home that requires assembly. And there I have the instructions. And perhaps there's 12 or 14 points that I have to go over to put this thing together properly. And I'm frustrated. I can't picture it in my mind. And usually my wife will come along and turn the page and say, here's the, here's the diagram. Maybe that'll help you. And that diagram helps me to visualize clearly the written instructions and to understand them. Now, brethren, God has given us both.
He's given us the written instruction, the doctrines of Christianity in the New Testament, but we need to go back and we need those illustrations that we have in the Old Testament. And so as we speak of the Levitical order and the, uh, the law and so on, we don't want to in any way set aside the fact that we need to go back there and see those types and shadows because it all speaks of Christ. It says of the Lord Jesus when he spoke to those on the way to Emmaus beginning at Moses and the prophet.
He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Why did Mozilla feel in verse 21? Was it the majesty of God, or was it the ground upon which people had placed themselves before God?
Sometimes you question why in the Old Testament.
Moses here prior test it says you probably paid you for sick, uh, ages. He was already a believer. He had faith in the Lord, but many of the Old Testament the same communities through God.
Uh, my best as low as me, you know, and my father's handsome said to me, what are we going to die? Because we've seen the safety call and the car in the time they have 83,000,000 if you're dead. Mm-hmm. Well, why does fear so prevalent throughout the old world?
00:15:06
Do we have the same here today?
Well, I'll just add one thing to that or in the way of a partial answer to that perfect love casts us out fear. We've come to know his perfect love having me and that's some that's an immense privilege. That's an immense privilege. But looking at the text itself, it really is precise, isn't it, that so fearful was the site that Moses said.
Uh.
I exceedingly, uh, I am exceedingly afraid. I'm full of trembling. No doubt there's a sense of the majesty of the law and the the giving of the law was glorious. It had a glory, a glory which is a knowledge, by the way.
That is, it's done away.
Uh, but there was a glory connected with it and it was manifested excellence of the.
Of the uh, uh, presence of God and that which he had.
Demanded as a result of the people's statement, of course, but they nevertheless, uh, there was that sense of what they had really come into the presence of. And I believe Moses had a sense of it perhaps more than any other, because he actually went up in the mountain. And I was, I, I have to tell you, if I saw a mountain that was smoking and, and any beast that, that came near it had to be put to death.
I think I might quit.
I might quake, however, if the one who that mountain represented reached out to me in perfect love and gave his son to die on the cross of Calvary. For me, that takes away all fear of being in his presence, but not, uh, doesn't take away the sense of holiness. You should never do that, but the sense of fear.
The people themselves, it says that as he said that.
The, uh, you're not coming onto the mount that might be touched and it burned the fire nor into blackness and darkness and Tempest of terrible sight, a sight as you say it. I, I'm, I'm sure anyone would fear that, but you might wait through. I might. And the sound of a trumpet, the voice of words, which voice they that heard entreated that the, that, uh, the word should not be spoken to them anymore. But as you call attention who was up in the mouth with God, it was Moses.
As far as man was concerned, he was the greatest.
At that time, but it says for they, they could not endure that which was commanded. And it's so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with the garden. And so terrible was the sight that it says, umm, that Moses said, I exceedingly very quiet. Here was the greatest, you might say, of of men at that time, but he had to say, I exceeded me fear and weight.
Uh, so it was a, it was a majesty there, a power there that we would never really battle inside. But I, I like too where it says the verse 18 says you're not common to this mouth. But now verse, verse 22 Says what? We are come unto monster. And that's important to see, isn't it? We aren't come to the same mouth. No, we're not. That's a very important thing to see. And I want to say something with all, uh, love.
There's a chain of radio stations around the United States, 24 hours a day. Christian broadcasting. Erica Odd. Is that wonderful? They bring believers to Mount Sinai.
I'm talking about Family Radio. I'm just going to be very plain about it because they're 37 stations around the United States and I hear believers under that influences talking about it and they're brought to Mount Science. We are not coming to that now. We are come to Mount Lion. And beloved, be careful that somebody doesn't turn you to the wrong mountain.
00:20:02
Zion speaks of grace, doesn't it? The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. That's that's where we have been brought. That's where the deeper believers have been brought. I'm sure they would understand that those that were the the Hebrews at that time in this written epistle to them would understand this perhaps clearer than we do, because now it's not as their fathers were. You're not coming to this mountain.
But you've come to great to to the to Zion Marvel. Use Jim's illustration a little bit further.
Umm Jim talked about the housekeeper and list of rules.
We takedown that list of rules.
What would you think if somebody said to the wife, what did you do with the list of rules? You're not paying enough attention to the list of rules.
It would be unthinkable, wouldn't it? And yet, if you listen to some of these covenants theologians, they put you right back under those that list of rules. We're not on that basis with God. And just be careful of it. Some of our own dear brethren have been and stared at it and no longer walk with us because they've been taken up with covenant theology. Be careful about that. We're not under a covenant.
And, uh, we're on the basis of pure graves. Pure graves.
I might just say that connection, not to get away from our chapter, but something that I think is relevant to the day in which we live. And that is that we need to have a have a dispensational outline if we're going to clearly understand the Scriptures and if we're going to rightly divide the word of truth or as Mr. Jarvis says, I believe, draw a straight line concerning the truth. Because if you wipe away the dispensational guidelines, and this is what Brother **** is Speaking of, those who have wiped away those dispensational guidelines.
You take them away. What you're really saying is that all Scripture and its strict application applies to the church. And brethren, we know that's not true. Now, all Scripture does is written for our prophet and our learning, and there is a present application that we can make. We read the Psalms and we enjoy them. We read those types of shadows under the Levitical order and we see Christ in them and we enjoy them. But we need to realize, brethren, that there are Scriptures that apply to Israel under the law.
We need to realize there are scriptures that apply directly to the church in this dispensation. We need to realize that there are scriptures that are yet future in their character. And I think if we, uh, fall into the snare of wiping away dispensationalism, and I would just say that I was saddened in picking up a book as to an outline of covenant theology to find that the author spoke of dispensationalism in two ways. He spoke of it as brethrenism and Darbyism, and he wiped away those guidelines on that.
On that account.
Well, maybe God did use men of a past generation to bring out these guidelines and establish them for us. But Brennan, their importance, I say we'll never rightly divide the word of truth if we don't hold to, to dispensationalism. Do you agree with me, brother ****? Yes. Uh, I, I guess I would use the word instead of ISM, which is, uh, has a sense of schism in it. Uh, I'd rather use the word.
A dispensational view of Scripture because God, What do we mean by that? And we might take just a minute to say that we mean that God has different administration. Now, we'll grant there have been different administrations in the United States when, uh, when Mr. Bush stepped down and Mr. uh, Clinton or Mrs. Clinton stepped up, uh, it, uh, then, uh.
Became a different administration.
Now when God changes his administration, he doesn't change his character.
Often the different administrations are the result of a different character. In the case of the Lord, it's not a different character, but it's the way that God deals at a particular time, what he's bringing out, what he's teaching, what he's, how he's dealing with man. And if you give up that, uh, concept of Scripture, you give up any orderly understanding of Scripture, I'm gonna say something that may sound.
Perhaps a little extreme, but I I say it carefully.
00:25:01
The reformers never understood that.
Perhaps William Farrell came close to it in some aspects, but the Reformers never understood it. What do I mean by the Reformers? Calvin, Luther, Not Swingley? None of them ever escaped that failure to understand that God dealt administratively in a different way in different times. And I think our own chapter lets us know that there are two mountains and and Galatians tells us there are two CO2 Covenants and and tells us that there are two.
Places, guys, and we get to know this by reading all the scripture. Let's not confound it. What are we coming to? Not science. You said that would be rightly dividing the word of truth, wouldn't it? To recognize that when I read a certain portion, perhaps it's speaking to Israel and another portion is speaking to the church and another to, uh, to the Gentile or to an individual. So we find it all there, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Puts this in a clear with a clearview as to the truth of God, doesn't it, Uh, doesn't mean we see everything clearly. We see through a glass dimly. That's true. But at least we have an outline of the God's design for us, as you say. I think that I think that's good, the expression of, of an outline and we need that. We need to be instructed with these outlines.
Just a little word further about.
I trust we're moving on now to 22. Umm, Before we do, I'd like to call attention to the fact that.
It's not entirely clear the separation of the various groups of of things that we have come to Mr. Darby and his translation says that the word and in his translation helps in that he made it a definite way that you can tell where there's a change. And please allow me to read that one verse in that translation or two verses. But you have come to Mount Zion.
Semi colon.
And to the city of the living God, Heavenly Jerusalem, semi colon.
And to myriads of angels, the universal gathering.
Semi colon.
And to the assembly of the first born who are registered in heaven.
Semi colon.
As to God, judge of all semi colon.
And to the spirits of just been made perfect semi colon.
And to Jesus, mediator of a new covenant.
Semi colon and to the blood of sprinkling.
Speaking better than Abel, period. Now why is that important to see? Because each of those things within the semi colon are in opposition. That is, the one refers to the other. In other words, the city of the living God is heavenly Jerusalem.
Lemurians of angels are the universal gathering.
The assembly of the first born are those who are registered in heaven.
I just call attention to that because otherwise we might get a little confused in looking at these various groups.
I love the thought of the of that to the Church of the first born, which are written in heaven, uh, one speaks of it as being inscribed in heaven, uh, engraved there. Will they ever be erased? Never, never, never.
Wireless.
Just in connection with this expression, Zion has already been alluded to.
But I think it's an important expression because it's the undeserved favor of God. And I think it's good to realize that even in the Old Testament under the dispensation of the law, when God acted primarily in his character as a righteous God, that he still was a God of grace. Brother **** said his character doesn't change. He may, in a dispensation or an administration act in some particular character, but that doesn't change his person. When God acts in life, he's still a God of love. When he acts in love, he's still a God of life.
00:30:03
And I think it's important to see that any blessing in any dispensation really was on the grounds of grace apart from grace. If God hadn't come in, brethren in grace, the Sinai, the whole nation would have been blamed. They never would have made it half that now if God hadn't acted in pure sovereign grace.
And it's true all through the Old Testament with the dealings of its people. He came in in his grace because he is a God of grace. And so Zion is the undeserved favor of God. And I think it's important to see that in a coming dispensation, when Israel is finally brought into blessing, Zion is addressed. And those scriptures in the Old Testament that are yet future, it speaks of the Lord coming out of Zion. Why? Because he's going to bless those people.
Not on the basis of the law, not on the old basis of the old covenant, but he's going to bless them on the grounds of pure sovereign grace. I think there's something nice in contrast, uh, in Hebrews here, because when the gospel went forth to the Jews in the early part of the act, because it was to go forth, beginning at Jerusalem, that nation that had rejected him, we find that the culmination of the, of the rejection of Israel was the stoning of Stephen. And when we, when we see Stephen take his final breath.
He looked up and he says, I see heaven open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God. I think that's important. We mentioned yesterday that in Hebrews he seated because as he writes to the Jewish brethren, those who had received the gospel, he writes of the Lord Jesus seated to bring before them their security and the one that's there on their behalf and so on. But he's standing there in the 7th of Acts because I believe such was his desire for that guilty nation.
That had they received the testimony of the Son by the Holy Spirit in the early days of the act, He was standing ready to come back and to bless that nation. But God had given 2 great testimonies. The first was the testimony of the Son as the Lord Jesus walked in this world. They rejected that when they said away with Him, crucify him. The other was the testimony of the whole of the Son by the Holy Spirit as the gospel went forth from the day of Pentecost to that nation.
And they said in their hearts, we will not have this man to reign over us. And they don't. Stephen, I believe at that point the Lord Jesus sat down because the Lord Lord had nothing else. God had nothing else for that guilty nation at that time. But he will rise up and come and draw Israel back to himself in a coming day. But he's going to do it on the grounds of grace. And so for us in this dispensation, we have been blessed on the grounds of grace.
We've been saved. Uh, we've been, we have glory before us. We have, we're joint heirs with Christ. We're redeemed with the blood of Christ as we had before us this morning. Why brethren, it's all the grace of God. Nothing that we have have done has merited a favor, acceptance before God. But we come in a closer relationship than what's ever enjoyed in the Old Testament because the blood has been shed and he's made peace through the blood of his cross.
Have you ever counted these?
Elements in these two verses, the 21 and 22.
I think you'll find 8 portions there.
And the the end of it to me is very precious as it says.
Uh, and, and to the blood of sprinkling that seeketh better things than that of Abel. That's the key, isn't it? The secret to it all, not the blood of beasts and umm, and all that, but the blood of, of Jesus seeketh better things than that of Abel. So it's, it's precious to see that, isn't it? That the, uh, right into the Hebrew believers that, uh, they might see that all that is, is contained there is the, as the result.
Of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the result of the blood of Christ. That's how the blessing will come. The blood of Abel cried for vengeance, didn't it? The blood of thy brother Abel calleth to thee from the ground. And because of Abel's shed blood, Cain had that mark placed upon him. The earth was cursed, and Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. But in contrast, in the 10th chapter of Hebrews, we find that we have boldness.
By the blood of Jesus to enter into the holiest of all. So indeed it does speak better things than the blood of Abel.
00:35:06
Speaks in her lesions halfway about the various families in heaven and the Scripture bring before us these very groups that will be in heaven. In other words, we have verse 23, the renewable company of angels.
Those unfallen angels, that's more preserved and versa. Verse 23, you have the Church of the first born. That would be the church. You know who's up. And then the end of that verse appears that just man made perfect. Perhaps a reference to the Old Testament things that will be there.
There's a brightness connected with all of this, isn't there? What we've come to, there isn't an aspect of darkness to it at all. What a contrast. If you want your soul to dwell in brightness, feast on where we come, where we come to, as under grace, Mount Zion.
The city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem.
Earthly Jerusalem has been a burdensome stone, isn't it, to, uh, uh, the nations. And even now at this time with the Burgess exposed, uh, the, uh.
Innumerable company of angels or myriads of angels. Universal gatherings.
And uh, the ones who are in the first quarter place, whatever, what a privilege that is. Now let's understand about first born.
There isn't anything.
In the spiritual sense in Scripture has nothing to do with chronology. The Lord is the first part. No matter where He understands, He comes into the creation that He made. He has to be the first part of Creator. It's new creation. He's the first part of the new creation.
If he's.
Come out from the dead. He's the first born from the dead.
So it's a place of privilege, isn't it? And we have to understand that and realize that this is the assembly of them and they're registered in heaven. Never mind if they're not noted down here or not registered down here. They're registered up there, but they're little thought of it. They're even Johnny Grenadi when he came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior.
Some 40 years ago.
He, uh, a little more than that. I guess it's 41 years now that he came to know the Lord.
When he and his wife and their little family professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bishop of Cassano Leorio got up with it, publicly excommunicated them and for bad anyone to sell them food or have anything to do with them. And for five years they went around taking herbs from the side of the road in order to feed the family. But he says, oh brother **** that was a wonderful five years, he said.
I learned the provision of the Lord, and I learned my name had been scratched off the rolls there, but it's registered in heaven instead.
Uh, that's a wonderful position to be brought in.
I wonder if we can turn to the 21St chapter of Revelation for just a moment.
And the second verse.
Revelation 21 verse two and I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And in the ninth verse, the end of the verse, come, hit her, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.
During this conference, there's been things that have been brought, I believe, by the Holy Spirit out in our hymns and in our prayers of addressing the Lord Jesus as the Bridegroom.
We had it in, uh, Frankie and Fred this morning in the first him before the first reading meeting. It was the the the bridegroom would soon appear. And in this chapter, it's as we've been sitting here.
00:40:08
Uh, touchingly, we had in the second verse, uh, that the Lord Jesus for the joy set before him, despised the shame, endured the cross and despised the shame and was given to us. I believe that the joy that was before us, before him was to have us as his bride and.
In the intervening versus in this chapter.
Where we had about our conduct and about the discipline that of God on us, perhaps we might say will be as in the 19th chapter of Revelation, the bride making her garment. It was given to her to be arrayed in fine linen, which is the righteousness of the Saints. And it just on my heart to make a little mention of this, that I believe the Spirit of God would really like us to enter in to the fact that we are the bride of Christ, the Lord Jesus paid so much for us.
That is our portion that we will have all eternity.
To be as individuals will be there as worshippers before them, but together collectively. The Spirit of God is forming this pride for the Lord Jesus that he gave himself for and the Spirit is carrying us as we had in in the story of Rebecca and Isaac this morning, carrying us through the desert. Just like to encourage us to ponder that just for a moment here. As we say, brother Keith of that vast multitude, as John said, a vast multitude that no man could number.
To think that we're going to enjoy the inner circle of relationships with the Lord Jesus for all eternity as his bride and as his wife. We understand that when we go to a wedding, there may be a lot of guests there. They may be very distinguished and prominent guests, but there's an aisle up the middle past all those guests and that bride is under, past all those guests that distinguishes. They may be into the very presence of the bridegroom. And we all rejoice when we go to a wedding. It's a happy occasion.
But who's the shares of special joy on that occasion? It's the bridegroom and his bride. And who's going to share the special joy in eternity? John the Baptist said he was going to rejoice because of the bridegroom's voice, but he owned that he was going to be outside that inner circle. We're going to be ushered past Moses, past Elijah, past John the Baptist, of whom it said there had not risen a greater, and we're going to be ushered into his presence and we're going to be married to the Lord. And brethren, we little enter into what a relationship of joy is going to be.
And not only for us, but whose joy is going to exceed ours, His joy to have us there. He's been waiting for his bride almost 2000 years. I was visiting in a home one time. There was a young man in the home who was anticipating marriage. And every day when he came down to the breakfast table, he announced to us how many days until the wedding. The first day it was 30 days, the second day 29 and 28, and so on. And he came down every morning with a glad smile on his face.
And announced that it was one day near to the wedding. And I thought if an earthly bridegroom could anticipate in that way and look forward to the time when he would have his pride and they would share their joy and love together, how much more the heavenly bride, Grandmother, he's been waiting not just a few months, not just a few years, but he's been waiting for 2000 years as a man of patience. And soon his joy is going to be fulfilled in having a surround himself as he sees of the travail of his soul and is satisfied. I think what you say is very important. We need to realize that, enter in to the fact that we are going to be the bride of Christ and enjoy that inner circle of relationship.
It's a very touching expression at the end of chapter one of the seasons that I wouldn't dare to apply to us if God hadn't done it.
Ephesians one and verse 22.
Speaking of the Lord Jesus, it says He has put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body.
And this is what I can't even, I can hardly read the fullness of heaven that filleth All in all. It's such a, a, a wonderful statement there as to, uh, that relationship into which we've been brought with the Lord Jesus Christ so that we're called the fullness of him that will evolve All in all.
It, it takes us back again to creation in a feeble way. Uh, that is creation in a feeble way takes us on to this thought.
00:45:03
Uh, God looked at me and he said it's not good for him to be alone.
It's just not good for it to be alone now. God it made.
But God, this is the thing I believe we have to understand. It's not that God made something imperfect, but he made him to have a counterpart.
He made him to have a counterpart.
Someone who would exactly compliment and.
What grade the love of this God has brought us into that position with regard to the Lord Jesus Christ, the 2nd man?
And we are Philippians are in Colossians 2 where he says they're just looking at it here when you're speaking umm versus 9 and 10 for in him.
Dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead body.
But is that all?
And ye are complete in him.
Is there gonna be any shortage? No, no, you're complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. So we see that and I, I think of this, that one of the writers speaks about the verse that says which are inscribed in heaven.
Inscribed is the.
You remember, uh, some of us remember, uh, brother, we did a lot of stonework, you know, and engraving and, uh, I asked him, I said, now, if you engrave something in stone, can you erase it? Never, he says. Never he category.
Well, our, our names are engraved in heaven, they're inscribed there. But I I've always enjoyed that to think that that's the place that the church has that we have there in Christ.
MMM.
There's an expression that you may run across if you have Mr. Darby's translation and you're reading in it, and you may be startled to find an expression that says the Christ.
The Christ. Now it's not always that, but many times when it says read Christ, it's not the Lord Jesus alone, it's Christ of his own. And uh.
One example is in Corinthians where it says that the body has many members. So also is the crisis, crisis ahead. And we the members and God sees us as one and looks on to that. Now, that's not exactly the thought of the bride, but it's connected with it. You know, if you go back to creation, you see that with Adam and Eve, sometimes the question is raised, what was the, what did God call the first woman he ever made? And usually the answer is these. So that's really not so because Adam called his wife's name Eve.
God called their name Adam in the day that he created them, male and female. He saw them now as a, as 1A complete unit. As you say, Adam was an incomplete unit, we might say, if I can put it that way. But now with his bride, they were a complete unit and he called their name Adam. And let's just read that verse in First Corinthians 12 because I think it's very precious to see this.
First Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 12.
For as the body is one and half many members.
And all the members of that one body being many are one body, though also is the Christ and brethren, isn't it a thrill to our soul to realize that as Gomez used the body we the members here on earth connected by the Spirit of God to our risen head in glory. Christ himself. God views the body in its whole the members on earth. Christ ahead and he says so close is your relationship with your head that it's one we know that if you sever the head from a natural body.
That it, it, it no longer function. And so we're connected and we can function here in this world as the members of the body of Christ, because we are members of him and connected to the head. But God sees us so close in Christ that he says the head and the members are one. We have a hymn that expresses this nicely. So near, so very near to God. I cannot never be, for in the person of the sun I am as near as he.
There's a little detail that Keith called my attention to after our reading meeting yesterday that I enjoyed. I'd like to share it. Umm, uh.
00:50:04
It says that.
Uh, first, uh.
16 Let there be any fornicator or profane person, why doesn't it say adulterer?
And uh, I, uh, I think, uh.
We might look through the New Testament and find that adultery is not applied to the church because we are espoused to Christ.
Umm, and now the one exception to keep attention to me was in James where it says adulterous. No, you're not that friendship with the world. But to whom is James writing? He's writing to the 12 tribes, Jehovah's spouse. And so in our case, it's fornication isn't it's just an example of the accuracy of the word of God and the Spirit of God being careful.
To.
Umm, say what is exactly? We may make them just indiscriminate, but God doesn't.
I've just been using it that so the more we read the word of God itself, apart from not discrediting, discrediting ministry, but reading the word of God itself, how accurate and perfect the word of God is and those that have sought to find the error in a certain area have always come to frustration because God's word is absolutely true. We know there are passages that are that are perhaps maybe a little better rendered in with J and DS rendering but at the same time.
The word of God itself can speak to our hearts and if, if we search it, we find absolute perfection, all the perfection of the word of God. And as you say, it's very clear, isn't it? It's not, uh, not confusing at all.
Charlie, I noticed you stopped with umm, when you were, and I know there's a reason for it, but you stopped with umm, the uh.
Uh, go out to judge your ball.
Uh, and the spurious adjustment made perfect, umm, when you were giving us those things as broader and broader spheres of things. Uh, do you think also that even the UN unbeliever is brought in there and that expression, God judge of all?
Judge of all.
It's very solid as it is.
Oh, it's a little challenge to the the and we know that in Hebrews that's always left as a as a possibility that there might be one in an imposter.
Umm, that is present but is not real.
That seems to be in the book of Hebrews, isn't it? That, that, uh, there, there may be profession without reality. And God warned of that, doesn't he? Well, just to go on here with this, uh, in, in if I know there's much to be said about Jesus, the mediator of the New Testament and so on, to speak of better things than that of Abel. But I was just thinking in verse 25 as a warning to sounded again, aren't they, that he refused, not him, uh, that speaketh he's speaking right now, isn't it?
Umm, so it's kind of where if they escape not or refuse him to stay on earth.
He spoke on Earth. He was here.
How how much more shall we escape if we turn away from them that speaketh from heaven? And the there's a there's a.
It's far more, there's far more responsibility now. Why is this? Because we have in our hands the Word of God. We have the Lord Jesus up on high living for us who has accomplished all the work, and we have the Spirit of God within us. That is a very serious thing to refuse that, because God is speaking in that way to us now, different than He did when He came down and spoke to them.
The Lord Jesus. So I, I think it's very sounded warning here, isn't it?
Hmm.
I had a, uh, little problem a while back. I was trying to buy some Bibles for the jail work. We give every man who comes to the Bible study and Bible take home with him and when he gets out or goes to state prison or wherever it is, I tried to find some Bibles without red letters and they thought I was a fanatic I think because I kept saying don't you have one without red letters? And uh, he said, what's so important about that?
00:55:28
Because all you're doing is highlighting what was said by the Lord Jesus on earth. And it's very important. But the whole of the epistles is what he said from heaven through his apostles. And if we don't see that, beloved, we get back under a kind of legalism and a kind of, we get off of we're, we're on the wrong mountain again if we don't remember that, that when the Lord Jesus descended up on heaven.
And he made an interesting statement before he went away. He said, I have a baptism to be baptized with. And how am I narrowed in? That's what straightened means. How am I narrowed in until it be accomplished? And once it was accomplished, he went back to heaven and through the Holy Spirit communicated all that was in his heart to communicate to us. Now we're gonna put red letters on what he said when he was down here.
I think in essence what we're doing and I, I use Bibles with red letters. I finally had a yield to get the right one I wanted and the proper, uh, but I make a speech about it to every prisoner I hand the Bible. I say, now, don't pay more attention to what's been read than what the Lord says. For Mavis, uh, he spoke from heaven. And in principle, what we're doing is despising and refusing the one that speaks from heaven.
So the Lord Jesus said when He spoke to His own in the upper room, before He went away, He gave them that precious upper room ministry. He said there were many things that He wanted to tell them, but they couldn't bear it because the Spirit of God hadn't been given and they couldn't enter into the things that He had for them later on in Christianity, as the Spirit of God came and brought the truth before them in this way. And so it's true, He spoke on earth, and we don't want to set that aside, but He completed the revelation after He ascended.
And sent down the Spirit of God. Paul himself was caught up to the 3rd heaven and heard unspeakable words that it was not lawful for a man to utter. And I believe perhaps much of what Paul received concerning the truth was received in the presence of a glorified risen Christ there in the 3rd heaven. I didn't say to to continue the thought that we made earlier concerning the importance of the Old Testament, the New Testament. I think in this connection we need to realize the importance of both the Gospel and the epistles.
Because in the Gospel, the Lord Jesus sowed the seed of every truth that's later developed in the epistles.
But I, and I know nothing about farming and planting, and so I want to be careful. But I do know that you need more than a seed if you're going to have a harvest. You need more than a seed. Well, you have the seeds in the Gospels. Like you've got to go to the epistle to have the truth developed, to get the full bloom of the truth and to understand it.
Uh, by the same token, you can't have a plant unless you have a seed. And so you've got to go back to the Gospels and you've got to get the seeds. And so I just say again, we need a balance when we read the word of God. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. In fact, I'll just read that verse. You don't need to turn to it. He says, I'll read the 15th verse from that. From a child, thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make the wines unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for corruption, for instruction in righteousness. I was saddened to talk to a brother one time who's no longer the Lord's table, and he said, I don't believe the epistles are as important as we have once considered. He said, I only read the gospel. Brethren will never get the truth developed concerning our heavenly calling and our true relationship with Christ and what's before in the glory if we don't go to the epistles and get the truth revealed there. To get the plant, we need the seed in the gospel.
But then we need to have it developed. I was, uh, very encouraged years ago, uh, when our brother Clarence Lundin passed through Chatham on a night when we were just finished taking up, uh, some portion of the Word of God. I don't remember what it was. And we were kind of before the Lord about what to take up. And our brother wisely wasn't going to say anything in the meeting about it. But afterwards, umm, as we were talking about it, he said this to me.
01:00:08
Luke alone is with me. You know Brother Lindeen was based off of just say say it and then ex expound on it at all. So I bit and I asked why. Well, what do you mean by that?
And he says that the only way that we can carry out false teaching.
In these dark days is to have the spirit that's brought out in the book of Luke before us. So I appreciate what you say that the two are important. And ever since that time, I've thought about that every time I think about the relationship of the two. Why did Paul say that Luke alone is with me? I believe it's exactly what Brother Lundin was trying to bring before. Besides the historical fact that Luke was with him, There's a reason why the Spirit of God tells us that Luke was the companion of Paul.
And that is that in that spirit of the of the little remnant that feared his name is really carried on from Malachi 316 in the book of Luke, and how that little remnant is let out into the place where the second book of Luke takes up their new position as members of the body of Christ.
In that period in between, the spirit is laid out in which we can walk in Paul's doctrine. And, uh, just a little remark of our dear brother is stuck with me for many, many years.
Probably 20 years ago that he passed through shot him with that remark. I hope it was good to do.
I would suggest that verse 25 Harkins back to the very first verses of the entire book. Seeing that you refuse, not him that speaketh, say where has he spoken? You go back to the chapter. You have to keep backtracking, so you go all the way to the beginning of the book of Hebrews.
Where in the first verse it says God.
Verse 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by or in Is not uh?
The wonderful truth you've just taken up a few minutes ago about the bride are known in Paul's doctrine is the mystery. And you don't get that in Hebrews chapter 12 because their state wasn't up to it. It's very wonderful that your state was to enjoy it here this afternoon, but their state wasn't up to it. And it's not brought out here. Uh, and what a thing to have to say to them. See that you refuse, not him to speak. It's a negative, uh, exhortation.
But the one speaking, I would suggest is God himself speaking as as brother **** has already mentioned, not in just in the red letters or not even in the black letters of what we call the Old Testament, but in the person of the Son himself. And this beautifully, this is Hebrews chapter one is is one of one of those majestic portions of Scripture. God speaking not much by his Son. That is the son speaking the words that his father gave him.
Because we have in John's Gospel, but the sun coming forth in the majesty of a divine person proceeding forth from God, comes into this world as the very brightness of God's glory in the expressed image of this person. And he speaks in himself. So he just comes and he displays himself. And whether he moves his finger in the dirt or whether he makes the spittle, or whether he speaks, it was all the IT was all God speaking in the person of his Son. And it's very beautiful.
Beautiful things that ponder, and it relates to the beginning of John's gospel where the Lord Jesus, the Son of God is given the name or title of the word, because that's what a word does. It communicates. And the sun is the expression and communication of God outward to man. And we think sometimes from our point of view, well, wasn't that a terrible day when God dwelt in thick darkness and man was kept out? And not only was he kept out, but if he went near, he would perish, as you mentioned.
Bring to Exodus 19 but in a certain sense, God kept himself back in this darkness. And so the work of atonement having been accomplished, not only do we now have access by faith, uh, through a rent fail. Now God is free to come out and all that he is displayed himself in the fullness of his nature, which is not just light but also love. So this is never quite noticed it before, but it seems I just suggest that this person.
This 1St 25 goes back to the very beginning that God has spoken. See that you don't refuse.
To see what happened, the people who refused when he spoke on earth, He's speaking from glory now in the person of his exalted son. And by, by the way, he also asked verse 26, He shook the earth once and he shake it again. And it's uh, a very, uh, wrong expectation to people, uh, who were weak and uh, and unskillful and use of the word and we were wavering from their professional faith.
01:05:22
She's time is gone, but I just say before we close that.
Verse 28 is very encouraging because it brings before us two things. It brings before us a Kingdom and it brings before us great. And as we said in these meetings, we all have that hope before us where the Lord said to his own, fear not little floss, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. He could encourage them because there was something better ahead. But what do we have in the meantime? Brother of all we received of his fullness and grace upon grace, David said the Lord will give grace and glory. Grace meets our present need and glory is what comes at the end. The end of the blessed UMM book. We thought of the word of God, we find that he.
Brings those two things out. Behold, I come quickly. Even so come Lord Jesus. That's what we're looking forward to. But what about in the meantime? What about as we go back to our jobs, to school, to our home assembly? The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. What a blessed provision He's made for us. Glory at the end. We're going to share in the Kingdom in the coming days, but in the meantime, we have his present grace. Do we need more grace to give us more grace?
#46 in the back of the book.