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Hebrews 12, verse 22.
That you are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 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 been 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, Whose voice then shook the earth, but now he hath promised, saying Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet once more signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as the things that are made at those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Wherefore we receiving a 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.
And also.
The administration of the fullness of times. It's when the Lord Jesus.
Takes over completely.
In administration of all things.
It's after the first resurrection we have a verse in.
Matthew 24.
In the 29th verse.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light. The stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
Now that's what we have in this chapter, in this verse that we've read, the first verse.
Where we have the.
Picture of the change that will take place at that time, the innumerable or myriads of angels and.
The generous, that is the General Assembly of angels, the myriads of them, and the Church.
The Lord Jesus is the one who will administer things.
Take control of all things.
And this chapter brings us down.
To the time when everything will be shaken at the end of the chapter.
So that there is a time coming when all the powers in the heavens.
Will be shaken and the administration of them will be put in the hands of the Lord Jesus.
And the church together.
But first of all, we have the Zion mentioned.
Mount Zion, City of Grace.
Then you have an end which changes the subject, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
So there are two distinct things.
The city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. And you'll notice that in between each of these expressions there's an and changes the subject.
I believe in other translation you have a semi colon instead of a comma.
Which changes the subject in each case.
Would you tell us, Brother Lundeen?
What is essentially the heavenly Jerusalem?
Well.
This is what?
Was being It was looked for in the 11Th chapter of Hebrews.
Those that say something declared plainly that they seek a city which have foundation, which is building makers. God.
And I believe that that is the.
Ultimate of what they're looking forward to.
It's not the House of the Father's house.
Where the Church will be. But it's the heavenly glory, the heavenly Jerusalem, which the the Old Testament Saints look forward to.
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In other words, it is not the earthly scene of the Millennium.
It's the it's the heavenly place of the redeemed. Yeah, there will be a millennial glory to in the earth. But this is heavenly true of the 13th chapter where we have let us go forth in verse 13 unto him without the camp bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
That the same city.
Well, yes, the heavenly Jerusalem includes really all who are found in heaven. But there is a special place for the church. I believe it's a Father's house.
Besides, in Revelation 21 and 22, we have the heavenly city in relationship to the earthly, don't we? And I believe in the millennial age, the heavenly city will be over the earthly and there will be that harmony so that we reign over the earth and Israel on the earth. And I think the thought of the city is administration. And so that it's what it is going to take place, there will be perfect administration of.
Government in the earth. And all this is brought before us here as the prospect that's before our souls. God is preparing us for this. If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him. And so we have the earthly and the heavenly. If you turn to Revelation chapter 21.
And the first part of Revelation chapter 21 we have the eternal state in the 1St 8 verses.
And the second verse says, 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 then when we go to the latter part of this chapter, why notice the.
10th verse. 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.
And her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a Jasper stone, clear as crystal. And in the 24th verse. And the city had. And the nations of them that are which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth to bring their glory and honor. It's really unto it.
And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, or there shall be no night there.
And they shall bring the glory and honor of the Nations unto it. There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth neither worketh abomination, or maketh the lie, but they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life.
In Isaiah chapter 65 we have a picture of the earthly Jerusalem and the blessing that will be there.
In the millennial Kingdom. And then we see the relationship of the heavenly city to the earthly, I believe brought before us in the 21St of Revelation from the ninth verse on. That is, in the eternal state there will be perfect harmony between earth and heaven. So it says the Tabernacle of God is with men. So whether it's those who have a heavenly portion or those who have an earthly.
All is in perfect harmony, but in the millennial period there is the reigning.
And there is the administration of government. And so tells us also in Hosea. The heavens shall hear the earth, and the earth shall hear the corn, and the lion and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel. Now we might say that heaven and earth are not in harmony. The world is going on, and Satan has taken the place of God and Prince here in this world. And.
We see heaven, so to speak, rejected, but in the millennial age, when?
The dispensation of the fullness of times. Then there will be righteous government administered from heaven and carried out upon the earth through God's earthly people. And so I believe we have the two things here. And then we have, of course, all the ones who will have part in that glorious scene above. That is the Church, the angels in their place.
Not in the same nearness to the throne, but then the.
Spirits of just man made perfect, that is the Old Testament Saints all brought into blessing in this heavenly city. So we have that harmony in. As someone has said, in the Millennium, righteousness reigns. In the eternal state, righteousness dwell.
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So that the reigning is carried out. But since there is no raining required when all is in a perfect state, then the 1St 8 verses of the chapter decide bring before us the perfect state. When Paul is in such harmony that you can hardly distinguish between heaven and earth. It says the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them.
Administration and.
We see this company of angels.
The General Assembly.
The change of administration is from angels to men. Let's notice in the second chapter of Hebrews what speaks of the world to come in the fifth verse. Hebrews 2/5. For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
We are apartment to forget that God is in control of the earth now.
Through Angels, and we have a good deal about that in this book.
Now God uses them, but it appears all through the Old Testament as well. And what is going to be the change of administration is that they are going to be called in. And that's the reason in our chapter it speaks of this company as an innumerable company of angels, the General Assembly. If we go to Revelation 5, we find them in heaven too. In our chapter, they're called up.
And in in Revelation 5, we find the same thing.
Revelation.
Five and verse 10 and 11. Here's the redeemed company, Thou hast made us unto our God, kings and priests, This scene is in heaven. The coming day may not be far wrong. When we're called in there and it says we shall reign on the earth, that definitely tells us who's going to administer the new earth.
Then the next verse says, And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne.
And the beasts and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 * 10,000.
And thousands of thousands. Where are they in heaven? It's the change of administration.
It's just like in our country when one party loses control of the government and it changes to the other, they pull in all their ambassadors and they put in a new.
Cabinet and so on to administer in the way they want it done.
It's the victory that God is demonstrating.
Through the man Christ Jesus, the 2nd man, the Lord out of heaven, He set the 1St man on the earth and made him Lord of it. And he lost it quickly, that exalted position of dominion. So God in his wisdom has been over ruling, using angels. He's not going to do that in the world to come. It's going to be Christ and the Church.
And men that reign and have that righteous government in the millennial day.
The last two verses of the 11Th chapter.
To have these all having obtained a good report through faith, the faith chapter, the history of the faith received not the promise. God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
God has so ordered that.
Israel's blessings will follow the Church.
We find in Simon's prayer in Luke that it's reversed It was it was originally that the June 1St and then the Gentile, but in God's ways we find that the church will be brought into blessing first that they without us should not be made perfect Now in the verse that we've read in the.
23rd verse of our chapter.
And to the spirits of justice men made perfect. That is, they now have received their bodies. Glory and resurrection is passed, and they're in that new position. But the Church is there first.
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There's another person that is interesting in this connection, and that's in Romans.
The 8th chapter.
The 19 verse.
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth.
For the manifestation of the sons of God.
Now the manifestation of the sons of God is when Christ takes his power with His Church to administer all things. And so the whole creation waits for that moment will not be delivered until that moment.
Notice that in the comments that have been made that when it says in that 23rd verse, the General Assembly and Church of the First Born, really the comma should be after assembly there. And it's the new translation. It's associated with what goes before. There's first Mount Zion, then the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem then.
The innumerable company of angels, the universal gathering that should be, instead of General Assembly, then comma and Church of the first born, which are written in heaven.
When the Lord Jesus comes, the Old Testament Saints as well as the New Testament Saints will all be caught up.
All be changed into His likeness. And when we read about the elders, it includes the whole company of the redeemed. And we don't read about them being separated actually until the marriage of the Lamb takes place in heaven. And up to up to that time the elders represent all the redeemed, and they all have one common ground, the blessing. And so in that 5th of revelation they sing together Old Testament Saints and those.
Form the church will all sing together, Thou art worthy, for thou was slain, and has redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people and nation. And in the 7th chapter the elder explains something about that other company that are brought in from the period of tribulation.
But then when we come to the 19th chapter, we see the we never read about the elders after that, because when the marriage of the Lamb takes place, there are those who are the friends of the bridegroom. And in this verse they form a separate company. That is the Church of the first born. And then the spirits of just man made perfect. I say this because if the Lord were to come right now.
All those who died in faith from Abel downward would all be caught up.
And all be there, all joined together in redemption song, having one common ground of blessing.
But there are circles of blessing even in the heavenly sphere, and we see that brought out in this chapter. We see the angels in their place here as those who are now gathered in, and they occupy a place there as we have in the 5th of Revelation. They don't join in redemption song, but they ascribe greatness and power to the Lord because He is the center of the whole scene.
And perhaps the reason it says to God the Judge of all.
Is because now there is not the open intervention of God says in the second chapter of Hebrews. We see not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus who has made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor. But in this scene, why man is not going to have the upper hand. God's man and those who are part of that new creation that you were Speaking of all will have part in that glorious.
But God will be the judge of all, there won't be false judgments and all that kind of thing carried out so that we have a picture here, I believe, of everything being set right. Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, because the first covenant as we know with Israel was a conditional 1 and under that they lost everything but.
The New Covenant is founded upon what Christ has done, and it's all because of Him. All the promises of God and him are yay.
And in him Amen to the glory of God by us. So that's why he brings in here about Abel's blood.
Because Abel's blood called for vengeance. When Cain flew Abel, the Lord said, The voice of thy brothers, blood crieth unto me from the ground. And so that blood of Abel called for vengeance upon Cain. But as God looked down and saw the precious blood of his Son shed there, and flowed down by, it calls for blessing.
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Calls for judgment upon those who reject him, but as far as the whole heavenly company are concerned, that which was the worst act that man ever did.
To put the Son of God upon a cross and crucify Him, and then after he had done that wonderful work, to do man's last act of evil, to put the spear in his side. But what does it call for? It's the ground of all blessing. And of that whole new creation scene is that blood that speaks better things than Abel. Man's worst act only brought out in great relief the wonders of the heart of God in grace, and he provided a way of blessing.
And so this whole millennial scene is opened up to us here. The Judge of All brings us to the very pinnacle of the.
What we have here and then like an ascending scale.
So that we find now that the beast and the false prophet and all the evil workers agents have been put down and God has taken his place over all, so that in this administration here everything is in order. God himself has intervened.
Then we have the spirits have just been following that brought into their place.
Like that was so nice about table blood. Bringing in the blessing to finish this up when we think of.
Abel and Cain. Cain, the 1St man born into the world. Abel, the 2nd 1St man was born in the world Murders the kills the 2nd man. Well that's what the that's the story of the two races, the first Adam.
And the last atom really? Abel, of course, picturing the 2nd man.
That the very act.
We have Adams race. Putting the Lord Jesus to death has brought the blessing out. It's going to shine out fully in that day, blessing through that blood. I think it's important to see that it's not the blood of Abel's sacrifice that it's talking about here, because the 11Th chapter of Hebrews tells us that he offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.
By which he obtained witness that he was righteous. It's not talking about the blood of his sacrifice that laid the basis, so to speak, how God could accept him, pointing out of course to the cross. But it's talking about Abel's own blood shed by Cain, and that blood called for vengeance. I just mentioned that because some might confuse it with the blood of evil sacrifice, but I don't believe that's the point here, but rather.
The naval's own blood.
Contrasted with the blood of the Lord Jesus, that one whose precious blood is the song of the redeemed forever.
So the cup we have is the cup of blessing. It speaks of that precious blood that has brought all this blessing, in contrast to the first murder which brought a curse.
Expression first born here carries the thought with it.
Of Christ as the beginning.
Of the manifestation of the power and the glory of God.
These final things are coming into the picture now.
God's glory is to be seen.
From now on.
And Christ is the beginning of it. That's really the thought of first born, I believe.
Is the beginning of the manifestation of it publicly, Christ is the one who takes over. That's a part of the mystery that a man is going to take over all of these things and he's seen as the first born. Now first born of course suggests title, but it's more than just title. He's he's the one who who takes over and administrating all things.
And.
So that Christ will be the center of it all.
But acting is for God himself.
I think of Christ as a man now.
I think it's important to see that because this verse has been used and others as though the Lord Jesus had a beginning, first born and the beginning of the creation of God. It's not that thought at all. The one who is and ever was from all eternity took his place in this creation and God puts him in the position of first born and he himself is the beginning of an entirely new thing. Everything in the first creation was ruined.
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And now God begins all over again, and He begins with the 2nd man. He begins with his own Son, so that the one who is the is from all eternity the one whoever dwelled in the bosom of the Father, comes down and becomes a man and takes his place at the head of new creation. It was in the purpose of God that there should be a creation with a man at the head of it that would give glory to him, and that those would be brought.
Brought in to share and enjoy all that was in the heart of God.
And in their relationship to his son and now the first man failed altogether.
So God sends his own son, He becomes a man, begins all over him again. So in God's account there are only two men, The first one the head of her fallen, ruined race. The second one, the Lord from heaven, is the beginning of a new creation, but is no thought that is.
He had a beginning. It's simply the thought that he took his place as the beginning of that which was altogether new and the beginning of this new creation. And he's the first born, he's honored in that place.
Beloved, isn't this a grand thing for us to contemplate? Because we here today, whose faith is in Christ, will be participators as well as witnesses of these things.
And what joy will fill our hearts and all the redeemed to see.
The one whose blood was shed for us, receiving that acclaim, that place of priority, and all following to him, giving their praise, their Thanksgiving, and he who was the song of the drunkard, given his rightful place, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, supreme.
And this eternal scene coming which we've been speaking and we participators in that.
Sharing with him how wondrous it all is.
You see three things, I think, in connection with the mystery.
Christ of the Church, and the first is union, that is.
Christ and his people are one.
So that.
We sing that little song. Lord Jesus, are we one with thee?
Depth of love.
But then there's more. We find that as man, he administers all things.
But more yet.
He's the one upon which all the glory hangs.
Here's the one that is the center of that glory.
A man. These are God's counsels, and it was a mystery, but now it's made known to us.
And we should enjoy these troops. But first of all, he has his bride and union, Christ in the Church.
Then he goes out to administer all things.
But then all the glory hangs on him.
He's the one who carries it all. I think we have that in Isaiah.
That the glory is taken from Shebna is it? And now we find one upon whom all the glory can be placed. That's Christ.
A few verses in Psalm 89 in connection with this. It's very precious there.
We have, of course, David and his.
Kingly line and the promises made to him. And our New Testament begins with the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, and all the promises made to David.
Will be accomplished in Christ.
They broke down in the old line of his sons, of course, but the prophecy is made and it will be completed, and it's in Jesus who came of that line and will establish them. But the promises of God in the 20th verse he says, I have found David, my servant with my holy oil have I anointed him? He was the man after God's heart that he chose to be the king. There had to be.
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A king because.
God was going to exalt his Son as King. Well, notice the.
27th verse. Also I will make him my first born.
Higher than the kings of the earth. Well, this is accomplished in Christ. It's what we're having in our chapter.
But going on down in the 89th Psalm.
Verse 35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me, it shall be established forever as the moon. Now notice what it says. And as a faithful witness in heaven, there's the first born there in heaven.
And we are associated with in the Church of the First born.
Which are written in heaven.
That great David's greater son coming and glorifying God in everything in which the kingly line of David failed in, and taking it up and having that throne established before God forever.
We have Oneness brought before us in three different ways, and they'll all be very blessed in that coming day.
We have oneness in the body of Christ by 1 Spirit. Are we all baptized into one body. Christ is the head, and we are members of that one body. Then also we have in John's epistle, John's gospel. We have oneness in the family of God, which is very blessed because being brought into the family of God.
We possess a life and nature by which we can enter into and enjoy the thoughts of God.
So that we're not only brought into a relationship as members of the body of Christ, but we've been given the capacity to enjoy all those things that are in the heart of God. I might be brought into a place in association with somebody and feel greatly honored.
But not able to enter into all their thoughts, because they might be far beyond mine. But God has given us a life and nature so that we're one in the family. How wonderful that is. So that this is what is brought before us in John and possessing eternal life and being one. But then also we have in second chapter of Hebrews, it says he that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified are all of one.
For which 'cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. And that is that we are one in kind. And that is the most marvelous thing too, because the one who sits upon that throne is a real man. He's there. He wears our nature on the throne, and there he enters into all that we are as man down here. And when we get there, what a marvelous thing we're going to be associated with. And he's a man, and we are redeemed man brought.
Place of association. So perhaps that could be spoken of as one in kind. How could I share one in kind with an Angel? But there's a man who is the bridegroom of the Church, and we possess his life and nature, and we have bodies of glory fashioned like unto his glorious body. What a scene is ahead of us, brethren, Surely when we think of this, to me it enlightens the whole first part of the chapter.
Because if we realize this, wouldn't we be looking under Jesus? Wouldn't we be running with endurance the race that set before us?
And if He sees something in us that needs to be corrected, I'd be glad that he's doing this, because he's waiting for that day when all this glorious scene will burst upon us and all that God has purposed will be in full display while He's working out now through those necessary chastisements of the Way.
That which is, shall I say, fitting us in our hearts for that glorious scene that's ahead.
What is the meaning of sprinkling? I think it would be helpful if you mentioned a little about it. Well, we know it was always the sprinkling of the blood that had to do with the putting away of sin. That is, the children of Israel had to sprinkle the blood on the lentil and the two side posts. Also, we know that the blood had to be sprinkled on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat, and when the leper was cleansed, the blood was sprinkled.
Upon him. It's really to me the thought of the blood applied. We know the blood has been shed, but the blood has to be applied. I've often heard those who preach the gospel say it isn't enough. The blood is in the basin. The blood had to be sprinkled. And so thank God it has been sprinkled on the mercy seat and in that sense also upon us putting away our sins, making us fit to be there.
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Long glory of God will be manifested.
Through the Lord Jesus, but the church will be found as the ones through whom this will be seen by all created intelligence. That's the last verse of the third chapter of Ephesians. But through Christ Jesus, he is the first born, and he's the one that will manifest all the power and the glory of God, because when God.
Broke through the silence of the first chapter of.
Genesis. His purpose was to prepare a scene or sphere where he might be seen in all his power and glory and his love.
But the Lord Jesus is the one who publicly and through the Church manifests all this.
Marvelous truth that we are associated with Him in it. All the power and glory of God, He's the one that manifests it.
In John 18 or 17 it says, and the glory which thou gave us, me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one in verse 22. And so we see that the church viewed there in Revelation 21 reflects that glory. The Lamb is the light thereof, but it reflects through the foundation and through the walls of that city, reflecting His glory, the glory of God having.
The glory of God. That's marvelous, isn't it? To consider His grace in bringing us into association with Himself in that way?
To be broken so the light can shine, because we have this treasure in earthen vessels. So we already possess the very life of Christ. But there's a big hindrance now. And it's often been commented that there are two things now that are a hindrance that will not be when we get home. That is, we still have the flesh within us, and much of the energy of the Spirit now is to help us to keep the flesh in its proper place.
The place of death.
Then to the Spirit helps our infirmities. Well, that won't be necessary in heaven either. So the Spirit of God will not have to help our infirmities. The full energy of the Spirit will be to bring all the glories of Christ and there be no hindrance to the outshining of them. As I say, if you have a vessel that's made of earthenware, well a light won't shine through it. So you have to break the vessel so a light can shine like Gideon's men.
And God has to pass us through all these things that we're reading of in this chapter. So that's the breaking down South the light will shine, but up there there will be no necessity for that because there will be no hindrance that I won't have a body that has an old nature in it, and I won't have a body with aches and pains. So the Spirit of God can fully fill our hearts with Christ and all his glory and no hindrance to the outshining of that. And it shines out to the whole world. They see as.
Puts it so nicely, Thou shalt to wandering worlds display that we with thee are one.
That verse in Revelation.
The 21St chapter where it speaks of the.
Of the various stones.
We have in efficiency expression the manifold wisdom of God. I understand that in in a certain language it's translated the multi colored wisdom of God.
Now color represents glory.
And in those 12 Stones of revelation, we get 12, which is administration.
But it represents all the Saints.
There will be varied colors.
And those colors are formed down here as the believer passes through various trials and testings. God is preparing each soul for that day when these colors will be seen. It's all a work of God and what has been produced, what is seen up there will have been produced by the Spirit down here.
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He's the one that is working today.
And each one and so that as the as the Holy Spirit works in each believer, unless we're intelligent from the Scriptures, we don't understand that all this has to do with the coming glory of God.
So that as we have in Isaiah.
O thou afflicted, tossed with The Tempest, and not comforted, Behold, I will set thyself.
Stones and fair colors. All life foundations shall be sapphire.
So that he will set those colors in. And we know that these stones are formed in the lower parts of the earth. And so the believer is seen down here now passing through the trials and the testings of the way according to a plan. And God's plan is on time everything that he does.
Has a purpose and it's love behind them. And so as we pass through these trials and testings.
Some to form a very, very special deep color and some a little different. Some go through trials and testings all their life in a special way.
Some just sudden trial, severe trial.
And so on, but each one is forming a different color which will.
In the picture form.
Set forth what's going to take place when God's glory will be seen by all created intelligence through the church in that coming day. That's the last verse of Ephesians 3.
I think this 25th verse is really very important for us to see that you refuse not him that speaketh, or 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 heavens? We'll never get hold of these wonderful things that are being set forth here.
Unless we hear the voice of a glorified Christ speaking from heaven.
That is, Christianity began with the Lord Jesus up there in glory, and the Holy Spirit of God sent down, and Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven and received those wonderful revelations that really ought to fill our hearts. And the enemy, if he can't keep us from knowing Christ as Savior, He's going to try and keep us from the enjoyment of heavenly things. And how many?
There are, but don't go any farther than just the accomplished redemption. They come to Calvary, they see what the Lord Jesus has done there. But as far as Pauls ministry and the glorious place into which we have been brought, what it is to be a member of the body of Christ accepted in the beloved.
The blessed hope of the Lord's return. These things, brethren, are being lost in Christendom because they're not receiving Pauls ministry. And that's why Paul speaks so much of my gospel and in another place, Pauls gospel. He suffered in the bringing out of this heavenly side of truth. And I think it's most important for us.
That's one of the things in connection with what is often spoken of as the Red Letter Bible.
That they have the words of Christ spoken on earth in red, but they don't realize that it's equally the voice of Christ speaking from heaven and what Paul received from Christ in glory, he tells us that he received it from the Lord. He says that they're the commandments of the Lord.
Those things that were given by the Apostle Paul are just the voice of a glorified Christ speaking from heaven. And here is the warning that we're not to stop short of knowing all of His hours. It's the same thought in the 6th chapter where he speaks about leaving the word of the beginning of Christ to go on to perfection, because when the Lord Jesus was here upon earth, He didn't bring out the truth of the Church.
The body of Christ, the real development of the Lord's coming, the truth of so many things that we have now in Christianity and the believers standing in Christ justified from all things. All these come from the voice of a glorified Christ speaking from heaven. And how blessed it is that we can enter into and enjoy these things. But as I say.
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When the impression is given that the words of Christ spoken on earth.
Are especially important. They are no more important than the words that he spoke from heaven through the apostles Paul, which lead us into the full blessing of the result of that glorious work that he accomplished, enjoyed by the Holy Ghost, come down from heaven.
I have many things to say on you, but you cannot bear them now that the thought.
And so he ministered them through the apostle Paul.
It's a more serious thing then, is it not, to reject the gospel of the grace of God than it is to reject the testimony of Moses.
Because we have the testimony, not only the testimony of the Lord Jesus when he was here, but now we have added to it the testimony from heaven. That's what makes it so serious.
And in the Hebrews one we find that God is speaking in his Son.
And he's in the position of exaltation at that time in heaven.
Well, we would never know the truth of justification or that were accepted in the Beloved and all these wonderful things if we don't hear that voice that speaks from heaven, and how many dear Christians there are who don't. And that's why we find the tendency to settle down as though we were here to improve the world. The Jews had an earthly hope and through in another day God is going to use them for the setting things right here upon earth.
But it's very important that we realize that we are a heavenly people, that we belong there. We have nothing to do. Even the question of healing that perplexes so many is because they don't understand the heavenly side of things. It's true. When the Kingdom is set up on the earth, it says the inhabitant shall not say, in that day I am sick. People that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity who forgiveth all thine iniquities who?
Diseases that will be true and the Lord sets up his Kingdom and reigns in righteousness and blessing will come in a practical way to the earth. But where do you and I look for deliverance from all these groans. Well it says in the eighth of Romans. We who have the first fruits of the spirit grown within ourselves waiting for what the Millennium to come or a healer to come along. No waiting for the adoption to with the.
Of our bodies and so our position is heavenly. Now I don't mean that God doesn't answer prayer, He certainly does, but we don't look for deliverance from the effects of this groaning creation until the Lord comes. Israel can look for it on the earth when the Lord has his rightful place here. Well, the understanding of so many of these things is the result of understanding our heavenly calling where a heavenly people and waiting for God.
Son from heaven.
Peter frankly admitted that Paul wrote things, some things that were hard to understand. Well, we noticed in the Hebrews here that the apostle uses some fairly strong language in that 5th chapter that they had need of milk and rather than meat and this was a a sign of immaturity. And this should be a searching thing to our own hearts because the Spirit of God certainly wants to occupy us.
The meat, the precious things of God and the deep things, the things that are connected with our heavenly and our holy calling. But if we're so taken up with earthly things, then it keeps us in an immature state. Isn't that right, brother? Don't we have to frankly admit to that?
I was thinking how these thoughts on our 25th verse are somewhat parallel to what we have in the second chapter, aren't they? How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first was spoken by the Lord and.
And conveyed by the apostles.
Usually we think of that verse in connection with the Gospel, and rightly so. It's surely a solemn word for those who neglect the salvation that it offered them. But I believe too, it's a solemn word for us believers, as has been expressed, if we neglect the salvation into which we have been brought, we are great losers. And we.
00:50:14
It's already been emphasized how God has raised up the Apostle Paul and the other apostles.
Who have written to us in the Word, as well as the teachers of more recent days and the liberty of the Word today. What a tendency there is for believers today to just rest upon the fact. Well, I'm saved, I'm on the way to heaven, and yes, I attend meetings, but oh, we are guilty, aren't we, everyone, of neglecting.
The great salvation that has been given to us.
And it's been mentioned already how our hearts and our minds can be greatly enlarged and invigorated by searching into these things, not neglecting them, but pursuing them to our prophet into the honor of our Lord. Desiring the milk of the word is newborn babes is in a good sense, but I believe there's at least the two places in a bad sense where they're considered as babes, and one is as a result.
Of envy and strife, that kept them in a carnal state, and as babes. But the apostle says, I have fed you with milk. He did not give up feeding the Saints of God, even though he had to feed them with milk. But it was a terribly immature state of things as a result of envy and strife. Here with the Hebrew believers. It was a question of dullness, because they were attached to the earthly things, and it kept.
Dull of hearing and immature in that way.
Really the warnings too, of them turning back to Judaism and the ordinances that go with that earthly worship that had to do with the nation of Israel. And so in the book of Hebrews we have a great deal brought before us in the light of turning to those earthly ceremonies which were lifted out of altogether.
And brought into the special place in favor.
Of coming into the very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, having access to the throne of grace, and having access into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. And all of these things are presented to us as well in the book of Hebrews. And so it's such a sad thing to turn back to them once one is delivered from them.
And I fear that unless we get hold of the.
Ministry that is given to us by those who have searched it out by the Spirit of God. We are going to lose out as well on the special liberties and privileges that belong to the children of God as we are journeying through this life there is.
A A future bright and fair. And there is.
The onward look to the coming day of glory which has been presented to us.
And we look for a city. There is that vision that we have, and the apostle speaks of it in Second Timothy. That is those who are anticipating or looking on to the reign of Christ, to that reign of glory. And there's a crown of righteousness connected with it.
But we're following one who now.
Has been rejected. One we look up into the heavens and see Him exalted and glorified, but we follow one who has been rejected. And it isn't the day for raining, but it is the grace, the day for following one who has been rejected, as we notice in the 13th verse of the 13th chapter.
Let us go forth therefore unto him.
Separation is from, but it isn't true separation, unless it's unto Him and going forth and to Him without the camp, and that is the religious camp, I believe. And in that separation we are brought to feel reproach, but as we feel that reproach, it is only to look on with anticipation.
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Do that coming day which is presented for here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. But we must learn that we need to live in the good of what we have at this present time, through sovereign grace as to the truth that is ours we should value.
It and we have it given to us by the Spirit of God.
How important then, for us to realize the importance and the value what God in grace has been pleased to give us, rather than to turn back to the beggarly things that were thus?
Hours before we were brought into, through sovereign grace, the position that's ours as the children have gone.
Hebrews was written by the Curry because.
The Jews.
Were inclined to turn back to the ordinances.
And that would really be apostasy because they were rejecting the Savior. But not only the Jews. Almost everyone here has had some religious background, and if we don't receive Christ as Savior, we'll probably revert to some set of religious ordinances.
Or we'll go out into the world one of the two. And so that's the warning here in the book of Hebrews.
All the way through.
That if you reject Christ, you're going back into the ordinances.
Whether it be the Jew or ourselves, or we'll go out and open sin, one of the two because there's only one thing to control man, and that's the Spirit of God and the one who receives Christ.
One person, I should say, that's the Spirit of God and the one who receives Christ as Savior. He has the Holy Spirit within him and he has the control then which he would not have otherwise.
We are responsible according to the revelation that God has given, and we see that constantly in all God's ways with man. And so when the law was given, they were responsible because God had made himself known in that way at Sinai to despise Moses. Law brought down judgment, and now what he is really bringing out, is it not that God has made himself known in a much fuller and more blessed way in Christianity to reject that?
Was really to set aside this what God had made known of himself? Because, brethren, all we know about God is what God has made known to us in Revelation. And God was patient with these Jews because they had a religion that was given of God.
That whole order of Judaism was given of God, but now God had, as it were, rent the veil, and He had provided a way of approach into His presence. To despise that manifestation of His grace was more serious than to despise the law that God gave.
And I believe it's a very solemn morning for us today, that if God has made known these things to us, then it's our privilege to lock in the enjoyment of them. But it's a serious thing. And that's why just anticipating for a minute that the chapter closes with our God is a consuming fire. There is perhaps a tendency to think that because God has been revealed in grace in this present time, that there is a slackening of His Holiness and of His.
Glory demands, but not so. God has never changed as to His holy character and the judgment of sin, but the only reason that you and I can have this holy liberty and this blessed approach into His presence and this wonderful enjoyment.
Because God himself has taken up and settled the question of sin. But there is a danger today, it seems to forget the holy character of God. But it's, as I say, it's the same holy God that thundered the law at Mount Sinai, who has now revealed himself in grace. And that's because all the claims of Sinai and all the claims of His Holiness were fully met at the cross. And so immediately it goes on and introduces.
Grace that now has been made known and in which we can walk. And that's a blessed thing for us to know and enjoy How many there are who don't enjoy the blessed liberty that belongs to them. God is patient while we learn, but it's a serious thing to reject it when we know it.
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Often thought of the privilege that's given to the child of God.
Now.
We count it as a privilege.
And that's really what it is. And the privilege of being gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus is the greatest privilege, perhaps that we could have at this time. We think of it very lightly because we're such a feeble and fragile company, but it is.
That blessed and privilege of being in the very presence of the Son of God.
And on Lord's Day, we speak of going to meeting.
And that's true, but do we stop and think of being in the presence of the Lord Jesus? And at prayer meeting, do we consider that a great privilege just to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus? That's where the Spirit of God is bringing us to enjoy his presence. Well, we say it's a privilege, and a privilege is something we can lose if we're not careful.
I have a driver's license.
And so I have the privilege of driving an automobile on a public highway, but that is a privilege that I can lose if I don't use care in how I behave myself when I'm driving the car. And so it is, I believe, for us to think of this blessed privilege.
It is ours through grace. It's such a immense blessing not only to be there for the remembrance of the Lord Jesus, but to be there where there is room for the truth of God.
So blessed it is that there is room for the truth of God. It might be feebly given out, but there's room for it.
And the Spirit of God can bring it before us, but it's only in that place that the Lord Jesus has chosen His name.
To the end, when everything will be shaken, and heaven and earth, and so that.
It really closes the millennial day and ushers in the eternal state.
You know, the questions arise in minds about these things about be men on the earth when the earth and the heavens burn. But you know God answers everything. All you have to do is look back at those three men in the fiery furnace and you see how God can take care of any anything that happens.
There the fire didn't touch their their clothes or anything. So God answers all these questions that men raise.
I think what he's really saying here is that everything that is not founded upon the person and work of Christ is finally going to be destroyed. The whole scene and all the blessing of it and all that we've been talking about is all founded upon that. And so he says that everything that can be shaken will be shaken, but we have something that can be shaken, and it doesn't depend on anything in us at all. The law made blessing conditional, but now everything.
Upon this glorious person, this glorious work that He has accomplished, and then the exhortation, let us have grace to serve Him. He's done so much, and all this is secured to us through His work. Now let's be in the enjoyment of it and serve Him in the full light and liberty of the place where Grace, Grace has brought us.
As with reverence and godly fear, we see in the book of Malachi a condition of a deteriorated remnant, and they're calling everything in question. And one thing that certainly marks the book of Malachi is ear reverence. No, brethren, how we need to be careful and exercise in our hearts as to irreverent things coming in among us just as a little sample changes.
Expressions. So we need to be exercised about these things and recognize whose presence we're in.
01:05:05
Wonder if we might just read a few verses at the close of the book.
The 13th chapter.
In concluding our.
Searching these out verse 20 of chapter 13.
Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation.