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Remaining.
#31 #31.
The Father from eternity shows us Jesus Christ indeed #31.
Eternity. Those are soldiers, those Christ and they.
In the middle is well, beginning to love the rest of the rest of this.
Strange uranium.
What's the energy?
May we also.
Forgive.
Them before our world. Wake me in the end.
Where we shall.
Stay in grace to face.
And glory by God, the Lord of the King.
Let's suggest we start at verse 88. All right, Hebrews 13 beginning at verse 8.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today, and forever. Be not carried away about with divers and strange doctrines, for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied there in.
We have an altar wherever they have no right to eat, which served the Tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought in to the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey them that have ruled over you, and submit yourselves for they that watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief.
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For that is unprofitable for you. Pray for us, but we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to this, to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. 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, and every good work to do his will.
Working in you, 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, for I have written a letter unto you in few words. Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you.
Salute all them that have the rule over you and all the Saints they have. Italy salute you. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Well, from verse seven on in this chapter, we have some instructions given to us as to how we might strengthen the testimony in the day that we live in. And one of the very first things is in verse 7, to remember really our Christian heritage and those that have brought the word of God before us and to imitate their faith to go on faithfully and to.
Just remember.
What was taught? And then there's a tendency in our hearts to want change and to want modernization and that sort of thing. And so he really brings before us the necessity of being on guard of false doctrines and those that would bring in doctrine that was not according to the truth of God. And so he says Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.
You'll notice in I think it's in the new translation that the note is the same. It's one of the titles of the Lord Jesus should be capital S He's the same yesterday and today and forever be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace and not with meat which have not profited them that have been occupied there. And so the great danger at the beginning of the church period was there would be a mixture of.
Grace.
And the law and so we have that brought out the warning of it in Acts Chapter 15 at the beginning might be helpful just to look at that just to get the.
Principle of it. And Paul, as you know, struggled with those that brought in false doctrine. He could say that there were false brethren come in unawares. Chapter 15 of Acts verse 1. Certain men which came down from Julia taught the brethren, and said, Except he be circumcised after the manner of Moses, he cannot be saved.
When therefore, Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, which should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. So this is very serious. They said the work of Christ was not sufficient to save the soul. You had to do your part. And so it said. They said you had to be circumcised after the manner of Moses, and you cannot be saved, you have to keep the law.
And so.
Really what the apostle Paul is bringing before these beloved Saints of God and good instruction for us.
Is to remember that Judaism and Christianity are distinct.
They cannot be mixed. God has set Christianity apart from Judaism.
Teaching this verse 11 of that chapter we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saying even as they so it's the same way the Gentiles are going to be brought in the blessing as they.
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It's interesting in Second Thessalonians chapter 2 uses that term that you just used.
Now Second Thessalonians chapter 2 and.
Verse let's read verse 14 whereunto he called you by our gospel according to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions or really should be the sense of it is the traditional teachings.
Which ye have been taught, whether by word or by our epistle. And so the apostle Paul spoke to them, and it was given to him by revelation, that in connection with the truth and the mystery of Christ and the Church and all those things that had to do with the church. And so he revealed it in his speech and his addresses. And he also was used of God to write the epistles that he wrote. He wrote well over half of the New Testament.
And so there were traditional teachings that were brought before the Saints at that time. And so we need to be careful about those things that come in that creep in and.
Really, quite frankly, come into among the Saints because of a lack of separation. Ecclesiastically, things come in and they are really in opposition to the truth of God, that we are not to be brought under law.
We have a similar thought to what's being brought out here in Ephesians 4. Here we have leaders specifically it would be, as was mentioned in the last meeting, those in oversight and Ephesians chapter four. We see the Lord is sending up on the high. He gives gifts to men who give some apostles and prophets and evangelists. And what was what was the purpose for the equipping of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ?
It was to build up the body of Christ.
Why, until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, talking about Christian doctrine, Christian Christian knowledge to a perfect or full grown man, to the measure of the statue, of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine. I'm just going to read this in the Darby version because it really shows us that.
This work of the enemy.
To try to introduce law into the day of grace is insidious.
So it says, in order that we may be no longer babes, tossed and carried about by every wind of that teaching which is in the sleight of men, an unprincipled cunning, with a view to systematize error. These, these, these.
What Paul's addressing these actual literal Judaizing teachers, they had an end goal. They were coming in there and they were saying, man, we're losing a lot of people. A lot of people are leaving our synagogue.
And we need to go after that. And so they with that, with a systematized era, they went in to try to sow the seeds of Judaism into Christianity to then draw them back, which is the danger in Hebrews that he's bringing out is no different to that. The enemy maybe not working with literal Jews, but as we read in Revelation 3, those who say they are Jews and they're not are still seeking to introduce Judaizing principles into the day of grace.
And we need to be on guard against that. We need to make sure that what is being introduced to us is not according to Judaism. How do we do that? We just have to make sure that it's according to the Word of God and the dispensation that we've been given. Understand that there is a difference between Israel and the church. Understand that there are different doctrines that were given to Israel and to the church. And if somebody comes telling you, you know, you really should take up with the offering offerings, this is obviously an extreme.
Looking at the word of God and say that's a different dispensation that is not today. There is something that we have today in Christianity that does not answer to that.
I'd like to just turn back to Acts 15 for a moment.
Just to point out.
The overwhelming strength of the argument.
And the conclusion that they come to, and it's in that 11Th verse.
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It doesn't say.
That we believe.
Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That the Gentiles will be saved like us.
That's not what it says.
The overwhelming strength of the argument is that we will be saved as they and that's the conclusion that they came to in Acts 15.
It's important to see that Christianity is not an improvement upon Judaism. It's something entirely in contrast to that whole Judaistic system which was ordained of God in its inception, but it became corrupted and distorted and.
Where it speaks of meats, here in our verse it's referring to the the ceremonies and the ritual of Judaism.
And the apostle is exhorting us to to take the true Christian position now around us in Christendom.
Often the pattern of meeting and assembling assembly is according to the Old Testament scriptures.
The the ministry and the the architecture and everything.
Their pattern is the Old Testament instead of realizing our Christian position now as as united to Christ in the glory and having a priesthood of all believers and all the other truths that are connected with our Christian position is is that right, Robert Yes. The meats really here speak of the physical sacrifices too. And so we don't have physical sacrifices.
There are sacrifices that we have and two of them are actually in Christianity. 2 of them are mentioned in this chapter. We might just mention them in verse 15.
By him, therefore let us God is not going to command you to give an offering or a sacrifice. She says let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. So that's the first sacrifice. It's God's portion first. Then there's a physical sacrifice that we can offer in connection with our resources to build the Christian testimony to support the Christian testimony in verse 16, but to do good and to communicate.
Forget not for with such sacrifices God and his well pleased. So that's the physical our resources. We use it for the Lord's glory, for his honor, not for our own benefit. Then the third sacrifice is found in Romans chapter 12 verse one says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God or by the compassions of God.
That you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable or intelligent service. And so all the sacrifices in the Old Testament, they never felt the fire of the judgment. They were consumed. And there was evidence there that the fire had consumed the sacrifice. But you and I are living sacrifices. And if I could put it this way, our brother Gordon used to often remind us that.
Young people can offer themselves, their bodies and living sacrifice in their youth. God is gracious and He accepts the sacrifice of an older person. When an older person gets saved or finally begins begins to get serious about divine things, he offers himself as his body a sacrifice. But years have gone by, so a young person that offers his body a living sacrifice to the Lord is a great, great gift to the Lord.
So this is really what he's Speaking of in connection with the sacrifices to meet physical sacrifices. But we have spiritual sacrifices. We worship in spirit and in truth.
So that's really what he's Speaking of when he speaks of the altar. We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat, which serve the Tabernacle. It means that there's an approach to God that you and I have within the veil in the holiest of all, every single one of us that's a believer in the Lord Jesus can come into the very presence of God and we can offer our sacrifices of praise and Thanksgiving to God.
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We have an altar. We have an approach to God that the Jew has no right to eat of. He has no, he doesn't have that same approach. If he stays and he's connected with Judaism, he doesn't yield to Christ. He has that earthly religion. He cannot come into the presence of God and offer those spiritual sacrifices. It's a wonderful position, isn't it, to be able to come and to offer freely.
A sacrifice to the Lord in this way.
Christ is the altar as an Angel, and Christ is the sacrifice and Christ is the priest.
Practice is everything it really is. It's beautiful to think about it in verse 15 if you quoted like him. Therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise so you come to the altar from to the Lord Jesus and through him we offer sacrifice of praise to God under God.
In the Old Testament, the forms of the ceremonies set the Jewish nation apart from the Gentiles. They were in separation. They had an external sanctification.
But they didn't have to have a divine life to go through with the rituals and ceremonies. They could go through with those without a divine life. But now the believer, as we read in the 10th chapter of our epistle there it speaks of.
A new and living way, having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
New and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh. So as Robert has pointed out, we have access into the very presence of God now, and it's not through keeping ceremonies, but it it is the possession of a divine life.
New it's in contrast to Judaism, and we have that access into the immediate presence of the Lord.
At all times.
He uses a bit of irony here.
Very similar to what you have in Philippians chapter 3 and Philippians chapter three, he says see to dogs, see to evil workmen, see to the concision, for we are the circumcision.
The the irony is that the Jew would look on the Gentiles that.
The Gentile was the the dog, the Gentile was the uncircumcised, and the Spirit of God, through the apostle Paulians turns it around and says that's not the case anymore.
And in our chapter where he says we have an altar, he's remember, he's talking to these these Jewish believers, mixed multitude addressing in our section Jewish believers as they're in Jerusalem, no doubt locked out of the temple, Marcus, Christians being persecuted. And there was there was something in their heart that was attracted to that. And somebody says.
We have an alternative information. They have no right to eat the server that happened at all. There's something that there's something better than what they have and he's turning their eyes to that better than that.
Well, there's been a lot of discussion about the what the camp is.
Even among evangelical Christians, many of them believe the term camp is only referring to the whole Judaistic system.
Originally, that was the meaning of the camp, no doubt.
It was the Judaistic system. But now in Christendom, as we mentioned, there's a mixture of those Judaistic principles with Christianity. So when we're called to leave the camp, we're not, we're not leaving the synagogue, but we have to separate from that which really dishonours the Lord and mixes in the.
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The Judaistic Old Testament pattern with Christianity, is that right?
Yes, it's helpful, you know, to look at Numbers chapter 2 and some of the Old Testament scriptures tell us what the camp was. We can understand what it is and from a Jewish perspective, Numbers chapter 2. And let's just read for the sake of time, verse 2. Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard with the end sign of their father's house far off about the Tabernacle or around the Tabernacle of the congregation. Shall they pitch?
On the east side toward the rising the sun, they shall stand. They have the standard of the camp of Judah shall pitch throughout their armies and napped nation. The son of a minidab shall be captain of the children of Judah. Well, you read this chapter and all of the children of Israel would be camped, 3 tribes per side. I believe it was around the Tabernacle. And so the Lord, the Tabernacle would be in the midst and the Lord symbolically there. And so they were. It was an organized system.
You might say with the Tabernacle in the midst, but in Christianity we come outside of the camp of Judaism. We don't have the Tabernacle, we don't have a temple, we don't have a physical place to call the center. It's Christ himself. And so This is why it says here that.
Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people, that is.
It's a work of separation. He separated his true disciples from Judaism, and he brought them into a new position of Christianity to be identified with him in the position of a heavenly people in liberty before him. So he sanctified the people with his own blood.
Suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the Kent bearing his reproach.
There are some things that will, as you say, the tendency of Christendom is to go back to the order of Judaism and to to have the vestments of the priests and all those things.
But really we're called to leave it all behind, those physical things and to go forth under the person of the Lord Jesus. And if we do it, then there's a reproach connection with the therapist. I think it's I believe it's brother Hamilton Smith that in his.
Little booklet on Hebrews mentions that there are some things that are unique to Christianity. His blood, his name, and his reproach.
They're not connected with Israel. They're not connected with the camp. And if you go leave the camp, leave organized religion behind the organized systems of man, and be gathered at the Lord's name alone, you're going to have, obviously you're going to be cleansed with the precious blood of Christ, but you'll have reproach as well. Those three things are characteristic of those that are without the camp.
You mentioned the word.
And your last comment, religion, and it's interesting that you find religion.
Only three times mentioned in the scriptures and it's with the exception of James. It's in Paul's writing in the first time. Return to the book of Acts.
Acts 26.
I'm sorry.
Galatians chapter one verse 13 and 14. Two times we see religion mentioned there consecutively. Paul is saying we have heard of my conversation in time past the Jews religion now that's beyond measure. I persecuted the Church of God and wasted it and profited in the Jews religion above many mine equals my own nation being much much more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my father's. I don't know.
How many times we've been asked, and perhaps others in this room can say you've been asked that question, you're religious. Are you religious or you, you must be religious. And I like to respond that religion is a system or a form perhaps.
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But Christianity is a relationship with a person. It's a personal relationship with Christ. And Paul found that out, didn't he?
I think religions translated.
In Colossians 218 as worshipping and James the writer James of of course the book James the book James it's only spoken of favorably as considering the treatment of widows and such not. But we're not religious, are we We can say no, I'm not you can say I'm religious, but I'd rather say no I have a relationship with Christ and.
As you mentioned. And how wonderful is to say redeemed by the blood of Christ? That makes all the difference, doesn't it?
I just wanted to make a comment here on this phrase, the camp and a warning about going too far with it which can really get us off, and that is that in the context of Hebrews.
In the context of this chapter, in the context of this section, the Spirit of God is defining the camp as Judaism. That's what it is. He's literally telling the believers who used to be Jews who have been called out to become part of the the church, don't go back to Judaism. Don't go back to the camp. That's the context. That's the teaching.
So anything that comes from that teaching is an application.
And applications are not wrong. The difficulty is when we make the doctrine of a teaching that this is any system.
Inevitably, we become the gathered Saints become unto Christ, and every other group of Christians becomes the camp. But that isn't so.
Other brethren groups are out there are not the camp.
Many Baptist groups are not the camp.
There are many systems of men that have been set up that mirror the camps.
You can walk into their.
Into where they their meeting room like this and they will, they will literally have a section in the corner of the room that is marked off with the with ropes. And it's like the holy place. You're not allowed to go in there. You're not allowed to touch it. And there's all these different articles and items and and shrine and things in this set apart thing. Those are elements of, of Judaism they have.
Not followed the exhortation that was given here and they have envied elements of Judaism. And so how do we apply this then? So we as Christians, we we read this epistle that was written to Jewish believers who come to this this section that talks about the camp not taking on things of Judaism. How do we apply it?
We mentioned that Hebrews doesn't go so far as to give us assembly truth. It's it's not the church.
But there's still applications we can find here and as we lookout into Christianity.
And you see system after system after system, and you're asking the Lord with a pure heart and saying, Lord, where would you have you prepared? Where do you want me to go? What believers do you want me to go and have fellowship with? And you have an honest heart. And as you look out the Christianity and you see a church that has something like that, be careful. Those are the elements of the camp. This epistle is saying that is not right.
That is not going to remove everyone in Christianity and just leave the gathered Saints.
That's not what it does. And sometimes we go too far, brother, and we give this feeling that it's us and it's that we need to be careful about that. We need to be careful about that spirit. Take it up in its context. Use the full force of what the Spirit of God is presenting to us, but don't go beyond the truth of of gathering on the basis that there's one body and separation from evil. It's a tremendous truth and it's found in many places in Scripture and we can take it up there, but we need to make sure that we don't force it.
Into every chapter in every section, or else we start getting this us for staff mentality. I find it interesting to that in my thinking as a young person, I used to have the idea that the camp was christened and I think that was an error. The camp is not christened. The camp is Judaism.
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Christening is where the name of Christ has been protected and professed.
Second Timothy chapter 2, that everyone that came with the name of the Lord departed iniquity. That's Christian and we're never told to come out of Kristen.
To the only way to get out of prison then would become an apostate.
But we're closing them out of the camp, and the camp is those Judaistic principles. Just let me go over a few of them that have been mentioned briefly. One is they had a temple.
Elegant temple made of stones and all that. All sorts of elegant things.
Now I'm Chris in prison. Done. They have buildings they call temples. That isn't the temple. That's just the building where people meet. The idea that it is attention. You go there, you better behave because the Lord's there. And when you go out and then you can start doing stuff that's a little messy.
But we're in the temple of God 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We never leave the temple. We are there. And so that distinction is not clear. And that's the camp. Another point is worship with instrumental music. I love musical instrument, but what God wants is worship in spirit and in truth. And so in the New Testament, the only instruments that are mentioned to praise the Lord are.
The lips.
And the heart, it doesn't mention any instruments, not that instruments are wrong in themselves, but it's what God wants is worship in spirit and in truth. And so that distinction is broken down in many Christian groups because they haven't had Twitter teaching on those things. Another point is the principle of clergy. Brethren, I think we need to be exercising about this because.
I have people say hello, you're in the Lord's word. I say yeah, just like you're in the Lord's word. You're a believer in the Lord Jesus, you're in the Lord's word. But we tend to put certain bread and learn the Lord's work. Please, brethren, that's establishing a clergy. That's the principle that we're talking about here. There is no set group of people that have the right to function and the others, they don't make the brain. That's the principle of mechanic.
In the Old Testament, there was one tribe that was appointed to do the service of God, the tribe of Levi. Of that one tribe, only one family, the family of Aaron, the high priest, that could go into the holy place. And of that one family, only one person could go into the holy of holies only once a year. That's the principle of the camp. Now we have it's already been mentioned that the.
Veil in the temple was written to him and God has come out into the light and the fullness of his character. Wonderful bear, and we are told to come in with boldness. Oh brethren, privilege. Does that belong to just a certain brother here it belongs to every true believer in the Lord Jesus. So those are principles of the camp is God. Let me mention one other thing that is very common in Christmas in the day is.
The principle of tithing and that was a principle that was applied in the Old Testament. 10% for God I have 100 dollars $10.00 for God, $9098 is mine.
That's a direct contradiction to what we have in the New Testament. Everything is the Lords, and I'm just the steward of what God has put into my hands. So these are important distinctions.
Of what the camp is that those Judaistic principles?
Sometimes I say to people, if you practice typing, I'm sorry, but you're robbing God of 90% because everything belongs to that. So these are important principles to understand Christianity.
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Is completely different. And so we need to have understanding. Yes, there are many believers out there in those systems where they have adopted Judaistic principles, were called out of those Judaistic principles we got that's the gap. But we're never called to come out of Christmas.
We are part of prison brother, and that's important thing in the great House of Christendom. We're going to separate from vessels to dishonor. But we don't leave the house. We don't, we don't leave Chris. So I think it's important to distinguish the difference between the 10 and Preston with two different things.
It's helpful to see in Hebrews Chapter 9, we're not going to look at read it, but Hebrews Chapter 9, verses one to 10, he gives those principles of what the camp is. He says it's a worldly sanctuary. In verse one he says, you know, he speaks of the inner shrine. In verse two and three, he speaks of the priests, the separate priesthood. In verse six he speaks of the high priest who went in once a year.
And so the priest, and then he speaks of the people at the end of verse 7, then he speaks of the holiest of all of brother for Speaking of it's all cordoned off sometimes in some of these churches. And then he speaks of the fact that all these sacrifices that they had the physical sacrifices, verse nine, that could not make him perfect, that did the service as pertaining unto the conscience. So they didn't have a purge conscience.
So the Spirit of God brings those principles out, and it says, here, let us go forth therefore unto him.
And it has the sense when the Spirit of God uses that term, let us go forth, it means to go out in the energy of the Spirit to go forth and to get up and go. And so we could just read, and I think it's Matthew chapter 25. He uses the term there.
And in connection with the last similitude of the Kingdom.
Of heaven, it's 10.
Virgins, it says.
Maybe somebody can find it here that they went forth.
Yes, it says in verse six, at midnight there was a crime made. Behold the bridegroom, go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And so you read that term, that little expression in the book of the Acts as well. They went forth.
It's going to require spiritual energy to separate from that which is not consistent with the Christian position and which is not pleasing to the Lord. And so we need to separate from those things. We need to recognize that they're not according to his will. And if we do, the Spirit of God says that we're going to bear his reproach. There's a reproach.
And so in the.
Systems of men and where we have those priests, a separate priesthood, we have a the temples they call them, and all those sorts of things. They've introduced a mixture of Judaistic principles and Christianity. The Spirit of God calls us out of it. Isn't it wonderful to just go forth in the energy of faith to the person of the Lord Jesus?
It's interesting and perhaps helpful to see that in the Book of Exodus there was a time when Moses took the Tabernacle of the congregation. Let's just read a few verses there.
In Exodus chapter 33.
And verse 7 when they have made a golden cap and we're celebrating saying that.
These are the gods that brought me forth out of the weapon terrible idolatry so soon after they come out of Egypt and so Moses verse seven of chapter 33 took the Tabernacle and pitched it without the game a far off from the camp and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation and appeared to pass that everyone.
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Who sought the Lord went out into the Tabernacle of the congregation.
Which was without the gem in the past when Moses went out into the Tabernacle, that all the people arose and stood every man at his door with Doctor Moses, until he was gone into the Tabernacle.
Need to pass. As Moses entered into the Tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the Tabernacle, and the Lord talked to both. All the people saw the cloudy pillars stand in the Tabernacle door. All the people rose up and worshiped every night in his tent door. The Lord speak unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh of his friends. And he turned again into the gap.
But his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed, not out of the town. So it's interesting that there was a time in Israel too, where Moses had to take the Tabernacle outside again. Why is it way up there? Because of idolatry with them. And when you put something in place of God's order, especially in the case of the quarter Jeep, instead of letting the Lord direct in our meetings.
Brethren, I think it is so beautiful to come together in assembly, letting the Lord direct us. He is in the midst, in the Spirit of God is here to direct. Now I'm going to stand up front as a pastor to take and to direct the meeting. I'm really setting the Lord Jesus to one side. That's a serious thing. I don't think people do that.
Purposely, I think there's too many Christian circles that are very real and hard for the Lord. They're not criticizing, but thank God for simple teaching of the Word about these matters so we can give the Lord His place.
You notice that L dad and me dad?
Went into the camp and prophesied, and Joshua would have stopped them but Moses.
Did envious thou for my sake, and would that not bring before us the fact even Moses was went into the camp himself, that God is sovereign, and He can use his word in whatever association it might be, but.
Path of obedience and separation from moral and doctrinal and associational evil. But God is still sovereign and he's using his word in in the systems that we don't feel free to to join. But God is sovereign and using his word in in blessing and power is is that not right? Yes, we need to be careful not to hinder the work of God in other places.
And so it's a real privilege to be gathered by the Spirit of God under the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But God is doing his work in other places. And we have that in the Old Testament and connection in connection with Elijah and Elijah. God loved those, his people of God and those 10 tribes and those there were many that were of faith and he ministered to their needs. And we ought never, ever to interfere to hinder that work of God.
Never find any life in a relationship, Jerusalem. I don't believe that they were like you say, or the men of God. And so we need to be careful, obviously.
I'd like to make an application if I could. There's an expression in verse verse nine it says which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We live in a world where we get alerts from phone. We are constantly bombarding. We need to be very, very careful.
What are we occupied with which have not profited them? There's an expression that was very transformative in New Hand, like nearly two decades ago. The three It's the middle of verse ten of our previous chapter.
It's it's just this one expression. They'll read the whole verse. Hebrews 12 and 10 for they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he.
For our problem he for our profit that we might be partakers of His Holiness. That one expression, the word of God is living in powerful and sharper than any two edged sword piercing issues that are biting us under a soul and spirit and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. So we need to be able to reveal the word of God when you're dealing with souls and you're seeking to convey.
00:50:24
God stop, we're not our thoughts for God's thoughts just like to connect that with something that I think is helpful. And I, I read it, I believe yesterday. It says in Exodus 24 and 10 and they saw the God of Israel and there was under his feet as it were of a work of sapphire stone, as it were the body of heaven in its clearness. The truth of God is clear in plain. It's precious, it's powerful, it's transformative. We need to have wisdom how we apply it. It says in the Book of Revelation chapter 21.
Verse 10.
Revelation 2110 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 practice even like Jasper stone, clear as crystal. That expression there from Texas. It was clear as crystal. God's word has revealed and as applied by the Spirit of God. It's clear, it's plain, it's precious and had a wall great and high that 12 games.
And at the 12 at the gates, 12 angels and names written thereon, which are the names of the 12 tribes and the wall of the city at 12 foundations, verse 14. And in them the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. Then in verse 10, it says in the foundation of the wall of the city were garbage with all the land of precious stones. The first foundation was Jasper. And that's what was mentioned in in verse 11, even like a Jasper stone. And then it says.
That the second sapphire, and that's from Exodus 24. So there's those 12 Stones and we may meet another soul.
Who's saved with the precious blood of Christ, His blood, His name, His person. And they have a grasp of them that they don't see at all. And God can open eyes to give them to see beauty and glory and majesty in that One in whose all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and our hearts are transformed as the work of the Spirit of the Lord through His Word gives us to see.