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The second chapter of Hebrews.
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard.
Lest at any time we should let them slip.
Or if the words spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?
Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.
God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will.
For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, wherever we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the Son of man that thou visitest him?
Thou made him a little lower than the Angel. Thou crownest him with glory and honor.
And it set him over the works of thy hands.
Now us put all things in subjection under his feet.
For him that He put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet all things, but 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, that He by the grace of God, should taste death for every man.
For it became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things?
In bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Or both He that sanctify us, and they who are sanctified are all of one, For which 'cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church or assembly will I sing praise unto thee, and again I will put my trust in him. And again, behold I and the children which God hath given me.
Or as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had power of death, that is the devil.
And deliver them, who, through fear of death, were all their lifetimes subject to *******.
Or verily, he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore in all things it behooves him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. One of the.
Expressions in our hymn. Not exactly found in this chapter, but it is in chapter one.
When he had made purification for sins, he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
They're thinking of this chapter.
As bringing before us the Lord Jesus as the.
Leader or the captain of our salvation. In chapter one we have him as.
Brought before us, as you might say, God speaking.
He is the speaker in chapter one, a divine person. God is speaking in that character of Son.
As one here He was the Son of God and on the God side for man He was not only God speaking, but God accomplishing the work of redemption, atonement, purification for sins. But in this second chapter we have the the thought of the great salvation.
And the Lord Jesus as the leader and captain.
Of our salvation. And so we have him characteristically here as the Son of Man.
What he is as man.
And on man's side, for God, the leader or the captain of our salvation. I had especially that in mind. I mean, not that we wouldn't take up all of the thoughts in the chapter, but I, I was impressed with that thought of the of the Lord Jesus presented here as the captain or leader of our salvation and the great salvation that we have.
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The great salvation that we.
Can enter into now and will culminate when he comes again and introduces us into the presence of the Father. And it's it's a it's a chapter that occupies us, I believe with the Lord Jesus and I trust that we might have him before our hearts in this chapter.
Not only brought before us as the one who accomplished that mighty work of redemption, and who, as you said, in the coming day, will present us there, as it says, behold I and the children which God hath given me, but also His present care through His priesthood. So it's the full salvation, the salvation of our souls, that which He is doing now.
He ever lives to make intercession for us, and in that sense, he's saving us now.
And also that future time when it will be complete and will be in His presence fully like Him. And so it's beautiful to see this thought brought before us. But Himself is the one who has done it, and the Spirit of God would occupy us with Him.
Lovely too to see that in the first chapter.
In the fourth verse.
The Lord has spoken of as Hebrews one and four, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. And then in our chapter 2 and verse 7, here we find him.
In the in the contrast, thou mayest him a little lower than the angels.
Thou crownest him with glory and honor. We have both sides brought before us. A brother years ago said that he passed angels twice, and so here in that first chapter we see Him in His divinity higher than the angels, and now in the second chapter he has made lower than angels. He has become a man in.
To carry out the work of God in salvation.
I believe the that thought is really contained in the verse 10, not to get ahead, but to point out the expression the captain of their salvation. It's the same word that is found in the 12Th chapter when it speaks of the Lord Jesus as the author.
And finisher of faith, the word author, it's the same word and it really.
Brings out the thought that not only a leader in the sense of leading his people through the wilderness and into the glory, but he is the originator of salvation. That is he. He inaugurated the thing and he's carrying it through. So he has inaugurated salvation, so to speak, and he's the one who's going to carry it through. And so we can understand why in the beginning of the chapter.
He speaks about giving more earnest heed to these things.
Because it is so great salvation. Now, I don't want to to give this as the primary interpretation of the expression in verse three about neglecting so great salvation, because I'm sure that it would apply primarily to those who have perhaps heard the gospel, and it's more especially, of course, to these Hebrews.
Who had?
Professed Christianity and were in danger of giving it up and going back to Judaism.
I'm sure that primarily that's in mind, but I think sometimes that scripture presents things in such a way as to exercise us even though we may not be the particular subject in mind in that scripture. For example, when the Lord had his own with him on that night of his betrayal, he he said that one of them would betray him.
Well, and that could apply only to Judas. Judas. Judas was the only one who was going to betray him.
But it had the effect of causing each one to say, Lord, is it I? It was put in such a way that it would exercise heart and conscience. And I thought that we know that those of us who have this salvation will never lose it, and we will never come into any judgment that is indicated here. But there is the danger of neglecting it, that is, of not really appreciating it. And it seems that this is what?
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Is impressing upon the Hebrews they had been brought into these wonderful blessings a place of blessing now the danger was is that they that they neglected them and that would lead if they were not true believers, that would lead to apostasy, wouldn't it? But it's possible for those of us who are truly the Lords to lose the joy of these things and the.
The practical benefits of them if we neglect them.
And if we are, if we do not take heed to the things that the Spirit of God would bring before us in regard to this great salvation.
Has always helped me in the book of Epistle to the Hebrews to realize that there are actually three classes in view. There are those who are really the Lords, and they, as you are saying, are encouraged and stirred up to hold fast and diligently go on with that which they had received and possessed.
Then there were those who were mere professors, and the warning was given to them.
That the giving up of even the profession was serious and would end in apostasy, which is the third group. And so I believe in understanding these three groups, the first two are addressed, the last one is not addressed but often spoken of. That is, again I say those who are real are encouraged to go on with faith and patience in that path and cleaving to the Lord.
And those who had a mere profession.
And there might be some here today who have a mere profession. What a serious thing to give up even the profession. It would end in total apostasy, and as such there is no hope when one has turned his or her back upon Christ. So he warns the professor that it's a very blessed thing that he has been introduced to all these privileges.
But it's of no personal value unless it's made real in his soul, and he must personally have to do with the Lord to receive him and trust him.
But I believe that seeing this helps us to understand the security of the believer and also to understand why some of the warnings often misunderstood by those who don't understand the security of the believer, cannot understand the 6th of Hebrews and the 10th of Hebrews, which addresses to mere professors. Just like, if I might illustrate, if there's one here. You're sitting under the sound of the Word. Last night you heard the gospel.
Presented. But if you were to turn your back upon all that, it would be exceedingly serious. We would warn such a one about that. Even although he is not really saved at this time, there is always hope as long as he is under the sound of it. And so there are those warnings to the professor Might also just mention here that the new translation in the end of this first verse is not about letting them slip, but.
The new translation reads. It says lest in any way we should slip away.
It's the person who has looked at, and that is the sad effect upon the person. We ourselves should slip away. We can let go of things, but it's the solemn thing that one who has made a profession should slip away and end up and turning his back upon Christ. And that we have in the 6th chapter and 10th chapter. Actually, that word is.
Very important too, isn't it? Slip away, that is.
Usually the way things occur is it when one.
Gets away, it's a slipping away. It isn't something that happens just overnight over a period of time. And I think it's important to see that as our brother's bringing out that we have in the Epistle to the Hebrews, encouragement and warnings and both are needed. And again, I I would say in regard to those of us who are true believers, the Lord knows them that are his where there's a real work of God.
We might slip away from the Lord's things, but we of course will never lose that salvation. And I believe the Lord will restore. We'll never become apostates.
An apostate is one who, as a brother was saying, is a mere professor who gives up the profession. But we are kept by the power of God through faith, just as Peter. He failed, but his faith did not fail. The Lord said he would pray for him that his faith failed not and his faith never failed that Peter failed in his walk, and we might do that. And it seems that the one of the.
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Things we should take from the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Is a word of warning as well as encouragement that we can slip away, not that we lose our salvation. And you know the Hebrews where I think one of the things that was leading to their slipping away.
In the in the 12Th chapter, I believe it is the no, the 10th chapter, the not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, and apparently they were losing heart and interest in the gathering together of the Lord's people.
And this is a sort of a slippery path, I believe, when when Saints lose interest in the gatherings, not just the coming together for breaking of bread, but for the ministry of the Word, the Bible reading, and for prayer. Indeed for all of the gathering together of the Lord's people, because the coldness that's in and the the warnings of the Epistle to the Hebrews.
You should take note of that. Not that we lose our salvation, but we can lose the joy.
You're mentioning Brother Johnson about this title of Son of Man.
He's a vicious judge and over in John chapter 5 we have a couple of verses that bears that out, Verse 22 and verse 27.
John 5/22.
For the Father judgeth no man, but have committed all judgments unto the Son. Verse 27.
And have given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of man. I believe that title is mentioned about 79 times in the word of God.
I once read a an article of the.
A. A log of wood that floated onto the coast of Norway.
And it was washed up onto the shore.
And the people became interested in the type of wood because it was so strange.
And they turned it over to the local university and they made a real search to find out where that would could have come from. And they searched and searched and they finally found that it had floated down from the headwaters of the Amazon in the middle of South America. It had floated down the Amazon right across up the North Atlantic and across.
Into Norway.
This is an example of how we can slip away and how far we can slip if that if the cleaving to Christ with purpose of heart is not maintained.
Brother Chapter Brown used to say that.
It's like a car going down a steep mountainside with no brakes.
It's a serious situation.
I believe what has been spoken of is worthy of our serious consideration, both of us, who are the Lords and I think of our beloved young people.
Now I fully concur with what has been said that the.
Gospel is perhaps the most presently before us in this question. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? And we've heard some stirring gospel messages from that verse, but two, I like what has been said, that as believers in Christ.
We too may neglect the salvation that we have, and the question then would not be how shall we escape damnation? Because there's already been stressed. We have that a security, but we're going to escape the joy of our Christian walk. We're going to.
Lose the testimony, which means we dishonor the Lord.
We're going to lose the encouragement that we might be to another.
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We're going to lose out altogether in our Christian walk. We won't be walking happily. There's no such thing as a happy Christian that has slipped away and gotten into worldly ways. He may deceive himself for a while and have an aura of some happiness, but it isn't genuine.
Down underneath, he's an unhappy individual.
He or she. And so we need to give heed, don't we, and apply this to ourselves.
I I enjoy very much as it's been expressed that Scripture is often thirst in such terms that we may find some individual application to our own good. And I would urge that we each apply this to ourselves as to our Christian walk, not to neglect that wonderful salvation that has been given us.
As an illustration, we might say that.
We could think of one who was living in very.
Circumspect.
Circumstances you had barely enough to get along on and.
Suddenly he was endowed with.
The benefit of.
An endowment from someone who left him a great sum of money which was put in the bank for his account.
And this one reveled in that. The real.
Relief to now have something to add to his pleasures. But of course the time he he forgot that he had that there and he went back to his old way of living poverty.
Very dire circumstances. Well, beloved, that's just a very poor example, but an illustration of what it is those of us who have found Christ as our Savior to give Him up in our practical walk.
We're back in poverty. We've lost the joy of that salvation. And so how shall we escape? If we do neglect, we won't escape. We can't go out in our own strength, and the world won't contribute to our joy at all.
Apostle Peter describes it in two Peter chapter one.
He says in verse nine of two Peter chapter one, that he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. And then if we consider the whole chapter as to what the apostle is referring to, I believe that he gives us, you might say, a divine formula for being kept.
And so he speaks of these things to add to faith and.
I understand that those things are given in what they call the error, having done with it something in an existing form. And so those qualities added to faith will give that stability. And so it says verse 9, verse 10. Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence, and certainly it does take diligence to.
Continue on in the Christian pathway. There is so much against this, and we certainly need that diligence and exercise of heart. Wherefore the rather brethren, give diligence.
To make your calling and election sure. That is not that it isn't secure as far as God is concerned, but that is the good of it for ourselves, the personal enjoyment and the continuing on instability. For if you do these things, you shall never fall plain enough, isn't it? And of course then it lays out.
That which should cheer and and encourage our hearts.
Where soul and entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly.
Into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
You were mentioning Brother Gill about our walk. They returned to 1St Kings.
17 verse one.
Concerning Elijah.
First Kings 17, who was of the inhabitant of Gilgal, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand.
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Before whom I stand, there shall not be, do, nor reign these years, but according to my word. And then in Genesis chapter 17.
And verse one.
Your stand and then you walk.
Genesis 17 One And when Abram was 90 years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said unto him, I am the Almighty God.
Walk before me.
Walk before me and be thou perfect first, John.
1/7.
But if we walk in the light as He is in the lake, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sins. God's Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light under our path. We don't need to walk in the dark.
Would include, would it not, that which is spoken in the Old Testament writings?
And connecting it on into the new. Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard. Well, that would include that which was pointing on to Christ, wouldn't it? From the Old Testament writings, And then building on in the second verse. For if the words spoken by angels was steadfast.
And every transgression and disobedience.
Received a just recompense of reward.
Then it comes on into.
The New Testament truth How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken?
By the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard them.
I suppose too there would be a contrast.
With the salvation that we have now through the work of Christ and in connection to Christ and association with Him, and that which was accomplished in regard to God's earthly people, Israel, they were delivered out of the iron furnace, the House of ******* and were brought through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. But it was a salvation and a deliverance that had to do with.
Temporal and earthly things and the place that they enjoyed as the people of God was still at a distance. They were not able to draw an ear. They was necessary for one to go into the presence of God for them. And so while they had a salvation, they had a deliverance. It was a temporal and earthly, and it really kept a man still at a distance, but the great salvation that we have.
Is that which brings us into the very presence of God in the very holy of holies and in association with Christ and, and opens up to us too the world above, the world to come, and it's associated with the heavenly things. Well, I think that he would encourage these Jewish believers.
By presenting this great salvation throughout this book so as to attract their hearts. And I thought really, this is the way God encourages.
Us we speak sometimes of encouraging the Saints. The way God encourages us is by.
Bringing before us.
You might say this great salvation and this person who is the.
Author the leader of it. In other words, we're encouraged by attraction to Christ and to what God has accomplished and this is really what encourages us. Sometimes we we think of encouragement and we want to be encouraged by circumstances that is would be encouraged by having.
Our difficulties removed, or something of that sort. That God encourages his people, I believe by attraction.
Attracting them to Christ and what God has brought for us in this great salvation. And that's what he's bringing before them.
It tells us in Isaiah that the Lord looks to the one who trembles at His word.
And so here in this second verse, God had spoken in the Old Testament.
And these Jewish believers knew this. The man who picked up sticks on the Sabbath day was stoned to death. It was a very serious thing to look likely upon the fact that God had spoken in the Old Testament, and they were well acquainted with this. But what is brought before us in the Epistle to the Hebrews? If you turn over, brethren, to the 12Th chapter, perhaps we could just mention the 18th verse. For year not come unto the mount that might be touched.
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That burned with fire, nor with blackness and darkness, and Tempest. 22nd verse. But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. And then he brings in the Church of the first born, and so on. And then in the 25th verse. See that she refused not him that speaketh.
For if they escape not who refused him that spake on earth, that was the giving of the law.
Much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.
I believe this is a very important thing in the Epistle to the Hebrews. And there was not only that voice that they knew that spoke from heaven, and those voice that spoke rather on earth on Mount Sinai when the law was given. And it was a very serious thing to despise Moses law. Such a person died without mercy. But now, and I believe this is very important for us, we need to hear the voice of a glorified.
Christ speaking from heaven. It is this that leads us into the light and blessedness of Christianity. That's what he refers to in the 6th chapter of Hebrews where he says, leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us go on unto perfection. When the Lord Jesus was here upon earth, he said, the Pharisees sit in Moses seat all therefore that they bid you observe that observe and do. And if they had followed.
Teachings of the Old Testament, if they had followed the teachings of those who spoke on earth when the Lord was here, they would have remained in the Jewish fold. They would never have entered into this great salvation. But it's hearing the voice of a glorified Christ speaking from heaven that leads us into the full blessedness and liberty of Christianity, I heard our brother chapter Brown say.
He said when I was a young man.
We studied the birth of Christ, the life of Christ, the death of Christ.
His ascension until the cloud received him out of our sight. But he said Christianity begins the other side of the cloud.
Now, brethren, I believe that's very important for us to see this, and this is what is brought before us in Hebrews.
The full place of blessing that we are brought into consequent upon the fact that redemption is accomplished, that there's a glorified man at the right hand of God, That now the Spirit has been sent down and all the blessedness of our position as Christians has been opened up and revealed to us. Not by the words of Christ on earth. Some have Bibles that have the words of Christ on earth in red. But let us.
And let us remember it from our hearts, that the word in the Epistles, the word that gives us the truth of Christianity, coming from a glorified Christ in heaven, is the great salvation that he's talked about, and into which the Spirit of God would lead us in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
And I believe the neglect of this in Christendom has led to a mixture of Judaism and Christianity.
And how many deer souls truly saved are not hearing that voice of the glorified Christ from heaven? They've only followed Christ till the cloud received them out of their sight. And they don't know the wonderful things that have now been revealed with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.
These precious things of Christianity, this is the great salvation.
And he develops this in this epistle. Even although the truth of the Church is not brought out in its blessedness here in this epistle, it is bringing us into the liberty of Christian position. We need the other epistles to know that. But let us understand where we stand in Christianity, and our souls will indeed be blessed.
The apostle Paul could say all day that be of Asia have forsaken me. There's no thought at all that they had given up Christianity.
But they could not endure that line of ministry. I believe that heavenly character of ministry that was entrusted to the apostle Paul. But, you know, even after Paul made that remark to Timothy, he said later on tikitas have I sent to Ephesus, he wouldn't give up seeking to help the Saints, even though there was that departure in heart perhaps from that most important heavenly ministry.
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I was thinking two of the, you know.
Him that speaketh from heaven in the I suppose in chapter one the emphasis is more upon the fact that when Christ was here in this world, God was speaking. It was He was God manifest in the flesh.
Because it says in the last of these days God had spoken through prophets of old, and now he was speaking in some and that character. But he was God himself speaking here but in.
Now he is speaking from heaven, even though the Lord has gone back, He is speaking from heaven through the Holy Spirit. And so in the Epistle of the Hebrews, the.
Quotations from the Old Testament. The authors are omitted, aren't they? That is, their reference is made to the Old Testament, but the names, for instance, like it doesn't say as David said, because he wants to emphasize that it is God speaking.
And even the Apostle Paul himself does not identify himself as he does in his epistles generally.
This has LED some to even question Paul writing this epistle about. I believe Paul is the author.
But he would he wanted to present the Speaking of God. Christ is still speaking and even though he's gone on high, he's not here, but he's gone on high. He's speaking and the Spirit is speaking. I was thinking of a verse in the.
Chapter 3.
When it says in verse 7 wherefore as the Holy Ghost said.
Now that's in the present tense. It doesn't say as the Holy Ghost said, because it's he's still speaking this today. Harden not your hearts. It's the Holy Spirit speaking. God is speaking. And so the apostle leaves his name out and references to other authors to present that fact that that God is still speaking. How would you?
Brother Hayhoe, how would you?
Understand this expression in verse.
Three, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord.
I would refer to His speaking on earth. We did not. Well, there were no doubt many things. For instance, in the last few chapters of John, where the Lord speaks anticipatively, doesn't he? He says, And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. So there was.
For instance, in the 13th chapter of Matthew, the Lord gave those similitudes of the Kingdom, and in those passages in John why he spoke anticipatively of Christianity.
So that it wasn't any new thing, they could not say, well, what the apostle was bringing before them was.
Altogether different from what the Lord had spoken on earth. It is true that the Lord Jesus did not lead them out as the sheepfold of Judaism while He was here.
Because that could not be until redemption was accomplished, it was proper that they should go on with all that had been given them by Moses.
In connection with those sacrifices, which were a shadow and a type of what he was to accomplish.
But he did anticipatedly speak of that word being accomplished and the blessing that would flow from it. And now as a glorified Christ in heaven, all this fully comes out and the revelation of it. And only those who understand what is written in the epistles could properly understand the 13th of Matthew and what those similitudes referred to, or could really understand those passages where the Lord in the.
1415, Sixteenth and 17th of John anticipates Christianity.
It's by the coming of the Spirit, so he said in those chapters.
That He had many things to say, but they couldn't bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will lead you into all truth. So I believe it's good to see that the Lord did in some measure speak of those things, but they could not be fully revealed until redemption was accomplished. And when He took His place at the right hand of God, then the Holy Spirit is sent down and the full blessedness of it is all revealed.
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And brought out he did also in resurrection say to Mary.
I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God. This was something, too, beyond what was known in Judaism. But the blessedness of it could not be entered into until the Spirit of God came down. Yes, he could. He says that He could speak of it, couldn't he? But it wasn't yet accomplished. I was thinking, too, that we have a little picture of that in Moses.
In Deuteronomy, Moses speaks of the land, and he even viewed the land, didn't he? But he couldn't lead them into the land. Joshua was the one who led them into the land. He could speak of it and view it. So the Lord, when he was here on earth, he began to speak of these things, but the accomplishment and the of it could only be after.
Through the work of the cross and he's going into glory. I think this is important because.
It isn't that we're not brought into this great salvation through if we can use the expression of Christ on earth, on earth the Christ. And just as Moses could not bring the children of Israel into the Promised Land, he had to. He had to die. He could view it and speak of it, but it was Joshua who brought him in. That's a type of Christ as had gone on high, isn't it?
And so that's the way it's presented here. And I suppose that this is one of the.
One of the dangers that he would bring before the Hebrews.
That might cause them to slip away if they lose the sense of the character of that salvation, that it's associated with a heavenly Christ and heavenly things if we get occupied with the affairs in this world and the and drop down to the level that Christendom has made of Christianity as an earthly thing.
Then we're in danger of slipping away and losing the sense of the salvation.
I'm sure many of us would like to have a clarification of the connection between.
That third verse that has been mentioned and the 4th.
Because there are many Christians today that are.
Insisting that there is the continuation even today of these signs and these wonders, but I'm sure many of us would like to have a clarification of that verse three and four, how that it was at the beginning that these signs and wonders were given as a demonstration.
When you call them inaugural gifts, if you want to use that expression, that is, they were gifts.
That were connected with the inauguration of Christianity.
And they were. We find that there are gifts like in Hebrew, or rather Ephesians 4, that are permanent gifts to the assembly.
And then we find that there are gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God.
Functioning in a way that is in keeping with God's particular.
Testimony at the time, and they're not necessarily permanent.
So that these are inaugural gifts, are they not connected with the?
Beginnings of Christianity. And there also we might speak of them as confirmatory gifts. That is, they were to confirm the testimony of the apostles and the early Christians that this was the continuation of what the Lord began to speak when He was on earth, that they were not striking out on something.
Human and on their own, but they were going on in a continuation of that which began to be spoken of by the Lord. As Brother Hayhoe was saying, it was important to see that the Lord spoke of these things and it's a continuation of it, continuation of it. And these powers, these miracles and tongues and so forth were to confirm that testimony. And so their inaugural gifts and were never intended.
The permanent.
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The difficulty seems to be in that fourth verse.
As the word them is italicized.
Put in by the translators, God also bearing them witness. Well, that seems to confirm, does it not, that that was a time at the beginning when these signs and wonders took place. But I'd I'd like to hear a little bit more about that. For those who profess to have those gifts today do not have them in the same way that we see them in the book of the Acts.
And that's a very important consideration. Now, that is the gift of tongues was not some mysterious thing, but it's very clear on the day of Pentecost that those who were there from all those different nations under heaven heard in their own language wherein they were born the wonderful works of God. It was quite a clear testimony that God was now going to reach out beyond the bounds of Israel.
In blessing to the Gentiles.
And so the sign of it was given very clearly.
And we also find in First Corinthians chapter 14 that it says wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. So that if those today who profess to have the gift of tongues could do what took place on the day of Pentecost and a number of people from various nations could be gathered together.
Now the message could be given through them in their own language. Then we could say, well, this is what took place on the Day of Pentecost. But there is no group that does anything like that. They use it as a sign for themselves that they possess the Holy Spirit and it's some kind of a communication that they think they have with God, a secret prayer language or something like that.
As though God could not understand their own language and needed something special to talk to Him.
There is no thought of that at all in connection with the gift of tongues. It was clearly a thing that was given.
And again, I say a very important thing in connection with the beginning.
To show the Lord had said to the disciples, go not into the way of the Gentiles and into any cities of the Samaritans, and are ye not?
But going ye rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And he himself said.
I am not sent but under the lost sheep of the House of Israel. But something new took place on the day of Pentecost. It was no longer going to be confined to that one nation, and what more apartment sign could be given them? Tongues. And not a mysterious kind of tongues, but taught languages that were known and spoken in the world. Now it could be abused, and it was being abused in the assembly at Corinth, and it was not.
Be abused but.
That sign remained in the early church because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. But today those who profess to have it do not have that in the same way that we have it brought before us in the book of the Acts, or even as it was in Corinth, and also as the healing, we can see the miraculous gifts of healing, and no one went away disappointed. It says they were healed, everyone.
Is there any group on earth today that can gather together a company of sick people and everyone be healed? Oh no. They talk about the faith of the person, and the Bible shows us that where these works were done, there is no particular evidence of faith except one instance where it speaks of Aeneas having faith to be healed. But that is the only one. All the others were done in heathen places.
As a sign of what God was doing, to my heart at least the two particular signs that were given were quite significant as showing the place the Lord Jesus occupies. He occupies that place now as head of the body, the Church, and he is going to and He is saving people from every nation and uniting them by the Spirit into one body.
He is also the one who in the coming day.
Is going to bring in the Kingdom, and then it tells us that the inhabitant shall not say in that day I am sick.
And who forgiveth all thine iniquities, Who healeth all thy diseases?
So there will be. And as Hebrews 6 says, the signs were the powers of the age to come. So they were given to confirm the word to show to Israel that the one whom they crucified was their true Messiah, who in a coming day will fulfill all those promises to Israel and bring in the Kingdom and healing from sickness and disease, just as He was able to do when on earth. But they rejected Him as their king, so in a future day.
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He will do that, and so he was also showing that new purpose of God.
And this was the inauguration. And now another thing that I think, brethren, is very important that we should see.
That those who profess to have these signs today associated with all kinds of very evil doctrine in many cases where the.
Sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus is denying, His finished work is denied, and all that is associated with this mixture that we have today, not the real thing, because they're not tongues as we have in the Acts. And those people who profess these things, thousands of them are still sick and are not being healed.
I just add one other thing too, that it's very interesting when you read through the epistles to see there is no thought of healing in connection with believers. In Romans chapter 8 he says the spirit helpeth our infirmities, and we who have the first fruits of the spirit, we ourselves groan within ourselves.
Waiting not for the faith healer, but waiting for the adoption to whip the redemption of our body.
We find when Trophimus was sick, he was left at Miledum sick by the person who probably did more healing than anybody else.
That was the apostle Paul. But a believer sick, he left him there. He had an infirmity himself and he asked the Lord and he didn't take it away. When Timothy was a frail person with a weak body, he said take a little wine. In other words, take a remedy for your sickness. He didn't say, I'll come and heal you when I come, Timothy.
All these things are very significant to us. Now. Some might mention James.
But we have experienced this ourselves, and thank God that he does answer prayer. And many, many dear Christians have been sick, and in answer to prayer, the Lord has raised them up. We recognize that. But that isn't what we're talking about. We're talking about the gift of healing. And so we do believe that God does answer prayer and raise people up. But I think it's important that we should see how this is brought before us in the Scripture.
And I just want to turn to one other passage in Deuteronomy 13, if there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder.
And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods which thou hast not known, and let us serve them. Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.
For the Lord your God proveth you to know whether he loved the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. He shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and he shall serve him and cleave unto him.
When a sign or a wonder was wrought in Israel, the person who saw it was not so much to be concerned whether the sign or wonder came to pass, but he was rather to be concerned with whether this person who was doing it was leading him away from the true knowledge of God and from obedience to His Word. And brethren, let me say this, if you want to see these.
Professed signs and wonders Today you're going to have to take a first step in disobedience to the Word of God.
You're going to have to go someplace where part of the truth of God is given up.
And perhaps you may find even the person of Christ attacked in that very place. Now you say, well, are they doing it? That's not the question. The question is, are we going to leave the Word of God and the truth of God to see this sort of thing, which in the end only turns out to be an imitation of what God did in the beginning of Christianity to confirm the Word?
I understand that there is no reference to.
Faith healing.
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After the 28th of Acts.
In chronological time prolong the subject, but I we might just mention and touch on a an aspect that is.
Gaining quite a bit of ground among some who one would consider to be true believers and that is that these tongues is a sort of a medium of communion with God that is they reject it as being some public display, but they.
They speak in tongues privately and this is a.
Misunderstanding of the very purpose of tongues. It was never given.
To individuals to enhance communion, to draw one near to God.
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, I believe is as plain as God could make it. Tongues are for a sign not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. And in our chapter here, it was God bearing witness. And that's what these signs are for. It was never intended to be a mark of spirituality. I was never intended to be.
A medium of communion, and that is. That is one of the subtle ways in which it's being.
Propagated and persons who have some desire for.
A close walk with the Lord and to walk in nearness to the Lord might be might be enticed into that, whereas they would not be enticed in these extravagant displays and tongues and so forth. But that's a misunderstanding. Tongues never have any connection with communion. And in First Corinthians 14.
Which is the chapter that is often used they there's a misunderstanding there.
The point in this 14th chapter is that the the apostle is showing the superiority of prophesying that he is speaking the mind of God to his people over any of the sign gifts such as tongues and the.
He uses language. We know, of course, that the expression unknown, which is italicized in our King James.
Should not really be there. It's not so much an unknown tongue at all.
As we see in Acts chapter 2 That they were known tongues that they spoke in. So it's not some mysterious formula that one uses in communion. You leave out the word unknown but the in verse 2. For he that speaketh in a tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God. For no man understandeth him. And that's been twisted to mean that.
There is a type of tongue speaking.
That has nothing to do with speaking to men, but speaking only to God. Well, what he is saying here is that if one arises in the midst of the Lord's people gathered together and speaks in a tongue unknown to them, God understands what he's saying. But the men or the people there don't understand what he's saying if someone were to arise here or speak in the reading here in Arabic.
I may be safe in saying that no one here, but nobody's saying.
But God would know but that it's not that's not saying that he should speak in those languages to God is saying that if one speaks in the gatherings of the Lords people in a in a tongue which he might have, but others do not have, then.
They're not edified. He's not really speaking to men at all. He's speaking a language that only he might know, of course, and God knows what he's saying. But this is not a this is not a scripture to be used that we should speak in a language and only God knows. It's really a word of correction to them, isn't it? That if they do speak in a tongue, he says that he'd rather speak 5 words with his understanding than.
5000 in a in a tongue, you know.
So that he's pointing out that if they speak in these tongues that the people do not know the effect is only that he's as it were just speaking to God and not to men be prophesying would has its place. They there's different forms that ministry can take there. It can take the form of teaching.
It can take the form of of an address in that way that one might be teaching the Saints.
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And it might even take the form of teaching at a reading, but prophesying I take it has is more the bringing the to the Saints into the hearts and conscience of the Saints that the mind of God that is God's particular word to them at that time.
Romans 16, verse 25 Now to him that is of power to establish you, according to my gospel.
And according to the preaching of Jesus Christ, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.
But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God.
Made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. And if you turn over to Ephesians chapter 2.
Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 20.
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
The prophets in Romans chapter 16 are New Testament prophets and also in Ephesians chapter 2 and the apostles and prophets where the foundation layers for Christianity. We do not have prophets in that sense today. The foundation has been laid and by those whom God used.
Prophets really, in that sense, were telling about the future.
And the apostles were bringing out the full truth of Christianity, and upon this the foundation of Christianity rests. And there that does not exist today, because the foundation has been laid, Paul said in First Corinthians 3. As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereupon.
So I believe that prophets in the New Testament are looked at in those two different ways.
Those that existed in the times when the New Testament was written.
And has been have been used of God to lay the foundation of Christianity.
But it still exists today. As our brother was saying, there are those who prophecy and as First Corinthians 14 says, he that prophesieth speaketh unto man to edification, exhortation and comfort. Notice there's nothing in those verses about foretelling the future, but speaking for the up building of the Saints that certification.
Exhortation stirring us up as to our walking ways.
And comfort, because there are many trials of difficulties in the Christian pathway and ministry has the character in the present of bringing those things before us that would either exhort us or build us up, or comfort us. But I say this because there are those who teach that today God is foretelling the future and prophecy.
In the minds of some, is the same as it was in the Old Testament and in the New Testament scriptures.
The result has been that they have added something to the authority of God's Word that as we have it, it's not really complete, but there are actually those who are adding something to the divine revelation. This is not so, brethren. We should be clear about that. And so that prophecy as we have it today is taking what God has given, the foundation already having been laid.
And ministering in such a way as to build upon that foundation that has been laid.
And we need that. I trust we're having it today so that we would be strengthened not by adding something, but by.
Enjoying and understanding in a fuller way what God has already given as the foundation of Christianity. One more question, brother. Hey ho, in connection with the day in which we live.
The part of a sister prophesying.
How would that fit in in our day? And we have the scripture about a woman prophesying with her head uncovered. Is there an application of that in our day-to-day as you see it?
I believe sisters who are in communion with the Lord may speak a word of great wisdom to another sister, sometimes even to a brother.
Occupying still her place, she is used of God to communicate His mind in connection with what the Word of God says. In fact, I believe that the sister can be a great blessing to other sisters in giving them godly advice founded upon the Word of God.
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And if they're in communion with the Lord, they will speak His mind for the given occasion. In days of weakness, God might even use them to speak to a brother. Now, this doesn't mean addressing a meeting, but God used Deborah to communicate God's mind to Barack, and He used Holder to communicate God's mind to Josiah. These were sad days of weakness in Israel's history.
The sisters didn't get out of their place, but they were walking closer to the Lord than the men were.
And God used them in their private way. So I believe there is that sphere of usefulness.
In a private way for a sister, and in a private and public way for a brother, knowing the mind of God and speaking forth his mind for a given occasions. It might serve as a warning just to notice once again in First Corinthians 14 and verse 12.
I believe here in this verse, the apostle puts his finger on the real trouble.
That is, he says, Even so, for as much as ye are zealous of spirits, that's the way it should read zealous of spirits. And I really believe that's what we have nowadays. There's a, a zeal for spirit. But what are the spirits behind this? But there is certainly this activity and a zeal for spirits. But you know, if you take this 14th chapter as a whole, I believe we have in it all that we need.
To answer to these things.
And you have what regulates the part of the sisters. You have what's brought out so plainly that God is not the author of confusion.
And all of these things are regulated in that way. And so I thought of it in this way. In accord with Isaiah, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there's no light in them, just in plain and simple language.