Open—J. Kaiser, R. Thonney
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Of all thy grief and pain. And let our hearts with joy confess, But thence comes all our gain, 172.
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Let's turn back to Hebrews chapter 12.
We've had some very full meetings.
I wasn't able to absorb everything that was said. I hope I was able to absorb what I needed to absorb and I pray the same for each of you.
Like to touch on just a couple little things that.
Stood out to me in this chapter.
1St is in verse nine we have a parallel phrase.
A parallel phrases I should say. So read verse 9 together. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 9. Furthermore, we have had fathers in our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather?
Be in subjection unto the Father of spirits.
And live and we there was quite a bit upset about subjection and the our need to receive what God gives and receive what God gives as from himself. First of all, we're so prone to look at means and so often the things that we receive we because God gives them and God's nature is different from our flesh. A lot of the things he gives are not appreciated as they should be.
And are not well received.
But I'd like to draw your attention and I pray that my own attention will will be fastened on this as well to these parallel, these two parallel phrases.
Be in subjection and live.
Be in subjection and live.
God is the source of our life.
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It's only enjoyed in subjection, in submission to him.
Back in Isaiah 55, God said to his people here.
And your soul shall live.
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, lessons in life is submission.
Subjection. Submission to God, Submission to authority, Submission to one another, Submission in all things.
Be in subjection and live.
We might say that's command with promise.
Be in subjection and live.
Then we get down to verse 15. We ended our meeting on this verse pretty much.
Our last meeting and I'd like to go into this verse just a little bit more.
Verse 15. Looking diligently.
Lest any man fail the grace of God, Lest any root of bitterness springing up.
Trouble you and there by many be defiled.
Now, of course, the beginning of the chapter were directed to be looking at Jesus.
But the writer of this epistle also directs our attention to be looking diligently less. In other words, we're to be on guard. We have our go, we have our our sites fixed on Jesus, but we are to be on guard, says looking diligently lest any man.
Fail or lack the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.
I think many of us are conscious that bitterness.
Is a real problem.
We hear it in other people's speech.
We know they're better because of the way they speak. They complain about their brethren, about their husband, about their wife, about the boss.
About their circumstances.
And it doesn't say we're supposed to be looking for bitterness in others. It starts in here.
In our own hearts.
We need to be on guard against bitterness in our own hearts, lest we.
Should be the source of defilement for others.
Bitterness is very destructive.
And it's very subtle.
And I think it helps to understand the source of bitterness. We spoke about that a little bit.
It's in the flesh, but it's more than that. Let's turn to Deuteronomy 29.
Deuteronomy 29 and verse 18.
Lest there should be among you.
Man or woman gets down to the singular, just like it did in our chapter, lest there be any in any of you, a root, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness. It's it gets very personal.
Lest there should be among you, man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from.
The Lord our God to go and serve the gods of these nations.
Lest there should be among you a root that beareth Gaul and Wormwood. That's bitterness, Gaul and Wormwood. Gall is.
We've got we have gallbladders. Gall is the bitterness that comes from inside. Wormwood is a an herb that's something that's consumed that comes from the outside. But there's a root that bears them both.
In our own hearts, in this idolatry.
Idolatry.
That's what they were to be aware of.
And it's turned to, just briefly, a verse that's race striking in Ezekiel 14.
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Ezekiel 14 verse three Son of Man These men have set up their idols.
In their heart.
Bitterness is linked to idolatry, to secret a secret idol in the heart. It may be our reputation, it may be our feelings. It may be what we think we deserve. It may be what we consider to be our rights. It may be our family. It may be our self-image.
I'm reminded of a brother I love dearly.
Who's gone astray?
And one thing that stood out in my mind and as I think back over the years, is he liked to say I'm offended.
We do take offense.
We don't have to take offense. We're responsible for how we receive as well as how we give.
An offense is a choice.
Taking offense is a deliberate choice.
And bitterness is a choice.
You know, you think of Job, you might have said to Job, Job, you're bitter. And he says, I can't help it. I don't know. He never, I don't know that he ever said that. But he might well have said it and we might well understand why he would say it. But brethren, bitterness is a choice.
That's why it says here in this chapter.
That we should.
Look diligently and looking in ourselves lest this should happen, because it is a choice. It's a matter of responsibility. Bitterness is a choice. You hear bitterness in the voice of a brother or sister. You hear bitterness in your own voice, and you know you've made a wrong choice.
Bitterness is a choice.
And grace is a choice.
So before we get to talk about the subject of grace, I want to show you the consequences. Let's read this chapter again and then go jump ahead 600 years. Deuteronomy chapter 29, verse 18 again. Lest there should be among you, man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations. Lest there should be among you a root.
That bareth gall and Wormwood here is a supposed case, shall we say, turn to Jeremiah.
Chapter 9. Chapter 8. Jeremiah. Chapter 8.
We're going ahead 600 years and we find the result. The children of Israel didn't heed this warning.
And verse.
14 Why do we sit still?
Assemble yourselves.
And let us enter into the defense city, and let us be silent there, for the Lord our God hath put us to silence and given us.
The water of Gaul to drink.
Chapter 9.
Verse 15.
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Behold, I will feed them even this day, this people.
With Wormwood and will give them water of gall to drink if we choose to harbor to cultivate this root of bitterness.
We're going to get more.
We're going to get more.
They're brother or sister.
If you know.
You have it in your heart, some bitterness.
Get rid of it.
You're only asking for more by cultivating it.
Now let's turn to the alternative.
Back in Hebrews 12.
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Hebrews 12.
Verse 15 Looking diligently. Let's not be casual about this. Let's be diligent. Looking diligently lest any man fail or lack the grace of God.
Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled. Sister called me a couple of years ago, or maybe less than that.
Problem and she well she didn't call me about it necessarily, but we got talking about a problem that I was aware of in her assembly.
And I suggested that she consult a brother who I knew visited there occasionally, a brother whom I respected. And she says, oh, he's a hypocrite.
He's not here today.
Uh, and that sister's not here today either.
She got discouraged and left because there was bitterness in her own heart. That brother, yes, I didn't argue with her. That brother is a hypocrite, just like you and me.
A brother I highly regard whom the Lord uses. But I'm not going to deny that if you can't. If you're going to call him I, I'll accept that title too.
We all are in a measure hypocrites, but this sister was occupied with that brother and her problems instead of turning to the Lord.
There by many be defiled. Her whole family is gone too.
There by many be defiled. What is what's the alternative? Well, it's a matter of lacking grace. So let's turn to chapter the end of this chapter verse.
28.
And ahead of this chapter, we're told of all the blessing that we've been brought into ahead of these verses. I mean, the last latter part of the chapter we didn't discuss.
Describes wonderful things.
Verse 28 says Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved.
You know, we get so occupied with circumstances, with offenses, things that bother us that are going to pass.
Says here whereby we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, Let us have grace. Oh, you know, we can have as much grace as we want. We can have all the grace we need. You say, well, I've we've already received grace. Yes, we have abundantly. But this is the practical side. This is the practical part of the epistle. Let's make it grace in our own hearts, not just grace in our standing yes, we're accepted in the beloved. Let's.
Enjoy that?
That's a choice, too.
Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably.
With reverence and godly fear, I just want to close on these two things that characterize.
Grace reverence and godly fear Reverence is acknowledging who God is.
And his authority and his right to order things.
And godly fear is acknowledging his power.
And his ways and accepting those two.
With that, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear, acknowledging who He is, that He is Lord.
And he has a right to order our lives.
And he has power for all things and his ways.
Are wonderful.
Like to speak a little bit more about that grace too brother, and is on my heart. I wish we could have gotten down in our readings a little bit further into this chapter but.
Time has a way of limiting us so.
Anyhow, perhaps we can make some further observations here I.
Do believe that this matter of grace is such an important matter? Go back to Romans chapter 5.
And verse one begins.
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Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
By whom also we have access.
By faith.
Into this grace, wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
We stand in grace.
You know, we know that grace is unmerited favor.
But sometimes I don't think we really let it sink into our souls what grace really is.
And come to grips with the fact that's the only way we can stand before God on the grounds of His sovereign grace.
I remember a number of years ago the story given, and probably some of you have heard of it, heard it, I'll tell it again, But back in the days in the United States, when there was slavery in the South, there was evidently a part of the town.
In slavery territory where there was an auction block and they went on a certain day auction off slaves.
And evidently, this one day this.
Uh, person brought to be auctioned off a young black lady.
About 20 or 22 years of age and.
She was put up there on the auction block and people started giving price as the price went up and up and to the surprise of everybody, an Englishman. Now English people were not allowed to have slaves to practice slavery, but this Englishman steps up and bids on this particular slave and.
This slave looks at this new bidder, realizing who he was and with quite a bit of contempt.
I wonder what he wanted her for.
Anyhow, they kept on bidding until finally it was this Englishman that gave the highest price and he bought that slave and she was brought down and given to her new owner.
And she almost hissed at him, saying, What did you buy me for?
And he took the chain or whatever it was that bound her and undid it, took it off and said I bought you to set you free. You're free. You can go now.
The poor girl didn't know what to do.
After a few minutes, she fell at his feet and said, oh, thank you Sir, I'll serve you forever.
What provoked such a tremendous change in that woman?
It was Grace. She had received something she did not deserve.
And it made her willing to serve that man forever.
Let's go back to what took place at Calvary Brethren.
Who is that man that hangs on that center Christ?
God's eternal Son, the brightness of the eternal glory.
There he hangs, crown of thorns, thorns on his head.
His face.
Mard has no one else. I did mard.
There he hangs.
And it gets dark.
And it's silent for three hours. Nobody knows what's taking place. They know it was in those three hours that all the waves and billows of divine judgment that would have sunk us into hell rolled over him, and he exhausted those that divine judgment forever.
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At the end of those three hours, he cries. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken?
Oh, the cost. The awfulness of the cost.
That's paid for us to set it free.
Now we're set free.
Do we think we have the liberty to harbor roots of bitterness now in our hearts? How can we ever give thought in that direction? It's because this was brought out in the reading. We think we have a right. Our culture we're passing through impresses that on us. You have your rights. Nobody can tell you what to do. And we think there's something to that.
And we start absorbing that type of thinking. Let's go back to the cross.
When the only one who was free from sin went into death and paid the ultimate price he gave himself.
Entirely 100% no reserves in his sacrifice to save us.
Oh, brethren, that's grace.
When I stand there.
The cross. They come away a captive.
Not outwardly, not anybody standing over my head saying you've got to do this and that and the other thing.
But my heart is captive.
To the man that died there.
He bought me with his precious blood. It's not what I want. It's not what I am any longer.
It's who he is.
Oh, we stand in grace. What a wonderful thing to get a hold of.
You young people think there's somebody better out there that attracts you. Go ahead.
There's one who's gripping my heart.
And I cannot ignore it.
Another thing I'd like to say when it's a connection with bitterness like our brother was talking about.
Sometimes brother and others.
Can't deny that.
But like brother was saying, it's a choice whether we're going to harbor those offenses. That's our choice.
But stop a minute.
Think of how many times we've sinned against our God.
Hundreds, thousands, 10s of thousands of times.
And a brother offends me twice, three or four or five times, maybe 10 times.
Putting it into the balance, brethren, does it make any sense that I should hold a grudge or bitterness? It doesn't fit the picture. Let it go.
The Lord help us, brethren, we stand in grace.
We rejoiced in hope of the glory of God. You know, when we understand this, it's wonderful because look what it says in verse three. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations.
Also.
What?
What is this word lowering in tribulations?
Is that right?
When we understand our position in grace, brethren, I suggest we can glory in tribulations also, realizing that God has set us in such a position of favor before Him in Christ that even the things that seem to be against us are only working for our own good.
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Can't be otherwise.
Oh brother, and what a wonderful place is ours.
Another verse in First Corinthians chapter 15. I think brother Don mentioned this this morning but just like to go and read it.
Paul is speaking about those that saw the Lord in resurrection.
And verse eight he says, and last of all he that's Christ was seen of Maine also as one born out of due season.
For I am the least of the apostles, and not meet to be called an apostle because.
I persecuted the Church of God, but by the grace of God I am what I am. And His grace was bestowed upon me. Was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all. Yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me this beautiful. By the grace of God, I am what I am.
He doesn't say I'm what Peter was. No, we can't go around comparing ourselves among ourselves, brethren. That's not wise.
But I am what I am.
And His grace was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they are. What is it that makes us labor for the Lord? It's grace. It's a sense. He did so much for me. How can I ever, ever recompense Him for all that He did for me?
The idea of gaining merits with God is so prevalent in the world. Remember in the time of hyperinflation in Bolivia?
One year it reached 40,000% inflation rate.
Hardly has any meaning so terribly high.
But people were hungry and there wasn't money to buy food.
We with some of the help sent from the north, we're able to buy bags of rice and sometimes corn and take them up to the Alta flannel to help out.
In areas where they had need.
And the lady seeing me do this stepped up one time and said to me, you must gain a lot of favor with God doing these works of mercy.
I said, lady, let me tell you something, I don't do it to gain any favor with God. I already have favor with God because of what Jesus did on the cross. It's just because of the gratitude I feel in my heart to Him. I want to do all I possibly can to show how thankful I am. That's all. And brethren, that's what really makes this labor for the Lord.
It's the sense that we are debtors. Debtors. Will we ever, ever be able to pay the debt?
Never, brethren, never.
Let's go over to.
First or Second Timothy, chapter 2.
Verse one.
Thou therefore, my son.
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
What is it that makes us strong? You know, Paul was writing to Timothy, and it's probably his last epistle that he wrote.
In chapter three, he talks about the perilous times that there would be in the last days.
And we're in those times.
There were those who had departed from the faith.
And he is writing to encourage Timothy.
And the next verse he talks about faithful men.
And though that they should be able to teach others also.
But what is it going to be, brethren, that will make us strong?
In days of outward ruin and failure.
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It's being strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
It's realizing what great debtors we are.
To God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And going on because of the gratitude that we feel in our hearts toward him, it's not a sense of obligation.
Are there obligations? Yes, I believe there are, but it's not an overwhelming sense of obligation that's going to do it. It's.
A sense of the debt we owe to him, Grace. And he says to Timothy, Timothy, what's going to make you strong is not rules and regulations.
It's the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Another verse in first Peter chapter 5.
And verse 10.
But.
The God of all grace.
Who hath called us unto his Eternal?
Glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
By Sylvan, as a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose I have written, briefly exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein you stand.
There it is again, we stand in grace. I wanted to draw attention to verse 10. God is presented to be the God of all grace. Sometimes we feel that our wit's end and our resources.
We're at the end of our own resources. Just remember this verse. He's the God of all grace.
You need some more grace, brother and sister, to go on in the particular circumstances the Lord has called you in. He's the God of all grace, and you can ask some more. You'll never have to be ashamed at going to him and saying, Lord, I need more grace because He's the God of all grace. Wonderful. And He's called us. Notice this.
Into his.
Eternal glory by Christ Jesus. You know we talk about our callings in life.
Talk to some here this conference I've graduated.
With a certain calling.
Good.
Nothing wrong with that, but don't forget this calling.
Called to his eternal glory, Oh brother. And when we get home to glory, I think we're going to look back and we're going to be amazed that we were so tremendously distracted by our toys down here.
Remember, we're called to His eternal glory.
I think I mentioned that the other day, but it's interesting to me that on the Mount of Transfiguration.
The three disciples Peter, James and John were quite interested in seeing Moses and Elias, but there is no record in the account of the Transfiguration that Moses and Elias even noticed the presence of Peter, James and John.
I thought about that. I said why not?
How could they when they were in the presence of the Lord of glory?
Realized who he was.
Who are Peter, James and John in comparison to them?
O brethren, may the Lord give us to realize to what we are called. Do you have a calling? Good. Thank God for it. Use it for the Lord. But remember, your primary calling is not your earthly work down here. Your calling is that eternal glory. Going back just briefly now to the verse there in Hebrews 12.
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Brother John was talking about looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God. So easy to get off that ground of grace. We live in a world where people operate on.
A different principle entirely. They do not know the principle of grace. And there's a tendency, there's a danger that we get off that ground as well. And so that's why we need each other to watch diligently that we don't get off that ground. Brother and sister in the Lord Jesus, if you see me getting on to the ground of my own desserts, please come and give me a shake.
We're not on that ground before God at all. We're on the ground of His grace.
And then it goes on in the chapter. We didn't have time for it, but it gives us two tremendous figures. First of all is Sinyon. We have not come, he says, to a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and normant of blackness and darkness and Tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, the voice of words which they that heard and treated, that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.
For they could not endure that which was commanded, and if so much as a beast should touch the mountain.
It should be stoned or thrust through with a dart. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said.
I exceedingly fear and quake. We have not come to this, brethren. Then where are we then?
Ye are come unto Mount Zion, and we have.
Eight things mentioned here if you want to see them, it's. They're all divided by that little word and.
Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the General Assembly, and.
Church of the First Born, which are written in heaven.
Hmm. And to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. That's where we've come. Oh, what a tremendous place we've been brought to. We don't have time to go over those things, but they're interesting. And then he speaks about, 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 earth only, but also heaven.
And this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken.
As of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may.
Remain.
Brethren, we are living in times when everything is shaking. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken.
And we certainly see it in in our world today.
Nothing stable about things down here. Nothing.
But there is a Kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom with cannot be removed. Let us have it doesn't say zeal. What does it say? Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God.
Acceptably, with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.