Book of Hebrews - Ch. 13, Vs. 12-25 (02/24/2002)

We're at the twelfth verse of the thirteenth chapter of Hebrews.

Just a minute, let me get my ears. All right.

Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

Without the gate. What's that mean, Virge? Without the gate?

No, we're talking about Jesus. Russell?

Yes. Golgotha is outside of the gate. Outside of the city.

Now, wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

How did he, Russell, how did his blood, that he might sanctify the people with his blood, well, if he's on the cross outside the gate, how did his blood sanctify us?

Yes. Dennis, does anyone know?

Yes. This pinpoints where he died, on the cross.

The cross was outside the gate, but his blood sanctified us. Let's read a little further.

Without his blood, carrying it as the great high priest, into the true holy of holies, in God's presence, he carried his blood to the presence of the

Father. As a high priest carried the blood of the sin offering into the holy of holies once a year.

This is comparing to once a year. He did it one time.

Let us go forth, therefore, unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. Let us go to the cross.

He goes on further in this comparison and shows that this was also signified to us, that the godly followers of Christ must go out of the world, bearing the cross.

Bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

Greg, what does that mean? All right.

It's the 14th verse. For here have we no continuing city, but seek one to come.

What does continuing city mean? All right.

Now, we can't find a city here, but we're seeking one. What does that mean, seeking one?

That's true. We're seeking his city that he has built. Don't get comfortable here.

You're not going to stay. You're looking for a city that God built, that the world never did nor ever will give a state of satisfactory rest unto believers.

He will not afford them a city to rest, hardly a place of refuge. They must therefore arise, depart, for this is not their rest.

We will enter into our rest in that city that we're looking for, not built with hands.

Fifteen. 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. Dennis, what does the fruit of the lips mean?

All right. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.

By him, therefore, let us offer. What's that mean, David? That's right.

Yes, that's right.

If we could give it to the Father, which we can't, it would have to be spiritual.

So we give it to Jesus, spiritually, by the Holy Spirit, so that he can pray, offer it to the

Father, spiritually. But we praise him with our lips.

We praise him not with things, not with buildings, not with lights, not with the

Bible as the Bible book. We do it through the praise.

We give him the praise for it. Joy? Yes, that's right.

That's right. Everything is by Jesus. Just get that fixed.

Nothing goes on unless it is Jesus. Yes, that's right.

That's right. And only that. We need no bloody victims anymore.

You understand that, I hope. But let us bring the sacrifice of praise continually for our great salvation.

I think we lose sight sometimes of how great the salvation is.

It's something totally unmerited by me. The words

I speak to you are not my words. They come from the Father. Yes, that's right.

That's right. That's right. Christ is the altar that we offer praise to the

Father by him. But to do good and to communicate, forget not.

For with such sacrifices God is well pleased. But to do good and to communicate, forget not.

Now, that's kind of a backward way of saying it. Instead, don't forget to communicate.

If we communicate, what does communicate mean, Burge? All right.

Don't forget to communicate. For with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

If we're doing it right, it pleases the Heavenly Father. If we do it wrong, it never reaches him.

To fully enjoy the blessings of God, through the sacrifice of Jesus, we must show hospitality toward others.

We cannot directly, physically worship

God. We can't offer him anything. Now, we praise him, we thank him, but how is it that we show our love to him?

Dennis, what is that?

What is that? Well, that's all good, but what is it?

All right, you're almost to get to it.

Greg, what? How do we show our love to God? All right.

Burge, if you become more and more like Jesus, you're doing what? Yes, yes.

He wants us to put feet to our prayers. To pray is fine, but don't let it stop there.

Praise is fine, but don't let it stop there. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves.

For they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you.

Now, who are these that have rule over you? Greg?

All right. Russell? All right.

That's exactly what it means. It means in the world to your authorities. But the first order here is our preacher.

Now, you may not like him, you may hold him in contempt, he may be a rascal, he may be awful, but as long as you sit under him, you have to give an account to him.

Now, on the other side, the preacher has to account for us. The teacher has to account for you.

That's right. From the preacher's standpoint, he has to give an account of you.

Obey them that rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you.

If your pastor is a man of God, who is teaching the word of God, then you are to obey the word of God.

You don't obey the preacher, you obey the word of God. But he's preaching, he's teaching the word of God.

It would be better to not hear the word of God, than to hear it and not obey. Eighteen.

Pray for us, for we trust we have a good conscience in all things, willing to live honestly.

This is one part of the duty which people owe to their ministers. Ministers need the prayers of the people.

And the more earnestly the people pray for their ministers, the more benefit they may expect to reap from their ministry.

They should pray that God would teach those who are to teach them, that he would make them diligent and wise and zealous and successful, that he would assist them in all of their labors, support for them under all of their burdens, and strengthen them under all of their temptations.

Now, I have a phrase here, that we pray for those that teach our teachers, that we pray for them.

I hope you pray for me. I pray for you. I pray for our preacher, believe it or not.

I pray for him. That somehow, somehow the word of God will get through to him.

I only say that because he is a man of God. But I beseech you, the rather to do this, that I may restore to you, may be restored to you the sooner.

Paul wanted to go see these people. After all, he's a Hebrew. This statement also makes me believe that Paul wrote this epistle.

Apparently, he was in prison at this time, and he is saying to these Hebrew Christians, I want to come back and be among you again.

After all, he was a Hebrew. 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.

Let's stop here. Now, the God of peace. Greg, what's that mean?

God of peace. All right.

Now, the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus. That's another way of saying it.

What, David? Yes.

Well, did Jesus resurrect? Was it

Jesus that resurrected himself?

Right. Right. And he did. God is the one with the power.

He raised Jesus. How many believe in the resurrection? All right.

Yes. Well, he does have the authority, but the authority rests in the

Father. He has it. He has use of it.

It is his. But it is the Father, really, that gave him that authority.

So he has it. Remember, Jesus Christ and the Father are one.

Now, here we're told that the Father brought him back. He did. There's no higher power.

You can't go on to somebody else saying that they gave God the power that he gave to Jesus to resurrect.

That's right. That's right. That's right.

That's right. So we see that they are one.

But God is the source of all things. That's right.

That's right. Everything he did, everything he said, everything he thought when he was here walking on earth, he did because it pleased the

Father. I hate to tell you this, but Brother Barney, he would always say, if you were the only one, he died for you.

Well, in a sense, that's true. But that's putting you at the center.

He died to please the Father. In doing that, he died for you.

Now, the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, we've settled the resurrection, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well -pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen. Making you perfect in every good work. Now, Virge, can

I be perfect? All right.

What does it mean, make you perfect in every good work to do his will? It goes back to being perfect.

Greg, what does being perfect mean? All right.

Can you expect a 12 -year -old boy that's saved be as perfect as the 80 -year -old man?

So perfectness has a quality to it. Well, take spiritual.

All right. From your viewpoint, are you perfect? You're. Well, what

I'm trying to get out of you, and I'm failing miserably, go to the orchard.

You have a peach. When it first comes on, it's real small. Is that peach perfect?

All right. So for you in this stage right now at 1025 this morning, you're perfect.

But you're not where you're going to be because that hasn't come yet.

You're better than you were yesterday. Very little difference, but you're better than you were yesterday.

So make you perfect in every good work to do his will.

Can you be perfect, Russell, and not be doing God's will?

That's a loaded question. Yes. All right.

All right. We're always doing his will whether we think so or not.

Now, the sin is ours, not God's, the event he controls.

So all of you are perfect where you are. Now, you may not be where you're going to be.

You may not be where you'll be after today. But for right now, you're perfect.

It says, make you perfect in every good work to do his will. Greg, do you always do his will?

All right. Do you do his will while you're sinning? Oh, you just blew the mind of half the seminary students in this world.

You're sinning, and that's your idea. But doing the work is

God's. Now, don't ask me to explain any of it. Why does God do this?

I can't do that yet. But David is perfect right now where he sits.

He's not standing up here. He's not at home. Understand, Paul is ill.

What? And Katie. So we make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well -pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ.

So everything we do is Jesus doing it, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight.

Jesus did nothing that wasn't pleasing to the Father. That's right.

All right. As he looks at me, he sees in you.

He sees the blood of Christ. Christ did only what pleased him.

Now, does Jesus see our sin? All right.

The Lord does, but God doesn't. But we're doing

God's will even while we're sinning. Now, how can you fit all that together?

All right. The Holy Spirit points out sin. Jesus, our Lord, by the

Holy Spirit, points out our sin. We're doing what God wants. I'm sinning while I do it, but that's for me.

I've lost that time. In a sense, I've lost that time that I'm out sinning.

So the perfect work in us pleases the

Heavenly Father, but in Christ, in Jesus.

We can approach God through Jesus. We're seated in him. But don't think you can come out and go around to this other throne, because Jesus is where we are.

He is our Lord. He is the Lord. Through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Christ's blood is the basis of every covenant. Is that right,

David? Absolutely. Every covenant

God has made, Christ, his blood is the head of it.

Whether it's before his blood was shed or after, it makes no difference. God's done everything anyhow.

Contrary to what some people think, we are under a covenant. Yes. Make you perfect.

This has been the purpose of the epistle to the Hebrews, pointing out something better that they could do.

We have been told, let us go on to perfection. Let us continue on.

I hope that after this lesson, you know ways that you can improve your life.

After the service this morning, I hope you know ways that you can improve your life.

I hope after you go home, you know ways that you can improve your life.

That's what it's all about. How can I improve for Christ? And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the world of exhortation, for I have written a letter unto you in few words.

I nearly have to laugh when I read that few words. This is a long letter.

And it wasn't a few words, but it was because Paul had so much more he wanted to say.

Notice how personal this is. Know ye that our brother

Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.

Now, Timothy had been in prison with Paul. We find here that Timothy is turned loose.

He's not in prison anymore. He's coming to you. But he says, if he come shortly,

I will see you. What's that mean? Greg?

But he wasn't. David? It will be the same as me coming.

I will see you. He brings the letter, and it's the best

Paul can do. Salute all of them that have the rule over you.

He goes back to that again. And all the saints, they of Italy salute you.

Again, this sounds like Paul. Apparently, Timothy has been released from prison.

Grace be with you all. Amen. It's marvelous to admire a little baby in the crib.

I think we would all agree with that. But if I come back 20 years later and he's still in the crib, still feeding on milk, there's something wrong.

How many in this room have been a Christian for 10 years? 20 years?

30 years? You're doing that.

I'm not. 35. 35 years.

30? 35. 40? 50?

60? 100?

100? Well, no.

Strange as it may seem, you're right where you should be. Hebrews tells us grow up.

I think that after Jude is the next book, I think after Jude we'll come back to Hebrews and go through it again.

Now, how many found the third son in the parable?

Father. Wait just a minute. Let me see a show of hands of those that found the third son.

How many did not find it? How many forgot about it?

All right, Virge. Father.

Yes, yes. The son was telling them. Hey, just a minute.

Now, all right.

That's good. I overlooked that. Did you all get what he was talking about?

Christ doing it in you. Well, yes.

Do you want it? That's right.