Amen

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth. Welcome to No Compromise Radio ministry. My name is Mike Abendroth. I hadn�t done any videos for the Facebook group recently, so I�m in here doing radio shows. If you have any questions, you can always write us.

Trials, Troubles, and Temptations in Hebrews 11

What I hope to do with this show is focus you on the Lord Jesus, who never compromised. He always pleased the Father, so we�d like to talk about Him a lot. At the cross, there was no compromise, right?

You had justice, faithfulness, righteousness, love, and more all simultaneously displayed at Calvary. In light of that, we don�t want to compromise. Stephen is back with the 2020 Woke Edition. I did a Twitter poll the other day.

Not many people liked it, but I said, �This is what you don�t do on a Sunday. One, scold the Word. Two, drama the Word. Three, woke the Word. And four, Bethmore the Word. So we�re now taking nouns and making them verbs.

Woke the Word. Grease is the Word. Maybe you do grease is the Word. These days I�ve been thinking a lot about Hebrews 11 and faith, since I�m in that book now, Hebrews, and we�re up to chapter 11. I�m trying to figure out how to get it done before this coming summer here in 2020.

I�m not sure how that�ll actually work out, and after having some knee surgery and other things, who knows how that�ll work out, but we�re just�I�m going to try to finish in 2020. If I live long enough, who knows if that�ll be the case.

I�m assuming so, but one never knows. And as I�ve been working through this chapter, I�ve been very cognizant of the fact that the people that the writer of the book of Hebrews is addressing are going through trials.

They have all kinds of issues and troubles, and in essence, they�re getting persecuted for trusting in Jesus, and they�re tempted to go back. After all, the temple is still up. You can probably hear the trumpeters.

You can probably hear the priests singing. You can smell the sacrifices. You can see the gold. You can see the marble. You can see this wonderful temple. Nothing more gorgeous and more beautiful in all the world, probably, in terms of a man-made thing, and it�s tempting to go back.

And therefore, the writer, the writer of Hebrews, he wants them not to go back. He wants them to keep trusting in Jesus, the high priest. Can you trust the Lord, even though�I mean, think about it. You can�t see the Lord.

He is invisible, right? But you can see your trials. They�re very visible. You can not feel God, but you can feel your trials. You cannot�here we go. You cannot experience God. Remember experiencing God?

Years ago, I remember, that was so big. Twenty years ago, that was huge, and I said to somebody, �What do I do about this whole experiencing God phenomenon I mean, it�s just crazy, and the person said to me, �It�ll die like all fads do.

And he was right. He was right. So now that I�m older, I�m going to start saying to people when they ask me about the prayer of Jabez or the circle maker or the�what�s the latest fad now? Even if it�s Bethel music and Jesus culture and all these fads, fads die out, so we�re glad.

But I think at the beginning of the year, they didn�t have the book Jesus Calling back then. There was an apartment complex in Omaha, and I remember the advertisements to get people to come and lease or rent apartments, and it was, �The August moon is calling you.

But they sang it better than that. So here�s the point. Trials, troubles, issues. What do we do and how do we get through them? And this is not some kind of moralistic how-to, four points, etc. This all ties back to remembering who this high priest is, the Lord Jesus, and you can trust His Word.

I think of 2 Corinthians 1, verse 20, �For all the promises of God find their yes in Him. We�re talking about Jesus. That is why it is through Him, and we�re talking about Jesus, that we utter our amen to God for His glory.

Walking by Faith in Christ, Not in Feelings

This year, you�ll experience troubles and trials, and so will I, and we�re going to have to make sure we walk by faith and not sight. Now, the big thing is, we have to remember, when I say walk by faith, that is shorthand, theological shorthand, for walking by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the risen Savior who atoned for all the sins of the people that the Father gave Him.

Right? Faith is not in itself, faith is not in a feeling, faith is not in some kind of who knows what, but it is in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. When I say, �The righteous shall live by faith and I quote Habakkuk 2, or Hebrews 10, or Galatians 3, or Romans 4, �The just shall live by faith or in Hebrews, it�s �My just shall live by faith.

We�re talking about shorthand. When you�re in Hebrews 11, and it�s �By faith, by faith, by faith, by faith, by faith remember, this is not the focus on our faithfulness, because it doesn�t take you very long to look at Abraham, and Sarah, and even Isaac.

I was reading Genesis 26 today, and watching Isaac do the exact same thing that his dad did. �Uh, don�t kill me, sleep with my wife, she�s not really my wife, she�s my sister. I mean, and then getting reprimanded by the pagan, just like Abraham, his father, got reprimanded by a different pagan.

Therefore, when you�re going through the trials, you�ve got to make sure you kind of reboot your mind, right? And so, we need revelation, that is, from Scripture, to help us process what we see. When Jesus was raised, Acts chapter 1, and he ascended into heaven, it was the angels that talked to the men who saw Jesus taken up in glory, and then they could figure out what was going on.

They couldn�t rely on their own senses, because their senses weren�t always right. Right? Seeing is believing, are you sure? Seeing is believing, are you positive? Therefore, when something happens, just like with Acts chapter 2, and here we have this great Pentecost experience, and Joel 2 experience, then something needs to be said so we can understand it properly.

So, we have to make sure, when we look at trials, when we�re in them, when we�re going through difficulties, and by the way, some of my biggest difficulties are success and blessing, and they�re not adversity, they�re prosperity, right?

The Faithfulness of God in Adversity and Prosperity

So, the biggest trial you just might face this year is prosperity. How do we work through prosperity as a trial? Because unlike adversity that says, �I�ve got to look to the Lord for help, because I can�t do this on my own, this has become unmanageable.

Prosperity makes you look to yourself, because things seem to be going pretty well. What we have to make sure is to look at outside revelation, outside of us, that is the Word, to focus properly, and so therefore, all of Hebrews is driving you to think, no matter what you consider, no matter what you have been told, Jesus is worthy of your praise and honor and trust, right?

And therefore, Hebrews 11 is almost kind of a repetition, a reiteration of Hebrews 6. If I�m preaching to you, I will probably say things in a sermon once, twice, three times, right? But I�m regularly repeating those themes so you can understand those themes, and the writer of Hebrews does that exact thing.

He goes back in chapter 6, he says it, and chapter 11, talking about Abraham and faith. And when I think of Hebrews chapter 6, I regularly think of the controversial passage, but the section that I�m thinking of right now, before we get into chapter 11, has nothing to do with the controversial section.

It has to do with things like Jesus is a promise keeper, he is an oathmaker, right? He�s made this oath, he tells the truth, he�s the refuge, the anchor, the forerunner. I mean, that is amazing. All driving you to say, I can�t sleep at night, I cry all day, I can�t manage this situation, but what I do know is this, that God is a fortress.

God is a deliverer. God is a rock. I do know, even though I�m going through these trials, Psalm 36, God, your faithfulness reaches to the skies. I�m going to have to preach to myself, because my heart�s going to preach to me, my mind�s going to preach to me, and it�s going to say, worry, fret, what about the future?

What about the circumstances? It�s going to say things like, you should have done this, and you should not have done that. And what about these past experiences that I�ve had? If I only, if I only, if I only, then you have to preach to yourself from an external source.

It has to be things like Isaiah 11. Faithfulness is the belt around his waist. This language that makes you realize, while I�m not faithful, God is, and so I�m going to trust in that faithful God, since I�m not faithful.

It says in Isaiah 49, �Because the Lord Yahweh, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you. And of course, you know, Lamentations chapter 3, �Great is thy faithfulness. First Thessalonians 5, �Faithful is he who calls you, and he also will bring it to pass.

When you�re going through adversity or prosperity, you want to just get your Bible, now that you have a computer Bible everywhere probably, and just type in �faithful and see who�s the faithful one.

And just to be reminded, 2 Thessalonians 3, �But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. Yeah, but what about all those things I�ve done in the past, and I could have done this better, and I sinned here, and I did that?

I know. That�s why I�m talking about the Lord�s faithfulness and not yours. These recipients to this letter, they didn�t do everything perfectly, but they needed to be reminded of the one who is perfect.

Law and Gospel in Christian Preaching

And that�s why when you hear preaching, every week there�s just ten more things for you to do. If you�re honest with yourself, you don�t do those ten very well, and you don�t have good motives when you do them.

So not only have you broken the Ten Commandments, and every other, you know, the two great commandments, and all the other, you know, the laws found in Scripture from the law of Christ, then what happens?

Then I�ve just broken more laws. That�s just not enough. It is right and good, and meet to do, law preaching, as long as it�s followed by the gospel, right? That�s why we have law gospel. That�s why you hear me continually on Twitter go after people that just scold all the time, and they just give the law all the time, and just beat people down all the time, at least the sermons that I�ve listened to.

Now, there are probably some sermons that people preach that are good and uplifting, but when it�s just hammering, how could you, hammering on people with the law, how can you call yourself a Christian and have sinned like that?

If you don�t then use the law to drive them to the gospel, that is, the gospel incarnate, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, it�s wrong to tell Christians a message, to preach to Christians a message, so that they walk out thinking, �I�m not a Christian.

Now, if you�re not a Christian, to walk out thinking, �I�m not a Christian that�s a good thing, but I�m talking about Christians. That�s why the Lord�s Supper is regularly given, so we might be reminded that outside of us, there�s a gracious God who�s faithful, and when He says to the Son, the Father says to the Son, �Go rescue the elect the Son did it, and He�s not going to lose one, and that means, dear believer, He�s not going to lose you either.

You would lose you. I would have lost me, but the Lord�s not going to do that. Therefore, when people are always whacking away and leaving Christians thinking, �How could I be saved Instead of saying, �I know I should not be saved, but how wonderful is the Lord�s love for me.

Who ever loves me like that? Who could ever love me like that with an everlasting love? He knows everything that I�ve done, and He still loves me. He knows my faith isn�t very strong. He knows I�m not very faithful.

He knows that I worry, I have doubts, I get angry, I have self-righteousness, I have pride, I�ve sinned in the past, I look at a woman with lust, and the list goes on and on and on for all of us. Who loves people like that?

I don�t know about you, but I love the lovely. I love those that are a benefit to me. That�s my natural instinct, and I know it�s yours. Of course, now as Christians, we�ve been changed, and then we have a heart for people that aren�t so lovely, because that�s the heart of God.

It�s not always there, but when it�s there, we ask this question. Who put that love there? And therefore, when I talk to people and they struggle with assurance, here�s what ends up happening. I do the R .C. Sproul kind of thing.

�Well, do you hate your sin �Yes. �Who gave you that hate �Do you love Jesus at all �Do you believe in him at all Who gave you that belief? Who gave you that love? Do you believe that you�ll die one day and stand before God, and the Bible teaches there�s only one hope for you and your sins to be forgiven, and that is Jesus justly pays them, the just for the unjust, and he might bring us to God?

Yes. Who put that in your mind? Hinduism, paganism, animism, Mohammedanism, yourself, your own consciousness, Micahism, Shelahism. This book, Hebrews, is written, of course, with warnings, but those warnings are to drive you even to the cross.

But this book is meant to encourage, it�s meant to encourage a little faith in the right object, the Lord Jesus, is enough. And he goes back to, I mean, when I look at Hebrews chapter 6, it�s amazing how he works through this.

We have 619, we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain. All these images, refuge, what goes through your mind if you�re a Jew?

Remember Hebrews is written to Jews? Refuge. Oh yeah, if I kill somebody and I get to the city of refuge, I�m safe. Well, we try to kill God, and mankind did kill the Lord Jesus, and is there a harbor for us?

Is there a safe haven for us? Jesus is called the refuge. What about the anchor? I need stability, I need firmness, I need, my life just seems chaos, I�m just blown all around. I need something to anchor my soul.

Yes, that�s exactly right. That�s why the word �anchor� is used, and where is that anchor? That anchor is behind the veil, into the Holy of Holies, not just kind of floating all around, but right where it needs to be.

This sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain. What a great reminder. See, that�s what we have to do. We have to begin to preach to ourself that Jesus, it says in 620, has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

That�s what we have to be reminded of. Here�s this Jesus. I know you struggle. I know I struggle. I know we don�t live up to our calling. I want to live in a manner worthy of my calling. I want to make my election and calling sure, 2 Peter chapter 1, by the things that I�ve done.

But when I don�t, what do I need? What about Jesus and how does he deal with bruised reeds and candles that are about ready to go out? How does he deal with them? What does Luke 4 say about that? What does Isaiah 61 say about that?

So when it�s just all this scolding all the time, and that�s why if I ever say anything negative about Christian men that I personally don�t listen to because I don�t want to just get body-slammed all the time, then the internet goes crazy, right?

And you say, �Well, what are you talking about Faith outside of us in the object. Our faithfulness looks inwardly. Now There's a place for both, but what's the emphasis? And where are you left? That's my point.

That's why Beza, hey, you don't really know much unless you get law gospel right. I agree with that because here's the law. I realize even as a Christian, I've broken that law, but my relationship to the law giver is no longer judged because of my friend, my brother, the forerunner, the anchor, the refuge, the faithful one, the Lord Jesus.

And therefore, the law is given to me, not from the law giver as judge, but from the law giver as father. And I don't obey to keep my status. I obey because of my status. And that changes everything. That's why Jerry Bridges is so important.

That's why if somebody says, I'm struggling with assurance, who do you listen to? Paul Washer. Well, stop. I'm not saying everything he says is bad. I'm not saying that at all. But I know his tenor. I know often and regularly, it's this drive where you're trying to say, well, there's a bunch of unbelievers in the congregation.

We have to drive them to the cross. Okay, in James 5, 19 and 20, I get it. But how about the attitude that there are weak and hurting Christians who are struggling and stumbling? And by the way, don't we all know deep down that's who we are?

I think we all realize that. I mean, when we're honest with ourself, it's either self-righteousness. Hey, I do those things. Or despair. And for both the self-righteous and the despairer, they need to be driven from the law to the gospel, to the Lord Jesus.

Here's the person, the Lord Jesus. Oh, by the way, I've healed that person. Make sure they have something to eat. Who does that? Except the Lord, he does that, right? Make sure she's got something to eat.

Kind, tender. And you think about the blind men that he healed, the lame that he healed, the sick. Those things, yes, were signs and authenticated his message and that he was the Messiah, yes. But they also revealed his countenance and his character and his compassion for sinners.

That's who Jesus is. People say, well, I read David Brainerd. I don't know how I'm saved. Stop. I never give David Brainerd for anybody to read because it doesn't drive people to the gospel because it's law-driven.

I'm just saying generally speaking, right? And therefore, when you see Edwards, I'm sure he edited, as a matter of fact, I know he edited Brainerd's stuff. It's just this introspection, this drive inward, this law.

You can't stop there, right? I'm not saying antinomianism is good. You did not hear that, nor will you ever hear that on No Compromise Radio. But I am saying that the drive to get rid of unconverted people because of the perception that the real problem in evangelicalism is antinomianism, I don't think that's true.

I think the problem these days, in my opinion, is that there are too many people, leaders in evangelicalism that are lawgivers as emphasis. The attraction of legal preaching by my friend R. Scott Clark ought to be read by pastors regularly.

I regularly read it because I don't wanna be that guy. And even when I talk about Jesus, I don't wanna have that law attitude. I wanna have a different attitude, an attitude to talk about, come, drink without price.

Come unto me, all who are weary, heavy laden, even today, I'll give you rest. Isn't that what you want? Don't you want preaching like that? You say, yeah, but I don't want preaching that I want. I want preaching that I know is gonna drive me to the cross.

Okay, then hardhearted people need to be driven to the cross, but then talk about the Lord Jesus who on the cross says to his enemy, but he's a friend of sinners, remember? He's a friend of his enemies.

He says, today you'll be with me in paradise. Who does that? Who does that? You know what evangelicalism has just turned into? Evangelize more, be more sorry, pray more. And by the way, all those things are fine to say, but that's just the law.

I wanna have the good news as well. I wanna talk about Jesus is the perfect prayer and he lives to make intercession for me. Sometimes I have a hard time praying for my own family. If you said, Mike, have you prayed for your kids every day?

Well, for a while I did, and then sometimes I forgot or sometimes I was selfish or sometimes this, that, or the other, but you know what? Jesus is living to make intercession for you and he has not stopped praying for you.

He's appropriately, perfectly, entirely, exactly, perpetually prayed for you like he ought to. That's amazing. That's where the focus needs to be. And of course, we didn't make it to Hebrews 11 today, but that's just the way things go.

The focus in Hebrews 6, getting us ready for Hebrews 11, and the connection, by the way, is Abraham, promising and Abraham, both in six and 11, there's promising and Abraham. And so that's where this theme comes through.

But when you think about Jesus, he tells the truth. How about you? He makes oaths and keeps them. How about you? He has promises and always keeps them. How about you? He's an anchor, he's a refuge, he's a forerunner.

By the way, where forerunners go, people follow. His people will make it. Christian, you're gonna make it to heaven. I know based on your week last week, you probably shouldn't. Neither should I, based on even this morning.

But we're gonna make it. Why? Because God promised, he's faithful. God is faithful. That's the point. That's why we walk by faith in the son of God who loves me and has gave himself for me. That's the good news.

How do I know it's true? Resurrection. Acts 1, taken up to glory. Acts 2, declared the risen savior, Lord. And as Mike just said, he's the anchor of my soul. What else? Who else would you want as the anchor of your soul?

Therefore, when you parents teach your Bible to your kids, tell them some good news, why don't you? When you teach the Sunday school, would you tell your people some good news? And the best way to tell them a good news is to talk about who Jesus is.

Of course, his substitutionary death. Of course, his personal resurrection. But also, what he was like when he was on earth and how he treated people and how he was a friend of sinners. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text. Please come and join us.

Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at six. We're right on route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.