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Sermon Notes: http://notes.cornerstonesj.org
The People
Knowing that you are my brothers and sisters in the Lord and I was talking with Tom Evans earlier between services and sharing how his daughter Amy through different interfaces has met different international students and in one case actually was able to lead this young lady to the Lord.
And then in another part of the country there was Olivia and it's always cool to know that I have brothers and sisters in the Lord that I can fellowship with and we're here this morning because we are part of the family of God.
We're not here trying to reach up to God and saying here we are, we're here because he's reaching down to us and he's saying here I am. And so we're joining together in front of the throne of God knowing that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God interceding for us.
This Thursday in Pastor Jeff's, Pastor Graham, he referenced Titus 2 .13 where it says that we're looking for that blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus. That's our identity and that's our hope.
Well this week in my devotions I'm in Psalm 82 and I ran across these two verses. Psalm 82 when God has taken his place in the divine counsel you see he's the sovereign God, he's the creator and all that is here in all of the world he is the sovereign God.
And then verse 2 says in the midst of the gods, that's the small g, in the midst of gods he holds judgment. Our world thinks they're all that and they set up these gods that rule things and rule life well in comparison they're nothing because you see our God he has taken his place in the divine counsel.
And that's why we're here this morning because we have a God who is all that, he is sovereign, he is holy, he is just and we're here just to grow and grow closer to him. We have some announcements and some amazing things going on.
Jonathan Leonard has been down in South Carolina, he has been trained in a ministry called Love Life and what we're considering and what we're concerned about are women who are in pregnancy and are thinking of doing the unmentionable and we're concerned for those women and for those children.
There's going to be training coming up in a couple of weeks, our church is going to get equipped so that we can go out to the Cherry Hill Women's Center and be there and reach out to these women and protection of these women and of these children and this horrible thing that's done.
Two weeks from today after the morning service we will have the training and our first opportunity for ministry we're going to be doing it the second Saturday of every month, it will be September 11th.
We have several opportunities for us to get together, to grow, to be encouraged. We have men's study on Monday evenings, we have the women's study on Tuesday mornings, the women's pre-step study, we have the prayer meeting on Sunday nights at 6 o 'clock and I want to encourage you for all of those, even write it down, but don't just write it down and don't make this something that's on your calendar to do on a Monday evening or on a Tuesday, make this, this is an invitation to sit with the Lord and to grow in fellowship and relations.
So I encourage you to take part of those, not to learn more, but to become closer to our God. Pastor Jeff is starting something new and I kind of got his permission to change his announcement ever so slightly.
He said it's for young adults but he said I could go even though, so what he's going to do on Fridays, the first and third Friday of every month the board meets for prayer for business, on the second and the fourth Friday of every month Jeff's going to use that opportunity and he's going to set up a table out in the front, he's going to call it the discipleship table.
So if you have questions, Jeff you said it's for young adults but I'm saying come one, come all, right? If you have questions Jeff would love to talk to you and answer questions and pursue the doctrines of truth with you.
So that will be at 645, this coming Friday will be the first of it, it will be the second and the fourth Friday of every month. We have a time for baptism coming up in the middle of September, we're looking at the venue of where we're going to actually do it and for those who are new to our church that would love to learn about our church we have starting point class be on the 12th, the 19th and the 26th of September.
Either one of those if you're interested, see Pastor Jeff, see myself, one of the elders, we would love to talk to you about that. One other far ranging man we have, our retreat is already being planned for the month of November, Bible thumping wing nut.
If you want to know what that's about, see Jeff or myself, there's a back story behind that but for the men's retreat, let's go to prayer. Father as we come together we do, we come with hearts of gratitude because we're not here because we deserve it, we're here because of your love of the shed blood of Christ on us.
We're here with anticipation of meeting with you, of learning and growing with you as we're together this morning. We pray father that our hearts would be softened to hear your message. Father we pray for women and children who are in danger right now, we're thinking of the Cherry Hill Women's Center, our opportunity to be of ministry to these people who are about to make a terrible decision that they might make the most important decision of their lives.
Father we pray for the Snowden family, Patty's mom who has gone home to be with the Lord and she's rejoicing with a completely restored body but yet there is time of grief and so we pray with the Snowden family that you would be alongside with them.
And Lord for those many in our congregation in need of healing, whether it is a cancer issue, whether it's an injury or a surgery, Lord there are those in our midst who need your comfort, who need the healing hand that comes from the great physician.
For those who have lost a loved one of late, Lord we pray that you would protect our church from the attacks of Satan. Our country, our culture has some things that are going on that are opposed to truth and Lord we pray for this book that Pastor Jeff is going to put out against the woke movement in church.
Pray that it would impact people, that it would change hearts of those who are going into a compromise. We lift up your missionaries on the front line. We pray also for Kyle Robinson who is finishing his first week in boot camp.
Pray that you would protect him, encourage him and Lord give him fellowship that he could continue in his faith. As we turn this morning to Hebrews 11, pray that Pastor Jeff as he speaks about the people, the people of the kingdom whom we are and of the need for freedom and the blessings of freedom.
We pray Lord that you would touch his heart, speak through him into our hearts. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. Will you stand with me?
The message of this hymn that we're going to sing first was a statement that shows greatness, uniqueness and attributes of God. It shows the dependence of Christians on God.
The power of Jesus should be shouted from the mountaintops as powerful because Satan.
Fears the name of Jesus. There is a truth that stands with the test of time. There's a promise that he will come again. We sing before his throne this morning.
There is a truth older than the ages. There is a promise of things yet to come.
Lord, we stand before your throne this morning praising your name. You are the God who heals. You're the one that stands right beside me.
Praise the name of Jesus. Praise the name. He's my trust. One more time together. Of Jesus. He's my fortress. He's my deliverer. In him will I trust. Praise the name of Jesus. You may be seated.
Good morning. Let's pray. Father, we praise you for you are worthy. Father, you sent your one and only son into the world to be treated like a common criminal, crucified, killed on that cross, buried, and yet he rose again for our freedom.
Thank you for the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We thank you that we know the truth and the truth has set us free. We pray, Lord, that we would not be subject again to a yoke of slavery, but that we would walk in the freedom that was won for us at the cross.
We thank you, Lord, for the freedom of the country in which we live, and we pray that you would preserve it and help us to do our part for that preservation. We thank you for your word to us this morning.
We pray that we would be sharpened in our thinking by the preaching of the word. In Jesus' name, amen. When Jesus was with us in the flesh, he promised a kingdom that is not of this world. He talked about going to prepare a place for us and how he will come back for us to receive us to where he is.
And truly, we look for the coming of Christ to bring freedom and peace and justice on earth. Until he comes, this world will never be a utopia. We need the kingdom of God here among us. But there was a second strain of teaching within our Lord in his ministry in his first appearing, which is also true.
And that is, although we look for a kingdom that has not yet come, the kingdom is already with us in some measure. The kingdom is in our midst, the Lord said. In Matthew 13 .33, he presented it this way.
He told them another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour till it was all leavened. Now, I am the world's worst cook. I am not a baker. I've never baked a cake or a brownie or anything, I think.
But what I do know from this parable is that leaven is something that a woman will put into dough. And that leaven will travel throughout the dough and cause the bread to rise. It works its way through, so even a little bit can work its way through the entire lump, as Jesus said.
And that is a parable for how the kingdom of God will come upon this earth. When Jesus spoke these words, he had but a few followers. And yet, he speaks of something that will invade the entire world.
Matthew 24 .14, this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to the ends of the earth, and then the end shall come. The kingdom spreads like leaven throughout the earth. And so he says in Matthew 5, verses 17 and 18, you are the salt of the earth.
Somehow, we Christians will preserve the earth and will keep it. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Somehow, all the world will see Christ through his church. The kingdom will be here in part until the king himself comes and establishes it in full.
Amen? This is an important teaching. We can't err in either direction. The kingdom now, dominionist, post-millennial kind of theology, over-realizes how much we have now. But there's also an error where, kind of like the frozen chosen, we can forget that we're the salt of the earth.
We can fail to realize that the kingdom is in our midst and that we can go take Jericho by the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to keep the proper proportions. And I think as we look at church history, we're able to gain insight around this subject.
We begin in the days of Paul, when the gospel first began. Paul, heading towards Jerusalem, was told by a traveling prophet named Agabus that he would be bound by the Jews if he went to Jerusalem. And so everybody there started pleading with him, Don't go to Jerusalem, Paul.
We don't want to lose you. And Paul said, Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am willing not only to be bound, but to die for the sake of the name. And so he went to Jerusalem, willing to die.
Now, he was not martyred in Jerusalem, but later he would be martyred in the city of Rome. From those words of Paul, we recognize that the kingdom is not of this world. Paul was a free man. He was born again.
He was set free. He had no fear of death. Even though the politics of the situation threatened his life. An important distinction there. But Paul wrote some interesting words in 1 Corinthians 7. He tells the Christian not to worry about their estate in life, but worry about the spiritual.
He says to them, Were you unmarried when you got saved? That's fine. Were you already married when you got saved? And now you find yourself waking up in the morning married to some pagan, and he's willing to live with you.
Should you fret about that? There's some people that wish they could go have a redo on life. Maybe they got saved later in life, and now they're married to someone who doesn't believe. Paul exhorts them, Listen.
Just stay in the station in which God has placed you. You're already in the kingdom. And if he's willing to live with you, just stay with him, woman. Likewise, he says something very interesting to slaves.
To bound men and women who are owned by another human being. He says, Were you a slave when you were born again? Don't worry about it. You're the Lord's free man. If you have an opportunity to gain your freedom, take it.
And that is an important teaching. If you have an opportunity, you take it. The Lord has placed within his word and within Christianity. The seed of freedom. And that freedom will spread through the earth.
By the word of God and by the spirit of God. But listen, freedom is not a natural principle to man. People don't naturally crave freedom. We'll learn today about a people who came out of Egypt. And yet Egypt never came out of them.
They always wanted to go back to slavery. Even though God had set them free politically of the nation of Egypt. And so it is in the history of the world. That freedom is not natural. It is born of the word of God and of the spirit.
In the second century, there was a Christian. He was first a philosopher. But then encountered a believer who led him to Christ from the Old Testament prophets. This man's name was Justin. Famous as Justin Martyr.
He began to write letters. Because he was prominent in the community. He began to write letters to the emperor. Pleading with the emperor of Rome to stop killing Christians. Justin's apologies. These books were not apologizing for anything.
In the traditional sense that we use the word apology. But the word apologia in the Greek means defense. He was defending Christians and pleading with the emperor to stop killing us. Until finally he was brought before the emperor.
I think it was Marcus Aurelius. But before the prefect Rusticus, Justin Martyr appeared. In 165. The prefect said approach and sacrifice all of you to the gods. He demanded that Christians take a pinch of incense.
And offer it to the gods of Rome. And if they would do that. Pinch that incense to the gods of Rome. They could go free. But if they denied. Here's what would happen. Well first Justin says no one in his right mind.
Would give up piety for impiety. And the prefect said to Justin. If you do not obey. You will be tortured. Without mercy. To which Justin replied. That is our desire. To be tortured for our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so to be saved. For that will give us salvation and firm confidence. At the more terrible universal tribunal. Of our Lord and Savior. And all the martyrs said so. Do as you wish. For we are Christians.
And we do not sacrifice to idols. The prefect answered. Those who do not wish to sacrifice to the gods. And to obey the emperor. Will be scourged. And beheaded according to the laws. The holy martyrs glorifying God.
Betook themselves to the customary place. Where they were beheaded. And consummated their martyrdom. Confessing their Savior. Justin Martyr has that name. Because he was beheaded for the sake of the name.
Now listen to something he said. In that quote. He said that this is our desire. And he figured that his. Assurity of salvation was somehow connected. To his martyrdom. There was wonderful. Bravery in those words.
There was Christ like conviction. The same thing that Paul said. I'm willing to die. These were men who were not afraid to die. Because they were already free. But notice that there is some error. In Justin's words.
He was looking for the assurance of salvation. In being martyred. And from these words. And then from Tertullian the next century. Where Tertullian said. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.
That was right. Because no matter if they killed Christians. The world would see their bravery. They would see that courage. And the conviction. And they would come to believe. But what happened. In response to this.
Is that many Christians began to crave martyrdom. Can you imagine? And martyr cults emerged in the Roman Empire. Where they would hope to outdo one another. By being tortured all the more. Sounds a little bit like the grievance industry in our country.
Who can be the biggest victim? Kind of thing. And that was error. Because freedom. Is the seedbed of the church. Not martyrdom. God can take martyrdom. And use it for his glory. And sometimes he does.
But the general principle. Which we're going to get to here. As we see church history unfold. Is that freedom. Is a gift from God. To be pursued. And to be treasured. We're not to pursue martyrdom. But 1 Timothy chapter 2.
Pray first of all for kings. Governors. Those in authority. Why? So that it can go well with you. And you can live peacefully in the land. That is to be your prayer. And that is the thing for which you should strive.
Now the Christian church was not at fault to be persecuted. They were enduring well. And yet the leaven now was spreading through the kingdom. And into Rome. Until in the early 300's. The emperor himself.
You know his name. Constantine. Came to believe in Christ. Now his conversion. Whether it was genuine or not. Is not the issue. Here's what matters. Is that in 313. At the edict of Milan. Christians were set free.
For the first time it was now legal to preach the gospel. It was now allowed to worship Christ in him alone. No longer did one have to worship in secret. And in hiding. Come out into the open. And that freedom was the seedbed of the church.
The gospel began to expand throughout the known world. The edict of Milan. Freedom. Was born of the gospel. And it was good. In the year 600 A .D. A terrible development happened in the history of the world.
And that is a political. Totalitarian. Cult. Arose in Saudi Arabia. Called Islam. Muhammad began to advance. By the edge of the sword. Now Christians and Jews sometimes could be allowed to live. If they paid the Jizya.
Surah 9. 129. But. Often they were killed. And certainly Islam had to be the religion of the land. They conquered northern Africa. Where Tertullian was. Where he had been in Carthage. Now northern Africa became Muslim.
And Egypt and Ethiopia. All the way through Israel. And all the way up towards Syria. And the church did not thrive under Islam. So don't take Tertullian's words too far. The church thrived. Where people were free.
Freedom was the ideal. And the church was all but snuffed out. In the Islamic world. In the 800s. The Pope began to gain authority. And overstep his bounds as a mere bishop. Of Rome. To where he began to exert totalitarian control.
Over the Roman Empire. He took Charlemagne. And ordained him as the new emperor. But now the church and state were wed. And so the Roman government. Church and state together dominated the people. And when Jan Hus in Bohemia.
Or Wycliffe in England. Stood up and said no this is our authority. Hus was tied to the stakes and burned to death. And Wycliffe barely escaped. And later they exhumed his bones and burned them. Tyndale killed.
And the tyranny of Rome. Mirrored what Rome originally did to Christians. For the first 300 years. This leading up to the Protestant Reformation. And Martin Luther said no to the authority of the Pope.
95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg. And the German princes rallied together. Against the emperor and the Pope. And stood for the word of God. Sola Scriptura. And now in that freedom. The gospel traveled throughout Germany.
And into Scandinavia. And England. Scotland and Ireland. Freedom was born of the Protestant Reformation. And of course the most significant book. At that time. Was Calvin's Institutes. Of the Christian religion.
The last section of that book. Summarizes the whole book. In 100 aphorisms. Short sayings. That summarize the institutes of the Christian religion. The last thing he wrote. Was this. The obedience. Enjoined on subjects.
Does not prevent the interference. Of any popular magistrates. Whose office it is. To restrain tyrants. And to protect. The liberty of the people. Our obedience to magistrates. Ought to be such. That the obedience which we owe.
To the king of kings. Shall remain entire. And unimpaired. Now those words were profound. What he meant to say is. What's called the doctrine of the lesser magistrates. That if you have. A tyrannical king.
Or emperor. Or governor. It is the duty of lesser magistrates. To step in. In our case we would say police officers. To not enforce a tyrannical rule. And this principle of freedom. Took root in Scotland and Ireland.
And in Scandinavia. And so what you had in the Protestant Reformation. Was not a complete break from Roman ways. Follow this. The Protestants. Also were somewhat totalitarian. Even Calvin's Geneva. Even the Lutheran churches.
Of Scandinavia and Germany. They were wed to the government as well. In Scandinavia. Say Sweden or Denmark. Or the Netherlands. These were a people. Who were under the thumb of the Lutheran church. And in England.
The Church of England ruled the land. And in Scotland the Church of Scotland. Do you see the problem? There's still control. Until. The free church movement began. Men and women. Who began to say. We will stand on.
One rule of faith. And that is the word of God. Brothers and sisters. Many of you don't know this. Cornerstone Church. Is AKA. Also known as. Mount Laurel Evangelical Free Church. And that means. We're part of a tradition.
A strain that began. In Scandinavia. Where Christians came out and said. No we're not under the system. We are free. Free to believe the word of God. And we are unimpaired. To preach exactly what it says.
No state Lutheran church. Will tell us what we have to believe. We are free. And in Scotland and Ireland. Many of these seeking freedom. And the Puritans of England. No longer under the church of England.
The Presbyterians. Not part of the system. They moved to. The new world. And in the 1700s. The preachers in the land. Dared to talk about politics. They were called the black robe regiment. Preachers that preach freedom.
From the word of God. And taught the whole counsel of God. As it affects all of life. With Christ as Lord overall. John Weatherspoon. Just 35 minute drive from here. To get to Princeton. I like to go to Princeton.
To evangelize. And when I go. I'll stand in the shadow of John Weatherspoon. They have a giant statue of Weatherspoon. Just across from the chapel. And that's where I stand to evangelize. Why? Because this man.
Was a gospel preacher. And Princeton was founded on the gospel. And in the days leading up to the revolution. What Weatherspoon said. Was wherever. You see. Civil liberties infringed. It will not be long.
Until religious liberties are taken away. As well. Weatherspoon understood a very important principle. The seed bed of the gospel. Is freedom. Where the gospel. Is free to go. And be preached boldly. And openly.
More and more people will come to saving faith. And a culture will receive that salt and light. And it is good to be free. So the black robe regiment. All of these preachers. Scottish and Irish and Presbyterian.
Going about the countryside. Preaching freedom. Is what gave rise to the American revolution. The doctrine of the lesser magistrates. Informed them. They were obeying. Romans 13. When they rebelled against the tyrant king.
In England. They stood on freedom. Obeying their governors. Who stood with them as lesser magistrates. To interpose themselves. To protect the people from tyranny. And so. We had written. The words of the constitution.
We the people. Of the United States of America. And all this wonderful language. About ensuring justice. And the domestic tranquility. The posterity. All enjoying the benefits of this country. It was established on freedom.
Of the people. For the people. By the people. The name of my sermon today is the people. Because that is who we will learn from. But in 1700's. Not everybody was free. Because those of African descent.
Were enslaved. In the land of the free. And so a war was fought. Killing 600 ,000. Americans. Out of Christian conviction. Led in England. By men like William Wilberforce. And in America. By Christian pastors.
Who were preaching the freedom. That is the natural right. Of all people. Regardless of the color of their skin. And blood was shed. For the freedom of the slaves. And that is a beautiful thing. Because slavery is an atrocity.
And so freedom then was established for all people. And in the 1900's. An even greater threat emerged. Which we know as. Communism. Socialist forces. The nationalistic. Militaristic. Germanic peoples.
Began to arise to conquer the world. And World War I was fought. And then an even harsher war. In World War II. Where Hitler tried to take over the world. And Christian men and women. Especially men from America and England.
Stormed the beaches of Normandy. And fought back. The tyrant. As he took over the world. But here's the 1900's example. I want you to really hear this morning. In the 1950's. Battles were fought. For the Korean Peninsula.
You guys know this right? The Korean War happened. Now. Many of us know about the Vietnam War. Another decade later. And I devoted two years of my life. To working with a Vietnamese church. In Philadelphia.
In the freedom of America. These Vietnamese immigrants. Are practicing. Openly their faith. But back in communist Vietnam. There is oppression of the church. And the gospel does not thrive there. Like it does in inner city Philadelphia.
In the church plant. Living Hope that I was involved with. But Korea is the perfect example. Of what I'm trying to say. And what is so important. I don't think many people understand this. Not many people understand this.
I think most pastors. And most Christians assume. Come what may. All we have to do is preach the gospel. And not worry about the freedoms. That are being taken away. In our day. But hear this. Freedom is connected to the gospel.
It is the seedbed of the gospel. So in Korea. Where the war was fought politically. A divide was drawn. Between the north and the south. Before this political war. Pyongyang. The capital of the north.
Was called. The Jerusalem of the east. More Christians there. In North Korea. Than anywhere else. In that part of Asia. The Jerusalem of the east. Today. After the war. In North Korea. There are estimated to be less.
Than 100 ,000 Christians. On the other side of that line. Multiply that by a factor. Of more than 100. South Korea. Home to perhaps 30 million. Christians. Do you see what I'm saying? Freedom. Was the seedbed of the church.
It was something worth fighting for. Something worth dying for. The men who sailed. Across the world. And stood with the freedom fighters. Of South Korea. And delivered them from the tyranny. Of that political religious personality cult.
Of the Kim family. They freed them and that's good. And it's worth it. And it does have something to do with the gospel. Do you see what I'm saying? So now fast forward. To our day. What's the great threat?
It surprised me. I gotta tell you I didn't see it coming. COVID. Comes out of nowhere. And I'm not saying that. That's not a real disease. That actually kills people. Of course it is. But here's what I'm saying.
The governmental response in America. And around the world. Is nothing short of tyrannical. We have in our state. A governor. Who thinks he has the right. Over the face. Of your child. Of my child. The breathing holes.
Of our children. Dictated by a governor. Now I thank God that our local magistrates. Have not been quick. To. Exert their control. Over Mount Laurel. The doctrine of the lesser magistrates. I think has been happening.
We have not. Been cracked down upon. By the governor. But make no mistake. What he's doing. Is tyrannical. And there's many other examples. Locking down small businesses. Doesn't a person have a right to feed his family?
I saw one man on the street interview. Where people today were asked. What should be done about unvaccinated people? Will you sign this petition? To throw them in jail? And one after another. The man on the street.
Signs the petition. You see. This is a post Christian culture. And so they don't understand. The freedom that was won. In the Revolutionary War. And in the Civil War. There's a generation that doesn't get.
The importance of freedom. But the war is not over. As bad as this news is. And we could talk about other things. That's just ridiculous. The spending of our kids money. A three and a half trillion dollar giveaway.
Which just. Causes inflation. We could talk about private property rights. Where landlords are dictated by a government. To let people squat in their homes for free. Completely violating private property rights.
Which are outlined in Exodus 20. That's theft. We could talk about many things of this nature. But is somebody here longing for some good news? Anybody want good news? Black Robe Regiment. Weatherspoon.
All the men who stood in the 1700's. There was a guy like that out in California. His name is John MacArthur. And so. The government. Sued him. For keeping his church open. To worship the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here's news out of California. Well I can't find where I wrote. Oh here it is. Good news. You guys want good news. City of Los Angeles has decided. To drop all charges against. Grace Community Church.
And agreed to pay. All legal fees incurred. Due to the lawsuit LA brought against GCC. Last summer. This is a monumental victory. For GCC. You see. When you stand up against tyranny. The Constitution still.
Stands behind you. What was signed in 1787. The Supreme Court would have upheld it. Had it gone that far. And LA knew it. And so they paid all the legal fees. Listen. When you stand up. You find yourself free.
When you don't. Heaven forbid what could happen. Now's the time. While we are free to speak. There may come a day where we have to go and die. But wouldn't you rather. Speak while we have the first amendment right.
To do what I'm doing right now. Speak up. Speak of freedom. Why? Because it matters. For human flourishing. For little kids. To be able to breathe. For the freedom to make your own choice. And guys I don't care what your choice is.
With regard to vaccinations. And masks and stuff like that. I care about freedom. That you as an individual made in the image of God. Have a right over your own body. And as a church we don't care. But we care about freedom.
And I'm saying. That these things also matter. For the gospel. Long introduction. But here's the reason. I felt the freedom to do it. We only have two verses to cover. So Hebrews 11. Verses 29 and 30.
In context here we have. This expression by faith. Repeated again and again. And each time it is followed. By a person. By faith Abel. By faith Enoch. By faith Noah. By faith Abraham. By faith Moses. We were talking about last week.
Well what follows by faith in verse 29? The people. The people stand as an example of faith. Now this is interesting. Because the people generally. Were not a faithful people. And yet. In the providence of God.
Romans 11. Only records two examples here. Of the people. Walking in faith. And that's encouraging to me. Because when I stand before the Bema. Before the judgment of God. Before Christ Jesus himself.
He is not going to hold over my head. All the ways. That I fell short of his glory. I'll be washed under the blood. And be rewarded. For the things done in the flesh. But forgiven. In the sea of forgetfulness.
For all of the ways that I fell short. So it is in Hebrews 11. We don't hear mention. Of the waffling and the failings. Of the people. Here we see two examples of triumph. Let's read them. By faith the people.
Crossed the Red Sea. As on dry land. But the Egyptians. When they attempted to do the same. Were drowned. By faith. The walls of Jericho. Fell down. After they had been encircled. For seven days. So two examples.
Of walking by faith. We'll take them one at a time. Just in short order. Turn with me to Exodus chapter 14. The author is really humming now. Early on he went. Person by person. Slowly through Genesis 1 to 24.
And then he sped up. For three verses. To finish the book of Genesis. Last week we saw the first 13 chapters. Of Exodus. And here we pick up at Exodus 14. The example of the faith of. The people. Walking by faith.
Out of Egypt. Pictures deliverance from slavery. How did the people get delivered. From Egypt. By the blood of the lamb. The blood that marked the doorposts. Finally broke the back of Egypt. And the people came out.
But as they got to the Red Sea. Pharaoh. Decided to chase them down. Because he wanted his slaves back. And they found themselves. Pinned between a rock and a hard place. The Red Sea on one side. And an imposing army.
Coming upon them. Ready to kill any resistors. And take the rest back. As slaves. Stuck there of course. What did the Israelites do. Began to grumble. Why did you take us out of Egypt. To die in this wilderness.
And get run over by Pharaoh's army. And yet God through Moses. Opened a way. Setting foot in the Red Sea. Holding forth the staff. The waters divided. Making a way. And in the same way. Brothers and sisters.
There is freedom offered to you. If we lived in the most totalitarian state on earth. Say North Korea. Or Iran. You would still be free. Because the bondage. The slavery. That matters most. Is a slavery to sin.
John 8 .34 says. Anyone who sins. Is a slave to sin. John 8 .36. But you shall know the truth. And the truth will set you free. Coming through. The Red Sea is a picture. Of deliverance from slavery. And it pictures those of us.
Who have been born again. Of water and of the spirit. Passing through. From slavery to freedom. Delivered of all of our sins. Made new as we crossed. And were converted. But there's also a political reality here.
Isn't there? The people were political. Slaves to Egypt. And here the path to freedom. Was directly through. The Red Sea. And so it says. Back in Hebrews 11. Hold your finger. Where you were. Because we're coming back to Genesis 14.
It says. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea. As on dry land. But the Egyptians. When they attempted to do the same. Were drowned. In Exodus 14. We read in verse 5. The king of Egypt was told. That the people had fled.
The mind of Pharaoh and his servants. Was changed toward the people. And they said. What is this we have done. That we have let Israel go. From serving us. They wanted their slaves back. Verse 12. Is not this what we said to you in Egypt.
Leave us alone. That we may serve the Egyptians. For it would have been better for us. To serve the Egyptians. Than to die in this wilderness. The people. Still wanted to be slaves. But look at 14. 13.
And Moses said to the people. Fear not. Stand firm. And see the salvation of the Lord. Which we will work for you today. For the Egyptians. Whom you see today. You shall never see again. The slavery that was holding.
The Israelites at that point. Was one of fear. And in verse 13. Moses tells them fear not. Well why were they afraid. All they have to do is go through. The easy way ahead of them right. Wrong. Picture yourself in their shoes.
You have to descend down. Underwater. Probably a thousand feet. At the depth of the Red Sea. And on your left. And on your right is a wall of water. Only there's no glass tube. Like at the aquarium. This is a wall of water.
That's just splashing and imposing. You can probably see fish. Swimming. And you must walk through this. To freedom. If you don't admit that that would be a little. Nerve wracking. You must be braver than I.
That's scary. And in the same way. Our freedom. Was one for us. And the only thing that keeps us from walking in it. Is fear. COVID is a real thing. But the fear of it. Is what's controlling people. It's what's changing their entire lives.
And changing the world. And granting authoritarian power. To worldwide governments. The fear of it. Christian. It is not for us to be afraid. 366 times in the Bible we're told. Fear not. In Isaiah 35 he says.
Say to the one who's anxious. Fear not. Do not be afraid. Your God will come to save you. In Isaiah 41. We're told. Fear not. For I am with you. Be not afraid. For I am your God. I will strengthen you.
I will help you. I will uphold you in my righteous right hand. Again and again we're told to fear not. Some have said. 366 times in the Bible. That's one for every day of the year. Plus on leap year. We need to be reminded.
Every day. Fear not. What is it that you're afraid of? Whatever it is. Christ is greater than that thing. Christ is bigger. There is nothing to fear. Walk in the liberty that's yours. So they do that.
Here is a victory of faith. They go through out of slavery. Into freedom. That's the first point. Second point. Back in Hebrews 11. Look at verse 30. Not only do they come out. Of slavery. But after 40 years.
Of getting it wrong. Where here the author of Hebrews. Just hits fast forward. Now they're crossing the Jordan River. Verse 30. Hebrews 11. Verse 30. Says. By faith. The walls of Jericho. Fell down. After they had been encircled.
For seven days. This is a picture of taking. Ground for the gospel. Paul said. In Philippians 1 .12. Whatever has happened to me. Has happened for the advancement of the gospel. So even his chains was a testimony.
Of the greatness of Christ. Whatever happened. To Paul. Was for the advancement of the gospel. How much more the freedom that we were given. To go take ground. We are protected. In Joshua 1. Joshua is told again and again.
Do not fear. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Again and again. I was part of a missionary team. That went to Kensington. One of the roughest neighborhoods. In inner city Philadelphia.
We were there from 2004 to 2016. In various ministries. But there were some ministers there. Who got there as early as 1990. And are still there to this day. At Cornerstone. Community church. On Frankfort and Allegheny.
For these 30 years. They go day and night. Through the streets preaching the gospel. Boldly walking. Where angels dare to tread. And no one has laid a hand on them. No one laid a hand on me. Or my wife or my children.
For those 12 years. One day a temple student. Moved into Kensington. 21 years old. First day in the neighborhood. He was walking right past my house. 1941 East Orleans Street. And he was jumped and mugged and beaten.
I opened the door. And there saw that beating. And yelled. And the guy stopped. And then both of them started pleading their case to me. As to what was going on. He owes me money. Says the mugger. He's trying to kill me.
Says the guy being mugged. Finally my wife comes from behind me. And says to the guy who had done the mugging. Go home. And he put his head down like this. And just walked away. Walked up the street and around the corner.
Here's the point. When you are in the will of God. When you are doing what he called you to do. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. You have nothing to fear. The missionaries were kept and protected.
And are to this day. Now I don't know that this young temple guy. Knew the Lord. I don't think he did. He didn't have that same angelic army. Surrounding him. For 30 years. So in the first week he was beat down.
Wherever you go. When you are in Christ. You are guarded in him. You have the armor of God. Ephesians 6. Do you not? The shield of faith. The helmet of salvation. The belt of truth. The breastplate of righteousness.
Your feet fitted with the gospel of peace. You walk in the power of the Lord. This is what the Israelites did. They went to Jericho. And they circled it for 7 days. And on the 7th day. They did so 7 times.
And blew the trumpets. And took the ark. And by no human power. The walls of Jericho fell. This is our inheritance. To go. To the Cherry Hill Women's Center. And preach Jesus Christ. And see the walls.
Fall down. Some women will. Preserve the life of their babies. And be moms to those babies. Some will be rescued. It is our inheritance. To stand up in our workplace. I'll sign a religious exemption for you.
If you're under threat of losing your job. It's our inheritance. To go and preach the gospel. And see lives change. Imagine if Princeton changed. How would that affect the world? The leaders coming out of there.
But we must go. And take Jericho. That's the example of faith. The second generation did this. That first generation. By and large. Always wanted to go back to slavery. Always back to Egypt. And so they fell in the desert.
So in closing. We have two examples this morning. One to come out of slavery. First you must be born again. And there is also a political freedom. That we should pursue and enjoy. And treasure and cherish.
And fight for. That's a good thing. That's all pictured in the Israelites. Coming out of Egypt. But then there is the taking of ground. Let's do that as well. So in closing. Walk out of Egypt by faith.
In the blood of Christ. Cross the Red Sea. That means be converted. Walk by faith with the people of God. Toward the promised city. Pray and shout down every wall. Raised up against the knowledge of God.
I like 2 Corinthians 10. 3 -5. You guys like this verse? For though we walk in the flesh. We are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons. Of our warfare. Are not of the flesh. But have divine power.
To destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments. And every lofty opinion. Raised against the knowledge of God. And take every thought captive. To obey Christ. We walk in freedom. So the gospel is the seed.
That we scatter. Freedom is a seed bed. We are not like the martyr cults. That want to just suffer. We pursue freedom. And it's a good thing and we stand for freedom. Someone once said. It's very easy to be a communist.
In a free country. Now. Try being free in a communist country. We still have a free country. So long as we are able to keep it. Let's close in prayer. So father. As we have studied your word. And saw the example of the people.
We thank you. That you have seen fit in your providence. That we were born. Or immigrated to. A free country. Thank you for this country lord. We pray that you would preserve it. We pray for more victories like the one.
That John MacArthur's church. Won. This week. We pray for the people to stand up. And claim the liberty that was won. By our predecessors. We thank you. For America. We are blessed to be free. We thank you for the evangelical free church.
Which stood for your word. And your word alone.
But lord. Most importantly. I pray for those who have not yet come into the freedom. From sin. The bondage. And the chains of addiction. And the power of the devil. I pray that you would set individual hearts free lord.
That they would believe. The gospel of Jesus Christ. And so be saved. There is one who took our chains. Upon himself. One beaten. And held in place on that cross. Only to be buried. And rise again. And now offer us.
Forgiveness of sin and eternal life. I pray for any who have not been set free. By the lamb of god. Those. Who are set free. Are free indeed. I pray that they would believe the good news. Call upon the name of the lord.
And you will be saved. Thank you for our freedom. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Let's stand and sing.
According to my gospel.
And the preaching of Jesus Christ. According to the revelation. Of the mystery. That was kept secret for long ages. But has now been disclosed. And through the prophetic. Writings. Has been made known to all nations.
According to the command of the eternal god. To bring about the obedience. Faith. To the only wise god. Be glory forever more. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.
