Tape 3 - The Word Became Flesh & Blood of the Lamb Pt. 2

The book of Hebrews, again, again that chapter that we're going back and forwards in, and that's

Hebrews the ninth chapter. We'll read a different passage tonight. Of course, we have spoken, we're tracing the

Christian life, and Christ has seen in that wilderness tabernacle that wonderful, marvelous, magnificent, splendorous structure that God calls to be created in the wilderness to indicate to the people that it was possible that God could dwell amongst men.

And the scripture tells us that over and over again, and especially in Hebrews the ninth chapter, that everything connected with that tabernacle and its services was a shadow of the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, the

Lord Jesus Christ. Now this chapter also tells us something more than that. It tells us and calls the tabernacle a pattern, a pattern, p -a -t -t -e -r -n, a pattern of things in heaven.

And look at verse 23 with me. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these the blood of animals, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures, types, pictures, which are the figures of the time, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us, nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with the blood of others.

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world, but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

And so the book of Hebrews is likening that Old Testament tabernacle as patterns and figures and pictures and symbols of the

Lord Jesus Christ. It is impossible to understand Hebrews unless you have studied seriously the book of Leviticus, the book of Leviticus.

It is a foundation to understanding Hebrews. Now in Hebrews, you're going to run across that magnificent personality called

Melchizedek. Melchizedek, could you intelligently discuss tonight who he was and where he came from and what he did?

Well, I might just inject right here if you're interested. We have a tape on Melchizedek, and you can have it if you like, and we have a quite interesting study on him.

And so you need to understand because if you can't understand, you can really not understand Christ until you understand Melchizedek.

He is essential in understanding what we're reading here in this book of Hebrews. Now, there is tremendous power

We sung songs about the blood very interestingly. So our central thought tonight as we picked out one each evening, the first night was the greater more perfect tabernacle.

Last night was the incarnation. The word became flesh. And tonight, we'll just think basically and go over some ground you're familiar with about the blood, about the blood of Jesus Christ.

Now, there is tremendous power in atoms, atomic energy. But I believe there is more power in a single drop of the blood of Jesus Christ than in all the atoms in the universe.

The seed of the woman. Look at it. Where do you find it? Where is the first promise of the coming

Redeemer in the Bible? What is that called? The Protoevangelium. What verse is it?

Genesis 3 15. I knew you knew that. And that's where I want you to turn. Genesis 3 15.

And I will put in Matthew, as God addresses the enemy, between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.

He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Now, this message is the first place, that is the starting point basically, of the blood that runs like a scarlet thread through the entire

Bible. And it begins in Genesis 3 15 with this first promise of the coming

Savior, the coming sufferer, the coming Redeemer. Now, God declared, did he not, that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head, and the serpent would bruise his heel.

Now, this is the embryo, and this is the germ of all Messianic prophecy in the

Bible. This is the beginning point. This is that little embryo, the starting of life in Messianic prophecy.

And you'll notice that the doom of Satan will be accomplished by the seed of the woman. And it does not mention the seed of the man, it will be excluded from him.

Man will not have anything to do with it at all. And so, you know real, what we say according to that, in the fullness of time, the

Lord Jesus came born of a virgin. Man had nothing to do with it whatsoever, and it was the seed of the woman.

Now, when you execute a man by hanging him, you don't bruise his heel. Uh -uh.

When you execute a man by beheading him, you don't bruise his heel. You do not.

Neither do you bruise his heel by stoning him or piercing him. But when you hammer nails through a man's tender feet, you will bruise his heel.

You will. And the manner of the crucifixion demanded that a nail be driven through the feet, which would certainly bruise his heel.

And God dramatized this abstract prophecy in Genesis 315 about the coming

Redeemer and immediately made for Adam and Eve something you know so well. In Genesis 321, you might look at it, the coats of skin and clothed them.

And of course, the question is how are coats of skin obtained? And the animal had to die.

But the animal hadn't done anything. As we said, the animal is sinless. No animal can sin. It's impossible for any animal to sin.

They do not have a spirit. They are sinless. That's why they could be used for a sacrifice, because they know no sin.

But why did this animal die? The animal died on behalf of someone else. It had to die for them.

It had to become stripped of its skin. It became naked. Its skin was taken off of it.

It became naked so that Adam and Eve could be clothed. And its beautiful clean coat was put around them to make them fit to appear in the presence of a holy

God. Now, you know what you have in just that statement about the coats of skin? You have the complete philosophy of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

You also have the principle of vicarious suffering, suffering on the behalf of others.

And you also have the eternal principle that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.

Christ had to shed his blood to save me. He had to die so I could live. He had to become naked so I could be clothed.

Not by our righteousness, because the Bible says all of our righteousness is as filthy rags. They are worthy of being stripped off of us.

And we would be standing, we take all of our righteousness, and they're filthy rags. And when God strips them off, we stand naked before God, as it were, spiritually.

But it is through the righteousness of God through faith that is given to us, is given to us.

And we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. And that makes all the difference in the world.

Now, you know something else I noticed in this thing about the coats of skin? In the incident of Adam and Eve, you have the elements of all the so -called comparative religions.

The comparative religions. In order to make themselves fit to appear in the presence of God, sinful

Adam and Eve, of course, and the stories familiar to us, attempted to dress themselves in fig leaves. And you find every false religion from the day of Cain and Abel to the present day wrapped up somewhere in those fig leaves.

You can find every religion in the world wrapped up in them. All so -called religions, they are nothing but man's vain attempt to climb to a holy

God. And the gospel is God's glorious condescension, His coming all the way down to sinful man.

And religions will accomplish nothing as far as man entering in to the presence of God. Now, when we talk about Adam and Eve, unnecessarily, we got to talk about Cain and Abel.

The Bible says something about Cain and Abel. It says that God respected Abel and his offering, did it not?

God had respect for Abel, and he had respect for his offering. The sons of Adam and Eve were told and taught, obviously so, that the blood of sacrifice was their only approach to a holy

God. But they had to decide for themselves which sacrifice they would present.

Cain ignored the revelation of God, and instead of bringing a spotless little lamb, he brought fruits of the ground.

And I have heard people argue, they say, well, it wouldn't make a difference. If his attitude hadn't been right, he could have brought all the blood he wanted to.

My friends, you can come with the most beautiful attitude in the world, but if you come without blood, you're not accepted. It's just that simple.

But I say this, if a person's attitude and heart's right, he'll come with blood. The reason his heart attitude isn't right, because he didn't come with blood, he would have come with it had everything been all right deep down in his heart.

They had to make a decision, and Abel laid a bleeding lamb on the altar of God, and God the

Lord had respect unto Abel, the Bible says, and to his offering. But unto Cain and to his offering, he had not respect.

God didn't accept it. The heart of Abel is filled with joy and peace. Abel is redeemed, and he knows it, and the heart of Cain becomes full of hell and wickedness, and God still gives him another chance.

Here's what God says to him, Cain, why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen?

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and do thou rule over it.

In other words, God's saying, if you don't come by the way of the blood of the Lamb, Cain, then you'll have to rule over sin yourself, and you'll have to go your own way the way you've chosen to go.

And while Abel sang for joy, Cain became more and more enraged until he picked up a stone or rock or stick or something and murdered his brother in that rage of jealousy, and his brother's blood cried out to God from the ground, the

Bible teaches us. God did not respect Cain and his offering, and that's what caused the jealousy to rage.

He respected him. Well, God, you know, I'm sincere, and God will accept me just like he'll accept you.

You believe this, and you Baptists teach you gotta believe in the blood and all that. Well, we don't necessarily believe that, but we just accept it by God, my friends, that is a lie from the pit itself.

There's only one way to God, and that's through blood, through blood, and you and I have to get that down in our mind when you're out here dealing with people who are religious, religious.

Salvation by works or through faith in the blood, one of the two, and there's no in -between. Either we got faith in the blood that it can do the job, or you got salvation by works.

If you believe in salvation by works, then you can't have eternal security. You believe in faith in the blood, you've got eternal security, once saved, always saved.

If you don't believe in once saved, always saved, you gotta believe in works. There's no alternatives. Are we saved by the blood?

Are we not? If we're saved by faith in the blood, then every major denomination in this country is wrong, because they teach salvation by works.

Every major denomination in this country teaches salvation by works, because they don't believe in eternal security of the believer.

If you don't believe in eternal security of the believer, you got to believe in salvation by works, one of the two. Oh, but Brother Rocky, you see,

I know they love the Lord. No, you don't. They're down in the fig leaves. They're trying to cloak themselves with their own righteousness, and it will not work.

It will not work. Life and God and eternity are serious realities, and when

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father, but by me, my dear precious people, he meant it in the absolute sense.

He meant exactly what he said. There is no way for this life or the life to come other than Christ.

There is no truth in the world or the world to come other than Christ, and the life for you now and for all eternity is

Christ. He that has the Son has life, and he that has not the Son of God has not life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

Cain did not want the Lamb of God, and the world doesn't want him either. When he came, there was no place for him to lay his head in peace.

He could not rest without some concept or apprehension about being taken a criminal and being arrested and attacked and even stoned to death.

When he was in this world, there was a stable for him, but there was no room in the inn. There was no bed for him to die on.

It seems to me that as he hung between earth and heaven in a vertical position, suspended between earth and heaven on the cross, as if he were not fit for heaven and being held down by nails, and he wasn't fit for earth, so he's lifted up from the earth on a cross, and then he was pushed out of this world by the point of a

Roman spear, and after 2 ,000 years the world still says, we will not have this one to rule over us.

We will not have him. Well, if the world doesn't choose life, it has no alternative but death, and that's what's in operation right now.

If it does not choose the Prince of Peace, it has no alternative but wars and desolations to the end, and the world has cried from the beginning to this day, not this man, but Barabbas.

Give us Barabbas. Don't give us him. We don't want him. We'd rather have the thief.

On the day that the first atomic bomb was unleashed, President Harry S. Truman and the scientists made two statements.

The first statement they said is, we have discovered a monster that can destroy the human race.

The second statement they said was, we must immediately find a way to harness this monster.

The first statement is true, and the second one is hopeless. It is a profoundly moving experience to listen as God gives

Cain a second opportunity and begs him to lift up the right offering before it is too late, but Cain would not do it.

God is infinite love, and he is not willing that any should perish. He will go to any extremes to get a man saved, but don't ever forget that God is love, but he is absolutely holy.

He is absolutely holy along with love, and he won't just wink and understand and say, well done.

No, no, no. If well done isn't deserved, he won't say well done. It's just that simple. God's love is great, but my friend,

God's love says I can't let man go, and God's wrath says he can't come up here. He cannot come up here because of sin in his life.

Now, God wanted to receive Cain, but Cain would not. It was not possible for God to forgive you and me apart from the precious blood of Christ, no matter how good we happen to be, because of his holiness.

Over and above all things, you can say what you want about the characteristics of God, but my friends, the one characteristic that stands supreme in the perfection of the

Trinity is the holiness of God. That stands supreme. When you say God is perfect, what you mean is

God is holy. He is perfectly holy. He is absolutely holy.

In the wilderness tabernacle, we talked about it earlier, I mentioned again, that dwelt directly over the mercy seat on the golden altar of the covenant between the heads of the cherubim and the

Holy of Holies was the presence of God. Now, that is why no human being, as I said, could dare enter the

Holy of Holies. That is why only on one day God permitted the high priest to come in, but he could not come in without blood, and when one begins to understand the utter holiness of God, you will marvel at the precious blood of Christ that is pictured in the

Hebrew sacrifices that they offered in the wilderness. It is impossible for God to allow an approach to him apart from the blood of Jesus Christ, and yet there are multitudes of religions and denominations and people who call themselves

Christians that are trying every method in the world to get into the presence of God except through the blood of Jesus Christ, and my friends, it is futility.

There is nothing but death, darkness, and deception for those people because the Bible says so.

Now, you notice with me in your mind as we talk about the two cherubim. You know, the two cherubim were kneeling or lying prostrate on the ark in the

Holy of Holies. Now, most people, when they picture those two angelic beings, they picture them as sweet, loving, kind -looking angels, but my friends, they were terrible, terrible beings.

They were terrible, these angelic beings. They had but one duty to perform through time and eternity.

They were to guard the holiness of God. They had just one duty to perform.

They were to guard the holiness of God, and the sword of vengeance would have to fall on the high priest if he should so much as dare step one foot into the

Holy of Holies without blood. Josephus, that first century historian, he declared that the high priest had a silken cord attached around his ankle so that if for any reason he forgot or did not take the blood into the

Holy of Holies and God killed him, the other priests could pull him out by that cord. But you see, this would be impossible.

You don't have to worry about that. People say, is that really so? That's what he said, but I believe it's impossible. I believe his coming into the

Holy of Holies, as I mentioned last evening, without the blood of Christ would have produced a result more violent than an explosion of all the atomic energy in the universe had that sinner ever walked into the holy presence of God.

You wouldn't have found a part of him. I believe God's holiness would have exploded him to the four corners of the universe if sin ever walked into the presence of God.

Friends, we better understand that lesson. And if you don't understand anything this week, you get that in your mind. Sin can never enter the presence of a holy

God. He is holy, holy, holy.

And they cease not to cry, day or night, the holiness. Sin and holiness can never and cannot be together.

They cannot be. And it is the duty of the cherubim to prevent this and to guard the holiness of God and throughout the

Bible they are so described. You remember when sin came into the world and God sent

Adam and Eve out of the garden? It was the cherubim with the terrible flaming swords turning in every direction that guarded the entrance to the tree of life.

Terrible beings with no fear and ultimate power under the auspices and the authority of God to destroy any sin that would ever try to come into the presence of God.

Oh, but Rocky, Satan has access to God. No, he doesn't. Not anymore, he doesn't.

My friends, the Bible says, woe to you inhabitants of the earth, for the devil, that old serpent, has been cast down to you.

He no longer has access because the Lord Jesus Christ has died and made atonement and heaven is purged and purified and sin and rebellion can never enter the heavenly portals again.

Not so, not so. Let me try to illustrate what I'm saying to you about the holiness of God.

You know, when you really start thinking about it, you begin to wonder how in the world we ever gonna get to see Him. How in the world we ever get in heaven if He's so holy?

I always say, well, the blood cleanses them all of sin. What's that mean? Well, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son cleanses them all of sin.

If I confess my sins and His blood just does all that. What's that mean? To throw a word out, my friend, and have no practical application of it in your life is utter foolishness.

What are we talking about? Well, I don't understand any more than you do and probably less. But I read an interesting story about a young lieutenant in a civil war.

He learned that his wife was dying and he wanted to leave. He tried to get some leave and he needed two weeks.

He got the message and he couldn't get it. So he begged General McClellan for a two -week furlough and General McClellan says, son, we're at war.

There's no way that I can do that. And so he began to talk to him and plead with him and they were on the southern shore of the

Potomac River. And the general said to this young lieutenant, he said, I cannot, I don't have that authority.

We're in such a critical position that only the commander -in -chief, Abraham Lincoln himself, could give you that kind of permission.

So that young soldier got him a little boat and he paddled across to the other shore. But as he walked up onto the shore, he was thwarted by a sentry with a gleaming bayonet.

And he stood there and stopped him and said, you can't come any further. Get in that boat and go back over and join the ranks.

Well, he tried that and he went on back and he thought for a while. He said, well, maybe he's gone now. So he tried another one.

He went down and he drifted down a little bit and thought he'd changed location and the same thing happened again. Another sentry caught him and so he was unsuccessful.

He tried it again. He went upriver a little bit. And so there he was disheartened. His wife was dying and he just let the boat drift.

He was just sitting out there weeping and the boat moved into the shore into a little cove and it bumped and it stopped and it was just sitting there.

And he was sitting there crying and weeping and all of a sudden he recognized someone was sitting by him.

And he looked over and there was a little boy sitting there and said, sir, why are you crying? And the soldier, having no one to talk to, of course, looking for anyone to unload upon his thoughts, he began to tell the boy the story.

So the young officer explained it to him. And the little boy said, well, what you're saying, sir, is all you want to do is to see the president and just get close enough to him to talk to him?

He said, yeah, that's right. The little boy jumped to attention and he saluted that young soldier. He said,

I can help you. And the soldier said, yes, son, fine. That's all right. And the little boy said, no, come on.

And he took him by the hand and they began to walk. As they passed the sentries, each sentry snapped to attention and saluted the officer.

So the officer, he saluted back and he goes on talking to this little boy. He goes on sentry after sentry after sentry and the little boy went right up to the

White House, went right upstairs. All the guards snapped to attention, saluted, and here you know the story well.

And the sentries clicked their heels and saluted as that little boy led that young officer up to a room. He didn't even knock.

The little boy just opened the door and walked in the room and there sat Abraham Lincoln. And the young soldier was in awe and he didn't know what to do.

With one hand holding on to this little boy, Abraham Lincoln looked at that little boy holding that soldier's hand and the story is that he rose, that giant of a man rose up behind that desk and he looked over at that little boy and he says,

Todd, his son Todd Lincoln. Todd, what have we here? And with one hand that little boy reached out and took his daddy by the hand and with one hand he held that soldier and there he stood.

And you know the rest of the story. And friends, the great and holy God dwells in the holy of holies.

Your sins have separated you from God and they forever will separate you. But in the mystery of the atonement,

Jesus Christ came here and with one pierced hand he holds on to you and with one pierced hand he has the hand of his father.

And my friends, he'll never let go. He'll never let go. So the precious blood of Christ flows on through the entire

Old Testament. And Jesus Christ who beautifully fulfilled every specification and every feature in the wilderness tabernacle so that the inspired writer

Paul says, Jesus Christ, our Passover, sacrificed for us. He was a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands.

They had a Passover meal and then after the Passover and only after the Passover came the wilderness tabernacle that foreshadowed

Jesus Christ. Generally speaking, it foreshadowed the tabernacle of the body in which

Christ dwelt, portable. In particular, as we've said, every piece of furniture in the tabernacle such as the golden candlestick, the table of showbread, and the other equipment foreshadowed

Christ as the light of the world, the bread of life, and all about his life. Now, I want to mention something that I mentioned to you the other evening.

The colors in the tabernacle also represent something about Christ, don't they?

The colors themselves offer something. Blue. There's blue. You know in the door, white linen.

And it had blue, purple, and scarlet. Magnificently addressed was it.

Blue represents something. Well, what does blue represent? It's very interesting to me that blue fills our horizon.

As you study history, blue was the ancient symbol of the sky. Blue means above.

And when you go to 1 Corinthians 15, you read about the second Adam and the first Adam. First Adam referring to Adam the first one in the

Garden of Eden. The second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible says the second Adam, Adam being the

Hebrew word for man, the second man is from heaven. 1 Corinthians 15.

So the blue pictures the heavenly origin of the Son of God. We are from beneath.

Jesus said, you are from beneath, I am from above. Now, purple, you know well, is the color of the king.

It is the purple color of royalty. But now, most people have a misconception about the purple. It is the

Hebrew word agamon. Agamon. And it is not the bluish purple. It is a fiery reddish purple.

Fiery reddish purple. Now, I mentioned this to you. In order to get that, there is a little shellfish in the depths of the

Mediterranean Sea. And it is called the Murex trunculus. And that little shellfish only secretes one single drop from its throat.

One drop. And that was used, and that is where they got it to make the dye.

And that is exactly where it came from. Now, at His first coming, Christ was crowned with thorns.

At His second coming, He will have the diadem of the universe because He will come as the King of kings and the

Lord of lords. When He came the first time, there was no room in the inn. No innkeeper stood outside the door with a lantern to welcome the

King of kings. But at His second coming, every eye shall see Him. Every knee shall bow. Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord to the glory of God the Father when He comes in all of His radiance of glory. But there was another color, scarlet.

It is interesting to me that the same word in the Bible is translated scarlet and crimson. It is identically the same word.

Well, I began to do a little study on that and I found out that the word, when it applies to Him and talks about the scarlet, the crimson, it is the word

Torah Shanai in the Hebrew. Shanai means brilliance. Brilliance.

We sung a song a few moments ago. Alas, and did my Savior bleed and did my

Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head? And we've changed it in our wonderful intellect and in our wonderful accomplishments.

It used to be for such a worm as I, but you see, that doesn't appeal to the human intellect today and with all of our modernization, so they've changed to such a sinner as I or a sinner such as I.

But you see, originally, years ago, it was a worm. Now, the word Torah means worm. And friends, there's only one worm in the world and that worm had to be crushed in order to give forth the scarlet color.

It is interesting in Psalm 22 .7, Psalm 22 .1 says, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Psalm 22 .16 says, They pierced my hands and my feet. But Psalm 22 .7, it's a prophecy of Jesus' crucifixion.

He says, I am a Torah and no man. I am a worm and no man.

Why? He was crushed in order that the scarlet might flow, the blood might flow.

And friends, this is the word that is used because of His blood that flows in Genesis and flows throughout the

Bible until we come to that blessed cross of Calvary where it flowed in reality.

And then, of course, we have the white and that is because of the wondrous spotlessness of the human character of Jesus Christ.

It is righteousness and purity. You know, I thought about the Hebrew greeting, Shalom. Shalom. Shalom Aleichem.

And you say in return, Aleichem Shalom. Peace, God's prosperity be upon you.

It's interesting, isn't it, that the Hebrew greeting is peace. The Roman greeting was safety.

The Greek greeting was grace. Jesus is the

Prince of Peace. He has the endowments of God's grace and through His blood,

He brings safety. He just ties them all together. But you can't have peace when you reject the

Prince of Peace. All you can have is war and death. War and death. You see, even the colors in the tabernacle speak about this wondrous one called the

Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing was made that was not made for Him and by Him.

By Him. What was the song you sang a few moments ago? It said, one of the verses, the clauses in it said something to this effect.

And His blood will wash away every crimson stain. Every sin.

That's what you sung a few moments ago. Every sin. What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Well, let me ask you something. If His blood washes away every stain of sin, why do you keep feeling guilty?

Could it be that the enemy is trying to deceive you? Could it be that he'd like to get you guilty, make you think you're guilty, so that he can discourage you?

So that he can get you despondent and therefore defeat you? A discouraged Christian is of no value. You get a soldier and you break his morale, he won't fight.

But my friends, what's Romans 8 .1 say? Say it with me. Romans 8 .1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

Say it again. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

That word condemnation means judgment. You are beyond it. God deals with our sins here through chastening.

Through chastening. If you confess Him, He won't even chasten you. That is the wonderful grace. Why would

God do that? Because about 1900 years ago, His Son hung upon that cross.

And when that crimson flow fell to the earth below, it fell on me, and it fell on you.

And I believe that He cried out for a moment, maybe even hesitated. My God, my

God, why hast Thou forsaken me? But I believe mentally His mind must have leaped through the centuries.

And He would come on this Wednesday evening. And surely before the foundations of this world, God knew you and I would be here tonight.

God knew you and I would be in this place tonight. My friends, it is no surprise and shock to God that we're here.

And I believe He said, for those people, I'll do it. I'll do it. And you're saved today because of it.

Why do we serve the Lord? To get saved? Uh -uh. You're serving because you're grateful. Serving because you're grateful.

How grateful are you? Well, just look and see how much you serve Him. See how much you love

Him. How much of His book do you read about Him? How much do you tell other people about Him? How grateful are you?

You can check it out in a hurry, can't you? Well, we can talk about it. I share one thought with you.

One closing thought with you. A five -second test as to whether you're a spiritual or a carnal

Christian. Very easy, isn't it? Let's assume that you work eight hours a day.

Most people have an abnormal schedule, but the normal is work eight hours a day and sleep eight hours a day.

Most don't, but that's normal. That's supposed to be. Out of 24 hours, we break it down evenly, give ourselves a quota.

Sleep eight, work eight, and you've got eight leisure hours. How do you spend that eight leisure hours?

If you spend most of that eight leisure hours in building yourself up in the faith, studying

God's Word, serving the Lord, doing God's work, trying to assist some other

Christian to grow strong in the Lord, trying to let God use you, doing things in the Christian realm, whatever it might be, and even in your recreation, you never go anywhere in your recreation that you don't recognize

God is there, then you're well on your way to being a spiritual

Christian. But if you spend most of that eight hours doing what you want to do, when you want to do it, the way you want to do it, with no basic concepts of honor and glorifying

God, then my friends, my Bible teaches me that that person is a carnal Christian. Now how grateful are you?

How much of our eight hours do we really give to God? Very, very little.

And I think you'll agree. Very little. Very little. Is it any wonder that there is no power in the average

Christian life? Is it any wonder that their mind is so contaminated that they're unable to understand even basic truths of Scripture?

Is it any wonder that there's no spiritual power in the church when we come together? Is it any wonder that the world is going unaffected by the

Gospel? We've been preaching it for 2 ,000 years. And Dallas is like Fort Worth, and I've said it to you, you know it already.

I don't have to say it to you. Here's a city with churches almost on every corner, and it sits lost.

And it grows more lost every year, not more saved. And in Fort Worth, they're having a

Sunday school convention, and they said that our Sunday schools have dropped off. I'm not surprised.

The Sunday schools I know that grow, teach something. Teach the book. And it'll grow, won't it?

Sure it will. Why do you come? You come because I'm going to teach you the book. How much do you love him?

How grateful are you to the Lord who saved you? I wonder. Let's bow our heads for a moment.

I want you just to think about it. Just think about it. Sweet, gracious people you are. My heart overflows with the love that I have for you and this church.

I say it with all the honesty of my heart. There is no church on this earth that I love any more than I do this church.

I cannot explain that to you. It is just that God has placed it within my life.

And you know, as I come before you night after night, I'm always weighted down with the tremendous responsibility of your graciousness.

That if I would perchance not be prepared in my mind, and if I would not have studied to give you that which you deserve and what you're seeking for, rather than just my words to try to bring some truth into your life.

But you know, you share so much with me by your attitude and by your graciousness and your warmth and friendliness.

But you know, we can take all of that and put it together. And if we don't transfer that into care and concern and compassion for people who don't know the joy and peace that you and I know, could we really say,

Lord, I love you? I really do love you, Lord. No. When we say

I love you to somebody, we expect them to reciprocate with some kind of a loving action.

Somebody says, we love you. Well, prove it. That's what we tell them. Prove it. Well, that's what the

Lord says. And you know, he doesn't say just take my word for it, dear people. He says, try me. Test me.

Prove me. Prove me. And see if I will not open the windows of heaven and give you blessings which you cannot receive.

Now, do you really, truly love him tonight? Is he Lord? Is he

Lord of all your life? Father, we lift our hearts to you in gratitude, praise, and adoration.

We are overwhelmed at your great love for finite beings. But we thank you before this world was ever created,

Lord, you knew that we would come to Jesus and be saved. And how you worked it all out is beyond my mind.

But I'm grateful to you, Lord, that we can stand and sing and pray and preach and worship as saved people, knowing full well with all the confidence that one day we shall spend an eternity together with our

Lord Jesus. Perfect people in a perfect place with that perfect person. Oh, God, what a day of rejoicing that will be.

And yet, Lord, as we walk through the garden of your word, we see so many beautiful, beautiful flowers, the resurrection, the birth of Christ, the crucifixion.

And, yea, Lord, sometimes we miss the other beautiful flowers that don't stand as tall, perhaps.

They're not quickly seen because they're covered by the great central truths. And yet Jesus' words strike our heart.

Moses and the prophets, they wrote about me. God, may we dig, may we search, may we research, may we devour thy word that we might understand more about him who loved us and gave himself for us.

Give us the same kind of love for him that he has for us. And, Lord, love people through us.

But, Lord, if we have to put salt in the wound and save some by fear, may we be willing to withstand that which comes as a result of bold standing for the cause of Christ.

Give us the wisdom and the discernment we need and the intelligence we must have to know when to share lovingly or when to share those scriptures that penetrate deep, quick, and sharp in order that that person might come to the realization that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

Father, there are people in this service that serve you day after day after day.

They are faithful to you, young and old alike. There are others in this service, Lord, that used to serve you and they've backed off.

They've become embittered, perhaps, estranged from you, separated in fellowship because of self and ego, person.

Yet, Father, there are those who never even, perhaps, started to serve you. And, Lord, we can give all kinds of rationalizations and reasons,

Heavenly Father, as to why we can't serve you and ought not to serve you, ought not to be living for you, ought not to be doing what you said, can't read our

Bible, can't pray. We have all kinds of reasons and none of them valid because,

Lord, if you have your hand on our life, you have something for us to do. Encourage these, my friends.

Lord, give them the physical strength and the spiritual stamina and give them, Lord, that wonderful wisdom that they must have day by day as they go through their workaday world and as they go through their life's calling where you've placed them.

Use these dear people here to touch someone's life for Jesus, either to strengthen a

Christian, a child of yours, or to bring someone to salvation. God, use this church even in a greater way than you've used it in days gone by.

Thank you for your word. Thank you for the opportunity to share it. Thank you for the peace that transcends all human understanding because of Christ.

Dismiss us with the wonderful love of God and the peace of the Prince of Peace, the communion and fellowship of thy

Holy Spirit within our hearts with you and also that love that flows to one another.

Thank you for kindred hearts, kindred minds, and same purpose, single -mindedness that we sense as we come together around your word.

And, Lord, we thank you for the privilege of being a Christian and for every blessing of life we praise you in Jesus' name.