Book of Hebrews - Ch. 12, Vs. 8-Ch. 13, Vs. 13 (02/17/2002)

Hebrews 12: Chastisement as the Mark of Sonship

Hebrews 12, 8, and it says this, But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. Bastard in the word in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word was manzer.

The word in the Greek is mothos, is used in its ordinary sense and denotes those who do not share the privilege of God's children. Illegitimate children are usually abandoned by their father. The care of them is left to the mother and the father endeavors to avoid all responsibility and usually to be concealed and unknown.

His own children, he does not wish to recognize. He neither provides for him, nor instructs him, nor governs him, nor disciplines him. A father who is worthy of the name will do all of these. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us.

I can attest to that. And we give them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits and live? I would say yes. Our earthly parents are the parents of our bodies. God is a creator of all spirits and the author of spiritual life.

When we are born of the spirit, our new life is due to God and we are begotten as his children, just as real or more so than the flesh. For they verily for a few days chasten us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness.

He chastens us for our profit, for our profit. God never sends trials because he has any pleasure in afflicting them, but to make them more useful and happy than they would be without them. Hence, a cheerful and hearty submission is required not only for the glory of God, but for our own highest good.

Now, it's kind of hard when we are going through it to say, boy, this is for my good, but it is. I can attest to that. 11, Hebrews 12, 11. Now, no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, and I can attest to that, but grievous nevertheless.

Afterward, it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby, neither correction, wholesome restraints, domestic regulations, or gymnastic discipline are pleasant to them that are exercised by it.

But it is by these means that obedient children, scholars, great men are made, and it is by God's discipline that Christians are made. He who does not bear the yoke of Christ is good for nothing to others, unless you bear the yoke.

Never gain rest for his own soul, unless you bear the yoke. 12, wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down in the feeble knees, as if it is from weariness and exhaustion. Renew your courage, make a new effort to bear them.

The hands fall by the side when we are exhausted with toil or worn down with disease. Each one of us has the disease, has the affliction appointed for us. No one else, just us. It is to make us, make me, a child of God.

And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. The application of this to a correct, holy deportment in religious life is both natural and easy, because he is our Father.

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. When you're in the middle, when you don't know the middle, but when you're being afflicted physically, mentally, that is for your good.

That is for your ability to form, be formed, to perform as God would have you to perform. Each one of us has been there. Each one of us has undergone something in our lifetime. And the older you get, the more you undergo.

Don't think that it's going to be over by the time you reach 20, because it isn't. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Follow peace with all men. Now, peace as much as they will allow you to.

Instead of yielding to contending passions and to a spirit of war, instead of seeking revenge on your persecutors and foes, make it really your aim to be holy. Let that be the object of your pursuit, the great purpose of your life.

And he didn't say it would be easy. Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness spring up, trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, we must study to edify one another, both in doctrine and example of life.

You all preach your life without saying a word. As you go through each day, you are teaching your life without saying a word. Lest there be any fornicator or profane person, as Esau was, who for one morsel of bread meat sold his birthright.

You remember that back in the book of Genesis? Esau sold his birthright. To him it seemed like a little thing. Fornication is nearly akin to gluttony. Esau sinned. He profanely cast away his spiritual privilege for the gratification of his palate.

An example well-fitted to strike needful horror into these Hebrews. Whosoever of them like Esau were only sons of Isaac according to the flesh. For we know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

You remember, after Isaac gave the blessing to Jacob, then came Esau, and his father said, who are you? And they both lamented the fact that the blessing had gone to Jacob. Already gone. It could not be recalled.

It was not recalled. No place of repentance, whether we refer to the word repentance to Esau, as some do, or with others to Isaac, the sense remains substantially the same. To the former case, the meaning will be that Esau could not make his own repentance a veil to change his father's mind.

Though he tried. In the latter, that he could not induce Isaac to repent by taking the blessing of the birthright from Jacob and giving it to him, he had sold it for a mess of pottage, and it was gone forever.

Mount Sinai and the Voice of God

For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more.

For they could not endure that which was commanded, for if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart. It wasn't the message that they could not accept. It was the awesome voice of God.

His voice made them tremble, and they were afraid. They could not sustain the awe produced by the fact that God uttered this to them. The meaning is not that the commands themselves were intolerable, but that the manner in which they were communicated inspired a terror which they could not bear.

They feared that they should die. Have you ever heard the voice of God? Anybody? Have you ever heard the voice of the Lord? Anybody? You still have a store in treat for you. It is a voice like none other.

I speak from personal experience when I was in college. I won't rehearse it for you, but it is an awesome, almost unbelievable thing. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.

Now, Moses himself feared. Greg, what was he afraid of? What did he fear? That's right. These Hebrew Christians had been accustomed to going to the temple, going through the ritual. Now there was nothing for them to go to, no ceremony, and no sacrifice to bring.

It's gone forever. But you are coming to Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, my mother and my wife's father. As they were passing away, both saw and heard angels.

I suppose it was the angels come to take them home. They relayed the event to me, but I couldn't see them. Only they could see them. So the angels appear only to those that is intended. To the general assembly in the church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to spirits of just men, made perfect.

Did you know that your name is written in heaven? You're entered into heaven. You're there now, only you're sitting here. But spiritually, you're in Christ, and Christ went to heaven. The firstborn does not refer to the Christ here, although he's called that elsewhere in the scripture.

The writer is speaking of the ones who have been born again. They are the only ones who are going to be there. This is the church of the firstborn, those who at the rapture will be caught up to this place.

The New Covenant, Easy Believism, and Refusing the Voice from Heaven

And to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel. The new covenant, he is the mediator of the new covenant. We have entered into the new covenant.

Today we have an epidemic of easy believism. I don't know how else to say it. Many folks have made salvation a simple mathematic equation. If you can say yes to this and yes to that and yes to half a dozen different things, you're a Christian.

This type of approach leaves no room for the Holy Spirit to work. The Holy Spirit is not working, but I said yes, and I nodded to this and agreed to a lot of other things. And for the conviction of sin, there's the main thing.

I have joined churches that you could join and not change your lifestyle one bit in this city. It just means a nodding assent, a passing acquaintance with Jesus. It does not mean that you're born again.

25, see that ye refuse not him that speaketh? For if they escape not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall we, not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. The entire Old Testament shows that those who refused to listen to God's message delivered by men didn't escape.

It was delivered by men. God's work is done by people. I'm a people. Greg's a people. That's the way he gets his work done. How can those escape, then, who refuse to listen to God's own Son, whose voice then shook the earth, but now he hath promised, saying, yet once more, I shake not the earth only, but also heaven?

Now, he's going to shake, a mild term, heaven itself and the earth. Burge, what does it mean, he's going to shake everything?

No, he can't hold the earth.

That's right. Now, Russell, if you were going to shake this cup, you'd have to be outside of it, right? Where's God? Jesse, where is the Lord and God the Father? Where is the Lord sitting? Where is that place?

That's right. And it's not the heaven that we see as far as you can go. David, how far can you go in space? I think if you went far enough, you'd come back over here. That space has, excuse me, that's right, space is a sphere.

Now, I can't prove it because I'm not outside looking at it. But think of it as the big ball, the biggest ball you ever thought of. I can say the words, but I can't comprehend that. Whose voice then shook the earth?

His voice shook the earth, saying, yet once more, not the earth only, but also heaven? He's going to shake it all. The announcement of his coming to break up the present order of things is to the ungodly a terror.

To us, it's a promise, the fulfillment of which they look for with joyful. And this word, yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Now, if I shake that cup and shake it away as we get the indication here, the cup doesn't remain. But there is something that does remain when he shakes all of this. What is it? Great. That those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

But the what? That's right, and we can sum that all up in two words. His word will not be shaken. His word will remain forever. I take that literally. His word. Not the printed word we have. The Bibles can disappear.

We won't need Bibles in heaven. Wherefore, we receive a kingdom which cannot be moved. Think about it. The only kingdoms that the world knows of are those that exist on earth. Kingdom, by the way, means authority, not real estate.

Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. Oh, you can take that or leave it, but it just happens to be in the word of God. Don't trifle with God.

That day may come when you won't even know where you stand with him at all. Our God is a consuming fire. But he is also a gracious, glorious, wonderful savior. Yes, I can't call God cool. Well, before I get into the 13th chapter, I want to remind you of this.

You can count on this. The wages of sin will not be lowered. What are the wages of sin? I'll save this other one for last. Don't let me forget I've got another one for you. Now come to Hebrews 13, the last chapter of Hebrews.

Brotherly Love, Hospitality, and Christian Sympathy

Let brotherly love continue. That means it's been here. It's going. We are participating. Let it. That's what you can do. Let, an accounting term, means you can let it. Love to Christians on account of their likeness to Christ is a fruit of the spirit.

Think about it. And an evidence of being born of God. It is also a means of promoting our love to Christ and the enjoyment of his presence. God's love. And he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him.

This is the reason why Satan hates Christian love. Do you ever stop to think about that? Satan hates it. And so often ploys such as speak lies and sow discord among brethren to prevent it. And also a reason why such persons are mentioned in the Bible as children of the devil.

They're actively trying to destroy our love. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Now I'm not going to get into the discussion of angels. I don't know that much about it.

But I believe they're among us. I believe they're here. I can't prove that other than the two instances that I mentioned. The basic thought here is that we are to extend our love to strangers. We're to be careful that hospitality is extended in judgment.

Don't extend your hospitality to the world. You're given a mind. Use it. They didn't have holiday ends in those days. Remember them. Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them. And them which suffer adversity as being yourselves also in one body.

Christians in jail for Christ's sake. And there's plenty of them today. It's beginning in this country. But you can go to most any other country. And you will find that. Remember them that are in bonds.

Another manifestation of brotherly love. The prisoners referred to are these imprisoned for Christ's sake. The Christian must enter into full sympathy with all his suffering brother. Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled.

But wholemongers and adulterers God will judge. The airwaves are full of it. I was getting some news this morning before I left. I wanted to see who won the Dallas mayoral run. And there was a clip on about marriage.

You cannot imagine. And it was taken in one place, Las Vegas. Now maybe you can imagine. I saw no same sex. But I saw, well, I didn't stay long. But people get married in the most strange way you can imagine.

And I can't see any hope for those people. God will judge these same sex marriages. We may make it lawful. But that's not legal. He commends moral marriage in all sorts of people. And threatens utter destruction from God against wholemongering and adulterers.

Contentment, God’s Presence, and the Leaders Who Taught You

Let your conversation, means your talk, be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have. For he has said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. I discovered this verse in the Amplified Bible.

I don't use the Amplified in front of you. I do refer to it once in a while. It's a good study Bible. But I printed this and the next verse. Let me read this to you from the Amplified Bible. Let your character of moral disposition be free from love of money.

Including greed, avarice, inordinate desires, lust, craving for earthly possessions. And be satisfied with your present circumstances and with what you have. For he, God himself, has said. I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support.

I will not, I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless. I will not nor forsake you, nor let you down. I will not relax my hold on you. Assuredly not. It's pretty powerful. It's also very true.

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you, nor forsake you. That's Joshua 1 .5, 1 .5. So that we may boldly say that the Lord is my helper.

And I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Jesus the Christ has created every need that comes to me. You believe that, Verge? Even my broken shoelace. I'm just working them out. They each one have come and it's up to me to work it out.

It is from him that all needs come. And it is from him that all answers come. We don't know what to pray for. We don't even know how to pray. The most pious person on earth doesn't know how. All answers come from him alone.

He created it and answers it all in due time. That ought to place us in a position of not worrying about anything. Just use common sense. Do the best you can. That's the will of God. Remember them which have the rule over you.

Who have spoken unto you the word of God. Whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation. Let me read that from the Amplified. These two verses I copied. Remember your leaders and superiors in authority.

For it was they who brought it to the word of God. Brought you the word of God. Observe attentively and consider their manner of living. The outcome of their well spent lives. And imitate their faith.

Their conviction that God exists. And is the creator and ruler of all things. The provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. And their leaning of the entire human personality on God. In absolute trust and confidence in his power, wisdom, and goodness.

You can't beat it. Even though they are now all dead. Speaking of the old saints. And he gave us a list of them back in chapter 11. And he admitted himself that it was just the beginning. He couldn't go through all of them.

Time didn't permit. Even though they are all now dead, they still speak. Remember the words spoken by them. Their faith was true to the faith. Their faith was true to the faith. Hebrews 8. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Now, explain that. Verge, how can you explain that verse? Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, the same today, and the same forever.

What's that mean? He never changed.

Well, that's fine. Greg, what would you say about this verse? Well, let's look at it a little bit. There's at least three ways that I can think of that he remains the same. With respect to the person of Christ, he's eternal.

Immutable in every state of the church. In every condition of believers, he is the same. And always will be the same in his divine person. He is, ever was, and ever will be, all in all unto his church.

Now, he's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Not only in respect of his person, but in regard of his office. The virtue of the legal sacrifice expired with the offering. But the precious sacrifice of God has an everlasting capability to obtain full pardon for believers.

He retains that. His blood is as powerful to propitiate God as if it were this day's shed upon the cross. He is the same, ever. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, in regard of his doctrine.

That remains unchangeable and irrevocable. The gospel is the last revelation of the mind of God made known by Jesus Christ. Now, the last revelation of God, we have it. It doesn't mean that's the last revelation, but the last one made for us.

It's the last that ever will be laid before the world. Such, therefore, as reject him and his doctrine, reject the last remedy, the only remedy. And most needs perish without any possibility of recovery.

Be not carried about by divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. It's not what you eat.

It's not how you dress. It's not the way I walk. It's not the way I sing. Everything is not that. Everything is relative to that which changes not. Everything is relative to that which changes not. His word, God.

We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. We have an altar. What is that altar? We have it. What is it, Greg? That's exactly right. Jesus the Christ. No one can come to that altar except who?

His. His people. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. Now he's going to show the difference in position here.

Burned without the camp. Whose blood is brought into the sanctuary. The reference is to the bullock and goat that were offered for sin offerings in the great day of atonement. And whose blood was carried by the high priest into the holy of holies.

A turning our backs eternally upon all Jewish observations. And I cannot stress that enough. We all do it. We need to take note of what we're doing. An acceptance of the merit of his sacrifice. When we do that, we're lowering the merit of the sacrifice.

The owning of Christ under that reproach and contempt that was cast upon him and that suffering without the gate. He was outside of the gate. Calvary was. The cross was. He went outside the gate and not being ashamed of his cross.

In our conformity to him, in self-denial, let us go forth to him without the camp. Bearing his reproach. That we must leave all to go forth to a crucified savior. And if we resolve to do, we must expect and prepare to meet with all sorts of reproaches.

The Prodigal Son and the Three Sons

Let's stop right there. I have something that I want you to think about this week. If you know the answer, please don't tell anybody. Because I want you to think about it for a week. In the parable of the prodigal son, there are three sons.

Find them. Urge dismisses.