Hebrews - Part 7 — Richard Owen Roberts

Let's turn together to the 13th chapter. I mentioned this morning that the 13th chapter is a bit like the 10th. It's wonderful and helpful. So, Chapter 13, please continue. Let's not neglect the quality of strangers, some without knowing it.

Do you suppose that's ever happened? You are ill-treated, be undefined, greater than a judge. Let your way of life be what you have. For He Himself has said, I will never desert you, forsake you. Confidently say, Do not be afraid what men shall do.

The Unshakable Kingdom and Christian Stewardship

Considering the outcome yesterday and today, by varied and strange teachings, we have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle, these are those in place by the high priest, as an offering for sin, have burned outside the camp.

Jesus' people, through His own blood, spoke to Him outside the city, seeking the city which is to come. Through Him, then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God and sharing. For with such sacrifices, God, as those who were given to do this, with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable, pray for us, desiring to conduct honorably, I urge you that I may be restored to you.

Let there be eternal pleasing in His sight. Take note that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you. Greet all of your leaders. Once in a while I have met him. He said, it's obvious that it's not right.

So we have given away everything. Nobody did where we could live. Obviously you can care. Years ago, in conversation with a devout man, he gave me a picture that I have found very helpful, which I would like to share with you tonight.

When you think about everything being shaken, and the only things that remain are the things that cannot be shaken, and yet realistically you realize we have to live somewhere. We can't just live out in the open.

We have to have food. We've got to take care of the children. We've got to care for the elderly. We've got to provide health care. His statement was, One will not go wrong if possessions, which are necessary, are held in the hands when they move.

And I have been so deeply appreciative of that. And places of dwelling, mandatory. But what if every one of us possesses it? If somebody needed it, we had no problem. I never got a grip. It was simply treated as something that will be shaken and destroyed, but for the moment.

A Pastor's Call from Itinerant Preaching to Local Ministry

Now this evening, what I would like to do is share some encouragement out of this statement that will help and vigorously say that I have been an itinerant preacher the bulk of my young and persevered in the major points in life and getting married at 31 years of age, having been years in itinerant work.

And then Maggie and I were married and we were blessed with two children. And what I discovered after a while was my children hardly knew because I was away from home. That did not seem right or pleasing to God.

So we began to pray for God would provide some opportunity of ministry that would be as urgent and as vital. A church in Calvary asked me to come. It was a very strange church. It had names. It was evangelical.

The church was determined by paying $25 per person in guarantee from the church that as long as you paid your dues you were certain of $25. That is the bargain. Despite its name, it was most certainly not evangelical.

They had never had an evangelical actually made up entirely. During the days of Peter Settle in the white tents of Russia they were given usual privileges. They were guaranteed, but they would never be conscripted.

Long numbers and many others in the Bolshevik Revolution. They were driven out of Russia and because they were farmers they settled in the better agricultural of the United States to which I was called was regarded as the mother.

I went there and had 2 ,400 people who had paid their $25 dues. All told, 5 ,000 families did not know the gospel. When I had held a crusade in Fresno, California shortly before and there were about 30 people in the crusade.

Then there was a little band of about 6 elderly men, 80 practicing Christians, but they were extraordinarily narrow-minded and bigoted and difficult. And although the church, and that's why I was invited to consider the pastor because I was at that time the minister-at-large of the Congregational Denomination.

What amusing for them to receive a letter from all the Lutheran churches in Central California asking them to drop the name Lutheran in that they had never been and most certainly were not at that time.

I was the instigator of that letter and I took a good bit of blame despite its name. Not free, not evangelical. Each there hated on me as a body and they said, we don't fight Tuesday. I said to them, and the constitution of the church says the deacons are to assist.

So let it be understood that I ask God what to preach and I preach what he nothing what with what I preach. On the other hand, if you know someone who is ill, someone who needs and they said and immediately there were incredible preaching there for a year to thousands and thousands of people.

It was amusing. Who is this guy? What does he look like? Is he here? They got into a fight with one another over it and they failed altogether. The mayor of the city of Fresno was a member of the church and he said, turn it over to me.

I know how to get rid of the guy. And so they had a business meeting again the next week and the mayor did know how to get rid of a guy. In the process, they not only put me, but they put out the handful of believers along with about four but had been deeply stirred.

No choice. Our importance out there and having been there only a year, we felt we must stay and we must try to help this band of believers. And during the meeting in which the mayor was maneuvering, I received several people saying, it's obvious they put us out as well as you.

And then a note from a family that had a huge home saying, let's meet at our house tonight. And so about 70 people gathered in that home and we determined to start a new church. It was agreed that the basis of membership would be credible evidence of regeneration.

Each person who wished to become a member had to prove to the rest of the congregation that they were true. It was a very interesting time. I had been born of the spirit. Three Sunday evenings were set aside for these provisions of evidence.

Salvation Is Not a Feeling

On the third Sunday after the morning service by me, and I said to her, Betty, is it your intention to become a charter member of this church? She said, I said, why? I said, Betty, I know you're not a Christian, but but I don't know you're not a Christian.

She said to me, I don't feel what you have to feel to be a Christian. I said, what is that? She said, I don't know, I don't feel it. Come now, as an answer, what do you think you have to feel? And she said, I don't know, it's just that I know that my husband is a real Christian and I don't feel what any feel.

I didn't have any to bow my heart and say, Lord, if I'm going to help this person, you have to help me. Will you answer some questions? Yes, she said. I said, Betty, did you ever make an onion dropped open?

She said, what kind of a question is that? I said, answer the question. Did you ever make an onion sandwich? She said, I don't like onion sandwiches. Once in a while I... I said, then you don't feel about onion sandwiches like Eddie feels.

I said, answer another question. Do you think Eddie loves you the way you love Eddie? Robert, you know Eddie's a good man. He tries to love me. I think he does love me in his own way, but he certainly doesn't love me the way I love him.

Do you feel the same about onion sandwiches as Eddie feels? And you don't feel the same about Eddie as Eddie feels toward you? What makes you so sure to be a Christian you have to feel the way Eddie feels?

She said, are you saying I don't have to feel anything to be a Christian? I said, answer another question. Did you ever feel... And she really didn't even sing the hymns! I'm so guilty! I said, answer another question.

Did you ever feel Eddie loves you the way Eddie does? And I said, Eddie, you have all the feelings necessary to become... Why don't you just ask this? And she left. When the meeting was opened that night, and I said, we're now ready to provide credible evidence of regeneration, she rushed forward and she said, with this great smile on her face, just myself talking, salvation, Hebrews is all about salvation.

Hebrews Presents Christ as the Center of Salvation

But one of you says, I thought you said it was all about Christ. Ah, yes. Of Christ. Salvation. It's not a feeling. It's not even an experience. It's certainly not a series of things you do. Salvation.

Do you remember in the second chapter of Luke, that that old man, Simeon, was in the temple regularly, and when Mary and Joseph came into the temple with Jesus, Simeon said to God, your servant, salvation.

There, Simeon becomes such a savior that salvation says nothing distinct. In the eighth chapter, and the many same testament, and their confidence in Christ is what occupies that chapter. So, taking out chapter 11, there are 12 chapters that talk about Christ.

I'd like to just select a single statement from each of the 12 chapters just to give you a refreshing sense. Because Christ, in chapter 1, it'll be different from sermons that I normally preach. I don't ever remember doing such a thing before, but I love the idea.

And I believe it will bless your heart. And yet glorious statements about Jesus Christ himself. Chapter 1, verse 9. I, God, am going to deal with the nation, the earth, and the heavens. I, Irish, remain a Swede.

A person that follows this morning. But let's just work consequential statements of obscene. There are certain sins that we love, that we fondle, and that we cater to. But when Christ we fail to keep our eyes.

Beautiful, inconsiderable season, and then you lapse back into iniquity. But Christ is as ready to receive you and to above sin as he ever was. No way from this week was spared. Christ rose again so that you know what he hates and loves.

Christ's Victory Over Sin in Hebrews 2

Look at chapter 2. And again, I would point out statement. Chapter 2. Subjecting all things to him. Nothing that is not subject to him. But now, let's see all things subjected to him. But, we see him who has been made for a little while angels.

Namely, Jesus. For the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God, he might taste death for every man. We have been instructed in Busbury, to alter our so that we were no longer attracted to sin, but drawn to righteousness.

It is wonderfully possible by putting everything under his feet. There is not one thing that is guaranteed to defeat the Christian. There is not one sin that you can end up saying, I can't because Christ has put everything.

Christ has called us to be. There is no reason to live. Absolutely no sin that has any authority over you except the authority you give. Instead of giving authority to the sin, you place your confidence in Christ.

Christ in me enables me to put under my feet all the things he already has. He's going to come. He has already experienced it himself. Today, I'm going to live in the confidence of a Savior who has already won my victory.

I'm going to live by his grace in the victory that Christ himself has won. Chapter 3. This time, it is faithful to him who appointed him. The portion after 2, the second, verse 6, Christ spoke of our hope until the end.

Jesus as the Believer's Sympathetic High Priest

But let us focus for a moment of a spectacular statement that Christ made. In the Gospel of John, chapter 17. And read it to you. If you have not exposed yourself to this statement recently, I would like to encourage you to turn with me and note for yourself these absolutely magnificent words.

The Gospel of John, chapter 17. I'm not amazed that he has given us hope. But if you fall on your face, if you fail to accomplish hope, it's just because you're willing personally to enable each of us to accomplish absolutely everything that some of us try.

Never a single day passed as Christ gave him to do. So today, by the power of Christ, has given me this Christ, his house. We go on at Jesus Christ. Now these warnings that we have been looking at are severe, and they do appear in many ways extremely.

One of these warnings is beyond capacity to observe with utter faithfulness and to conquer day after day after day as we place our faith. In fact, I again just a small portion at chapters, verses 15 and 16.

Hebrews chapter 4, 15 and 16. For we do not have a high preacher who cannot sympathize with us who has been tempted in all things but sin. We have confidence to the throne of grace that we may never be a single temptation that Christ has not already in every temptation that he thanked.

He overcame not merely the Son of God, but as the Savior of all. His example is given for our so that we too might be that we might prevail against him, our wonderful Savior. Chapter 5, verse 8. Then made salvation discussed with some care of discipline, self-discipline, and the disciplines of the Lord.

Discipline, Obedience, and Christian Perseverance

These disciplines, as I pointed out that evening, set to us so that we, like our Savior, might learn obedience. If you protest against the discipline, as I pointed out earlier, then you lose the benefits of the discipline.

If you pray for deliverance from the discipline, then you never learn the obedience. But what an incredibly wonderful thing, that God loves each of His children so very much that He regularly sends upon them difficulties, not difficulties they want, but difficulties He wants us to experience.

So, we, like Him, might learn sense when we spoke about discipline. Have you been expressing thanksgiving for every difficulty? And have you been saying, Lord, please don't relieve me of this difficulty until I have learned the obedience?

Do you want me to have love us sufficiently to allow us to learn the discipline it? But He doesn't. Jesus, as I said, there are very few parents who love their children enough to let them suffer the great issues of life without parental struggling.

In foolishly asking for deliverance, He turns a deaf ear. Doesn't the discipline save you? Hope sure enters within the veil where Jesus is incredible and strict. If you've ever been out in a small spot and yet there was a wind blowing that boat, how important it was.

Faith That Overcomes Little Faith

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All of us have not exercised the faith that we've been given, but Christ is at all. So suppose that if the Lord appeared in person here tonight, and he singled out one of you, and he asked you to stand, and you stood, and he looked at you with great love and yet great severity, and he said to you, O you of little faith.

He said that often to the disciples before his crucifixion. Suppose that in all honesty, your own heart requires you to admit inwardly, that's me. Don't forget that indeed you have been crippled by little faith.

Christ as the Author and Perfecter of Faith

To the author and the perfecter, and say give me the kind of faith that turned Peter, that Paul had. Give me Jonathan Edwards kind of faith. Give me Sarah Edwards kind of faith. You Lord and the perfecter, I'm weary of being one of little faith.

Now perfect faith in me, and you will delight to do so. That's why we came as the Savior to completely transform our lives. Yesterday in Schenectady, when I was a boy of eight years, it was a difficult little church.

They held to a lot of silly things. For instance, a lady they thought was determined of her sleeve. So if a lady wore a sleeve that was cut off above the elbow, she was considered a wicked person. But if the sleeve came below the elbow, she was saintly.

We don't have much of that nonsense around today. Men like me, who have worn and never removed a wedding band for 48 years, were judged, displayed gold. Despite the failures of that little church, a lifelong image was made upon it.

Because all around the scripture plaque, and then up over the podium, were printed the words, Jesus Christ, the Savior, yesterday and today. To become a very great part of Jesus Christ, yesterday, today.

All saints whose names are familiar, who saved them, and He hasn't changed. He hasn't lost any strength. He has not grown as able as He did for Paul. To use you, and to make your life gloriously blessed, as He used men like Philip Melanchthon and John Calvin.

And our simple privilege, if you spend the rest of your life, be sorry. If time after time, you find yourself flattened by sin, the only reason will be salvation. As I said already, it's not a doctrine, it's not even an experience.

Yesterday, today.