The Just Shall Live By Faith, Part 2 (Hebrews 10:38-39)

progression that erases or transcends the covenants, excuse me, or transcends the details and I lost my place.

The Bible storyline with the significance of the details of the covenants and promises in the Bible. Historical grammatical hermeneutics will discover types in the

Bible, but the concept of typological interpretation that overrides the plain meaning of Bible text is not accepted in dispensationalism.

There are types. Adam was a type of Christ. Israel in some respects was a type of the church, but not the kind of type that results in an anti -type.

So those are the distinctions that you will see. Although areas like the

Mosaic laws are shadow of greater new covenant realities, we saw that in Hebrews 10 .1,

dispensationalists do not believe that everything in the Old Testament is a shadow. Matters associated with the covenants of promise including

Israel, Israel's land, the temple, Jerusalem, nations, restoration of creation, etc. are not shadows.

Promises concerning these matters must be fulfilled as predicted. You can see that in Matthew 15 .18.

All of this occurs because of Jesus the Messiah who brings God's promises to fulfillment. Do I have those scriptures up there?

Okay, so that is number three. And we see that in 2 Corinthians 1 .20

and Ephesians 1 .10. So the promises that were made to Israel that are unconditional hinge on that word, unconditional.

They are promises that God will fulfill, literally. If they weren't fulfilled in the first coming, they will be fulfilled in the second coming or after.

That is how it works. That is how we believe it works. Dispensationalists also host to passage priority in which the primary meaning of a passage is found in the passage at hand and not in other passages.

God wrote the book starting with Job. Actually in our Bibles it's Genesis, but the oldest book is

Job. We start when...now there are some of you who when you read a murder mystery, I know you read the last page.

That is so uncool. I can't do that. The OCD in me just won't let me.

It's just I got to not know. I got to try and figure it out myself and I'm always wrong. But it's okay to read the last page in the

Scriptures with the understanding that he started clear over here. The Bible started here.

You read it and everyone should as much as possible read through the Scriptures once a year, once every two years, something like that.

It's a wonderful journey and it's one of those...it's the book that as you read through it again and again and again, you will be knocked out by what you didn't see the first time, the second time, the third time, the 50th time, however many years you've been doing it.

Dispensationalists...so they hold to passage priority in which the primary meaning of a passage is found in the passage at hand and not in other passages.

Now other passages can come...well I hadn't prepared to do that.

That's a great idea. But you know what happens when you get bombed with a question like that?

And if you could look inside my head right now, you'd see this big blank chalkboard. And every once in a while you'd hear screech where somebody...have

you ever done the chalk thing? Yeah. All right. Who wants to do that?

Well, let's look at an Old Testament passage that is occasionally spiritualized. Does one come to mind in this group?

I'm sure there are. I'll circle back to that.

Yeah. No. No, yeah. Probably before the second millennium.

Can I get back to you on that? Really? I'll be glad to do that. And I'll bring some.

I'll bring some and we'll look at them. That's a great idea. I should have done that. You've got to be careful of these people up here in front.

So, was that helpful? That's only one. I'll come up with some others. But I don't want to just off the cuff because I don't want to misrepresent covenant theologians because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Boy, that was a smooth exit, wasn't it? So, the covenantal hermeneutic is closely linked to the concept of New Testament priority in which the

New Testament is used as a lens for interpreting and even reinterpreting the

Old Testament. This is the idea that the transition from Old Testament to the New Testament is a transition from shadow to reinterpretation of opinion and still be nice to one another.

We were, I tell you what, when I had a difference of opinion with my dad,

I was still nice to him. Yeah. Even after he wasn't bigger than me anymore because it was pounded into us back in those days.

I don't know if it's a different generation, a different ethic. I don't know what's happened. But the differences are differences of not salvation substance.

They are not differences of salvation substance. We've got to remember that. The most important things that the

Scripture colors into our lives are things that covenantalists and dispensationalists wholeheartedly agree on.

And that has got to be the basis of our relationship. The second major issue is the storyline.

The second other major difference between dispensationalism and covenant theology deals with the Bible's storyline. The nature of the

Old Testament promises and covenants, the identity and role of Israel and God's purposes and the identity and role of the church.

What has been fulfilled with Jesus at His first coming and what remains to be fulfilled in His second coming.

So the two main storyline differences regard the nation of Israel's role in God's purposes and number two, whether there will be a mediatorial kingdom phase to God's kingdom program on the earth after this present age but before the eternal state.

Covenantalists, and again I'm trying to properly represent it. I know we have some in the church that are blessed brothers and sisters.

I'm just hoping I'm not misrepresenting anything. So they generally believe Jesus as the true

Israel and they believe that the Old Testament promises to national Israel in the Old Testament are shadows that find fulfillment in Him.

They generally further believe that when believers become united in Christ, they join

Israel as well. Thus the concept of Israel expands to include Gentiles.

This culminates in the church in Jesus being the new or true Israel. At this point there would be no need for a restoration of national

Israel since Jesus is the true Israel and the church in Jesus is now

Israel. That is the belief. One of their generalizations. They further recognize the not yet aspect to Jesus' reign.

They rely heavily on first coming fulfillment of Old Testament promises and covenants.

For most covenantalists, the Davidic millennial reign and the reign of the saints is occurring from heaven now with us currently being in Jesus' messianic kingdom.

I could go into multiple reasons why I think that's untrue, but it's something that I'm not going to hammer here.

I just want us to be aware of that difference. They believe that the Davidic millennial reign is happening now.

Further, most of them, not all of them, but most of them. Further, covenant promises from the

Old Testament are currently being fulfilled so there is no need of a future earthly reign of Jesus since this age is the era of fulfillment and reigning.

And if that's written up there as R -A -I -N, yeah, well

I use dragon naturally speaking because I type at the speed of a dying turtle in a windstorm. And sometimes it doesn't hear the correct context.

David? Sure. Sure, I'm on 4. I'm on 4 -E, 4 -B, excuse me.

I think you want to go, let me look here. Back up.

4 -B. Or dog. Yeah, D. I don't know where I'm at, but these guys do.

See the reigning? What do you think? That just, I want to fix it now, but I can't.

So when you see me up here circling things, now you know what I'm doing. I go over this,

I read over this, I study it, and I still miss stuff. I used to be a, what are those guys that check?

Yeah. Number 5. I got that right. Dispensationalists believe in and celebrate the identity of the

Lord Jesus Christ and His role as the true Israelite, but this does not remove the significance of the nation of Israel.

They can both have wonderful significance, they both can. Isaiah 49, 3, 6 teaches that the true

Israelite, Jesus the Messiah, involves a role of service for the nation. God's ancient plan for the nation

Israel is to have a mission of service and leadership to the nations is outlined in Genesis 12, 2 and 3, and Deuteronomy 4, 5 through 6.

Nations will exist in the coming messianic millennial kingdom. If you look at Isaiah 19, 24, 25, it's unmissable, you can't miss it.

Revelation 19, 15, you can't miss it. It talks about nations existing. And thus Israel will have a role to the nations during this period of time under the headship of Jesus the

Messiah. National Israel is still significant. The church does not supersede or replace

Israel in God's plans. The church is the instrument for the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom in this age, but Israel will still have a role to the nations when

Jesus returns to reign over the nations. In Revelation chapter 19, 15 is one place we see that.

The church in this age will also participate in Jesus' rule over the nations. Revelation 2, 26 through 27 and 3, 21.

We won't be floating around on clouds with little crowns on our heads playing harps. That was actually a theology

I think that was propagated by a song written by Esther Ruthoy. A harp, was it a harp, a crown, something,

I can't remember what the words are. But we will be busy. For those of you who like to work, you're going to be busy.

You're going to have things to do, places to go, people to see, contracts to sign. Well, maybe not contracts to sign.

It will be a wonderful eternity. It won't be a lazy eternity. It will be a busy, welcome eternity.

There's a difference here. God's plan does not include that believers become

Israel. There will be ethnic diversity in the people of God since Israelites and Gentiles do not lose their ethnic identities.

They're still called those things in Scripture after the second coming. Even in the eternal state, the people of God are referred to as the nations,

Revelation 21, 24 and 26. That doesn't change. A key and important component of the

Bible storyline according to dispensationalism is the coming earthly kingdom in which the last Adam and Messiah will rule the earth successfully for the glory of God.

Adam was given the job of domination of dominion and rule over the earth and he failed.

He failed miserably. And we all say, man, if I'd have been there, we'd have done the same thing. So, put that out of our head.

But the time will come when a successful rule of the earth will occur. A successful kingdom rule over the earth must occur.

God gave that task to Adam and to mankind to rule the earth on his behalf in Genesis 1. Currently, that mandate remains unfulfilled.

This is affirmed in Hebrews chapter 2. The coming earthly kingdom of Jesus will include a proper reign of the last

Adam, Jesus, where the first Adam failed. This reign involves nations and Israel will be used by the

Lord Jesus Christ as an instrument for his kingdom rule during that time. The coming earthly kingdom reign of the

Lord Jesus over the nations with Israel as an instrument of his ruling is essential to the dispensational understanding of the

Bible storyline. It is a component of fulfillment that must happen. A successful rule where the first one failed.

And that is part of the beginning of eternity where, brothers and sisters, everything will be successful in giving glory to God.

And it will be...it's hard for us to imagine because all of us have gone through good times and bad times.

And that's kind of...we just kind of expect...that's our life story. And so, that's what we expect in the eternal state even maybe unconsciously.

But that is not how it's going to be. It's going to be an eternity of blessedness. I can't imagine.

I can't. I just don't have...I'm one of those guys that when I look at a set of building plans, I can't see the rooms.

I see little drawings on a piece of paper. Really. I know my wife, bless her heart, she doesn't get frustrated with me.

She just goes, well, that's what it's going to look like. And there'll be this. And it leaps up into the air in her mind.

And there's walls here and there's a cupboard there and the bed's there. And I go, this looks like cement to me.

Let me draw some lines on it. Okay, that's what I run into with this too. It's my sinfulness.

I just...I know by faith it's going to be wonderful. But if I look at my track record,

I go, how can it be? I'm going to be involved. You know, at one time we were having troubles and years ago, we have a wonderful marriage now, but years ago we were having some issues and so we thought moving, that would make the difference.

So we moved to Tillamook, Oregon. There was only one problem. I went with us. And so that's where I am.

I look at these things and I say, Lord Jesus, I can hardly wait. And the older I get, the more I can hardly wait.

Does that make sense? The more I can...the less I can... Well, whatever the superlative is there, the adjective. But the more

I can hardly wait. But I do enjoy being with you, brothers and sisters. So, you know, there's that.

But it's going to be wonderful. And so dispensationalists see a role for Israel. They see a role for Israel and Jesus at the head of that.

And then will come the eternal state. So, before I go into the summary, are there any other questions that you want to bomb me out of the water with?

Go right ahead. I'm good. Yes. Mike. Sure. Into the

New Testament. So, the question is, how do the three covenants move into the rest of what we've talked about?

Okay. Okay, so first understand is that those three covenants are dispensations.

There's crossover in the theologies. There's crossover in the theologies. Because we would agree that there was a statement about redemption in Genesis chapter 3.

And thus began a time when the perfect earth ceased. Now, dispensationalists have different dispensations that lead different periods of time.

They go along and along and along. And we're currently in the dispensation of grace. The covenant of grace.

Two different names for essentially the same concept. The difference comes in when we look at an

Old Testament prediction about Israel. And in the

New Testament, there's a verse or a section of Scripture that illuminates that Old Testament prediction.

And dispensationalists say, the promise is still made to Israel. And it will be fulfilled to Israel.

There may be some additional blessing to the church. But the promise that was made to Israel about the land, for example, will be fulfilled to Israel about the land.

The covenantalists sees a spiritualization, many of them, see a spiritualization of that promise.

And it is given to the church. The church takes the place of Israel. That's where the differences occur.

In the hermeneutical understanding of how the Scripture plays out. So, I'm trying to, this is the one, the best one that comes to mind.

The land will be given back to Israel. It won't be a spiritualized blessing that will be given to the church.

A Deuteronomy 28 blessing, if you will, that will be given to the church. It will actually be a physical plot of land that Abraham walked around that Israel will be given.

That's one of the differences in hermeneutic. Okay, does that help? Okay. Okay, so I got to do this from the fly.

Jen Psaki would be ashamed of me. Is that how you pronounce your name? Psaki?

I want to be fair. The covenant of redemption originated in Genesis 3.

We would say dispensationalists would somewhat agree with that. Things changed.

Jim. Yes. Right.

Thank you. It was implemented later.

But did you catch that? The covenant of redemption actually predates. Okay. Unfolds.

Yeah, words are important. It unfolds. Right. This was an agreement made within the

Trinity in covenant theology. The agreement made within the Trinity prior to history.

It was eternally made in eternity past. Yeah, easy for me to say.

Did you catch that? Genesis chapter 3 talks is where generally speaking we will see that redemption is described.

How redemption will occur. Jesus will subdue Satan, will destroy Satan. The covenant of works, again, is one that unfolds within the covenant of redemption.

The covenant of grace, again, one that unfolds as Jim pointed out within the covenant of redemption.

But they come at different times in Scripture. And the difficulty is that there's crossover.

We believe in the Mosaic covenant. That it happened in a particular period of time.

And the ceremonial portion of that was done away with by Jesus. Yes. They used that to project that forward.

And they talked about that when he was eight. And they were talking about the new covenant, the old covenant. It's that hermeneutic of covenant theology that is sort of projected back into time and forward.

That becomes the hermeneutic. So those are the two passages they would use. It wouldn't be right to describe a covenantalist as using no

Scripture or just assuming that this goes on. Because they have reference to, we have reference to an eternal covenant.

Yeah, the eternal covenant as well as a promise between the Father and the Son. And so they use those two references of an eternal covenant and a promise to just say that there is this promise or covenant made inter -trinitarian before time began.

So Titus chapter 1 verse 2 says, In the hope of eternal life which God who cannot lie promised long ages ago.

So that's where the hermeneutic proceeds from. It's another situation where it's a hermeneutic.

But it doesn't seem to have the kind of basis we would look for in a literal understanding of Scripture.

Yes? Sometimes. Using obscure text or single text or silence about something.

Yes, that can be fraught with difficulty. You have to be very careful with your language here because there is no intention on their part to mislead or to fool.

It's just, it's a different hermeneutic that dispensationalists would say. That doesn't seem to have any basis in understanding, the understanding of these verses that I see.

Nathel? Or it should be kept in context.

Walter Martin used to say a text without a context is a pretext. Yeah, so pretexts are hopefully something that dispensationalists will eschew.

Here's a King James word for you. Yeah, if I said that to Dragon, I don't know what would come out.

You know, boot. At any rate, thank you Jim. I clearly haven't studied covenantalists as much as I need to,

I guess. But Jim has. Any other questions before we look at the summary?

So to summarize, the primary meaning of any Bible passage is found in that passage and the surrounding context.

The New Testament does not reinterpret or transcend Old Testament passages in a way that overrides or cancels the original authorial intent of the

Old Testament writers. So whatever the intent of that author was in the Old Testament, that stands.

The New Testament may give flesh to it, may illuminate it, but it will not change it.

It will not change it. These are summaries of dispensational belief. Number two, types exist, but national

Israel is not an inferior type that is superseded by the church. It is a different type.

It is a different type. And we can look at the same thing with roles. Men and women are equal, but they have different roles.

Their roles were prescribed from time immemorial past and they have continued to this day.

They are different, but they are not superior, inferior. Number three, Israel and the church are distinct.

Thus the church cannot rightly be identified as the new slash true Israel. Number four, spiritual unity and salvation between Jews and Gentiles is compatible with a future functional role for Israel as a nation.

Jews and Gentiles are being saved today, can be saved today and in history past.

But it doesn't change the role of Israel in the future. It simply adds to the body of believers, the fixed body of believers.

Number five, the nation Israel will be both saved and restored with a functional role in a future millennial kingdom upon the earth.

And no, not every single Jew will be saved. It is a statement about the nation

Israel. That nation will change its mind about the Messiah. If I can say it that way.

Today they do not believe Jesus is the Messiah. National Israel does not. As a matter of fact, they think it's heresy.

And they don't like it at all. But there will come a time when they will be regenerated.

They will change their mind about that. Number six, there are multiple senses of the seed of Abraham.

Thus the church's identification as seed of Abraham does not cancel God's promises to the believing

Jewish seed of Abraham. Both of those exist. The church's identification as the seed of Abraham results in certain promises, certain blessings.

But the Jewish, excuse me, the national Israel identification as the seed of Abraham, the believing

Jewish seed of Abraham has some other promises that they will be given after the second coming.

Is there any other? I guess we're done. Is there any other questions? Yes. Yes.

Right. Abraham was a

Gentile. The point was made that Abraham was a Gentile. And that's significant in the seed of Abraham. Yes. Other questions, comments?

So, I'm unsure how this is going to unfold now. Who's going to be next? I'm going to be studying in Daniel chapter 7.

And I am studying in Daniel chapter 7. And wow. It's an interesting, terrifying book.

I am just challenged to the max, I tell you what. And the dragon's going to help me mess things up.

So, yeah. It spells Daniel, right? Yeah, it does. I've discovered, too, if I speak slowly, sometimes it really screws things up.

So, don't do that. It doesn't help. Okay, I'm sorry. Any other comments or questions before we close? All right.

So, like I said, I don't know what's going to proceed from here. Whether we'll have someone in the interim for a while. Or if I'll start right in next week.

But we're going to get to Daniel. We are. I'm not chicken. I'm just being careful.

Let's close in prayer. Father, we are grateful for your word. There are parts of it that we cannot misunderstand.

And there are parts of it that we do not understand. But there are parts of it that we clearly understand.

And those are the parts, Lord, that we should be about the business of giving glory to God. And every day as we live out those things that you have given to us to live out.

That our salvation is from grace to grace. That we are sanctified daily.

That you are bringing us to a place where we will be like the Lord Jesus Christ. Not in his

Godhood, but in his perfection. That was bestowed upon us at salvation. And that will come to fruition when he comes back.

Lord, we look forward to that. We look forward to the coming days when it will be all glory to God.

There will be no negative. There will be no resistance. That everything will be subdued to your rule.

We look forward to that time. We thank you as we study through this. That we want to be careful to not be ahead or behind in any way, shape or form from your word.

And so we look forward to you helping us sharpen iron. And understand through the ministry of the Holy Spirit what the scripture has to teach us about the future.

And that in that future we will find hope. Because the Lord Jesus Christ is at the other end of that picture.

We thank you in Jesus name. Amen. Lord, to you and to the

Lord I plead for mercy. What profit is there in my debt if I'm merciful to me?

You have turned for me, my man, seen. You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with blood.

Make a joyful noise to the

Lord. Make a joyful noise to the

Lord. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him.

Bless his name. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.

Give thanks to his name.

For the Lord is good. His steadfast love endures forever.

And he's faithful. Make a joyful noise to the

Lord. Make a joyful noise to the

Lord. Make a joyful noise to the

Lord. I was poor and helpless.

This wicked sinner. The king redeemed my life.

Taste and see that God is good to us.

Taste and see his never failing love. God is good.

Taste and see that God is good to us.

Taste and see his never failing love.

Taste and see that God is good to us.

Taste and see his never failing love.

Most in Jesus is my life.

His glory is my gladness. In him

I'm satisfied. Taste and see that God is good.

Oh, taste and see he's good to us.

Taste and see that God is good to us.

Taste and see his never failing love.

God is good. God is good.

Unless the Lord builds the house.

Those who build it labor in vain. Unless the

Lord watches over the city.

The watchman stays awake in vain.

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest.

Eating the precious toil.

For he gives to his beloved sleep.

Unless the Lord builds the house.

Those who build it labor in vain. Watches over the city.

The watchman stays awake in vain.

Behold children are a heritage from the

Lord. The fruit of the world is in the hand of a warrior.

The children are ones used.

Unless the Lord builds the house.

Those who build it watches over the city.

The watchman stays awake in vain.

He fills his quiver with them.

He shall not be put to shame. When he speaks with his enemies in the game.

Unless the Lord builds the house.

Those who build it labor in vain.

Watches over the city. The watchman stays awake in vain.

Unless the Lord builds the house.

Those who build it labor in vain.

I see what's not in the council of the wicked.

Nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of scoffers.

But his delight is most righteous.

But the way of the wicked will perish.

Where shall I go from your spirit? Where shall

I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there.

If I make my bed, she owns you. If I take the wings of the morning.

And dwell in the parts of the sea. Even there your hands shall lead me.

If I say surely the darkness shall cover. And the light about me bark to you.

The night is bright as the day. For darkness is his light with you.

Where shall I go from your spirit? Where shall

I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven.

If I make you form me together.

In my mouth I praise you.

And I was being made in secret. In your book is that word formed for me.

I ascend to heaven, she owns you.

Every day we'll bless you.

And praise your name. On your glorious splendor we will dwell.

Twerks, Lord, we'll meditate. Of your awesome power we will tell.

Good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning! Welcome to Kootenay Church this morning.

Would you all please stand as we sing Standing on the Promises. Standing on the promises of Christ my

King. Through eternal ages let his praises ring.

Glory in the highest I will shout and sing. Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises they cannot fail.

When the albinos of doubt and fear have slain. By the living word of God I shall prevail.

Standing on the promises of God. Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God.

What a fellowship, what a joy divine. Leaning on the everlasting

God. What a blessedness, what a peace his might.

Leaning on the everlasting God. Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus.

Safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus.

Leaning on the everlasting God. Are you washed in the blood of the

Lamb? Are your garments, chocolates, are they white as snow?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? I'm standing on the promises, standing on the promises.

Standing on the promises of God my Savior. Standing, standing,

I'm standing on the promises of God. Yes I'm standing on the promises, standing on the promises.

I'm standing on the promises of God. Oh what a mystery, meekness and majesty.

Bow for this is your God. Let's sing this morning, meekness and majesty. Meekness and majesty.

Manhood and deity. In perfect harmony.

The man who is God. Lord of eternity.

Dwells in humanity. Kneels in humility.

And washes our feet. Oh what a mystery, meekness and majesty.

Bow down and worship. For this is your

God. Father's pure radiance.

Perfect in innocence. Yet learns obedience.

To death on a cross. Suffering to give us life.

Conquering through sacrifice. And as they crucify, praise

Father forgive. Oh what a mystery, meekness and majesty.

Bow down and worship. For this is your

God. Wisdom unsearchable.

God the invisible. Love indestructible.

And frailty appears. Lord of infinity.

Stooping so tenderly. Lifts our humanity to the height of his throne.

Oh what a mystery, meekness and majesty.

Bow down and worship. For this is your

God. The grace of God has reached for me.

And pulled me from the raging sea. And I am stayed on the solid ground.

The Lord is my salvation. I will not fear when darkness falls.

His strength will help me scale these walls. I'll see the dawn of the rising sun.

The Lord is my salvation. Who is like the

Lord our God? Strong to save, faithful in love.

My debt is paid and the victory won. The Lord is my salvation.

My hope is hidden in the Lord. He flowers each promise of his word.

When winter fades, I know spring will come. The Lord is my salvation.

In times of waiting, times of need. When I am lost, when

I am weak. I know his grace will renew these days.

The Lord is my salvation. Who is like the

Lord our God? Strong to save, faithful in love.

My debt is paid and the victory won. The Lord is my salvation.

Each the final day. He will not leave me in the grave.

But I will rise. He will call me home.

The Lord is my salvation. Who is like the

Lord our God? Strong to save, faithful in love.

My debt is paid and the victory won. The Lord is my salvation.

Glory be to God, the Father. Glory be to God, the

Son. Glory be to God, the

Spirit. The Lord is my salvation.

The Lord is our salvation. The Lord is our salvation.

You may be seated. Just one time -sensitive announcement, and that is for today we have an evangelism class that is going on today.

It starts today, and we have a guest with us, an evangelist who Peter has been working with. So if you are wanting to attend that, you can stay after the service today.

Talk to Peter Hammond if you have any questions about time and commitments and any of that, and he'll be able to answer those questions.

And I will not be here this next week or this next weekend. Dave Rich is going to be preaching for me. Actually, Dave's just going to be preaching what

I've been preaching the last few weeks, but he's just going to repeat everything I've been saying. So you don't want to miss that.

He'll be here next week doing that. Turn to Romans chapter 5, please. I needed to get that in before Dave comes up and says,

Jim stole my thunder last week. Just so you know that whatever I'm saying today, I said first before he said it. Romans chapter 5.

We're going to read together this entire chapter which describes justification, what it means to be justified, how we are justified, some of the results of our justification.

Romans chapter 5, and begin reading at verse 1. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our

Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing the tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance proven character, and proven character hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the

Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time

Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.

But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more than having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him.

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.

For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offensive

Adam, who is a type of him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the transgression.

For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man,

Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned.

For on the one hand, the judgment arose from one transgression, resulting in condemnation. But on the other hand, the free gift arose from many transgressions, resulting in justification.

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one,

Jesus Christ. So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through the one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous.

The law came in so that the transgression would increase, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.

So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our

Lord. Will you stand with me as we pray? Let's bow our heads.

Our Father, You are not only gracious and loving and kind, but You are just and righteous. And we thank

You that all of Your dealings with us are based upon justice and righteousness. You have satisfied the demands of Your own justice by sending

Your Son to bear our sin and our shame and to take it away and to give us His righteousness, infinite, perfect, imputed righteousness to all who have believed and all who will believe.

We thank You for the blessing of our salvation. It is in that gift of grace, our forgiveness and the righteousness that comes to us through faith that we rejoice.

It is because of that gift that we are able even to gather here together today and to rejoice. We thank

You that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus because by His act of righteousness and by His righteousness, we are all made righteous who have believed upon Him.

And so we thank You for taking away our sin. And we ask that as we gather together here today in Your presence as Your people, under Your Word, that You would be honored and glorified through the meditation of our heart, our worship, our fellowship, the teaching of Your Word, our prayer and our observance of communion, the

Lord's Supper together. Be honored here in our midst, that is our desire, and may the focus of all that we do and all that we say be the glory and honor of the

Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. O fount of love, divine that flows from my

Savior's bleeding side, where sinners trade their filthy rags for His righteousness applied.

Mercy cleansing every stain, now rushing o 'er us like a flood.

There the wretched and vilest ones stand adopted through His blood.

O mount of grace, to Thee we cling from the law hath set us free.

Once and for all, on Calvary's hill, love and justice shall agree.

Praise the Lord, the price is paid, the curse defeated by the

Lamb. We who once were slaves by birth, sons and daughters, now we stand.

A well of joy is mine to drink, for my

Lord has conquered death, victorious forevermore, the ancient foe is laid to rest.

Hallelujah, Christ is King, alive and reigning on the throne.

Our tongues employed with hymns of praise, glory be to God alone.

Hallelujah, Christ is King, alive and reigning on the throne.

Our tongues employed with hymns of praise, glory be to God alone.

Our tongues employed with hymns of praise, glory be to God alone.

In Colossians chapter 3, verses 15 through 17, it says, And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the

Father through Him. My heart is filled with thankfulness to Him Who bore my pain

Who clothed the depths of my disgrace

And gave me life again

Who crushed the curse of sinfulness

And clothed me with His light

And loathed His law of righteousness

With power upon my heart

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who walks beside Who floods my weaknesses with strength

And causes fears to fly Whose every promise is enough

For every step I take Sustaining me with arms of love

And crowning me with grace

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who reigns above Whose wisdom is my perfect peace

Whose every thought is love

For every day I have honored

Is given by the King So I will give my life, my all

To love and follow Him For every day

I have honored Is given by the

King So I will give my life, my all

To love and follow Him To love and follow

Him You may be seated. Turn now please to Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews chapter 10. And this will be for the last time that you're turning to Hebrews chapter 10.

We are finishing the chapter today. We're going to read together verses 35 through verse 39 and then we'll open in prayer.

Hebrews 10 beginning at verse 35. Therefore do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward for you have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised.

For yet in a very little while he who is coming will come and will not delay but my righteous one shall live by faith and if he shrinks back my soul has no pleasure in him.

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

Let's pray together. Our Father it is our desire that we would understand your word.

You have given it to us so that we may obey it. So that we may know you. In knowing you that our worship may be deep and profound.

That our walk may be obedient and pure and honoring to you. And so we pray that you would use your word to accomplish in us every good work and every good deed.

We pray that you would have your way in our hearts this morning and that you would give us grace not only to understand your word but to obey it.

Help us to appreciate what you have written here and the part that we play in your redemptive plan. And we ask that you would be glorified through all that is said and done from here forward we ask in Christ's name.

Amen. Well as I said we are finishing chapter 10 today looking at these concluding words of the warning passage.

One of the things that I love about the study of the book of Hebrews and have enjoyed all the way through Hebrews is all of the opportunities that this book has given us to go back into the

Old Testament and to cover some of the quotations and the illusions and the Old Testament background.

Because Hebrew is, the book of Hebrews is so steeped in that Old Covenant and Old Testament understanding these

Jews would have been familiar with all of these things. And so we have had the opportunity to go back into the Old Testament when called upon and as you read through the book of Hebrews you see over and over again all of these references to Old Testament text.

And we did that last week when we took the reference in verse 39, 38 sorry, my righteous one shall live by his faith and we jumped back into the book of Habakkuk and saw the context of that original quotation and saw the background of that of that great statement which

James Montgomery Boyce said is probably not just a great statement of scripture but one of the, if not the greatest statement in all of scripture.

And we looked at the context of that to see how pertinent it is to our time and we saw that there are a lot of similarities between the time of Habakkuk and the time of these early

Hebrew Christians and there are a lot of similarities between the time of these early Hebrew Christians and our time today which means that there are a lot of similarities between our time and Habakkuk's time.

It's almost as if the message remains the same and the human condition has not changed and everything goes on just as it has from the beginning and vanity of vanity is all is vanity and there's nothing new under the sun.

Right? So you can go back to Habakkuk's time and see that what he talked about the lessons that we learned there are just like pulled out of today's headlines.

And it shows us understanding that context helps us to appreciate what Habakkuk meant when he said the righteous shall live by faith.

And we have seen and we are seeing that living by faith means that we live in light of the coming of the

Lord and the judgment that that will bring upon an unbelieving world and the reward that that will bring to the righteous.

We live by faith when we are as the righteous surrounded by the wicked and surrounded by the enemies of the gospel and we live by faith in a land that is facing and is under divine judgment for its sin.

And a church really writ large across America that is rushing toward apostasy at a breakneck speed.

How do the righteous respond in such a condition? How are we to live in such a situation? The same way that Habakkuk did we live by faith.

The same way that the early Hebrew Christians did in the city of Jerusalem in a nation that saw the judgment of God bearing down upon it.

In a nation where the wicked surrounded the righteous. In a nation where the judgment was coming and it was certain we live by faith.

And we do the same thing today. This phrase that we find in verse 38 my righteous one shall live by faith that is used three times in the

New Testament. I gave you a summary of how they were used last week. In the book of Romans it is the just that is explained as Paul emphasizes that word just or justice.

What does God's justice look like? How are we justified? What is the just one? On what basis does our justification come?

Paul describes just and justification in the book of Romans. Those two words shall live are really expounded on in the book of Galatians where the emphasis is on the fact that we live by faith and not living by the law.

And then in the book of Hebrews it is the words by faith that the author picks up and is really emphasizing. The just shall live by faith.

Romans, Galatians and Hebrews give us a perfect picture of what it means for the just to live by faith. Those who have been justified past action are justified and made just on the basis of faith.

Those who are made just on the basis of faith continue to live a just life on the basis of faith. We live and walk day by day in faith.

And those who have been justified and lived by faith this is where Hebrews comes in go all the way to the end continue all the way to the end in that faith.

Even dying as it were without ever seeing the promises fulfilled. Just as the

Old Testament saints in Hebrews chapter 11 they lived in faith they died in faith never seeing the promises in their own lifetime.

But the faith that justifies us and the faith that sanctifies us and allows us to live in this world is also a faith that will continue all the way to the end even if we don't see the fulfillment of promises in our lifetime that faith will continue and bear fruit all the way to the end.

It perseveres to the end. Because it is not a faith that comes and goes it's not a faith that waxes and wanes it's not a faith that is here today and gone tomorrow.

It is a faith that having justified us and sanctified us has secured us and will persevere and preserve us all the way to the very end.

So that's the past of salvation the present of salvation and the future of salvation it is all ruled by faith.

So the emphasis in the book of Hebrews our focus here is on faith as a mark of the

Christian. And we see that faith marks the true believer that's verse 38 and faith keeps or preserves the true believer and that is verse 39 we are of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

So the emphasis on this quotation in Hebrews is not so much on what justifies us faith as opposed to works or what sanctifies us faith as opposed to law but what keeps preserves and continues all the way to the end that is faith as opposed to apostasy.

And remember in the context the context is is making this distinction this contrast between those who continue persevere to the preserving of the soul and those who fall away or shrink back to destruction.

It is a contrast between the true believer and the apostate the one who is not a true believer at all. So let's look first at faith as a mark of the righteous.

You'll notice in verse 38 and I pointed this out a couple of weeks ago that the quotation in verse 38 is not identical or exactly as we would find it in Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 4 where the quotation is taken from.

In fact if you just let your eyes read through verse 38 and I'll read to you Habakkuk 2 verse 4

I want you to notice the differences here. Habakkuk 2 verse 4 Behold as for the proud one his soul is not right within him but the righteous will live by his faith.

Now the only thing that is really almost identical is that phrase the righteous will live by his faith.

But other than that the wording is changed ever so slightly and the order of the phrases is put in reverse order.

Did you notice that? Habakkuk begins with the description of the proud one and his soul not being right and then says my righteous shall live by faith.

Hebrews reverses that order but my righteous shall live by faith and then describes the one who shrinks back in whom

God's soul has no pleasure in him. So the order of phrases is reversed and the wording is a little different and there are two reasons for this and I'm just reviewing again mentioning what

I mentioned two weeks ago. The two reasons are because the author is not giving an exact quotation. He's not intending to quote exactly what the

Old Testament text says. He is borrowing the wording of you remember Isaiah 26 and Habakkuk chapter 2.

He's borrowing the wording and he's using the wording to call to mind the context and the promises of those two passages but he changes the wording ever so slightly and intentionally which is why he doesn't cite it like he does other scripture quotations when he says and as he says or as the spirit says or as God says and then quotes it.

He doesn't do that to introduce this quotation. He's borrowing the prophetic language to call to our mind those contexts and he does accurately and strictly quote but my righteous shall live by his faith.

But the rest of the language he changes for a particular reason and that is to draw a series of contrasts.

To draw a series of contrasts. The first contrast is between the coming of the Babylonian judgment that we talked about last week and the week prior to that and the coming of the

Lord and His judgment and reward for believers. There's a contrast that is intended there. The author is intending to remind us that just as God promised that Babylon would conquer the land come in and conquer the land and bring judgment upon a disobedient and rebellious people and God would preserve the righteous through that so it is also true that the

Lord Jesus Christ will likewise just as certainly return He will bring judgment upon an unbelieving world and the righteous are to live by faith in the light of that coming judgment knowing that for the righteous it will not be a judgment for our sin.

Instead it will be a bringing with Him His reward for us. So that's the first contrast and the second is in verse 38 and that's to draw the contrast between the righteous one and the one who shrinks back.

It is in the wording of Habakkuk the proud one and his soul is not right within him.

And here the author uses the same context but he changes the wording to be the soul, the one who shrinks back is the proud one.

And so the contrast is or the comparison really is between the proud one described in Habakkuk and the one who shrinks back.

In other words just as in Habakkuk 2 there is a contrast between the wicked and the unrighteous so in Hebrews chapter 10 there is a contrast between the wicked and the unrighteous.

The wicked in Habakkuk are the proud ones. The wicked in Hebrews are the ones who are unrighteous who shrink back from salvation have not entered into salvation.

They are professors. They are mere professors of Christianity and nothing more. That's the contrast here. And it fits with the context since the author is describing here the difference between apostates and apostasy.

Remember we are talking about the warning passage. He is warning against those in verse 26 who would go on sinning willfully even after receiving the knowledge of the truth.

So he adjusts the wording here in order to draw the distinction between the wicked one the unrighteous one who will shrink back in times of hostility and the righteous one the one who is justified whose faith preserves him all the way through that hostility to the very end.

So there is a contrast between the righteous and the wicked and the one who shrinks back the unrighteous and the one who continues on that is the righteous one.

And the emphasis of this passage is on faith as opposed to apostasy and so the marks of faith are spelled out the marks of apostasy are spelled out the results of faith are spelled out and the results of apostasy are spelled out and the fruits of faith are described and the fruits of apostasy are described.

So let's break down this phrase that the righteous one shall live by his faith. Let's just deal with it in those two word increments that I gave you earlier.

The just shall live by faith. The just. When you read the word just in this context don't think in your minds of the one who is preoccupied with justice or the one who is himself doing what is just because that's not the idea.

The idea here is not somebody who has a preoccupation or a fixation upon justice like a judge would.

I have to make sure that everything is just. One of my children is one of my children has a fixation with justice. If anything is unjust she is just living over it.

It just bakes her bagels when something doesn't happen and everything is not absolutely fair. That's not what we're talking about. Not one who is just man

I've got to have everything just and right. That's not what's being described. What is being described is the one who is just and by just what we're describing is one who has been justified or made righteous because the word just and righteous they're synonyms virtually.

We're describing one here one who is righteous and again we're not describing one here who is necessarily fixated upon righteousness and we're not describing one who is necessarily righteous in all of their conduct perfectly holy pure and righteous.

But we are describing one here who has been justified or made righteous in terms of his standing before God.

That is what the righteous are. If you are in Jesus Christ by virtue of repentance and faith in Him and you have trusted in the finished work of Christ for your salvation you are just.

You are righteous. Even though you may not at this moment be practicing perfect righteousness and I promise you you're not.

But your righteous standing does not depend upon you being perfectly righteous in all of your conduct.

Your righteous standing before God depends on someone else who was perfectly righteous before God in all of His conduct.

And that righteousness which is perfect that righteousness which is infinite is imputed to you.

It is credited to your account at the moment of faith. That is the just one. So the just are made just we are declared righteous and made righteous not because of our conduct because of somebody else's conduct and we are declared righteous we would say even while we were in a sinning state.

At the moment that God justified me my repentance was not sufficient to please Him. Nor were my deeds sufficient to please

Him. Nor my sorrow over my sin sufficient to please Him. In fact I have never had adequate repentance or adequate righteousness in myself to merit anything before God.

But on the basis of the works of another who had perfect and infinite righteousness. You and I are credited that righteousness.

It is imputed to our account so that we are in the eyes of God perfectly righteous seen as if we have never sinned.

God sees the just one as if He has never sinned. That should motivate you to fight the battle against sin.

That my justification does not depend on how well I live out a righteous life. My justification is entirely dependent upon how well someone else lived out their righteous life.

And that is the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why Romans 5 verse 1 says we have been justified we have been declared righteous by faith and we have peace with God through our

Lord Jesus Christ. The hostility has been removed. All of that sin that rested upon my head and upon my back which

God was justly and rightly angry over in which His wrath hung over that sin all of that sin has been removed.

So now I have peace with God. I have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. And this was declared true of me and it was declared true of you if you are in Jesus Christ even though you have never done any act that is righteous enough to merit any gift of God or any grace from God.

See this is the age old question of how can a man be made right before God knowing the weight of our sin? How can

I be made clean? When I stand before God in my sin and we'd say as the psalmist if the

Lord were to count our iniquities who could stand before Him? Knowing that every thought of our hearts and our minds is seen by Him in perfect righteousness.

He knows every deed that we have done in light and in darkness alone or with someone else. He knows every thought we have had every corrupt motive everything we have done sinfully whether we knew it or whether we didn't whether we sin knowingly or unknowingly

He knows it all. It's all laid bare before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. And if He were to count up our iniquities

I could not even count them. I can't count that high. It would make the number of the national debt look like dice threes and fours and fives.

Our iniquities are so high and so egregious against God so if He were to mark iniquity who could stand?

And then we come before God and we see our sin in the light of His law and we say then how can a man be just?

How can God view me as righteous? Because He demands of me righteousness to enter His kingdom so how can

I be made righteous? Are there works that I can do? And how many works do

I have to do to overcome that sin debt? Is there some sacrifice that I can make and how many sacrifices do

I need to make to overcome that sin debt? Is there some work of penance? Are there righteous people who have done works of righteousness that I can kind of tap into like a treasury of merit that I can lean upon those and ask for that merit to be applied to me?

Some other sinner who has done more than the works that he should have done to pay for his sin. He's done a few extra so he can kind of give those works to me and it can be credited to my account.

How can a man be made righteous? How can God be just, that is be perfectly just, execute perfect justice and forgive the sinner?

And this is what we sang about at the beginning. It is at the cross that love and justice agree.

Because at the cross because somebody else was punished in my stead on my behalf for that reason

I can be justified and be declared righteous. That's what we're talking about when we talk about justice and the just. And God when he says that we are just and righteous he's not saying something that is not true as if he's just wishfully thinking it.

God's not saying okay for the sake of having a relationship with you I'm just going to pretend like you've never sinned.

Or I'm just going to say that you're just, I'm going to say that you're righteous even though we both know that you're not. That is not how

God executes his righteousness or gives his righteousness. Instead the very thing that God demands perfect righteousness he provides for us.

And he clothes us with it. So that in his sight in his eyes we are perfectly righteous.

And then God can say of us you are righteous. Not because we are doing righteousness not because we have been righteous but because he has credited that righteousness to our account when he has taken all of our sin away.

That is how God can be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. God made him that is

Christ who knew no sin to be sin to be treated as sin in our place so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

So that God treated the righteous one the perfect righteous one as if he were a sinner so that he can treat me a sinner as if I were perfectly righteous.

On that basis God can be gracious to me. He treated Christ who was infinite in righteousness as if he had committed an infinite amount of sin so that he might then give to me that infinite righteousness having taken away my infinite amount of sin.

So there is an exchange that takes place. All of my sin is imputed and credited to his account and he is treated as a sinner in the sight of God on the cross for my sake and all of the righteousness that he has done and all of his righteous deeds are credited to me as if I get credit for every righteous thing that Jesus Christ has done.

So it's not just that my sins are taken away. It's that I get credit for all of his righteousness. You get credit for all of his righteousness.

That is a glorious and profound truth. That should excite you because that is the truth of the gospel. Now, shall live.

What does he mean by shall live? He says, I don't think you're going to get to the end of the passage at this point, but we will. The just shall live.

You and I begin our spiritual life. We begin our eternal life at the moment of our justification and we are justified by faith.

So we are made alive at the point of our faith. Now, the theologians among us will say, well, is it faith that brought us, made us alive or did being alive result in our faith?

I would say logically, being alive results in our faith. Chronologically, our faith results in us being alive. These two things cannot be separated.

There's no such thing as a man who has faith that is unregenerated. And there's no such thing as a regenerated person who has no faith.

So these two things go together. At the moment of our faith in Jesus Christ and actually through that faith in Jesus Christ, we are regenerated.

Faith is the instrument of our regeneration. It takes place at the moment of our regeneration and it is inseparable from that act of regeneration.

I would say we are like spiritually dead men who God regenerates us and the very first thing we do is place faith in Jesus Christ.

It is the instant fruit of our regeneration. And we are made alive by faith and we continue to walk in this life by faith, our

Christian life. So there's never a point where we say, well, faith served me really well for about five or ten years and now

I'm on my own. Right? When you teach your children to walk, for a while they have to hold on to your finger or your hand and they kind of walk and they touch the couch and they touch the coffee table or the side of the bed, they're able to walk that way.

Pretty soon, they're able to walk by themselves. As Christians, it's never like that for us. We never get to a point where we say, faith was really good for five or ten years and now

I'm doing it on my own. So it's not my faith that has carried me through. I got it from here on out. No, we have been justified by faith and we continue to live our lives and are sanctified by the same faith that saves us.

It's my same trust in God and His promises. See, the promise that saved me was the promise that if I believe upon the

Lord Jesus Christ, I will be saved. I believed that God's word was true and that that sacrifice of the Son was sufficient to pay the price for my sin and by that faith, in that promise and in that God, I am saved.

It is the same thing with my walk with Christ. Each and every day, I believe that God's word is true, His promises are true and by that same faith that saves me,

I continue to walk in obedience to Him. It's faith that saves me. It is faith that sanctifies us as well.

All of life is lived by this faith, whether we are engaged in commerce or our career or at the office and our education, decisions big and small, the

Christian brings every act of obedience, the Christian brings every thought, every deed, the

Christian brings every decision, everything under the Lordship of Christ so that it is all lived out as an expression of His faith and His trust in Jesus Christ.

So our consuming motivation then is to say, is there something in my life that my faith must govern, that my trust in God must govern?

I need to express that faith and my confidence in God in everything that I do in big and in small. So the just shall live by faith.

And by the way, we shall live all the way into eternity by that same faith. I believe, well,

I would better say this, I know that there will be a resurrection of the just and I know that I will stand in this world and I will see my

Savior in His flesh and I will see it in this flesh. This flesh died, decayed, buried, resurrected again.

I will behold my Savior with these very eyes. This flesh and not another, but another flesh, but still this flesh.

You understand what I'm talking about? It's a resurrected body. I know that that is true. So I know that the faith that saves me, justified me, sanctifies me and that faith,

I'm going to die with that faith and that faith is going to see the resurrection of life at the end. Absolutely confident of that.

So the just shall live by faith and the purpose here is to define faith. The author really is introducing Hebrews chapter 11.

We have faith in a God who keeps His promises. We believe that there's going to be in verse 34 a better possession, a lasting one. Verse 35, a great reward.

Verse 36, we're going to receive what was promised. We get the preservation of our soul. Verse 39, all those rewards, all those blessings that we have been promised, our faith in Yahweh tells us that our trust in Him secures all of those things.

So just as the saints of old believed that God was going to give to them a better possession and a lasting city and all the blessings that He promised to them, so our faith is the same.

We have faith in the same God and the same promises and the same character of the same God to fulfill the same promises as all the

Old Testament saints had. We're waiting for the same thing. And that faith will endure and we may die in that faith having never seen the promises and yet our faith will be strong because the just live by that faith and the just die in that faith.

And so our faith is strong and it sees us all the way through to the very end. And I don't want you to miss the simplicity of this. Aren't you glad that it says the righteous shall live by faith and not the righteous shall live by works or live by penance or live by good deeds that they have done or live by time served off in purgatory?

It's a beautiful simple message. The just shall live. Imagine asking how can a man be made righteous?

Remember what I talked about earlier? The weight of sin upon us and the age old question, how can a man be righteous in the sight of God?

And here's the answer. The righteous live by faith. That is so much easier than works, acts of penance, good deeds, the merit of other sinners, things that I have to do in righteousness, a weekly ritual that I have to go to, a confession, going to see a priest, atoning for my own sin, pistol whipping myself because I don't feel good enough each and every week.

The righteous just live by faith. A belief, a simple trust, how simple that is.

And through that belief we are credited with righteousness and this goes all the way through all of our life. Spurgeon said this,

He who is ripest and nearest to heaven has no more ground of confidence than he who but five minutes ago like the dying thief received the assurance of his divine pardon.

The ground of the sinner's acceptance is the first moment of his faith, is the finished work of Christ and after 50 years of earnest service that must still be the sole cause of his acceptance with God and the only rock upon which his soul must dare to build.

When you're five minutes old in the Lord, if I had asked you what is your confidence of entering heaven?

You're five minutes, born again for five minutes, what would you have said? Christ and Christ alone. The only thing, I toss away all of my good works, all of my deeds, all of my hopes of self -righteousness.

My faith and trust rests in Christ so much so that he must fail for me to perish and he cannot fail therefore

I cannot perish but it's Christ and Christ alone. And then I fast forward 50 or 60 years to the end of your life and you're lying in your deathbed and I say to you what is your confidence and your hope for entering into heaven?

The righteous will always say it's still Christ and Christ alone because at no point do we ever in our lives say of ourselves five minutes into the

Lord I would have said that it's Christ and Christ alone but now here I am 25, 30 years old or 25, 30 years in and I've done a lot of stuff for the

Lord. I mean I pastored a church or I wrote books or I taught Sunday school or I worked at a soup kitchen or I preached open air or I worked at an adventure club and so I've done a lot of things now.

I mean back then I would have said it's faith but now the Lord has to look at all the things that I've done and say you know you've done a lot of good with the faith that I gave you at the very beginning.

No for the seasoned saint whether five years old in the Lord or 50 years old the seasoned saint at 50 years old in the

Lord has to say it is Christ and Christ alone that is the hope of my salvation. It's the same for all of us.

The dying saint who's been a believer for 70 years and the freshly born again saint who's been a believer for 70 seconds it is the same hope.

It is faith that marks the true believer. Verse 39 it is faith that keeps us as well. Verse 39 we are not of those who shrink back to destruction but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

It's a great summary verse for this warning passage that started back in verse 26. It's a summary because it warns those who would shrink back to destruction those who would go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth.

It warns them and reminds them that there is a fiery judgment a fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries and that it is a fearful thing verse 32 or 31 to fall into the hands of the living

God. So here's the warning again we are not of those who shrink back to destruction. There is a destruction. But instead we are of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul and this introduces us to the subject of faith which is going to carry us through Hebrews chapter 11.

Notice that there are two groups that are mentioned those who shrink back and those who continue on. Those are just the two groups. Those who shrink back and those who continue on.

What would cause someone to shrink back? Well the great conflict of hostilities that he mentions in verse 35 would do that wouldn't it?

He faced this great conflict of hostilities and opposition from friends and families and neighbors. You have endured this reproach of Christ and the great tribulation and had your property seized and been imprisoned and had to visit those who were in prison.

Any of those things would have caused somebody to shrink back and to say no I understand that there was a cost involved but now that I see the cost played out in real life

I'm not interested in that whatsoever. And who are those who continue on to the persevering of the soul or the preserving of the soul?

Those are those who have faith. They have faith to the preservation of their soul.

Their faith endures all the way to the end. So this shrinking back is not describing someone who had true and genuine faith and then fell away.

How do I know that? Because those who have true and genuine faith have faith to the preserving of the soul.

So this doesn't describe somebody who has genuine faith and falls away to destruction. It describes those who verse 39 who may have had a profession of faith an appearance of faith who hung around the fringes of Christianity for a period of time because you see when there are no cost to discipleship and there's no cost to being a

Christian all of the heretics the false teachers the wolves and the professors of faith in Christ they all hang around the fringes of Christianity and sometimes even get in and insinuate themselves into the assembly.

But once faithfulness becomes costly and expensive then all of the frauds and the phonies and the fakes they all say

I'm not up for that game. That's more cost than I'm willing to bear. I can go back somewhere else and not have to face any of that conflict of suffering.

So there are two groups. Those who shrink back to destruction and those who continue on to the preserving of the soul.

You know what persecution does? It sifts those two groups. That's what persecution does.

If we had real persecution in this country Joel Osteen's church next week would be shut down.

There might be four brand new Christians who would show up and say hey where'd everybody go? Did the rapture happen?

That thing that I heard about or read about on Christian radio? Did the rapture happen? Oh no it wasn't a rapture it was called persecution.

Because all of a sudden everybody would realize the cost of this is too much to bear and I'm not willing. I mean I got a picture of Joel on my book at home.

I can just go home and look at his smiling face. I don't need to come here and see his smiling face. So I can be at home where it costs me nothing.

Persecution sifts these two groups of people. It shows who it is who has faith to the preserving of the soul and who it is that is going to shrink back.

And there is no third group. There's no group of people you'll notice in the text there's no group of people who had faith and then shrank back to destruction.

Or who had faith and then were thrown into destruction because they committed some sin once too often.

Or they committed some unforgivable sin. There's no third group of people. There are those who shrink away from a profession of faith when the hostility comes and they shrink away to destruction and then there are those who continue on to the preservation of the soul.

Those are the two groups. The destruction that is described here the word used for destruction means eternal perdition or ruin, eternal destruction.

It's used that way in scripture. Matthew chapter 7 verse 13 Jesus said enter through the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and there are many who enter through it.

Romans 9 22 What if God although willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make his power known endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction.

Philippians 1 28 Be in no way alarmed by your opponents which is a sign of destruction for them but of salvation for you and that too from God.

The contrast there between salvation and destruction. This is the word that is used. It's not describing the discipline of a believer.

It's not describing a believer going through difficult times or trials or suffering for the sake of purging us and sanctifying us.

This is describing eternal destruction. It is the same kind of language that is used here in verse 39 that was used in verse 27 the terrifying expectation of judgment.

Verse 27 the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Verse 28 dying without mercy. Verse 29 severe punishment.

Verse 30 vengeance is mine I will repay. Verse 30 the Lord will judge his people. Verse 31 it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living

God. The author is using those descriptions again. He's returning back to that same theme. He says to them you are not of those who shrink back to destruction.

You are not of those who back away or walk away from the faith to destruction like the apostate. Instead he says you are of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

The author is fairly confident that most of his readers although there may be some of them there who would shrink back whom this persecution that they were facing would filter them out.

The author is fairly confident that most of those to whom he is writing were genuine believers. So he expresses the same thing here that he does in the previous warning passage in chapter 6 when after going through the description of the judgment that would befall the apostate he says but we are convinced of better things concerning you things that accompany salvation.

And after warning everybody this is what happens to apostates he then backs up a little bit and says but I am convinced concerning the majority of you that you are not of those who shrink back to destruction but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

Again there are two groups those who have faith and those who do not. There are two actions shrinking back and continuing on and there are two results destruction and salvation of the preserving of the soul.

And the word preserving there is a word that means to keep or possess or to obtain something. You don't lose it. We do not lose our soul to eternal judgment because we have faith to the preserving of the keeping the obtaining of it.

And so we are not like those who gain the whole world and lose our soul. We are not like those who gain comfort and convenience and lose our soul. We are not of those who shrink back and lose our soul.

We are of those who have faith we possess faith all the way through to the preserving the keeping of our soul. And listen biblical true genuine

God -given faith must result in salvation. It must. And the reason it must is because the gift of faith is a divine gift that God grants to us.

It is not something that is of a human making. It's not a human activity. We don't conjure up the faith to believe from within us.

It's not something that is deep residing in the heart of wicked and sinful men. It is something that God grants to those to whom

He also grants the gift of repentance. That is why in Ephesians chapter 2 Paul says it is by grace you have been saved through faith and that, that is the faith is not of yourselves it's the gift of God not of works so that no one can boast.

There's nobody here who can distinguish themselves from an unbeliever by saying well I have one thing of which I can boast the faith that I believed with.

No, Paul says that's a gift from God. For to you it has been granted not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for His sake.

You see these are the two great gifts that God gives to His elect. Belief and suffering. I kind of want that the first one

I'm not so sure about the second one. No, no to you it has been granted. Just as God has given the gift of suffering to us

He's also given us the ability to believe. It is a gift from God. It is not of human works so that we cannot boast.

And since it is God's gift it is also God's means of preserving us. It is through that same gift of faith that we are preserved we are kept.

1 Peter chapter 1 verse 5 and this is what Dave is going to steal next week when he preaches. We are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Listen, we are protected by the power of God through faith. We are not protected from losing our reward. We are not protected and we are not kept and we are not preserved by human activity human work human endeavor human will human faith none of that.

We are protected by the power of God. How? Through faith. What faith? The faith that God gave to you so that you would believe.

Now listen God does not do your believing for you. He does not do your believing for you but you cannot believe anything without His grace or enablement.

We are entirely dependent upon Him for the gift of repentance the gift of belief and faith the gift of regeneration the gift of justification we depend upon Him for all of that but God does not do your believing for you.

If you are outside of Jesus Christ you yourself must repent and turn from your sin and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

That is His command to you. He is not going to believe on your behalf but you better call out to God because you cannot believe any of the gospel message apart from His grace.

So you need His grace to do that. And it is through that gift of faith it is through that work of faith that God gives to us and that divine enablement that divine ability to believe it is through that faith and as a means of that faith in the power of God coupled with that faith that He preserves and keeps

His people all the way to the very end so that that faith can never waver that faith can never go away it can never be extinguished no trial no tribulation no temptation no conflict of suffering can ever do away with it.

Why? Because it is not my faith and if it were only human faith it would have perished and fizzled up a long time ago.

But that faith no matter what the trial is that faith endures because it is a gift from God and He keeps His people through that gift of faith.

How is it that God preserves His elect saves them and sanctifies them and secures them and keeps them all the way to the very end?

How is it that God can guarantee the outcome of my salvation? He can guarantee the outcome of my salvation because He is the one who gave me that faith and He is the one who works through that faith in His power to preserve and keep us.

So since that faith is not of human origin there is nothing that humans can do to extinguish that faith. So it will be kept and it will persevere all the way to the end which is why

Paul said I am confident in this very thing that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. How could he say that?

How could Paul say I know for certain that God will complete the work He began in you? Because God doesn't stop

His work. God doesn't start saving you and then say you know I'm 30 years into this but I'm kind of tired of Him.

I'm going to move on to some other project. That's not how God works. Paul knew that God would complete what

He began because God always finishes what He starts. God is always successful in what He endeavors to do and He always accomplishes

His purposes because there is no power in heaven or on earth that can thwart the purposes of God.

So if He has intended to save you if He has purposed to do that and He has given granted you repentance and turned you from your sin and given you faith to believe

He will preserve you and keep you through that faith so that it will never fail. So you ask yourself what if I were to what if persecution were to come to this country and I were asked to suffer in some horrible way for my faith would

I be able to endure? I can say to you right now I have absolute confidence that I would.

You say that sounds really arrogant. No. If I said I would because I'm that full of faith

I'm that great of a faither I've got so much faith I've got abundant faith I come up with that faith I just renew it every morning

I get up every morning think to myself Jim just dig down deep and dig up some more faith and add that to the faith you had yesterday just keep on faithing on buddy.

That's not the basis of my confidence. My confidence is that I know that the faith that He has given the gift that He has granted the power by which

He keeps us cannot fail. And if the power by which He keeps us cannot fail then my salvation cannot fail and that faith cannot fail.

We can only say yes to that if we're looking entirely to Him to keep us through that tribulation to keep us through the great conflict of suffering.

Because He cannot fail that faith cannot fail. Now does that mean that I have the faith right now in this moment to be burned at the stake?

No because there's no fire up here and if there were fire up here then God would grant me the faith at that moment to endure what

He has called me to endure at that moment. But God does not give me the grace or the strength or the faith ahead of the deal.

He gives it to you at the moment that you need it. So He will keep me He will preserve you

He will keep you all the way to the end if you are the just one because the just live by that faith.

And God keeps His just ones through that gift of faith. If you do not have that faith then you are not just and you are not righteous in His sight and you have a sin debt for which

God will pour out His wrath on you for all of eternity if you do not repent and believe on the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That faith endures and friends we may even die in faith without receiving the promises but we still die in faith because the nature of that faith is that it carries us through all the way to death.

One last quote from Spurgeon with this I close. Spurgeon said this. Let us then pluck up courage.

Let there be no standing still no lingering with chill reluctance no shivering on the brink with timorous fear.

Your captain waves his hand and bids you advance. Go on trembler, go on. For there is goodness and there is mercy prepared to go before you and to follow after you all the days of your life.

Yes, even when you come to the very brink of death then, even then it will be a blessed thing to play the man by faith to gather up one's feet in the bed to compose oneself to deliver the last testimony and without so much as a sign of trepidation or a thrill of fear to pass the iron gate conscious that Jesus will come to meet and crown with glory the spirit who has trusted in Him.

Close quote. That is what it means to die in faith. Let's bow our heads. Our Father, we thank you that you grant us not only the faith to believe but that you keep us through that faith.

We thank you that you have not asked us to conjure up our own faith or to make ourselves righteous before we were accepted by you but entirely upon the basis of what

Christ has done. In that we rejoice. We cannot thank you enough that you are just and because you are just you will never punish us who are in Christ for our sin.

We thank you for that salvation and that promise because all of the wrath for our sin has been satisfied on the cross.

We are able to rejoice and exult in God our Savior. Knowing as Paul does that having been justified by grace through faith that we have peace with you and we have that confidence that we will be counted and credited with righteousness in Jesus Christ by Jesus Christ because of all that He has done.

We thank you for granting us all of our salvation. Not just the justification but the election that preceded it back in eternity past.

The grace to repent. The grace to believe. For changing our hearts. For changing our nature. For drawing us to your

Son. For opening our eyes that we may see Christ and behold His beauty and His glory and be drawn to Him.

We are grateful for all of that work. We credit it all to you our great and triune God. We thank you Father for our election.

We thank you Lord Jesus Christ for coming to die for us to shed your blood so that we may have eternal life and we thank you

Holy Spirit for regenerating us at the proper time. We give you our praise oh blessed triune

God in the name of Christ your Son. Amen. We come now to the

Lord's Supper. We've been talking about righteousness and being righteous and the

Gospel. If you are here this morning and you have never trusted Christ for salvation my appeal to you would be to not partake of the elements as we pass them around because you're eating and drinking judgment to yourself.

Paul warns us about that in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. This is for those who are in Jesus Christ who have turned from their sin and believed upon Him.

And this is a memorial for us. It is a reminder of the suffering of our Lord and what He endured on our behalf.

That He took upon Himself a human body and He lived a perfect life in the stead of all who will believe upon Him. And that He offered

His life as a sacrifice on the cross to make atonement payment for the sins of all of His people.

So that if you will come to Jesus Christ and when you come to Jesus Christ you can have confidence that there is righteousness abundant in Him and there is forgiveness available in Him because of what

He has done. And our partaking of the elements of communion is a reminder of that. And we enjoy this fellowship together as we reflect upon what

Christ has done the sacrifice of that and we reflect of course upon our own unworthiness to partake of that element.

Not unwillingness. Our own unworthiness to partake of these elements. We were unworthy of any of His grace because of our sin and the great weight of our sin.

And communion is an opportunity to reflect upon how we have violated the law of God by our lying our stealing our blasphemy our covetousness our slander our gossip the use of our words the attitude of our heart the motives the things done in darkness the things done in light the things done alone the things done with others.

All the things we have done which warrant His wrath. Communion offers us the opportunity to reflect upon that and the great cost of our salvation.

And then to repent of sin that we know we have committed before we partake of these elements. So we want to do this in a worthy way and for a believer that means that we confess our sin to the

Lord and then we partake of communion together fellowshipping with Him and thanking Him deep in our hearts for His sacrifice and for His work of grace on us who believe.

So I'll ask the ushers to come forward at this time help me serve the elements in a moment here I will ask you to bow your head and pray.

Alright let's take a couple moments of silent prayer and then I'll lead us in prayer. Our Father if you were to mark our iniquities we could not stand before you for there is none righteous not one.

All of us like sheep have gone astray we have all sinned against you grievously in so many ways that we know of and that we are not even aware of and yet we thank you that there is both forgiveness and righteousness in the work of Christ and in the provision that you grant through faith in Him in your

Son. We thank you for forgiving us of our sins and our iniquities we thank you that you have drawn our hearts in love to you that you have opened our eyes to see how we have fallen short of your law how we have fallen short of your standard of righteousness your perfect holiness and then that having opened our eyes to that that you did not just leave us wallowing in our sin guilty and undone but that you also made us to see

Christ and what He has done as a sufficient sacrifice for that you granted us repentance you granted us the grace to believe and we thank you for that thank you for opening our eyes thank you for this provision in your

Son we are grateful for it we confess our sin to you knowing that there is a remedy and knowing that there is righteousness in Him in His name we pray

Amen On the very night in which

He was betrayed our Lord took the bread and when He had broke it He said take, eat this is My body which is broken for you do this in remembrance of Me in the same manner after supper

He took the cup and said this is the new covenant in My blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me Our Father we rejoice in the precious gift of salvation in the work of your

Son who has accomplished all of it for us on our behalf we thank you for His perfect righteousness thank you for His perfectly sinless life and that He is able by that gift of righteousness and grace to save all who come to Him by faith thank you for including us in your eternal plan thank you for gracing us and gifting us with that forgiveness and with that righteousness we praise you and we hope and pray that we may be able to see you before we partake of this again we ask this in Christ's name

Amen Would you please stand When I fear my faith will fail

Christ will hold me fast When the tempter would prevail

He will hold me fast I could never keep my hold

Through life's fearful path For my love is often cold

He will hold me fast He will hold me fast

He will hold me fast For my Savior loves me so He will hold me fast

Those He saves are His delight Christ will hold me fast

Precious in His holy sight He will hold me fast

He'll not let my soul be lost His promises shall last

Bought by Him at such a cost He will hold me fast

He will hold me fast For my

Savior loves me so He will hold me fast

For my life He bled and died Christ will hold me fast

Justice has been satisfied He will hold me fast

Raised with Him to endless life He will hold me fast

Till our faith is turned to side When He comes at last

He will hold me fast He will hold me fast

For my Savior loves me so He will hold me fast

He will hold me fast He will hold me fast

For my Savior loves me so He will hold me fast

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the

Holy Spirit. Have a great week. We can't imagine that you are too beautiful for us to fathom.

You are great, greater than we can imagine, too beautiful for us to fathom because you are great.

You are too beautiful, merciful, wonderful for us to fathom.

Need to be praised