Translated Into the Kingdom of His Son (02/08/2004)

Turn with me to Colossians chapter 1 and then we're going to be in Hebrews chapter 10.

Colossians chapter 1 we'll review a little bit and then we'll be the message this morning will be in Hebrews chapter 10.

In Colossians chapter 1 verse 12 it says, giving thanks unto the

Father which hath made us meet, that means fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear

Son. We've been talking about for many months now the finished work of Christ and everything that he accomplished on the cross.

A few times ago we were talking about the fact that he delivered us and then last

Sunday we began to talk about what it means to be translated and we're still on that topic this morning. What does it mean that he translated us into the kingdom of his dear

Son? To translate means to bear, remove, or change from one place, state, form, or appearance to another.

So to change from one state to another. In Colossians chapter 1 verse 21 it says, and you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.

You see the change? At one time we were enemies and we were alienated from God, now we are reconciled to God.

Verse 14, once we were slaves to Satan, to the world, and to our own flesh, but now it says in whom we have redemption.

We've been purchased from the slave block of sin. And once we were under God's justice and severe judgment and now it says even we have the forgiveness of sins.

Verse 15 says that the one who died for us on the cross, this one who made this provision so that we could be translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, it says in verse 15 this one is the image of the invisible

God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him were all things created that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.

All things were created by him and for him and he is before all things and by him all things consist.

This word consist in the Greek language means to be set together. It means that Jesus holds all things together by the power of his word.

Verse 18, and he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have preeminence.

For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. There's a place in the

Bible and in Colossians where it says that Jesus is all of the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

All of the fullness of the Godhead in a body. That's who Jesus is.

And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him

I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death.

You see this is all part of the finished work of Christ. To present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.

You see there was a time when Jesus died once and for all.

Verse 23 says, if you continue.

Now we talked about last time that that word if is one that the Baptists don't like.

We like to stop with verse 22 actually. 22 says that all of that passage says we've been reconciled, we've been redeemed, we've been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

We were once enemies, now we're reconciled and he accomplished this in the body of his flesh through death to present us holy and unblameable and unprovable in his sight if.

We don't like that next word. But that's what we're going to study this morning. What does it mean?

If you continue in the faith grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard and which was preached into every creature which is under heaven where have

I Paul and made a minister. That word if is there because every sermon that was ever preached in the

Bible days was preached to a congregation of people that consisted of three kinds of people.

You had the lost who were of the elect, you had the lost who were not elect, and you had the saved who were obviously of the elect.

You have those three and God knows who they are. God called them for a purpose, for his own pleasure.

But they're all out in the crowd and yet in most congregations nearly everybody there thinks in their own mind they're okay.

So the word if is placed there for those who are in the congregation who are professing to be saved when they're not.

They've either done some religious act where they prayed a little prayer and said dear Jesus come on and save me amen.

Or they've been baptized or they were raised in a Christian home. But for some reason they think they are saved simply because the company they're keeping that morning in church.

And yet they're not really born again. And so the word if is placed there for those people.

It is not placed there for those of you who are in Christ. We'll prove that a little later on this morning. It's not there for you.

It is there for all of us to examine our own salvation to see whether it be true or not.

All of us have to do that each time. Now I'd like for you to turn with me to the book of Hebrews because we're going to go into this and discuss this word if and why it's there.

Why is there seemingly a condition upon this beautiful passage where it says we shall be presented holy and unblameable which means unblemished and unreprovable in his sight which means directly in front of his eyes is what the

Greek word means. If we continue. Well turn to Hebrews chapter 10 in verse 23.

Now we're going to start talking about what I would call symptoms of translation.

You have been translated the Bible says from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son kingdom of light.

How do you know? How can you examine yourselves? How can we examine ourselves and know if we have been translated or not?

How can we know that we've been born again? Well there are some symptoms that the Bible gives us that all true believers have.

And we're going to look at those. We won't get to all of them this morning. We're going to look at those.

And I want to read you a verse. A very short verse out of 1st

John and then we'll be in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 23. But 1st John 3 .14 says this.

Listen very carefully. We know that we have passed from death unto life.

You see that's the translation. Now how can we know if we've been translated?

Well it says we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren.

He that loveth not his brother abides still in death. He's not saved yet.

He can be sitting in church. He can enjoy the music. He can endure the sermon.

But if he doesn't have love in his heart for his brothers he's not saved yet. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us. Very interesting verse.

Doesn't mention Jesus Christ anywhere in that passage. It says the word God. Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us.

Who does that verse tell you Jesus is? And how can we doubt it?

It's such a plain verse. Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us.

So who was Jesus? He was God manifest in the flesh so that he could die.

A spirit being cannot die. So he was manifest in the flesh and they called his name

Jesus and they gave him the title Emmanuel which means God with us and then he died.

And this showed forth the love of God to the whole universe and it made it where we could perceive the love of God.

We could sense it with all of our senses we physical beings.

We could sense with all of our senses that God loved us when he gave his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Now a person who doesn't have that attitude in his heart towards his brothers and sisters that he would lay his life down for them is not saved yet.

He can profess that he is a Christian all day long but he cannot change that selfish heart of his because the lost man the old natural man is pure self.

Pure self and he can't change that. Oh he can have compassion on people if it turns out to good for himself.

So it can be mimicked but it cannot be true. However if you have been translated into God's kingdom you have love for the brethren.

Now I'll tell you this if you love someone let's see I could use several people for this example.

Let me pick Dree this morning. If you love someone does that mean you want to be away from them or you want to be with them?

That's right. Where's Brian this morning by the way? So she's not having as much fun this morning as she could be if Brian were sitting there also.

Now how can we say that we love the brethren but we don't like to go to church? Have you ever figured that one out?

I'm preaching to the wrong crowd you're here. But you all have friends that claim to be Christians and so yeah oh

I love Jesus and they never go to church anywhere. Now I can understand it's hard to find a good church nowadays but you have to find some people you love if you love them you want to be with them.

The first sign that you've been translated is you want to be with other Christians because you love them.

Now Hebrews chapter 10 starting with verse 23 is one of the greatest places in the Bible to discuss church attendance.

Now the Church of Christ have it figured out. Now what they teach is if you don't come to church you lose your salvation.

So therefore you have to come and you got a tithe. I like that. Only problem is it's not the truth so I can't preach that.

But there is some pretty good stuff in the Bible that I can preach about church attendance so let's look at it.

Hebrews chapter 10 verse 23 says let us hold fast the possession of our the profession of our faith without wavering.

Isn't that kind of similar to what the Bible says in Colossians in that verse 23 where it says if you continue in the faith grounded.

This one says let us hold fast our profession. Let us continue in the faith.

So we're going to pick up right there and discuss this word if. If you continue because this little passage all the way down through the end of chapter 10 is talking exactly about this.

So he begins saying let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised.

So our salvation is not based upon our own efforts. It's based on the one who promised our salvation who is faithful and that's

Jesus Christ. He's faithful he never wavers he never changes and if he's made a promise it can't change.

So therefore let us hold our profession fast even when we might have doubts. Even when we may be weak of faith let us hold our profession fast because it's not based on us.

It's based on his promise. The one who can never lie. That's how this chapter this part of this chapter begins.

Now look at verse 24. Let us consider one another to provoke to provoke and to love and to good works.

Now you can't do that if you don't come together. If you don't come together in the assembly where you're around one another you will not have the opportunity to provoke one another to love and to good works.

Don't you think that's an interesting word provoke? Boy that says a lot about our fallen nature.

That says a lot about the fact that even those of us who are translated we're still walking around in a body of flesh that ain't translated yet.

It won't be translated until the great translation the rapture or until our physical death.

So that tells us that we have an old nature that hangs around us and therefore sometimes when we see a brother or sister whose countenance is down who's walking around with their arms hanging a little longer than they normally are we need to provoke them back to good works and to love the love of God.

So we're encouragers. We have to come together because when I'm weak you're strong.

Last week Rick was weak and I was strong. This week I'm weak and he's strong and we have to provoke one another to continue in the faith.

This faith of abiding agape love for one another and for God and that will produce the good works.

But don't you think the word provoke is humorous almost? It's like I got to come up brother

Russell and get a cow prod and stick it to his behind and say get with it brother Russell. Keep doing those good works.

Don't quit. And you got to love me even though I just popped you with the cow prod. Provoke.

I mean it's hilarious. But now you know I believe this

I've said this many times for the last at least five years that if you could find a person that you could spend time with a couple times a week and I'm not talking about a church

I mean just find a person you could spend time and maybe have coffee together and just discuss the

Word of God together and change your life. Now you can do that with your spouse or with a friend, brother, or sister in Christ and that is a way of provoking one another.

It's an easier way because if you do that you hardly get to the place where you need the cow prod probably.

So it says that we're supposed to come together and provoke one another to love and good work so that we will not waver from the faith.

Look at verse 25. Not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together.

That is a negative way of saying go to church. It's the negative way of saying don't skip church.

Not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together as the manner of some is.

That's admitting that some of us, some of the people who profess to be

Christians skip church quite often. Some of them go on Easter and Christmas and they skip all the rest of the time and yet they call themselves a

Christian. But the Bible says don't forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is.

Some do forsake it, some do skip, but you don't do that. But exhorting one another, now we have we have this word that goes along with provoking one another, now we're going to exhort, that means encourage one another.

And so much the more as you see the day approaching. Which day is that?

The coming of the Lord. Is it closer now than it was last week? Then we ought to be more careful to be in church now than we were even last week.

Because as we see that day coming, we ought to not forsake the assembly of ourselves together and so much the more.

Why do we need to be together? Well those verses show again and again why. For encouraging one another, for provoking one another, so that we can be strengthened by our mutual faith so that we will not allow our profession to waver.

Now verse 26 begins to go into an area that really makes this difficult for people who are hung up on eternal security but they they don't understand the sovereignty of God.

And for the most part that's nearly all Baptists today. Most Baptists in the world today are

Arminians. In other words they believe in humanism, they wouldn't admit it, but they believe that man controls everything.

They believe the way you get saved is you accept Jesus. You make a choice to accept him. So you controlled it.

They believe that the way you do good works is that you just decide I'm gonna make a list of good things and I'm gonna keep that list using my good character.

And on and on. And yet the Baptist of all people wants to say oh but once saved always saved.

Can't lose your salvation. I can go live for the devil if I want to but I can't lose my salvation. Long as I make one good profession of faith and get baptized.

Then I can go to church on Easter and Christmas but I can't lose my salvation. Well those kinds of people don't like the rest of this passage.

Let's read it together because this is talking to the same crowd that it just told to not skip church. And what does it say?

For if we sin willfully. So if you skip church what have you just done? You've willfully sinned.

You made a choice, a willful choice to disobey God who told us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.

So if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of truth. Now what does it mean to receive the knowledge of truth?

Well it's simple. It means someone's told you the gospel and you heard it. Well if we sin willfully after that event there remains no more sacrifice for sins.

Boy this starts sounding frightening. The only thing that remains in verse 27 is a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.

So your buddies didn't come today. They're in trouble aren't they? Well maybe so maybe not but let's read on here.

Let's stop and think about this. What does it mean that if we sin willfully there remaineth no sacrifice for sins?

Would you turn back in Hebrews? Let's go back a couple of chapters to chapter 6 for a moment.

Now in Hebrews chapter 6 this is a real interesting passage if you have church

Christ friends like to argue with you about things. You've probably grown beyond arguing with them because you know you're not going to change them.

They're not going to change you. But if you like to have a little fun every once in a while and engage in healthy answering of why you believe what you believe which

Timothy says we're supposed to be able to do that at any time then this is a good chapter. Look at verse 2. We're going to well verse 1 says therefore we're going to leave the principles of the doctrines of Christ.

The very first things. We're going to leave the baby things. The things that you learn when you first get saved.

We're going to move on into some deeper things. That's what it's saying. So one of the things we're going to move on from because this is something you teach brand -new baby

Christians is the doctrine of baptisms. Now notice it has an S after it. Church Christ people believe there's only one baptism and they'll teach you that.

And there's a verse in the Bible that says one faith one baptism. So they use that verse to say there's only one baptism but they forget about this verse that the word has an

S after it which means plural which means there's more than one. So that means they're misinterpreting the other verse apparently.

And so there is more than just water baptism and yet they think you're saved by water baptism.

The word baptisms implies that there are other baptisms. There is a spirit baptism which is really what water baptism pictures.

And it happens to be the spiritual baptism of being baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ that saves you.

It is not the water. But they can't figure that out because they think there's only one baptism. It all happens when you get dunked in that water they think.

So this verse would help you out to help them out in that area. But let's move on here. We're not going to talk anymore about the baptisms.

We're not going to talk about the resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment. All these baby things that have already been taught to the new believer.

We're moving on. And this we will do if God permit. We will move on to deeper things. Now look what he says next.

If for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened.

Now I want to stop just a minute. And I want to read to you this verse that we just looked at over in Hebrew chapter 10.

Let me find it here. Verse 26.

For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth. After we receive the knowledge of truth.

Isn't that similar to what this is saying? For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened.

You see it's talking about the same topic. And have tasted of the heavenly gift.

They have heard about it. They've tasted of it. And were made partakers of the

Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost moved in upon their life. Now you can debate whether he's irresistible or resistible.

I think he's irresistible. But it goes on and says it is impossible.

Verse 6. It is impossible if they shall fall away to renew them again to repentance.

Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh.

And put him to open shame. Now let's go back to chapter 10 where we were.

But let's keep that information in mind as we read chapter 10. That the Bible teaches it is impossible for a person.

If he had partaken of the Holy Ghost. And if he could lose his salvation.

It would then be impossible for him to regain it. Because to do so he would have to re -crucify

Jesus. And put him to open shame. In other words people that believe that you can get saved and lose it and get saved again and lose it and get saved again.

In their mind God says what you think is that the one time death of Jesus was not sufficient to save you forever.

That you have to kill him again and again. Every time you sin you got to kill him again. And that's blasphemy. Now with that in mind that's exactly what's taught in Hebrews chapter 6.

Now let's go back to chapter 10 verse 26. For if we sin willfully after we've received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no sacrifice for sin.

Do you see that? It says look you can't crucify him again. You cannot. Therefore if you could lose it you're in trouble.

And why is it that these churches that teach you can lose it also teach you can get it back. When the Bible clearly teaches you can't.

Because you can't get in their purse if they don't come back. If you teach them what if they did this at Church of Christ.

They believe you can lose it. Now how do you lose it? There any number of ways. Because there's about five things you got to do to get saved. So if you drop any one of those five you just lost it.

Now how would their budget be if they walked into every person's home who skipped church one time.

Now how do they know how many times is enough to lose it? Let's be safe. Let's say they skip three in a row. Now we have a good rule.

They skip three in a row or they played a piano in the church building and sinned they think.

And then they lost that salvation. What if the elders walked into that home and said John I'm sorry.

You don't need to come back because you can't re -crucify Jesus and you're lost forever now.

It was nice knowing you. John's got the biggest house in town. Drives the biggest Cadillac.

Owns the biggest company in town. You think I'm gonna tell him the truth? No. I'm gonna say hey John if you bow your head and pray with me again and ask

God to forgive you. You can be welcome back into the fellowship. You'll be re -saved. Would that be good?

So he'll do it. Now he's gonna spend a lifetime getting that done to him. Why is it if water baptism saves you that I don't have to go baptize you again though?

I haven't figured that one out yet. But none of it makes sense. It's just like if you try to lie.

How difficult is it to remember every little thing you've said previously and make it all match again? That's difficult.

All of us learn that. When we were little didn't we? Some of us think we're better at it now. But we're not.

Be sure your sin will find you out because of that. So if you're gonna teach a doctrine that's not true, you're gonna run into some scriptures like this that are gonna mess it up.

They're gonna make it where it doesn't fit. It doesn't tie together. And you're gonna be in real trouble. And if you're not really really good at telling a lie, you're gonna get all fumbly faced.

Because you're not gonna be able to answer what it means when God says, hey, if you were to lose that, you can't get it back.

Now let's go back into Hebrews chapter 10. That's not picking on our church

Christ brothers for a little bit. If we willfully after that, if we sin and after that we've received the knowledge of truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins.

So we're in big trouble. Now keep your hand there a minute.

Turn over to Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 3.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the

Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, the apostles? God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders and diverse miracles and gifts of the

Holy Ghost according to his own will. Verse 4, can I pick on another group now for just a moment?

I mean, it's just us. Go turn the tape off. No, you can leave it on. Just be careful, Brother Raymond.

Be careful where you take this tape. Do you find it interesting that it says that the purpose for the signs and the wonders and the healings and the miracles was to bear witness to the apostles?

That's what verse 4 says. The apostles and Jesus had a message that changed a dispensation.

That's a huge thing in the world events. There aren't many places in the Bible in all of human history where that even happens.

It happened with Moses, and yet Moses all of a sudden was able to perform signs and miracles through the power of the

Holy Spirit. It happened with the prophets, and they were able. And then it happened with the apostles and Jesus because they were bringing a new message to the world that had to be authenticated.

Why would a Jew believe anything that Jesus and the apostles said? Why would they believe anything they said?

Because they were going against the grain of their law, unless God backed it up with powerful signs and wonders, which is exactly what

God did. Notice who it says at the bottom of that verse is in control of those things, by the way, according to His own will.

God is a sovereign God. Did you know that you can't speak in tongues unless the

Holy Spirit, God in His sovereignty, gave you that gift and made you do it?

You can't do it just because somebody's sitting next to you wants to. You can't have somebody teach that to you.

And by the way, this gibberish that's being taught is not true biblical tongues because in the

Bible they were languages. That's right, Brother David, they were angelic languages.

Show me that. They were not. And so what they were is they were languages of the world, significant languages of the world that were given miraculously as a sign gift in order to bear them witness with both signs and wonders and with diverse miracles and gifts of the

Holy Ghost according to His own will so that we would believe the New Testament message. And there came a time when those ceased, by the way.

And there will come a time when they will return, according to the book of Joel, during the tribulation period.

But the Bible's clear on these things, it's just that the world is muddled up on it. But look, it says,

How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Look at chapter 3, verse 6.

But Christ is a Son over His own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast.

Look, there's the word if again. Same phrase, if we hold fast. The confidence, that's another word for the word hope.

And faith. And the rejoicing of the hope, firm unto the end.

Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the day of provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

Wherefore, I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart, and they have not known my ways.

So I swear in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be any of you, sitting here in this congregation this morning, any of you, in you, an evil heart of unbelief, and departing from the living

God. Now this is New Testament information. But exhort one another daily. You see this thing about why do we come to church?

We're going to provoke each other, we're going to exhort one another. Daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.

That doesn't sound much like Baptist doctrine, does it, ladies and gentlemen? But it sure is good

Bible doctrine. Now let's go back to Hebrews chapter 10 again. We have these little parallel passages to read, and I'm showing them to you.

Now verse 27 says, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment. Now this is the person who skips church.

And that's just one of many things that are symptoms of salvation, that if a person doesn't have it, they should question their own salvation.

If they don't love the brethren enough to want to be around them at church, they need to ask the question, Have I been translated?

Because there's a certain fearful looking for of judgment by that person. A person who never comes to church is always looking over his back for God.

Let me ask you, how many of you were saved later in life? After the age of 15, raise your hand.

Up high where we can see it. Everybody look around. These are the real sinners. I'll put mine up too. We got to be 15 before we got saved.

Now, how many of you went to church, but you'd just soon been home?

If you had your choice, raise your hand at that time before you got saved. But let me ask you this.

How many of you felt kind of guilty when you didn't go to church? Raise your hand. Why? Because we weren't saved yet.

And yet we knew it was right to go to church because our parents had taught us that, and so we were looking for judgment.

You see, we had a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.

We knew that a lot of the people we hung around with hated God. We didn't, but we knew they did. We didn't think we did, but we knew they did.

And yet they didn't seem to be too worried about this fearful looking for of judgment. They never seemed to think about it, but we did.

Why is that? Because with retrospect, we were of the elect. You see, God already knew us and had called us before the foundation of the world as his own.

It's just we didn't know it yet. And I'm not saying we were saved yet. We were not saved yet. You have to receive

Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and there's a point in time when that happened to those of you who raised your hand.

But God knew you before you knew you. But you have friends who he never knew.

You know how I can prove it? Because they came to Jesus and said, Lord, have we not done many wonderful works in your name?

And he said, depart from me. I never knew you. He didn't say depart from me, you did bad works.

He didn't say depart from me, you didn't come to church enough. He said, I don't know who you are. You're not part of my family.

So to the person who God has chosen, if he skips church, even in his lost state, he feels guilty about it.

Isn't that amazing? And there is a warning to people who are sitting in congregations all over the world.

There are three kinds. There's the saved person, and then there's the two lost ones. The one who's going to feel guilty about it, and the one who's never going to care.

We don't know who the difference are as humans. We don't know the difference. So we preach the same message to all three groups.

But the if is there for the two who are in the lost state. And it's really there for the lost elect person, because it'll make him feel guilty and worry.

It won't make the lost non -elect person worry about anything, because he hates God and always will.

But the lost person who God has chosen to save at some point in his future life, that if is there for him.

Because he's going to feel badly about it. He's going to feel, he's going to be looking for a certain judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.

Who are they? The ones Jesus looked at and said, You cannot come where I go. He said,

Where I go, you cannot come. For you're of your father, the devil. If you say not that I am, then you shall die in your sins.

And so they are the children of the adversary, Satan. Verse 28,

And he that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses.

Now you remember when we were over in chapter 3 a minute ago? And it said, I don't remember, so I'm going to go look at it again.

This part where it said that there were some of those out in the wilderness that grieved

God. Remember that? And it even said that there were some of those that shall not enter into my rest.

Now we're going to understand this here if we look at the nation of Israel. Here we had the whole nation and we call them collectively

God's children, don't we? And here they are going out and they're out in the wilderness because of disobedience.

But there they are together as one group, as a congregation out in the wilderness. They all had the same law of Moses.

Now look at verse 28. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy.

Just because they were in the congregation didn't mean that they loved

God in God's ways. Didn't mean that they were saved. And yet it can be demonstrated very clearly.

In fact, let's look at chapter 9. It can be demonstrated that all of the

Levitical laws were kept on behalf of the whole congregation. Look at Hebrews chapter 9 verse 7.

But unto the second went the high priest. This is talking about into the

Holy of Holies in the wilderness tabernacle. There's that place where only one man could go. He could only go in there once a year and it was the high priest.

But unto the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood.

Our grammar teachers would say that means with blood. Double negative.

Which he offered, now look at this, for himself and for the errors of who?

The people. The whole congregation. And yet some of those people did not partake of that blood, did they?

And it says they died in the wilderness before two or three witnesses. Now let's read on, verse 20, back in chapter 10 now.

Verse 29, of how much, now if it's true, let's make a point here on 29.

If it's true that in the Old Testament before Jesus came, before God gave

His Son, before He died on that cross, if it's true that before that happened, and before the skies darkened and the earth shook as the

Father's anger and wrath was trembling as they nailed His Son to the cross, before that happened, if it's true that when they went out and they defied

Moses' law, even though the sacrifice had been made for the people, and they defied it and trampled on Moses' law, if it's true that they were stoned and killed physically, and I believe it's even true that they perished, well then we'd better be careful on this side of the cross because Christ has been given for us as a congregation.

In verse 29 it says, of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden underfoot the

Son of God and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the

Spirit of grace. There is a sense in which Jesus' death sanctified everybody, the whole world, and everybody in the world.

Not in the same sense of the salvation sanctification that we study about, but in the same sense that when

Moses had the high priest go into that Holy of Holies and offer blood for the people, which meant all of them, and yet we know they were not all saved, because it tells us that.

Some of them were not of faith and forsook the law of Moses and were stoned to death and went to hell. But that priest presented that blood, and it sanctified the whole congregation.

What does that mean? The sanctified can have a double meaning in the Bible. It doesn't mean saved you necessarily.

What it does mean is it set you apart in the world's eyes. You see, if you were a

Jew, you were different than everybody else in the world. And everybody knew that and they still know it today. That's why they persecute them all over the world.

They're different. Now, as a Christian, you walk in the back door of this church and you come in and you sit down here and you call yourself a

Christian. You are sanctified in the sense that the world sees you as different.

They see you as if Jesus died for you. And if you then go back out into that same world and you get in that pig slop with those pigs and you waller around in it, then verse 29 applies to you.

Of how much sorer punishment. Now look, go read the punishments they had in the

Old Testament. We've been studying through Joshua in Sunday school. I don't like some of those punishments. What did they do to Achan?

They took him and they took his family and they took his tent and they took his horses and his cattle and whatever he had and they threw rocks at them until they died and they burned them and then they piled the rocks up on top of them.

That's what happened when you forsook the law of Moses. But verse 29 says of how much sorer punishment.

Suppose you shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God.

This is no place to sit if you're not saved today, ladies and gentlemen and boys. Gentlemen, that's good grammar, and boys and girls.

If you have not received Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. The word Lord, by the way, means your boss.

That you're willing for him to run your life instead of you running it yourself. If you have not received him, you need to do that.

You need to make sure that you have received Jesus and that you hold to him. And that you love him with all of your heart.

Because there is a sore punishment for those who profess to be a Christian but who really don't know the

Lord. Verse 30 says, for we know him that has said, vengeance belongeth unto me.

This is speaking to that person. I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, the

Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living

God. But call to remembrance the former days in which after you were illuminated you endured a great fight of afflictions.

Now this is speaking to a group in the same congregation who were illuminated, who were given the light.

And they bore under afflictions. And they endured.

Partly why you were made a gazing stock, both by reproaches and afflictions.

And partly why you became companions of people like me. I believe Paul wrote this and he's saying, because you were my companion, you suffered.

Because they were looking for me and they found you with me and they hurt you too. In fact, look what he says in verse 34.

For you had compassion to me in my bonds and you took joyfully the spoiling of your own goods.

You know what they did? When these people would come to help Paul when he was in prison, they'd follow him home and they would ransack their house.

Destroy everything they had and burn their house down. And yet they still came and helped

Paul. Why? Because they loved the brethren. Because saved people really do do that.

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.

For you have need of patience that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.

Now look how this ends. For yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry.

Now verses 38 and 39 answer the question if for you today. Because if you're born again, verse 39 is going to talk about you.

And if you're a false professor who claims you are but you're not, verse 38 is going to talk about you.

And the if is placed there for you by the way. If you're a false professor, what does that mean? You're a false teacher at school?

A false professor? He's a college professor and he's false. No, that means somebody that claims they're a

Christian. Somebody that says, oh I'm a Christian when they're really not born again. Verse 38 says, now the just shall live by faith but if any man draw back.

You see the drawing back is this falling away that the Bible was talking about when it says the word if.

If you don't continue to the end, it's the same person that has fallen away.

Now look what it says, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Now that could be the Apostle Paul's soul who's writing this, but I believe God wrote this. And I believe it's

God speaking. And I think God says if any man draws back from his profession, my soul shall have no pleasure in that person.

But now look at verse 39. You have to add, you can't leave this one off. Just like the

Baptists like to chop off the ones that say if. The Church of Christ people like to leave off verse 39 because it doesn't fit their box that they have

God in. But God puts them both right next to each other. Verse 39 says, but we are not of them who draw back unto perdition.

Perdition means hell, utter destruction literally. We're not of them that fall back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

So if you're elect, if God chose you before the foundation of the world, as Ephesians chapter 1 says and Romans chapter 8 says and many other places throughout the word of God, both

Old Testament and New. If he has chosen you before the foundation of the world and brought you to the place where he opened your eyes and you saw his face, you are not of them that draw back.

You're of them that believe unto the saving of the soul. And you can know that because the

Bible says in 1 John that he's given you the spirit, not the spirit of fear, but the spirit that cries Abba, Father.

It witnesses with your spirit that you are the sons of God. Those people can't draw back.

It is impossible for those people to fall away just as it would have been impossible for Joshua or Moses to be in that group that pursued

God and fell into the crevice. It just doesn't work that way. So the if is not for you.

The if is for the friend sitting in your congregation who's also claiming to be saved when he's really not.

It might frighten him to the place where he'll come to Christ. If not, then he was never going to be saved anyway.

So the first symptom that you've been translated is loving the brethren and enjoying church even on days when you'd rather stay home.

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that it is so true that it all falls in place if we study it as a whole.

Thank you, Father, that you give us the whole word of God and your

Holy Spirit to teach us and even correct us on areas where we teach incorrectly or learn incorrectly that we might be shown the truth little by little as we grow up.

Lord, we ask that our children in this congregation would hold up the word of God in their lives as they mature into adults.

That the teenagers and college students would understand the importance of being in the word of God daily rather than believing every book they read at the

Christian bookstore, believing all the seminars that are out there. May they simply look into the word of God and ask you to teach them as they study line upon line.

Father, we ask you to go with us into our time of fellowship. Bless the meal we're about to have together.