Book 51

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3 * PART 4 * BOOK 51

Hebrews 10:23 – 11:8 – Part 2

All right, for those of you joining us maybe for the first time, we’re just a simple Bible study. We try hard not to attack different groups, and we don’t claim that we’ve got all the answers, but hopefully we can just open the Scriptures and let the Holy Spirit be the master teacher. Now, as we finish this program today, this will finish up book number 51. That means we’ve been on the air almost twelve years. Unbelievable isn’t it, Honey? My it’s just like yesterday we drove up here for the first taping and had no idea it would go more than six months, let alone twelve years!

Now let’s just continue on where we just left off in the last lesson and that would be in Hebrews chapter 11, and verse 4, and remember this is the great faith chapter. All the examples of people of faith; and remember from Adam until the end of the human experience, faith is always the number one criteria for a right relationship with God, as we’re going to see in this lesson.

Hebrews 11:4a

“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,…”

Now we have to go back to Genesis chapter 4 for that account. I’m not going to do it with all of these faith people in Hebrews but we are for some. But let’s come all the way back to Genesis chapter 4 where we have the account of this first bringing of an offering by these two brothers Cain and Abel. Now we don’t know how old they were but they were old enough to have already established their own lifestyle. One was a sheepherder and the other was a farmer. And, that’s about as far as we can go with their occupation. But, the clue to all of this is verse 3.

Genesis 4:3a

“And in the process of time…”

And that is more or less implied, I think, from the Hebrew that it was a time of instruction. Now remember, God is never unfair. God would not expect these young men, Cain and Abel, to do something that He had never told them to do. If that was the case then it wouldn’t be faith. But He had instructed them and no doubt knowing the God of this Book, He instructed them explicitly on how to approach Him with the blood sacrifice, which is already set as an example in Genesis 3, with Adam and Eve.

In that chapter, God killed the animal and so He no doubt instructed them on exactly how to kill the animal, and how to present or sprinkle the blood. It wasn’t haphazard. It was intrinsically instructed. All right, so both young men have the same Word from God on how to approach Him. If you’ll notice in Scriptures, we have the natural man first. So we deal with Cain first, the natural. And so, Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, whatever it was. To begin with, there are two major points here.

Number one, it was a bloodless offering. Number two, he was bringing that from the ground that from which one day Abel’s blood would be spilled and it was cursed. Now it hadn’t happened yet, but it will and so Cain now is stepping off on the wrong foot by bringing a bloodless offering.

I have to emphasize that because several years ago our own Jerry Pool wrote to his Sunday School material supplier and called to their mind, “Why didn’t they point out in the children’s quarterly, that the reason Cain wasn’t accepted was because he didn’t bring a blood offering,” Well, Jerry showed me their response. Now you talk about dancing around the subject without ever saying anything, that’s what it amounted to. Wasn’t it Jerry? And all they could say, was, “Well that didn’t have anything to do with it, Cain just simply had a bad attitude.” No, it wasn’t Cain’s attitude, although that was certainly involved in the fact that he had no faith! He didn’t take anything that God said into account. And so he rationalized and he said, “Well surely, if God knows how much sweat I have already dropped on all this, He’ll accept it. I don’t have to go over and barter with my brother to get a lamb.” And so Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, whatever it was. It was bloodless. Remember one of the absolutes in Scripture that we learned in Hebrews 9:22?

Hebrews 9:22b

“…and without the shedding of blood is no remission.” And so “God had no respect unto Cain’s offering.” So by faith, as Hebrews chapter 11 reminds us:

Genesis 4:4a

“And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock…”

Well now you don’t have vegetables called flocks, so what’s implied? Sheep or goats. More than likely a sheep. And God had instructed them on how to present that animal sacrifice.And so Abel, because he believed what God said, did it as God instructed and he was accepted, and for that act of faith, will have eternal life.

Now whenever I taught Genesis years ago, or in my classes here in Oklahoma, I make this statement. Cain may have been a nicer guy than Abel. Cain may have been an easier guy to get along with in everyday things than Abel, we don’t know. But that wasn’t what counted. What counted was that Abel did what God said to do and he was accepted. Cain went his own way and he was rejected, see? All right, so read verse 4 again.

Genesis 4:4a

“And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:”

In other words, Abel brought the very best and the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering, but unto Cain he had no respect. Why? Because it wasn’t what God had instructed. That’s all. And you find this all the way up through Scripture. Example: Jacob and Esau. I have no doubt that Esau might have been a nicer guy than Jacob, because otherwise why would Isaac have had such an inclination to Esau? I think he was a good son. But what was Esau’s problem? No faith. He didn’t believe a word God said. Never registered with him.

And so Jacob, even though he may have been a rascal, he was a man who could believe what God said, and God honored his faith. See? All right so now as we go back to Hebrews chapter 11, we have to realize that it’s by faith and faith alone that everyone has been brought into a relationship with God. And then, based on their faith, yes, Abel brought the animal sacrifice. You get up into the system of Law; it was faith that prompted a believing Jew to keep the Law. Faith. Nothing else.

All right, I guess on our way back to Hebrews, let’s just stop in Romans chapter 4; in fact I think I alluded to that in our last program that we would turn back to Romans chapter 4 where Paul is using Abraham as the epitome of a man of faith. Now again you have to get the background. What was the culture of the man Abram? Pagan. Idolatry. Mythology. No knowledge of the One True God. And yet when God spoke to Abram out of that background of idolatry, what did Abram do? He believed God. Now that’s faith.

Romans 4:1

“What shall we say then that Abraham our father, (now Paul writes here as a Jew so Abraham is the father of the Jewish Nation) as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2. For if Abram were justified by works, (by doing something) he hath whereof to glory; (or brag) but not before God.”

No human being will ever put God in his debt, and that’s what a works religion does. A works religion tells God, “I’ve earned it, and you owe me.” If you work for someone, at the end of the week, you can go to your employer and in so many words what can you tell him? “You owe me, until you’ve paid me.” Well you see that’s what a works religion does to God. It says, “God you owe me. I’ve worked for it.” But God won’t have any part of that. And so, it says that Abraham could never glory, because he’s dealing with the Holy, Omnipotent God. Now verse 3.

Romans 4:3a

“For what saith the scripture?…”

Boy that’s my favorite guideline isn’t it? What does the Book say? Well, does the Book say, “Abraham believed God” and brought a sacrifice? No. “Abraham believed” and was baptized? No. “Abraham believed” and spoke in tongues? No. “Abraham believed” and joined the church? No. Doesn’t say any of that.

What’d he do? Believed plus nothing! Abraham believed God, and put his faith in what God said. Now like I said in the last program, and what does God do the moment He sees our faith? He declares us righteous. Now that’s not being big-headed, or egotistical. It’s just simply a matter of faith that when we become a believer, God declares us righteous. Not because of what we’ve worked for but because of our faith. Faith! By faith and faith alone! Paul just screams it all through his epistles, see? Verse 4.

Romans 4:4

“Now to him that worketh (for salvation) is the reward not reckoned of grace. (God’s mercy,) but (rather it is reckoned) of (what?) debt.”

You’ve worked for it so God owes you. It won’t fly. God will never be in debt to any human being! No matter his station in life. Not even Abraham, and so this is the whole admonition of Scripture then that it’s by faith alone. In fact, I can’t go back to Hebrews without reading verse 5. Oh my goodness, I don’t know how many people we’ve led to the Lord by showing them what Romans 4 verse 5 says:

Romans 4:5

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth (and again nothing else follows it) on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

God can’t justify someone who says they’re good enough. God can only justify the person that says, “I’m a sinner.” I can go back to the hundred little sheep out on the desert. Ninety and nine went out, lost and never knew it. The Saviour didn’t save any of them, but which one did the Lord save? The little fellow caught in the crevice bleating his little old heart out because he knew he was lost. And that’s the teaching of Scripture, that you cannot be saved until you know that you’re lost. And oh, people don’t want to admit that, because to admit that you’re lost is a blow to your what? Pride!

Pride is the biggest enemy of mankind because pride says, “Don’t you admit that you have a need. You’re good enough, and God will accept you.” No He won’t. The Scripture says we have to be lost before we can be saved. All right so, “To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly.” Now I pointed out in one of my classes the other night here in Oklahoma, to be ungodly doesn’t mean that you’re a drunkard and you’re down on skid row and all these horrible pictures that we get of lower humanity. No. You can get the best person in Tulsa and they can be ungodly. Because the term “un” simply means “without.” So if you are without God, you’re ungodly. It’s that simple.

And so you can have the highest elite in society, as good as they can be; but if they haven’t got God in their life, they’re what? Ungodly. And that’s the kind of a person that God wants to save.

All right, so here it is, “To him who worketh not but to him who believes on him who justifies (or declares absolutely forgiven and sinless) the ungodly.” And then, “his faith is counted for righteousness.” Now back to Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews 11:5a

“By faith (by taking God at His Word) Enoch was translated that he should not see death;…”

Now we don’t know an awful lot about Enoch. He’s back there in the genealogies, and back there before the Flood, but that’s about as far as we can go, but the Scripture here tells us that it was by faith that Enoch was translated. In other words, he was here one moment and gone the next, which I think is a preview of the Rapture of the church and so he was “…translated that he should not see death.” Enoch didn’t die. They never buried him. He was translated. He was here one second; gone the next.

Hebrews 11:5b

“…and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

And before his translation, before he was snatched off the planet “he had this testimony.” This is what his life told everybody around him. “…he pleased God.” But you’ve got to go into verse 6 to find out what Enoch did to please God. What was it? He was a man of faith! See how it follows? Enoch pleased God.

Hebrews 11:6a

“But without faith it is impossible to please him:…” (God)

Without faith it is impossible to please God. So you put two and two together and get four. What does that mean? Enoch was a man of faith. That’s all.

Notice that doesn’t say anything about his works. Doesn’t say anything about practicing religion or sacrifices. All it says, he was a man who believed God. Now we don’t know how much God told Enoch. You know I’m always trying to impress on people, faith isn’t necessarily knowing that 2,000 years out into the future God in the Person of the Son would go to a Roman cross and die. That’s wasn’t revealed back here. They had no concept of a Roman cross. My goodness, crucifixion was invented by the Romans. And so you have about twenty-six, twenty-seven hundred years of human history before crucifixion comes into the picture.

So they didn’t know anything about a cross. But whatever God said to them, they believed it! And when they believed it, God counted them righteous. It’s so simple isn’t it? All right, so “without faith it is impossible to please him.” You can give millions. You can work your fingers to the bone. You can be in that church building seven days a week, and if it’s not based on faith, you’re spinning your wheels. It’s all for nothing!

Hebrews 11:6b

“…for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

And “he that cometh to God.” For salvation, and then as a believer, we come to Him constantly with our needs, with our petitions, with our praise; but we do it all how? By faith. And that without it, we have nothing. Now let’s move on down to verse 7.

Hebrews 11:7a

“By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear,…”

What’s it talking about? What did God tell Noah? “Hey, I’m going to destroy the earth with water. The whole shebang is going to be covered with water. It’s going to rain forty days and forty nights.” Had it ever rained before? No. It had never rained a drop. They had never even had a thundercloud. So how did Noah know it would rain enough to cover the earth? By faith. God said it, and when God said, “Noah, I’m going to destroy the earth with water. Build an ark.” What did Noah do? Built an ark!

Now don’t you know he felt as foolish as a three-dollar bill out there where it had never rained. There never been a flood of any kind. No river had overflowed. And he starts building this huge box. Have you ever thought how foolish he must have felt? Have you ever realized how he was scorned and ridiculed? But what kept him going? God said it! And he believed it! And forget the scornful if God said it, it’s going to happen! Now it took a hundred and twenty years if I read my Bible right, 120 years before it happened. But, Noah never gave up on his faith because God had said it.

Hebrews 11:7b

“…prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world.”

Now I hope you all realize that at Noah’s flood, the earth probably (I say probably, I can’t prove it, but I think it’s quite likely) could have had anywhere from four billion to up to where we are today, six billion people. Because if you want to just take your computer someday, you that are math nuts. Just start with two people and let them reproduce for nine hundred years like Adam and Eve did. Let all those kids reproduce for nine hundred years like they all did. And they had multiple births. You know that because there are ample evidence of twins in the Old Testament and man, you have no problem at all coming to four-five billion people after 1,600 years of human history.

And so the earth was highly populated. And in the midst of all of that activity, as I’ve taught earlier – they had tremendous technology. And the more their technology exploded the more wicked they became. Does that ring a bell? Today’s the same way. The faster our technology grows, the faster our moral fabric is rotting away from under us.

But all right, this whole race of humanity, with exception of those eight people on the ark is going to disappear. They’re going to go. Now when I talk about this present day population totally disappearing from the scene by the end of the Tribulation, people probably think I’m nuts. I wouldn’t doubt it a bit, but just about all will be gone. They’re going to be gone because there’s only going to be a small remnant surviving. Well, if they say, “Well how can it be that small?” Then I have to ask how small was eight compared to four billion people? Pretty small. So Noah had the faith:

Hebrews 11:7c

“…and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

All right, but Noah by faith built the ark and then he became the “heir (again which faith always prompts) of (what?) righteousness.” Righteousness. God didn’t look at Noah like a vile old sinner because of his faith, God now looked at Noah as a righteous man. Now if you want to use the term righteous as right standing with God, I’ve got no problem with that. That’s what righteous implies. We are now in a right standing with God. As sinners, we’re aliens, see? And we need reconciliation.

Hebrews 11:8

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out not knowing whither he went.”

Well, we’ve already talked about Abraham so we’re not going to stretch this. God didn’t pick Abraham up out of Ur of the Chaldees and supernaturally transport him over Canaan and give him a bird’s-eye-view, like even Moses had from Mount Nebo. And God didn’t take Abram out over Canaan and say, “Now Abraham if you believe me this is what I’m going to give you.” No. God just simply told this pagan man Abraham down there in the Euphrates Valley, “Leave your city, and your family. And go to a land that I will show you.” Now that takes faith.

That takes faith! He had to break with his family. He had to break with his business. He had to simply turn his back on everything and leave his homeland. That’s what faith has to do. All right, and so “he goes into a place which he should afterward receive for an inheritance and Abraham obeyed.” He did what God asked him to do, and that’s faith. “…and he went out not knowing whither he went.”

Now when he finally gets there which is the land of Canaan years and years later, he’s still operating by faith.

Hebrews 11:9a

“By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country,…”

Which of course, God promised to him back there in Genesis chapter 15 and on. And so he, “lived by faith in the land of promise as in a strange country.” Now what’s the lesson?

You know Paul says in Romans that all these things back in the Old Testament were written for what purpose? Our learning. Right! And so what’s the lesson? Well, this is where you and I are. You and I were called out of the Ur of the lost estate. We were snatched out of the slave market of sin. But when God transformed us and made us a believer and declared us righteous, He didn’t take us to Heaven – be nice if He would! But He didn’t; He left us here. And so in the picture, where are we? We’re among strangers. We’re amongst a hateful world. The world has always hated Christians.

Now our Constitution fortunately has protected us thus far and for most of Western civilization their government has protected Christians. But you go into Sudan today, are Christians safe? Ha! They’re dying by the thousands. Go into Indonesia. Are Christians safe? You better believe that they’re not. And in so many areas of the world, they’re living amongst a hateful enemy. And the only reason we don’t feel it is because our government guarantees our safety; but take that away and I think you and I would be shocked at how fast they would turn against us.

But the picture is that Abraham was now dwelling amongst strangers. Oh, God deeded him the land in Genesis 15 but who was still occupying it? The Canaanites. So now you have to picture in your own mind, here comes this man Abraham with his flocks and his herds and his servants – what does he have to ask as he traverses the land? Permission. He would ask permission. “Can I bring my flocks on to your land? Can I bring my flocks into your orchards?” He had to because he was a stranger sojourning amongst strange people. But what was the promise? God was with him, and God blessed him.

So it’s the same way with us today. Yes, we are now ‘citizens’ of Heaven by virtue of our salvation experience. But God didn’t take us to Heaven when we were saved; He left us here. And so we are dwelling amongst the lost humanity around us but we are under His protective care. We’re His, we belong to Him and so all these examples of faith are for our learning.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3 * PART 3 * BOOK 51

Hebrews 10:23 – 11:8

We welcome everyone again today, and let me say, we just cherish your letters, your phone calls, your financial help, everything. Because, you know, we are just ordinary cattle ranchers, and we don’t have a lot of money backing us. I think a lot of people may think that because we’re ranching in Oklahoma, we’ve got oil wells on every forty acres. Well, that’s not the case. We just ranch on a pile of mountains and rocks; but the Lord seems to provide our needs. And in the ministry, it’s the same question every month. Are we going receive enough to get our bills paid? But we always seem to, thanks to our faithful viewers, so we just give the Lord the credit for using us in what little way He has.

Okay, now let’s get right back into Bible study because that’s what this is all about – comparing Scripture with Scripture and tying it all together. Now in Hebrews chapter 10 picking up from our last program where he says in verse 34 to these Hebrew believers:

Hebrews 10:34a

“…For ye had compassion of me in my bonds,…” Which means that this must have been somewhere in the early 60’s AD, whether it was referring to Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, or whether in another case where he was in a prison such as at Caesarea or whatever; we certainly know that Paul was imprisoned more than those years in Rome. But these people were aware of his being imprisoned and they had compassion on him.

Hebrews 10:34b

“…and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods,…” In other words, they helped him financially even though most of them had not that kind of money. And out of their love for the Apostle he said:

Hebrews 10:34c

“…knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.” You know what he’s saying? Just because they gave of the meager things they had of this world, they were still what? Richer for it. And so I think a lot of times we have to realize today that people are reluctant to give because they’ve got so much to spend it on, and not thinking of eternal things.

In fact, Iris and I were talking about that driving up to Tulsa again this morning. There are so many fads and gadgets that are thrown at us, especially in America. All these gadgets and fads that come along, and some people in their weakness think they have to have every last one of them. No we don’t. You don’t need it all because most of it just ends up in a closet someplace and probably used only once or twice. But, how much better if they would spend some of that to promote the Word of God.

And that’s what Paul is saying here, see? That you took the spoiling, or the cashing in, of your goods, your material things and they knew within themselves that eternity had something far better. In fact, it goes right back to – how did the Lord put it? “Don’t lay up treasures on this earth where moth and rust do corrupt, but rather lay it up in Heaven.” And as some have said, send it on ahead! I think that’s a good way of putting it. Send it on ahead because it’s drawing far better interest up there than it will down here. Now verse 35.

Hebrews 10:35

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of (what?) reward.”

Now we were just talking at break time a little bit, you see, the lost people have nothing to look forward to but the reading of their works, which will determine their level of punishment in their eternal doom. But for you and I as believers, as well as these Hebrew believers, it’s not a matter of a degree of punishment. It’s not even a matter of a degree of how high we’re going to be in God’s program. But, it’s going to be what? Reward. And I don’t know what those rewards are going to be but I know that my God knows how to be absolutely fair and just and so yes, we are laboring as believers, not for salvation but for reward.

Maybe we’d better go back and look at it. I Corinthians chapter 3. See, this is why I don’t get through, Honey. I told Iris last night, maybe I could finish Hebrews today! Well no, I get up here and I think of all these other things and we’re not going to rush Hebrews and skip all this good stuff. So come back with me to I Corinthians chapter 3, where Paul is dealing with the rewards system for the believer. Not the punishment level for the unbeliever but the reward system for the believer. Big difference, isn’t it? And we’ll almost have to start at verse 9 to pick up the flow, where Paul writes:

I Corinthians 3:9a

“We are labourers together…”

Like I said, as believers, we don’t labour for salvation that comes by faith and faith alone. But as soon as we become a believer, God is going to give us opportunity for service, working for Him. And when you truly work for Him then there’s going to be rewards.

I Corinthians 3:9-10a

“We are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, (see? He’s in control.) ye are God’s building. (He’s the One that is putting it all together.) 10. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, (Paul writes) as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation,…”

Now do you see why I emphasize Paul? If you were to show me a beautiful new home, you know one of the first things I would ask you? Who was your contractor? Who built it? If everything went as it should be, what would you do? You’d be glad to tell me who it was, what a great job he did and you know what I would ask you? When did you bring your contractor on the scene? When you had the first floor finished? No. I like to see heads shake. No, of course not. When did your contractor begin the work on your new home? When he set the stakes. He dug the foundation. He started from the bottom up.

Well see, that’s what the Apostle Paul is claiming. He’s not the foundation; he’s the one who laid the foundation. See the big difference? And so Paul says, as a wise masterbuilder, the contractor, “I laid the foundation.” Not Peter, James and John. Not even Jesus. I was just reading another one the other night, ‘Jesus didn’t start anything.’ How true. He didn’t start the church. He became the basis of the church but He didn’t start it. Paul did. And so Paul takes by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration full credit for laying the foundation.

I Corinthians 3:10b

“…I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon.”

Now here comes the works system we are to enjoy after our salvation. We’re saved by that foundation which is Jesus Christ and His finished work of the Cross. (I Corinthians 15:1-4) But now we’re building on that, as believers. Now verse 11.

I Corinthians 3:11

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid (it’s already done. And Paul doesn’t take credit for being the foundation. Who is?) which is Jesus Christ.”

Now again, you can go back into the secular world, you can go back into Scripture. I don’t know whether it was a parable or not but you remember, Jesus used the analogy of building on the sand. How long will it last? Until the first good rainstorm. Pfffft! There it goes. But if you want that building to last, you’re going to build it on what? A solid foundation. That was what He was teaching.

Well, Paul was saying the same things. We’re not building on the sands of some false religion; we’re building on the foundation of the One and Only True God-given basis for salvation. And that is that work of the Cross. So then verse 12. Now Paul says, as a believer you’ve been saved through the foundational work of the Cross. And now as a believer you’re going to start building on that foundation for reward.

I Corinthians 3:12

“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble.”

Now that is six materials that we’re going to build with. Three of them will never burn up. Three of them would go in a puff of smoke like a western forest fire. Why? Because those works were good for nothing, just a waste of time. And how many Christians aren’t going to find out that that’s what has happened to their works. But, those other three materials will abide, gold, silver, precious stones, no fire can destroy them. If anything it will enhance them. And so Paul is using that analogy, Now verse 13.

I Corinthians 3:13a

“Every man (now that’s a generic term remember, when Paul says man, he’s not leaving the women out. So every believer’s) work shall be made manifest:”

And what’s the explanation I always use for manifest? Put in the spotlight. Just like turning on the microscope and put the slide over the light and there’s everything manifested. Well, that’s exactly what’s going to happen to our works. They’re going to be manifested. They’re going to be put in the spotlight.

I Corinthians 3:13b

“…for the day shall declare it,…”

The judgment day. Now it’s not the Great White Throne Judgment, as that’s for the unbelievers. But we as believers must appear before the Bema Seat Judgment in II Corinthians 5 where it says, ‘We believers shall all appear before the judgment of Christ (the Bema Seat).’ I think it’s unfortunate that the translators used that word ‘judgment.’ That scares people. Most think that believers are going to come up and have a whip laid over them. No, no! When we believers come before the Lord it’s going to be the Bema Seat. The place of reward.

And I’ve always likened it to the Olympic races. My, as those athletes ran past the finish line, who determined who was first? Who determined who was second and third and so forth?The Bema Seat judges. And that’s why Paul refers to that when we come before the Bema Seat for reward, then the ‘fiery eyes of the Lord Jesus,’ which I get from Revelation 19, where He’s going to have ‘eyes as flames of fire.’

I Corinthians 3:13c

“…because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”

Now remember the analogy, is it gold, silver and precious stones; or is it wood, hay and stubble?

I Corinthians 3:14

“If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.” In other words, as a believer; and if it’s gold, silver and precious stone, it’ll remain and you will receive a reward. We don’t know what they’re going to be. We can speculate all you want but I cannot tell someone, well this verse says this is what we’re going to have, I can’t do that. All I know is that God is fair. He’s just. And His reward is going to be beyond human comprehension, whatever it is. But, now the other side of the coin is, verse 15.

I Corinthians 3:15

“If any man’s work (as a believer, now we’re talking only about believers. And even believers are going to come before the Bema Seat with nothing but wood, hay and stubble. They’ve never done anything worth a plug nickel to further God’s Kingdom, but they’re believers. All right, and so their work) shall be burned,…” Now that’s not talking about hellfire burning. It’s just simply a point that it’s going to be set aside like trees that are pruned and the branches are burned.

I Corinthians 3:15b

“…he shall suffer loss:…” The loss these believers will suffer will not be their salvation, but rather they’ll lose their reward. That’s all. They’ll suffer loss of reward.

Remember way back when I was teaching this, it was about the time that, I don’t remember what the TV commercial was (I don’t watch that much television. In fact I don’t watch any, anymore), but, at that time there was a commercial with the baseball player, Bob Uecker. You remember that? Old Bob Uecker was sitting clear up in the upper reaches of the stadium all by himself. And it was a funny commercial and I don’t know what the point was, but my point was, these believers that are going to end up without reward. They’re going to be there. But they’re going to be up in the ‘Uecker seats.’

They’re going to be up there where there’s no activity. There’s nothing like being on the playing field. See what I’m driving at. But they’re going to be in glory. I’ll never forget a man that I witnessed to over and over back many, many years ago. And then he used to always come back with this same argument, he said, “Les, all I care about is that I can just slip under the door.” I said, “But you’re not going to slip under the door.” You either come full force in salvation or you’re going to miss it! But that was always his excuse. “If I can just slip in under the door.”

A lot of people have the same idea. But here we have the picture. The believer who has produced and who has been in the right attitude and his motivation has been to please the Lord; it’s going to be gold, silver and precious stones. If all he’s done it for is earthly acclaim or the pat on the back of fellow human beings, it’s wood, hay and stubble. It’ll count for nothing. Now let me finish verse 15 so I can make the point.

I Corinthians 3:15

“If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

The believer will suffer loss, as he won’t get a reward, but, he himself shall be saved! He’s going to be in glory. “…yet so as by fire.” In other words, it will be by the ‘skin of his teeth’if I may put it that way.

All right, let’s go back to Hebrews chapter 10 and so you have the same concept, that these Jewish believers who were suffering for their faith would experience, one day, reward. Verse 35 is where we came from on that thought.

Hebrews 10:35-36

“Cast not away therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. 36. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

Now of course, to a Jew, the ‘Promises’ were everything, I guess, from Abraham on up through the Old Testament and flowing on into Christ’s Kingdom reign in the future.

Hebrews 10:37

“For yet a little while, and he that shall come (what?) will come, and will not tarry.”

Now Paul expected it in his lifetime. And he didn’t have any idea that it was going to go 2,000 years. But here we are now, almost 2,000 years after the fact and what can I stand here and say? “He that is coming will come!”

Don’t you ever doubt it for a minute. Let the scornful scoff all they want. In fact, I can show you a verse – if that isn’t exactly what we’re seeing today. Go forward a few pages in your New Testament to II Peter chapter 3, and let’s drop down to verse 3.

II Peter 3:3a

“Knowing…”

See this is what I like about Scripture. There are things that we are supposed to know. Not guess or hope so. Peter says:

II Peter 3:3a

“Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days…”

Remember, when Peter wrote of the last days, what was he talking about? Within the next ten years. Now I say ten because they knew there was a seven-year tribulation in there. So within ten years they expected all of this to be consummated.

II Peter 3:3b

“…that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lust,” (or desires) They’re of the world, they’re fleshly. Now this is what the scoffers will say. Does it ring a bell?

II Peter 3:4a

“And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep,…”

Remember who are we dealing with here? Jews. So who were the fathers? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets, see? And so these Jews of Peter’s day and Paul’s day are saying the same thing. Why, ever since the fathers they’ve been talking about the Lord’s coming. And they had. Every Jew that had any knowledge of the Old Testament was looking for the Messiah. Jews today that have any knowledge of their Scriptures are looking for the Messiah. All right, so this is what the scoffers said then, “Why you’ve been talking about the Lord coming, the Messiah coming, ever since Abraham.” Now finish the verse.

II Peter 3:4b

“…all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

Isn’t that exactly what people are saying today? Oh, I read articles almost an average of once a week where some writer, some editorial writer who scoffs at our idea of apocalyptic judgments and so forth, and they just scorn it. Hey, they’ve been talking about this for centuries. Nothing different has ever happened. The world’s going to keep going. This isn’t just the end.

Well, I’ve got news for them. This is the beginning of the end. We’re seeing it; but with God, of course, His wheels grind slowly. All right, so come back to Hebrews 10 again. Verse 37, repeating it.

Hebrews 10:37

“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”

Don’t ever doubt it. He is coming again. And He will not tarry. When it’s time for Him to come nothing is going to prevent it.

Now verse 38, again you know, I always say that Paul shifts gears. Just all of sudden, he just shifts from one gear down to the next. All right, now here we have a shift.

Hebrews 10:38a

“Now the just (the believers) shall live by (what?) faith:…”

Just because he’s writing to Jews doesn’t change it one iota because he says the same thing back in Romans and Galatians. See? “That the just shall live by faith!“

Hebrews 10:38b

“…but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

If they do not embrace these things by faith, then God says – “my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Because God, as we’re going to see when we get into chapter 11, looks first and foremost for only one human attribute. And it’s not goodness, it’s not kindness, it’s not love; what’s the first thing He looks for? Faith! Can you take Him at His Word!

And when you’ve got faith, all of the other things fall in place. But faith has to come first. All right, so “The just shall live by faith. But if any draw back from that faith, then God has no pleasure in him.” Now verse 39.

Hebrews 10:39

“But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition: but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

Paul writes: We are not of them who draw back unto perdition.” We’re not turning our back scornfully and going back into a religious system that will make them miss Heaven’s glory. But, he says, “We are of them that believe.”

Now all the way up through Paul’s epistles that’s been the precise instruction for a right relationship with God – to believe what He has said. And the synonymous word of course is faith, see? So “to them who believe to the saving of the soul.” Well, now I think we can just slip right into chapter 11 – I’m amazed that the chapter didn’t start up there a couple verses when we started talking about faith. But here we have it now, this whole system of believing, or faith.

Hebrews 11:1a

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,…”

Now I imagine as many people as we have in this room, you all have a different idea of ‘substance.’ Don’t you?

Do you know what I think of when I think of substance? I think of the core of something that holds it all together. In other words, just picture a wheel, just a simple wheel. What is the substance of that wheel? The hub. Because the hub is that which goes out to all the rest of that wheel. You take away the hub and you’ve got nothing. And that’s substance. Now I suppose you could take it into almost any other area of life. What is substance? That which counts, see?

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Not seen. So how do we know they’re for real? Faith. God said it. And we know it’s true. All right, verse 2.

Hebrews 11:2

“For by it the elders obtained a good report.”

We’re going to see that in our next program, that “by faith the elders (the Old Testament patriarchs) obtained a good report.” Now verse 3.

Hebrews 11:3

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

He didn’t have to go into His chemistry workshop and put some things together and then throw it out. All he had to do was speak the Word and out of nothing the universe began to appear. And I don’t think the whole universe exploded at one time. I think the universe has been exploding and going out and going out and going out over the period of time. But whatever, it was done by the spoken Word and all of Scripture substantiates that.

“So that things which are seen (our universe, everything around us on this planet) everything that is seen were not made of things which do appear.” Now you see, the scientist can’t accept that. Can he? He just has a hard time with that. And so they spend billions and billions of dollars trying to figure out the origin of the universe and if they found out what good would it do them? Nothing. It’s not going to change anything. Not one wit.

You know I’ve even told geologists; you go through all the conflict of geology and everything that you’ve learned – is that going to change where the oil is? Of course not. That’s not going to change one iota. And so we have to accept the fact that when God spoke the Word, the universe came into being. And I don’t care when it was. I don’t care if it was 6,000 years ago or six billion years ago. Makes no difference. Again, I’ll use my word – it’s moot. What difference does it make? And so all Paul says is that we are believers. This we know that the universe was framed by the Word of God and the God Who spoke was Jesus the Christ. He is the One Who is given credit for speaking everything into view. All right, now I guess we’d better go on into Abel at least.

Hebrews 11:4a

“By faith…”

Now here’s the great faith chapter. Hebrews chapter 11. I told Iris I think I could almost spend four programs in chapter 11. Maybe we will, I don’t know. I’d like to get moving on, but anyway. “By faith.” By simply taking God at His Word:

Hebrews 11:4b

“…Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous. …”

Now faith has always prompted God to declare that believer righteous. That’s been the case ever since Adam and Eve back in Genesis chapter 3; and so Abel’s faith prompted God to restore Abel into fellowship and He declared him now, a righteous individual. When we start the next program, we’re going to jump right back to Romans chapter 4 and see how that’s Paul’s primary example of Abraham. That when he became a man of faith, God declared him what? Righteous!

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3 * PART 2 * BOOK 51

The Lord Shall Judge His People – Part 2

Hebrews 10:23 – 11:8

I think we’ll just jump right in where we left off in the last lesson, and that would be in chapter 10 and verse 29. Remember that this book is addressed primarily to Jewish believers (I think probably within one synagogue congregation), whereas, Peter is going to write to the Twelve Tribes scattered throughout.

This letter I feel is addressed to one local church; I don’t think it’s the Jerusalem church, but it was evidently a congregation of some decent size. And the whole problem was that some of them, probably not many, but some, after experiencing this tremendous salvation based on the finished work of the Cross were being drawn back into Judaism and the sacrificial system of Temple worship.

Now remember, the Temple is still going even as all of our New Testament is written, except maybe the book of Revelation. And even that, I prefer to think, was written in the 60’s AD as well. But you all know, that all of Paul’s letters and all the four gospels, and the little epistles following Hebrews were all written before 70 AD, when the Temple is destroyed.

Remember I made the point – isn’t it amazing how God forbid any empire to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple and the Nation of Israel until Paul’s letters were completed. And within a couple of years after the completion of Paul’s epistles, the Temple has now become moot (of no count), so why worry about it.

Well you see as soon as Paul’s letters were finished, then Temple worship had become moot and what does God permit? Titus to destroy the Temple and the city. And I think it all fits in and just screams at us that these people should have been able to see that all the Old Testament promises had been fulfilled in Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and ascension back to glory. It was all prophesied. And yet they never saw that. So always remember that, even though the Book of Hebrews is written to Jewish people who were fighting this traumatic experience of being pulled back into their old religious system, yet Hebrews is just full of knowledge for you and I as believers.

But also remember there’s no plan of salvation in the Book of Hebrews. You can’t take someone to Hebrews and lead them to the Lord, because those salvation Scriptures are not in there, at least not like the Roman Road or Ephesians, I Corinthians or something like that. But, it is so full of basic information that enhances our own faith. All right, let’s begin with verse 29.

Hebrews 10:29

“Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, (or a common thing, I think is a better word) and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”

Now remember in our last program, we were looking at those previous verses of someone who willfully turned back and went into the religion of Judaism with its animal sacrifices. And then, the verse that we closed with in the last program, how that the Law, the Mosaic Law was severe, because there was no mercy. If someone was caught even picking up sticks on the Sabbath day, what was the punishment? Death! Now that’s severe. My we would never stand for something like that today, would we? But that’s the way the Law was, it was so severe! And when the Law was severe and they rejected it then there was no doubt that God’s wrath would be placed upon them to their eternal doom.

All right, if a religious system like Judaism prompted the wrath of God, then you see, How much sorer punishment, how much more God’s wrath can be poured out on those who have walked under foot the Son of God, the blood of Christ? Now you’ve heard me emphasize this over the years; what’s the reason God consigned lost humanity to such an awful eternal doom? Because He’s done everything he could for them to prevent it. He’s done everything they needed to escape that eternal doom without lifting a finger. By just simply believing what He had done. And when they walked that under foot and they scorned it, then God is perfectly just in consigning them to that kind of a punishment.

So don’t ever listen to those kind of arguments such as, “Well, how can a just God send somebody to a Lake of Fire?” Well, He’s got every reason in the world to because He’s already done everything to keep them from it. All right, so: “How much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot.” Now don’t lose the picture. They have literally walked under foot in scorn the Blood of the Covenant, that is His sacrificial Blood of the Cross and wherewith he was sanctified and they have considered it a common thing. I think that a better word than unholy thing is a common thing. They’ve considered it something common. No more different than the sand and the gravel that they walked on. And, they’re going to suffer for it. Now verse 30.

Hebrews 10:30a

“For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me,…” Now, of course we do, as believers, know the God of glory. We know this Saviour of mankind on a personal basis and so we can agree with Paul when he says, “For we know him that hath said, ‘Vengeance belongeth unto me.” He’s God. He’s Sovereign. He can do whatever He wants. He doesn’t have to save anybody but He chose to save some, as Paul puts it in Romans.

Hebrews 10:30

“For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense saith the Lord, And again, The Lord shall judge his people.”

Before we talk about the Lord judging His people, the saved for rewards (and that will probably be in the next lesson), lets talk about how He is going to pour out His wrath on those who have rejected His offer of salvation. Now, let me show you a comparison. A lot of people don’t realize that the Lake of Fire is evidently going to have levels of punishment. Come back with me to Matthew chapters 10 and chapter 11. Let’s look at chapter 10 first because you have to understand that when I maintain that good people, church members, choir singers and deacons and yes, a lot of pastors are going to miss Heaven, because they have never believed in His death, burial, and resurrection for salvation, as Paul instructs us to do. They’ve tried to get to Heaven some other way. Oh they’ve been good, so now are they going to suffer the same level of the Lake of Fire as a murderer? No. No, there’s going to be levels of punishment. Now, they’re still going to miss glory but they are not going to suffer to the extent that some wicked individual will. Now, here’s my reasoning. Matthew chapter 10 verse 15. These are the words of the Lord Himself during His earthly ministry.

Matthew 10:15

“Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable (or the punishment is going to be less severe) for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.”Those wicked sodomites are going to have an easier time of it in the eternal doom, than these Jews who listened to Christ’s earthly ministry. So, it’ll be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, that’s the Great White Throne of Revelation 20, than for that city.

Matthew 10:16a

Behold, (he says) I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves:…” Well, who were the wolves? The Jews of Jesus’ day who would not respond to His ministry. All right, chapter 11 verse 20. Same kind of a concept. Again the Lord is speaking in His earthly ministry.

Matthew 11:20

“Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, (His miracles) because they repented not:” In other words, the miracles never even phased their unbelief. They continued to scorn and reject Jesus of Nazareth.

Matthew 11:21-22

“Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee Bethsaida! (now those were beautiful cities up in the Galilee.) for if (see, conditional) the mighty works, which were done in you, (that is His miracles. Feeding the five thousand and raising the dead at times, and healing the sick) had been done in Tyre and Sidon, (which were wicked Gentile cities on the Mediterranean seacoast.) they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22. But I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you.”Tough isn’t it? That’s tough language.

Matthew 11:23a

“And thou, Capernaum, which are exalted unto heaven,…” I don’t think anybody goes to Israel who does not visit Capernaum and think even in its ruins, it’s beautiful! And all you have to do is just close your eyes and imagine what a beautiful city that must have been on the north shore of the Galilee at the time of Christ. And they knew it. They were a puffed up city because of all that they had going for them.

Matthew 11:23

“And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, (because they were such a beautiful city) shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” In other words, had Christ preformed the kind of miracles in Sodom and Gomorrah and preached the message that He preached in Israel, Sodom and Gomorrah would have repented and cleaned up their act. But Capernaum wouldn’t. You see the difference?

All right, now it’s the same way back here. When people are confronted with this glorious Gospel of Grace, and they can enter into salvation by faith and faith alone. And then they spurn it and walk it underfoot – can anybody blame God for casting His wrath upon them? Of course not. And the Scripture makes it so plain. Verse 31, as a warning to people then as well as today:

Hebrews 10:31

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Now four times in the Book of Hebrews you’ve had the term ‘the living God.’ Twice as it appears for us as believers, ‘He is our living God,’ but twice as it applies to the unbelievers, who also are going to have to deal with ‘the living God’ Who is alive forevermore. All right, when the lost come up before Him and He pronounces their final doom, there isn’t a word of argument because He is the living God! He’s not some idol made with stone and wood. He is the living Creator of the whole universe and He’s Sovereign. He can do whatever He wants.

In fact, let’s just go back and look what Paul is alluding to. Revelation chapter 20. Not many people will even refer to it anymore. But, I’m still not afraid to and you know, the day may come when they’ll force me off television for using verses like these. Well that’s okay. We’ve had twelve years already and we’ve accomplished what I feel the Lord has wanted us to do so far. But, we’re not going to shirk from showing people what the Bible says. Revelation 20 starting at verse 11. And this is exactly what we’re referring to that the lost, whether they are good people, or whether they are the down and out gutter of the world, makes no difference; they’re all going to come before the Great White Throne.

Revelation 20:11a

“And I saw a great white throne; and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away;…”

Now you want to remember this is in that time interval between the end of the Kingdom, the thousand-year reign, and the onset of eternity. And I think Peter makes it so plain that when the Kingdom is completed this whole universe is just going to disappear in a puff of smoke and there will out of it come, for eternity, a new Heaven and a new earth. Now not everybody’s going to agree with me, but I think the language is such that it can’t be otherwise. And I think the reason is that Satan has defiled everything God ever made. Out to the edges of space, Satan has defiled everything, and so, consequently, I feel, it will all be melted down as Peter says.

All right, so in this time frame now between the end of the Kingdom and the onset of eternity, we’re going to have the Great White Throne judgment for the lost of the ages. What God has done with all the believers while this is going on in the meantime, you leave that up to God; He’s not going to lose any of us! And we’re going to be someplace in utter safety. But one thing for sure, we’re not going to be at this Great White Throne. This is only for the lost from Cain until the end. Now then, verse 12.

Revelation 20:12a

“And John saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; (now God of course, here will be Jesus Christ) and the books (plural) were opened: and another book (singular) was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

The lost are now ready to hear their doom. The first thing they will be shown are the blanks in that book of life where their name could have been. But it’s not there and so they can’t argue – I did this and I did that. No, your name is not in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Then he turns to the books (plural), which is the record of their daily activities on earth. And so, they were judged, to see what their level of punishment will be.

Now I think I’ve mentioned this before, for years I used to wonder, even God in His Omnipotence, is He going to keep track of every individual’s daily life? Yeah. And now with our technology and they can put the whole King James Bible on a chip the size of a pin head, well if man can do that, then God can keep a record of a few billion people. No problem.

So He’ll check the record and he’ll probably show it to them, here’s your life. Who are you to say that you can come into my Heaven? Your name is not in the Lamb’s Book of Life, your life has shown nothing that smacks of a believer and then they’ll have to admit their doom is justified. All right then, verse 13.

Revelation 20:13-14

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (not everybody’s going to suffer the same. There’s going to be degrees, see?) 14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Death is separation. The first separation was soul and spirit from the body. The second death is the separation of the lost from God. Horrible, awful thought! But it’s Scriptural and people need to be warned.

All right, back to Hebrews 10, so indeed as we read in verse 31, and it’s not stretching the envelope one bit. “It is a fearful thing (as an unbeliever, it’s a fearful thing) to fall into the hands of the living God.” But for us nothing better could happen! We are in His care. We are in the hollow of His hand. We are hidden in God in Christ. We have nothing to fear. But the lost, oh my goodness, I don’t see how they can go to bed at night. Verse 32.

Hebrews 10:32

“But (after realizing what an awful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God as a lost person) call to remembrance the former days in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;”

Remember what I said in the last program – when cult people try to come out of that cult, what happens? All the pressure that family can put on them, all the pressure that their organization can put on them, all the pressure and the threats are so great, it just draws them back. And it’s almost, without the power of God, impossible for them not to be pulled back in. Well, Judaism had the same kind of a pull. That big beautiful Temple complex and with all the activities surrounding it, the feast days, and boy, it was something to behold. And then to turn their back on all that and step into a life of separation, it wasn’t easy. The next verse tells you how much harder it was even than we would think, because:

Hebrews 10:33

“Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, while ye became companions of them that were so used,”

Now what’s he talking about. That as soon as they made their break with Judaism, what did all their Jewish friends begin to do? Castigate and disown them. They still do to a degree. My, if you’ve ever read the account of Jewish converts, not always, but many times, the family will disown them. In some instances they’ll actually hold a funeral for them, treat them as if they’re dead. And then of course, back in the first century you still had the persecuting power of the Romans.

Let’s go back to Acts chapter 17, as Paul is making his first sojourn out amongst the Gentiles and he would always begin in the Synagogue of the Jews and consequently there were quite a few Jews in those early days of Paul’s ministry. And here Paul has just begun from Northern Greece; he’s been up at Philippi and you know what happened there. He ended up in the dungeon. But he keeps on proclaiming the Gospel of Grace and he always starts in the Synagogue of the Jews.

Let’s start in chapter 17 verse 1, because this is exactly what this verse in Hebrews is referring to; how that when these Jews believed, the rest of the Jewish community came down on them hard.

Acts 17:1-2

“Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and (for) three Sabbath days (or for three weeks) reasoned with them out of the scriptures.” How much Scripture has been written by the time Paul is on his missionary journeys? Only the Old Testament. Nothing of the New. So whenever you speak of the Scriptures until Paul’s epistles start coming out, it’s Old Testament. They had no New Testament. And so, he reasoned with them out of the Old Testament Scriptures.

Acts 17:3-9

“Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus (of Nazareth) whom I preach unto you is Christ. (the Messiah.) 4. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. 5. But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the people. 6. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7. Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. 8. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. 9. And when they had taken security of Jason and of the others, they let them go.”

Well, this is just a brief picture that wherever Paul began his ministry, he would always start in the synagogue of the Jews because at least he had people who knew of a one God. They knew of the Old Testament Scriptures and it was the logical place to start. And some of them would believe. But the most of them would reject it and then he would turn to the Gentiles. But for these believing Jews, who had turned their back on Judaism, do you see what they were under? They were under the pressure of their fellow Jews and consequently suffered inexorably for their new-found faith.

All right, back to Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 33 as we read that, as these Jews who had solidly embraced Paul’s Gospel and had turned away from the sacrifices of Judaism, they“were made gazingstock by reproach and afflictions and while you became companions of them that were so used. For you had compassion on me (Paul says, where?) in my bonds.”When he was in prison. Now listen, to become a believer throughout most of Christendom was a tough row to hoe.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3 * PART 1 * BOOK 51

The Lord Shall Judge His People

Hebrews 10:23 – 11:8

We try not to preach at anybody, and we try not to attack anyone. I don’t think we’ve ever done that. In fact, I had a letter the other day that made that point. It said, “I love your program because you never attack anyone.” Well, why should we? Because the Book speaks for itself. And that’s all we want to do is just get folks to see what the Word of God says. Not what I say, or what anyone else says, but what does the Book say? And with that let’s get right back to where we left off in the last program and that would be Hebrews chapter 10 verse 23.

Hebrews 10:23a

“Let us hold fast (just like an anchor) the profession of our (what?) faith…” Faith. Now you know that is one of the key words that I’m emphasizing. And we’re going to see it explained explicitly when we get to chapter 11. But faith – faith – faith! I just can’t emphasize enough, is simply taking God at His Word! And this is the whole idea of our relationship with God is to believe what He has said.

And even though we use all of Scripture, yet Paul is the Apostle to us as Gentiles, and I maintain that if people would just simply study and believe what Paul writes in his epistles,you wouldn’t need these bookstores full of ‘How To’ books. Wouldn’t need them because he covers every problem of life. And we can solve that problem with what? Faith! Believing what God has said about it! But it’s so hard for people to get that through their heads, that faith is just simply – Taking God at His Word! God said it, and I believe it! And now Paul says, “hang on to it.” Don’t let it just become something that you’re careless about but just hang on, that this is what God says and I’m believing it come what may.

Hebrews 10:23a

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;…” Why does Paul admonish these people then to hang on to their faith?

Hebrews 10:23b

“…(for he is faithful that promised;)” God is faithful! See men can say things, they can even sign contracts but it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. But that’s not what God is. God is faithful and he will always keep His Word. Now verse 24.

Hebrews 10:24

“And let us consider one another to provoke (or to prod) unto love and good works:” You see, the beauty of the Christian community is that we should not be attacking each other. We should not be smiling and laughing over some fellow Christian’s misfortune. But, rather, we should be constantly encouraging one another, because you don’t get a word of encouragement from the world. I mean not a word. And yet we’re all human. I don’t have to have my feathers stroked three, four times a day; but once in a while it sure helps to have someone say, “Les, your program has blessed my life.” Of course, we’re human and we appreciate that.

But even in our everyday contacts with fellow believers, we should be encouraging one another – not attacking and pulling each other down. So, we provoke or prod one another, we encourage one another to love each other as well as to practice good works. Now I think maybe I shared it in the last taping, but a lot of times people, especially when they get older and they’re no longer able to do the fast-paced work of when they were young, will say, “Well, Les what can I do? There’s nothing I can do so far as works are concerned.”

Well, I had a gentleman come up at our seminar in Oklahoma City; and he liked to work with wood and that was his hobby. Well, he had started making beautiful wood walking canes, and he said, “You know what I do with these? Just as fast as I can make them, I take them out to people in nursing homes who need a cane. And it just thrills them to death that now they’ve got a beautiful, handmade cane.” Well, who would ever think of something like that as good works? Well, God does! God looks at that and that’s a good work. That’s something that is bringing some happiness, some joy to people in a particular need. So don’t ever say, “Well there’s nothing I can do.” You’d be surprised how many places there are that God can use whatever you’re capable of doing.

All right, verse 25 – a verse that is often taken totally out of context. And it’s stretched to the limit, but we’re just going to take it for what it says, that now as fellow believers, we are in the business of encouraging one another. We are to increase our love for one another because of Who has loved us first.

Hebrews 10:25a

“Not to forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,…” Now when you get into the Greek, this assembling of ourselves is a lot stronger than here in the English. What it really means is. “Assembling together with our own kind.” Birds of a feather do what? They flock together. But too many times Christians don’t. And I have people calling constantly where they’re attending a church that things are said and done that just simply don’t fit with their own belief system. And what am I going to tell them? “Get out of there! They’re not your own kind. Find a place where they are.” And this is exactly what it means, that you are to assemble yourselves together with like-minded believers.

Don’t try to compromise your own belief system in order to get along with a group that is contrary to what you feel the Word declares. Now again, we’re in a time, in an age, when most of us think that if your church isn’t 6,000 members and if you haven’t got a 200-voice choir and a big orchestra down front, you’re just not with it. Well, I’ve got news for you. That is not the New Testament Church at all. Now it has come to that, and we certainly aren’t going to tell people to lock their doors. But that is not the concept of believers coming together in the early church and I don’t think it’s going to end up that way.

I think, once again, it’ll come back to where you have true believers meeting in rather small groups. I was reading a secular magazine the other night, and I could just gather between the lines that our days of freedom and liberty as true Christians are numbered. I mean that. Our days are numbered. And if the Lord doesn’t come, even those of us that are a little bit gray haired, we’re probably going to see some tough times. And that’s why I think we should pray earnestly that the Lord will come – and with those kinds of situations like in China, remember, after the Communists took over China. The Church went underground, and by that we simply mean, that they met secretly in their apartment complexes. They had ‘house churches.’ And so when missionaries went back into China after the doors kind of opened up, they were just astounded at how many true believers were throughout China simply because they had survived with small ‘house churches.’ And we’d better get prepared; it may come back to that.

So rather than just try to find something that’s the biggest church going and the most exciting and the most entertaining; it’s far more profitable spiritually to gather with maybe a smaller group that are truly feeding on the Word of God. In fact, as I look at this verse, I have to think, what did the Lord Himself say back in the Gospels? “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m in the midst of them.” And so let’s always keep that in mind.

Hebrews 10:25a

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,…” We do need Christian fellowship. Now of course, I know we get letters every day from shut-ins, from people who are no longer able to go out into a public place of worship, and programs like ours are of course, their spiritual food. And that’s understandable, but as long as we’re able to assembly with fellow believers, even if it’s in a smaller environment, don’t ever forsake that.

Hebrews 10:25b

“…as the manner of some is; but exhorting (or encouraging) one another,: (this is probably written in the early 60’s AD and Paul says) and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.” Well, what day is he talking about? The Lord’s coming! And I always emphasize that especially lately in our local classes here in Oklahoma, you want to remember that the whole concept up until just before Paul is martyred is that the Lord would be coming in short order. They had no idea that it would be 2,000 years! That never entered their minds. They were expecting the Lord to come almost any moment. Even in Paul’s lifetime.

And so here’s another indication of that. Don’t forsake yourselves meeting together, Paul says; especially as we draw near to the Lord’s return. Well, if it was apropos in 61 or 62 AD, how much more today? You know, I’ve always gone back to the cartoon of the old caveman who had written across his cave, ‘The end is near.’ But the second picture he had added what? ‘er’ See? Today the end is nearer than it was yesterday. Today this verse is more appropriate. It’s 2,000 years closer than when Paul wrote it. And so as we see the day approaching, encourage one another that the Lord is coming! Don’t be caught asleep. Don’t be caught unprepared.

In fact, I John chapter 3 comes to mind. See now, all these things I don’t prepare the night before. I wish I could but I just can’t, as I don’t know exactly how the Holy Spirit is going to lead as I teach. We’ll be getting into these little epistles when we finish Hebrews, hopefully. Here you’ll see John’s concept of the Lord’s coming is the same as Paul’s. It could happen anytime even back there in the early first century, in the 60’s AD.

I John 3:1

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we (as believers) should be called the sons of God: (or the children of God.) therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” Now that’s plain enough isn’t it? My goodness, after three years amongst His own people, what was the statement of the majority? “Crucify Him! Kill Him!” They didn’t know Him. Well, that’s the world’s attitude toward us, whether you know it or not. All right, and so it knows us not because it “knew him not.” Now here it comes in verse 2.

I John 3:2-3

“Beloved, now we are the sons (or the born ones) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know (beyond a shadow of a doubt) that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3. And every man (that’s a generic term meaning also women, boys and girls who are believers) that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he (the Lord) is pure.”

What does that tell us? I’ll bet you one thing for sure, if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that by 12 o’clock tomorrow the Lord would have come for us in the Rapture, you’d act a lot different for this next 24 hours. Wouldn’t we? I mean every one of us! We would make sure that we hadn’t had any evil thoughts cobwebbing our minds. We would make sure that we are spiritually, as well as physically and materially, ready for that trumpet call that’s going to come sometime between now and noon tomorrow. I know we would. There isn’t a person in this room that wouldn’t take special note to be ready when that moment comes.

Well, we should be just as ready all the time, see? But we’re human. We get lax and the first thing you know weeks have gone by and we haven’t really thought about the Lord’s coming. But hey, it’s got to be on our mind constantly, especially as we see as Paul says in Hebrews, ‘The day appearing.’ All right, now then the other one that I just thought of while I was reading this one of course was Philippians. So let’s go back to Philippians chapter 3, starting at verses 20 and 21.

Philippians 3:20-21

“For our conversation (or if you have a margin, it’s citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21, Who shall change our vile (or this corrupt) body, that it (this body) may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, (the resurrected body) according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” In other words, what are we to be constantly aware of? That maybe in the next hour, we’re out of this old body of flesh and we’re in the new and we’re in Glory! That’s our blessed hope and I can’t stress it enough that all through the early days of Christendom it was that imminent return of Christ that they were looking for. And like I’ve said over and over, Paul wrote of it as though He was coming in his lifetime, until just before he was martyred. He finally speaks of the fact that he’s going to go through physical death, but I don’t think Paul ever expected to. He thought the Lord was going to return before he would die a physical death. All right back to Hebrews chapter 10. And so:

Hebrews 10:25

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together (with like-minded believers) as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Verse 26 and here again is a verse that arouses so many questions and really it’s quite simple.

Hebrews 10:26

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,” Now in order to understand this you’ve got to get the big picture. Who are the Hebrews? Jews! What is their belief system? Judaism. And what was Judaism based on? The Temple worship and the sacrifices and the feast days and all the various demands – for a particular sin, you would bring this particular sacrifice. Now this whole book of Hebrews as I’ve been stressing, was written first and foremost to those Hebrew believers. And they were having such a hard time breaking from their old religious system of Judaism with Temple worship and the sacrifices and the whole ‘nine yards.’

And as I explained to one of my classes just this last week, you take people who have come out of a cult, and cults are satanically capable of brainwashing people to such an extent that it’s almost impossible to bring them out of it except for the power of God, but I have had some that have broken free. And the first thing they tell me, “But Les, it’s so hard to break with what we have been taught for a whole lifetime.” I know that. It is hard. But if you’re going to be a believer in the Word of God that’s what you have to do. Well, these Jews were the same way. They had been steeped in Judaism ever since 1500 BC. Israel was under the Law and they were steeped in Temple worship with all of its attendant sacrifices.

Now then, the key to this whole verse is the last part of the verse; that if you’re going to willfully turn away from Paul’s revelations of the grace of God and go back into Judaism, what would they be practicing? Sacrifices! They’d be going back to their animal sacrifices, but would it do them any good? No. And that’s what this verse is screaming at them. If you’re going to turn around and walk away from this that has been revealed to you by the grace of God and you’re going to go back into Judaism with all of its Temple worship and sacrifices, then hey, you’re out of it. God is no longer dealing with people on the basis of the animal sacrifices because He was the complete, perfect sacrifice.

And when people turned around and said, “Well, I’m going back to my Temple worship. I’m going back to the animal sacrifices;” they were, as it says in chapter 6 ‘crucifying the Lord afresh.’ How? By telling Him that His sacrifice counted for nothing! That animal’s blood was better than His. Do you see the picture?

All right, verse 27. That after they’d received the knowledge of the truth and there remains no more sacrifice (animal sacrifices won’t help you). But if you’re going to go back into Judaism there is:

Hebrews 10:27

“But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversary.” Judgment because they had spurned God’s grace. What’s it speaking of? The Great White Throne Judgment when lost Jews are going to be condemned to the Lake of Fire just as well as lost humanity in general. If they’re going to turn away from God’s offer of grace and salvation by faith in that grace alone; if they’re going to go back to animal sacrifices, then they’ve got nothing facing them but the fiery indignation of eternaldoom.

Now, to chapter 6; I said it’s referring to the same thing. So if somebody asks you, “Well what about Hebrews 10:26?” You tell them it’s the same thing as Hebrews chapter 6 and then you’re out of it! So let’s review Hebrews chapter 6 verse 4 for a moment.

Hebrews 6:4a

“For it is (what?) impossible (and that means what it says, it’s impossible) for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift,” Now I’ve had quite a few people respond already because some of the stations show this on Sundays and so this has already been out on the air and we’ve already had some comment, that they never realized before that you do not sustain any amount of energy by simply tasting something. You can taste from now until doomsday and you’ll starve to death because you don’t really latch on to something if all you’re doing is tasting it.

And that’s what the people did. They looked at Paul’s program. They looked at this offer of salvation through faith alone. The Holy Spirit enlightened them enough for them to consider it, and they could have stepped over the threshold. They could have had it but did they? No. Now read on.

Hebrews 6:4b-6a

“…and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, (the Holy Spirit had come along side) 5. And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, (In other words, the view of the coming Kingdom.) 6. If they shall fall away,…” Remember when I taught this several months ago, I explained that this word in the Greek is not the same that translated ‘a falling away’ in Thessalonians. This is a Greek word that is never used any other place in Scripture. ‘Parapipto.’ And that means turning your back scornfully.

Now the word for ‘falling away’ in Thessalonians is ‘apostasia.’ Two totally different words. All right, so this parapipto meant to turn your back scornfully, as a woman who was turning her back on her husband and going into an adulterous situation. Now that’s what the word implies. Not just someone who hadn’t quite understood it. Not someone who was caught in a moment of weakness but someone who had fully comprehended all this. Someone whom the Lord has opened up their thinking but in a scornful rejection they just said, “I’ll have nothing to do with this. I’m going back to my religion.” Now you got the picture?

And when I talk about cult people, that’s exactly where most of them are. Even when they see the truth, they get all the pressure from their fellow cult people and back they go and they scorn what they have been enlightened to see. All right, so now then, if you want the answer to Hebrews 10 verse 26, you just tell folks to read Hebrews 6 because it means the same thing. Another example is when these people willfully, scornfully said, “we’ll not have anything to do with this Jesus of Nazareth.” Now verse 27 again.

Hebrews 10:27-28

“But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation (in other words, the Lake of Fire that is facing the lost.) which shall devour the adversaries. 28. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:”

Now you know you’ve heard me say it over and over, especially those of you who are in my classes every week. The Law was what? It was beggarly and it was cruel! The Law had no mercy. The Law was strict. And, consequently, when someone knowing that it said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” went ahead and did it anyway, what did the Law demand? Death. Not with a spear, not with a sword, but how? By stoning, which was a slow torturous death. That’s what the Law demanded. Severe! That’s the word I was looking for. The Law was severe! It was merciless. And so this is what Paul is stressing. Now remember the Law of Moses was severe and yet it had none of the opportunities that this Gospel of Grace gives us. So if God permitted the Law to severely punish those who broke it, then how much more capable is He of consigning lost people to the Lake of Fire?

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 2 * PART 4 * BOOK 51

Hebrews 10:1-22 – Part 2

Now let’s get back to where we left off in the last lesson and that would be in Hebrews chapter 10.

Remember we were talking about this new covenant that God is going to fulfill with the Nation of Israel which will happen when He leaves that position at the right hand of the Father, having defeated all of Israel’s enemies; and He’ll return and give them the Kingdom. And it’s going to be glorious. Of course, we will have already been taken up into Heaven and we’ll have had seven years of time with our Lord in Glory. We’ll have been through the Bema Seat experience where we receive our reward for what we have done in this old body while working for Him down here today.

But the main thing we’re looking at here is this new covenant as it’s directed to the Nation of Israel, and it will be fulfilled to the last jot and tittle. And every Jew will no longer have to practice the sacrifices. They will no longer have to battle the old sin nature and Satan, but it will be Heaven on earth. The Nation of Israel will be in their physical bodies in the Kingdom Age, along with all believers who make it through the Tribulation.

Hebrews 10:18

“Now where the remission of these is, (that is their sins and iniquities that God has now cleansed them of) there is no more offering for sin.” It’s all over. No more sacrifices. No more crucifixion. It’s all done with that one-time offering of Christ. All right, now in verse 19, we’re going right back again up into the throne room of Heaven as it were.

Hebrews 10:19a

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest…” The very Holy of Holies in Heaven, and we can enter in boldly. Now this is beyond human comprehension that you and I will one day have access literally, in physical ways. But now we have it in the realm of the Spirit where we can enter in to the Holy of Holies boldly because of what?

Hebrews 10:19b

“…by the blood of Jesus.” The blood of Christ. That all sufficient sacrificial price that was paid for our redemption.

Now before I go any further, I’m reminded of a couple books that I read when I was still rather young. I imagine I was in my thirties and I was just beginning to really get interested in the Word of God. And I read two books, both titled ‘True Spirituality.’ One was written by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, a tremendous Swiss theologian. But his was so deep that I would sometimes have to go back and read it over three, four, five times before I could get what he was trying to say. I finally came to the conclusion that I could not attain to that level of spirituality that he was writing about. It just seemed so far beyond me that I just finally quit reading it.

Then sometime later I read another book titled the same way, ‘True Spirituality,’ by Watchman Nee, the Chinese. Well, I had the same response to that one. I thought, there’s no way – I could never get this spiritual. I could never get to where these guys are. And I laid that one aside. But see, I can see now why young believers, or maybe even young people in physical age, cannot get exercised by these things because it just seems so unattainable, because we’re so wrapped up with the things of this world. After all, we’re trying to be successful in life. We’re raising our kids, and all the things associated with it and then these things just become almost mundane.

But I hope I can get people out of that rut regardless of where they’re listening to my voice – that these are attainable. Even for the young person. Even for the teenager. Even for the thirty-something covered up with activity. Yet, God wants us to understand that we can enter into the Holiest of Holies, right now today. And so it’s not something unattainable, it’s not something that only some great theologian or evangelist can attain. But you see, I keep myself at your level, so you and I can attain. I’m not one foot above any one of you.

And so now look what he’s talking about, that we have this boldness because of that tremendous sacrificial price of the blood of Christ that we can now come into the very throne room of Heaven, the presence of God.

Hebrews 10:20a

“By a new and living way,…” Again, that Greek word translated in English ‘living’ is more than what meets the eye. But it’s an ongoing thing that has potential for how long? Eternity. This living way is not just alive for today. It will be alive to the extent of eternity. It’s never going to run down.

Hebrews 10:20b

“…which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;” Now I’m sure many of you have heard the term that the body of Christ was ‘the veil.’ Or the veil was the body of Christ. And it’s always been an enigma to me. I think you know what an enigma is. It’s when you see somebody through a frosted glass and all you can see is the outline. You can’t see detail. Well, this whole concept of the body of Christ being the veil was an enigma for me, I think, until I started this series in Hebrews.

And hopefully I can pass it on to the ordinary everyday believer. When Christ took on human flesh and He became sin for us, it was that body of flesh then and that shed blood that opened up the way into the Holy of Holies. Now again, maybe I can better put it on the board. You know, that back there in the Tabernacle and later on in the Temple, this was the veil. Huge. Thick as the width of a man’s hand. And they would come in from the east and here were the furnishings of the front and right behind the veil was this Ark of the Covenant, with the wings of the cherubim over spreading it and so forth.

But anyhow the veil is what kept the priests of Israel from coming into the presence of God because, after all, from Adam’s fall, what separated mankind for God? Sin! Sinful men could not come into the presence of such a holy and a righteous God. So it was that great veil that just kept us out. All right, but now when Christ came bodily – come back with me to Colossians, and the other one is in II Corinthians chapter 5.

Colossians 2:9

“For in him (that’s in Christ) dwelleth (and that means just exactly what it says. For in Christ dwelleth, or abideth) all the fulness of the Godhead (how?) bodily.” That body that Hebrews said was given to Him in the womb. That body of flesh that was prepared for thirty-three years of living on this planet for the sole purpose of going to that Cross, to shed divine blood as payment for mankind’s sin.

So we have to picture this veil then as Christ’s body of flesh because it stood for the sin of mankind. Now, come back to II Corinthians. Not that Christ was a sinner; don’t ever get that idea. He was holy. He was perfect. He was righteous. But, in order to fulfill the demands of a Holy God, what did He have to agree to do? To become sin for us. Now here again, these are things that are beyond human comprehension. I can’t comprehend it. But I can take what little bit I understand by faith. These are so profound that it’s way beyond us, but we take it by faith.

II Corinthians 5:21a

“For he (God) hath made him (Jesus the Christ) to be sin (why?) for us,…” Do you see that? He became that veil, that sin for us, that stood between us and the presence of God. But when that flesh was given up on the Cross, what happened to this veil? Well, in the Temple at the day of the crucifixion, you all know the account. It split from top to the bottom. Well what was the purpose? To show now that the way into the Holiest of Holies was wide open. But, what did the Jews of that day do? They sewed it up. With no understanding of what they were doing, they closed it back up. But you can’t undo the work of God. And so, spiritually speaking, they didn’t close it up. They couldn’t because it was a, once for all, done deal. That now, the way into the Holiest of all was made possible through the flesh, the body, the crucified body of the Son of God. All right, come back to Hebrews 10:

Hebrews 10:19a

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness…” No trepidation. There’s no shrinking back. We can just come right in and say, “Lord, I belong here. This is where I’m supposed to be. I’m not on strange territory.” Now, do you see what I mean when I said that I was reading about true spirituality back there in my thirties; I just thought there was no way I could attain to that kind of an act and that kind of behavior. Me? Able to come into the very throne room of God – boldly? Now I can tell you, and it isn’t just Les Feldick, it’s every one of you. Every one of you, if you’re a believer tonight, you’re in the same position I am. We go right into the throne room of Heaven. I’ll never forget a gentleman out in Ohio last year at our seminar. He came up. Big fellow. He came up and he grabbed me on one shoulder in each hand and he said, “Les Feldick, you have changed my life.” And his wife was sitting nodding her head. How true.

Well, this year we were back there and spent a couple of evenings in their home and what a joy! He said, “Now when I say that you’ve changed my life, God never had a part in my life before. “Now,” he says, “I talk to Him all day long.” This gentlemen is a well-to-do businessman. What a difference! Well can you say that? Do you talk to Him all day long? Don’t feel that you have to have some sort of a special status or you have to have some special way of approach. No. We can come in twenty-four hours a day, at any moment. Whatever you’re doing, you can come and you can approach the Father with your prayer needs.

Now of course, I’m a great proponent of a prayer time. I think every believer should have a few moments every day where you can come in and spend some time on your knees. But that’s not the only way of prayer. You can pray all day long, wherever you are. Because we have the right to go boldly into the very throne room, the Holy of Holies

Hebrews 10:19

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” The Holy of Holies. That place in the Temple that was behind the veil. That place up in Heaven where Christ went and presented His blood. Now verse 20.

Hebrews 10:20

“ (We come boldly) By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;” So when that body of flesh hung there on that Cross and the blood was shed, this veil that had separated men from God for 1,500 years (Law) was now rent from the top to the bottom. And now we have full access into the throne room.

Hebrews 10:21

“And having a high priest over the house of God;” Now this is why, earlier in Hebrews, we spent all that time on the priesthood of Melchisedec – Christ’s high priesthood on our behalf. Not the Aaronic priests for Israel – this order of Melchisedec was for the non-Jewish world, as well as Israel. It was an all-inclusive priesthood. But it was that priesthood that now gave us this same kind of access into that very throne room of Heaven. Now verse 22.

Hebrews 10:22a

“Let us draw near (let us take advantage of this access into the throne room) with a true heart in full assurance of (what?) faith.” Now you see faith and feelings are miles apart. Faith does not demand feelings and feelings does not confirm faith. Faith is something that stands by itself. You just simply take God at His Word without any confirmation. Without any physical. Without any emotion. Faith is that abiding ability to trust the Word of God. Now completing the verse.

Hebrews 10:22b

“…having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,…” This word sprinkling goes all the way back of course, to the sacrificial worship in the tabernacle first, and then later on in the Temple. Now, when the high priest would go in on the day of atonement, he’d come in and he’d make his way back behind the veil (once a year). And what would he do? He would take the blood of that sacrificial animal and he would sprinkle it. In other words, he wasn’t just pouring the blood all over that golden piece of furniture. But it was a sprinkling. And it was God’s way of accepting the fact that the blood had now been offered and it covered the sins of Israel. It didn’t have to be completely bathed in blood; it was a sprinkling that God recognized as sufficient. The next word I’m going to spend a little more time on as we complete verse 22.

Hebrews 10:22c

“…having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and with our bodies washed with pure water.” The blood of Christ has cleansed us. Because it’s been applied to our hearts by faith and our bodies washed with pure water. Now that’s not baptism. Some people will try to associate it, but this is not a reference to baptism. But again, it’s a symbolic thing that we have to understand; that, even though all of these things we’ve been speaking about are in the realm of the spirit and the soul and we speak of the salvation of the soul, where is the soul residing? In this body.

And so what does Paul teach concerning the body? Hey, it’s the Temple, it’s the Tabernacle, it’s the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. And we’re supposed to treat it accordingly. This is not just some ramshackle piece of cloth that’s a tent. This body is the temple of the Holy Spirit when we become a believer. And so it has to be reckoned as such and we are to reckon it as cleansed.

Now there’s several verses that refer to the body. Go back if you will, to Ephesians chapter 1, starting with verse 13. The same writer that writes these things in Hebrews; the only thing is, he’s writing to Jews who had an understanding of the Old Testament economy, which of course, the Gentiles of Paul’s day knew almost nothing of – but nevertheless, he brings about the same basic truths only from a different perspective.

Ephesians 1:13a

“In whom ye also trusted,…” Most of you know now, even my television audience understands, who did Paul always write to? Believers. Paul never writes to the unbeliever. And so to the believer he says:

Ephesians 1:13

“In whom ye also trusted, (placed your faith, you believed) after that ye heard the word of truth, (well, naturally you can’t believe something until you hear it. And what was the word of truth?) the gospel of your salvation: (how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead) in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” The Holy Spirit came in as God’s mark of ownership. Now verse 14.

Ephesians 1:14

“Which (this indwelling Holy Spirit in this tabernacle of flesh) is the earnest (down payment, earnest money) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory.” Now you’ve got to really pick this apart. If the Holy Spirit came into this tabernacle of flesh at the moment of salvation, then you would think that this body was redeemed as well as the soul was, wouldn’t we? But it wasn’t. The soul was redeemed. We know that. The soul and the spirit are already God’s, they’re His, they’re marked as His. But this old body is still down here under the curse, isn’t it?

Not a one of you are immune to sin or pain or suffering or death. None of us. Because this old body is still an unredeemed piece of flesh. Got that? But, the indwelling Holy Spirit is God’s what? Down payment. And it’s a down payment of such a size that one day He’s going to finish the payment.

All right, now let’s see, I think I can come to Romans chapter 8. And this all has to do with our physical body of flesh. It’s the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. It’s the dwelling place of our now-redeemed soul and spirit. Consequently, we are responsible with what we do with this dwelling place until we leave it. All right, Romans chapter 8 verse 18.

Romans 8:18

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us. 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature (or the creation, all of creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” Or the children of God. You and I. All of creation is waiting for the day when we’re suddenly going to be ready for that glorious Kingdom. Now verse 20.

Romans 8:20

“For the creature (creation) was made subject to vanity, (the curse) not willingly, (it wasn’t the animal kingdom’s fault that Adam sinned.) but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.” In other words, just as soon as Adam sinned, God came right back with the plan of redemption in Genesis 3:15. So, He subjected everything under the curse but, at the same time, He subjected it in (what?) hope – that one day the curse will end. Now verse 21.

Romans 8:21

“Because the creature (creation) itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption (the curse) into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (That’s you and I.) 22. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23. And not only they, (not just the animal kingdom and the birds and the fish and everything else) but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, (we believers, we’re still under the curse. Now here it comes) even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption, (or this great transaction) to wit, the redemption of our (what?) body.”