Hebrews 3:14 "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."
We're going to step aside just here to share a thought from Andrew Murray that we believe just goes well here and we quote: “The greatest stumbling-block in the way of victory over prayerlessness is the secret feeling that we shall never obtain the blessing of being delivered from it. Often have we put forth effort in this direction, but in vain. Old habit and the power of the flesh, our surroundings with their attractions, have been too strong for us. What good is it to attempt that which our heart assures us is out of our reach? The change needed in the entire life is too great and too difficult. If the question is put: 'Is a change possible?' our sighing heart says: 'Alas, for me it is entirely impossible!' Do you know why that reply comes? It is simply because you have received the call to prayer as the voice of Moses and as a command of the law. Moses and his law have never yet given anyone the power to obey.
What we have said about deliverance from the sin of prayerlessness has also application as answer to the question: `How may the experience of deliverance be maintained?' Redemption is not granted to us piecemeal, or as something of which we may make use from time to time. It is bestowed as a fullness of Grace stored up in the Lord Jesus, which may be enjoyed in the New fellowship with Him every day. It is so necessary that this great Truth should be driven home and fastened in our minds that we will once more mention it. Nothing can preserve you from carelessness, or make it possible for you to persevere in living, powerful prayer, but a daily close fellowship with Jesus our Lord and the power of the Cross.
He said to His disciples: 'You believe in God, believe also in Me... Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me ...He that believe on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do' (John 14.1, 11, 12).
The Lord wished to teach His disciples that all they had learned from the Old Testament concerning the power and holiness and love of God must now be transferred to Him. They must not believe merely in certain written documents but in Him personally. They must believe that He was in the Father, and the Father is in Him, in such a sense that they had one life, one glory, one hope, one spirit and yes one faith. All that they knew about Christ they would find in God. He laid much emphasis on this because it was only through such a faith in Him and His divine glory that they could do the works which He did, or even greater works. Greater because there by His deaths resurrection would cause more to become as He was, seated at the right hand of God in the Heavenliest, by faith plus nothing. This faith would lead them to know that just as Christ and the Father are one, so also they were in Christ and Christ was in them. It is this intimate, spiritual, personal, uninterrupted relationship to the Lord Jesus which manifests itself powerfully in our lives, and especially in our prayer lives. Let us consider this and see what it means: that all the glorious attributes of God are in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Taken from “The Books of Andrew Murray” in the book “The Prayer Life” chapter three with limited editing by us.
Now picking up with our thought here in Hebrews chapter three and verse 14. An we think you'll see how this all blends in together.
In other words, if salvation is real, if salvation had been totally (this action of God includes our redemption and placement into the spiritual body of Christ) completed by that act of God, then it can never end. It can never be taken away, because that is an act of God. We've said it over and over, stop and think of all that God does. Not what we do, but think of all that God does the moment He saves us and sees our trust. He forgives us, and as we have already seen in I Corinthians, chapter 12, He places us into the one body, He redeems us, He pays the purchase price, He justifies us, He sanctifies us, He glorifies us, He puts the Holy Spirit within us, Should I keep going?! Can God undo all of that? No way. God WILL not! Or He wouldn’t be the God of His Word. He wouldn't be a Covenant keeping God, the Ever Living One, the God of an Endless Life. But this one thing we have to get hold of He demands our obedience to His divine Will and purpose which this Gospel reveals and the Old Testament Law demands, death.
And so, the whole IF problem is, have they been genuinely saved, or have they merely tasted or only made a emotional affirmation. Have they considered it, but in their heart they are still saying, I can’t quite buy this? Alright, so let’s go on to verse 15.
Hebrews 3:15a
"While it is said, Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts,…"
That goes back again into the previous verse. What hardens hearts? Sin! And who is at the head of the sin business? Satan. Let us show you in II Corinthians, chapter 4, and let’s just look at verses 3 and 4:
II Corinthians 4:3-4a
" But if our gospel be hid (in other words, of no use) it is hid to them that are lost: (they are still in their lawlessness. They are still in their sin, and in these people that are still in their lawlessness, in these people)In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which (oh, what is the word?) believe not,…"
Isn’t that simple? It doesn’t say a word about all the sins of the flesh that we mentioned before. No, that’s not their problem. That’s just the result of their unbelief. But, the opposite of unbelief is belief! Trust, trust in His Faith! See? Now reading verse 4 again.
II Corinthians 4:4 "In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, should shine unto them."
So who keeps people in their darkness. Well, Satan does. How does Satan do it? By keeping them involved in their sin. Now, can you see why we’ve got a problem today? My, our kids are hooked on the videos and the TV programs that are nothing but rot and smut, and it simply destroys their character, then there's our school and religious systems which corrupts their thinking. No wonder it is so hard to get through to them. The only way, evidently, churches think they can get them is to use the world’s approach. We can’t agree with it, but more and more are going that way. The problem is they have been blinded by the deceitfulness of sin. That's why there's no prayer life in the individual or church, yes its because they've allowed sin in the camp and the devil has had a field day now for over 5000 years.
Alright, back to Hebrews chapter 3, and verse 15 again, and then I want to come back to Romans again.
Hebrews 3:15a
"While it is said, Today if you will hear His voice,…"
Alright, how do we hear the voice of God? How do we hear it? Well, Romans, chapter 10 tells us. We're sure you know and you will recognize them as soon as we start. Starting at verse 13.
Romans 10:1314a
"For whosoever (none excepted, this is an invitation to the whole human race.) shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (that’s a promise. Now then, the question is,) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?…"
In other words, how can they become believers of someone they Know nothing of? Or as is the case today who knows nothing of God or His mysteries as revealed to Paul.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXXI
I Corinthians 12:12
"For as the body (or human body) is one, and has many members. (now, what does that speak of? Our hands, fingers, toes, ears, eyes, all of these things make up our body.) and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ." Or the spiritual body of Christ is made up of many members. Do you see that?
I Corinthians 12:13a
"For by one Spirit (by the work of the Holy Spirit) are we all. (not just some of the elite. Not just some who have had a particular experience, but every believer is) baptized (or placed into) one body, (which Ephesians calls the body of Christ.)
That composition of believers from wherever they are, whatever their station in life, at redemption they are brought in and become part and parcel of the Body of Christ. Now some of us may be a little toe. Some of us may be nothing more than an ear or an eye or something like that, but we are members of the one body, and we all have a function. That’s why it behooves every believer to be used of God in whatever particular purpose He has. This is what the gifts of the Spirit is all about and how they are to be properly applied or used. Alright, so here we are placed into the body by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Holy spirit is the Gift of God for us all now to live in dependency of:
I Corinthians 12:13b
"…whether we be Jew or Gentile, whether we be bond or free; and we have been all made to drink (or partake) into one Spirit."
The human body as well as the body of Christ is not one member but many. The whole analogy of the rest of this chapter is that God is building the body of Christ, individual by individual, placing them where He wants them. Just like, and we have used this analogy over and over, like the little baby in the mother’s womb. My, that doesn’t just form all at once, but over nine months those cells are going to their rightful place. The cells that compose the fingernails go to the fingernail. The cells that compose the eye go to the eye. And all through that nine-month period, that little body is finally brought to a completion. Every cell had gone to where it has to be to make that little creature function. Alright, so is the body of Christ. And like all seeds it has to pass through the veil of death in order for it to be birthed and yes even the mother passes through death in child birthing. We by God's Will have to pass through His death in order to be re-birthed or born again. Then we begin a process over of growth unto maturity or perfection which is to bring us to salvation. We're not to remain a young child or infant for ever. As with our growth and development there are no less than two stages so there is in our birthing into God's Kingdom.
Now for 2000 and some years God has been bringing them into the body one at a time.
Alright, so is the body of Christ. We’ve never lost our individuality. And God knows every one of us as an individual and yet the composite is the one body of Christ and will one day be complete. And, that is why we're proponents of the departure. We have to be taken out. We will not fit in the tribulation economy. That’s the best word we can find. Because the tribulation or Jacobs troubles are for the Hebrew, and for the rest of the unbelieving world. The tribulation isn’t for the believers! Those within the spiritual Body of Christ, as it has to be taken out, and it will be. We're adamant on that!
Because Paul alone, tells us about the forming of the Body of Christ. Paul alone tells us how the Body is to function in this world. Paul alone is going to give us the end of the Body on earth and it’s deliverance. See that? So, here we have then, as we find coming out of Hebrews, let’s go back there again. That the Body of Christ is being formed because as we became receiving believers of the Gospel of Grace, we became partakers or companions of Christ by virtue of the fact that the Holy Spirit has placed us into the One Body. What a unique position, and the number of its members is limited in number, to be a member of Christ Himself requires obedience to God's revealed Will. We are not just subjects of a King. Oh, He is going to be King of Kings don’t think for a minute He won’t be, but we are not the subjects of a King. We are members of the One Body of Christ. Alright, back to Hebrews:
Hebrews 3:14a
"For we are made partakers of Christ, (and there is that big word I made mention of earlier.) if"…"
The word "if" here is not a matter of these Hebrews having been saved and losing it, because they have not totally entered in. They’re on the fence. They are considering it. If we have been enlightened. It doesn’t say it is impossible if they have been saved. But, they’ve only been enlightened. They have tasted, they have stepped in with one foot. Just as the many do even in our day and time, they began the process but as Paul warns they stopped short. And, then what did they do? They turned around and went back into Judaism. He warned the Galatians of falling backward into they're paganism or under the spell of Judaism.
Now, we've all had the same problem, especially with people in cults, or religionists and legalists as we called them. We're not going to name them, but there are more than one. This happened for us back under the tent in Ocala, Florida in early 1985. And, they have the same problem. Oh, it is so hard to break with that cult or religions brainwashing that they have been under for maybe 30, 50 or 60 years. It isn’t that they are going to be saved and lost. It’s because they can’t truly come in and experience a real rebirth into salvation. So, that is what we are dealing with here in Hebrews. Don’t ever get the idea that we are talking about Hebrews who were saved and lost. Or that IF they can hang on they will still be saved. No, the "IF" is, have you really been saved? This is where we're probably shaking a few people up. We don’t want to make people miserable and doubt their salvation if they have truly been saved. Not at all. But, listen we’ve got millions NO billions of people out there that think they are saved, and they have never had a salvation experience. Those are the people that we have to warn. Yes, this if is a big "IF" for you if you have never been truly saved. Our first look at it is found with Peter when he replied to Jesus' question, “who do men say that I am?” It was not the response that counts but rather the way he received the inspiration that is the key. For it is upon this key that all of scripture is based from there now out into infinity. Why? Because as the son of man Jesus said, "upon this rock I will build My Church", not the Old Testament which runs up through Acts chapter 11. But upon the illumination which the called out and appointed Apostle Paul was given by the risen LORD personally.
"For as the body (or human body) is one, and has many members. (now, what does that speak of? Our hands, fingers, toes, ears, eyes, all of these things make up our body.) and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ." Or the spiritual body of Christ is made up of many members. Do you see that?
I Corinthians 12:13a
"For by one Spirit (by the work of the Holy Spirit) are we all. (not just some of the elite. Not just some who have had a particular experience, but every believer is) baptized (or placed into) one body, (which Ephesians calls the body of Christ.)
That composition of believers from wherever they are, whatever their station in life, at redemption they are brought in and become part and parcel of the Body of Christ. Now some of us may be a little toe. Some of us may be nothing more than an ear or an eye or something like that, but we are members of the one body, and we all have a function. That’s why it behooves every believer to be used of God in whatever particular purpose He has. This is what the gifts of the Spirit is all about and how they are to be properly applied or used. Alright, so here we are placed into the body by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Holy spirit is the Gift of God for us all now to live in dependency of:
I Corinthians 12:13b
"…whether we be Jew or Gentile, whether we be bond or free; and we have been all made to drink (or partake) into one Spirit."
The human body as well as the body of Christ is not one member but many. The whole analogy of the rest of this chapter is that God is building the body of Christ, individual by individual, placing them where He wants them. Just like, and we have used this analogy over and over, like the little baby in the mother’s womb. My, that doesn’t just form all at once, but over nine months those cells are going to their rightful place. The cells that compose the fingernails go to the fingernail. The cells that compose the eye go to the eye. And all through that nine-month period, that little body is finally brought to a completion. Every cell had gone to where it has to be to make that little creature function. Alright, so is the body of Christ. And like all seeds it has to pass through the veil of death in order for it to be birthed and yes even the mother passes through death in child birthing. We by God's Will have to pass through His death in order to be re-birthed or born again. Then we begin a process over of growth unto maturity or perfection which is to bring us to salvation. We're not to remain a young child or infant for ever. As with our growth and development there are no less than two stages so there is in our birthing into God's Kingdom.
Now for 2000 and some years God has been bringing them into the body one at a time.
Alright, so is the body of Christ. We’ve never lost our individuality. And God knows every one of us as an individual and yet the composite is the one body of Christ and will one day be complete. And, that is why we're proponents of the departure. We have to be taken out. We will not fit in the tribulation economy. That’s the best word we can find. Because the tribulation or Jacobs troubles are for the Hebrew, and for the rest of the unbelieving world. The tribulation isn’t for the believers! Those within the spiritual Body of Christ, as it has to be taken out, and it will be. We're adamant on that!
Because Paul alone, tells us about the forming of the Body of Christ. Paul alone tells us how the Body is to function in this world. Paul alone is going to give us the end of the Body on earth and it’s deliverance. See that? So, here we have then, as we find coming out of Hebrews, let’s go back there again. That the Body of Christ is being formed because as we became receiving believers of the Gospel of Grace, we became partakers or companions of Christ by virtue of the fact that the Holy Spirit has placed us into the One Body. What a unique position, and the number of its members is limited in number, to be a member of Christ Himself requires obedience to God's revealed Will. We are not just subjects of a King. Oh, He is going to be King of Kings don’t think for a minute He won’t be, but we are not the subjects of a King. We are members of the One Body of Christ. Alright, back to Hebrews:
Hebrews 3:14a
"For we are made partakers of Christ, (and there is that big word I made mention of earlier.) if"…"
The word "if" here is not a matter of these Hebrews having been saved and losing it, because they have not totally entered in. They’re on the fence. They are considering it. If we have been enlightened. It doesn’t say it is impossible if they have been saved. But, they’ve only been enlightened. They have tasted, they have stepped in with one foot. Just as the many do even in our day and time, they began the process but as Paul warns they stopped short. And, then what did they do? They turned around and went back into Judaism. He warned the Galatians of falling backward into they're paganism or under the spell of Judaism.
Now, we've all had the same problem, especially with people in cults, or religionists and legalists as we called them. We're not going to name them, but there are more than one. This happened for us back under the tent in Ocala, Florida in early 1985. And, they have the same problem. Oh, it is so hard to break with that cult or religions brainwashing that they have been under for maybe 30, 50 or 60 years. It isn’t that they are going to be saved and lost. It’s because they can’t truly come in and experience a real rebirth into salvation. So, that is what we are dealing with here in Hebrews. Don’t ever get the idea that we are talking about Hebrews who were saved and lost. Or that IF they can hang on they will still be saved. No, the "IF" is, have you really been saved? This is where we're probably shaking a few people up. We don’t want to make people miserable and doubt their salvation if they have truly been saved. Not at all. But, listen we’ve got millions NO billions of people out there that think they are saved, and they have never had a salvation experience. Those are the people that we have to warn. Yes, this if is a big "IF" for you if you have never been truly saved. Our first look at it is found with Peter when he replied to Jesus' question, “who do men say that I am?” It was not the response that counts but rather the way he received the inspiration that is the key. For it is upon this key that all of scripture is based from there now out into infinity. Why? Because as the son of man Jesus said, "upon this rock I will build My Church", not the Old Testament which runs up through Acts chapter 11. But upon the illumination which the called out and appointed Apostle Paul was given by the risen LORD personally.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXX
Romans 3:19a
"Now we know that what things soever the law (that is the law of God. The very mind of God, the Will of Gos is.) it says to them who are under the law:" In other words, what most automatically think is the Law was originally given to what people? Israel. Israel was put under the Levitical Law and the whole system of worship that was associated with it. Alright, but it doesn’t stop there. Yes, the Law was given to them who were under that Law but, that how many mouths should be stopped?
Romans 3:19b
"…that every mouth may be stopped,…" Every mouth! Not just the Hebrew but every mouth of the whole human race should be just clamped shut by what? The righteousness of the law of God. Who’s perfect. He’s sinless. Alright, read on.
Romans 3:19c
"…that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world. (not just Israel, but that all the world) may become guilty before God."
Guilty!! And what does guilt always demand? A sentence. Doesn’t it? We go before a court of law and if the Judge slams the gavel down and he says, "Guilty." What follows? Sentencing. And it is no different in the Spiritual realm. The guilty world is going to come up for sentencing. There is no escaping it. And God is going to have the record. There will be no argument. It’s going to be awful, and that’s why the world doesn’t want to hear about it. How often do churches ever, ever mention Hell anymore? Almost, never. The law as we saw back in Genesis was first spoken and given to Adam when he disobeyed the command which carried with it the penalty, separation from God, death. That command then became law as it revealed lawlessness, sin. That put all humanity under the yoke of bondage in chains tied to Satan's authority, which also covers human government established by God in Genesis 8:15-11:32. This human government runs from Genesis 8:15 though to Revelations 19, in other words until the Lord sets up His rule over Israel and the nations, the millennium period. The last portion of God's divine time table as seen in Psalm 2 verses 9 through 12. This is another subject area for teaching later.
We just trust that the Lord will use us to open the Scriptures to your understanding. This thrills our heart to see so many lost people coming to a knowledge of salvation but many, many more believers who have never had an understanding of the Scriptures are finally getting their eyes opened.
Paul is addressing primarily a Hebrew congregation, wherever they are. And the people are in a battle to make a clean break with Judaism and come over in to this doctrine of Grace which is trusting, faith + nothing in the finished work of the cross for salvation. (I Corinthians 15:1-4) It’s trusting, faith + nothing, and without any attachment to the Levitical Law and temple worship and so forth. So always remember, that first and foremost the people we are dealing with here. But, we can also glean so much that applies to us even as Church Age believers in God's Gospel of His Grace and the Better New Covenant of His Grace. Remember too, that God has in this Gospel as in each of His economies, has set out certain rules and terms of conditions with penalties, that we are required to know and follow is Israel had, but failed. He is the Living Covenant God.
Hebrews 3:13
"But exhort one another daily, (not just once a week on Sunday) while it is called Today; (your day of opportunity) lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
Remember, he is talking to people that are involved in a religious system. Now if you doubt when we call Judaism a religious system, back up with us to the Book of Galatians chapter 1, where the Apostle Paul is reviewing his own past. Let’s just start at verse 11. Because we never say any of these things to put any one group down or to make any snide remarks or anything like that. But it is just based on Scripture that the Judaism of which these people were still a part, was indeed a religion. Which could and did stand alone and does so still. And of course, we maintain that Christianity is not a religion. As religion is comprised of works and things that you have to do, whereas, our Salvation is by trusting His faith and His faithfulness alone in that finished work of the cross! That said, this age of God's Grace still has rules of requirements and penalty. And Paul is rehearsing his going into the ministry, so he says:
Galatians 1:11-13
"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preach of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but, by the revelation of Jesus Christ. (now here it comes.) For you have heard of my conversation (or manner of living) in times past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church (or the assembly of Jewish believers) of God, and wasted it:"
Now in verse 14 he says it again. And I "profited in the Jews’ religion." Okay? So now when we come back to Hebrews and we use the word, hopefully, we're on the right track that these people were still half in the religion of Judaism but they were also contemplating and some of them had completely embraced Paul’s Gospel of what we call the Age of Grace. So they are on the fence. Now consequently when we come down to verse 14, we're going to use the little word, "if." And it doesn’t make any reflection on our losing the salvation that we once had, but it is dealing with these people who are battling the complete break with their religion and stepping into this whole economy of Grace. It’s not a matter of their being saved and then lost. It’s a matter of making a break with that which withholds their whole salvation. Alright, we’ll come back to that again later. So he says again:
Hebrews 3:13
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Or "lawlessness." Just a complete rejection of the things that God had laid out for mankind. Now verse 14.
Hebrews 3:14
“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;”
Hebrews 3:14a
"For we are made partakers of Christ,…" In other words, when we come into the Body of Christ, we are not like a subject of a king. We are a member of the Head Who is in Heaven and of which we are the Body. Now, we guess we should stop right here. Goodness! Come back with us to I Corinthians, chapter 12, because this ties in so perfectly with what he says here. We are partakers of Christ, by the power of the Gospel, and the New Covenant of course. But now, look what that means.
"Now we know that what things soever the law (that is the law of God. The very mind of God, the Will of Gos is.) it says to them who are under the law:" In other words, what most automatically think is the Law was originally given to what people? Israel. Israel was put under the Levitical Law and the whole system of worship that was associated with it. Alright, but it doesn’t stop there. Yes, the Law was given to them who were under that Law but, that how many mouths should be stopped?
Romans 3:19b
"…that every mouth may be stopped,…" Every mouth! Not just the Hebrew but every mouth of the whole human race should be just clamped shut by what? The righteousness of the law of God. Who’s perfect. He’s sinless. Alright, read on.
Romans 3:19c
"…that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world. (not just Israel, but that all the world) may become guilty before God."
Guilty!! And what does guilt always demand? A sentence. Doesn’t it? We go before a court of law and if the Judge slams the gavel down and he says, "Guilty." What follows? Sentencing. And it is no different in the Spiritual realm. The guilty world is going to come up for sentencing. There is no escaping it. And God is going to have the record. There will be no argument. It’s going to be awful, and that’s why the world doesn’t want to hear about it. How often do churches ever, ever mention Hell anymore? Almost, never. The law as we saw back in Genesis was first spoken and given to Adam when he disobeyed the command which carried with it the penalty, separation from God, death. That command then became law as it revealed lawlessness, sin. That put all humanity under the yoke of bondage in chains tied to Satan's authority, which also covers human government established by God in Genesis 8:15-11:32. This human government runs from Genesis 8:15 though to Revelations 19, in other words until the Lord sets up His rule over Israel and the nations, the millennium period. The last portion of God's divine time table as seen in Psalm 2 verses 9 through 12. This is another subject area for teaching later.
We just trust that the Lord will use us to open the Scriptures to your understanding. This thrills our heart to see so many lost people coming to a knowledge of salvation but many, many more believers who have never had an understanding of the Scriptures are finally getting their eyes opened.
Paul is addressing primarily a Hebrew congregation, wherever they are. And the people are in a battle to make a clean break with Judaism and come over in to this doctrine of Grace which is trusting, faith + nothing in the finished work of the cross for salvation. (I Corinthians 15:1-4) It’s trusting, faith + nothing, and without any attachment to the Levitical Law and temple worship and so forth. So always remember, that first and foremost the people we are dealing with here. But, we can also glean so much that applies to us even as Church Age believers in God's Gospel of His Grace and the Better New Covenant of His Grace. Remember too, that God has in this Gospel as in each of His economies, has set out certain rules and terms of conditions with penalties, that we are required to know and follow is Israel had, but failed. He is the Living Covenant God.
Hebrews 3:13
"But exhort one another daily, (not just once a week on Sunday) while it is called Today; (your day of opportunity) lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
Remember, he is talking to people that are involved in a religious system. Now if you doubt when we call Judaism a religious system, back up with us to the Book of Galatians chapter 1, where the Apostle Paul is reviewing his own past. Let’s just start at verse 11. Because we never say any of these things to put any one group down or to make any snide remarks or anything like that. But it is just based on Scripture that the Judaism of which these people were still a part, was indeed a religion. Which could and did stand alone and does so still. And of course, we maintain that Christianity is not a religion. As religion is comprised of works and things that you have to do, whereas, our Salvation is by trusting His faith and His faithfulness alone in that finished work of the cross! That said, this age of God's Grace still has rules of requirements and penalty. And Paul is rehearsing his going into the ministry, so he says:
Galatians 1:11-13
"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preach of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but, by the revelation of Jesus Christ. (now here it comes.) For you have heard of my conversation (or manner of living) in times past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church (or the assembly of Jewish believers) of God, and wasted it:"
Now in verse 14 he says it again. And I "profited in the Jews’ religion." Okay? So now when we come back to Hebrews and we use the word, hopefully, we're on the right track that these people were still half in the religion of Judaism but they were also contemplating and some of them had completely embraced Paul’s Gospel of what we call the Age of Grace. So they are on the fence. Now consequently when we come down to verse 14, we're going to use the little word, "if." And it doesn’t make any reflection on our losing the salvation that we once had, but it is dealing with these people who are battling the complete break with their religion and stepping into this whole economy of Grace. It’s not a matter of their being saved and then lost. It’s a matter of making a break with that which withholds their whole salvation. Alright, we’ll come back to that again later. So he says again:
Hebrews 3:13
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Or "lawlessness." Just a complete rejection of the things that God had laid out for mankind. Now verse 14.
Hebrews 3:14
“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;”
Hebrews 3:14a
"For we are made partakers of Christ,…" In other words, when we come into the Body of Christ, we are not like a subject of a king. We are a member of the Head Who is in Heaven and of which we are the Body. Now, we guess we should stop right here. Goodness! Come back with us to I Corinthians, chapter 12, because this ties in so perfectly with what he says here. We are partakers of Christ, by the power of the Gospel, and the New Covenant of course. But now, look what that means.
Friday, May 18, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXIX
Hebrew 3:13a
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; (in this Age of Grace) lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (and be lost lawlessness of humanity)
Now we have already looked at how Eve was confronted by deception. And after all, what did old Satan, the Devil say to Eve? "Hey, it will do you good! There is nothing bad going to come from eating of this tree. It will do you good. You will be like God!" Well what was that? Deceit! And we see it at every hand today. We're just reading another article on the meth drug problem. How in the world can our young people even think of taking a chance? Because it has such immediate, evidently, immediate gratification. And it just puts them in an immediate euphoria. But what happens. Within a little while they have to have another one. And in a little while they have to have still another one and pretty soon they are hooked.
My goodness, we just read that since the gas prices have been so high, that there have been a lot of drilling activity there in Oklahoma, Wyoming and other Nortwestern states once again and we're sure you read the same things we do. Last spring when a lot of these drilling companies were looking for men to work out there in the drilling fields, you know what the employment rate dropped out there, NO, it should have dropped but because of drugs? Fifty percent! Fifty percent of the applicants could not be hired because of their drug problem. Now listen, that is shocking. What is our nation coming to? But, you see, that is the deceitfulness of sin. Oh, it just looks so good. It’s so inviting. Yes, it gives you euphoria. It makes you feel good for a little bit. But then it drags you down and we know the end result. Ruined lives by the thousands all around us. And the sad part is that those of us that behave ourselves have to pick up the bill for it. That’s what gripes us. Why are our health expenses so ferocious? Because most of the people laying in our hospital beds are there because they have abused their bodies with cigarettes, booze and drugs and we have to pay for it.
Well, we love them for Christ’s sake, because He loves them, but the sad fact is, it was their choice. You know, we always have to think when we were just a young fellow and we will never forget the term that we used. Self-destruction! The human race is just bent on self-destruction. Isn’t that what it is? They just self-destructive. Why? Through the deceitfulness of sin! Oh, it is deceitful.
Alright, then we're going to come on up to the first word. Hardened. We’re still in Hebrews chapter 3 verse 13.
Hebrews 3:13b
"…Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness…"
What does that word hardened imply? Well, the further people go into sin the more their consciences are seared against what is wrong and they know it’s wrong, but it doesn’t bother them. Then finally they get to the place where they can do it without batting an eye. And they become hardened to it. Alright, let’s go back to Romans again because we like to back everything up with Scripture. Because after all, what William thinks, that doesn’t mean anything. But, what does The Book say? Alright, for one thing, some of the results of man’s sins are listed here in Romans chapter 3 and we are all aware of it. We see it all around us. This isn’t anything that was unique only to Paul’s day. It is just as evident today. Romans chapter 3, and we are going to start in verse 10.
Romans 3:10
"As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one." Now that comes clear out of the Old Testament, so it has always been this way. There is none that understand. There is none that seeks or searches after God. Why? They’ve got their own laws. They are lawless, so far as the things of God are concerned. Now verse 11.
Romans 3:11-12
"There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one." They are of no earthly good so far as God is concerned. And there is none that does good, no not one. Now here it comes. This is the description of the lawless, hardened individual in verse 13.
Romans 3:13-18
"Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have use deceit; the poison of asp (or poisonous snakes) is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes."
Why? They are lawless. They have no concern about the law of God. Alright, keep your hand in chapter 3 and we will be back in a little bit. Now, let’s flip over to Galatians, because, see, this is what the Book called it. This isn’t our idea. This is what The Word of God calls it. Oh, the deceitfulness of sin! It has such an allurement. We don’t think any of us would deny that most sin, on the surface, is alluring. That’s why we call it temptation. It has that ability to get our attention. Alright, now in Galatians chapter 5, here they are listed. They are listed for us to be aware of. That we never, never compromise the fact that these things are the result of sin. Lawlessness. You know, we are living in a society where nothing is wrong anymore. We don’t know what sin is. It is a sad commentary and our nation is suffering the results of it. For we have evil on every side and the choices we have are all of them evil but one is more evil than the others. Alright look at how Paul lists it here in Galatians chapter 5 verse 19. This right along with what he wrote in Romans chapter 3.
Galatians 5:19-21 "Now the works of the flesh (of the carnal individual) are manifest, which are these; adultery, (sexual immorality is always at the top of the list.) fornication, (which is just another word for it only in a worse state.) uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, (instead of worshiping the Living God, what are we worshiping? A dead god! That’s what idolatry is. It’s worshiping a dead god instead of the Living One.) witchcraft, (what’s that? Drawing on the powers of the satanic world.) hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Why? Because they are lawless. They are hardened by the deceitfulness of lawlessness. Alright, come back to Romans chapter 3. And oh, this just says it so clearly. It’s their lawlessness and their living in the deceitfulness of sin which is far worse than they have any idea of. That it’s going to be when they start in on it, then it follows that they are guilty. They know that they are guilty. And that is why they have got to constantly subject their guilty feelings with more and more of the same. But, deep down they know that in the eyes of a Holy God, they are guilty. Alright, let’s look at it. Romans chapter 3 now verse 19. Now, don’t lose sight of the verse in Hebrews: through the deceitfulness of sin, they are being hardened.
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; (in this Age of Grace) lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (and be lost lawlessness of humanity)
Now we have already looked at how Eve was confronted by deception. And after all, what did old Satan, the Devil say to Eve? "Hey, it will do you good! There is nothing bad going to come from eating of this tree. It will do you good. You will be like God!" Well what was that? Deceit! And we see it at every hand today. We're just reading another article on the meth drug problem. How in the world can our young people even think of taking a chance? Because it has such immediate, evidently, immediate gratification. And it just puts them in an immediate euphoria. But what happens. Within a little while they have to have another one. And in a little while they have to have still another one and pretty soon they are hooked.
My goodness, we just read that since the gas prices have been so high, that there have been a lot of drilling activity there in Oklahoma, Wyoming and other Nortwestern states once again and we're sure you read the same things we do. Last spring when a lot of these drilling companies were looking for men to work out there in the drilling fields, you know what the employment rate dropped out there, NO, it should have dropped but because of drugs? Fifty percent! Fifty percent of the applicants could not be hired because of their drug problem. Now listen, that is shocking. What is our nation coming to? But, you see, that is the deceitfulness of sin. Oh, it just looks so good. It’s so inviting. Yes, it gives you euphoria. It makes you feel good for a little bit. But then it drags you down and we know the end result. Ruined lives by the thousands all around us. And the sad part is that those of us that behave ourselves have to pick up the bill for it. That’s what gripes us. Why are our health expenses so ferocious? Because most of the people laying in our hospital beds are there because they have abused their bodies with cigarettes, booze and drugs and we have to pay for it.
Well, we love them for Christ’s sake, because He loves them, but the sad fact is, it was their choice. You know, we always have to think when we were just a young fellow and we will never forget the term that we used. Self-destruction! The human race is just bent on self-destruction. Isn’t that what it is? They just self-destructive. Why? Through the deceitfulness of sin! Oh, it is deceitful.
Alright, then we're going to come on up to the first word. Hardened. We’re still in Hebrews chapter 3 verse 13.
Hebrews 3:13b
"…Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness…"
What does that word hardened imply? Well, the further people go into sin the more their consciences are seared against what is wrong and they know it’s wrong, but it doesn’t bother them. Then finally they get to the place where they can do it without batting an eye. And they become hardened to it. Alright, let’s go back to Romans again because we like to back everything up with Scripture. Because after all, what William thinks, that doesn’t mean anything. But, what does The Book say? Alright, for one thing, some of the results of man’s sins are listed here in Romans chapter 3 and we are all aware of it. We see it all around us. This isn’t anything that was unique only to Paul’s day. It is just as evident today. Romans chapter 3, and we are going to start in verse 10.
Romans 3:10
"As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one." Now that comes clear out of the Old Testament, so it has always been this way. There is none that understand. There is none that seeks or searches after God. Why? They’ve got their own laws. They are lawless, so far as the things of God are concerned. Now verse 11.
Romans 3:11-12
"There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one." They are of no earthly good so far as God is concerned. And there is none that does good, no not one. Now here it comes. This is the description of the lawless, hardened individual in verse 13.
Romans 3:13-18
"Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have use deceit; the poison of asp (or poisonous snakes) is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes."
Why? They are lawless. They have no concern about the law of God. Alright, keep your hand in chapter 3 and we will be back in a little bit. Now, let’s flip over to Galatians, because, see, this is what the Book called it. This isn’t our idea. This is what The Word of God calls it. Oh, the deceitfulness of sin! It has such an allurement. We don’t think any of us would deny that most sin, on the surface, is alluring. That’s why we call it temptation. It has that ability to get our attention. Alright, now in Galatians chapter 5, here they are listed. They are listed for us to be aware of. That we never, never compromise the fact that these things are the result of sin. Lawlessness. You know, we are living in a society where nothing is wrong anymore. We don’t know what sin is. It is a sad commentary and our nation is suffering the results of it. For we have evil on every side and the choices we have are all of them evil but one is more evil than the others. Alright look at how Paul lists it here in Galatians chapter 5 verse 19. This right along with what he wrote in Romans chapter 3.
Galatians 5:19-21 "Now the works of the flesh (of the carnal individual) are manifest, which are these; adultery, (sexual immorality is always at the top of the list.) fornication, (which is just another word for it only in a worse state.) uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, (instead of worshiping the Living God, what are we worshiping? A dead god! That’s what idolatry is. It’s worshiping a dead god instead of the Living One.) witchcraft, (what’s that? Drawing on the powers of the satanic world.) hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Why? Because they are lawless. They are hardened by the deceitfulness of lawlessness. Alright, come back to Romans chapter 3. And oh, this just says it so clearly. It’s their lawlessness and their living in the deceitfulness of sin which is far worse than they have any idea of. That it’s going to be when they start in on it, then it follows that they are guilty. They know that they are guilty. And that is why they have got to constantly subject their guilty feelings with more and more of the same. But, deep down they know that in the eyes of a Holy God, they are guilty. Alright, let’s look at it. Romans chapter 3 now verse 19. Now, don’t lose sight of the verse in Hebrews: through the deceitfulness of sin, they are being hardened.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXVIII
So we are going to go back and start with that word "sin." In the Greek, the word is anomia. Now we're not a Greek scholar, we want everybody to know that but once in a while we'll look up a word and this one is anomia, and it is in the Greek Dictionary that we have it is translated as lawless or lawlessness. Now stop and think for a moment. Isn’t that exactly what sin is all about apart from covetousness? The first step of sin is a mental act of rebellion against what God has said. That’s what it means to covet and tied to it is lawless. Now just think about that for a moment, that the sin that so easily besets us and that plagues the human race starts out as both covetousness and lawlessness. God has made certain provisions for the human race, He’s laid down certain instructions tied together with penalties, but what is the natural reaction to all of that? "I’m not going to! No, God."
You know, we always like to use Psalms 14, where the translators have added a word that kind of takes away the punch, we think, where "the fool has said in his heart there is no God." But when we take away what the translators added which are italicized back there and it is "there is," take that away, and we have, "The fool has said in his heart" what? "No, God!" See! We're not going to do what You are telling me. And what is that? That’s lawlessness! So, let’s go all the way back to Genesis, where it all began. No let’s go back even before that! Let’s go to old Lucifer a king, an allegory of Satan found in Isaiah chapter 14. We didn’t intend to do this, we were just going to go to Genesis, but the thought just struck us that we find the first act of covetousness and lawlessness, even before Adam and Eve, in Isaiah chapter 14. The very first act of covetousness and lawlessness - Sin. As it has bedraggled the human race from day one. Isaiah chapter 14 and we’ll just start at verse 12.
Before we get there there is another verse we should look at for in it and with its help we'll gain the knowledge which God intends us to acquire. This we'll find in 2 Corinthians chapter 10:
2Corinthians 10:5-6
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." For many will jump in with some other scripture verse before understanding what God is saying in the first and this is in effect being lawless because its not in obedience to God or our having the mind of Christ. Now Isaiah:
Isaiah 14:12a "How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer…." Now we know that a lot of our new translations don’t have Lucifer in there but our old King James still does. This kings throne was likened to the seat of God in the heavens by the writer as a figure of speech or of a type so his listeners could understand the symbolism and allegory.
Isaiah 14:12-14 "How are you fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!(the reference is to Venus the star of the early morning of dawn) how are you cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations! For you, have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit upon the mount of the congregation (Zion), in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; (and here it comes) I will be like the most High." What this old king, Lucifer is saying? I am going to usurp God’s throne and His authority. Did God tell him to do that? No. So what is he, both lawless and covetous! He is going contrary to everything that God had stipulated and he is telling God in so many words, "I am going to take your place." So this is covetousness the beginning of lawlessness or sin (this is the same action that Satan took and had expressed, this is also within Nimrod and what he did and which the tower of Babel was all about) as we know it even in our own human experience. Alright, now then, let’s go back an pick it up in Genesis chapter 3 where we have the first evidence of this kind of human action – to covet and lawless. Or covetousness and lawlessness. And it is, of course, Satan tempting Eve back there in the garden. And let’s just jump right in to verse 6. I guess we really should remind ourselves, what had God told Adam earlier? Of that one tree in the garden, "you shalt not eat." That’s all He said! "You shalt not eat of it." Remember to that He said it to Adam as he was a complete perfect spiritual divine being and he was to tell it to woman even though she was at that time apart of Man. Now look what happens in verse 6 of Genesis 3.
Genesis 3:6a "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired (coveted) to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,…" What had God told them, as one being? "You shalt not." So what is she doing? She is becoming covetous and then lawless. She is disobeying the revealed will of God, and that’s what sin is. Oh, it wasn’t anything grossly immoral. She didn’t kill anybody, or rob anyone. She didn’t go out and tear down somebody’s personality with vile language. She made a simple act of plucking the fruit from the tree and eating it. But, what did it do? Not through Eve’s act, but the next part of the verse. Since she gives it to her husband who is with her, and he did eat, now as soon as Adam ate knowing what he was doing, what does he become? Lawless! Dead to God; And what does he introduce into the human race? Sin and death! And so sin has plagued the human race from that day forward. That by the way was given as a command, but because of the disobedience it becomes the first law of commandment because it also had the penalty attached to it, death. This death is spiritual separation from intercourse, fellowship or communion with God, as He can not see or hear sin. He does not look upon it. How do we know this by His calling for them in the Garden, they were hidden from His eyes. Not just because they had hidden themselves (their now awakened conscience was in shames grip), their innocents or glory had departed them, but also because He can not now look at or see sin.
Now let’s come all the way back up to Romans. Romans chapter 5, because as we can see, this is the whole idea of Scripture not only to give us the plan of salvation, (which includes our conversion into redemption as an inclusive action of God) but to give us the reason for the need of it. Why do we need redemption and salvation? Because without it we are lawless. Without it we are not obedient to the revealed Will of God. Natural man is in darkness which causes him to turn away from the light because he loves the darkness more. We are in constant opposition to it. Though we may have some knowledge of scripture we're still held in darkness because we've not leaned Christ nor have we heard Him say: "take all thoughts captive and in obedience of Christ" that is found in the cup and the cross. Alright, so how did it all begin? Romans chapter 5 and verse 12. Remember Paul is writing:
Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man, (Adam,) sin (lawlessness) entered into the world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" Or become lawless. Now, let us show another one in Romans chapter 8. And we know every time we read this verse we have to be amazed that the human race does as well as it does! Now we are going down the tube real fast, we all know that. But, it’s just amazing that the human race has held together for 6,000 plus years because look at our lot. Romans chapter 8 and let’s just start with verse 6.
Romans 8:6a "For to be carnally (or fleshly, earthly, materially) minded is death;…"
In other words, with no sign of a total salvation experience, they are still in their lawlessness. So to be carnally minded is death, spiritual death, in other words their church attendance has done them no earthly or heavenly good. Their doom is coming, like we saw. They are going to meet the Living God. Not as their Savior but as their Judge.
Romans 8:6-7a "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (This is brought about through conversion and redemption and here is the reason in verse 7.) Because the carnal mind (the saved? or unsaved person,) is enmity against God;…"
Now what is that? He’s lawless. He doesn’t do what God says, He doesn’t pay any attention to the precepts of God. He does it his own way, He’s lawless. And consequently then, he’s doomed. But look what the rest of the verse says.
Romans 8:7 "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
Why not? Because he is lawless. He doesn’t pay any attention to the law, he’s a scoffer of "the law of God". Now we suppose that there are people in all of our communities who even treat the civil law the same way today. They don’t pay any attention to the civil law. They just do things their own way, but sooner or later it’s going to catch up with them. We know that. Alright now the same way here, in Spiritual things, the lost person in his lawlessness, well, he may get through this life. He just may skim through, but he’s not going to get through eternity. And so one day he’s going to come before the Righteous Judge and he’s going to be confronted with all of his years of lawlessness and he’s going to fall into the hands of the Living God. And the Living God is not going to be a God of mercy and Grace anymore. It’s going to be too late for that person. now we're not limiting this to just the none-converted person but it includes those who are still in the corral or under the tutor of the Law. As these people can also become snagged in their learning of Christ by the Holy Spirit. How? Paul addresses the ways throughout this Epistle and in Galatians. Do you see that? Now back to Hebrews chapter 3 and we will pick up the second phrase. Because you see they all tie together.
You know, we always like to use Psalms 14, where the translators have added a word that kind of takes away the punch, we think, where "the fool has said in his heart there is no God." But when we take away what the translators added which are italicized back there and it is "there is," take that away, and we have, "The fool has said in his heart" what? "No, God!" See! We're not going to do what You are telling me. And what is that? That’s lawlessness! So, let’s go all the way back to Genesis, where it all began. No let’s go back even before that! Let’s go to old Lucifer a king, an allegory of Satan found in Isaiah chapter 14. We didn’t intend to do this, we were just going to go to Genesis, but the thought just struck us that we find the first act of covetousness and lawlessness, even before Adam and Eve, in Isaiah chapter 14. The very first act of covetousness and lawlessness - Sin. As it has bedraggled the human race from day one. Isaiah chapter 14 and we’ll just start at verse 12.
Before we get there there is another verse we should look at for in it and with its help we'll gain the knowledge which God intends us to acquire. This we'll find in 2 Corinthians chapter 10:
2Corinthians 10:5-6
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." For many will jump in with some other scripture verse before understanding what God is saying in the first and this is in effect being lawless because its not in obedience to God or our having the mind of Christ. Now Isaiah:
Isaiah 14:12a "How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer…." Now we know that a lot of our new translations don’t have Lucifer in there but our old King James still does. This kings throne was likened to the seat of God in the heavens by the writer as a figure of speech or of a type so his listeners could understand the symbolism and allegory.
Isaiah 14:12-14 "How are you fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!(the reference is to Venus the star of the early morning of dawn) how are you cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations! For you, have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit upon the mount of the congregation (Zion), in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; (and here it comes) I will be like the most High." What this old king, Lucifer is saying? I am going to usurp God’s throne and His authority. Did God tell him to do that? No. So what is he, both lawless and covetous! He is going contrary to everything that God had stipulated and he is telling God in so many words, "I am going to take your place." So this is covetousness the beginning of lawlessness or sin (this is the same action that Satan took and had expressed, this is also within Nimrod and what he did and which the tower of Babel was all about) as we know it even in our own human experience. Alright, now then, let’s go back an pick it up in Genesis chapter 3 where we have the first evidence of this kind of human action – to covet and lawless. Or covetousness and lawlessness. And it is, of course, Satan tempting Eve back there in the garden. And let’s just jump right in to verse 6. I guess we really should remind ourselves, what had God told Adam earlier? Of that one tree in the garden, "you shalt not eat." That’s all He said! "You shalt not eat of it." Remember to that He said it to Adam as he was a complete perfect spiritual divine being and he was to tell it to woman even though she was at that time apart of Man. Now look what happens in verse 6 of Genesis 3.
Genesis 3:6a "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired (coveted) to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,…" What had God told them, as one being? "You shalt not." So what is she doing? She is becoming covetous and then lawless. She is disobeying the revealed will of God, and that’s what sin is. Oh, it wasn’t anything grossly immoral. She didn’t kill anybody, or rob anyone. She didn’t go out and tear down somebody’s personality with vile language. She made a simple act of plucking the fruit from the tree and eating it. But, what did it do? Not through Eve’s act, but the next part of the verse. Since she gives it to her husband who is with her, and he did eat, now as soon as Adam ate knowing what he was doing, what does he become? Lawless! Dead to God; And what does he introduce into the human race? Sin and death! And so sin has plagued the human race from that day forward. That by the way was given as a command, but because of the disobedience it becomes the first law of commandment because it also had the penalty attached to it, death. This death is spiritual separation from intercourse, fellowship or communion with God, as He can not see or hear sin. He does not look upon it. How do we know this by His calling for them in the Garden, they were hidden from His eyes. Not just because they had hidden themselves (their now awakened conscience was in shames grip), their innocents or glory had departed them, but also because He can not now look at or see sin.
Now let’s come all the way back up to Romans. Romans chapter 5, because as we can see, this is the whole idea of Scripture not only to give us the plan of salvation, (which includes our conversion into redemption as an inclusive action of God) but to give us the reason for the need of it. Why do we need redemption and salvation? Because without it we are lawless. Without it we are not obedient to the revealed Will of God. Natural man is in darkness which causes him to turn away from the light because he loves the darkness more. We are in constant opposition to it. Though we may have some knowledge of scripture we're still held in darkness because we've not leaned Christ nor have we heard Him say: "take all thoughts captive and in obedience of Christ" that is found in the cup and the cross. Alright, so how did it all begin? Romans chapter 5 and verse 12. Remember Paul is writing:
Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man, (Adam,) sin (lawlessness) entered into the world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" Or become lawless. Now, let us show another one in Romans chapter 8. And we know every time we read this verse we have to be amazed that the human race does as well as it does! Now we are going down the tube real fast, we all know that. But, it’s just amazing that the human race has held together for 6,000 plus years because look at our lot. Romans chapter 8 and let’s just start with verse 6.
Romans 8:6a "For to be carnally (or fleshly, earthly, materially) minded is death;…"
In other words, with no sign of a total salvation experience, they are still in their lawlessness. So to be carnally minded is death, spiritual death, in other words their church attendance has done them no earthly or heavenly good. Their doom is coming, like we saw. They are going to meet the Living God. Not as their Savior but as their Judge.
Romans 8:6-7a "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (This is brought about through conversion and redemption and here is the reason in verse 7.) Because the carnal mind (the saved? or unsaved person,) is enmity against God;…"
Now what is that? He’s lawless. He doesn’t do what God says, He doesn’t pay any attention to the precepts of God. He does it his own way, He’s lawless. And consequently then, he’s doomed. But look what the rest of the verse says.
Romans 8:7 "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
Why not? Because he is lawless. He doesn’t pay any attention to the law, he’s a scoffer of "the law of God". Now we suppose that there are people in all of our communities who even treat the civil law the same way today. They don’t pay any attention to the civil law. They just do things their own way, but sooner or later it’s going to catch up with them. We know that. Alright now the same way here, in Spiritual things, the lost person in his lawlessness, well, he may get through this life. He just may skim through, but he’s not going to get through eternity. And so one day he’s going to come before the Righteous Judge and he’s going to be confronted with all of his years of lawlessness and he’s going to fall into the hands of the Living God. And the Living God is not going to be a God of mercy and Grace anymore. It’s going to be too late for that person. now we're not limiting this to just the none-converted person but it includes those who are still in the corral or under the tutor of the Law. As these people can also become snagged in their learning of Christ by the Holy Spirit. How? Paul addresses the ways throughout this Epistle and in Galatians. Do you see that? Now back to Hebrews chapter 3 and we will pick up the second phrase. Because you see they all tie together.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXVII
And they are not just in the land. They are in the news every day of the week! "Can you believe this? Can you believe a little nation of five million people, living in a geographical area no bigger than part of New Jersey and yet they are in the news everyday! And they still have their national identity. They are still keeping the various feast days and holidays and as best they can the Law. And we think that is normal?" Boy, that is miraculous as anything can be! And, yet it’s exactly what this Book said would happen. So there is your proof, that, along with all the other things. See, now we know there were hundreds of definitive prophecies fulfilled at Christ’s first coming. But see, that’s still easy for the scoffer to push aside and say "Well that’s just the way you look at it."
They cannot deny that the Nation of Israel that began back here in Genesis is now in the land again today. They are, like we've said before and we will say it again, they are in the news everyday. Why? There are other areas of the world that are in just as big a turmoil. In fact we have been using Sri Lanka as an example. The old island of Ceylon. Just the other day and they’re still having all kinds of war and turmoil in Sri Lanka. Does the world get shook up about that? No, they don’t even pay any attention.
In Africa, all the places of turmoil and torture in Africa. Does the world get all upset and send the Secretaries of State all over to them? No. But, oh, that little Nation of Israel draws everybody’s attention, see? And just take heart the next time that you see Israel in the news we just tell yourself, proof positive, that my Bible is indeed the supernatural, Holy Spirit, Divinely inspired Word of God! Which proves that we serve the One and only Living God! A God who has been in control of human history now for 8,000 to 10,000 plus years. How miraculous that God started everything back there in the Garden and left man with a free will. He left nations with a free will. They are not puppets on a string (though Satan has a field-day with them all) and yet here we are 6,000 plus years later and we are right on His schedule! We are not off one day! We are not off a week! We think we can say, we are not off one hour. God’s Word is true!!
Lets stop here a moment and look at Psalm 2 verses 8 and 9:
Psalm 2:7-9 "I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." (This is repeated in Hebrews 1:5 and 3:6 but we'll look at 1 Timothy 1:12-13 where Paul says:1Timothy 1:12-15 "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful (within this stewardship by), putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." Now the word stewardship though added means dispensation and that is what this parenthetical clause is, just as the Son came in human from for a short or little while as the son of man. He made Himself a little lower than the angels. Then when He comes the second time God will pick up where this period of time and prophecy was interrupted. This being:) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
Well, you see the way we enjoy God today, of course is first and foremost through His Word. And so we just trust that we can get people into the Book and not go by what we say, but search the Scriptures and see if these things are true. It is the Scriptures that have to change our mind. We can’t. But we have to come into the Book and not through the eyes of the Old earthy, carnal man but rather with the eyes of the spiritual man. The New Covenant man for then the Word takes on new and Living meaning.
Hebrews 3:13a "But exhort one another daily…" Now we're going to stop right there a moment. How many times a week does the average Christian even so much as think about Spiritual things? Once! That’s about right. Sunday morning at 10 or 11:00 o’clock. And that is about as far as it ever goes. We're not talking about everybody. We're just talking about the mundane, average church-goer. Sunday morning, between 9:00 and 11:00 am and then about 6:00 pm, he’s in his pew and when that hour is over, he goes home, turns on TV and he never thinks about it again until next Sunday. But you see, that is not what the Word of God teaches. The Word of God says that every time believers bump into each other, what should be we talking about? Not the weather! Not sports! Not politics! But rather The Word! Spiritual things!
There is nothing we like better than to answer questions. It helps put us on a Spiritual plane that we think every believer should be prone to do. That should be our main topic of conversation, whenever believers come together.
And this is what Paul is saying now, that believers are to exhort one another not just one hour on Sunday morning. But daily! Everyday!
Hebrews 3:13a "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day;…" Alright, now this term "today" for us, of course, is this Age of Grace. Today for us is now. For the people living today, this is their day of opportunity. And consequently, what a warning, that while it is called today, while we are still in this Age of Grace and charged with the Gospel of Grace and we still have this opportunity of expressing our trust in His faith and for lost people to embrace it, my, he says, do it every day and at every opportunity:
Hebrews 3:13b "…lest any of you be harden through the deceitfulness of sin." Now we're going to take three words out of this verse. Hebrews seems to sort of, somehow or another, enhance that and we know we did it here a while back. "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation!" Well, we're going to do the same thing in this verse. We’ve got three phrases here that are loaded and the average reader just skims right over them and never sees it. Alright, look at it again. "Lest any of you be hardened," that’s the third phrase we're going to look at. "Through the deceitfulness," that’s the second phrase we are going to look at. And "of sin." That will be the first one. We’ll take them in the reverse order.
They cannot deny that the Nation of Israel that began back here in Genesis is now in the land again today. They are, like we've said before and we will say it again, they are in the news everyday. Why? There are other areas of the world that are in just as big a turmoil. In fact we have been using Sri Lanka as an example. The old island of Ceylon. Just the other day and they’re still having all kinds of war and turmoil in Sri Lanka. Does the world get shook up about that? No, they don’t even pay any attention.
In Africa, all the places of turmoil and torture in Africa. Does the world get all upset and send the Secretaries of State all over to them? No. But, oh, that little Nation of Israel draws everybody’s attention, see? And just take heart the next time that you see Israel in the news we just tell yourself, proof positive, that my Bible is indeed the supernatural, Holy Spirit, Divinely inspired Word of God! Which proves that we serve the One and only Living God! A God who has been in control of human history now for 8,000 to 10,000 plus years. How miraculous that God started everything back there in the Garden and left man with a free will. He left nations with a free will. They are not puppets on a string (though Satan has a field-day with them all) and yet here we are 6,000 plus years later and we are right on His schedule! We are not off one day! We are not off a week! We think we can say, we are not off one hour. God’s Word is true!!
Lets stop here a moment and look at Psalm 2 verses 8 and 9:
Psalm 2:7-9 "I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." (This is repeated in Hebrews 1:5 and 3:6 but we'll look at 1 Timothy 1:12-13 where Paul says:1Timothy 1:12-15 "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful (within this stewardship by), putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." Now the word stewardship though added means dispensation and that is what this parenthetical clause is, just as the Son came in human from for a short or little while as the son of man. He made Himself a little lower than the angels. Then when He comes the second time God will pick up where this period of time and prophecy was interrupted. This being:) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
Well, you see the way we enjoy God today, of course is first and foremost through His Word. And so we just trust that we can get people into the Book and not go by what we say, but search the Scriptures and see if these things are true. It is the Scriptures that have to change our mind. We can’t. But we have to come into the Book and not through the eyes of the Old earthy, carnal man but rather with the eyes of the spiritual man. The New Covenant man for then the Word takes on new and Living meaning.
Hebrews 3:13a "But exhort one another daily…" Now we're going to stop right there a moment. How many times a week does the average Christian even so much as think about Spiritual things? Once! That’s about right. Sunday morning at 10 or 11:00 o’clock. And that is about as far as it ever goes. We're not talking about everybody. We're just talking about the mundane, average church-goer. Sunday morning, between 9:00 and 11:00 am and then about 6:00 pm, he’s in his pew and when that hour is over, he goes home, turns on TV and he never thinks about it again until next Sunday. But you see, that is not what the Word of God teaches. The Word of God says that every time believers bump into each other, what should be we talking about? Not the weather! Not sports! Not politics! But rather The Word! Spiritual things!
There is nothing we like better than to answer questions. It helps put us on a Spiritual plane that we think every believer should be prone to do. That should be our main topic of conversation, whenever believers come together.
And this is what Paul is saying now, that believers are to exhort one another not just one hour on Sunday morning. But daily! Everyday!
Hebrews 3:13a "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day;…" Alright, now this term "today" for us, of course, is this Age of Grace. Today for us is now. For the people living today, this is their day of opportunity. And consequently, what a warning, that while it is called today, while we are still in this Age of Grace and charged with the Gospel of Grace and we still have this opportunity of expressing our trust in His faith and for lost people to embrace it, my, he says, do it every day and at every opportunity:
Hebrews 3:13b "…lest any of you be harden through the deceitfulness of sin." Now we're going to take three words out of this verse. Hebrews seems to sort of, somehow or another, enhance that and we know we did it here a while back. "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation!" Well, we're going to do the same thing in this verse. We’ve got three phrases here that are loaded and the average reader just skims right over them and never sees it. Alright, look at it again. "Lest any of you be hardened," that’s the third phrase we're going to look at. "Through the deceitfulness," that’s the second phrase we are going to look at. And "of sin." That will be the first one. We’ll take them in the reverse order.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXVI
"Narrow is the way and few there be that find it!"(Matthew 7:14)
Beloved, that word few is getting smaller and smaller every day. We were just reading that our whole younger generation, the vast majority of our kids, not all, but the vast majority have no concept of what is right and wrong. They are taught nothing from this Book anymore. And we know a lot of our language is based on things Scriptural. In other words, we have often read even in a secular accounts, "a Damascus experience." Well, what does that mean to our younger generation? Nothing! They don’t know about a Damascus experience. See? And that is just one example. And so, we are now in a time when the way is getting narrower and fewer and fewer then are coming in to it. It is sad! But we are going to see why, here, as we move on through Hebrews.
Alright, so Israel now has to be constantly on our mind as they are sitting there at the gates of Canaan at Kadesh-Barnea. God has told them to go in and in their unbelief, they rejected it. Alright, so He says:
Hebrews 3:12 "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the (One) living God."
Now, the casual readers don’t even think of that twice. But, stop a moment. How many of the religions of this world from all the way back to the present, worshiped a Living God? Not many. In fact, NONE other than Christianity. Oh, even the Hebrews started out worshiping Him who is alive forevermore but along the line they replaced Him with they're own image by reason of mental disease or defect. They made their religion or rather its system of rules and regulations an idol. And thereby making themselves part of the lawless ones by worshiping the created more than the Creator. For now they worship they know not what. Look at your pagan societies, the Hindus and Buddhists - you name it. Do they worship a Living God? No! They worshiped a dead idol. And that is what the Scripture calls it. They are just dead idols. Dumb idols, is what it is called in one place. They can’t even speak. So they are not a Living God, they are a dead god. They are a god of the mind and of the imagination of mans design. They are a god that Satan uses and empowers from his side of the court, but they are dead gods. There are a few churches in “Christendom” with those same dead stone idols or figures of men, women and angels lining the walls and hallways in them. Some don't have those figures but are none the less filled with dead mans bones because the gospel they all adhere to is a lie.
But you see on the flip side of that we are different. Here we stand as Believers and our Faith is in the Living God! Now, we went through our concordance and we found 28 times from Genesis trough Revelation, where we find this term the Living God. Now remember, when David confronted old Goliath, that was one of the first times it was used and Goliath had the audacity to try and withstand the Living God! Well, he found out to his own doom, that it just won’t work.
And so all the way up through Scripture we have these various accounts of the Living God. It is from two points of view. Either the Living God as the God of wrath and judgment, as He was to old Goliath. Or, He’s the Living God who brings joy and peace and bliss to the believer, those who will to receive Him. Alright, now of these 28 times then that the Living God is referred to in our whole Bible, four of them are in Hebrews alone! Isn’t that amazing! Four times out of the 28 are in Hebrews. Now this is the one and the next one we think is in chapter 9 verse 14. We will just look at them quickly so that we will get the impact of just two words! "The Living God!" You see, that is why it is so paramount that we understand that Christ arose from the dead! We don’t worship a dead Christ, the Jesus who walked the dusty roads of Palestine and was crucified. The tomb is empty! And our Faith, NO our trust is in a Living God!
Hebrews 9:14 "And how much more shall the blood of Christ, (that is beyond what the animal blood was in the Old Testament economy,) who through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, and purge (purged the mind of the true believer, for we are to acquire the mind of Christ) your conscience from dead works (to serve Who?) the living God?"
That’s where we are! We are serving the Living God! Alright the next one is in chapter 10 and verse 31 if we remember right. Now here’s the other side of the coin. My, this Living God can be bliss and joy to the believer but He’s going to be the direct opposite to the unbeliever. We'll know them by their manner of life style or fruits.
Hebrews 10:31 "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands (of what?) of the living God."
The Living God! From eternity past to eternity future, He’s always the same Living God! Now the next one is in chapter 12 verse 22. Here we come to the good part again. This is our part of the Living God! For the lost person He’s going to be the God of wrath and judgment. It’s going to be an awful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, but for us:
Hebrews 12:22 "But you are come to mount Sion, (Zion) and to the city of the living God, (not the earthly Jerusalem, but which one?) the heavenly Jerusalem, and into an innumerable company of angels."
So here is where we are today! My, with our knowledge of Scripture increasing and with the unfolding of the power of the Holy Spirit, we are living evidence every day that we are serving a Living God.
Now, we want to share how we know the Bible is true. "Well why do you believe that that Book, the Bible is true?" We answer those kind of questions with two words. THE JEW. The Jew! He is living proof that this Book is true.
We see, all the way back as far as Deuteronomy chapter 30, which Moses wrote 1,500 years before Christ, which is 3,500 plus years ago from now. Moses wrote that the Nation of Israel would be scattered into every nation under heaven, none excepted. James Michener and his book The Source, chases a Jewish family from antiquity up to the present. In his research he found that indeed, there were Hebrews in every sovereign state on the planet.
Moses said that that would happen. But Moses wrote in the next verse that one day, he didn’t say when, but that one day the Nation of Israel would be back in their homeland. We are seeing it! Against all the odds. Now the average person doesn’t stop to think. Can you imagine a nation of people as small as Israel. Never more than ten million. Today they are around fifteen or sixteen million Hebrews around the world, and that is probably as much as there have ever been. And yet here this small nation of people were driven out into every nation under heaven. Persecuted like you and I have no idea, and yet never lost their Jewish identity.
Now you would have thought that under ordinary circumstances they would have assimilated into the Gentile Nations and they would have disappeared. But they didn’t! They kept their national identity. And here they are 3,500 plus years later just exactly like this Book said they would be – they are back in the land.
Beloved, that word few is getting smaller and smaller every day. We were just reading that our whole younger generation, the vast majority of our kids, not all, but the vast majority have no concept of what is right and wrong. They are taught nothing from this Book anymore. And we know a lot of our language is based on things Scriptural. In other words, we have often read even in a secular accounts, "a Damascus experience." Well, what does that mean to our younger generation? Nothing! They don’t know about a Damascus experience. See? And that is just one example. And so, we are now in a time when the way is getting narrower and fewer and fewer then are coming in to it. It is sad! But we are going to see why, here, as we move on through Hebrews.
Alright, so Israel now has to be constantly on our mind as they are sitting there at the gates of Canaan at Kadesh-Barnea. God has told them to go in and in their unbelief, they rejected it. Alright, so He says:
Hebrews 3:12 "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the (One) living God."
Now, the casual readers don’t even think of that twice. But, stop a moment. How many of the religions of this world from all the way back to the present, worshiped a Living God? Not many. In fact, NONE other than Christianity. Oh, even the Hebrews started out worshiping Him who is alive forevermore but along the line they replaced Him with they're own image by reason of mental disease or defect. They made their religion or rather its system of rules and regulations an idol. And thereby making themselves part of the lawless ones by worshiping the created more than the Creator. For now they worship they know not what. Look at your pagan societies, the Hindus and Buddhists - you name it. Do they worship a Living God? No! They worshiped a dead idol. And that is what the Scripture calls it. They are just dead idols. Dumb idols, is what it is called in one place. They can’t even speak. So they are not a Living God, they are a dead god. They are a god of the mind and of the imagination of mans design. They are a god that Satan uses and empowers from his side of the court, but they are dead gods. There are a few churches in “Christendom” with those same dead stone idols or figures of men, women and angels lining the walls and hallways in them. Some don't have those figures but are none the less filled with dead mans bones because the gospel they all adhere to is a lie.
But you see on the flip side of that we are different. Here we stand as Believers and our Faith is in the Living God! Now, we went through our concordance and we found 28 times from Genesis trough Revelation, where we find this term the Living God. Now remember, when David confronted old Goliath, that was one of the first times it was used and Goliath had the audacity to try and withstand the Living God! Well, he found out to his own doom, that it just won’t work.
And so all the way up through Scripture we have these various accounts of the Living God. It is from two points of view. Either the Living God as the God of wrath and judgment, as He was to old Goliath. Or, He’s the Living God who brings joy and peace and bliss to the believer, those who will to receive Him. Alright, now of these 28 times then that the Living God is referred to in our whole Bible, four of them are in Hebrews alone! Isn’t that amazing! Four times out of the 28 are in Hebrews. Now this is the one and the next one we think is in chapter 9 verse 14. We will just look at them quickly so that we will get the impact of just two words! "The Living God!" You see, that is why it is so paramount that we understand that Christ arose from the dead! We don’t worship a dead Christ, the Jesus who walked the dusty roads of Palestine and was crucified. The tomb is empty! And our Faith, NO our trust is in a Living God!
Hebrews 9:14 "And how much more shall the blood of Christ, (that is beyond what the animal blood was in the Old Testament economy,) who through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, and purge (purged the mind of the true believer, for we are to acquire the mind of Christ) your conscience from dead works (to serve Who?) the living God?"
That’s where we are! We are serving the Living God! Alright the next one is in chapter 10 and verse 31 if we remember right. Now here’s the other side of the coin. My, this Living God can be bliss and joy to the believer but He’s going to be the direct opposite to the unbeliever. We'll know them by their manner of life style or fruits.
Hebrews 10:31 "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands (of what?) of the living God."
The Living God! From eternity past to eternity future, He’s always the same Living God! Now the next one is in chapter 12 verse 22. Here we come to the good part again. This is our part of the Living God! For the lost person He’s going to be the God of wrath and judgment. It’s going to be an awful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, but for us:
Hebrews 12:22 "But you are come to mount Sion, (Zion) and to the city of the living God, (not the earthly Jerusalem, but which one?) the heavenly Jerusalem, and into an innumerable company of angels."
So here is where we are today! My, with our knowledge of Scripture increasing and with the unfolding of the power of the Holy Spirit, we are living evidence every day that we are serving a Living God.
Now, we want to share how we know the Bible is true. "Well why do you believe that that Book, the Bible is true?" We answer those kind of questions with two words. THE JEW. The Jew! He is living proof that this Book is true.
We see, all the way back as far as Deuteronomy chapter 30, which Moses wrote 1,500 years before Christ, which is 3,500 plus years ago from now. Moses wrote that the Nation of Israel would be scattered into every nation under heaven, none excepted. James Michener and his book The Source, chases a Jewish family from antiquity up to the present. In his research he found that indeed, there were Hebrews in every sovereign state on the planet.
Moses said that that would happen. But Moses wrote in the next verse that one day, he didn’t say when, but that one day the Nation of Israel would be back in their homeland. We are seeing it! Against all the odds. Now the average person doesn’t stop to think. Can you imagine a nation of people as small as Israel. Never more than ten million. Today they are around fifteen or sixteen million Hebrews around the world, and that is probably as much as there have ever been. And yet here this small nation of people were driven out into every nation under heaven. Persecuted like you and I have no idea, and yet never lost their Jewish identity.
Now you would have thought that under ordinary circumstances they would have assimilated into the Gentile Nations and they would have disappeared. But they didn’t! They kept their national identity. And here they are 3,500 plus years later just exactly like this Book said they would be – they are back in the land.
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