Let's turn to God's Word, the book of
Hebrews again.
We finished in our last session in Hebrews
chapter 8, where we saw in the concluding
verses of Hebrews 8, we saw in verses
10 to 12 the terms of the New
Covenant.
And let me just repeat them once again.
Let me start from the bottom with verse
12.
The first thing about the New Covenant is,
God says, I will not remember your sins
anymore.
In the Old Testament, there was a constant
remembrance of sin.
We read that in chapter 7, they were
always remembering sin.
In chapter 9, rather, we read about it.
But in the New Covenant, there is no
remembrance of sin.
It's very important, if you've entered the New
Covenant, one thing that you must accept is
that God does not remember your past life
against you.
You may have been brought up in, I
mean, you may have lived a very wicked
life, but God sees you just like someone
who was brought up in a very godly
family, all his life he has lived godly.
Sometimes people who have lived a very wicked
life in the past and got converted, they
feel that, well, I'm not as lucky as
those other people who lived a very good
life from childhood because they had godly parents.
Okay?
That may be.
But now that you're forgiven, God's put you
in the same level.
His past is not remembered, your past is
not remembered.
What does it matter?
What does it matter if he got 30
% and you got zero?
Those marks are wiped out.
Your past record of the marks you got
in old examinations is all wiped out.
So there's no question of whether he got
30% or you got zero or somebody
else got 50%.
All the marks are wiped out.
We must not look back in the past.
If you come into the New Covenant, you
start in verse 12, the Lord says, I
will not remember their sins anymore.
Secondly, the Lord says in verse 10, I
will put my laws, verse 11, before that,
all shall know me from the least to
the greatest.
Every person, and starting with the least, to
the greatest.
Now normally in the world we say greatest
to least, right?
But in the Bible, everything is the opposite
of the world.
So we start with the least to the
greatest.
That means the least believer can know the
Lord personally.
You don't have to go to a prophet
to find out God's will.
All shall know me personally.
To know God personally as your friend, as
your father, you can go to him and
you don't have somebody else to teach you
about God.
Somebody may teach you about the Bible, that's
another thing.
But to know God, you don't need a
secretary or anyone.
You go straight to Jesus.
You don't have to go through another brother
to know God.
All shall know me.
So please remember, this is your privilege under
the New Covenant.
Every one of you can know God personally
as a friend and as a father through
Jesus, without the help of a single human
being, personally.
To study the Bible, you may need the
help of a teacher.
But to know God, you don't need anybody's
help.
Nobody will teach his neighbor saying, know the
Lord.
Thirdly, verse 10, God has promised to write
his laws in our heart and in our
mind.
In the Old Testament, he wrote it on
tablets of stone outside and says, you look
at that and try to keep it.
And they couldn't keep it.
Thou shalt, thou shalt, thou shalt not, thou
shalt not and so on.
They couldn't keep it.
Now the Lord says, I will write it
inside so that you automatically keep it.
You desire to keep it and you have
the ability to keep it.
There are two things.
I will write it on your mind, means
I'll give you the desire.
I will write it on your heart, means
I'll give you the ability.
You see, we need two things.
First of all, I must have a desire
to do God's will.
Second, I need the ability to do God's
will.
We read that in Philippians 2, verse 13,
God works in us to will and to
do his good pleasure.
Same thing here.
It's written in other words, I will write
my laws, I'll put my laws into their
mind, that is to give them a desire
to do God's will.
And I will write it upon their hearts,
which means I'll give them the power to
do God's will.
And if God gives me the desire to
do his will and the power to do
his will, I'm OK.
And that's his responsibility.
Difference from the old covenant is, old covenant
said thou shalt, thou shalt, thou shalt not.
And the new covenant, God says, I will,
I will, I will.
And when you read that and you still
think that it is dependent on you, you're
mistaken.
It is dependent on us in the sense
that we have to submit.
Think of that rock in Mount Sinai, where
God wrote the commandments, that rock had to
submit.
When God wrote, rock said, OK, write and
wrote.
That is what our calling is.
When God wants to do something, we submit.
Like Mary, she said, behold, the handmaid of
the Lord, whatever you said, O angel, let
it take place in me.
She submitted.
But God was the one who produced that
baby in her womb.
Even if she tried for a million years,
she could not have produced a baby in
her womb.
But at the same time, God would not
have produced that baby in her womb if
she did not submit.
So that's the perfect example.
Mary submitted and God, the Holy Spirit, produced
the baby.
You submit and God, the Holy Spirit, produces
the nature of Christ within you.
In Mary, it was the body in which
Jesus came.
In us, it is the nature of Jesus.
So our part is not to produce it.
Whenever you think of trying to make yourself
holy, just think of Mary determining to have
a baby.
How much determination did Mary need to produce
a baby?
She could never have produced it.
The Holy Spirit had to do that.
The New Covenant begins with that story.
The Holy Spirit did it, Mary submitted.
Same thing is the New Covenant for you.
The Holy Spirit will write, that is the
finger of God, the finger of God is
the Holy Spirit, will write his laws in
your heart and in your mind, giving you
the desire and the ability which you got
to submit.
If you don't submit, it'll be just like
Mary not submitting.
What would have happened in Nazareth if the
angel came to Mary and Mary said, sorry,
I'm not willing for that.
Do you think Jesus would not have been
born?
The angel would have said, okay Mary, you
missed the privilege.
I'll have to look for another girl.
And he finds another girl and says, okay,
you're going to be the mother of Jesus.
And she says, praise God.
So if you miss it, God will just
give that privilege to somebody else.
Don't miss it.
Don't miss the privilege of the New Covenant.
We go now to chapter 9.
And basically the theme of chapter 9 is
the better sacrifice that God has provided for
us.
In the Old Testament it says, verse 8
of chapter 9, the Holy Spirit showed that
the way into the most holy place was
not yet opened.
We saw in chapter 8, the last verse
of chapter 8 says, the Old Covenant is
becoming obsolete and is ready to disappear.
God is finished with the Old Covenant.
Now there's a New Covenant.
In the Old Covenant, God showed through the
Holy Spirit, here's a thick veil.
You cannot enter into God's presence because there's
sin in your life.
When Jesus shed his blood, all our sin
was removed.
Then we could go into God's presence.
The veil has been torn.
So we see from that, that it's the
Holy Spirit alone who can lead us into
the most holy place.
And then you read this word, perfect.
I told you the other day that there's
a perfection we can have and a perfection
we cannot have.
Here is the perfection we can have.
Hebrews 9, 9.
The Old Testament could not make a worshipper
perfect in his conscience.
Perfect like Christ, that is in the future
when he comes again.
Perfect in our conscience, everybody who is in
the New Covenant can experience that perfection.
We press on to the second perfection with
this perfection.
Perfect conscience up to perfect likeness to Christ,
which is in the future.
So when we speak about perfection, don't get
afraid.
The Bible speaks about it.
But it speaks about being perfect in our
conscience.
If you don't distinguish between things that the
Bible distinguishes, you'll get confused.
OK, he goes on to say in verse
14, how our conscience can be perfect.
If the blood of bulls and goats was
enough for the cleansing of the flesh of
man externally in the Old Covenant, verse 14,
how much more will the blood of Jesus
Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself
to God.
Now notice a simple, a little statement here.
Let me ask you a question.
How did he offered himself to God without
blemish?
OK, we all agree.
Jesus lived his entire earthly life for thirty
three and a half years without even a
single mistake, without a single sin, tempted in
so many ways, no sin at all.
What was the secret of his life?
How did he do it?
This verse gives us the answer.
Read it.
Through the Holy Spirit.
That little expression, through the eternal spirit.
It's through the Holy Spirit's power that Jesus
remained without blemish.
That means he lived as a man.
He lived as a man in the power
of the Holy Spirit and that power, by
that power he did not sin.
And that's the same Holy Spirit he's given
us.
And if you use the Holy Spirit's power,
you can also overcome sin.
That person got electricity in his house and
he can have lights.
You got electricity in the house, but until
you put on the switch, you won't get
the lights.
He put on the switch.
Jesus used that power.
You also use that power.
You can have light instead of darkness in
your life.
Through the Spirit, he offered himself without blemish
to God.
We also through the Spirit can offer ourselves
pure to God.
And if Jesus' blood, and therefore it says
Jesus' blood can cleanse your conscience from dead
works.
Notice the expression again, dead works.
Works that appear holy, that appear righteous, but
which cannot make you acceptable to God.
To serve the living God.
If you want to serve the living God,
you got to get rid of all dead
works from your life.
All works that appear good before people, but
which are done without joy, without faith, with
a wrong motive for some personal gain, without
any zeal, without any fire.
These are all dead works.
Get rid of them.
Our works for God must be done with
faith, with joy, with fire, for God's honor
and not man's honor.
Not to ease my conscience, but to please
God.
And get rid of every other work in
my life which is a dead work.
Then only can I serve God, it says
in verse 14.
Further, verse 27 is a very important verse.
It says that it is appointed unto men
once to die, and after this comes the
judgment.
Now, there's a beautiful truth we can all
learn from this verse.
You want to hear it?
It's very simple, if you meditate on this
verse, you learn something.
What is that?
When does God judge a man?
The answer is there.
After he dies.
When do you judge a man?
Long before he dies.
You see the difference between you and God?
When you meditate on scripture, you learn something
like that.
Why can't we all be a little more
like God and say, well, he hasn't died
yet, maybe he'll improve tomorrow, maybe he'll improve
next week.
God always has that hope.
Okay, this fellow is bad today, but maybe
by next week or next year or five
years from now, he'll be better.
We don't give that fellow even one day,
leave alone five years.
God Almighty waits till a man dies, then
judges.
Let's follow his example, and we'll save ourselves
a lot of unnecessary sin.
But it's true that once a man dies,
there's no more escape, there's only judgment for
him.
And now we go to chapter 10.
Chapter 10, it says here about the law
being a shadow of the good things to
come, which could never make perfect.
Notice again in verse 1, the last part,
verse perfect.
What was the fault with the old covenant?
In one sentence, it could not make people
perfect.
What is the mark of people under the
old covenant today?
They are afraid of the word perfection.
What is the mark of the new covenant?
It can make people perfect in their conscience,
and help them to press on to perfection
in their life, till one day they become
like Jesus.
That is the new covenant.
And if you are serious about the new
covenant, you will never again be afraid of
the word perfection.
You will long to be perfect.
If you have no longing to be perfect,
I'd say you're still back under the old
covenant, verse 1.
They could never become perfect, even in their
conscience.
And then, they could never become like Christ
one day either.
Please remember these two perfections.
Perfect in our conscience, and perfect like Christ.
One in the future, one right now.
But which the old covenant could not help
them to have.
Okay?
If they were perfect in their conscience, they
would not have kept on offering sacrifices for
sins.
And then, let's move on to chapter 5.
I like to quote this verse to people
who have suffered under preachers who always tell
them to give their offerings.
I say, I want to show you a
verse in the Bible which says God doesn't
want your offerings.
That's verse 5.
Sacrifice an offering thou has not desired.
Do you believe that?
What does God desire?
A body.
You've heard me say many times in the
Old Testament, the emphasis was on give your
tithe.
In the New Testament, the emphasis is on
give your body.
There, there was such a strong emphasis.
You go to a church and the people
are emphasizing have you paid your tithe?
Have you paid your tithe?
That's an old covenant church.
In the new covenant, the emphasis is have
you given your body?
Have you given your eyes?
Have you given your tongue?
Have you given your hands?
Have you presented your body as a living
sacrifice?
Romans 12, 1.
Where do I get that from?
Hebrews 10, 5.
Offering he does not desire, but he desires
your body.
That is the new covenant equivalent of the
Old Testament tithe.
Just like Jesus Christ dying on the cross
is the equivalent of the Old Testament lamb
which was sacrificed on the Passover day.
Everything had an equivalent.
That going through the Red Sea, the New
Testament, it is baptism.
The Old Testament tithe, the new covenant is
giving our body.
Here it is.
God doesn't want an offering.
He wants your body first.
Does that mean we are not to give
our money to God?
If you don't feel happy to give money
to God, you don't have to give anything
to God.
Give your body.
But most people who give their body will
usually want to give a lot of other
things as well.
But that's voluntary.
Give what you want happily.
But the most important thing God requires from
you is a body.
When Jesus came into the world, verse 5,
Jesus did not come primarily to pay his
tithes.
He did not come to give offerings.
Instead, he gave his body.
And he is the mediator of a new
covenant for us.
Teaching us not God, what God wants primarily
from us is not our offerings, but our
body.
What are the offerings we can give to
God?
Money.
Service.
Lord, I distributed 1,000 tracts today.
Lord, I have served in some part of
North India for 10 years.
These are all offerings to God.
Lord, I prayed for 5 hours yesterday.
I fasted 3 days.
These are offerings.
But Lord, I still lust with my eyes.
I still get angry with my tongue.
God says, forget your offerings.
I don't want you to go to North
India for 10 years.
And I don't want your tithes.
And I don't want your fasting.
I don't want your prayer.
I don't want any of your offerings.
I want your eyes.
I want your tongue.
I want parts of your body.
Give me your body.
Don't substitute offerings for your body.
People who substitute offerings and don't give their
body are back in the old covenant.
In the new covenant, what God wants is
your body.
This is a wonderful book.
Hebrews.
Why am I taking more time on Hebrews
than any other book of the New Testament?
Or the whole Bible for that matter.
My personal conviction is it's one of the
most important books in the Bible.
If you want to live in the new
covenant, I would say study Hebrews.
And that's why I have given far more
importance to this book than any other.
Sacrifice an offering you didn't desire, but your
body.
And what must I do with this body?
Lord, Jesus is saying, when I came into
the world, that is when he came through
the from the womb of Mary, he never
had a body in heaven, but now God,
the Father gave him a body.
A body thou hast prepared for me.
What shall I do with this body?
Go to North India, pay tithes, pray for
five hours, fast.
What shall I do with this body?
Very simple.
Verse seven.
I have come to do your will.
Whatever it is, O God, in this body,
I've come to do your will.
This is what Jesus came for.
And this is what we have to do
with our body.
When you present your body to God, don't
present your body to go here or go
there or this ministry or that ministry or
anything.
Say, Lord, you gave me a body from
my mother's womb.
Every part of it, eyes, tongue, hands, passions,
desires, it's all yours to do your will.
What are my eyes for?
To do God's will.
What's my tongue?
To speak God's will.
My passions, my strength, my energy, must be
to do God's will.
One passion in life.
What is the will of God?
The will of God is your sanctification.
Okay?
That's first part.
What's the will of God for my ministry?
Lord, I want to know your will.
I don't want to rush here and rush
there and do something for God.
I want to do the will of God
in this body.
That's what Jesus taught us to pray.
Thy will be done on earth as it
is done in heaven.
What do you think the angels are doing
in heaven?
They're not running around here and they're trying
to do like they say something for God.
I don't want to do something for God.
I want to do God's will.
Jesus didn't come to earth and from the
age of 12 start running around doing something
for God.
He said, what is your will?
And the father said, work as a carpenter
for the next 18 years.
Okay.
I make 18 years.
He worked as a carpenter.
That was the will of God.
And one day when the father saw he
was faithful in his earthly job.
Okay.
Now you go.
Now you preach.
Do you think God may tell you to
be a carpenter?
He said, no, impossible.
God will only tell me to preach.
Who said that?
That's the problem.
A lot of people cannot hear that God
may tell them to do something quite different
because their understanding of spirituality is only doing
full-time work.
Jesus did not come to do full-time
work.
He came to do the father's will.
When the father's will was carpentry, he did
carpentry.
When the father's will was full-time work,
it was full-time work.
You must dedicate yourself to do the will
of the father, not to do this job
or that job.
I can't join the Indian army and say,
I want to be posted in this place.
No.
If I join the army, I leave it
to them to decide where to post me.
They can post me on the battlefront.
They can post me in the home department
behind the scenes of the battle.
That's up to them.
I cannot dictate.
Neither can we in the Lord's army.
Lo, I come to do your will, O
God.
And the second time is repeated, verse 8.
You don't desire offerings or sacrifices, but, verse
9, I come to do thy will, O
God.
And in this way, verse 9, he took
away that first covenant and established the second
covenant.
The first covenant was a lot of activity,
activity, activity.
If you go into the tabernacle, it's all
activity, activity, activity.
But in the new covenant, carpentry.
For so many years.
Helping his mother at home for so many
years.
It was all the will of God.
And preaching when the time came.
To do the will of God in his
life.
Don't think that carpentry is less God's will
and helping your mother at home is less
God's will than preaching.
That's old covenant idea.
In the new covenant, whatever God wants you
to do at this particular time, that's God's
will.
That is what, that is the holiest thing
you can do.
And a lot of people have gone out
into the ministry before God called them and
now they are frustrated.
They are running here and there.
They may go here and make a mistake.
After five years they go somewhere else and
they get frustrated there ten years and then
they go somewhere else.
And I come across people who are so
old and have just made a mess of
their life because they didn't seek the will
of God.
They went around trying to do something for
God.
Please don't make that mistake.
Follow Jesus.
He's the pattern.
Of course, there are people at the other
extreme who feel that even if God calls
them for full-time work they say no,
carpentry is better.
That's the other extreme.
There are always these extremes in Christendom.
That even if God calls them they will
not go because they are making good money
in their business.
So, let's avoid both these extremes.
And then it repeats some of the terms
of the covenant again in verse 16 and
17 which we considered earlier.
I will put my laws upon their heart.
I will write them in their hearts and
their minds and I will not remember their
sins anymore.
This is so important.
That's why it's repeated a second time in
verse 16 and 17.
And then it says since brethren I believe
this passage verse 19 to 25 is one
of the most important passages in the whole
book of Hebrews.
We could say it's the central passage of
the book.
It speaks about a new and living way
into the most holy place.
We have now confidence brethren to enter the
most holy place first of all by the
blood of Jesus and second by a new
and living way which he consecrated by the
veil that is his flesh.
The veil was torn symbolizing that his flesh
was torn and there's a way for us
now to go into the most holy place
a new and living fresh way and part
of the meaning of that is that it's
always fresh.
It's never stale.
It's always new.
Like in Revelation we read about a new
song that means every time they sing the
same song it's like it's singing it for
the first time fresh that's the way we
should sing you may sing that for the
hundredth time but it's fresh again a new
song the same way a new and living
way means even though I'm taking up the
cross and following Jesus today it's exciting today
it's new it's fresh this is the way
of the cross this new and living way
the way of death death to the flesh
the way of rending the veil the way
that we are called to follow Jesus death
to my own will offering my body to
do God's will that the will of the
flesh will never be done in this body
lo I come O Lord this body to
do your will and if we keep doing
that we go through this new and living
way that Jesus opened we don't have to
render veil today the veil is already rent
but to go through that way which he
inaugurated for us you see it's like a
minister cutting open a ribbon and inaugurating a
new road of course Jesus didn't do it
that easily he had to pay a price
for 33 years to inaugurate this road but
the road is now inaugurated for us we
don't have to make the road no no
no no the road is already made we
have to only walk it Jesus has opened
this way of the cross this highway of
holiness as it says in Isaiah 35 the
way of the cross and we have to
walk it and if we walk it we
get into the most holy place now don't
get taken up with the road see when
you are travelling supposing I am travelling from
here to Bangalore by road and I get
so taken up with the road I say
boy what a beautiful road this is what
nice potholes and I get stuck in the
road admiring the road I will never reach
Bangalore and that's what happened to some people
who have heard the message of the cross
of putting the flesh to death and you
see them 20 years later they are still
admiring this road oh this putting the flesh
to death this is the way brother and
they have never reached the destination the destination
is the most holy place we are not
to get taken up with the cross it's
the resurrection we are after we are seeking
to fellowship with God and this happens to
be the way I want to reach a
destination and that's what it says through the
new and living way we get into the
most holy place there are some people who
are not taken up with the way at
all they never get into the most holy
place that's one extreme the other extreme is
people who are always talking about death to
the flesh death to the flesh the way
of the cross the way of the cross
the way of the cross and you look
at their life they are so long faced
and gloomy and miserable and you say I
don't want this life at all you are
not a recommendation to anybody because you are
taken up with the way of the cross
you are not taken up with the fellowship
of the father in the most holy place
I don't want the way of the cross
except as it leads me to the father
I don't want to be taken up with
the way I want to be taken up
with the father it's not looking onto the
way have you ever seen a runner looking
down and running he's always looking at there
in front where I have to go and
these people who look down and run will
always come last and I want to give
that word of warning to anybody sitting here
who has been gripped by the message of
the cross and you think you are holy
you are not holy if you are gripped
with Jesus you are holy so that's a
warning because I have seen people taken up
with that the Lord has made a way
for us he's a high priest and therefore
let us draw near it says with a
sincere heart notice the emphasis on sincerity frequently
with faith with a heart sprinkled clean our
bodies washed with pure water means that there's
no sin which I committed with my body
which has not been cleansed which I have
not set right if I have harmed somebody
I go and apologize if I have cheated
somebody I set it right that's how my
body is washed with pure water I hold
fast to the confession of my hope I
don't shake and I consider other brothers around
me in the most holy place I'm not
selfish I think about other people how I
can stir them up to love and I
don't live by myself verse 25 I'm fellowship
with other people as often as possible until
Jesus comes again take that passage from 19
to 25 and meditate on it it's precious
very very very important and he says instead
of going in there if we go on
sinning willfully then there's no more sacrifice for
sin see a way indicates that we got
to keep moving later on he speaks about
running the race people who backslide are people
who are not moving forward you know an
aircraft in the sky it's moving as long
as it's moving it stays in the sky
do you know what will happen to an
airplane if it decides to stop turns off
its engine in the sky down that's what
will happen an aircraft has to keep moving
in order to keep flying when it stops
moving it drops to the ground so in
the Christian life also if we don't keep
moving we backslide and so he warns us
he says in the old testament people who
lived under the old covenant they were punished
without mercy verse 28 do you think our
punishment will be less when God has given
us much greater calling and we treat the
blood of Jesus as an unclean thing it
takes in lightly it's very serious it's a
terrifying thing verse 31 to fall into the
hands of the living God and then he
goes on to say that there's a great
need for you to be willing to suffer
verse 33 to 34 people may take away
your property they were persecuted in those days
and he says okay never mind don't get
occupied with these earthly things you may lose
them and I believe in days of persecution
if it comes to this country we may
lose some earthly things we may lose honor
we may not be able to get jobs
because we are Christians seeking to be upright
we may not get promotion people may turn
against us they may break down our church
buildings okay when you live in the most
holy place these things you can take joyfully
it says you took joyfully verse 34 middle
the seizure of your property your property was
seized by fundamentalist religious people okay praise the
Lord I'm living in the most holy place
I'm not going to fight for these things
because I've got a better possession in heaven
and he says instead of going this way
verse 38 if you shrink back the Lord
says you'll have no pleasure the Lord will
have no pleasure in such a person there
are only two ways verse 38 you either
live by faith or you shrink back if
you live by faith you're making progress the
opposite of that not living by faith is
you shrink back every backsliding is first of
all a failure of faith that's what we
learned from verse 38 all backsliding is first
of all a failure of faith that's what
we read verse 38 then we go on
to chapter 11 where he speaks a little
more about faith and he says this faith
is not something new even old testament people
lived by faith how do you think Abel
offered a sacrifice to God verse 4 by
faith and he says faith is sort of
believing those invisible things which we know are
sure we are sure that's true the definition
of faith in verse 1 the conviction of
things that I have not seen I haven't
seen it but I'm convinced the assurance of
things I'm hoping for I haven't seen it
but I'm sure that's faith and
Abel how did Enoch live for
300 years he walked with God here he
tells us in verse 5 he walked by
faith he couldn't see but he walked by
faith for 300 years he walked by faith
in an unseen God pleasing God when everybody
else was enjoying themselves and God tested him
for 300 years and said Enoch you deserve
to be in heaven and he took him
up and he says without this type of
faith verse 6 whatever else you may have
it is impossible to please God you may
do a lot of work for him you
may sacrifice a lot for him but if
you can't trust God trusting in the invisible
blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have believed you cannot please God if
you want to please God when you come
to God you must first of all believe
that he exists up there and that he
is a rewarder of all who seek him
wholeheartedly I want to ask you when you
are in trouble who is the first person
you turn to I hope it's God we
can ask people for help there's nothing wrong
in that but the first person I must
turn to is God I've often thought if
the prime minister of India was my father
anytime I have some problem I will ring
him up and say dad I have a
little bit of a problem can you help
me and he says sure what's it about
tell me and I tell him and he
says don't worry son I'll take care of
that thank you dad I put the phone
down and I'm at rest do you believe
that God almighty is more powerful than the
prime minister of India do you believe that
God is your father is he the first
person you turn to when you're sick when
you have a problem when some impossible situation
comes before you which even the prime minister
cannot solve can God do something about it
sure why don't you talk to him why
don't you ask him why don't you go
to him first before you go to anybody
else let's develop that habit he's a rewarder
of those who diligently seek him we must
develop this as a way of life when
I have a problem I turn to God
first because I believe he's a rewarder of
those who diligently seek him how did Noah
live verse 7 by faith and by faith
it says he condemned the world verse 7
the way his way of life was a
condemnation to the world and that's how it
must be with us when people saw Noah
spending all his savings for making a ship
saying judgment is going to come you got
to get inside the ship spending all his
savings not keeping anything aside saving it all
using it all for building the ship that
was a condemnation of the world because people
in the old days and better houses and
bigger houses and go on travels and tours
and enjoy themselves and drink wine and eat
good food and here Noah was denying himself
all those things he didn't go for any
holidays and he didn't spend money on fancy
food or clothes he was spending it all
on the ark that was a condemnation to
the world and today when a Christian spends
all his time and energy building the church
and that's the most important thing in his
life and he denies himself and he gives
his time and his money and everything for
the building of the church the people in
the world say you're crazy what are you
doing spending money like that time like that
to give the gospel to publish literature to
go here to travel there and you have
no interest in enjoying yourself in the world
I'm sorry I don't have time to enjoy
myself in the world this church is the
only thing that lasts when Jesus comes again
now if you don't live like that you
don't have the faith of Noah your way
of life what you spend your time energy
money for determines whether
you
have the your faith by faith Abraham when
God called him he did not leave without
God calling him and don't ever leave without
God calling you but when God called him
verse 8 he obeyed immediately when Peter was
called he obeyed immediately when Abraham was called
he left his relatives he left his home
and said I'm going you asked him where
are you going he said where I'm going
but I know who is leading me that's
enough and he was led and he lived
like a stranger verse 9 in a foreign
land dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob
because he was looking for a city whose
foundations are up in heaven and by faith
he and Sarah received the ability to conceive
here we see the faith of parents faith
of husband and wife together you're a blessed
man if you get a wife like Sarah
who has faith along with you she had
faith he had faith husband and wife joined
faith living for God and they died in
faith saw
the fantastic blessing that would come through his
translation ministry and his missionary work not only
in India but the number of people around
the world that would be challenged by his
life he never saw it lot of godly
missionaries never saw in their lifetime the challenge
that would come Jim Elliot died out there
in South America without seeing how many people
were blessed would be blessed through his life
in the future and you may die without
seeing all that God can accomplish through your
life but if you are faithful and you
live by faith you'd have lived in a
good way and when you die your blessing
will go on for generations after you die
they didn't receive the promises but they lived
in such a way that they proved that
they were not living for something on earth
they were desiring were 16 a better country
in heaven he was willing by faith to
offer up Isaac he offered up Isaac in
faith Lord I don't know how you're going
to fulfill the promises through this son if
you want me to kill him but that's
your business I'll do it I'll do what
you say faith makes us do some things
which the world cannot understand when Elijah wanted
fire from heaven on the Walter what did
he tell them to do pour 12 buckets
of water pour water to get a fire
he should have told them to put a
few matchsticks there you know like today when
people want to do a miracle they do
all types of tricks that was no tricks
there he said I'll show you this is
a fire from heaven pour water God will
bring the fire I'll kill Isaac and God
will bring seed through Isaac I don't know
how that's faith that's how Abraham lived he
said well maybe God will raise him from
the dead verse 19 bring him back to
life and still fulfill his promise what faith
Abraham had he had faith in the resurrection
he said well amazing by faith Isaac blessed
Jacob and he saw about things to come
and Jacob blessed his children by faith we
can bless our children do you know that
you can bless your children concerning their future
faith because you taught them the ways of
God you say now I have faith that
you'll obey these ways and it's going to
go well with you what a blessing we
can give as parents to our children like
Joseph like Jacob and like Isaac gave to
their children we read that Jacob did this
leaning upon a staff meaning that he was
a broken man he couldn't stand on his
leg properly because God had broken him and
the wonderful thing in Hebrews chapter 11 in
the midst of all these great things that
people accomplished you see a man walking with
a stick that was a great miracle but
God broke him that's another type of miracle
God does when he breaks a man by
faith Joseph men made mention of the future
that we go back to Canaan we won't
stay in Egypt and by faith Moses took
three decisions verse 23 24 and 25 number
one verse 23 sorry verse 24 verse 23
was Moses parents took a decision to take
care of their child it's another example of
faith of the parents verse 24 to 26
Moses took three decisions by faith one verse
24 he refused the honor of this world
I don't want to be known as Pharaoh's
daughter son number two he refused the pleasures
of sin verse 25 number three he refused
the wealth of this world there are three
things Moses rejected the world's honor the world's
pleasures and the world's wealth and if you
are a man of faith there are three
things you will reject the world's honor the
world's pleasures and the world's wealth and Moses
took that decision because his parents brought him
up properly that's the decision you need to
take and instead of that he chose the
reproach of Christ better than all these things
and that's what we must choose as well
and goes on to say about the many
other wonderful things that happened through faith the
splitting of the Red Sea verse 29 the
breaking down of the walls of Jericho and
then it says about Rahab the harlot how
she had faith that God would protect her
and so she welcomed God's people even though
she risked her life Rahab risked her life
to protect those spies sometimes we have to
risk our life to protect the people of
God and there we can follow in Rahab's
footsteps and what more shall I say verse
32 Gideon Barak Samson Jephthah David Samuel the
prophets by faith they conquered kingdoms shut the
mouths of lions quench the power of fire
escape the edge of the sword put armies
to flight women verse 35 received back their
dead by resurrection in Elijah's time in Elisha's
time and then that's one type of faith
I mean that's one type of result of
faith and then there were other people who
lived by faith who did not get these
things others were tortured verse 35 and they
did not accept their release because they wanted
a better resurrection some experienced mockings and scourgings
and chains and imprisonment some were stoned some
were sawn into tradition says that was Isaiah
they were tempted verse 37 they were put
to death they wandered about in sheepskins and
goatskins destitute afflicted ill-treated men of whom
this world was not worthy they were too
good for this world they wandered in deserts
and mountains and caves and holes in the
ground so you see faith does not always
mean that we shut the mouths of lions
sometimes it means we are killed some people
think that faith always means we call down
thunder and break the walls of Jericho and
split the Red Sea that is faith to
endure when a lion is coming to eat
me up and I say I still believe
in Jesus Christ that's also faith when they
are ready to chop off my head and
I say I will not deny Jesus Jesus
is my Lord that's also faith so both
are mentioned together some people think faith means
you'll do you'll see some miracle no faith
that may be like that if that's God's
will but it also may mean that I
endure till the end whatever the cost without
giving up that's also faith and leave it
to God to decide which it is to
be in your case Shadrach Meshach and Abednego
went into the fire and came out untouched
the early Christians were burnt in the fire
and they got burnt up Daniel went into
the lion's den and came out by faith
the early Christians were thrown to the lions
and the lions ate them up who had
more faith both had faith one to endure
till the end and the other to come
out they left it to God to decide
whether the lion should eat me up or
the lion should spare me they left it
to God to decide whether the fire should
burn me up or whether it should be
spared leave it to God to decide whether
you should be beheaded or you should escape
James was beheaded Peter escaped so God's will
is different but all of them this group
and the other group verse 39 they all
got approval through faith but now God has
provided something better you see that word better
keeps coming in Hebrews for us what is
that now our faith is not looking on
to Abel or Moses or Enoch or Noah
or any of these people our faith is
verse 2 of chapter 12 looking on to
Jesus he's the author and finisher of our
faith we look on to him and run
this race we don't stand still the race
of faith is something in which you can't
stand still you look at Jesus time is
short you have to run if you fall
down get up and run there are many
people who have fallen down in a race
and got up and run and still got
the prize don't get discouraged if you fall
down somewhere in the Christian life just get
up and run and look at Jesus who
endured the cross and ran till the end
of his life and when many enemies oppose
you verse 3 consider him how many enemies
opposed him you have not yet resisted verse
4 to the point of shedding blood like
he did you know how much Jesus resisted
to the point of shedding blood in striving
against sin now verse 4 teaches us that
Jesus also strove against sin it wasn't easy
for him how much did he strive against
sin with this attitude I would rather shed
my blood verse 4 than commit sin that
means I would rather die than commit sin
if you have that attitude you'll be an
overcomer you come to a situation where you
have to tell a lie and you say
I would rather die than tell a lie
boy you'll be an overcomer you come to
some situation where you can cheat a little
bit and make a little more money and
you say well I would rather die than
cheat a little any sin you're tempted to
lust somewhere you're attracted by some woman to
sin and you say I'd rather die than
commit that sin that is the secret of
overcoming then he goes on to speak about
discipline you see we look unto Jesus as
our example and we look unto our father
who disciplines us verses 4 to 11 God
disciplines us and all discipline is for our
good we don't feel happy about it now
but later on it will work for our
good it says in verse 14 pursue peace
with all men and sanctification there are two
things we must pursue in life peace with
all human beings and holiness otherwise we'll never
see the Lord don't be like Esau verse
16 who for a little bit of earthly
profit lost his spiritual birthright he's saying for
some small earthly gain don't lose your eternal
inheritance you know afterwards how much he prayed
he couldn't get it at the judgment seat
of Christ many people will pray with tears
but they can't get back the life they
wasted on earth verse 18 onwards he speaks
about Mount Zion compared to Mount Sinai he
says that now we have come to the
church and not to the mountain to be
afraid and one last one thing I want
to mention in verse 24 the last thing
here verse 24 the blood of Jesus and
the blood of Abel the blood of Abel
cried for judgment the blood of Jesus cried
for mercy when somebody harms you like Cain
harmed Abel you will either pray for judgment
on that person or you'll pray for mercy
that depends on whether you're under the Old
Covenant or the New Covenant if you follow
the Old Covenant somebody harms you like Abel's
blood it'll cry out for judgment Lord judge
that man Lord judge that man like the
Old Testament sounds if you follow Jesus your
blood will cry out for mercy Lord forgive
him for he doesn't know what he's doing
verse 25 to 29 says about this kingdom
that God is building the church the only
thing that will remain forever everything will be
shaken people who have put their confidence in
money in Jesus name I prophesy their confidence
will be shaken according to verse 25 to
29 you put your confidence in real estate
property anything on this earth it'll all be
shaken some of who people are finding their
security in buying up a lot of land
and earthly property brother forget it don't put
your confidence there you can have property but
don't put your confidence there let your confidence
be in God everything else will be shaken
let's serve God with thankfulness because he's a
consuming fire and then some closing exhortations in
chapter 13 love the brothers verse one show
hospitality anyone who comes to your house remember
those who are suffering prisoners who are ill
-treated suffer with them encourage them visit them
keep your marriage perfectly pure verse 4 don't
ever sin sexually because God will judge them
be satisfied verse 5 with what you have
don't run after money because God has said
I will never fail you nor forsake you
that is a promise is like a bank
like a bank account what he's saying is
what is your bank account let me give
you a bank account the best bank account
you can have God's promise I will never
fail you nor forsake you how many rupees
is that I will never fail you nor
forsake you isn't that enough the Lord said
the Holy Spirit says don't be satisfied with
what God gives you don't look at that
other brother or sister who's got more than
you and say oh I wish I had
all that you think that'll bring happiness you
think a better house more clothes a car
or any of these things will bring happiness
no no be satisfied with what you have
I will never fail you nor forsake you
that's enough we can boldly say in every
situation the Lord's my helper I will not
be afraid that any man what can any
man do unto me no fear of any
man or any circumstances and advice to listen
to your elders were seven and verse 17
obey your leaders remember those who led you
value them submit to them because they have
to give an account for your life one
day to God do you know that leaders
have to give an account verse 17 to
God for everybody under their charge respect them
we're seven it says look at their life
look at the life of these leaders follow
their example verse 8 because the same Jesus
Christ who led them yesterday today can lead
you he's the same what he did for
that brother he can do for you that's
the meaning of Jesus Christ the same yesterday
today and forever in the context of verse
7 what he did for that godly brother
he can do for you don't be occupied
with strange doctrines verse 9 that plenty of
them today see whether these doctrines have helped
the man who is preaching to live a
good life otherwise don't follow it let us
go outside the camp with Jesus bearing his
reproach as long as we live in this
world we have to bear reproach let us
offer a sacrifice of praise to God always
having a spirit of praise in our life
and then he says finally may the God
of peace verse 20 who brought up Jesus
from the dead equip you in every good
thing to do his will working in you
what is pleasing in his sight to him
be glory forever and ever let's pray Heavenly
Father we thank you for this wonderful new
covenant in which we can live help us
to live bringing glory and honor to you
in this earth living in all the riches
of the new covenant we pray in Jesus
name.