Sunday, September 24, 2017, 6:39 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Oh, To Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer.”
Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Hebrews 10 (Select vv. ESV).
Draw Near
(vv. 19-22)
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter
the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened
for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a
great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and
our bodies washed with pure water.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – left his
throne in heaven, came to earth, took on human flesh, humbled himself, became a
servant, suffered as we suffer, and was tempted in like manner as we are also
tempted, yet without sin. During his years of ministry, he healed the sick and
afflicted, raised the dead, comforted the sorrowful, and preached repentance
for the forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God. He, too, spoke often
of the cost of following him. And, he confronted sin in sinful human beings,
warned against hypocrisy and unbelief and of divine judgment, and called for repentance
(turning away from sin) and for faith in himself, their Lord and God.
Some people loved him and
followed him genuinely, while others hated and rejected him. Some of them had
him put to death on a cross, although he had done no wrong, because they were
jealous of him, threatened by him, and because they didn’t like what he
preached and did, in particular because he didn’t follow their customs and
traditions and he claimed to be God. Yet, it was God the Father’s will that
Jesus should suffer and die for our sins so that we could be delivered out of
slavery to sin, and so we could become bond-servants of his righteousness. For,
he who knew no sin became sin for us on that cross, so that when he died, our
sins died, too, so we could die with him to sin. When he was resurrected from
the grave, he rose victorious over sin, so that we could also live with him in
victory over sin. Amen!
Coming to faith in Jesus
Christ, though, is not a mere profession of faith, or a religious exercise, or
an emotional decision, or an intellectual assent to what Jesus did for us, or
something we do in order to join a church organization. God’s grace to us is
also not a free license to continue in sin, for his grace instructs us to say “No”
to worldly lusts and to live godly and upright lives. When we believe in Jesus
Christ, with a true heart, we die with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected
with Christ to newness of life in Christ, to be lived to God and to his
righteousness. We turn away from living life for sin and self, and we turn to
God, to Jesus Christ, to walk in his ways and in his truth, in true righteousness
and holiness, and in the power of the Holy Spirit who has cleansed and purified
us from our sins.
Hold Fast
(vv. 23-25)
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up
one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the
habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day
drawing near.
So, this is how we should live,
not as the ungodly do, but in the fear (honor, respect) of the Lord, in full
assurance of faith in Christ, and for the purpose for which he died, which was
to FREE us FROM our sins, not to just give us a FREE PASS. We should hold
strong to the truths of God’s Word, and to his gospel, as taught by Jesus and
his NT apostles, not only in profession, but in how we live day in and day out.
And, we should not waver back and forth in unbelief or in sinful practice or in
apathy or complacency. Instead, we should gather together with other believers
where we can encourage one another in the faith, in love, in purity, and in
true devotion to our Lord and Savior, for one day Jesus is going to return, and
we need to be ready for him.
Practice Sinning? (vv. 26-31)
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving
the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a
fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the
adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on
the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you
think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God,
and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has
outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I
will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God.
We should never assume, just
because we prayed a prayer to receive Jesus Christ as Savior of our lives, at
some point in our lives, that we have heaven guaranteed us when we leave this
earth, or just because we regularly attend church services somewhere. Again,
true faith in Jesus Christ means we die with Christ to sin so that we can live
with Christ to his righteousness. It means that we no longer conduct our lives
according to the ways of our sinful flesh or to the pattern of this sinful
world, but we live our lives (in lifestyle) in agreement with and according to
God’s Holy Spirit, now living within us, for if we live to please the flesh, we
will die in our sins.
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever
one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will
from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from
the Spirit reap eternal life. Gal. 6:7-8
So, don’t be fooled by clever
enchanters who will tell you that it doesn’t matter how you live your life once
you are “saved,” or who will suggest to you that God requires nothing of you –
no repentance, no obedience and no submission. They are liars and deceivers who
are looking to win you over to themselves, not to Jesus Christ. If, after you
have heard the gospel preached, and even if you make a profession of Christ as
Savior, then you keep on living in sin, making it your practice, and you
disregard the Lord’s commands, then you don’t have the promise of heaven, but a
fearful expectation of divine judgment. Jesus died that we might no longer live
for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us, not to free us to
continue living as though we have never been cleansed of our sins.
Your Confidence
(vv. 35-39)
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has
a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the
will of God you may receive what is promised. For,
“Yet a little while,
and the
coming one will come and will not delay;
but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he
shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”
But we are not of those who shrink back and are
destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
So, if you have made a
profession of faith in Jesus Christ, you have been cleansed of your sins, and
you have been given new life in Christ, don’t throw that away or disregard it
or ignore it. Don’t trample the grace of God underfoot in order to continue
living the way you want. Don’t listen to the lies of Satan which tell you that
you can live however you want and that God is still pleased with you, and that
you still have the promise of heaven. If you shrink back from the truth of the
gospel, and you reject the Word of Truth, God has no pleasure in you! He is not
pleased with you if you continue living for the pleasures of this world and for
the lusts of your flesh. It is when you have done the will of God that you
receive what was promised. If we don’t obey our Lord, we don’t know him! If we
are truly in the faith, we will walk in the Spirit and no longer to gratify our
flesh.
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s
treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of
compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the
fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy
love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like
Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy
fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
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