Examine Yourself, Part 2
Hebrews
As I mentioned to you this morning, we're going to take a little break in our study of the Beatitudes because the Lord has really kind of pressed it on my heart to share with you from the book of Hebrews a special message. So if you'll look with me at the book of Hebrews we'll study together.
Now as you know, some weeks ago now I spoke on the subject examine yourself whether you be in the faith, it was on a Sunday morning prior to when we had our communion time. And I was greatly concerned that there were many people in Grace Church who came and listened and maybe even believed but who had never committed their lives to Christ. And would come up short on the Day of Judgment. And I'm continually faced with that fear. I know that there are in the church wheat and tares. I know that there will always be the false among the true. It's so easy in a church our size with many thousands of people to hide and never really e confronted with the reality of whether you've committed your life to Christ or not. You can just kind of get by with getting in the crowd and moving along with everybody else. And my heart is very deeply concerned over the reality that some of you very precious people for whom Christ died have been coming and you've been coming and you've been listening and you've been hearing the messages and maybe even believing that it is true but you've never really come to Jesus Christ. For some reason or another you're holding back. A lady called me on the telephone and expressed that very thing. She said - I come but I'm not a Christian but I'm interested. And if I've heard that from that lady and received letters to that effect and I had one man who said - I come I don't believe in what you say but I like the way you say it. If that's true, if that's true with the people who talk to me, they're probably even others who feel that way or hear it all and for some reason or another never make a commitment to Christ, they just kind of sit on the edge of the fence. They kind of hang in the balances. And maybe if you've been coming a we've been studying the gospel of Matthew you understand that Jesus set down the standards for being in His kingdom.
You know by now that He says in order to be in My kingdom you must be poor in spirit and mournful over sin and meek. And you must hunger and thirst for righteousness and be merciful and be pure in heart and be a peacemaker. And you've probably heard that when you fulfill those qualifications and you reach out to God in Christ and you are redeemed you become a possessor of the kingdom, you become a recipient of the blessings of all of God's, all of God's bounty. You become a son of God in the purest sense. But even though you know the qualifications and even though you know the consequences and the blessings of it maybe you still have not committed yourself to Jesus Christ. And I dare say, this is true all over the land and all over the world, there are people who know but they never make the commitment. They never take the step. For one reason or another their moment hasn't come. They just push it off and push it off and push it off.
Look with me for a minute before we examine the book of Hebrews to John chapter 12 and I want you to see what a dangerous delay this is. In John chapter 12 in verse 32 our Lord said, "And I if I be lifted up from the heart will draw all men unto Me." This He said, signifying what death He should die. The people answered Him, We've heard out of the law that Christ abides forever and how sayest thou the son of man must be lifted up. Who is the son of man? In other words, we've heard that the Messiah will live what are you talking about that He would be crucified? What son of man is this?
Then Jesus said unto them, and listen, yet a little while is the light with you, walk while you have the light lest darkness come upon you for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not where he goest. While ye have light believe in the light that ye may be the sons of light. These things spoke Jesus and departed and did hide Himself from them." What an illustration. He says, You better believe while you can believe and then to illustrate that he went and hide where they could never find Him so that they might comprehend what it would mean not to have Him around. And verse 37 says, even though He had done so many miracles before them yet they believed not on Him. At the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled which he spoke Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore, they could not believe because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them.
Now notice, Jesus says - You'd better believe when you can believe. You'd better enter the light while the light is available for the time will come when it isn't around and then He illustrated it that the prophecy of Isaiah came to pass, they wouldn't believe therefore they couldn't believe and God closed out the day of grace. That's what Isaiah is saying. This was Jesus' last appeal, by the way. A one last invitation in the gospel of John The day of grace was passing and in the very next chapter He meets with His disciples the day before His trial and ultimately His death. This is His last invitation. He says - I'm not going to be here very long. You'd better act while you can act before you are confirmed in the sovereignty of God in your unbelief.
In John chapter 8 and He here says the same thing at leas, three times. In verse - well, look at verse 12, "then spoke Jesus again unto them saying - I am the light of the world, he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life." That's the first invitation. He's saying - If you follow Me you can walk in light. But then He says in verse 21, "1 go My way and ye shall seek Me and s all die in your sins where I go ye cannot come." This is the second invitation, really. Because it's a warning that if they don't accept the light while the light is available there will come a day when the light is not available. And then in verse 24 He repeats the warning a third time, "I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins for if you believe not that I am He ye shall die in your sins."
You see, Jesus was always extending His love but always telling them there was a limit. Go back to chapter 7 verse 33, "Then said Jesus unto them yet a little while I with you, just a little while, then I go unto Him that sent Me. Ye shall seek Me and shall not find Me and where I am there ye cannot come." That's the same idea. You know, before God sent the flood in Genesis chapter 6 and verse 3 God said, "My spirit will not always strive with m n." In other words, there comes a time when God runs out of patience. And then came the flood and the whole wide world was destroyed. In Isaiah chapter 63 we find it illustrated in verses 7 to 10. The prophet Isaiah said, "I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all that the Lord has bestowed on us and the great goodness toward the house of Israel which He hath bestowed on them according to His mercies and according to the multitude of His loving kindnesses." What a verse. It talks about the loving kindness and the praise and the goodness and the mercy of God, "For God said - Surly they are My people, children that will not lie," so He was their Saviour. What a picture of God. He was so loving, He was so merciful, He as so kind, He was so gracious, He was their Saviour and verse 9, "In 11 their affliction He was afflicted and the angel of His presence saved them." In His love and in His pity He redeemed them and He bore them and He carried them all the days of old.
Oh, what a picture. What a loving Saviour. But verse 10 comes like a shock. Like a lightning bolt out of the blue to shatter the peace of the scene. But they rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit, therefore, He was turned to be their enemy and He fought against them." Can you believe that kind of change? In one little three verse section? God is patient, God is kind, God is good, God is gracious, God is merciful, God is long-suffering, God is not willing that any should perish but Go Is mercy has limits. It has limits. And that's why I don't want o leave the Beatitudes quite yet. I just felt that maybe God wan ed me to say one more time but if you haven't committed your life to Christ and you haven't come into the kingdom on His terms you'd better o it while you can, you see. You better come to the light while t e light is available. That's the message.
Now the book of Hebrews gives us a graphic look at this wonderful truth. This wonderful warning invitation of God and I want you to look at Hebrews an we're going to look at what it has to say. Now the book of Hebrews is basically written to Christians, Jewish Christians. That's why its title is Hebrews. They were Jewish believers but, now listen, interspersed through out the book of Hebrews which is written