Radio Broadcast Monday 03/04/2024

Classic Christianity – Book of Hebrews P74 (03-04-24)

The Law Was Meant to Lead us To Jesus Christ

~ People today are living under the law, because quite frankly most have not come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. They are still performing in their flesh for God. They keep telling God, “I’m going to do better next time.” And then oops, they did it again. But Lord, “I’m going to do better next time.” And on and on it goes, with people pretending that they are obeying the Law of God (at least most of the time), and then when they don’t, they ask God to forgive them again and again and again. There is nothing new under the sun. Man repeats the same lies over and over again. It is not just believing in error, but they are believing in the lies of Satan over that of the word of God. They refuse to come to the knowledge of TRUTH, because man’s pride always gets in the way. After all, they went to University and got all this teaching and are proud of their degrees, and now they know it all. They can do it their way, and they think God is pleased with it. Satan’s teachers are teaching lies left and right and still people go to them instead of trusting in the word of God.

If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? ^{Hebrews 7:11}

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ^{Galatians 3:24}

Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin. ^{Romans 3:20}

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~ “It’s amazing to me how we as Christians today, say, Well, you can come to Christ and and now he’ll help you to obey the law, in Texas say hep you. And we’re going to hep you to obey the law. Well, you know, the Hebrews had 1000s of years of avid following of God trying to obey the law and couldn’t do it, for some reason, we think, oh, we can, there’s something about us that’s better. Well, we’re no more capable of obeying the law than they were. And just as they had 1000s of years of nothing but failure in their attempts to do so. We’ve added a few more 1000 on this and in our attempts to do so. And because we can’t even come close to obeying what God said, we make up our own laws that we can do. And then and then we find out we can’t even do those. So we come up and say forget about this thing called love. That’s not important. I can’t do that anyway. So witnessing well, we’ll witness and we’ll go to church and then it’s not good enough, just go Sunday morning, then you got to go Sunday night, and then you got to go Wednesday, you got to go Monday, and you got to go all of this. And after a while, if you could just get church every night you’d really be spiritual. And so and you’ll work on all of these manmade things, the all of these manmade deals that we come up with to say this is what’s going to make you spiritual. And, and so we try and we fail and we try and we fail and ultimately in many instances just give up and say, I can’t do it. So God, I’ll see you in heaven someday. In the meantime, I’ll take care of the earth down here. Now that’s what religion does to you.” ~ Bob George

Bible Study Booklets

Join Bob George in this chapter by chapter exposition of the book of Hebrews. Available for download the complete series on the Book of Hebrews. The Book of Hebrews is key to understanding the New Covenant.

Announcer 0:12
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George Bob’s clear, timeless teachings on the complete forgiveness and unconditional love of Jesus Christ will transform your life as you learn about God’s amazing grace. Let’s join Bob as he teaches us from God’s Word.

Bob George 0:29
Okay, well, let’s turn to the book of Hebrews. We’re gonna pick up in the ninth chapter, but we’re gonna go back to the eighth to just kind of review for a moment. We’ve been talking about the different books of the Bible, you’re going to see that the author to the book of Hebrews was addressing that particular group of people. And even though the Letter to the Hebrews was addressed, and geared to the Hebrew, the same things are in existence today. In other words, we, even though not of Israel, have formed our own form of legalism. And so the same principles apply. Today, the same admonitions applied today as they would back then. And so you’re talking about a system that we went ahead and built on our own, we call a Christianity, a religion of Christianity. And it’s interesting that Christ came not to form a religion, but to form a relationship. And we like the Hebrew have taken a relationship and made a religion out of it. And so the same things that we study in the book of Hebrews are as applicable and fresh today, as they would have been talking to someone who was just coming out of or still into the Hebrew religious system back in those days. And so what we need to see is that as the author is, is very subtly, but succinctly, step by step, knocking down all of the sacred cows, that Hebrewism had produced. The following of Moses, that’s okay. He said, Moses was the leader of the house, but Christ is over the house. Joshua, the worship of angels, the priesthood, the royal priesthood, you see, all of those were very near and dear to the heart of the Hebrew, who had been steeped in that religion, rightfully so God gave it to them. And they were avid followers of that to the best of their ability, which was not too good. And that’s, again, what religion does, it forces you to try to be what you cannot be. But there’s also benefit to that friends, because until you’ve given it your all, and to find out you can’t, why then would you turn to Him who could, and does and will? And so there is still benefit to what you saw taking place there because it continually proves demand you can’t.

It’s amazing to me how we as Christians today, say, Well, you can come to Christ and and now he’ll help you to obey the law, in Texas say hep you. And we’re going to hep you to obey the law. Well, you know, the Hebrews had 1000s of years of avid following of God trying to obey the law and couldn’t do it, for some reason, we think, oh, we can, there’s something about us that’s better. Well, we’re no more capable of obeying the law than they were. And just as they had 1000s of years of nothing but failure in their attempts to do so. We’ve added a few more 1000 on this and in our attempts to do so. And because we can’t even come close to obeying what God said, we make up our own laws that we can do. And then and then we find out we can’t even do those. So we come up and say forget about this thing called love. That’s not important. I can’t do that anyway. So witnessing well, we’ll witness and we’ll go to church and then it’s not good enough, just go Sunday morning, then you got to go Sunday night, and then you got to go Wednesday, you got to go Monday, and you got to go all of this. And after a while, if you could just get church every night you’d really be spiritual. And so and you’ll work on all of these manmade things, the all of these manmade deals that we come up with to say this is what’s going to make you spiritual. And, and so we try and we fail and we try and we fail and ultimately in many instances just give up and say, I can’t do it. So God, I’ll see you in heaven someday. In the meantime, I’ll take care of the earth down here. Now that’s what religion does to you.

So Christ had to come in order to bring into existence, something brand new. The Israelites that he came, were under a covenant between God and man, and we talked about that. But as it says, Now, in chapter eight, verse seven, chapter eight, verse seven, for if there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant, no place would have been sought for another covenant for another. But God found fault with the covenant. Is that what it says? What’s it say? He found fault with the people. In other words, it’s the same thing. Paul said, there’s nothing wrong with the law. The law is holy, it is good. It’s of God. But when it flows through me, and my sinful nature, it kills me. So there’s nothing wrong with the law. What’s wrong is I can’t live up to it. I can’t do it. Everybody wants to deal with the filthy five and the dirty dozen. We can even take care of the first one that I shall love My God with all of my heart and all of my soul. We can’t even hit that. And the Bible very clearly tells us it’s not that we loved him, but he loved us first. And how in the world can we say I love God with all of my heart? I just love him to death under the law. The answer that is you can’t. You can’t love who you fear. And the perfect love is what cast away, all fear, because fear has to do with punishment and a man who fears cannot be perfected in love. Now, a man under the law if he truly is under the law and understands what it is to be under the law realizes that under the law, you’re under the law of sin and death. You can’t be a little under the law. The law has no meaning to you at all, unless there’s a repercussion to violation of it. Is that right or wrong? What benefit would there be to have a law out there to drive 55 miles an hour if you could go 80 And wouldn’t get a ticket? None. So if you want to be under the law, you’re going to have to be under the punishment of the law because the law has no meaning without punishment. And that’s why the Bible says that the man who is under the law is under a curse. And we keep thinking, Oh, I still love to be under law do you love being under a curse? Because if you love being under the law, you’re under a curse. Because curses everyone who hung on a tree. And the curse of the law is that the wages of sin is not some stupid religion that we’ve come up with called being out of fellowship. The wages of sin is death. And there’s nothing in between. And the gift of God is life. And there’s nothing in between life and death. And so if you want to be under the law, then you’re under the wages of sin, which is death. And that means if you violated the least of these my commandments of Jesus said you violated all of them. And if you violated all of them, what hope do you have of ever going into the presence of a holy God? And so you see, man, can’t even live up to the first one love your God with all your heart and soul and mind. You can’t do that. Because, as the Bible says, It’s not that we loved him, but he loved us first. And until you know his love for you, you can’t respond back. Folks, do we realize that as strange as that seems that God as Jesus came to this earth to manifest God that God said to you and me, I didn’t come to be served, but I came to serve. And that is as true today as it was then. God is literally serving you and me. Isn’t that amazing. We talk about serving God. Think about that for a minute. What could you do for God? You man this little peon down here. Say I’m gonna do something for you God. Think about it. We respond to him serving you. That’s all we can do. Like a child like parents with a child constantly serving that baby and all it wants the baby to do is just be itself. I don’t love my little grandson because he’s trying to act like a grandson. He doesn’t know he is one. I love him because he just being him. And we serve him constantly and he comes into the room and a fee fees that’s fiddles with everything. I haven’t known what time it is for a week. And you just love them to death, just being themselves just being who they are little kid. And you devote your life to serving that little kid. And all that kid does is respond back. Being himself.

God came literally, to realize that don’t get me wrong or that don’t get that idea. Oh, then before he came to serve me that I’ve just boss him around. Yeah, boss him around, if that’s the case, and I just asked him for anything. Well, that’s like little Robert asked me for a knife. Not gonna give it to him. Because he’s dumb. He doesn’t know that that would cut him I do. So it isn’t one of those type of deals. But it is realizing the fact that Christ Jesus alive living in you, is serving your needs. He’s there to serve you. That was certainly given when he went to wash the apostles feet. Peter said, Don’t wash my feet, Lord. In other words, I wash yours, but don’t wash mine. And Jesus said, Don’t you know what I’m doing, Peter? If you don’t let me wash you, you’re not going to be clean. You’re not here to serve me. I’m here to serve you. Do you realize that the air that we breathe is furnished by God. The light that we see is furnished by God. The life that we have is furnished by God. The love that we receive is furnished by God. The grace that you and I enter into is all furnished by him. What is he doing? He’s serving us, serving us the God of this universe, serving you and me. I can’t fathom that. Until I stopped to think of the immensity of God and the smallest of me. And I wonder what option does he have, except a serve us, if he loves us.

And so we’re boiling back down to a fact of a contrast. In a religious system. Where under the Old Covenant under the law where God says you obey or the law, you want to serve me, okay, here’s how you do it. And you fall flat on your face. Or God ushers in a new covenant where he says, now we’re gonna get back to where we begin with me serving you. And it’s all going to be predicated on the thing of love.

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Bob George 13:49
I was telling Amy coming in today, growing up as I did in Indiana, my dad was an attorney. He was a very law abiding person as far as that goes, very moral person. But he taught us kids some right and wrong when we were young. And I don’t ever remember my life not doing something out of fear that I was going to get caught and put in jail. It wasn’t the case. I’m not going to do it. Because I’m fearful of the law. It was a case that I’m not going to do it because it’s not right to do and this is what is right to do. And I was more motivated by what was right to do than motivated for the repercussion of what would be wrong to do. And that’s exactly how God to His love comes to work with you and me. He comes to change our hearts in order to show us what is expedient for you. When he went away, he said it’s expedient for you. It’s good for you that I’m going away because when I do, I’m going to come and live in you It’s good for you. It’s expedient. It’s the thing Paul talked about when he said everything is is permissible, if it wasn’t permissible, it would be a law. So of course, it’s permissible, but it isn’t profitable. And I want to come with my love to show you what is profitable. And it causes you to think through things. As folks don’t ever think and be deceived for a minute, in the not realizing that what you think determines how you act, and that the source of your thinking, and a lot of the source of your thinking, comes from religious teaching. Folks, if pornography doesn’t hurt you, then good literature doesn’t help you. Don’t ever think that what you put into your mind doesn’t determine how you act with each other. Don’t ever think that growing up in a legalistic church does not affect the way in which you think and in which the way you treat one another don’t ever be deceived into thinking that that upbringing does not affect you. We live with a variables of upbringing. And it all affects us. Your life today has been affected by your upbringing by what has been pumped into your mind from youth on. Now the beauty of coming to Christ is the fact that he has the ability with a Spirit of God living in you to what do what with your mind? Renew it, change it. And that’s what this whole Christian life is about, as I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to be able to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in the sight of God. Don’t be conformed to the world but be transformed how? By the renewing of your mind that I know your minds messed up. That’s what he came, I came to serve you I came to lead you into truth so that that truth can set you free. Why? Because I want to see you go free. I don’t want to see you in bondage. You’re my child. You’re my creation. I made you I love you. I see the same thing. The same thing. I don’t want to see my kids live in bondage. I don’t want to see my kids deceived. Because it hurts them. I want to see their minds renewed. And to come to truth and let truth set them free. Why I love them. And I want the best for them. I think what we understand is I can’t control that any more than God controls Eddie, I’m gonna cram that in you and get you down and cram you you got to be in a position of a willingness to receive and who doesn’t receive? The proud the proud doesn’t need God. The proud doesn’t need wisdom from God, I’ve got it all figured out myself. I’m gonna do it, my way, you and Sinatra. I’ll do it my way. God gives grace to the humble. He resists the proud of his love that is there and he wants to serve you in love. He’ll let you buckle your knees until you finally see. It’s all him and none of me. That’s out of love that allow that to occur. The bring you and may to the end of ourselves so that we can find him and to experience him and to be able to receive his servitude in my life. See, our attitude is very much like Peter. Hey, Lord, don’t you’re not gonna wash my feet. And I understand that, don’t you? Could you can you understand Christ coming up to want to wash your feet? Lord, get off of your knees get up and your God let me watch your feet. said no, no, no. I’m here to wash yours. I came to serve you. That’s hard, isn’t it? It’s hard for our prideful minds to grasp but someone so great wants to serve someone so little. Until we think what God calls us and that’s his little children. See, we think we’re grown up and he says now you’re this little kid. We think we’re so smart. And he says no, your wisdom is but foolishness to me. And that’s why we have to come folks it doesn’t make a difference what age we do we have to come to the point of realizing that we’re no big deals were loved by God, we’re His creation. When we’re not smart, we really aren’t. We think we are don’t we? And we get educated far beyond our intelligence. And, and all of that type of thing. But no, we are not, you know, we’re not that smart, we think we are, but we’re not. And how to see if that can be to walk around thinking how smart we are. Because you see, that could also be very temporary, all it would take just a pretty good blow to the head, and you could be a blithering idiot. So you see, all of these things that we get so hung up on, are the things that destroy us in looking at life from a proper perspective. And a proper perspective is, it’s all God, he’s the initiator, he’s serving you and me, and to be able to bend our knee to that. And in so doing, all I’m saying on that is just to be able to face reality and say, a God if you want to serve me, I understand that. But like Peter said, then watch me all over, you know, don’t do not just my feet, but rather start with my head and do the whole thing. Because if that’s what you want to do, you have at it. You know, all that is, is an attitude of saying, Lord, you want to be a little bit of my God be all my God. We all have it, a little of it, all of it. Now folks, you cannot adopt that attitude, there is no way for you and me to come to the realization of that truth under the law. The law forces the flesh to try to behave. The law is constantly saying you should be behaving this way you should be doing this, you should be doing that you should be doing that it is constantly aimed at the flesh to behave in order to please this reluctant God that you’re trying to serve so that you can get some brownie points someplace down the line. Is that true or not? See, when you realize that God worked out an arrangement through this New Covenant whereby says it’s not your service. I’m gonna serve you. Now Bob, respond to me. It’s not that you love me, but it’s that I Love You first. And I’m going to show you so much of my love. That if you will just open up your heart to that to receive it. There’s nothing you got are going to be able to do except respond. That’s all just respond.

And so had there been nothing wrong with his first covenant, there would have been no place that would have been sought for another. But it says God found fault with the people. And he said, The time is coming declares the Lord, I’ll make a New Covenant with was the house of Israel with a house of Judah will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt there again, he is serving them then. But they didn’t remain faithful to my covenant. In other words, they were still trying to serve me instead of realizing I came to serve them. And they turned away from them declares the Lord. This is a covenant I’ll make with the house of Israel after that time declares the Lord, I’ll put my laws in their minds, I write them on their hearts, I will be their God, they will be my people. They’ll No longer will need a man to teach his neighbor or man his brother saying know the Lord, because they’ll know me from the least to them to the greatest and I will forgive their wickedness I will remember their sins no more. And by calling this covenant new, he’s made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Folks isn’t it amazing, the Bible says I’ve made the legal system the law that I gave, for one purpose only, and that is to show man to be perfectly sinful so that he would turn to Christ ,for his love and for His grace, the law has now done its work. It has led you to Christ so that you can now be led internally by the Spirit of God living in you. Folks, let me back up for just a minute to show you another little thing is how easily we can get deceived. And I hope you understand when I’m saying these things. I am not saying what I’m saying to sit down and to try to give an impression to anybody that we’ve got some kind of total truth that we’re anti Baptist or anti Presbyterian or anti Catholic. I don’t I’m not only I’m not anti I really don’t care about them. Those are man made institutions. So it doesn’t I’m not even thinking about it. What I am thinking about is what is being taught. It’s what’s being taught. I have nothing against Nazarene or Baptists or Catholics. I know, you know, you’d have to know somebody have something against them. I have anything against people. I have something to against error that’s being taught. And if that steps on someone’s toes that’s just the way it is. Truth always steps on your toes. And that would not concern me either. If I didn’t know what error does the people. If error didn’t destroy you, which the Bible says that if truth set you free error is what binds you. If I didn’t know that error bound, you and me up and the one of the reasons I know it is not only do I sit your life, I’ve seen it mine. I know what the error of legalism does in my life. You can observe what legalism did in the life of the people called the Pharisees they got so mean that killed God. The most loving person who ever walked on the face of this earth, Jesus Christ hung him on a cross because they didn’t agree with him. So if you want to say what kind of a person does this legalism create? You just looked at him a Pharisee. Yet we still want to be under it. You want to get down to people who are teaching emotionalism, name it and claim it, blab it and grab i, prosperity gospel. Why do you talk against those things? If you need to talk again, it’s in the Bible. It says that a man who teaches that godliness as a means to financial gain is a man of a perverted mind. The Bible is much harsher on it than we are. Why? Well, because it deceive somebody. That’s why.

Announcer 27:11
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