Radio Broadcast Monday 04/22/2024

Classic Christianity – Book of Hebrews P95 (04-22-24)

What is Faith? Faith is in Jesus

~ Someday, we will be in the physical presence of Jesus. Right now, the Holy Spirit lives in every believer as a guarantee of the blessed hope we have of someday getting our new body and being in the presence of God. It’s not, “I hope I hope I hope.” But it’s an assurance of what we know to be True. Our faith is in Him and what he has done and what he continues to do for each and every one of us who are in Christ Jesus. And furthermore, the child of God will Never die. We will transition from one body to another body, which has been prepared for us. That’s why flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. We all need new bodies. So place our faith in what Jesus promised right here in the word of God.

“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.

Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” ^{John 11:23-26}

Pray to God:
“Lord Jesus, teach me the truth of the world today. Thank you God.”

~ "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith." ^{Hebrews 11:1-7}

~ “And so as we’ve picked up in the eleventh chapter, it says, Now faith, is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we don’t see. And this is what the ancients were commended for. And it goes ahead to explain some of the Old Testament saints and how they believed God. But I want to pick up just for a moment here on faith is being sure of what we hope for. And let’s turn back to the book of Titus, for a moment there, and I’m going to pick up for a moment on this word hope. You’re going to see Paul here who was left in Antioch to discuss the gospel with many of the Jerusalem leaders. And in so doing, he took Titus with him. And now Titus, then is who worked with Paul has written this letter back to the church. And beginning in chapter two, verse 11. For the grace of God, that brings salvation has appeared to all men. And it It’s the grace of God teaches us to say no to unrighteousness, and to worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in his present age while we wait for this blessed hope. Now, that’s what he was talking about back in Hebrews, that faith is being sure of what we hope for. So we have a blessed hope while we wait for this blessed hope. Now, the hope is not a hope of hope, a hope with your fingers crossed. That’s not what hopes talking about. It is a future event that you know, beyond comprehension is going to occur and you’re hoping for that to occur. Not that I hope so I’m not real sure, but I hope so. But it’s the hope that it is within us, we’re looking forward with anticipation to this event that we know is going to occur. And so it’s the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself up for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” ~ Bob George

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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 0:28
Well, it’s good to, it’s good to be back. And if you want to turn to the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews, where we left off, if I remember, we have spent a number of weeks in this book of Hebrews talking about what the whole point of the book is about, and that’s faith. And faith gets kicked all over the place doesn’t it and, you know, you watch some of the stuff that’s on television, and somebody’s up there in your face telling you about how if you just have enough faith, you can get wealthy and rich and if you got enough faith, you can do this, you’re gonna faith you can do that. And, and faith has become something that I can conjure up. And if I can get enough of it, I can get this reluctant God who doesn’t give a flip about any of us to maybe do something for us. And so faith has become again, the very opposite of what its intention was. And that is, it has become a work so that work, that faith becomes a work, it’s something that I can do conjure up, get strong, and in order to get God to do something on my behalf. You’re going to see that from a biblical standpoint, faith is a totally opposite of that type of thing. And I think as we have come in the first 11 chapters is showing Christ is all he is greater than Moses, he was greater than Abraham greater than the angels, it presents him as who he is, and that is God Himself. And talking then about the sacrifice that Christ came and about the New Covenant that he came to introduce this new agreement between God and man whereby he says there sins and are lawless acts, I’ll remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins. It’s one of these things if we’re we’re seeing this grand new agreement that has been entered into by between God and man. And we’ve talked about the fact is we hit not only in chapter six, but in chapter 10, about the importance of going on in belief of that. And if we deliberately keep on walking in unbelief, and not trusting the finality of the cross, and the sacrifice that Jesus came, that, that we are literally making mockery of the grace of God that He came to give us and literally trampling underfoot the grace of God. And so he’s telling us, then don’t throw away our confidence and to persevere in the midst of trials and tribulations that God has not finished with any of us yet. And I think that’s the whole issue that the book of Hebrews is trying to get across is trust him to do what He alone can do.

And so as we’ve picked up in the eleventh chapter, it says, Now faith, is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we don’t see. And this is what the ancients were commended for. And it goes ahead to explain some of the Old Testament saints and how they believed God. But I want to pick up just for a moment here on faith is being sure of what we hope for. And let’s turn back to the book of Titus, for a moment there, and I’m going to pick up for a moment on this word hope. You’re going to see Paul here who was left in Antioch to discuss the gospel with many of the Jerusalem leaders. And in so doing, he took Titus with him. And now Titus, then is who worked with Paul has written this letter back to the church. And beginning in chapter two, verse 11. For the grace of God, that brings salvation has appeared to all men. And it It’s the grace of God teaches us to say no to unrighteousness, and to worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in his present age while we wait for this blessed hope. Now, that’s what he was talking about back in Hebrews, that faith is being sure of what we hope for. So we have a blessed hope while we wait for this blessed hope. Now, the hope is not a hope of hope, a hope with your fingers crossed. That’s not what hopes talking about. It is a future event that you know, beyond comprehension is going to occur and you’re hoping for that to occur. Not that I hope so I’m not real sure, but I hope so. But it’s the hope that it is within us, we’re looking forward with anticipation to this event that we know is going to occur. And so it’s the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself up for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

If you go over to the third chapter, we’re going to pick up there at verse five. At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures, we lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of, of a God and Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of the righteous things that we had done, but because of his mercy. And he saved us through the washing and rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ, our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs, having the hope, of eternal life, having the hope of eternal life. Again, that is not I hope that I get eternal life is not a hope, a hope, a hope, type of a deal. This is the record we’re told, in John, that God has given us what? eternal life and this life is, where? in his Son, and if you have the Son, you have what? life. And if you don’t have the Son, you do not have what? life and these things he said, I’ve written unto you, who believed in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may want? to know that you have, what? eternal life. So what do we live in hope for? That eternal life that we know we have. So hope is dealing with something that we know by faith that we have, and we are hoping for the day, when that will occur. And so in Titus, it’s the grace of God that has brought salvation and brings salvation to each and every one of us. It is the grace of God that then teaches you and me to say no to ungodliness, and to worldly passions. It is the grace of God that teaches you and me to live self controlled and upright and godly lives in this present age, again, while we’re waiting for something, and what we’re waiting for is the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Now guys, when you’re when you’re living on this earth, we’re living here with a reality. And the older you get, the more that reality is there that whatever time we spend here on this earth is a fleeting moment, isn’t it? It just zooms by, I look back on the years and say, Where in the world did they go? Because it zooms by. And so for those who are in Christ, there is an event that is going to take place in our lives. First of all, we’re either going to experience what the Bible calls the rapture of the saints, that is a time in history that God knows about, when we are going to be taken out of this earth and to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air. That is not the Second Coming. That is the rapture. And that event is going to occur. And it can occur as far as I understand prophecy at any moment. There were many things tied into prophetic teaching, that indicate that we’re living in that kind of a day, wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, pestilence, it even mentions drugs. We live in a day and age of explosions all over the people, people hating each other wars all over the place. You can’t go anyplace that there’s not some kind of a war going on. And you can preach peace, and have all kinds of peace treaties, and you can have the United Nations and you can have everything you want to. But the Bible very clearly says there will be no peace until the Prince of Peace returns. And yet man spends his life and his time trying to bring about peace, when you can’t even have peace in your own home. And that becomes to go that begins to get a little ridiculous to think that I could have the ability as the president united states or whatever it might be, to bring about peace, in international peace when you can’t even be bring bring peace in your own country. And you can’t even have peace in your own home many times. And so until the Prince of Peace returns, that is never going to occur. But the more that you discuss and, again, discuss internationally with people, the problems that are in Germany as an example, through the Berlin wall going down are insurmountable, more than we could ever comprehend. We looked at that event with great joy because it was the end of communism and the Wall came down. But that just was the beginning of a brand new set of problems that is in that country today. You look in Japan, and even though the economics are taking place, what they’re what is taking place over there, there’s unrest, there’s all kinds of things brewing in every country in this world today. And you look at it and as I look at it, and I see the problems that are out there, I look at that thing and say there’s only one thing that that and that the whole world is going to someday buy as a solution to this world problem, the world has gotten smaller hasn’t it, through air travel and everything else smaller. And that the only solution I can see is a world dictator. And that world dictator is going to come on the scene someday. The problem with that is, is that will dictator is going to be the Antichrist. But the world is set to grab a hold of anyone who can come along and say, I can unify the world, that there’s no solution to all of the problems going on except a total unification. A total dollar system are a financial system that is universal in scope, the whole deal is going to have to be pulled off someday. And we’re sitting in that time. And so to me, when we look at this hope, I see a dual hope I see the hope of someday that I know is going to occur that the rapture of the saints is going to occur. And as I said, as far as I understand prophecy, there is nothing left to be fulfilled before that event occurs. Secondly, it’s probably a more likely deal, at least for some of us, that that Rapture will occur individually when we’re absent from the body and present with the Lord. And but either way, do we not either way, whether we are raptured, taken out of this world snatched out at the what is what we call referred to as the rapture, or whether I’m raptured by death, what does it matter, you and I in either one of those two instances, have to look forward to this unbelievable blessed event that is going to take place when Sunday, we are going to be out of this sin body of ours and into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Someday we’re going to spend eternity with Him. Someday, in the near future. Again, we don’t know when we could walk out of this place today and absolutely die on the highway, you could have a heart attack here or get bored to death either one. And that can happen at any time, we don’t have a clue when something like that is going to occur. One thing we do know, every person in this room is going to be six feet under someday. And that is one thing you can look at your mate next to you one of the two of you are going to be in a grave someday you’re gonna be looking at one of the other are going to be looking at the other in a grave someday, unless you’re taken at the same time in an automobile accident or plane crash or whatever it might be. And so death is inevitable as far as this physical death. But the hope that we have is that truth, that whenever that occurs, we’re going to be absent from the body and immediately present with the Lord.

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Bob George 14:05
And so that’s a hope. Now when it talks about them and Titus about how the grace of God that teaches us as we wait for this blessed hope. I believe that there is something in the understanding of the grace of God today that has been shed abroad in our hearts today. The thing that helps us to get through our life today knowing who we are in Christ and coming to grips with our identity in Christ, but also that added dimension of realizing that we are someday going to be absent from this body and present with the Lord. And that our mindset is not only on today, but our mindset also needs to be on this thing tomorrow. And guys that sometimes is what ties into I believe a mindset In regard to the way in which we conduct our lives. Many times, we live just for the present, don’t we? And we live for that good old feeling. Many times in our lives, we are constantly doing things and engaging in things that seem right on demand. But there is destruction within. It’s like kind of poisoning somebody with just a bit of arsenic every day. They never know they’re getting arsenic. Nobody ever took their first drink. With the idea boy I sure hope I’m become an alcoholic someday. No one ever smoked their first marijuana cigarette with the idea oh man I hope I can become a drug addict someday, live down the slums. Prostitute myself, whatever it takes to support that habit, man, I hope I do that. No one ever goes to a doctor with the idea that I’m a little nervous or have little anxiety and get put on a prescription drug with the idea that boy I sure hope I become an addict can get addicted to that stuff someday. Nobody. No one ever comes and stands before a minister or whoever else you do to get married saying, Oh, I hope I get divorced someday. And no one ever brings kids into the world with the idea Gee, I hope that there’ll be fatherless or motherless someday. It’s one of those things that we always enter into things of life with the greatest of intentions, but many times totally naive. And in this world, so many times we don’t think through what’s going to happen out there. I don’t mean in visualization. But I’m talking about the fact that there are natural repercussions to life. And many times we forget about those natural repercussions and in our decision making processes, instead of, of in light of the decision is what is that going to do? You see, nobody has to be a genius, just to have been alive for a while to realize that we’re made up our bodies are made up or essential. You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that it feels good. There are things that feel good, feels good to have sexual relation. I don’t have to figure that that that feels good. The issue is, when you’re doing those things out of wedlock and out of marriage, when we’re involved in those things, and you’re married in an adulterous type relationship, the issue is, what is that going to do to my family? What is that going to do to my kids, I might go over here and have this little relationship over here. And it seems like a little bit of a fling. But what if I fall in love and all of a sudden, a family’s broken up. There’s all kinds of things that where we don’t count the costs. And I’m not saying that critically, I’m saying that that that happens to all of us. It’s one of those things where we’re almost blinded to repercussions. But in this life, there are repercussions. The beauty that we have under the grace of God is there’s no repercussions from God. And that’s where so many times people misunderstand the teaching of the grace of God. And they take that, as they say, as a license. But the fact of the matter is, there’s a dual thing that we’re living in, from God’s vantage point, the things that I’ve screwed up with and you’ve screwed up with in your life, God looks down on those and says forgiven, that was forgiven at the cross there behind my back never to see it again. It is in the doing of that in the presentation of that is what enables you and me to be free to look forward to that blessed event of being able to go into His presence someday and seeing him as he is and becoming like him. And it is also the thing that frees you and me here on this earth to begin to think through the consequences of our actions. Because because even though there is no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus, in other words, there’s not God is not going to condemn you for anything. It’s strange, isn’t it and how many times we get Have you heard people say You mean to tell me that if a Christian went out and murdered somebody, that he would go to heaven? If any of you ever asked that question, it’s amazing how you always use things like murder, which probably you’re not gonna do, you know, you always use those. But again, how cleverly Jesus waded through that kind of garbage thinking, by saying, I say unto you, if you’re angry at somebody you’ve already committed murder. And so you would ask, is there anyone sitting in this room that has never murdered anyone? As far as God is concerned? And see, we don’t want to think along that lines. We say no, Bob that Yeah. Well, you’re gonna talk to Jesus about that. Now, Bob, Because I didn’t say that. I wouldn’t have dared say something like that. But is that true? From God’s vantage point? Is it true? Is it from God’s vantage point? Is it just as bad to go out and get angry at someone as it is to murder someone? According to him, same thing. According to God, oh, I don’t commit adultery. Jesus came along and said, if you look at a woman with lust in your heart, you’ve already committed adultery. Now, is there anyone that’s going to? And that would, that would apply for women as well? Because is there anyone is gonna sit there and say, I’ve never committed adultery? So again, from God’s vantage point, that’s how he looks at it. In other words, God looks on the heart. And so when we see that, is there anyone that can stand around and say, Oh, I’m a righteous dude. I can hardly wait to go in the presence God, show him how righteous I’ve been. I don’t think so. The only thing we’re gonna be able to do, and we go into the presence of God is to receive mercy, and to say, Thank You, Lord Jesus, for your mercy. But you see that mercy was extended to us at the cross. And that’s where God who knew no sin became sin for you and me, so that in Christ, we could become something that we are not. And that’s the righteousness of God, that God was in Christ doing all of that for us, that we were reconciled to God through Christ Jesus once and for all, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, absolutely not counting your sins against you. But there is therefore now no condemnation waiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. So from God’s vantage point, we’re looking at something that is marvelous news. And that is, from God’s vantage point, you and I who are in Christ whenever the zapped. If you’re out of Christ, we’ve already been zapped the wages as soon as one death and all men are dead. So it isn’t the case of God’s gonna lay something on me. We were born with it laid on us. We’re born dead, and the only solution to death is life. So the condemnation for sin was just universal, its spiritual death, the only solution to sin is what? eternal life. And that life is a blessing hope that you and I have now with that out of the way, and to be able to realize that from God’s vantage point, this is how he deals with you and me, he has dealt with us in regard to the sin issue. Now, that is what now frees him to deal with us now on this issue down here on life not with condemnation, but with teaching, and with instruction, and with admonishment, and with being able to enable us to get beyond the immediate feel good into the repercussions of life.

Now, are there repercussions to sin down here? I mean, are there, but you bet you go out and you practice homosexuality long enough, you’re probably going to be a real good candidate for AIDS. And in this day, and age, you go out and practice any kind of promiscuity, you’re probably in a real good candidacy for AIDS. So some are going to get the repercussions gonna be there and some is not. You go out and engage in drinking too much. Is there a possibility of becoming addicted to alcohol? Yes, there is. Is that a real desirable thing? Again, I don’t think any of us wakeups you know, like I said, say a boy sure hope I can do this. And so, so in all of these things, there are repercussions. Now, the world is established and set out there to deceive, man. That’s why we sell so much merchandise, it’s based on deception. That’s what the ad was a lure. Remember the ad that was there. A lure is based on the principle of what? deception and again, if any fish thought that was a lawyer, they’d be an idiot to chow down on that, because they’re going to end up someone’s frying pan. That’s what a lure does. It lures you and traps you. Life does the same thing. And we’re sitting ducks for that type of thing unless, unless we can have our minds renewed. And the only thing that frees our minds to think through those things is coming to grips with the finality of what Christ has done. And now says, Bob, here’s how we live down here. Not that you have to are all things permissible. As a child of God, is it permissible to go get smashed out of your mind? Yeah. Is it profitable? No, it is not. And it causes us now to think ahead. So when we’re talking about this thing that we’ve got, faith is what I walk in right now trusting God for today, the hope is what I know is going to occur. But one of these days, I’m going to go into the presence of God. And so in the meantime, between where I know I’m going, I can walk by faith in what he’s saying. And when I do, I’m going to find my life to be running much more smoothly. I’m going to find much less complications, when we just open up the Word of God, and to follow it not because we have to, not legalistically but because it’s the most intelligent thing to do as a child of the living God. It’s talks about things like in the scripture that if you’re angry with your mate, straighten it out for you go to bed. Now, do you have to do that? I mean, do you sit there on a couch? legalistically soon, okay, I’m sorry. Now, Satan will get on my back won’t have a bad dreams. Is that the way that thing works? No. No, it says, Well, do you plan on staying married? I mean, is this is this a lifetime deal? Well, then why don’t you straight the thing out? When you’re dealing in marriage, divorce isn’t an option. So let’s straighten out our problem. That’s not an option. Let’s just straight and let’s let’s go to work and straighten out what we’re doing. How come? Well, it’s profitable. Is it permissible to do the other? Is it profitable? No, it isn’t.

Announcer 27:11
Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord find more information online at BobGeorge.net. There you will also find available CDs, DVDs and Bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith be good to one another and praise the Lord. Amen.