Radio Broadcast Wednesday 01/10/2024

Classic Christianity – Book of Hebrews P52 (01-10-24)

Placing Faith in Jesus is Obedience to the Word of God

~ There are many many people today that say they have to be obedient to the word of God, yet they show by their actions that they are NOT obedient to the Word of God. For they have NEVER placed faith in the actual Word of God, Jesus. People are out there grunting and growning for Christ instead of resting in Jesus and His finished work on the cross. They are deceived by Satan, thinking that they are pleasing to God based on what they do or they don’t do. Those that practice law keeping, and by the way, they can only practice law keeping, for no one keeps the law. No one obeys the law of God. These folks will try to judge a true child of God that has found their freedom in Christ Jesus. They will question you, Where do you go to church on Sundays? They think they are better than you because they go to prayer meetings or go to their confession booth for a priest to hear their sins, or the person that goes to their own virtual confession booth, to continue to ask for forgiveness from God. Or they help out on Thanksgiving at a local food bank area. These people are still lost in the sin of unbelief. They are dead, and have never received Life. They do NOT have the Holy Spirit living in them. The Law has still not done its work in their life. Because Satan has them convinced that now they think they came to know Jesus and thus they now believe that they are sustained by works of the Law. It is with these people that you need to demonstrate their own sin back to them. They have NOT been obedient to the Word of God, Jesus. For if they had, they too would have entered into the Sabbath rest, where a person rests from his own works, just as Christ Jesus rested from His.

~ “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” ^{2 John 1:14}

~ But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. ^{Hebrews 11:6}

~ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites (actors) are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ^{Matthew 6:5}

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~ “The cross is like a judge sitting there, and all of a sudden appearing before him as his son. And his son has committed a crime that is deserving of penalty. And because it’s his son, and I’m a judge, I cannot judge him as a son, I have to judge him as a person. And so I judge the crime and say that the crime is worthy of either 30 days in jail, or $1,000 penalty. Can you pay the $1,000 son? And the son says, No, I cannot. The Hammer goes down and said guilty $1,000 Fine, or 30 days in jail. The son goes over to the bailiff and getting ready to be taken off to jail because he does not have the money. The judge gets up and takes off his robe, walks out from behind his judge’s bench and goes over and reaches into his pocket and pulls out $1,000 and pays off the bill. He executed justice, and he paid the price. Now that’s exactly what Christ had to do. And God had to do in regard to the sin of man. It had to be judged. It had to be paid for, and the wages of sin is what? Death. And so in the judging of sin, death had to occur. And there was no death that can take away sins, except the Lamb of God. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin, only the blood of God Himself.

And so He learned obedience from what he suffered, and once made perfect. In other words, once that offering was totally perfect, there was nothing else to do. He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him and was designated by God to be high priest on the order of Melchizedek. Folks, when you’re talking about the source of eternal salvation, for all who obey Him, you’re not talking about sitting down and saying, God, everything you want me to do, I’ll be obedient so that you will be the source of salvation. The only obedience that you and I are left with is trusting Him. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. He is the source of everything Christ Jesus is the source of everything, and the only obedience that you and I are involved in. And as Christian life is abiding in the vine of Christ, Jesus who alone can produce his life in and through us. It’s trusting him, it is not going out and doing something for God. It’s trusting God to do something through you. He’s going to be dealing with this which we will as we go down into this chapter, folks, and the reason that people refuse to receive grace is because Grace forces you to see your own depravity.” ~ 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 0:29
We’re going to pick up in chapter five. In verse seven. As we’ve been talking in the book of Hebrews, you’re going to see contrast that the author of the book of Hebrews is contrasting, pointed toward the Hebrew, but my friend, you cannot isolate it there because we and religion have brought over the laws as stringent as what the Hebrews had. And so it doesn’t make a difference, whether you’re under the law as a result of being a Hebrew, or whether you’re under the law as a result of being a Gentile, Protestant or Catholic, that you’ve put yourself under that is irrelevant, if you’re under it, the only thing you need to get out from it. And so the same thing applies. And so you’re going to see in this particular case where religion dealt with angels being superior beings, and, and the author of Hebrews didn’t come down and knock that they were not superior beings at all, but, but to be able to state but Christ is greater than that. It wasn’t that the Hebrews who followed Moses of knocking Moses, it was saying Moses was the one who was kind of running the house, but Christ is over the house. In other words, if someone greater has come.

We talked about Joshua, Joshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus. And it was Joshua, who led the Hebrews into the promised land. Moses didn’t get them there, Moses got them out of Egypt, into the desert, Joshua got them out of the desert, into the promised land. To me, it is a picture when you stopped to think about it that when Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will lead you into all truth, he will take the things of mine make it known unto you, That the Holy Spirit came to convince the world wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment about sin, because they don’t believe in me. So the only sin ever attributable to a man is his unbelief, his refusal to accept truth that will set him free. It is the job of the Holy Spirit of God, working on the heart of the lost man to lead him to Jesus. That’s what he said, I came to do, I came to lead you to Christ. And we meet Christ in the desert, we don’t meet him in the Promised Land, but it takes Christ to get you into the Promised Land, just as it took Joshua, to get the Hebrews into the promised land. For you and me to be led into that Sabbath rest, Christ is going to have to take us there. We’re in Christ, Christ in our hearts, our only hope of glory. And it’s only confidence in Him and Him alone, that will take us into that Sabbath rest, where we can wrest from our works just as God rested from His. And so you’ll see Joshua, Jesus, the name of Jesus, the Old Testament, Hebrew name of Jesus, performing a physical function that today, Jesus does in our own lives, and that has taken us into that Sabbath rest.

We talked about him being greater than priests, that there was a need for priests, that a priest was someone who represented God, the people to God, he was an intermediary between God and man. But and he offered sacrifices first for his own sins, and then for the sins of people. And there was nothing wrong with that, because God initiated that priesthood. But there’s someone greater than a priest today, and now that there’s no more offerings, there’s no more need for a priest. That was a priest job was to make offerings, there’s no need for that anymore. Because by that one offering, he made forever perfect in the sight of God, all of you whom he has made holy. So that’s already been done. That’s why there’s no need for a priest today on this earth. We talked about Melchizedek and we’ll get into that in later discussions, but that was a priest appeared out of nowhere he was out of out of sync. He wasn’t of the Levitical priesthood at all. He wasn’t involved in any of that he was just there. And Christ is a priest in that order. Christ didn’t come out of the Levites. He was not a Levitical. Priest, he wasn’t in that bloodline. So something different has occurred, a new priesthood was established a new representative, between God and man. And now it’s picking up where he’s talking about that in verse seven, during the days of Jesus life here on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions and loud cries and tears, to the one who can save him from death. And he was heard.

I told you last week, if you’re not here, if you weren’t here, that punctuation in the New Testament, is not inerrant in any way, shape, or form. In fact, when the Greek was written, there is not punctuation. Punctuation is something that was put in by us chapters and verses was put in by us, not by God. And many times the placement of a period or a comma can make a world of difference in interpretation. And in this particular case, I have to look at it a little bit that way. And again, I’m not putting that down as as as dogma, I’m just saying this, to me is when I know what the context is. This is why I think the reading of it is. That during the days of Jesus life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the ones who can save him from death. And he was heard. Period. Because of his Reverend submission, comma, although he was a son, comma, He learned obedience from what he suffered, period. And once made perfect, comma, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. He wasn’t heard because of his reverence, submission, he was heard because he was a Son. But because he was a Son, he was submissive to His Father. And because of that submission is where he learned obedience for money suffered. God doesn’t have to learn obedience. We’re the ones have to learn obedience, nor to be obedient, have to be obedient to somebody. And God didn’t obedient anyone. You don’t need to be he is the initiator of perfect righteousness. But Christ in our humanity, learned obedience. Father, not my will, but Thine be done. And it’s like God in the flesh, saying, Father, if there is any way at all, in being able to provide salvation, for mankind, apart from my having to hang on this cross and take sin upon myself, the sin of the entire world, to be able to take every sloppy thing that you and I have ever done or thought in our entire lives or ever will, and literally take it upon myself to the point where I who know no sin will literally become sin. If there’s any other way of doing it without my having to take the slop of the world upon myself, do it. And yet, not my will, but nine if that’s the only way to save people, and let’s do it. That’s an that is an attitude of submission.

I had a little high school girl one time in a Sunday school class that was talking about when it talks about in the scriptures of Jesus as it were sweating, great drops of blood, and said, why why would he be doing that? And the issue is that there are certainly lesser men than Christ who have been doomed to die on a cross or an electric chair or whatever you’d want to call it as an instrument of death, that where it wasn’t sweating, as it were great drops of blood. You can go on death row today and see people that aren’t that aren’t going to be sitting there so nervous over dying, that there are sweating, great drops of blood. But she said, Well, what was it that brought that about? And I said, Well, if you do you think that if you were going to be electrocuted tomorrow, you would be sweating as it were great drops of blood, said I think I’d be a little concerned. I don’t think I’d be that concerned. So me neither. But what if I told you you were going to have to go out into a field tomorrow as a little teenage girl, and be attacked and molested repeatedly? By about 100, rapists and molesters? What do you think you’d do? Said I think I’d be sweating great drops of blood. I said, I think so too. Now that’s what Christ had to do. He had to go out, not into a field but on a hill of Calvary, and be molested and raped by everything that you and I have ever done and said in this in this world, and literally to the point of becoming sin. And so doing that and knowing what he was up against. His cry was Father, not my will but but yours be done. If there’s any other way of allowing these people to refer these people to be dealt with, let’s do it. There isn’t any other way. There’s a divine logic in the gospel of Jesus Christ that is almost beyond comprehension, a divine logic, that the just has to become the justifier, that justice has to be served. Sin had to be paid for, there was no offering big enough to pay for the sins of the world, less that of God Himself. And it had to be dealt with and paid for, and yet extended mercy.

The cross is like a judge sitting there, and all of a sudden appearing before him as his son. And his son has committed a crime that is deserving of penalty. And because it’s his son, and I’m a judge, I cannot judge him as a son, I have to judge him as a person. And so I judge the crime and say that the crime is worthy of either 30 days in jail, or $1,000 penalty. Can you pay the $1,000 son? And the son says, No, I cannot. The Hammer goes down and said guilty $1,000 Fine, or 30 days in jail. The son goes over to the bailiff and getting ready to be taken off to jail because he does not have the money. The judge gets up and takes off his robe, walks out from behind his judge’s bench and goes over and reaches into his pocket and pulls out $1,000 and pays off the bill. He executed justice, and he paid the price. Now that’s exactly what Christ had to do. And God had to do in regard to the sin of man. It had to be judged. It had to be paid for, and the wages of sin is what? Death. And so in the judging of sin, death had to occur. And there was no death that can take away sins, except the Lamb of God. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin, only the blood of God Himself.

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Announcer
If you’re enjoying the book of Hebrews, check out our website BobGeorge.net. There you will find a whole collection of messages from the book of Hebrews as well as other DVDs, CDs and Bible studies available for purchase. That’s Bob George dot net. Let’s join Bob now as he continues the radio program.

Bob George 14:15
The grace of God says there’s nothing for you to do. It forces you to see in and of yourself is no good thing. Man doesn’t want to see that we’re cocky little creatures. And the younger we are in the Lord the cockier we are when I say you know, it’s amazing, isn’t it when you’re young, how much you think, you know. It’s amazing to me how wise my dad got in my fourth year of college. We’re the same way I understand went through that as a Christian to three years couldn’t understand why everybody couldn’t understand all the Bible I did. Acted like it. 22 years in the Lord, you find out that that’s not so you’re learning every day. And the older you are in the Lord, the more you learn, the deeper it gets, the meaning of things come clearer and clearer. The longer you’re in the Lord.

Now folks, when we are talking, the reason that people do not want to latch on to the totality of the grace of God, as I said, it forces you to total elimination of self effort. We walk around with an idea that I’m about 80% okay. And we’ve got a Brylcreem theology. A Little dab will Do you. And I just need a little babba Jesus. And I am really okay. But I do admit that sometimes I sin just occasionally. It just might happen to do that. And so you hear these dumb prayers that you’ll hear some time, Lord, forgive us, wherein we fail, you know, where it’s just like in the event that I might happen to failure, just just an event that that could possibly happen. Just forgive me in case forgot one. Is because of the idea that I am 80, 90%. Okay, and I just need about 10% of grace to cover the times that I’m not okay. And because of that feeling that I’m 80% okay, that now puts me in a position of saying, you’re only 60%, okay. Because you didn’t come last Sunday. And if you miss prayer meeting, you’re down to about 40% okay. And then we began to say, I’m getting okayer. Because I’m starting to do some neat things for God. But occasionally, I do sin. And when I do, I need some grace. I’ll admit that to you. And that’s why I say people I understand grace, I understand grace. Folks, that is a lie out of the pit of hell. I don’t need grace when I sin. I need grace to live. It isn’t the thing that I’m 80% okay, and I need a little 20% grace sprinkled on me when things aren’t going too well. A branch doesn’t sit there and say I need a little life. I need a little life in that vine. You know, I’m pretty good. He needs total life of the vine if he’s ever going to see fruit produced in you. The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t say you’re 80% Okay, you need 20% of me. He said, what part for me you can do how much? Nothing, that’s destitute. The grace of God, folks forces you to a thing called faith. You don’t need faith under the law. The law demands flesh to behave. You don’t need faith on that you just keep gutting it out. I’ll just drive better, I’ll just do this better. I’ll work on this little thing in my life that’s not quite so good. You don’t need faith for that you just need a works orientation, just some determination, some discipline. The grace of God that says the way you were saved, is by grace alone. It is all by the grace of God it is for by grace that you are saved through faith and not that of yourself. It is a gift of God not as a result of work so that no man can boast. And folks, as he saved you at salvation, He is saving you today. Most people think you’re saved but grace and sustained by works. I came to Christ by the grace of God but I live now by the law of God because grace of God may be live under the law.

Friends there is no faith connected with the law. If righteousness could be gained through obedience to the law, then Christ died for nothing. If you want to look at legalistic obedience under the law, Paul said I’m without equal because law is dealing with outward behavior. But underneath the skin was a man standing there holding the coats of the people who were stoning Steven to death. Which incidentally is the heart of any legalist sooner or later. And so what you’re dealing with is the fact that under the grace of God is when you’re coming to the point of saying, Lord not my will, but Thine be done. It’s no longer I want it my way. You can’t stand up and sing Sinatra’s song I did it my way you look like you did it your way Sinatra.

Remember oh Tony Bennett’s if I ruled the world what a wonderful places would be. God and doing too good. But if I ruined it, it’d be okay. Unbelievable what man’s pride will do to it. The grace of God reduces you to nothingness and that’s why it’s fought folks. And unfortunately in many of our denominational churches today the reason that they are adamant against the teaching of the grace of God. A huge church out in Modesto, California with radio status. So you put those people on we’re going off. Radio station, analyze that you’re on on Sunday, they’re on every day. See you later. Why? Well Because grace is taught and tithing isn’t. You let some slob get on radio and try teaching my people you’re not gonna have to tie brother we’re gonna be in trouble. Well, if people don’t want to come to your church, it really can’t stand it but they have to on obligation or to keep God on good side don’t really want to give but I better give her God’s gonna zap me in some capacity comes along teaches that you are in trouble. And you need to be. There isn’t anybody that should show up in this room because you have to because you don’t have to. You’ll be a child of God, if you stay at home next week. You’re in a buy here that has to tie there or give. That’s a privilege that we have. I don’t got to I get to. And that’s what’s called freewill giving. That’s brought about by the grace of God that says, There is nothing in your flesh that can please me. Flesh and blood is never going to inherit the kingdom of God. It’s only my Son. Folks, the grace of God is only an understood theory, a theology until it becomes a reality of showing you and me the total devastation of our flesh, to be able to come to Paul saying, wretched man that I am. How do you come to that? By seeing the grace of God? It’s only when you see the grace and the magnitude of God that you see our own wretchedness. We walk around and underneath the skin we’re selfish as can be. I want my way. Our minds can think of the most rotten things you ever want to think in your life. Is that right? Or am I the only nuts standing around in here? The older you get, the more the better it gets. I have trouble memorizing Scripture. I can remember almost every dirty joke ever heard before I was saved. Stuck in there like spaghetti on the wall. And we walk around saying I’m okay. You’re okay. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because they’re only good people. I’m gonna write one. Why did good things happen to bad people?

Folks, until we see to allow the grace of God to get out of some theoretical theological verbiage. And bring us to the end of ourselves our own inadequacy, our own self sufficiency, confidence in the flesh. The grace of God is nothing but a word to us. It’s known but not understood. When it says it is the grace of God that teaches you and me to say no to unrighteousness the only way that we can say no to unrighteousness is when the grace of God shows me in and of myself is no righteousness only he is righteous and the grace of God points me to him who alone says no to unrighteousness. It is not an act of mind it’s an act of his. It’s getting us to see it’s all Jesus and none of it none of us. To getting us to see that we can come on and have an intellectual go right off of the wall it is meaningless. There are some people come along and say how can that intellectual over there not believe in God? But what’s the intellectual in? I mean you can be smart in law and dumb as a cluck and medicine. There isn’t everybody smart in everything we’re just smart in our own little little deal over here. That’s the only place where big deals too. We walk around acting like we’re smart like we’re big deals. We’re not.

Chuck Swindoll is a well known preacher. He walked into an ATand T meeting they wouldn’t know who he was. Guy grew up with President of ATandT he walked in here and no one told you and know who he was. He isn’t a big deal here. Jimmy Carter got paid all kinds of money to be President of the United States. I wouldn’t pay him 10,000 bucks to work for me. I could name many others like that. How’d you like to have Nixon on staff? Yeah, they made a big, big deal. I wouldn’t have him I wouldn’t pay him a dime to work for me. And they wouldn’t pay me a dime to work for them. Everybody walks around thing. We’re big deals. We’re not big deals.

Announcer 27:11
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