Radio Broadcast Wednesday 01/31/2024

Classic Christianity – Book of Hebrews P61 (01-31-24)

Jesus is Our Anchor For Our Soul For Those in Christ Jesus

~ God gives us grace in our time of need. And in just the right measure and just the right time he gives us more grace. God knows exactly what we need. Once a person is in Christ Jesus, then He is alive living in you, giving you rest for your soul. For all of us are going to experience a time when things are going to feel overwhelming, yet he will extend grace and give you the peace that passes all understanding. And in these last days, God is going to complete the work he began in us. For all of us are going to have last days sooner or later. And one day we are going to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. We will receive our new bodies, not like these bodies that we live in now, not the old creaking, sore bodies, but a new body that he has especially reserved for each one of us. Let us press on then to the calling that God has set before us. Let the Holy Spirit guide you, and lead you in all truth. Ask for more wisdom, because we all need to be aware of the lies of the devil. For nothing in this world is as we thought it was. And many are still tossed around by the schemes of the devil and his coworkers, of which there are many.

So when the Holy Spirit shows you truth, then turn off the lies in faith. As a reminder, faith is responding properly to truth. Don’t listen to those false pastors and teachers of the law. Turn them off. Stop promoting agents of Satan. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what is truly going on in the world today. Ask for wisdom and understanding from God. He will give wisdom in abundance to anyone who responds by faith, without finding fault. And make no mistake about it, we have all been deceived by the schemes of Satan since birth. But now it is time to grow up. And those of us who have been taught the proper foundation in Christ Jesus, it is time for us to be teachers too. Don’t sit ideally by, and pass over the lies of friends and relatives in the interest of “keeping the peace.” For Jesus did not come into this world to bring peace, but a sword, the word of God. Is it not better to share the truth of the Word of God with the hope that a person may themselves come to saving faith in Jesus, instead of being quiet and still have that person heading for the lake of fire? Which is more important, the present and being liked by Man or Eternity and being Loved by God and with Him forever?

~ When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” ^{Hebrews 6:13-20}

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~ “The oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. I swear to God that what I’m telling you is true. That should be it’s not but it should be. If I’ve done that, there’s no more there’s nothing else to talk about. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled and that is fled from the religion fled from the Hebrewism, fled from the sacrificial system, fled from your all of the things that you and I had been taught will bring about forgiveness will bring about life, fled from all of the self effort that you and I have been taught that if you do this, and you do that, and you do this, God will just bless you. And if you tithe, God will give it back to you. Which is merely means of manipulating people to get your own way, and to build your own little church and has nothing at all to do with the truth that is in the Word of God. He says, Flee from these things. And there’s reasons to flee from them. Because if you don’t, you’ll never be free. If you don’t flee, you won’t be free. If you don’t let go of error, you will never be able to be free in Truth. How can truth set you free if you’re still hanging on to error? And so he said, we have fled these things in order to take hold of the hope that is offered to us, that we may be greatly encouraged, hope in what? Hope in Christ, that’s your only hope. You’re and my hope. Is Christ in your heart, your only hope. Of what? Glory. What’s that mean? The only hope of ever being what God intended you to be. Is Christ, alive living in you, your only hope of that ever being and taking place. There is no hope in me, making myself what Christ wants me to be. There is no hope in you, making you into what you think Christ wants you to be. Your and my only hope be what God intended you to me, is Christ living in us, our only hope of glory. So he says flee these things. Get rid of them, let go of self sufficiency, let go of religious performance, let go of your sacrificial systems, let go of your tradition. Because your only hope is in Christ. None of those things.” ~ Bob George

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The oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. I swear to God that what I’m telling you is true. That should be it’s not but it should be. If I’ve done that, there’s no more there’s nothing else to talk about. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled and that is fled from the religion fled from the Hebrewism, fled from the sacrificial system, fled from your all of the things that you and I had been taught will bring about forgiveness will bring about life, fled from all of the self effort that you and I have been taught that if you do this, and you do that, and you do this, God will just bless you. And if you tithe, God will give it back to you. Which is merely means of manipulating people to get your own way, and to build your own little church and has nothing at all to do with the truth that is in the Word of God. He says, Flee from these things. And there’s reasons to flee from them. Because if you don’t, you’ll never be free. If you don’t flee, you won’t be free. If you don’t let go of error, you will never be able to be free in Truth. How can truth set you free if you’re still hanging on to error? And so he said, we have fled these things in order to take hold of the hope that is offered to us, that we may be greatly encouraged, hope in what? Hope in Christ, that’s your only hope. You’re and my hope. Is Christ in your heart, your only hope. Of what? Glory. What’s that mean? The only hope of ever being what God intended you to be. Is Christ, alive living in you, your only hope of that ever being and taking place. There is no hope in me, making myself what Christ wants me to be. There is no hope in you, making you into what you think Christ wants you to be. Your and my only hope be what God intended you to me, is Christ living in us, our only hope of glory. So he says flee these things. Get rid of them, let go of self sufficiency, let go of religious performance, let go of your sacrificial systems, let go of your tradition. Because your only hope is in Christ. None of those things.

You have people who hold on and good intention people who hold on to their doctrinal stance and that becomes their sense of security, that my doctrine is 100% correct. Folks, that ain’t gonna do you an ounce of good, when you’re ready to die, there gonna be a peace at all in knowing that I can die in peace because my doctrine is correct. You’ll die in peace, when the Prince of Peace is at home in your heart. It says we have this hope as an anchor for the soul. Focus, your hope in Christ is your anchor. It’s the thing that keeps the ship from blowing all over the ocean is when we come to grips with the fact that it’s all Jesus and it is none of us. That’s an anchor for your soul. It’s the thing that keeps Satan from banging you and tossing you to and fro by every wave of doctrine. It’s the only thing that can keep you and me from living without fear in this unbelievably fearful world that we live in, this world is fearful. I can’t think of a place any more fearful to live than on this planet. It is a fearful, tragic place to live. And yet we can live without fear, because of the hope that is grounded in us by Christ Jesus our Lord. We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain where Jesus who went before us is entered on our behalf. And he has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. No background, not a member of the Levitical priesthood. Someone who came to this earth as God. Folks, that’s the only anchor that we have.

You know, many times, death and the ensuing approach of death. We look at it as a tragedy. But so many times it becomes a blessing to us because it brings us back to reality. I can’t tell you the number of times unfortunately, I don’t see it always stick. But I think back on a friend of mine that I had the privilege of leading to Christ, a guy named John Van Cronkite, he was in his 70s when he came to Christ. And I remember a number of years later, John dying and one of his sons that was kind of in and out in and out and in and out. And they’re at his dad’s bedside, oh, I’m just going to dedicate myself to Christ as the priorities just nothing else matters. And you say I wish that would stick. But unfortunately, many times it doesn’t. We respond to an emotional experience but instead of going back and realizing that’s all that matters. Think about your own thought life. What do you think about most of the day, the business you’re in, what you’re doing. That’s what our minds are preoccupied with, things that are going to poof, go by the wayside someday. And what he is saying, and what the book of Hebrews is saying is Christ is an anchor. And in the crunch of life, one of these days, every one of us are going to be facing death of our own or somebody else’s. And the whole key to that is, how are you going to face that death? What’s it going to? Mean? What’s Christ gonna mean to us when we’re in that crash? Is it just a fleeting little deal, just a doctrinal thing? Just that I’ve been proud and getting my doctrine out, or I’ve been proud and what I’ve been doing, or is there some kind of a reality that’s in our lives?

A number of months ago, we had one of our training classes at Sunridge. And a pastor from Arizona from Phoenix came. He’s a dear brother, PhD in religion, a pastor. And he came to learn more about the grace of God. And in that period of time, in that week, there was a huge change that took place in his life as he came to grips with the fact that was all him. Folks, we can get bogged down in Baptist doctrine, and all this and somebody else, Presbyterian doctrine and all this kind of stuff that makes you sick at your stomach. Chuck just called on a church out in Modesto, California, that’s been trying to eat our lunch out there. Because some people couldn’t stand listening to their legalism, loved the pastor enough to go to him and tell him about it. And he got up and gave a sermon, a view believe like that heretic Bob, George, get out of the church. So 15 families left. And just mad about that. legalistic, controlling. So Chuck went out there to meet with this guy, and to go in peace, and to go back and with one of the people who had left the church, not over that issue, but they left over another thing that they had done to them far forever he ever knew us, dear brother. And went in and the guys through the conversation, mad, vindictive rood, looked over at the fella that had left their church because of something they had done, this guy’s daughter had gotten went there for counseling, who was in a personal problem and went for counseling. Before long, it was spread all over the church. And so they were pretty angered about that and left on that account. But had come back in peace. And here was this guy pastoring, the most influential church supposedly out there in Modesto, looking at that man and saying, You don’t know how that hurts me. You don’t know what that did to me to hear you come back and say, I have peace in my heart. I love Jesus more than I’ve ever loved. I love to read the Bible now. And I never did before. You don’t know how that hurts me to hear you say that, when we’ve been teaching you the gospel for 20 years. Amazing. No, it’s not amazing. It’s the same attitude as the Pharisee. Who said, I don’t care if you were born blind. I don’t care if this guy made you see, you spit on the Sabbath. You didn’t do it our way. That kind of a mindset folks is in all religion. That kind of a mindset would have been in this guy’s religion at one time.

And some of you heard the program the other night, and I want to repeat a letter. They just mailed to me. Because in this letter, what you’re going to do is to hear out of the heart of a pastor who has come to grips, not with doctrine, but with his living God. He said pain, numbness and intense sweating put an abrupt halt to my three mile run. leaning against the fence vomiting. I thought how can someone who ran three miles a day follow a good diet and his cholesterol level of 180 Have a heart attack. I later learned that while some parents leave money to their children, but my inheritance was a genetic heart problem. On that day, a heart attack would have been my last choice of an event that I wanted to invade my life. Little did I know God’s purpose and direction. Now, if God had said, I’ll reverse your heart attack and surgery for what I’ve taught you about my grace, or would you reverse their heart attacks and surgery if what I’ve taught you about my grace, I would have replied, I’ll keep the scars and treasure what I’ve learned about you. After several days of test, it was decision time, my intensive care room was filled with immediate family doctors and a nurse. The cardiac cardiac physician revealed that one artery was 95% blocked and other 75% in the third 60%. Every one route in the room knew that open heart bypass surgery was inevitable. I tried to console my family by saying we have to set our emotions aside and make a decision based on facts. But their faces revealed that my words had no effect. deep hurt and pity were reflected in the eyes of my beloved wife, Mary, our tender hearted daughter Sandra was trying to hide behind the rest of the family sobbing uncontrollably. In an effort to console them. I said, I don’t expect you to understand what I’m about to say. I just want you to believe me. I’m not sharing it to be theatrical, in an effort to console you. I’m saying it because it’s true. I wish that you could experience what I’m feeling right now. From the moment I arrived in the emergency room, there has never been the slightest sense of fear, anxiety or worry. There’s only been a strong desire to go to be with the Lord. This sweet sense of release was very strong until I thought of words. Wouldn’t until I until I thought of words wouldn’t come. I could only point to my wife Mary and sob. And finally I said she’s my only reason for wanting to stay to spare her sorrow and loneliness.

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Bob George 14:19
I said God is ministering to me in a startling and totally unexpected way that I would have never imagined. I usually try to comfort people I visit by reading scripture and praying. But my experience is not so much the absence of anxiety and worry, but an awesome sense of God’s presence and greatness. God’s grace keeps pouring over my soul like ocean waves that are too great to absorb. And each new wave overpowers me with a consuming sense of His greatness and His power. His majesty, His love. His intelligence is perfection. I picture God having hands as big as the universe and holding trillions of galaxies and somewhere in the middle of this limitless Infinite is Lee Turner, his child hidden with Christ and God. My soul is so filled with thoughts of God. There’s no place for self, only a response of praise and worship. God’s grace is overpowering and overwhelming. If there’s no room for self pity, anger or questioning him. There’s a sense of such a sense of his control and presence, that it would be an absolute affront, to question his plans for my life. Not once have I even thought about praying for healing, only trust in such a perfect God. This outpouring of God’s grace was unsolicited. There is no motivation for meditating on scripture or praying when your body is in trauma laced with morphine, and you’re vomiting periodically. This was the peace of God, which transcends all understanding mentioned in Philippians. It was the sovereign unmerited work of the Holy Spirit initiated by God, and my responding with worship and praise. After I said, let’s go on with the operation room was empty quickly. As hurried arrangements were made to reserve the operating room and assemble the team of the operation. Only one person remained behind my nurse Pam Gail, she stood by my bed and said, You aren’t afraid of death, are you? And I answered with a question. You are, aren’t you? She said, Yes. I patted the side of my bed and told her to come and sit down. I shared the good news that the fear of death was the thing of the past for a Christian. I told her how every man is born into the world spiritually dead because of Adam’s sin. The law passed the death sentence on all men for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And however, on the cross, Christ died for sins once and for all the righteous for the unrighteous in order to bring you to God. I asked her now that Christ took our death, what’s left for us? She answered nothing. That’s the only half of the good news. I said, however, it did man need life. And that’s where the resurrection comes in. The second half of the good news is that Christ offers us, his life, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. And whoever rejects the Son will not see that LIVE FOR GOD’S WRATH remains on him. I said, you see, Pam, I already have eternal life. And if I don’t make it through the operation, I’ll only change addresses. I asked, Would you like to receive Christ as your personal Savior? And she said, Yes. I had her close the curtain to my room that separated us from the nurse’s station and we prayed. I later learned that my associate pastor had dropped by and heard me sharing the good news with Pam and returned to the vistor’s room to encourage Mary and the other people my church to pray for her. Shortly Mary came in I said to Pam, tell Mary what happened and they were overjoyed and hugged and Pam said, I’m so happy I could cry. If I wasn’t at work, when firmed informed her that crying was permissible. Pam added I can hardly wait to go home and tell my husband. The next day she brought him to see me. Louise Gurney, a Christian friend at a department supervisor at the hospital who fielded phone calls for us and visited frequently dropped in. I asked Pam to tell her what had happened again, there were hugs of joy. Pam asked to be assigned to me after the operation. She said, I’ll be the first face you’ll see when you wake up. I’m sure that this new Christian, little realized the shock waves of joy that reverberated through my body. I was so moved, I couldn’t talk. My body quivered, and I could only sob. I thought, what an option. If I don’t make it, Jesus will be the first face I see. If I do make it the first face I’ll see will be this new believer that I just had the privilege of leading to Christ. I knew that only God’s grace could motivate this new believer to ask for a shift change so that she could be with me. I was overjoyed that God allowed his grace to flow through me to Pam in leading her to Christ and then back from her to me. I had already been so overwhelmed by God’s grace that I told God, I don’t need this added demonstration of your power. It was if the Lord replied, I know that your cup is running over but I’m gonna bring another tidal wave of grace into your life just to magnify myself and to give an added dimension that I’m in control of things. God wasn’t through yet. I was about to learn that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine. God brought Doug Carroll into my life on the next shift. I never saw a more professional conscientious nurse. The Lord soon allowed us to discuss spiritual things. Doug’s mother was a born again Christian and he knew some truth but it was just Oh no, they didn’t know Christ was the Savior. After sharing the good news with Doug, he also prayed and accepted Christ. We talked about assurance and when Mary came in, he told her what had happened to him. If Doug was conscientious before his attention to me was beyond anything I could describe. It seemed that it opened and eye he was there to see if he could help. Later I said, Doug, I want you to know how much I appreciate all you’ve done for me. He replied, there’s nothing I could ever do that would repay you. For what happened the other morning. Another shock wave of joy rippled through my body as I was overwhelmed with God’s grace. Not only did he allow me to lead someone to the Lord, but he put two nurses I just saw before my operation, time will not permit me to mention the many people that Mary and I were able to minister to during my stay. Each one gave us a fresh joy in seeing God’s grace flow through us. As I was savoring God’s presence and His grace, I recalled a well meaning pastor friend who had visited me before the operation, in trying to comfort me said, well, perhaps God has you in here to win some people to the Lord. I thought to myself, I don’t need this guilt trip like that, to prepare me for the pain that awaits me. It was not time to perform for Jesus, in order to feel accepted, but to rest in His unconditional love and acceptance, our proud fleshly performance only detracts from God’s grace. I thought of my of God’s words to Paul, My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in your weakness. I thought how much weaker can you be than to have your chest sliced open to be lying helpless in an intensive care room, I can respond with Paul. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness. So the Christ power may rest upon me. That’s all I could do. Let his power rest upon me. I stood in awe at how God used my weakness to display his grace. There was an added joy that God was not robbed of his glory. Because of my fleshly performance. God uses that event to draw our family closer together. Two of our boys had gone through rebellious time. Doug and I had since developed a close relationship and just before the operation, he hugged me and tearfully said Dad, I could let you go now. Because we unconditionally love each other. And there’s nothing else to say. What a beautiful phrase. There’s nothing else to say. I wondered how many parents and children could say all as well between us. And there’s nothing else to say. Some parents and children need to read Luke 15 and understand the picture of our Heavenly Father portrayed in the father welcoming back his prodigal son. Few understand and express unconditional love.

We have not seen our older boy Craig however, for almost two years. That’s why if Julie did some detective work and found him when he visited me, there were hugs, tears and reaffirmation of our unconditional love for each other. A steady stream of God’s grace flowed in through the lives of other people, calls cards throughout the country. Church members asked what they could do in the ministry children’s homemade cards, men meeting at the church for prayer, a deacon saying I understand how the disciples felt when the Lord left them. Each expression brought joy because we knew that they were motivated by God’s grace, and he had touched their lives through us. I’ll single out one incident to illustrate God’s grace at work. Sam Friedman was a Jewish friend that we had been working with for over four years, we had developed a close relationship and he had finally accepted Jesus as his Messiah, only a couple of weeks before my heart attack. Sam told me now don’t expect me to be in church all the time. I’m not that type of a person. However, after my attack on Saturday morning, Sam told his wife, Diana, I’m gonna have to go to church this Sunday, because I have to pray for my pastor. Now that I’m a Christian, I need him more than ever. God’s grace, working in his life brought tears of joy. In the morning service, the children had a short musical program. Two of Sam’s children were involved. The last song they sang was, Jesus loves me. Red hearts inscribed with the words Jesus loved me were given to everyone to pin on and sing along with the children. Diana heard Sam looked over. Not only was he wearing a button, but he was saying Jesus loves me. Diana’s thoughts went back to last New Year’s Eve, when the church had a social. Every one drew a slip of paper out of the hat and did what it told them to do. Sam drew the one that said, Jesus loves me. Sam couldn’t sing it then. But now he was belting it out hardly with the rest of the congregation. This and other reports of God’s grace working in our people so overwhelming that I thought I would again have to tell the Lord, to please withhold your grace. In retrospect, I tried to understand the strange way that God met my need by revealing himself and all majesty, power and glory. Rather than just giving me peace. I was reminded of Moses when he was staggering under the superhuman task of leading the Israelites out of the wilderness, at the end of himself and wanting to give up he made one request. Now show me your glory. Moses didn’t need the flesh strengthened by more wisdom, or win some personality or an additional strength, he needed to know something of the great attributes of God. In my weakness, God knew that there was something better than just giving me the absence of worry and anxiety. And that was a fresh revelation of His Majesty. In our self centered Christian society, we do not need new ways to strengthen the flesh, but rather to see Christ in all of his fullness, and our completeness in Him. God gives us grace according to our need. And now that I’m recuperating, I’m no longer experiencing the mountain top vision of His greatness. I’m now back in the valley living by faith every day through the pain, by an act of the will, I must exercise to regain my strength. I don’t need the same measure of grace that I needed during the attack and operation. God didn’t put our Grace tank on full and then let us coast, but he rations it in according to our need. I’ve learned that whether we need dying grace, or living grace, He will be faithful to provide it at the precise time, that which is needed. Although Your experience may be different than mine, I can guarantee that Christ will be sufficient.

Announcer 27:11
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