In these verses in Hebrews chapter
12, God the Holy Spirit, by the writer of this book, who I believe
was Paul, but that's no matter, a lot of people don't, but it's
written by God, is giving both encouragement to endure, to persevere
in the faith, under the burden of trials, The things that we go through,
Brother Mark prayed all the difficulties that we go through in life. Some of them are the troubles
that all people suffer alike. I mean, just like this pandemic,
it's not just true believers who get COVID, it's unbelievers
too and vice versa. As true believers, we're to look
at them in a different way because of God's word. It's what he tells
us, not how we feel. He calls them the chastisements.
Anything we suffer in this life as a child of God, I think comes
under the heading of, because God is in control and it's God's
will, it comes under the heading of the loving chastisements of
our Heavenly Father. There are other specific Sufferings
that are not common to all people. And that's what the Bible calls
suffering for righteousness sake or suffering for the gospel.
When we stand with our Lord and with one another, when we in
our fellowship and speak the same things, then we suffer for
the gospel, we suffer for righteousness sake. The persecutions that come
from the world because of the hatred of the gospel. The Bible
clearly says in John chapter 3 that light has come into the
world and that light is Christ, that light is his truth, his
gospel light. And also in the other portions
of scripture, the church, the true church of the living God,
which is the pillar and ground of truth, is called a light. Your lights in this world shine
forth as light. But John 3, 19 tells us that
men hate the light. And I understand why, because
I was there. I was there with them before
God opened my eyes. Gave me eyes to see, you must
be born again or you cannot see the kingdom of God. I know when
I first heard the gospel, I did not like what I was hearing at
all. Did not believe it, did not want
it. Wouldn't have gone back to hear it again except for God's
providence and power. And so we stand together speaking
the same thing. Men hate the light because their
deeds are evil. What are we telling? unbelieving
people. We're telling them that everything
they hold dear, everything they applaud, everything they have
hope in, everything they take refuge in is a lie. That's what
we're telling them. You say, well how can you be
so judgmental? We're just speaking the Word
of God. Christ told His disciples in John chapter 15, He said,
Marvel not if the world hates you. Why Lord? Why? Because it hated me before it
hated you. The disciple is no better, not
above his master. If they hated the one we follow,
the one we trust in, the one whom we take refuge in, they'll
hate us. You understand that? Now it's
not that we go around wanting people to hate us. I mean, I
don't go on television or stand here in this pulpit just so I
can get people to dislike me or hate me. I want everybody
to like me. But there's one thing, by the
grace of God, I won't do. And I say by the grace of God,
because apart from His grace, I would do it. I will not compromise
the truth. and speak peace to them in order
to get them to like me. Now I said all that to say this.
We've been talking about the children of God going through
the chastisements of a loving father. He compared it to our
fathers on earth who disciplined their children out of love when
they saw fit. He says in verse 10, look at
it, Hebrews 12, he says, for they verily for a few days chastened
us, that is they corrected us, May have been some punishment
there, may have been some lectures, whatever, but they chastened
us after their own pleasure. That doesn't mean they took pleasure
in doing it, it means they thought it, they knew it was needed.
But he for our profit, and here's the key, here's where I wanna
go to today, that we might be partakers of his holiness. God the Father, why does he chasten
us? Why does He correct us? Why does
He, by His grace, keep us in endurance, perseverance? That
we might be partakers of His holiness. It's always for His
glory. It's always for our eternal good
that we might be partakers of His holiness. What's that about?
That word partakers, it's a word of fellowship. That's what it
means. It means to be a participant, It's translated fellowship over
in 1 John 1, our fellowship is with the Father and the Son.
We have fellowship with one another. Read in the opening passages
here in 2 Peter 1, where he said that by the promises of God,
That is, as the Holy Spirit reveals the promises of God to us, the
gospel promises of salvation, forgiveness of sin, justification
before God based upon His righteousness imputed, as those promises are
revealed to us in the gospel as fulfilled and sure and certain
in the person and work of Christ, that's how we are made partakers
of the divine nature And that's how we escape the corruption
that is in the world through lust. Partakers of the divine
nature. I hear men today talk about,
well that means we have a new divine nature within us. That's
not what that means at all. When God the Holy Spirit in the
new birth gives us life, we have life from God. It's divine life
because it originated. But it's not in its nature divine.
I heard an old preacher say one time that we have God's DNA in
us. God doesn't have DNA. He created DNA. I heard a man
say that means we have a new divine nature created in us.
My friend, if it's divine, I'm gonna tell you one thing about
it, it's not created. If it's divine by nature, it
has no beginning and no end. That's what divinity is. There's
the nature of God, there's the nature of man, there's the nature
of angels, there's the nature of animals. But only God has
a divine nature and that's what his holiness is. So what he's
saying here in 2 Peter 1, 4 is that by these promises revealed
to us by the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ, we are brought
into fellowship. with the divine nature, with
God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Fellowship. That's what partakers means. And then, what is God's holiness? We sang that song, holy, holy,
holy, Lord God Almighty. Normally, when we think of holiness,
we think about moral perfection. No sin. Well, that certainly
would describe God, wouldn't it? He has no sin. Even the Lord Jesus Christ, both
in His deity and His humanity, He is the impeccable Son of God,
the impeccable Savior. He had no sin, knew no sin. He
was never corrupted by sin. Oh, He was made sin. How? By a legal act of divine imputation. God charged Him with the debt
of the sins of His people. And he was made guilty in that
sense, in other words, he was liable to the punishment of God's
wrath as our surety, as our substitute, as our redeemer. But he was not,
he was sinless and remains so, still is. Even in his humanity. We're not. We're not sinless,
we're sinners. You're either a sinner lost in
your sin or a sinner saved by grace. If you're a sinner saved
by grace, you're in a struggle with sin. It's a battle. Every day, every hour, every
minute, every second. That's what it is. So when we
think of God's holiness, what do we think of? Well, God's holiness,
think about it this way. It's his separateness. What separates God? You know,
let me tell you something. There's no person, there is no
object, there is no thing like our God. He is in a class by
himself. That's what holiness means. He's unique. That's holiness. He's distinct. What will you
compare God to? Listen to this, let me read these
to you. Exodus 15, 11. Who is like unto thee, O Lord,
among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? You know what
the point of that rhetorical question is? There's nothing
like God. No one like God. Listen to this, Psalm 71, 19.
Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high. Who has done great
things? O God, who is like unto thee? One of my favorite verses is
in Isaiah chapter 45. And the reason this is one of
my favorites is because I believe this is where the Lord really
got my attention. I don't know the day that I was
converted. I don't know that day. And you
know what? I don't care. I just know that
I was converted at some point in time, that God appointed.
I don't have to point to a day. You know, these people go around
talking about, this is my spiritual birthday. I don't know what my
spiritual birthday is. But I know at some point in time,
God got my attention, and he did it with this verse, Isaiah
45 and verse 21. Tell ye and bring them near,
yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the Lord? And
there is no God beside me. And you know how he identifies
his uniqueness here? A just God and a savior. What? A just God? What does a just God do? He acts in justice, strict, unmixed,
pure justice. Is that wrong, is that mean,
is that cruel? No, it's God, that's who He is. Well then how
can He be a Savior too? When I heard that phrase, I thought,
man, I've never heard anything like that, I need to look into
that more. A just God and a Savior. There's
none beside me. There's nobody on the equal plane
with God. That's what he said. That's holiness
right there. A just God and a Savior. And
he says, look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the
earth, for I am God, there is none else. Well, the answer to
the question, how can God be both a just God and a Savior
is found in the gospel, isn't it? And you know that gospel
is a holy gospel. There's nothing else like it.
It's unique. And it gives us the answer. God
sent forth his son in the fullness of the time, made of a woman,
made under the law to redeem them that were under the law,
that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are
sons, he sent forth his spirit. The answer to the question is
simply the imputed righteousness of Christ, the son of God, God-man.
the righteousness of God. That's how God can be both just
and still save a sinner like me. Isn't that simple? But people want to complicate
it, don't they? And let me tell you something. Don't do this,
but go study all the religions of the world, all the denominations,
and you'll never find the answer to that question except in the
true gospel. And that sets God apart from
every other supposed so-called God. Nothing like Him. By His power and grace, God has
separated a people unto Himself. And He's broken... You see, by
nature, we're in fellowship with the world. having fallen in Adam,
being ruined by the fall, being born dead in trespasses and sin,
coming forth from the womb, speaking lies, sinners, by nature alienated
from God, by nature no different than the children of wrath. At
that time, we were in fellowship with the world. But God, who
is rich in mercy and grace, what did he do? By those precious
promises, Peter wrote, He has made us partakers of the divine
nature. Here in Hebrews 12, he speaks
of the chastisements and the suffering that declares us to
be partakers of his holiness. The holy God has brought unto
himself through Christ a holy people. Does that mean we're
morally pure without any taint or contamination of sin? No. But it means this, it means he
has broken our fellowship with the world and brought us into
fellowship with him through Christ, by his grace. Listen to this, 1 Peter 2.9,
you're a chosen generation. A royal priesthood. and holy
nation, a separate nation, a peculiar people, that means purchased,
that you should show forth the praises of him who has called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The world's
in darkness. We're in light. We know the truth.
And it's not because we're better than other people. It's not because
we're smarter than other people. It's because God, out of His
sovereign will, chose us and gave us to Christ. Verse 11, look at this. He says,
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous. If you're
going through trials, that's not a happy time for us. It doesn't feel good. He says
it's grievous, burdensome. It's hard. Nevertheless, he says,
afterward. Now, you know what the afterward
is? It's when God finally brings us through. That wave that came in has gone
out, but now another one's coming. Afterward it yieldeth, what?
The peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby. Those who experience these things.
What is that peaceable fruit of righteousness? Well you gotta
ask yourself this question, what is righteousness? In the Bible,
righteousness is perfect satisfaction to God's law and justice. It's
a perfection, in the Bible now, it's a perfection required by
the law of God that can only be found in the person and work
of Christ. And he says, he's talking about
here not that we applaud ourselves when we come through and look
in the mirror and pat ourselves on the back and look how good
we did. No. Let me ask you a question. When you
go through a hard trial, I mean a hard one. Some of y'all been
through some hard trials, haven't you? Going through that trial,
did you sin? Don't answer, except in your
mind. You bet you did, and I did too. Going through that trial, weren't
there times that you were ashamed of yourself? Had thoughts that
were just dishonoring to God? Had thoughts of pride. Lord,
why me? I don't deserve this. Well, let's
talk about what we deserve. Huh? Is that the righteousness that
he's talking about? Well, if it is, boy, he's come
off his standard quite a bit now. You know as well as I do
that the only one who ever suffered what I believe is the hardest
trial a human being can go through and never sinned was the Lord
Jesus Christ. He never sinned. I can't say
that. So what is this peaceable fruit
of righteousness? It has to do Whenever we go through
these trials and become keenly reminded of our sinfulness and
our weaknesses, that we come out knowing even more. We've learned even more. The
truth that we knew before, that God is our strength, Christ is
our victory, and when we go through trials, we often learn that lesson
that we have to learn over and over and over again. If not for
God's grace and power, we would be damned forever. And so that peaceable fruit of
righteousness is the strengthening of our faith in Christ and the
assurance that we have in Him as expressed in Romans 8, 28,
all things work together for good to them that love God who
are the called according to His purpose. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God? Boy, aren't you glad God doesn't
impute sin to us? and He imputes His righteousness.
Who can condemn us? It's Christ that died. It's coming
out of the other end of that trial, looking to, resting in
more and more Christ and His righteousness. Over in Isaiah
32, let me just read this to you. It speaks of verse 16 of
Isaiah 32. Then judgment shall dwell in
the wilderness and righteousness remain in the fruitful fields.
It's talking about the coming of Christ in there. In verse
17 of Isaiah 32, if you haven't got this underlined in your Bible,
you ought to underline it. It says, and the work of righteousness
shall be peace. And the effect of righteousness,
quietness and assurance forever. Verse 18 says, and my people
shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in
quiet resting place. How is that possible in this
world? Only as we look to Jesus Christ as the author and finisher
of our faith. Only as we look to him for righteousness. And then look back at Hebrews
12. In verse 12 he says, for this reason, wherefore, lift
up the hands which hang down in the feeble knees. What he's
talking about is these trials that we go through, even the
hard trials, they're not gonna put us down forever. Stand up
and rejoice in the Lord. Verse 13, make straight paths
for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the
way, but let it rather be healed. How is that possible? Not but
one way, looking to Christ, resting in Christ, pleading his blood,
his righteousness. Oh my soul, by the grace of God
I am what I am, washed in his blood. clothed
in his righteousness. And so, verse 14 says, follow
peace with all and holiness, without which no man shall see
the Lord. The reason this is put in there is because much
of the chastisements of the Lord, especially those that come over
our witness of the gospel, come from the world. They come from
unbelieving people. We were talking about it before,
earlier, how it's possible that those who are ensconced in false
Christianity, which we call idolatry, don't
we? Are we in fellowship there? See what I'm saying? That's our
holiness, say. It's our separateness, just like
God is separate. We're separated in Him. Paul
called it separated unto the gospel of God. The light that
people hate, how they could persecute us if the law would allow it,
may do it someday. And so what does he say? He encourages,
well, we're to be peaceful people. Now we have peace with God through
the blood of Christ. That's what sets us apart. We have and are to strive for
peace with one another in the truth, the gospel of peace. So what is the significance of
peace with all men, and this includes unbelievers? Well, as
I said, many of these persecute, you know, he said, marvel not
if the world hates you. Blessed are you when men shall
persecute you and say all manner of evil against you for righteousness
sake. What he's saying here is that
we're to be peacemakers. Blessed are the peacemakers.
Now we're not to lie to them in order to gain peace. We're
not to speak a lie to them. We're not to speak peace to them
in order to maintain peace. But we're not to be the ones
who provoke persecution by our bad behavior, our bad attitudes. We're to strive for peace with
everyone. But is that peace at all cost?
No, and holiness. In other words, we're not to
compromise that which separates us from the world in order to
maintain peace with. Think about our savior. The ones who persecuted him most
in his earthly walk were who? The religious majority, the Pharisees. Now you know what he could have
done if he wouldn't have done this, but let's say, To have
peace with those guys, what could he have done? He could have just
come down and said, man, you Pharisees, you've really held
the ball. You've really kept it together.
You've really taught my people right. Man, I tell you what,
when we go to glory, you're gonna be on my right hand and my left.
That would have gotten peace. Old Caiaphas up there, look at
him. Follow his word. But what did he do? He said,
except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.
And then what happened? That nature of a snake come out
of him. He said, you hypocrites. Was
he trying to start a fight? No, he was just telling the truth.
They were on the road to destruction and they were leading multitudes
on that same road. Look at Galatians chapter six, verse 14. Think about the apostle Paul. Now before he was converted,
he was a Pharisee. He was a leader. And he had a lot of reasons to
tell people that evidence that he knew God,
that he was in fellowship with God, he was saved. He said, I
was a Hebrew of Hebrews, I was circumcised the eighth day, I
was, it's touching the law of Pharisee, it's touching the righteousness
which is in the law, blameless, all those things. And he had
a lot of fellowship with other people in that testimony, didn't
he? The Pharisees. But what happened? Christ struck
him down on the road to Damascus and brought him to the Gospel,
and then everything changed. His fellowship went from the
world to fellowship with God. And what he called righteous
and holy at one point, now he said it's worthless, it's dumb. And look at what he says in Galatians
6, 14. This is his separateness now. This is our separateness.
This is the holiness that we're to follow. But God forbid that
I should glory, boast, have confidence, save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ. That's the person and work of
Christ. The glorious person and finished work of the Lord Jesus
Christ is my boast, is my refuge, my glory, my confidence. By whom
the world is crucified unto me. I look at the world as being
cursed, that's what he means by that. Cursed is everyone that
hangeth on a tree. And the world looks upon me as
being cursed, I unto the world. Look at verse 15, for in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision availed anything nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature, a new creation. You remember when Paul said,
I know I'm a child of God because I was circumcised the eighth
day? Well, something changed. He was brought to faith in Christ
and repentance of dead works. Now he says, circumcision doesn't
mean a thing. Whether you're a Jew or a Gentile
doesn't mean a thing. Are you a new creature in Christ?
How do I know if I'm a new creature in Christ? I'm looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of my faith, not looking anywhere else.
And he says in verse 16, as many as walk according to this rule,
this doctrine, what rule? God forbid that I should glory
save in the cross, peace be on them, the peace of God. What
rule are you walking by? Well, I'm trying to do my best
to get God to forgive me. No peace on you. You're at war
with God, actually. I'm trying my best to be the
best I can be and hopefully God will accept me in judgment. No
peace there. What rule? God forbid. You know,
that's a strong phrase. God forbid. You ever seen on
TV, on the news, or read in the paper of some heinous, perverted,
ugly crime? And you might use these words.
You might say, God forbid. Paul's talking about religion. God forbid that I should glory. Saving the person and work of
Christ and as many as walk according to this rule peace be on them
mercy and upon the Israel of God Those who walk according
to that rule. They're the Israel of God. They're
in the family of God I'm gonna talk about that next week when
we get into Mount Zion. That's the city of God We are
citizens of a heavenly city. That's our holiness and And so he says in verse 15, go
back to Hebrews 12 and I'll close. He says, look indeligently lest
any man fail or come short of the grace of God. People who
sometimes claim to believe in grace, but they don't believe
in grace, they fail. They're looking elsewhere other
than Christ. And he says, lest any root of bitterness bringing
up trouble you and thereby many be defiled. Oh, sometimes it's
easy to get people to get their eyes off Christ and on somebody
else or on themselves. But you see, the grace of God
keeps His people. Verse 16, lest there be any fornicator
and profane person as Esau. It compares him to Esau. What
do you know about Esau? He was Jacob's twin brother.
He sold his birthright, sold for one morsel of meat, sold
his birthright. That birthright had to do with
the spiritual headship of the family. And what Esau was showing
by doing that, he didn't care about spiritual things. He didn't
care about being the spiritual leader. He didn't care about
the gospel. He didn't care about the promise of the coming Messiah.
He didn't care about the glory of God. He was a man of the world,
an admired man of the world. But he didn't care about those
spiritual things, so he sold his birthright, and it says in
verse 17, for you know how that afterward, when he would have
inherited the blessing, he was rejected, his father Isaac rejected
him, because he'd already given the blessing to Jacob, and you
know the story. For he found no place of repentance,
though he sought it carefully with tears. Esau was a man of
the world, who lived by the world, And when he saw that his brother
connived to get something that belonged to him, he wept tears
and he wanted his father to change it. His father couldn't. He wasn't
seeking the repentance that comes in the gospel by the Holy Spirit.
He was just upset that Jacob took away from him that which
was his. He got tricked. That's what it
was. Well, my friend, to be a partaker
of the holiness of God, what a thought. What separates God,
his nature, his glory? What separates us? The grace
of God. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. The truth that we preach is unique. There's nothing like this gospel.
Do you realize that? There is absolutely nothing in
this world, in any philosophy or religion, like this gospel
that we know and believe and preach and follow and support.
Now we want to be peaceful. I don't want trouble. I don't
want wars. I don't want fights. But my friend, if it comes over
the gospel, we're going to follow holiness, aren't we? By the grace
of God. That's how we do it. OK.