Well, turn back, please, to Hebrews
chapter 12. We're nearing the end of the
epistle to the Hebrews, and just a couple more messages probably
from this epistle. But this week, I often struggle
with titles. I'm not very creative when it
comes to titles, but I've called this one, Don't Despair, the
Prize is Near. And I think there's some great
encouragement for saints in this passage. We've seen in the book
of Hebrews, throughout the book of Hebrews, that Christ has fulfilled
all righteousness. He is the righteousness of God. And saints are the righteousness
of God in Him who has made sin for us. He who knew no sin. He
is all truth. He is all the truth of God. Not
the Old Testament rites and ceremonies and temple and priests and all
of those things. He, Christ, is the truth. He
is all the justice of God. He has satisfied the justice
of God for his people. He is the full revelation of
God. He who has seen me has seen the
Father. I and my father are one he is
the full revelation of God in him dwells the fullness of the
Godhead bodily amazing statement but that's the truth of scripture
in him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily he has come
and he as Paul has shown throughout the epistle to the Hebrews he
has fulfilled all the types of the old temp Old Testament temple
priestly worship. That system which endured for,
I can't remember exactly, but not much more than a thousand
years, twelve hundred years, something like that. That system
of tabernacle temple worship He has come and He has fulfilled
it. He is the reality to which it
pointed as the blueprint. This is the thing that we have
seen throughout this epistle. Christ is better. Christ is superior. And to be in Him is to know peace
with God. Do you know peace with God this
morning? You know, Paul often, his salutations,
the peace of God, the God of peace. What a privilege it is
to know peace with God. The God of the universe who made
me, who upholds all things now, who is the reasonable God of
everything that we see around us. The God of the universe who
is our judge. the one who is, as it says in
verse 29, a consuming fire into whose hands it is a fearful thing
to fall. to be at peace with God in the
Lord Jesus Christ. This is a privilege. This is
a privilege above all other privileges. This is a blessing above every
other blessing that you can know or own. Everything in this life
that comes to you is just temporal and fleeting. It's the pleasures
of sin but for a moment, it's the things that we have and that
God lends us for a moment and then they're all taken away.
What really matters is that which is eternal. set your minds on
things above, where Christ is. These are the things that are
really important. Everything else is vanishing
away. Everything else that we think is solid is vanishing away. And all who have ever truly known
God have known him, how? In Christ. Abel knew God in Christ. I believe Adam and Eve knew God
in Christ, because they saw the sacrifice. God preached the gospel
to them. Abel did. Seth did. Noah did. The others that you read of in
Genesis, they all did. Abraham did. How did he know
God? He knew God in Christ. Oh, but Christ hadn't come. He
saw Christ. Jesus himself said, Abraham,
what, rejoiced to see my day. He was glad, he rejoiced to see
the day of Christ. Abraham knew God in Christ. He
knew the blessings that are ours now in Christ. Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and so it goes on. Moses knew God in Christ. All who have ever truly known
God have known Him in Christ. Not in law, except insofar as
the law pointed to and drove them to Christ, because what
is the law? Our schoolmaster to bring us where? To Christ. That's what it's for. I determined,
said Paul, to know nothing else among you than Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. He, He is the fulfillment of
all the revelation of God, all the truth of God, all the righteousness
of God, all the salvation of God is in Him. And living this
life as a believer, because we're in the practical bit of the epistle
now, living this life as a believer in the flesh is to have two natures. If you're a believer this morning
in the Lord Jesus Christ you have two natures. You have one
which is born of God. Jesus said you must be born again
to Nicodemus. Unless a man is born again he
cannot see the kingdom of God. He knows nothing of the things
of the kingdom of God. Ye must be born again. You must
be born again. The woman said to Spurgeon, you
keep preaching, you must be born again. Why do you keep preaching,
you must be born again? And he said, it's because you
must be born again. You must be born again to see
the things of the living God. Two natures, one born of God,
and one born of the flesh, one born of Adam, one born of the
will of man. And those two are in conflict.
They're in tension. This is what Galatians chapter
5 tells us. The spirit and the flesh are
in conflict with one another. They're contrary to one another.
The one wants the things that the other doesn't want. The flesh
wants to go and do the things that the spirit doesn't want
to do. The spirit of Christ wants pure things, holy things, things
which are of good report, things which are of heaven and of Christ
and of the gospel of God's grace. And the flesh wants the things
of the flesh. The deceitfulness of riches,
all of these things is what the flesh wants. And there's a conflict.
This is the believer's experience. There are trials that come our
way. There are temptations. There are difficulties. But in
amongst all of that, because there is that man born of God,
there is a glorious hope. There is a confident assurance. What did Job say in the midst
of all of his trials? I know that my Redeemer liveth
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and
the worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God. This life, as a believer, is
a race. Verse 1 of chapter 12 has told
us. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
It's a long distance marathon in most cases. Some are taken
quickly. The thief on the cross was already
in the process of physically dying. when he saw who Christ
was, but it's a race to be run with patience. How? Always looking
unto Jesus, who is the author and the finisher of our faith.
I'm not the author of my own faith, he is. Sovereign grace. Always looking to Jesus, always
looking to the one who is the God-man mediator, for there is
one God and one mediator between God and man. The man Christ Jesus
who is the God man in whom dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
He's our priest according to the order of Melchizedek. He's
our great high priest of which all of those erotic Levitical
priests were only ever a shadow and a picture. But he is the
priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He's
sympathetic. He's empathetic to us. Why? Because he's lived this life.
He's walked this earth. He's been tempted in all points
as we are, yet without sin. There was no sin or deceit or
guile in him. This was the beloved Son of God
in whom the Father was well pleased. And yet he walked this earth
as a man, as a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. And he
knows and he understands our infirmities and our temptations
and our difficulties in this flesh. So look to him who is
the author and finisher of our faith. And look where you're
heading in this life. We've seen everything is established
in Christ, but we are still here in the flesh. As believers in
the flesh, look where you're heading. Look where you're heading. Don't despair of the difficulties. We've already seen the chastisement
of God in verses 5 to 11. that chastisement which God,
as a loving father, brings to his children. And no chastening
for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grieveths. Nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them
which are exercised thereby." We go through trials, we go through
the discipline and chastening of God because he is a heavenly
father who loves his children. He wants our eternal good. He
will secure our eternal good. There is no doubt about our eternal
good. And He brings us through this
path all for His own eternal purposes and glory. And all for
our good, for He causes, He tells us all things to work together
for good to those that love God, to those who are the called according
to His purpose. all for our good, the things
that seem good, the things that seem bad, the things, the shipwrecks,
as well as the times of great prosperity, all for our eternal
good. And so, What I want to do is
to look now at the prize that we're headed towards and the
encouragements and the warnings on the way. And I want to take
it that way round. First of all, the heavenly prize.
Verses 18 to 24. Talk to us about the heavenly
prize. Let's just read these verses.
He begins negatively. ye are not come unto the mount
that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness,
and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the
voice of words, which voice they that heard entreated that the
word should not be spoken to them any more, for they could
not endure that which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touched
the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart.
And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly
fear and quake, but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all,
and to the spirits of just men made perfect." That's the goal,
that's the end, that's where you're headed, you experience
some of it now, but that's the goal and the end. As I say, this
Christian life is a life that's full of conflict and struggle
and glorious blissful hope and trials and temptations and difficulties. Like a challenging walk. I remembered
while I was preparing this that quite a long time ago, 28 years
ago actually, Stephen and I did what is known as the Keswick
to Barrow walk in early May, about this time of year in 1984. The goal at the end, well let
me tell you what it was, it's a walk of over 40 miles up and
down some of the steepest roads and hillsides in England. And
40, you know, not a marathon, 26 miles, 40 miles, I think it's
a bit more than 40 miles, actually, from just south of Keswick, right
the way down to Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. And at the end of
it, there was to be a certificate. I don't know if he's still got
his. I've got mine. It's the order of barking dogs
or something like that, which I think is suggesting that you've
got to be mad to have done it. And at the end of it, the goal
was a free drink, courtesy of the Vicar's Sports Club in Barrow,
the prospect of the most lovely relaxing bath you've ever had
in your life, a sleep, oh, a sleep, glorious sleep, and the satisfaction
of knowing that you had done it. And along the way, there
were no end of temptations to give up. Because there was hill
difficulty to go up. At Red Bank, out of Grasmere,
towards Elterwater, is very, very steep. You know, it's a
steep hill, is that. And there were trials and difficulties,
and lots of temptations to give up. Many, many temptations to
give up. But no, there was a goal in sight. And that's what it is with the
Christian life. There are many temptations, there are many difficulties.
Oh, look at us, how small we are. Here's a temptation. You
know, why don't we go and join with those where there could
be much bigger numbers? Wouldn't it be so much better
to worship with much larger numbers? I don't know, actually. I really
don't know. We've got the numbers that God
has given us for the days in which we are. I'm not disappointed. This is God's will. This is where
we are now. This is his will for us. This
is what he said is going to happen towards the end times. There
are difficulties. And God's fatherly chastisement,
it may at times cause the spirit to sag, it may tempt us to give
up. You know, this is the believer's
experience. The psalmist, David, Psalm 73, he said, he said, my
feet had well nigh slipped. My feet had well nigh gone. Why?
Because he was looking enviously at the godless all around him.
He was saying, look at them. He said, I've washed my hands
in vain. I've tried to follow God in vain. And look, those that don't bother,
look what an easy life they have. He was tempted to give up. If
you read Pilgrim's Progress, which is the allegory of the
believer's experience, it talks about all sorts of experiences. The hill difficulty, all based
on real scenes in the Bedford area. The hill difficulty. The
slough of despond. All of those different things,
along with some pleasurable things like the house beautiful. But
these are all for a season. All of these experiences now
are just for a season. Romans 8 verse 18 says, The sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the
glory which shall be revealed in us. Think of that. The sufferings
of this present time. Oh, how are you going to compare
that? Oh, they don't matter. They don't matter, compared with the
glory that shall be revealed in us. 2 Corinthians chapter
4 verses 16 and 17 says, for which cause we faint not, though
the outward man may perish, yet the inward man is being renewed
day by day in this life. And in this life, our light affliction,
which is but for a moment of time, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal, not a temporal, not of time, an eternal weight
of glory. Look at what is before you, and
which in great measure is the believer's experience now, the
heavenly goal to which we're going. You know, we're just reading
in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, wait patiently for Christ, wait
patiently, you're here now for a while, wait patiently for him,
he's coming, Wait patiently for him. Look at the goal that is
before you. But in great measure you have
some of it now. Look at it. What we read is,
those verses that were negative, you're not come to the mount,
Sinai, which might be touched and that burned with fire, nor
into blackness and darkness, that terrifying sight where the
people were warned, don't you dare come near and touch. Because
if you do, you will be shot through with an arrow or stoned to death.
Even an animal came near. And Moses himself was so terrified
that he said, I exceedingly fear and quake. Where you come is
freedom from Sinai's terror and curse. Where we're going is completely
free from Sinai's terror and curse. The law is not our terror
now, it will not be our terror in death, and it most certainly
will not be our terror in judgment when we stand before the judgment
seat of Christ. The law will not be our terror.
We're not come there. We've got freedom in Christ from
the Sinai's terror and curse. The picture in verses 18 to 21
is of God in his pure holiness, in his strict absolute justice. But in Christ, your relationship
with God is not founded on law works. The word does not say
to believers, this do and live. That's the covenant of works.
It says Christ has done, therefore live. He's done it. Now we're
not under law, but under grace. Not under law, but under grace.
Galatians 5 verse 2, if ye be circumcised, and what Paul means
by that, that was the particular issue with the Galatians, he
says, if ye be circumcised, or any other thing you do to try
to improve your standing with God, that's what he means, anything
you do to try to improve your standing with God, If you do
that, Christ shall profit you nothing. Not, Christ shall profit
you a bit less. Christ shall profit you nothing.
I'll say it again, just in case you haven't heard. If you be
circumcised, and I interpret that like this, or you do, try
to do anything to improve your standing with God, your own works,
your own works, Christ shall profit you nothing. He says every
man that is circumcised in the very next verse, every man who
tries to do things to improve his standing with God is a debtor
to do the whole law. Is that where you want to stand?
On law or on grace? Which is it? Because it can't
be both, you can't mix the two. You know what it says about the
law? Cursed is everyone who continues not in some, no, all things that
are written in the book of the law to do them. But Christ has
borne the curse for us. Christ has redeemed us from the
curse of the law. How? Being made a curse for us
when he hung on that cursed tree. Cursed. But he's released us
from that. The scripture again in Galatians,
he says, you who desire, as so many seem to do, you who desire
to be under the law, do you not hear what the law says? You who
desire to be under the law, don't you hear what it really says
to you? But we're free from all of that.
This is the glory that we're coming to, and that we experience
now. We're free from that. Galatians
6.13 says, they who are circumcised, those who think they're right
with God on the basis of the things they do, they don't keep
the law, even though they say they do. And Peter, at the Council
of Jerusalem, when they were discussing the position of believers
and the Mosaic law and whether they were under that law, Peter
said this, he said to them, Why tempt ye God to put a yoke of
law on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor
we were able to bear? He says, we couldn't bear it,
be honest with you, we couldn't obey it. So why are you trying
to put this burden on believers? No, the law was our schoolmaster,
to bring us to Christ. And in Christ, we're no longer
under a schoolmaster. Liberty is where you are now,
and this is the thing, think of the goal. Liberty is where
you are now, but in a cloak of sinful flesh. Where are you going? Liberty that is sinless liberty
in eternal glory with Christ. That's it. When you drop this
robe of flesh, when you drop this robe of flesh that would
bring you down and go to glory, that's the goal that is ahead
of us. Heaven, the heavenly prize. Liberty,
sinless liberty in the Lord Jesus Christ. What else do we have? Look at verse 22. But ye are
come to Mount Sion, not to that Mount Sinai of law and of dread
and of fear of judgment, but ye are come to Mount Sinai. to
the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to
an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church
of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God, the judge
of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to
Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. We
have access to God. Think of the access to God that
there will be in heaven. Perfect, uninterrupted communion. We shall see him as he is. He
shall ever be before our gaze. And now, we see him as if through
a glass darkly. We see glimpses. that the veil
is drawn aside this flesh so much gets in the way but we have
heavenly citizenship now we have the presence of God now we have
access to God now even in this flesh we're told to come boldly
to the throne of grace confidently without fear to the throne of
grace you know you have a passport to travel to other countries
and it says her britannic majesty's government asks, insists that
you let this person go freely through your borders because
this is a British citizen. These are bona fide British citizens
and we insist that you let them, or whichever other nationality
you happen to be, but we let them go through the borders because
her Britannic Majesty's government insists that that be the case.
In Christ, your passport is the passport of Zion. That heavenly
country, that's your passport. Why is it? How did it get there? You know there's a register for
all British passport holders, isn't there? Obviously, there
is. There's a register of all British passport holders. If
you've got a British passport, your name is on that register.
If you've got the passport of Zion, your name is in the Lamb's
Book of Life. That's why you have that passport.
You've got angelic companionship now and think of the angelic
companionship when we get there to glory. Isn't it amazing that
yes we know we shall see them there but we have that companionship
now. Remember what Elisha prayed to
God for his servant that he might see the angels not just the Syrian
enemy that was about to sweep across them and destroy them,
but that he might see, open his eyes, that he might see the angels.
I know very very little about angels, but I do know this, that
God promises to his people the companionship of angels. They're
ministering spirits, we read in Hebrews chapter 1, to do His
will. They're ministering spirits.
How does He work out all things for the good of His people? He
sends His ministering spirits to do His will. We have this
access to God. We have adoption privileges.
Adoption privileges, citizenship, the General Assembly and Church
of the Firstborn which are written in heaven. To God, the judge
of all. We have the fellowship of glorified
saints. Look, the spirits of just men
made perfect. We've already been told in chapter
12 verse 1, seeing we also are compassed about with so great
a cloud of witnesses, those that have gone before in Christ, that
have left this life as we must do. And we're here just for a
season, but they've gone before. They're glorified. They've dropped
this robe of sinful flesh. They're with Him in glory and
sinless perfection now. They behold His face. They stand
before the throne. They're in that eternal bliss
that is promised for the people of God. They're this cloud of
witnesses that we're told it's as if they're the crowd at an
Olympic event looking down upon those who are still running this
race. we have fellowship with them, and we shall have fellowship
with them. On the Mount of Transfiguration,
Elijah and Moses came down and spoke. They clearly, you know,
they knew who they were. They were recognizable as to
who, I don't know how these things shall be, but there is this existence
that is promised to the people of God. this blissful existence
in which not only will we see God, but we will see those whom
he has saved, those whom he has glorified. We will see those
angels, those ministering spirits. We have the protection of God's
throne. How perfect will be that protection
in glory, but you know you have it now? There is nothing we're
promised can happen to the saint of God, the child of God, But,
in the will of God, in the permissive will of God, it's all according
to His will, and all for the eternal good of His people. We
come to the throne of God, to God the judge of all, the city
of the living God. This is who we come to. And also
we come to Jesus. Notice it uses His human name,
Jesus Savior. The man, our Savior. The man,
our mediator. We come to Jesus. who has empathetic
care. He empathizes with us. He's not
just sympathetic, oh I feel sorry for you. No, he empathizes. He's
been in that situation, he knows what it is to wear the robe in
the likeness of sinful flesh, to be tempted in all points as
we are, yet without sin. We come to him and we come to
certain salvation, look, through effectual blood, to the blood
of sprinkling. that speaketh better things than
that of Abel. We come to that precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the sin-debt-clearing blood, the
divine justice-satisfying blood. That is unique blood. There's
lots of blood. All of us here, we have life
blood flowing through our veins, for in the blood is the life.
That's where the life is according to scripture, in the blood. And
lots of blood has been shed in wars and in murders and in violence
and in all sorts of different situations. All sorts of blood
has been shed, but the blood of Christ is precious blood,
is unique blood. It's the only blood that cleanses
from sin. It's the only blood that could
pay the price. God himself purchased the church
with his, God's own blood. It's better than Abel's blood.
Why Abel? Because he was the first one,
he was the first human whose blood was shed, we're told in
scripture. Killed by his brother Cain. It's
better than Abel's blood. Why is it better than Abel's
blood? Look at the bulletin. I've put some words written by
Don Faulkner here. This blood of sprinkling speaketh
better things than that of Abel. The blood of Christ speaks, ever
speaks, and speaks better things than the blood of Abel. Abel
was an innocent murder victim killed by his brother because
Abel brought that which God accepted and was accepted by God. He brought
a lamb. You must have a lamb. And Cain
brought the works of his own hands, as that which would earn
him merit with God. And Cain was envious, and Cain
rose up and slew his brother, and spilled his blood. And look
at these points here. Abel's blood, look, it's talking,
verse 24, about blood that speaks. Abel's blood cries out for justice
and vengeance. You know, this is the thing,
people talk about we need punishment to deter people from crying.
Well, yes, that's true, but do you know the main reason why
we need punishment? Because it's just. It's just. It's justice. You know, what
is it when a murderer, a willful murderer goes free and doesn't
suffer the death penalty? It's injustice. It is, according
to God's word. I'm sorry, I don't care what
the country and the laws of the land say, the laws of God say
that's injustice. And if you as a parent or relative
have had somebody close to you whose life has been taken, think
of those young people stabbed and they say, oh no, I forgive
them. No, sorry, justice. Justice demands that the one
who took life should have their life taken. Abel's blood cried
for justice and vengeance. Christ's blood cries for justice
and mercy because he satisfied justice in spilling his blood.
Abel's blood spoke demanding punishment of Cain. It cries
out to the ground, it says in Genesis, cries out to the ground
to God demanding punishment. Christ's blood speaks demanding
pardon. Abel's blood spoke against his
brother. Cain said, my punishment is more
than I can bear. That blood spoke against his
brother. Christ's blood speaks for his brethren. Abel's blood
demanded death. Christ's blood demands life.
Abel's blood cried from the ground to God. That's what the scripture
says. Christ's blood speaks in heaven before God. What does
it say? Forgive them. Forgive them. The price has been paid. The
debt has been cleared. That's what it speaks in heaven.
No more debt to pay. Abel's blood cried out against
Cain in his conscience. Cain said, my punishment is more
than I can bear. His conscience was constantly,
for the rest of his earthly life, nagging at him. Christ's blood
speaks for us in our consciences. My sins, which are such a burden,
where do I look? I look to Christ and my conscience
is soothed because I know he has paid for them. Abel's blood
continues to speak and Christ's blood continues to speak. Read
1 John chapter 1 about sin and an advocate and all of these
things. Now think of the goal to which we're going, heaven
and that which we have there. And then let's come back and
look at the earlier verses, the encouragements and warnings that
we have. You see that's the prize you
live in the good of it now but you're not there yet the race
still has to be completed and it goes on for as long as your
father decrees that's how long it goes on look at verse twelve
wherefore lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees
at one point in the Keswick to Barrow walk I thought my knees
were going to be permanently damaged and Stephen's mother
thought that his hip joint was going to be permanently damaged
he was only eleven years old at the time And she was screaming
out to him from the support car to stop walking before he did
himself permanent damage. But he was determined to keep
going. Sorry, I'm embarrassing you. But my knees, my knees nearly
killed me. I was thinking, I was thinking,
I'm going to be crippled if I don't stop now. And I was about four
miles from the end, and I sat on the roadside. And you know
like it's been cold this early May? Well, it was a lovely sunny
day, but oh, it was cold. bitterly cold northerly wind
blowing and I sat on the roadside waiting for my support car to
come and it didn't come and it didn't come and I thought Well,
I'm either going to be crippled for life if I finish it, or I'm
either going to die of cold or double pneumonia if I don't get
moving. And so I thought, well, nobody's going to appear, so
I better get up and get going. And in getting up and getting
going, I found new strength. And I was able to go on, and
the knees lubricated and loosened up a little bit, and I finished
it and I got the certificate. And I think this is what it's
talking about. Lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble
knees and find strength. Look to Jesus. Make straight
paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of
the way. What's he talking about here? It's pure gospel paths. This is it. Don't stray from
the pure gospel paths. Jeremiah 6.16, Thus saith the
Lord, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths. Where is the good way? And walk
therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Those gospel
ways of sovereign grace, of particular redemption, the gospel of God,
the gospel of God's sovereign grace, the gospel that He has
ordained, that He has declared. and help the lame, that which
is lame, be turned out of the way. You know, help our brethren,
encourage one another, bear one another's burdens, says Galatians
chapter 6 verses 1 to 3. Bear one another's burdens and
so fulfill the law of Christ. And verse 14, follow, follow,
pursue, pursue, aim for, strive for, peace with all. And I would
say especially the household of faith. But all men, especially
the household of faith. Henry Mahan says this of this
verse. Here's some things about aiming
for peace with all men. He says, love one another from
the heart. Really. There are things about
one another, you know, some of the things some of you do, they
really annoy me and no doubt some of the things I do really
annoy you. Just get past that. Love one another from the heart.
Love one another. Avoid arguments and debates because
it's good to discuss the things of Christ, but avoid contentious
issues because they lead to division. Beware of jealousy and envy.
What anyone has is what God has given them for a while, and what
you have got if you truly believe God's word is what he wants for
you now. Be satisfied with it. Paul said, I have learned with
whatever I have therewith to be content and not always striving
to get something else. What he gives you, don't envy
one another. Beware of jealousy. Mind your
own business. Mind your own business. There
are so many churches that have elders who think it's their job
to be constantly meddling in other people's business and interfering
with the way that you do this and the way that you do that.
No, don't do that. Don't be touchy. Don't be easily
offended. in any situation. Don't we so
naturally always take the negative view. You know, somebody does
something in a car when you're driving and your automatic reaction
is to take the negative view that they had a malicious intent
towards you. No, take the opposite view of
that. Don't be touchy. Keep confidences. When something's
told you in secret, keep confidences. Heal differences. Seek to heal
differences between you. Forgive one another. These things,
pursue peace on this way to glory. And holiness, pursue holiness,
follow holiness. Indeed it means this, indeed
it means strive to avoid sin. If you're a true believer, you
will strive to avoid sin. You will strive not to do that
which offends God. You will strive to be like Christ
in all things, even though your flesh will fail every day. You'll
strive for that, but know this. This is what it really means.
Know that we're only holy in the grace of God. Look at the
very next verse. looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace
of God. How do you get the holiness without
which no man shall see the Lord? It's only in the grace of God.
only in the grace of God. Avoid bitterness to which flesh
is so prone, he says there at the end of verse 15. Avoid bitterness. It's like he says in other epistles,
put off the old man with his ways and his desires and put
on the new man that's created in Christ. And verses 16 and
17, heed the warning of Esau because these warnings are there
for our learning. Heed the warning of Esau, lest
there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel
of meat sold his birthright. And afterward he would have,
he wanted that inheritance, he wanted that blessing, but he
was rejected, even though he sought it carefully with tears.
Heed the warning of Esau. Don't be flippant, don't be light
with these things. Esau, unlike his brother Jacob,
who was a schemer, but saved by the grace of God, Esau was
a profane person. Esau was an immoral person. His
physical immorality, with the heathen women around him, it
was, we read in Genesis, a grief of heart to Isaac and Rebekah,
his father and mother. A grief of heart to them. a grief
of heart. Esau's immorality was a grief
of heart, but it was only an outward manifestation of his
spiritual fornication, his spiritual adultery, his spiritual flippancy
with the gospel of God's grace. He sold Christ that he might
have the world. and all who do will know deep
regret at their own personal fault in their soul's eternal
ruin. Esau did, and all who sell Christ
that they might have the world will know deep regret at their
own personal fault in their soul's eternal ruin. So there's the
goal where we're headed in this life, lived as a Christian, lived
as a believer in Christ, but yet here in this fleshly tabernacle
for a season. There's the goal that we're going
to. There's the privileges we have. Let's heed the warnings.
Let's heed the encouragements on the way. Christ is the way,
the truth, and the life. Let's run the race to eternity
in Him alone, motivated by that goal, unsurprised at the difficulties
that come along, as they will and they do, the seeming hindrances,
and determined, with God's help, to arrive at our eternal goal.