The book of Hebrews chapter 10.
Hebrews chapter 10. I'd like to read verse 34. We
went over this particular verse in our last study, but as you
remember, I wanted to go back and look at this one verse, in
fact, the last part of this one verse. Let's read Hebrews chapter
10, verse 34. For ye had compassion of me in my
bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing
in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance. Let's pray together. Our Father, we come before You
this evening as needy people, frail creatures. Lord, so weak,
so frail, in such need of Your strength and Your comfort, I
ask You tonight, would You bless the Word Lord, to the salvation
of sinners, the comfort of Your people. Lord, thank You. Thank You for this time for Christ's
sake. Amen. The older we get, the more we realize truly how
frail we are. The longer we sit and hear the
gospel of God's grace and the Lord grants faith as we hear. That is how faith cometh. It
cometh by hearing. We need to hear. And the more
convinced a believer is as he gets older of the frailty of
this flesh, The Scripture sets forth, we're closer now. You know this. We're closer now to leaving this
world than when we first believed. You know that. We're coming to a point and we're
going to leave this world. As I've said many times, whether
we're here when the Lord returns And he comes with the trump of
God in a moment, a twinkling of an eye. And the dead in Christ
rise first. And we, the Apostle Paul says,
which are alive, shall meet them in the air. We won't precede
them. And what's going to happen is there's going to be a bringing back of the elements
of this body. This body that decayed no matter
what happened, no matter what happened, no matter if you were
drowned and you said, well, you were eaten by the creatures in
the ocean. All of the elements of your body
is coming back together. And this body is going to be
changed. And that body is going to be
reunited with the eternal soul that went to be with the Lord.
Absent from this body, present with the Lord. And the Apostle
said, so shall we ever be with the Lord. On that, in a moment,
a twinkling of an eye, the second coming of Christ,
the day of judgment, God's sheep received into glory, in a body,
those without Christ reunited with a body that is changed,
a body that will endure eternally under the judgment of Almighty
God. A new heaven and a new earth. The first one is going to be
burned up. This one, this right here, is
going to be burned up. And a new heaven and a new earth.
And we will be in that new heaven and new earth, in the presence
of Almighty God. A new heaven, new earth, created
in righteousness, where righteousness reigns. No more rebellion. No more. Almighty God is going
to put it away. Now, we know that. We know that
it's like that. That's what the Scripture sets
forth. Now, tonight I want us to look for a moment at what
Almighty God has promised. We see by faith. Soon we'll see
by sight. No more by faith. We're going
to see Him as He is. What's it going to be like? I
know that eye has not seen, ear has not heard. neither hath entered
into the heart of man that which God has prepared for those that
love Him." But we have here a promise. The Spirit of God wrote this,
knowing in yourselves, you know this, that we have in heaven
a better and an enduring substance. We know it. The Spirit of God
has taught us. The Holy Ghost has informed us
through the preaching of the Gospel, blessed by the Spirit
of God, that we have an inheritance. And it is safe. It's in heaven. The Scripture says it's better.
It's better than anything in this world. When moths, you know,
eat up rust, thieves, and it's enduring. Because I'll
tell you who our substance is. Our substance is the Lord Jesus
Christ. That word substance there, it
means the property. He's ours. We're His. We're bone of His bone. Flesh
of His flesh. He's the head. We're the body.
One with Him. This is my hand. It's part of
me. I want it. I've got two of them. I want them. They're part of
me. This is me. This is all of me. One with Him. We have the substance. Enduring substance. And it is
Almighty God. The Lord told Abraham in all
liken in the faith. He said, fear not, Abram. Just stop right there. Fear not. Don't be afraid. You
know, we get anxious, don't we, when we think about dying? We
get anxious when we think about the unknown. There are some things
that we're just not sure of. But here we have the Word of
God. Fear not, Abram. Lord, help me. Help me. Fear not, Abram. I am thy shield
and thy exceeding great reward. Isn't that a precious promise?
I'm your shield. I'm your protector. Nothing gets
to you except I allow it. And that for your good because
of my love for you. Almighty God does nothing to
His people save for the good of His people. I've loved you
with an everlasting love. I've always loved you. Gave His
Son for you. Forsook Christ for you. Chose
you. Watched you. Nothing happens
because He is our shield. And I am thy exceeding great
reward. What does a believer possess
in heaven? God Almighty. God Himself. I am your reward. So today, let's just look for
just a minute. Let's just consider, in heaven,
we have a better and an enduring substance. He ever liveth. He's Almighty God. Enduring. I'll never leave you. Enduring
substance. I'll never forsake you." You
know, the first thing that I started to think about when I read that
again, I thought, how did we come to possess this substance,
this wealth, this property? How did we come to have it? I know that originally we were
born poor. We were born wretched and blind,
lost by our fall in Adam. We came forth from our mother's
womb speaking lies. But this possession started a
long time before that. This possession started. If I could say that word started,
it never started. He said, I've always loved you.
This possession started in Almighty God the Eternal I Am. It never
began. It never stopped. When did this
possession start? He always looked upon us in Christ. He always beheld us in the surety. Christ was raised up with Him. One with Him. And His delight
was always with His people. How did we come to possess this?
Almighty God chose to show us mercy. I will have mercy on whom
I'll have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom
I'll have compassion. But we fell in Adam. But I'll
tell you this, our fall in Adam never negated His love for us. There was a Redeemer. before
there was an actual sinner. Almighty God knew that we would
fall in Adam. But oh, how our fallen Adam praises
the glorious grace of His redemptive mercy. While we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us, loved us. But according to God's good pleasure,
after we had fallen, came forth, rebels against God, children
of wrath, even as others, wrathful before Him, wrathful against
Him. Not His wrath to us. His wrath
has never been spewed out upon His people. It was all upon the
Lord Jesus Christ that the Father saw slain the Lamb from before
the foundation of the world. Never on us. But when it pleased
God, who separated us, Paul says, from our mother's womb. He called
us. He called us in power. And that's
when, for the first time, we realized that we were dead in
trespasses and sins. That's when we realized that
we did not know Him. We thought we did. That's when
we realized that He's always set His affection on us. How
did we come to possess this better and enduring substance? Well, it wasn't by our works
of righteousness that we've done because the Scripture says forth
that God looked to see if there were any that did good. If there
were any that did understand. If there were any that sought
Him. And there was none. So what are
we going to have to do to possess this great, better, enduring
substance? God Almighty is going to give
it to us. We don't earn it. It's a gift. It's the gift of
God. So now we behold Him who is the
enduring substance. The wealth. The wealth. Listen to this. I counsel thee,
buy of me, He said, the Lord, gold. Try it in the fire. that thou mayest be rich." What
do we have? Who do we have? We have Him. Christ Himself, the gold Himself,
tried in the fire of God's justice and wrath as our substitute at
Calvary, made sin by the Father Himself. He has made Him sin. And Almighty God by His Holy
Spirit teaches us, I will cause those that love Me to inherit
substance. And the Lord said in Proverbs
8.21, I will fill your treasure. Oh, the wealth that a believer
has having Christ. Lord, what more do we need? What
more do we want? To have Him and for Him to have
us in affection, love, bond, comfort, peace. He is our reward. Oh, what treasures found for
the believer in Christ. The enduring substance. Ecclesiastes 10.19 says this. Listen to this precious, precious,
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry, but money
answereth all things." Not a feast of the laughter of
a fool. Ecclesiastes 7.6 says, as far
as the laughter of a fool, At a feast, it's like crackling
of thorns under a pot. That's what it's like. What is
it? What is the laughter of a fool at a feast? It's just, you know,
all of this frivolity and all. It's just like thorns just cracking. You ever take some, burn some
brush and it'll just pop. Snap, crackle, pop. Just gone. What is that? That's the laughter
of a fool. And this wine? that maketh merry,
not the wine of the drunkard." That's a passing moment. It's
excess. And money? Money answereth all
things. Money? No, not the money of this
world. The Scripture sets forth that
to be nothing more than fading riches, just fading, just emptiness,
just nothing. The love of it is the root of
all evil. Money answers all things, but
the feast of that enduring substance, the feast of that substance that's
better, this is what the Scripture says. Isaiah 25, 6, and in this mountain,
in Mount Zion, in the church itself, here's the feast. Shall
the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things."
Abundant promises that Almighty God has given concerning His
people in Christ that are totally fulfilled by Him. A feast of
wine on the leaves. When they are making the wine,
the dregs, the bottom part, the stuff that all settles to the
bottom, The wine that was right down on top of the sediment,
the leaves, that's where the richest, the full-bodied wine
was. That was the best of it. Right there that sat real close. This feast of wine on the leaves,
a fat thing full of marrow, wine on the leaves, well refined,
this is where we're feasting right now. This is the feast. I'm going to tell you, we're
at a wedding feast right now. And we're enjoying the fullness
of the fat things that are promised. The rich things. The things that
this world doesn't know anything about. These things that are
promised in God's Word concerning God's glory and the salvation
of God's people. Here's where we're meeting. That
feast that makes a merry heart. That's what Proverbs 15, 15 says. In Mount Zion, in the church,
there's going to be a feast. And we're enjoying it. We're
eating of the bread and drinking of the cup. In our heart, rejoicing
in Him, thankful for Him. Oh, that enduring substance.
A feast is made for laughter. in wine maketh merry." Wine,
the Scripture says in Judges 9.13, which cheereth God and
man. Judges 9.13, wine which cheereth
God and man. What wine is that but the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ that the Father looked upon and was
satisfied? That precious blood that the
Father looked upon and passed over. us. When I see the blood,
I'll pass over you." Isn't that good news? That wine, the blood
of the precious Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, the riches of our enduring
substance. That last part in Ecclesiastes
10.19, it says, But money answereth all things. Money answereth all
things. I looked up the word money there
just to see what it meant. Do you know what it means? The price. The price. The price answereth or responds
to all things. Now, I know in this life, as
I said a moment ago, I know that money I mean, we have money and
we spend money and the Lord blesses. But you know and I know that
it's going to burn up. You know it's very fickle. You'll get your statement on
your quarterly or monthly or whatever you get. Based on five years ago, it just
doesn't look the same. Something happened. What happened?
It evaporated. It's just gone. It's just on paper. It just wasn't
there. But to know that we have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance that fadeth not, doesn't pass away, but money that answers
all things, the price that responds to all things, all things concerning
God's glory and our redemption. Remember, look at everything.
Look at everything in light of eternity. Look at everything
in light of eternity. I'm telling you, this thing is
about over. This is over. In light of the
glorious, precious Lord Jesus Christ, consider everything Money,
the price answers all things. Listen to this Scripture, Job
33, 24. Deliver him from going down to
the pit. I found a ransom. The atonement. I looked up that word ransom,
Neil. The atonement. I found the atonement. I found
the appeasement. I found the covering. He's always
saying the covering. Money answers all things. The
price answers all things. Whatever God Almighty demands,
the price answers. The blood. Christ in His precious
blood is the money, the price that answers all things. He's
the sheep's redeemer. He's answered the law's demand
for justice. He is our hope. He is our peace. He is our wealth. He is God's
goal. Tried in the fire. He's the pearl
of great price. Money answers. The price answers
everything. He's the one in whom God Almighty
supplies all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus. He's answered every demand of
Almighty God against His people. How about obedience? Christ is our righteousness. Whatever you need, whatever I
need in Christ, He supplies. He is our hope of glory, our peace, our joy, our comfort,
our mediator. The Scripture says, Ye have. Ye have. You possess it right
now. That new life that has been imparted
into the believer, that life right there, that new man, that
new man, you're going to spend eternity. Now, I do know this. This old man is going to have
to be put off. This body of sin is going to have to be put off.
And we struggle right now. But I'm telling you that we possess
right now better and an enduring substance. We possess it by gift from the
Father. He chose us. He chose to give
us Christ. Gave us to Him and Him to us.
It's ours by purchase. He bought us. 1 Corinthians 6,
19 and 20. What? Paul says, Know ye not
that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God? And you're not your own. You're bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your
body and in your spirit which is God's. And I'll tell you this,
He is ours by our possessing Him as He has given us a heart. made willing in the day of His
power to come to Him for mercy. He said, All that the Father
giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that cometh to Me, I will
in no wise cast you out. I'm not going to send you away.
I'm not going to cast you away. We have. We have. The Scripture says for it. In
heaven. In heaven. Wherever He is. wherever He is. That's heaven. Without Him, heaven's not heaven. Heaven is heaven with Him. We
have an enduring substance. Who? Romans 8.35, "...shall separate
us from the love of Christ. Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword.
I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand." Our enduring substance is in heaven where
our heart is. That's where our heart is. We're
seated with Him right now. I don't understand all of that,
but I do know this. We're seated in the heavenlies.
Right now. Right now. God is eternal. There's nothing future with God.
It's all right now. Here we are. We're going in time.
And we see in time. But I'm telling you, we are right
now glorified with Christ, seated with Him. It's a better substance because
Christ our substance is, according to Hebrews 1.4, made so much
better, better than the angels, bringing in a better hope. What
kind of a hope do you think that those that were under the law,
what did they have? The law never made anybody perfect.
The law never put away sin. The law, as I said before, the
law didn't die for you. No. All the law did is it showed
you what you are before God in yourself. The law sets forth
God's demand for righteousness. Do and live. But nobody can. So He brought in a better hope.
He was made the surety of a better testament. Mediator of a better
covenant. He offered a better sacrifice.
That's what Hebrews says. The blood of bulls and goats
cannot put away sin. we have a better substance, a
better wealth. It's the Lord Himself. You consider
Him and yourself in Him. Whatever befalls us, Christ,
our enduring substance, our treasure, our inheritance, our joy, our
peace forever before God Almighty. We have in heaven. I know that there's a heartbeat,
a breath, just a breath between us and eternity right now. I
know it. I know it. I know it. I've seen just enough to know
just a little bit about how frail this life really is. I've just
seen it. You're just here and you're gone.
You're gone. And you think, how could that happen? How could
it be that quick? How could it be that quick? I'm telling you,
believer, take heart. We've got God's Word on this.
We have right now. And you can go to sleep tonight
with your heart settled. by the grace of God, thank You,
by His grace, by His mercy, that He would show mercy to one such
as I. Lord, teach me this afresh. Help
me for Christ's sake. Amen.