Let's take our Bibles now and
turn with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. I'd like to look this evening
at one verse of Scripture, verse 23. We've been going through this
blessed book. What a book of encouragement.
Now you know the Scriptures, we've been looking at these Scriptures
coming up to this and knowing that by one sacrifice the Scripture
sets forth that the Lord Jesus hath perfected forever them that
are sanctified, set apart. Now you think about this. By
one sacrifice, one of these days we're going to understand that
Scripture. But by one sacrifice, He has made holy those that Almighty
God set apart for Himself. You think of the miracle of God's
grace that God would choose. Lord, can it be that You have
set Your affection on this sinner? and chosen and set apart me to
show mercy and compassion to. And by one sacrifice, the Lord
Jesus Christ has made me holy, put away my guilt. And by the
obedience before God's law of what was demanded of me by His
life earned of righteousness, by His death, put away my guilt
wholly. The Scripture sets forth that
the sins and iniquities of God's elect are remembered no more. God is not going to remember
them, not in judgment, not in wrath. Almighty God has put away
that guilt knowing that now where remission of sin is, there is
no more offering for sin. I got to thinking about that.
If Almighty God can justly forgive one sin, then He can justly forgive
all the sin of all His people. All sin. All iniquity. If the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ having been shed forgives one sin, then all of them are
forgiven because it's going to take that sacrifice. Oh, now,
our brethren, we can enter in boldly with liberty into the
very holiest of all by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. One
sacrifice. God is satisfied. And now we
know that we have a great High Priest right now. That's over the house of God
and the Scripture set forth that He ever lives, ever living, to
make intercession for us. The doubting thoughts, the unkind
words, sins of commission, omission, He ever lives to make intercession,
presenting His blood. Now, knowing all these precious
things the Apostle Paul has set forth, three blessed privileges
that the believers have. The first one we dealt with last
week, and it was this. Verse 22, Let us draw near with
a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled
from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Now, we draw near to God right
now by faith. That drawing near, the preciousness
of that sacrifice that cannot in this life be understood. We can draw near with a true
heart, full assurance of faith, not of works, and we bow right
now in heart. Believers do. Bow before Him. We know this, that our conscience
is clear before Almighty God. Full assurance of faith. We are
not condemned. Now, right now, you settle down
right now. I believe that the Spirit of
God has taught this sinner. His spirit bears witness to my
spirit. There's no condemnation. There's
no fear. There's no judgment. And we draw
near knowing that we have a continual cleansing. Every day, I know
this. I know that my conscience, I
know that my heart, I know that before Him, no condemnation. But I do know this. I need to
be cleansed. I know that there's presence
of sin with me. Now listen to this. Not chargeable. Not chargeable. God will not
impute sin to His elect. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute iniquity. He will not charge you with it.
Does that mean that we have not sinned? No. If we say we have
no sin, we make God a liar. Now, we know that we're sinners.
But what is happening is for all that Almighty God has chosen
in everlasting electing grace, He has taken the guilt, you know
this, of His people, all of them, charged it to Christ and paid
the debt of it. But I'm a sinner. And God is
not going to charge me with that sin. What's He going to do? I
need to have my body washed every day by the pure water which is
the blood of Christ. Forgiven. Forgiven. I paid for
that. I paid that debt. Forgiven. If
we confess our sins, meaning this, there are sins that I don't
even know that I've committed today. I don't know the depth
of my rebellion. I don't know that. But if we
confess knowing what we are, and every believer does, every
believer is going to admit, I know. I know what I am by nature. O
wretched man that I am, I know that in me that is in my flesh
that dwells no good thing. I need forgiveness. Almighty
God cleanses us from all sin. I know that. So there's that
first blessed privilege we looked at last week. Let's draw near
with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled
from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Now let's just look for just
a few minutes at this second great privilege. Verse 23, let
us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering for
He is faithful that promised." There's the second, let us. Let
us draw near and now let us hold fast the profession of our faith. Now, here's the first thing I
know about this. We have a profession of faith.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith. A believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ acknowledges in heart and outwardly
by baptism that salvation is all of grace. Now a believer
believes that. He is convinced of that. We are
not saved by baptism. Baptism is the obedient outward
acknowledgment of an inward work of grace. We're not saved by
baptism. We're obedient in the outward
confession of our faith by the means of baptism. Baptism is
an ordinance that was left us by the Lord to be baptized. If a believer acknowledges outwardly
by baptism, they do so in obedience to the Lord's command. And it's
not an option. It's not an option. Somebody
says, well, you know, is that something I should do? Absolutely. If Almighty God has called you
out of darkness, obedience is to be baptized. And that baptism
is not going to save you. I can tell you this right now.
It's the outward confession of our faith. Now we hold fast the
profession of our faith. We absolutely renounce The false
notion that salvation is based on anything other than the grace
of God. We know that. We hold fast. We profess according to the Scriptures. What do we hold fast to? We absolutely
set forth that God Almighty chose a people in Christ before the
foundation of the world that they should be holy and without
blame before Him in love. That's our profession of faith.
What do you believe? We believe God is absolutely
sovereign in salvation. We profess that the Lord Jesus
Christ came into this world, God Almighty, the chosen surety,
the chosen Redeemer, the chosen Savior of an elect people. He came into this world. to seek
and to save that which was lost. And the Lord Jesus Christ earned
the righteousness, His life, His obedience, that which He
absolutely earned as a man. That righteousness is referred
to as the righteousness of God. Righteousness of God. That righteousness
is charged to, imputed to, everyone that believes. And that belief,
by the grace of God. We profess that the Lord Jesus
Christ came into this world and earned our righteousness. He is the Lord our righteousness. We profess that. We believe that
when He went to the cross, He did not go to the cross to make
salvation possible. He went to the cross and absolutely,
and it never ceases to amaze me, and I'm telling you, I am
as honest with you as I can be every time I consider this. I
still, in my mind, I'm preparing my mouth Let me say it like that
to say what I'm about to say. But I know this, based on the
Scriptures. He was made sin. And hanging
on that cross. Someone say, what is that on
that cross? There hangs sin. As my substitute,
the perfect, holy, harmless Lamb of God. Can it be that I can
say that? Absolutely. There He is. God's perfect Lamb. Made sin. Bearing our guilt,
the Scripture says, in His own body. Putting away. I've said so many times. You've
heard me say this so many times. And I'm telling you, this is
a real point of contention. with a lot of people. And they
will say, you'll never, never get me to say that about my glorious
Lord. My question would be this, would we not be deserving as
that thief said? He said, we're here and we deserve
to be here. We deserve to be. It would easily
be said or a sinner hanging on that cross. I know what that
is. There's a sinner. That's just
the epitome of sin. He's hanging there. He's a sinner
because of what he is. Being a sinner is just the evidence
of what we are by nature. We sin. We're sinners because
we sin. If He didn't take our place,
If He didn't hang on that cross being made what we are, then
God really did not deal with us in a substitute. We profess
that. We believe that. We hold to that. We profess that He was buried. You know what that means? He
died. The judgment of Almighty God
was spewed out upon Him. And he died. There was a man,
the God-man. God couldn't die, but a man could. And that man, the Son of Man,
the man Christ Jesus, he died under the judgment of God. And
sin's penalty was absolutely satisfied. The law was honored. The soul that sinneth is going
to die. And he who knew no sin was made
sin and died. If he was not made sin, how did
he die? If sin was not found on him,
in him, made sin, how did he die? If God Almighty killed a
man that was not made sin, God was not just. God's just. Almighty God, the Father, forsook
Him. Why? Because there was sin. And He is of purer eyes than
to behold iniquity. He forsook Him. We believe that
He was buried. And three days later, God raised
Him from the dead. He was raised for or because
of our justification. God Almighty raised Him, accepted. Accepted His sacrifice. Accepted
His substitutionary death. Accepted it. And God raised Him
from the dead. And we who were chosen in Him
from the foundation of the world, and we never left. Your dad said
that so many times. Where God puts a man, that's
where God keeps a man. Now you think about this. We
were chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world.
Always, always that mysterious union with Him. Always in that
mysterious vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ, betrothed
Himself to us eternally as our Husband. Here is the Bride eternally,
eternally His. He saw her in the fall. Still
in Him. And Adam's fall could never negate
that vital union of grace and mercy. God's purpose, God's truth. Never changed that. Never changed
it. And here we are in Him. When
He came into this world, still in Him. He walked this earth,
still in Him. He obeyed God. We were in Him. He went to the
cross. Paul said, I was crucified with
Him. I was with Him. Buried with Him. Raised with
Him. Ascended with Him. How can that be? God's eternal?
God sees all things eternally. It's always the I Am with Him. We profess that the Holy Spirit
is surely going to call out of spiritual darkness everyone that
the Father chose and the Son redeemed. The Spirit of God is
going to reveal it to them. He's going to get them under
the sound of the gospel. He's going to call them. He's going
to bring them. How did you get here? He puts
you here. Why are you sitting here tonight?
He puts you here. And when He's pleased, to whom
He's pleased, He's going to bless this message. And it's not going
to be just words. The Spirit of God is going to
bless this message in power. And a believer is going to say,
I believe that. I have a heart for that. I have
a love for that. And I can't do without that. We believe that Almighty God
is going to keep His people until the day of redemption. Now let me ask you what we're
exhorted to do. in verse 23, let us hold fast
that profession of faith. Now, obviously, we hold fast
because He holds us by power and grace. I promise you, my
friend, if He did not hold us, we would not hold Him. A believer
knows something about the preciousness of Him holding the center. We know that. We confess that. I know to be separated from Him
is to be dead. I can't be. But there is something
precious about knowing that I've always been joined to Him, though
I don't understand the depth of it, always knowing that He
ever beheld His people. He ever saw Him in mercy. And
a heart regenerated by the grace of God longs for His presence
and says, with Jacob, I cannot let you go unless you bless me. God's people persevere in the
faith that's kept vessels of mercy. And all the while, they
know, holding fast to this profession, let us hold fast the profession
of our faith without wavering. All the while, they know, Almighty
God who has called me by grace, keeps me by grace, and all the
while, they're striving to enter in
at the straight gate. Matthew 7, 13, 14. Listen to
this. Enter ye in at the straight gate. For wide is the gate, and broad
is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat. Because," or how, the word because
there means how, how straight is the gate, and narrow is the
way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. I don't know how many times I've
read that Scripture, enter into the straight gate. I looked up straight gate. I
just looked it up. I thought, I want to look at
that again. What do you mean straight gate? It means compressed. It means tight. It means restricted. It means the exacting gate. The Lord Jesus Christ, we know
this, is the straight gate. He is the compressed, tight,
restricted, exacting. He is the door of life. By Him alone, we know this, we
have access to the Father. We know that. The straight gate,
that narrow, compressed, tight, exacting, is exactly as wide
as Christ. And it is as narrow as Christ. You say, what do you mean? Why
are you saying that? Because I mean this, there is
nothing else that is added to Him. who is the straight gate. There's nothing else. The straight
gate is only as wide as or as narrow as the Lord Jesus Christ. You try to add one thing to Him. You try to add anything concerning
your obedience. That is not the straight gate. The Scripture says, Enter ye
in at the straight gate. For wide is the gate, all of
man's imaginations, whatever you can concoct, whatever you
think, some vain, impotent works or ideas as to salvation, many
there be that find that. But with Christ, it's Him only. It's nothing else. I'm telling
you, You listen to what men or women place their salvation in,
and it will amaze you. I was watching a documentary
last night on a religious sect, and I'm telling you, it was the
most eye-opening thing to me to find out what men by nature,
and that's just one of them. how men are thinking that they
can earn their way to heaven. That they can do something. That
they can be separate enough. That they can be peculiar enough. That they can be righteous enough
or holy enough or obedient enough. We hold fast our profession without
wavering. God's people convinced of God's
mercy and grace to them. And all the while, while they
are absolutely convinced, they give diligence to make their
calling and election sure. We press toward the mark for
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. And we're exhorted
to do this without wavering. Now that right there, as I'm
winding this down, without wavering. Now you know if there was no
need to be exhorted in that area of without wavering, if there
was no need for the Spirit of God to say that, He wouldn't
have said it. Now there's something about what He just said. Let
us hold fast the profession of our faith. Now we understand
that. Without wavering. For He is faithful
that promised. Now we're confident of the fact
that our Lord has promised eternal life. And I will tell you this,
salvation is by the grace of God and there's absolutely no
possibility that God's elect, that God's regenerated saints
are ever going to be lost. They're not. They're not. We're
confident of the fact that our Lord has promised He will never
leave us and never forsake us. We are convinced of that. What is being said concerning
without wavering? I know this, that sin Satan the
world ever seeks to tear us away from our Savior. I know that. I've got, there's a nature in
me and there's one in every believer in here that's got a nature that
wants to run, that wants to leave, that wants to wander. As I've
said before, be honest with yourself. You don't want to say anything
to me, just be honest with yourself. How much do you struggle to pray?
Tell me about that nature in you that wants to wander, that
wants to leave, that doesn't want to be there. that just,
you know what I'm saying. So what does it mean to hold
fast without wavering? Without wavering? When Barnabas came to Antioch,
why does the Scripture say when he had seen the grace of God
and was glad, why did he exhort them all that with purpose of
heart that they would cleave unto the Lord. Why? Why did He say that? Why were
the apostles in Acts 14 confirming the souls of the disciples and
exhorting them to continue in the faith and telling them that
we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God?
Here's the answer. And remember this. Don't ever
forget God is going to keep His people. Salvation is not a possibility. Salvation is a reality of God's
elect. God is going to say, I will give
them eternal life. They're never going to perish.
Now we know that. We're sure of that. So why did
He say let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering? Now remember, He's talking to
believers here. Here's what it is. He who has ordained the end,
the end of our souls, has also ordained the means to that end. The Lord is going to keep His
people. And I'm going to tell you right
now, he who has ordained that end also ordained the way that
they were going to be kept to that end. Without a doubt, the Lord is
going to bring His people to Himself. Is that right or is
that wrong? Is God going to save His people? Yes. Why are we here tonight in preaching?
Because He ordained the means by which He was going to do that.
through the foolishness of preaching. You mean to tell me that Almighty
God who eternally purposed that He was going to save His people has ordained that through the
preaching of the gospel that Paul said, I'm not ashamed of,
that that's necessary? Absolutely. Absolutely. We preach. When we come And we consider
that Almighty God has chosen to show mercy and compassion
to whomsoever he will. And that we're regenerated by
the grace of God in time. And that the Lord is surely going
to preserve us. And that he has ordained that
this journey in this wilderness is going to be according to faith
and faithfulness. God's people are going to hunger
and they're going to thirst after righteousness without wavering
from hungering and thirsting after righteousness. God's people
are not just stoic, just not caring, not moved. They're going
to make much without wavering. They're going to make much. of
the means of His grace. Do you believe that Almighty
God is going to keep you to the end? Yes, I do. Yes, I do. But you are to sit and hear the
preaching of the Gospel and to grow in grace without wavering. Do you believe that Almighty
God is going to keep you and never leave you nor forsake you?
Yes, I do. But without wavering, when you
pray, enter into your closet. Do you believe that Almighty
God is going to forgive you daily and cleanse you of the taint
of sin that we have and pick up because of the presence? Do
you believe that? Yes, I do. He said if we confess
our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins. We are
to, without wavering, we make much of the means of God's grace
and God's mercy. If you were going to plant a
plant, you say, well, that's a plant right there. It'll grow. I would recommend that you fertilize
it and water it, prune it, whatever is necessary. for that plant. God has ordained means. Let us hold fast the profession
of our faith without wavering. For He is faithful that promised. His people are going to be kept.
He's faithful. His people will absolutely be
where He is. He is faithful. But you're going
to find that the faithful objects of God's mercy, made so by grace,
they're going to struggle every day with sin. They're going to struggle every
day, and they're going to long every day to enter in at the
straight gate. Hold fast the profession of your
faith without wavering, for faithful is He that promised. We do. We must make much of the means
of God's grace. We're here this evening. Just where two or three are gathered
together, I'm in the midst. Let me tell you something. Almighty
God has ordained, and we'll deal with this next time. That's the
next Let Us. Next week, Not Forsaking, the
assembling of ourselves together. It is absolutely imperative that
God's people meet together. There is something about meeting
together with God's people. I don't want to get into next
week's service. I'll rush. But I'm telling you, praying,
reading His Scriptures, hearing the Gospel preached, seeking
the Lord, asking for forgiveness. We know this. He has ordained
the means to the end. Let us hold fast the profession
of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful. May the Lord
bless these words to our hearts. For Christ's sake, Amen.