You know, I was thinking as we
were singing that song, a man or a woman regenerated
by the grace of God who may be a babe in Christ, newly regenerated, they believe
God. They believe God. I mean, no
man, no woman can believe God without being regenerated. That's
the evidence of regeneration, faith. They believe Him. But
you know, it's because of the grace of God,
because of a new heart. It is by that new heart, mind and will, it's very
comfortable to believe God, to believe that God is able, to
believe that He is able, to believe that He is able. You know when
the hard part comes? It's when you're in a situation
and you've got to believe Him. That's the tough part. I was
talking to somebody the other day a very dear friend of mine,
a preacher. And he said, you know, for a
believer, by the grace of God, it's very comfortable to believe that God elects a
people. He said, you know the tough part
is learning to love them and forgive them. That's strong meat
right there. Milk of the Word believes that
God Almighty elects. The tough part is loving them,
forgiving them. I thought, you know, that's so
true. Yeah. Casting all your care upon Him,
He careth for you. Boy, we'll say amen to that,
won't we? And then when we have to do it, that's when it gets
trying to cast your care. Bring your burdens to the Lord
and leave them there. Man, I'm telling you, that's
saying is real easy. And we do sing that and we love
that. We feast on that. But, oh, the
trial of our faith to have to be brought to believe God. May
the Lord be pleased to give us a heart to believe Him in that
hour of need, in that hour of desperate need. Let's pray together. Our Father, it's so good to be able to call
on You. Oh, the comfort of knowing that
You hear and that You care. And that, Lord, that You're able
to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we ask or think. Father, tonight, would You bless
this Word? Would You bless it to our heart? Cause us to hear. Lord, stir
our hearts. Oh, as you did to the two on
the road to Emmaus, would you do that for us tonight? Lord,
that we might truly say from the heart that has been inflamed
by the Spirit of God, it's been good to have been in the house
of the Lord. with those that have been mentioned,
for those that are sick, June, for Don, Margaret, those that,
Lord, are recovering, how tender it is to be able to say with
a heart, Lord, if You will, You make me clean. Speak, we ask
tonight, for Christ's sake. Amen. Tonight I would like to look
at Hebrews 5, verse 9. One verse of Scripture. Hebrews
5, 9. I have entitled this message,
The Author of Eternal Salvation. The Author of Eternal Salvation. This is what Hebrews 5, 9 says,
And being made perfect. He became the author of eternal
salvation unto all them that obey Him. The Scripture reveals, and we
know that this is so, that the Lord Jesus Christ made likened to his brethren. He actually came and walked on
this earth and obeyed God. He actually, the scripture says,
verse 8, though he were a son, son of God, being a man yet learned he obedience
by the things which he suffered." He actually experienced. It wasn't hypothetical with the
Lord Jesus Christ. He actually, by faith, the Spirit
of God was given him without measure. And he absolutely experienced,
learned. That's what that means. He learned
obedience by experience. You know, you only know what
you experience. Been a few of you come to me
at different times and somebody would say something, you know,
well, I've got this situation. Not always, but often. I said, yeah, I've been there.
I know how you feel. I've experienced that. That's a tough situation. But
let me tell you from experience, the Lord's grace is sufficient. You'll be okay. The Lord Jesus
Christ knew what it felt like to not
have any place. call his own and lay his head.
Foxes had dens. Birds had nests. Son of man had
no place. He knew what it was like to be
lied on. He knew what it was like to be
tempted of the devil. He knew what it was like to be
betrayed by one that called you his friend. He learned obedience. by the
things that he suffered. The reason that he had to experience all of these things is that he
might be our great high priest. One who is able to represent
the people, the elect of God, Perfect wisdom, perfect obedience,
perfect knowledge, perfect, perfect, perfect. The high priest represented
the people before God, and as a representative, he had to know
them perfectly. He was made like unto his brethren
in all points, all points. tempted like we are, yet without
sin. Well, the Scripture says concerning
him who he had learned, experienced by obedience the things that
he suffered, and being made perfect. Being made perfect. Now, before
we go any farther, Let's let's just consider something for just
a second here. There's a truth that set forth
concerning that phrase being made perfect. We don't we don't
doubt one second. We know that our Lord. Based
on the authority of his father's word, this is my beloved son
whom I'm well pleased. You hear him. The Lord Jesus
Christ said, I do always only those things that please my Father. He never transgress. We just read, He was tempted
in all points like as we are, yet without sin. We do not for
one second ever doubt the absolute holiness and perfection of our
blessed High Priest. But this phrase right here, being
made perfect, it doesn't mean perfect in the sense that we
just spoke of in the holiness, though there's no doubt of His
holiness. We know that. But this word here,
being made perfect, that word actually means a couple of words
I'll use here to tell you what it means. It actually means to
fulfill. Here's another scripture that
uses the word fulfilled in the same meaning as perfect. Luke 2.43, And when they had
fulfilled the days as they returned, the child Jesus carried behind
in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother knew it not. It means
fulfilled. The word perfect here in Hebrews
5.9, it also means to finish. John 4.34, Jesus says unto them,
My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me and to finish
His work, to complete it. So the word perfect that we're
looking at in Hebrews 5.9, being made perfect, it means to fulfill,
to finish, to complete, to accomplish. He was actually sent into this
world. to do the will of His Father
and to finish the work. That word, perfect, sets forth
that the One who was appointed, He was appointed. He was appointed. Look at 5 verses 4 and 5. No man taketh this honor unto
himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron, so also
Christ glorified not Himself. to be made an high priest. But he that said unto him, Thou
art my Son, today have I made you so, begotten you." The Lord Jesus Christ was appointed
unto that office by His Father and He fulfilled. All the obligations
that was required by the Father in the accomplishment. Accomplishment
of what? Well, the redemption of His people. Hebrews 2.10, For it became Him,
it was fitting, for Him for whom are all things and by whom are
all things in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain
of their salvation perfect, the one who is accomplished, bringing
to an end through sufferings. All that was required, he absolutely fulfilled, accomplished,
being made perfect. To show him to be the designated,
chosen, and appointed Savior, Redeemer, and surety. That's
what that word perfect means. Being made perfect. Shown to
be the one who was the accomplisher. That's what it was. Being made
perfect. He became, the Scripture says,
the author. of eternal salvation unto all
them that obey Him." Being made the Causer. Now let me tell you what is set
forth in this glorious passage of Scripture. The Father everlastingly loved a people. You know that. Chose them in
the Lord Jesus Christ. And in that eternal covenant
of grace, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, the triune God,
in that eternal covenant, salvation was absolutely purposed absolutely
set forth to be that which the Lord Jesus Christ would accomplish. The Father first trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. And
the Scripture sets forth and says here that He was the author,
author and finisher. You know, whenever a man is going
to write a book, He's got a theme that he's going
to write about. He's got his characters. He's
got the environment. And he writes down in that book
everything. He just lays it right out. Here's
the opening. And here's the development. And here's the end of it. Here's
the conclusion of it. And he takes that and he writes
it down. The author. The author. The one who absolutely
wrote the book. And here is the Lord Jesus Christ
and the Father whose eternal will and purpose it was to have
a people out of every nation and kindred and tribe and tongue.
And He gave them to the Son. And in that perfect agreement
of that everlasting covenant, all power. Listen to this. The Father gave the Son. the responsibility. He's the
surety. You're the appointed High Priest. He was appointed to that office.
The Father trusted in Him. First to trust in Him and gave
Him the responsibility of bringing many sons unto the Father. and to make them to be holy and
without blame before Him in love, to take upon Himself all the
responsibility of their salvation, everything that it was going
to take, all in that everlasting covenant. And here is something
that is so indescribably wonderful and personal. Here is the One
that was there. I said a few weeks ago, the One
who was there in that eternal covenant of grace. I
don't know how to say it. The Son Himself. The Word Himself. God who at sundry times and diverse
manners has spoken to us through the prophets. in these last days
spoken unto us by His Son. And everything that we know,
everything that we know, the Son who speaks the voice of Him
as the Spirit of God in perfect harmony with the Father. And the Son sets forth. And here
we find out. Here's the way it is. The Scripture
sets forth that He absolutely, by His sufferings, by His obedience,
by the things that He experienced in absolutely taking to Himself
all that was required, and the Father looked only to Him and
watched only Him and everything that He did, the Father looking to the Lord
Jesus Christ as the accomplisher. That's my beloved son, in whom
I'm well pleased to hear him. And we're told by the Spirit
of God, writing through the Apostle, that he became manifested to
be, shown to be, being made perfect, the author. author, the one that
absolutely wrote the book, the one whose absolute purpose it
was, in perfect agreement with the Father and the Spirit. I
don't know any other way to say it. Nobody would ever doubt the
unity of the Father, the Son and the Spirit. These three are
one, agree in one. The Scripture sets forth that
the Lord Jesus Christ set forth to be the author, the causer,
that He Himself absolutely purposed to be the obedient Son. He purposed it. And being, therefore,
the author, and the purposer in the redemption
of God's elect. What he absolutely purposed,
the Father gave him the responsibility. And the Scripture says, He gave
me, John 17, to power over all flesh. that He should give eternal
life to as many as Thou hast given Him. The Father gave Him
a people and the Author purposed perfect obedience in the accomplishment
of that which His Father had everlastingly decreed. And those
that He purposed to save, He purchased them. Purchased them according to God's purpose. The author of our eternal salvation. Oh, there's a blessed word. Eternal salvation. This is not
salvation. It's here today and gone tomorrow.
It's not salvation that I can that He could give me and I can
lose. No, no, no, no. This is eternal
salvation. All that the Father giveth me,
they shall come to me. Him that cometh to me, I will
in no wise cast out. Kept by the power of God. Those
that He purposed to save. I think about that woman. You
know, remember the story of the woman of the well. He must need
to go through some area. Why? Because one of His sheep
was there. He purposed. He did what He did
on purpose. Everything that God does, He
does on purpose. Why? Why did He cross your path? You that know Him. Why? Because
it was His purpose to do so. I told Jeremiah before I formed
you in the belly, I knew you. Eternal purpose. My mother and I was talking the
other day. We were riding, I guess, maybe with Glenn and them. We
was talking about how years and years ago down in South Louisiana
in the swamps, the bayous of South Louisiana. A man born into
a family that grew up in false religion. Oh, false religion. And in the indescribable mercy
of Almighty God, God was pleased in his purpose to cause for a
path to cross with a preacher. And from that, I cannot think. Man, I'm telling you, I know
a lot of people down in South Louisiana. And there's not very
many that I know, Carl. Not many of our family at all
is among them. So few. So few. Hey, we're no different than
you are. You think about the mercy of
Almighty God. God Almighty, the Author, He
purposed. And those that He purposed to
save, He purchased them with His own blood. He went to the
cross. The Scripture said the responsibility
was for their sin to be paid for. The soul that sinned is
going to die. What's going to happen? The author
of eternal salvation, the one who is the causer of it, he must
be made sin. He must die. Either they die
or he dies. Either the law has its justice
satisfied on them or on the substitute. He has made him sin for us, who
knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in Him. Our debt's got to be paid for. Our sin must be paid
for. Man, by nature, thinks that God
just sweeps it under the rug. It's okay, don't worry about
it, I'll just forget it. No. No. I'm a just God. and the author of eternal salvation. He purposed it. He purchased
it. And I'll tell you what He does
with that which He purchased. He gives it to you. He imparts life. He doesn't leave
it up to those that the Father gave Him in eternal electing
grace and those that he purposed to save and purchased with his
own blood. He does not leave it to chance
or luck or whatever else men call it. There ain't no such
thing. In the fullness of time, those
that he everlastingly held. as the surety. Those that He's
known everlastingly. Those that He purposed to save
and purchased. When it pleased Him, that's what
Paul said, when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in me, immediately
I conferred not with flesh and blood. He absolutely, by His
Holy Spirit, imparts life. The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and you hear the sound thereof, but you can't tell where it's
coming from, where it's going. So it is. Everyone is born of
the Spirit. The wind, invisible. I see the
effects of it. I see the trees blowing. The
Spirit of God, invisible, but I see the effects of it. I see
the effects, Mark, of what He does. His Word, Paul says, came not
unto you in word only, but it came in power and much assurance
and in the Holy Ghost. I see the effects of it. I see a new thought, new speech,
new hearing, new actions, new attitudes. You see the effects
of it. He imparts life. God's people,
sinners, that walk consistently, walk
with the full assurance of knowing what they are before Almighty
God. They're sinners saved by the
grace of God. That's what they are. He imparts life to them. And He keeps them under Him that's
able to keep you from falling. This is the last part of it right
here. The author, He's going to bring us to the Father. unto Him that is able to keep
you. To keep you from falling and to present you faultless
before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. Now you think about this. Being made perfect, being the
fulfiller, being the one who paid the debt, who actually The
Father that had seen the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world trusted Him. The first one to trust Him. Gave
Him a people and all power was given unto Him in heaven and
earth. That He should give eternal life to as many as the Father
had given Him. He is the author of it. He wrote
the book. He fulfilled the book. He finished
his course. Purpose to save them. Purchased
them. Imparted life to them. And he's
going to bring them to the Father. And to present them in himself
faultless. Rogues them. Rogues them. in His own righteousness, and
all they have is owing to His eternal power and grace and mercy. Salvation is of the Lord. Who does He do this for? Unto all them that obey Him. unto all them that obey him."
I quoted this scripture a while ago. My sheep hear my voice and they
follow me. There is obedience in God's people. Does that mean
that we are without sin? Oh, you know better than that.
God forbid that we say that. 1 John 1.8, if we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. What
is it to obey? Well, I'll tell you this, first
of all, it's to believe God. We walk by faith. We have no
confidence in our flesh. We know what we are. We know
that we are what we are by the grace of God. We believe on Him
that the Father has sent. We believe that salvation is
to the honor and the glory and the praise of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Lamb. To obey Him is to deny ourselves. First of all, to deny that we
have any part of salvation. That's the first thing we do.
We deny ourselves. Salvation is of the Lord. And
to take up our cross in the surrender of ourselves. And we follow after
Him. Yeah. Yeah, we do. We struggle. We do struggle. And there's times
that we're going to be faced with
situations where obedience is required. And let me tell you
this, you'll always know. You always know. I do realize that there's times
that we're praying for God's will. We're praying that the
Lord give us some direction, some guidance, But let me tell
you something, more times than not, we know. We know the right thing. You
know the right thing. You know the right thing. Be very careful about making
light of disobedience. Be very, very
careful. We're smart for it. Being made perfect, He became
the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him.
God's people long to follow after Him. Obey. As I said before, does that mean
without sin? No, no, no, no. No. We know what we are. But
I'll tell you this, we long to follow Him. We long to follow
after Him. Lord, help us. We believe, help
our unbelievers. We struggle every day. Do you
struggle? You that know the Lord, do you
struggle? I do. I struggle. Struggle. Lord, help me. Lord, have mercy
on me. Lord, order my steps today. Lord,
keep me according to Your grace and mercy and power for Christ's
sake. Amen.