I please the Lord to bless our
souls this evening as we consider his word. Let us turn to the
epistle of Paul to the Hebrews chapter 13 and reading verse
13. Paul's epistle to the Hebrews
chapter 13 and reading verse 13. Let us go forth therefore
unto him without the camp bearing his reproach. The Apostle draws our attention
in this chapter to that which occurred really to the Lord Jesus
Christ and we read For we have an altar
whereof they have no rights to eat which serve the tabernacle.
For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the
sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the
camp." Go back to the situation before the death of the Lord
Jesus, when those sacrifices were carried out, that atonement
was made, and the bodies of those beasts were carried out and burnt
without the camp. That means outside of the city. Indeed it was a place where the
ashes were to be found. So we know that the Lord Jesus
Christ himself also was sacrificed outside the city gate. on that place called Calvary. And we read, wherefore Jesus
also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood,
suffered without the gate. The Lord Jesus Christ then suffered
himself outside of the city of Jerusalem. He went outside and
suffered without the gate. And the Apostle addresses us
in this way, let us, that really means the whole Church of God,
let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp bearing
his reproach. What does it mean? Well surely
it means that whereas Jerusalem was the city and a comfortable
place generally to abide in, Yet there was a going outside,
outside into that place called Golgotha, the place of a skull,
the place where the ashes were. And so we today are caused to
go forth, not abiding in perhaps a comfortable environment ourself,
but recognising that we are to go forth therefore unto Him without
the camp. bearing his reproach. That means
to be joined with the Lord Jesus Christ, to endure in measure
what he endured, to be amongst those who know what it is to
have fellowship with his sufferings. The true Christian life is not
one of comfort and ease. It is one of sacrifice. the Lord Jesus Christ, He made
that great sacrifice. He gave His life as that sacrifice
for the sins of His people. And my friends, today we indeed
are called to offer up ourselves unto God as a living sacrifice,
wholly acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. How often we fail, do we not,
to follow the glorious direction that the Word of God gives to
us. Perhaps we look at ourselves
and think, well, I really live afar off. I'm not living close. I'm not really enjoying communion
and blessing with the Lord, that perhaps I think I should, or
perhaps I pray for, there may often be that coldness, there
may often be that apathetic spirit, because we haven't really observed
the truth of God's Word. Or if we have, we haven't really
followed it forth, followed it out, We've remained where we
are. We've stayed in our little comfortable
place, our little easy surroundings. There's been no sacrifice. There's
been no going forth. And yet, somehow we expect the
blessing. Well, here we have this admonition. Let us go forth therefore unto
Him. It's not therefore a lonely place. The Lord Jesus went out and he
was there by himself in that solitary place. But here we have
this statement, let us go forth unto him, unto the Lord Jesus
Christ. It is then a place without the
camp, without the city wall, without our home. The camp really
refers to, if you like, our place of abode, our own homes, And
we are to go forth, therefore, unto him without the camp. It comes back, does it not, to
how we esteem Christ. How do we esteem Christ? What
think ye of Christ is the test to try both your work and your
scheme. You cannot be right in the rest,
unless we think rightly of Him. And how often we think wrongly
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We may be surprised perhaps to
think that we do think wrongly, but we often do think wrongly,
and we often do not listen to the gracious Word of God, because
this path is a path of blessing. This is a path of union with
Christ. You see, we often pray, perhaps,
that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour, Jesus Christ. But we sit on the sidelines. We remain in a position perhaps
not in accordance with a true follower of the Saviour. We have here in this chapter
really confirming what we know was spoken of in the Gospels,
the Lord Jesus Christ going forth without the camp, where he was
crucified, and now as we read, wherefore Jesus also that he
might sanctify the people in his own blood, suffer without
the gate. It was the ordained way that
the Saviour should go. And he went forth willingly to
do his Father's will. Let's never forget the willingness
of the Saviour. Whatever the cost, however great
the cost, the Saviour was willing to do his Father's will. And the cost was as great a cost
as could ever be anticipated and ever be found to be true. The Lord Jesus, He didn't look
back. He didn't go back. He went forward. He went outside the city gate. And there He suffered. And there He died. and there
he gave his life through the shedding of his precious blood
so that today you and I may receive that gift of eternal life. It is a most wonderful blessing
to think that we receive a gift of eternal life. When the Lord
Jesus has finished preaching to his disciples on that Passover
night in the upper room. He then prayed to his father. He prayed to his father and what
a glorious prayer it was. And he starts by saying, Father,
the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son
also may glorify thee. The great concern was that God
the Father, Son, God the Father should be glorified. That was
the great desire of the Son. And may our desire to be to glorify
the Son. He says, as thou hast given him
power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as
many as thou hast given him." Give eternal life. He suffered without the gate,
so that he might give eternal life. And that eternal life was
to a certain number. It was a number that no man can
number, but it was a special number. and it was a number that
had been given him to as many as thou hast given him. The Father
gave the Son these people to redeem. An elect number, a number
from all eternity that had been elected who the Saviour should
die for. And here we have this statement,
as many as thou hast given him, no more and no less. And this is life eternal, that
they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
thou hast sent. sometimes we may think in a rather
airy-fairy thought of what eternal life means, the gift of eternal
life, and how it was brought about by the death of the Saviour,
suffering without the camp. But to realise also that this
is eternal life, that we might know the only true God and Jesus
Christ whom thou hast sent." Now that's not airy-fairy, is
it? That is a very positive statement and it is a very necessary statement. It is a very vital fact that
you and I must know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom
he has sent and that in a personal way You can't borrow someone
else's religion. You can't rest on someone else's
experience. It is a personal gift of eternal
life. It is a personal knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a personal knowledge of
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. What an
important aspect it is. How easily we can pass over it
and not realise the important implications of personally knowing
the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, your Saviour, my Saviour. That one then who suffered without
the camp. Such a statement will mean nothing
to us unless the Holy Spirit of God has come and convinced
us of our need of a Saviour by showing us our utter and complete
failure, our hopeless state, our terrible condition, that
we are a sinner lost and ruined and we need a Saviour. and then to come praying that
we might indeed be blessed with this knowledge that we have been
amongst those who have been given the gift of eternal life and
we have in our heart the evidence that we know the only true God
and Jesus Christ whom thou sent It could have been stated that
we might know God. But you see, there are many gods in this world.
But there's only one true God. There's only one true Jesus Christ. There's only one true Holy Spirit. And how important it is that
each of us come to a saving knowledge. A saving knowledge of the Lord
Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ goes on
to say, I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished
the work which thou gavest me to do. God the Father gave his
Son a work to do. My friends, that Son did not
flinch from that work. He set his face as a flint toward
Jerusalem, knowing what he was to endure there. He never went
back. He never looked back. He went
forward. What a gracious and glorious
Saviour we had. And what was it for? To save
our souls. To give us the gift of eternal
life. And therefore, we have this word
tonight. Let us Let us go forth. Is it going forth? Is it not
sitting still? Is it not staying? Is it going
forth, therefore? Is it going forth, therefore,
because of the Saviour? The Saviour went forth. The Saviour suffered. The Saviour
endured the cross, despising the shame. And my friends, if
you and I are a true follower of the Saviour, if we are one
of those for whom He has given His glorious life, that we might
receive life, the word to us tonight is, let us go forth therefore. To go forth, to be numbered,
with the Lord Jesus Christ as his people, as his disciples,
one of those who truly desire to be found with and following
a despised and crucified man. So let us go forth therefore. It's a movement, isn't it? to
not staying still, to going forth, the cost may be high. My friends,
it's worthwhile, because the prize at the end of the road
is glory. The truth is, it brings union
with Christ, fellowship with Christ. Here we have this statement
you see, that we might know the only true God and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent. And the truth is, if we are to
know this in any true way, then the exhortation is for us to
go forth, therefore, unto him without the camp. Yes, as I often
say, true Christianity is costly. Think what it cost the Lord Jesus
Christ. Think what it cost him, his life,
and think what he endured throughout his life. It was costly. He endured, didn't he? He endured
until the end. Yes, he didn't back away from
it. He didn't turn away from the cross. He knew he had to
suffer. And the prospect of that suffering
was so great to his human nature. And it's encouraging for us today
to realise that the Lord Jesus did have a human nature. And we see that in its brightest
hue in that garden of Gethsemane, very shortly after this prayer
the Lord Jesus Christ offered up to his father. And there,
being in an agony, human form, being in agony. If we saw one
of our friends or perhaps one of our relations, perhaps husband
or wife or our children in that situation, being in agony and
as it were, dropping great drops of blood to the ground, I wonder
how we would feel. What would our response be? Will
we not try and alleviate their sufferings? Will we not try and
perhaps go alongside and encourage them? And yet this man, the Lord
Jesus Christ, he suffered so greatly in that solitary way, and yet he was willing to do
his father's will. If it be possible, let this cut
pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but
thine, be done. Here we have this exhortation.
Let us go forth, therefore, unto him without the camp. Are we willing? Are we saying
tonight, O Lord, not my will, but thine, be done. Whatever
the cost, however high, however difficult, grant me that strength. We know that there were those
angels which came to strengthen the Lord Jesus. And my friends,
you and I, as we go forth unto Him, without the camp, there
will be that strength given to do that which we might have thought
was an impossibility. The Lord gives strength. The
Apostle Paul knew that. The Apostle Paul had faced many
oppressive times in his life, but he was able to declare, I
can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. We may perhaps
think that we are weak. We are in and of ourselves. We
have no strength at all. It's right to realise our utter
and complete helplessness and weakness and inability to do
anything right or good in and of ourselves. But remember, we
can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. So we have
the glorious statements of the Lord Jesus, how he says, And
now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the
glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world."
And this, my friends, is the manifestation that the Lord gives
to us. The manifestation that he has
died for us. The manifestation that he's gone
out without the camp, and now he calls us to join in that place. Let us therefore now go unto
him without the camp, Thine they were, and thou gavest them thee,
and they have kept thy word." What a wonderful statement that
is, isn't it? Yes, they kept the word of the
Lord. Well, my friends, we have to
answer, don't we, before God ourselves? These are the words
of the Saviour, and they have kept thy word. That means they
followed the way that the Lord has set before them. And he says,
for I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me. The
Lord gives to his people his words. They're different to each
one, but they have the same meaning. Given unto them the words which
thou gavest me, and they have received them. What a blessing
it is, therefore, to receive this favour. The Lord has given
us a word and we've received it. We haven't rejected it. The devil will try and reject
it. The devil will say, you can't grasp hold of that. You can't
take that word. You're just too unworthy. You
don't deserve, in any event, that's not meant for you. The
devil, my friends, is always at our right hand and always
trying to turn us away. Remember the words of the Saviour. Don't listen to the devil. Listen
to the words of the Saviour. Now they have known But all things
whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee." It's a personal
application of the Word of God to our souls, so that we may
be blessed with that realisation that to go forth therefore unto
Him without the camp is a path of blessing. It's not a path
of evil, it's a path of good. It doesn't mean to say there
won't be difficulties. There will be difficulties. Look what the
Saviour passed through. Look what He endured. But He
did His Father's will. And this is what He says, I pray
for them. I pray for them. The Lord Jesus, the Ruler of
the Universe, praying for unworthy sinners like you and me. What
love. What love. Amazing. What grace. What mercy. That such a Saviour,
who is indeed mighty to save. I pray for them. And all mine
are thine, and thine are mine. I am glorified in them. Let us
not forget that. You see, the Saviour is glorified
in our life. Here we have this, let us go
forth therefore unto him without the camp. Why? So that we might
glorify his name because of what he's done. Because he's called
us to go forth, therefore unto him without the camp. Not to
remain in some easy, comfortable lifestyle, remembering our life
is but a vapour. It will soon be finished. It
will soon pass away. We don't want to come to our
dying day with regrets on a death bed, do we? We don't want to
say, well, of course that wasn't for me, or of course I didn't
do that, and of course I wasn't able or willing to do that. The
Lord tells us we're made willing in a day of His power. And my
friends, that power is when the word of life comes into our hearts
and we are given that grace to receive it. And therefore, then
as we go forth unto Him without the camp, it brings glory to
our God. Never forget, never forget our
lives are for the glory of God. And so he says, and now I am
no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come
to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those who now
has given me, that they may be one as we are. One union with
Christ. That's what it means, doesn't
it? I think that here the Saviour prays for this. My friends, the
Saviour's prayers are answered. And we know, therefore, that
they will come to pass. And so may we be encouraged to
hear such a word as this, to go forth, therefore, unto Him. It's not to anyone else. It's
not to impress people, to say, well, here I am, I've arrived. No. You'll come to the Saviour
and you'll bow down and you'll worship. You'll worship because of what
He's done in saving your soul, in calling you out of the darkness
of nature into the glorious light of the everlasting Gospel. All
mine are thine. and thine are mine." Just think
of that. Joined to Christ. No separation. And I am glorified
in them. Oh, it's important, isn't it,
for us to realise such a truth as that in our little life on
this earth. You know how often we are so
self-sensitive and selfish, really. Was the Saviour selfish? Did
he go about pleasing himself? Not at all. He did his father's
will. His concern was to glorify his
father, whatever the cost. The cost was that he should sacrifice
his life, give his life, in order to satisfy the holy demands of
the law of God. And so he says, and now come
I to thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might
have my joy fulfilled in themselves. There is a joy. It's a joy of
the answer of good conscience. It's a joy to know that the Lord
Jesus Christ That great God has looked upon us in our lowest
state, has had compassion on us. He's come to us where we
were, like that picture of that man that fell among thieves and
was left half-dead. He was a good Samaritan and he
came where he was. He came where he was and he bound
up his wounds, pouring oil and wine, Yes, the truth of the gospel. Pouring in oil and wine the glorious
words of truth. Said he went his own ass and
took him to the inn. Yes, the wonderful example we
have. Lord Jesus Christ, he comes to
us where we are. He knows where we are. He knows
where you are, He knows where I am. And so, here we have such
a statement as this, that we might therefore receive this
word to go forth, therefore unto Him, without the camp. It's not a question of going
outside to the camp, you know, just there by self. No, it's
unto Him. Don't forget that. It's unto
Him. And therefore, It'll be a place
of blessing because you'll be with Christ. You'll learn of
Him. You won't learn of Him by still
staying as it were at home with the door shut and all wrapped
up. No, it's a question of going
forth, going out to be linked to the Saviour, to be joined
to the Saviour. And so the Apostle says that
us, well the Apostle could write this couldn't he, from a full
heart and a full conscience, as he had forsaken all. Yes, and wouldn't he say, he
counted it but dung and dross for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus his Lord. How valuable is Christ to us. How valuable is Christ? Well,
Christ was really valuable to the Apostle Paul. Is he valuable
to you and me tonight? Do we esteem him above everything
else? If we truthfully do, then I believe
we shall be willing to forsake all, and we shall be willing
Therefore, to hear such an exhortation, and to go forth, therefore, unto
him without the camp." Well, the Lord Jesus in this glorious
prayer, he then says, Father, I will that they also whom thou
hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my
glory which thou hast given me. for thou lovest me before the
foundation of the world." And Lord Jesus desires that his people
would indeed be with him. Yes, they'll be with him through
all eternity, to sing his praises and to thank him for all that
he's done in saving their soul, delivering them from the wrath
to come. Let us go forth, therefore, unto
him without the camp. Bearing his reproach. Bearing his reproach. There is
a reproach to bear. A true follower of Christ has
a reproach to bear. The Lord Jesus was reproached
in his life. My friends, may we know what
it is. to suffer reproach for the name
of Christ. Well, it's not easy, is it? We
don't want to suffer reproach, but here we have this statement
here. Bearing his reproach, we should
esteem it a privilege and a blessing to be counted worthy to suffer
for his sake. And it means bearing his reproach. It's not a new experience. It's
an experience which the Saviour faced and endured. And should we expect to have a different
life? If we're following the Lord Jesus
Christ, don't forget He gave His life that we might live And
therefore, surely, if we are going to follow that glorious
man, if we are beholding the Lord Jesus Christ, then surely
we should count it a privilege to therefore suffer for his sake
and to be found like this, bearing his reproach. It really brings
us into communion and union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Because
without it, we don't really understand. We don't really appreciate the
cost of our salvation. We don't really value what the
Lord Jesus Christ has done. But when we come into this place,
when we come into this place where we are called to bear his
reproach, we then have a little view of what our salvation cost
the Saviour. We then have an understanding
of the value of our salvation. Let us therefore go forth unto
him without the camp bearing his reproach. It's important,
isn't it, that we're given the full picture. We're not left
to think, well, I can go forth without the camp, it'll be an
easy ride, and I should be alright there, and it's quite easy. Not
at all. The Lord sets before us the true
picture. And he gives us the full impression
of what it's going to be. It's going to be reproach. But
my friends, it's reproach for the name of Christ. And you know,
if you and I are reproached, all our life is but a short time. Eternity is before us. Our life
is a short time. May we therefore receive that
grace to hear such a word as this. Let us go forth therefore
unto Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, without the camp and bearing
his reproach. It is a place of blessing. There is quite clearly the wonderful
inference here because it is being joined to Christ and it
must therefore be a time of blessing. And he just goes on and says,
for here we have no continuing city but we seek one to come.
Doesn't that put a real complexion on the whole situation. It really
displays to us the difference between time and eternity. If we're only concerned about
time and our life on this earth, and the comfort that we have
in this life, then there will be no glory for us. There will be no the city to come. But if we are a true pilgrim,
if we are a true pilgrim on this earth, then this will not be
our rest. We will not want it to be our
rest. The worldly man wants this to be his rest. He doesn't want
to leave. He wants to enjoy life. He wants
to enjoy life to the full. He wants to enjoy every moment
of his natural life. He doesn't want to leave this
earth. But the truth is, this word is
here before us. Here have we no continued city,
but we seek one to come, and that is a glorious city, a glorious
place. Heaven itself, where the Saviour
will be forever and ever. And it's a wonderful thought,
isn't it, to look forward to that place where there is no
sin, no sorrow, no sighing. And we shall see the Lamb of
God that taketh away the sin of the world. And there, as we
read in Revelation, that Lamb was in the midst of the throne.
And yes, those elders, they lay their crowns before him. crying,
Hallelujah, the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. And so, it's a beautiful
thought, isn't it? For those who are blessed with
this grace to go forth, therefore, unto Him without the cap, bearing
His reproach, remembering what Christ has done, remembering
His great atoning sacrifice, remembering the cost of His shed
blood, and then to think that one day, by His grace, we shall
be with Him in glory. And now, we are hearing this
word of admonition, of encouragement to us today. Remember, it's the
example of the Saviour, wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify
the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. There's
the example and the word now says to you and me, let us go
forth therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach
for here have we no continuing city but we seek one to come
by him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to
his name. We have a lot to give thanks
for, don't we? We have much to praise God for, don't we? For
his great love, wherewith he loved us, for his glorious grace,
and for his wonderful mercy. We have much cause, don't we,
to praise our God. And so, may we tonight hear this
word, may it come home to us each one in whatever condition
we're in in life. May we hear his word and be willing
to forsake all and to go forth therefore unto him without the
camp bearing his reproach. Amen.