I'd like to turn to Hebrews chapter
13 and just read a couple of verses from that chapter. I shall actually go back to verse
12 and read down to verse 16. I hope you can all hear me well
enough. I'm not shouting or too quiet. Wherefore Jesus also, that he
might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without
the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto
him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have
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. But to do
good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices
God is well pleased. Specifically looking at the first
part of verse 15. By him therefore let us offer
the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit
of our lips. I'd like to speak in three parts as it were
on this verse and to look at why or what do we praise God
for? What is our attitude towards
God in our praise? And then lastly to consider the
nature of sacrifice that is mentioned here. So what do we praise God
for? Well, a very conscious driving
along the motorway this morning of houses on one side and countryside
on the other, where we live. It's a particularly beautiful
area, some of you know it. And we do, I do look out and
I see in the countryside the beauty of what God has made. Yes, it's marred by man as we
look round, you see cities and that. There is some beauty actually
in cities, but really the countryside does indeed speak to the praise
of God in creation we go back over the creation account and
look at the things round about us those wonderful things that
are very small that we need instruments to look at them they're so tiny
or to look out into space into the nebulas all that the Lord
has made and we can praise God for those things that the Lord
has not just set them running but actually sustains them but
we come here to the word of God to praise God but what for? well to put it in a spiritual
context we can look back at that first reading psalm 32 blessed
is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity
and in whose spirit there is no guile. For the Lord's people
and essentially that's who we're talking about in Psalm 13. He's talking to the children
of God who are saved from their sins according to his mercy. that we have much to praise God
for in our salvation. What? It's easy sometimes to
say, we thank the Lord for his great salvation. That is true.
But what is salvation made up of? one of the first things,
I've just written a few down there are so many that we could
go through but I've just written a few down but first of all and
I want to prove these things from the scripture is the curse
of the law that is lifted from us Galatians chapter 3 verse
9 to 14 so then they which be of
faith are blessed with faithful Abraham for as many as are of
the works of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed
is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them but that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall
live by faith and the law is not of faith but the man that
doeth them shall live in them Christ has redeemed us from the
curse of the law be made a curse for us for it is written cursed
is everyone that hangeth on a tree that the blessings of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith. I trust there is no need
really in this place to remind people of what we are by nature,
that is the children of wrath. We are sinners, sinners from
birth. We are sinners who can do nothing
else other than sin. And that whatever way we might
seek to please God, it is only that which is come through faith,
it is only Christ who the curse of the law is redeemed by it's
only christ who stood in our place upon the cross as it says
christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law and it's lamentable
that so many who seem to have started with grace free and sovereign
grace have yet gone back to working the works of the law no man is
justified by the law in the sight of God is it evident for the
just shall live by faith but then we go back as many as are
in the works of the law are under the curse for it is written and
it carries on why do they go back to the law which could not
save them in the first place. I don't know. But for us, I pray
that we all maintain the faith once delivered to the saints,
which is that we live according to God's grace and his mercy
in Christ and in Christ alone. what a great blessing then that
we can speak of sins forgiven our sins placed upon Christ which
brings me to the second subheading Christ taking the penalty of
the law upon him says cursed is everyone that hangeth on a
tree in verse 13 of Galatians 3 but if we go back to 2 Corinthians
Chapter 5. We read these words in verse
21. For he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. There's a two-way imputation
which it speaks of, I think it's Romans 5 here. He hath made him
to be sin for us who knew no sin, Christ perfect, spotless,
the undefiled lamb, who hung upon the tree, took the curse
of the law, our sins upon him, the wrath of God, for our sins
in our place. That should be humbling to us,
if we think very carefully upon it. But it's not just that our
sins are placed upon him, but we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. His righteousness is imputed
to us. The gift of God, a wonderful
gift of righteousness. It's one thing to be forgiven
for our sins, and that is right but if we are only forgiven for
our sins then we only go back to as it was at the beginning
in Adam we need to be law keepers we need to be just in the sight
of God righteous and that's where the righteousness of Christ the
righteousness of God in him is given to us that cancels the debt that we
owed under the law and what a great blessing to us what a great blessing
to think upon these things that is something to praise God for when we consider if we started
our praise with thinking about what we are and then looking
at who the Lord is I remember, most of you know him, dear old
Mr. Norton, Sidney Norton, I remember
in a letter, he probably said it to several people, one look
at self, and then a hundred looks at Christ, he might have said
a thousand looks, because that's his, that was his outlook. All praise to God, I mean what
can we see in ourselves? I hope we realize that if we
think that we can take part in our salvation by doing something
it's a works, it's a works righteousness and that if we do such a thing
then we've got something to be proud of but we've got nothing
to be proud of it's a wonderful thing to think
what we are made in Christ who Christ is what he became and
now he sits at the right hand of God interceding for us what
a great saviour we have so how much we have to praise the Lord
for and then as it mentions going back to Galatians 3 I shall just
speak about it the blessing of Abraham We Gentiles, or we would
have been considered Gentiles in times past, the blessing of
Abraham has come upon the Gentiles. It wasn't just up to the time
of Christ, the knowledge of God was basically amongst the Jews
only. To them were given the word of
God, to them were given the appearances, the commandments. The rest of
the world sort of carried on with no knowledge of God. They
had the promises, they had the fathers, they had Abraham, Moses,
Isaac, Jacob. But the promise that the Lord
made to Abraham in Genesis 15, that in him, in his seed, all
the earth would be blessed, have come true. They've been fulfilled
in Christ. And that this blessing wasn't
to the Jews only because some of the Jews were saved. We acknowledge
that not all Israel are of Israel, but some are. But that promise
came and the gospel was preached to all nations in these last
days. The Jews are set aside as a nation. They're not the Lord's promised
people now. I don't believe they are. But
they're certainly not exempt from salvation. Paul was a Jew. There's Jews today who know the
Messiah. This is another thing of which
we can praise God for that he has not kept himself to the Jews
but in these last days as the gospel is preached to every tongue
and every land and in every nation. These are the promises of God.
Justification by faith. Abraham believed God and it was
counted to him for righteousness. so too for we believe God if
the Lord has stirred in us has worked faith in us then we too
are heirs together with Abraham of the eternal promise of eternal
life but these promises are in Christ and in Christ alone just
go back to Romans chapter 4 Verses 3 to 7. For what saith
the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness. even as David also described
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness
without work, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Psalm 32. And truly, We are blessed with all spiritual
blessings in Christ. One of my, I hate to say, favourite
passage in the scripture, but one that means so much to me.
A lot of people say John 3, 16, not forgetting the other verses
round about it. And it is a wonderful verse that
speaks of the love of God. But here in Ephesians chapter
1, I'll read it. It means so much to me. Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints
which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace
be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord
Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. according to the good pleasure
of his will i could carry on but i won't but think of this
to read this and have before you as it were your own life
before you were brought to salvation even your own life now but none
of us can say that we live without sin can we can you no we can't
if we're going to be honest we can't but what What wonder comes
out from this passage to me and probably to you too. It blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Where's me in that? I'm a recipient
of a gift. Have I earned anything? No. Have
I done anything? No. I've been worked on by the
Holy Spirit in the new birth. I'm a recipient of grace. I can
add nothing to it. Even my praise adds nothing to
my salvation. It doesn't mean I walk without
caring. I don't know, we're not dealing
with that. I must consider my life, my deeds,
my words, my thoughts. I can hide much. I can hide a
great deal from you. I can't hide it from the Lord.
The Lord knows my thoughts even now. And I thank the Lord for
this great blessing that I'm placed in Christ and I shall
remain in Christ according to His will. That's His will. It's
not He's going to keep me in Christ for a certain period of
time and then take me out. He's given me precious promises.
And those promises are yea and are men. There's much I could say, but
just one thing I need to say about the doctrine that we hold
to. There's not doctrines, there's
one doctrine, the doctrine of God, what is revealed in the
scriptures. And the scriptures reminded me,
I was going to say the doctrine reminds me, but no, it's the
scriptures remind me. of a bicycle wheel you may just
bear with me a second a bicycle wheel is made of a hub which
I consider God the Godhead just bear with me and then we have
the spokes which is the scriptures the doctrine of God and then
we have the rim now I don't know if you know a spoke wheel is
dependent for its strength for its character to do what it needs
to do on each spoke being a certain length a certain tension and
all the spokes to be in there if not the integrity the trueness
and the strength of the wheel is compromised and after a while
it deforms And that's what we've seen over the ages. Congregations
who messed about. I can't be but plainer. Sometimes
people feel that what I say is a bit too blunt. It's come to
my attention. I'm not bothered. We hold fast
to the doctrine, to the faith of God. Otherwise, we get deformed. We had the time of the Reformation.
I could say it was a time when somebody got hold of the wheel,
the Lord, and tuned the spokes up and got everything true. But
what happens? What happens when the church
leaves the doctrine of Christ? It deforms. We can't say it doesn't. It's praise becomes lacklustre,
it becomes superficial. I can think of many illustrations.
Look. Innocent. Let us pray for those
who've gone from us and for those we know about in other places.
But let us consider ourselves before the Lord. Let's not look
down upon others. But let us, as we come here,
week by week, and I trust to the day that the Lord takes us
home, have this in mind, that we we stand before the Lord for
ourselves we have this great privilege of interceding for
others but let us remember ourselves that we don't look down on others
but remember but apart from God's grace that's where I walk I would
have walked I should say so let us remember sovereign grace sovereign
grace so sin abounding Second point we'd like to make is ourselves,
is our attitude. Oh yes, humility. Hebrews 1 verses 5 to 8. It speaks of mighty angels. What about the mighty angels? For unto which of the angels
said he at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten
thee? And again, I will be to him a
father, and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he bringeth
in the firstborn into the world, he saith, And let all the angels
of God worship him. Unto the angels he saith, who
maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
believe in the old testament it says he even charges his angels
with folly mighty angels mighty angels bow down and worship god worship
christ if mighty angels bow down in worshiping what about ourselves
you know the big problem with arminians and arminianism and
idolatry is the big eye I, me, gets in the way of our worship.
Sinfulness. We have to bow down before the
Lord. But do we? Do we reverence God? I've gone back to Jack Daniel,
I'd say I got back to Joshua I should say. Joshua chapter 5 and there's
three passages that come to mind when we see those who do reverence
before the lord who made aware that they are speaking to the
lord there's one here in joshua one in daniel and one in revelation
joshua chapter five verses 13 to 15 and it came to
pass when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and
looked and behold there stood a man over against him with his
sword drawn in his hand and Joshua went unto him and said unto him
art thou for us or for our adversaries he is the appearance of a man
just like me or you and he said nay but as the captain at no
bay sorry nay but as captain of the host of the lord i am
now come immediately we see and joshua fell in his face to the
earth and did worship and said it to him what saith my lord
unto his servant And the captain of the Lord's host said unto
Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon
thou standest is holy, and Joshua did so. This is Christ's theophany. Why? Because Joshua fell on his
face. It wasn't an angel. If it fell
before an angel, an angel would have lifted him up and said,
Do not do that. Worship God alone. and he identifies
himself as captain of the Lord's host and if we go to Hebrews
2 verses 9 and 10 we see Christ described as the captain of I
believe the Lord's host secondly Daniel chapter 10 I'll just go
to these two examples you probably remember I hope you remember,
I should say, the Lord's appearance to John
in Revelation. Daniel 10 verses 5 to 9. Then I lifted up mine eyes and
looked, and behold, a certain man, clothed in linen, whose
loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz, His body also was like
the barrel, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and
his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in
colour to polish brass, and the voice of his words like the voice
of a multitude. And I, Daniel alone, saw the
vision, for the men that were with me saw not the vision, but
a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
therefore I was left alone and saw this great vision and there
remained no strength in me for my comeliness was turned in me
into corruption and I retained no strength yet heard I the voice
of his words and when I heard the voice of his words then was
I in a deep sleep on my face and my face toward the ground
here Daniel has a vision of Christ in his glory i'm not saying that we too should
have that same deep reaction but i might say why not this
is a sight of the messiah this is the sight of god the son this
is this is a sight of one who is utterly utterly holy do we
not bow down before him What is the states of our heart before
God? What are we? Where are we? Where
do we stand before the Lord? Are we aware of what we are? I don't mean we've got to continually
wallow. Like I said, what did Mr Norton
say? One look at self and a hundred looks at Christ. We are to look
up at Christ but we're not to forget what we are either and
in that we exalt the Lord because we praise him because he has
lifted us from out of the mire, out of the mirey pitters as David
describes it in the Psalms and what a great blessing to be placed
in the unfathomable depths of God's
mercy and the riches of his grace we i'm having to miss a lot out
we could go to philippians where we see paul describing everything he everything he was and comparing
it to the riches of God's mercy in Christ Philippians 3 5 to
9 circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the tribe
of Benjamin the Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law a
Pharisee concerning zeal persecuting the church touching the righteousness
which is in the law blameless well so he thought But what things
were gained to me? Those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus,
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do
count them, but dumb, that I may win Christ. What were those things
that were gained to? Well, it was prestige. Doesn't
the world run on prestige today? he does he counts all that at a loss
you can see the Lord in the gospel accounts how he berated the Pharisees
and he described them to himself whitewashed sepulchres look fantastic
on the outside full of dead man's bones on the inside they went
about with their long coats receiving all the praise of men And we have accounts where the
Lord sees how they took their places when they went to feasts
and that. They went to the best parts of
the rooms, the buildings that they went to. They wanted the
preeminence. And Paul had that as well. Feted
by men, worshipped by men. like somebody we know in the
United States I suppose but what an awful state to be in what
an awful state to gain the whole world and to lose your soul to
have to answer to God for your sin I can't do it I thank the
Lord that Christ will answer for me but he counts them as
dumb Lost and done. That's a pretty strong word really,
isn't it? It is. What do we consider done? We know. He counts it as absolute
nothing. And that's what we should consider
too. Not pride. Pride in what the Lord has made
me? Okay. Because I know what I was before.
i haven't got a lot to be proud about really i'm so thankful
to the lord that what i am he has worked in me for his glory
not mine must move on to then what sacrifices
so let's just be aware that we have so much to praise god for
that we need to consider our own attitude when we come in
praise towards God. Now, as I said, let's remember
those words, what we're looking at. Letters offer by Christ, that
is through Christ. We can't come to God without
coming through Christ. He's our High Priest. by him
therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually
so in Christ we might offer up praise but it says a sacrifice
of praise what's a sacrifice then well it means we've got
to give something up there's a cost to sacrifice I must admit
over the years coming from where I've come from people talked
about sacrifice and I'm not so sure that I certainly didn't
understand it but I'm pretty sure they didn't understand it
either that sacrificed egg needs a cost and this is a scriptural
point as well Paul saw together everything that he had all the
privileges of being a pharisee to gain christ i can read into paul's thinking
well it wasn't much to give up compared to what i've gained
but he still sees it you know whatever as done and it is something
wonderful it's like losing a fiver and find a hundred pounds something
like that it's much better than what was but what we gain in
Christ is so much more sacrifice cross costs go back to the old
testament and first of all to exodus chapter 30 where we see what i believe is
a picture of the church it may be that it's a type but i'm unsure
of using the word type so i will just say it is a picture and
it is a very a very good picture of the church of christ 30 verses
11 and 12 and the lord spake unto moses saying when thou takest
the sum of the children of israel after their number then shall
they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the lord when
thou numberest them, that there be no plague among them when
thou numberest them. This they shall give, every one
that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after
the shekel of the sanctuary. A shekel is twenty geras, and
half shekel shall be offered of the lord i go on to verse
14 everyone that passes among them that are numbered from 20
years old and above shall give an offering unto the lord the
rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less
than half a shekel it speaks of the numbered people the elect
of god and the shekel being made as a picture of an offering made
speaking of a ransom and here we think of the ransom for souls
that Christ made as ransom for his people everyone numbered
and known to God not known to us but known to God an offering
to make an atonement for your souls And it's, as you go back
to verse 12, every time the people of Israel were numbered, they
were to pay that ransom, that there be no plague among them
when thou numberest them. That was important. turn to that
in a moment if we go to i'm going to refer to numbers uh chapter
3 verse 40 because there's another numbering there where the first
born all those over a month what we've just read was those over
20 i think it's 20 years old in numbers it's numbering of
the first born and to every one of the first born there was to
be a levite like attached to them every person who was not
of the levites had to have a levite for them and if there was any
extra then a ransom in fact it's called redemption money was to
be paid to the temple to the sanctuary to the tabernacle to
the levites for those that were extra to the levites and there
was i think it's 200 and 250 you can read about it in number
3 verse 40 but again you know we are speaking of a sacrifice made, a cost made
and the sacrifices of the Old Testament all involved a cost
whether it be somebody's goat, somebody's heifer, somebody's
lamb it was their possession they had to give part of their
possession up for the sacrifice if they were too poor for certain
sacrifices then they were allowed to make a sacrifice of a pigeon
or two turtle doves or these things and in the Lord's time
we see that the temple, they had the money changers they buy
their sacrifice with temple money apparently as far as I understand
it you couldn't use the whatever money they used, they used temple
money and of course all the money changers made money on it but
it costs them whatever money they use there's still a cost
was made and when we come to what I mentioned just a little bit
earlier the numbering there's an occasion when we see the word
given to Moses came true. 2 Samuel chapter 24 where and it starts the anger of the
Lord was kindled against Israel and he moved David against them
to say go number Israel and Judah for the king said to Joab the
captain of the host which was with him go now through all the
tribes of Israel from Dan even to Beersheba and number ye the
people that I may know the number of the people Joab tried to withstand
but nevertheless in verse 4 the king's word prevailed And a plea
came upon Israel. Because, as I see it, there was
no offering made up, no sacrifice made, a giving of half a shekel
of the sanctuary to number the people of Israel. there needs
to be a sacrifice the people of God the spiritual Israel are
bought with a price and that price is the blood of Christ
a sacrifice made no one gets into heaven without coming through
Christ no one gets into heaven without the blood sacrifice for
their soul and that blood sacrifice is Christ no matter how many
bulls as it says in Hebrews no matter how many bulls, goats
whatever was made they continually had to be made they were ineffectual
in salvation they were they were to teach us to lead us to the place that
when Christ came that we would see Him clearly and what the
sacrifice was to recognise Him as the Messiah
who came according to all the prophecies and that we would
see in Him and not look for another to see in Him and in Him alone
the salvation of our souls come down to the end of 2 Samuel
24 where David went up as the Lord
commanded to make a an offering to stay the plague from the people
and down to Verse 23. All these things did Aruna, as
king, give unto the king. And Aruna said unto the king,
The Lord thy God accept thee. And the king said unto Aruna,
Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price. Neither will
I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which
doth cost me nothing. so david bought the threshing
floor and the oxen for 50 shekels of silver and david built there
an altar unto the lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings
so the lord was entreated for the land and the plague was stayed
from israel all i see there is christ yes it was an event but
how much it speaks of christ an offering made penalty paid
and the plagues stayed, God's wrath appeased, the curse lifted
from the people. For David sinned, that he was
their head, that he was a, use the term, a covenant head of
the people as their king, as Adam was our covenant head, as
the natural man, as Christ is our covenant head, as Israel
of God. what a great blessing that we
have to be able then to make a sacrifice of praise the fruit
of our lips sacrifice does it cost you? will it cost you? does it cost you? I can think
of many instances where it might cost us even a little thing like
giving thanks in our own homes it's one thing what about if
you go to a restaurant I'm not saying we have to go to restaurants,
but if we do, do we give thanks? It's a testimony of thanksgiving to God. It's not of our holiness before
others, and are we better than these people? No. It's towards
the Lord, and to the Lord alone. and notice that that sacrifice
of praise the fruit of our lips continually day by day hour by
hour who succeeds at that i don't i don't but giving thanks to his name
not under the law but it's the fruit of our lips but to do good
and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God
is well pleased it's our daily conversation conversation it's
not having a chat with each other it doesn't mean that it means
our daily living may the Lord grant us grace then to remember
these things and that we live in humility before God and indeed
before men as well for God's glory and for God's glory alone
and for the glory of our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ our Lord
and our risen Redeemer. Amen.