You take your Bibles and turn
me to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. We'll be looking at verses 15 through
verse 17 this morning. I really haven't thought of much
of a title for this message, but if I did, it would be, Looking
Lest We Be Like Esau. Looking unless, lest we be like
Esau. The scripture here says, looking
diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God. Lest any
root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many
be defiled. Lest there be any fornicator
or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his
birthright. For you know how that afterward,
when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected,
for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully
with tears." This is a very wonderful passage, but yet it
has its difficulties in perceiving what the apostle is writing here. Now, when he says, lest we should
fail of the grace of God, this does not mean that a person may
be saved and then lose their salvation. This is not what the
Apostle is teaching. We saw this from last week's
message. We saw the encouragement of the
Apostle to the saints here to look diligently, lest they should
fail of the grace of God. And this is not that someone
would lose their salvation. Jesus says of His elect, all
that the Father giveth me shall come to me. and him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out." He also says this in John
chapter 10. He says to the Pharisees, you
believe not because you are not of my sheep. He said, my sheep
hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give
unto them eternal life. And no man shall pluck them out
of my hand." So we know this, that those who are believers
in Jesus Christ, true believers. Now there are many pretenders,
and this is what the Apostle is talking about. He's talking
about pretenders. He's talking about people who
mimic gospel believers. And there's always this element
in the church. The Scripture says that the tares
and the wheat shall grow up together. They shall grow up together.
The Scripture talks of two distinct people, goats and sheep. And in the last day, Jesus said,
I will divide the goats from the sheep. But during this time
that we live, they grow up together. The sheep come in and the goats
mingle in together and they act like the sheep. They talk like
the sheep. They try to eat like the sheep.
But one thing about it, they're not sheep. No matter how hard they try,
they are not sheep. God's sheep are born lost, but
they are born sheep. God doesn't take goats and make
them into sheep. No, He finds His sheep. And He brings them in. This is talking of the election
of God. God has a people. And yes, we
are born lost. But we are not born goats. There are some who are goats.
Now, they may come into the fold, and they may try to buy, and
they may try to mimic the sheep. May fool the sheep, because the
sheep are stupid anyway. So, he may fool the sheep. One thing he will not do is fool
the shepherd. Jesus gives his sheep eternal
life and no man is going to take them from his hand. So, what
then is it to fail from the grace of God? It is to be found a pretender. It is to be found someone who
has a self-made faith. It is someone to be found to
pretend that he understands and has been made a partaker of the
grace of God. Now, to fail of the grace of
God is to profess to believe the gospel, but only in an outward
sense and never experience an inward working of grace. Now,
this type of person is revealed to us in Hebrews chapter six.
The apostle begins, actually you can go to Hebrews chapter
two, but we'll just take Hebrews chapter six. Hebrews chapter
six. And he speaks of these pretenders.
Look at this in verse one, he says, Therefore, leaving the
principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on into perfection. I want you to understand that
he is talking about spiritual maturity. He is not talking about
going to something new. He is not talking about leaving
the gospel of Jesus Christ for something higher and greater.
There is nothing higher. There is nothing greater than
the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God. The Word
of God is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe
it. So the apostle is talking about
leaving the first principles, the ABC. That's what he's saying. He's saying, you guys, instead
of eating meat, you guys are still drinking milk like a baby. When you should have been grown
by now, you're still acting like children. You're not mature. And he says, the ABCs have their
place. But we're not always to stick
with those ABCs. We're to grow on those. When you go to kindergarten,
You learn the ABCs. You learn them. Why? Because
you cannot make words without first understanding the alphabet. And so as we begin to make words,
then we take those words and we make sentences. And then we
take those sentences and we make paragraphs. And then we take
those paragraphs and we write papers or we write books. You
see, we grow. Now, did we leave the ABCs? No,
we still write in the same with the same alphabet. I've got my
notes here and you will find every letter of the alphabet
in these notes. Now, I didn't leave off ABC's,
I'm not writing a foreign language, I'm not writing something I don't
know. But yet I have grown in the grace and knowledge of God
as to not go to the rudiments always, but to build on those
things. The whole book of Romans is a
wonderful example of this, how the apostle builds on the basic
fundamental principles. And he, like building blocks,
he takes it and he starts to make a structure, a firm foundation,
and then a structure. Well, that's what it is to grow
in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is to take the
things that we know, the things that we have been given, and
it is to grow in those things. Another illustration is when
you were born, you had all your fingers and all your toes. Well,
you know what? When these fingers and toes,
they have grown since I was a kid, since I was a baby. I weighed
two pounds, eight ounces when I was a kid. Obviously, I've
grown. Obviously, I've grown and gotten
bigger. Obviously, I have more understanding than when I was
born. But I didn't grow any new fingers or toes. These are the
same ones. They've just gotten bigger. They've
grown. And that's what he's talking
about, spiritual growth here, leaving the first principles
of Christ. Let's go on to maturity, not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith
toward God, the doctrine of baptism, laying on of hands, the resurrection
from the dead and eternal judgment. This will we do if God permit. Is that not wonderful that he
says, look, We desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of
God, and we should grow. It is our responsibility to grow,
but we also know this, that it is God that causes us to grow. We see both the responsibility
of the believer and the sovereignty of God. Now, look at this, for
it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have
tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the
Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers
of the world to come, if they should fall away, to renew them
again to repentance." He's saying if someone who starts out under
the gospel and understands the gospel by mental reasoning, he
partakes as much as he can in the services of God, He's even
enlightened to understand the doctrines of grace so as to be
a theologian. He may even be a partaker of
the Holy Spirit. Now, think of this. Saul was
a partaker of the Holy Spirit in that he prophesied. Balaam, which was a false prophet,
it was the Spirit of God that restrained him to bless Israel. So there are sense in which a
lost man may have some of the gifts and the benefits of being
believer just by being among us. They may partake of these
things, but truly they have not experienced them in the regeneration
of the soul. And so as we grow in the grace
and knowledge of Jesus Christ, we know this. that of those who
were once enlightened, if they should fall away. Listen to the
sound of this. It is impossible to renew them
again to repentance. That's very serious, isn't it?
That's a very serious statement. It is impossible for them to
be renewed again. Why? They've learned everything
a human being could possibly learn. They've partaken to the
height at which a natural man can partake of the things of
God. Yet, if they have not experienced
the grace of God, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. Why? They've never truly repented
to begin with. They've never truly repented
to begin with. These men have tasted of the
good word of God and partook of the graces of God, the gifts
of God." Think of Judas. Judas Iscariot, he healed men. He had the power of healing and
the power as all the other apostles. What was he missing? He was missing
life. He did not have life. He was just a pretender among
the people. among the true disciples. You see, these men that the Apostle
is talking about in our text that fall away from the grace,
that fail of the grace of God, they're like those seeds that
the Lord Jesus speaks about. The seeds that fell among the
stony ground and the thorny ground. When that seed fell among those
grounds, we know this, that it took root, it germinated, it
shot up, and it seemed as though it was a good plant. But because of some persecution,
because of some trouble or difficulty, or because they loved the things
of this world, they withered away and died. They bore no fruit
to God. They started out well. They seemed
to be like us. They dwelt among us. but they
failed of the grace of God because they were never partakers of
the grace of God. This is the heart of the pretender
to be content with just carnal knowledge. To be content with just a basic
understanding or carnal knowledge of Calvinism or the teachings
of grace but have no desire or evidence
of growth. Someone can sit here and they
could acknowledge everything that I'm saying to be true and
still be damned. You can acknowledge everything
I say to be true. Why? It may be just a head nod. I know this, many of you have
children that have been raised under the sound of this gospel
and they won't even attend another false church because they know
that it's wrong. But yet they don't have any desire
to come here either. They don't have any desire to
hear the gospel of God's grace. Why? They've heard enough. They
know enough. They know enough. Why should they have to come
back and hear it again and again and again? They've already got
it checked off. What would you think of a man
who is of college age if he still was attending kindergarten class?
You saw a grown man sitting in those little chairs in kindergarten
class and going over the ABCs. What would you think of such
a man? I'd get my children away from that fellow. There's something
wrong with him. There's something wrong with
him. And so it is there's something wrong with someone who professes
to be a believer in Jesus Christ, but has does not diligently look
toward Christ for growth in spiritual matters, who does not diligently
seek to cast off the cares of this life, to cast off the sin
of this body. There's something wrong with
that. The fail of the grace of God
is to have all the outward professions, but have none of the inward fruits
of grace, love, joy, peace, meekness, temperance, faith, all of the
fruits of grace. You know what? I know this. I
see these fruits in God's people. I see these fruits. I don't see
these fruits so much in myself as I do others. But I know this,
that I have the fruits of grace because they are given to me
by the Spirit of God. And it is my duty and obligation
to exercise those fruits. If I don't exercise the graces
that God gives me, something's wrong with me. I wouldn't expect
a dead man to do some exercise. Would you? There's a corpse laying
there. I wouldn't expect him to do any
exercise at all. Now, I'll tell you what, I need
some exercise. I need to get out and do some things, I know
this, in order to be healthy, but how much more spiritually
should I be exercised in the things of God? When a goat gets in among the
sheep, he tries to blend in, he tries to eat with the sheep,
and he may confuse the sheep, but one thing he's not going
to do is fool the shepherd. The shepherd knows his sheep. He knows his people. The shepherd
cares for his sheep. And I'll tell you what, when
a man is a goat among sheep, eventually he's going to see
the care that God has for his people, and there's going to
be a root of bitterness that springs up. Look at this. He
said, "...looking diligently, lest any man should fail of the
grace of God, Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble
you, and thereby many be defiled." A man's doing all he can. He's
really striving out there. He's really working hard to earn
God's favor. And then you see somebody like
me. I'm better than that guy. Why
in the world is God blessing him with such understanding?
Why is God blessing him? That brings bitterness, don't
you think? It will it'll bring bitterness
in the ungodly. Believers in Christ, we should
let us not look diligently to others to see if they're pretenders,
but I'm talking to you. The apostle is talking to you
individually. Are you a pretender? One thing about pretenders is
that they don't have any concern that they are. God's people look diligently
into these things. I want to know that I know that
I know Jesus Christ. Paul knew Christ, but he said
this, I desire to know Him. that I might be found in His
righteousness, not having mine own righteousness, which is of
the law." Do you want to know more of that? I do. I want to
know for sure. I look diligently into these
things to make my calling and election sure. I look to Christ
and to Christ alone for all my hope and all my salvation, for
all my faith, and for all my continuance in the things of
God. I'm not going to make it through this life by gritting
my teeth. I know this. I'm going to make
it through because of the grace of Jesus Christ. I'm going to
make it through because He is going to give me faith. If I
have faith, it is going to be a gift of God. It is going to
be a gift of God. And I desire to know Him. Believers are to learn to be
content with such things as we have. But I don't want you to
misunderstand that idea of contentment. You see, pretenders, they are
content with certain amounts of understanding. They're content
with just the basic principles of things. And they don't have
any care to grow. But I'll tell you what, I'm not
content to live in sin. Are you? I hate my sin. I'm not content. I want to be
as righteous as my Father. And I know this, I won't be content
until I wake in His likeness. I won't be content. Not with
this mortal frame. Not with this world. Not with
the things of this life. I want to be found in Him. I'm
not content that I just know Him. I want to know Him. I want
to know more of Him. More about Jesus would I know. More of His grace to others shall. I want to know and learn more
of Him. I want to learn, I want to know
more of His affection. Don't you? I want to know more of His love
and His grace and His mercy. And whatever God gives me in
this world, we should be content with it, whether it's a dime
or a dollar. It doesn't matter. And these
things we can be, we can learn to be content with whatever things
we have, as long as we have food and clothes therewith, be content.
But in spiritual matters, we know this, we are not fully content
until we awake in His likeness. Believers desire to grow. Look
over at Philippians chapter 3. Listen to the Apostle's voice
in this passage. Listen to the zeal that he has
concerning his maturity. Philippians chapter 3, verse 8, it says, Yea, doubtless.
Let's go to verse 7. For what things were gained to
me, those I counted lost for Christ. That's past tense. He's already counted all His
religious works as nothing. And yea, doubtless, I count all
things. In other words, He's not only
counted, He is counting right now all the things that He does
as nothing. I count all things but lost for
the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord. For
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them
but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which
is through faith of Christ, the faith of Christ, the righteousness
of God by faith." Listen to this, that I may know him. Did the
apostle know him? I'll tell you what, he's never
appeared to me in a physical body like he did the apostle.
But yet the apostle says, I want to know him. And the power of
his resurrection, the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable
to his death, if by any means I might attain to the resurrection
of the dead, not as though I'd already attained either were
already perfect. But I follow after. if that I
might apprehend that for which I am also apprehended of Christ
Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to apprehend it, but this
one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and
reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward
the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Are
you pressing toward the mark? Are you looking diligently unto
Christ alone? Are you desiring heaven rather
than the things of this world? You see, those are all evidences
of someone who's not pretending. I'm not pretending. I don't play
church, and neither do you. This is a serious matter. This
is of utmost importance to us, that we press toward heaven,
leaving these things behind. Caring not for these things of
the world, leave them alone. They're not our concern. Our
first concern is Christ. I desire to know Him. Now, the
apostle gives an illustration to us, and I'll give it quickly,
concerning Esau. Back in your text, in Hebrews
12, it says, There be any fornicator or profane
person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Now, Esau was the elder brother
of Jacob. Esau, by right, was the eldest
son, and he was to receive the birthright. What is the birthright? Well, that's the inheritance.
The eldest son in this And this time was to receive the whole
package. The eldest son was to receive
everything. Power over all his property and
lands of his father. His brethren were to serve him. And this was Esau's by birthright. It was his. All these blessings of Isaac,
his father, were his. His blessing of the birthright
had an eye to the coming of Christ. You see, you remember that it
was the seed of Abraham. Abraham was given the promise
that in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
And so Isaac, being his only true seed, legitimate seed, he
knew this, that Christ should come from Isaac. And Isaac, when
he had two children, Esau being the first and Jacob being the
second, Esau was given the birthright. Esau had the birthright. It was
his. But what did Esau think of the
birthright? What did Esau think of this birthright? He thought of it about as much
as he thought of a bowl of porridge. That's it. Bowl of soup. That's how much this birthright
was worth to him. And I'll tell you this, there
is a promise of God concerning Jesus Christ that all who believe
on Christ shall be saved. That everyone who believes on
Christ shall have the forgiveness of God, the inheritance of heaven,
and eternal life. But I'll tell you, what do men
think about this birthright? What do men think about this?
They would rather have the things of this world than the things
of Christ. This is what it is to fail of
the grace of God. It is to desire the things of
this world over. the things of God. Esau, one day, was hungry from hunting. He comes in, and Jacob knew the
value of the birthright. Now, Jacob was a trickster. Jacob was an evil man, just like
Esau. There was no difference between
the two men. Matter of fact, I think Jacob was the worst of
the two. He knew the value of the birthright, and yet he still
would try and steal it from his brother. And he said, I'll tell
you what, you sell me that birthright for this pot of soup. Now, if Esau had any love for
Christ, he would have said, I'd rather die. I'd rather die than
give up the birthright. But see, Esau had no desire for
the birthright. and neither do pretenders. They
don't have any desire for the birthright. They would give it
up in an instant for the porridge of this world. Scripture says that he's a fornicator
and profane person. This didn't mean Esau was a man
of sexual sin, but this had to do with Spiritual idolatry. Spiritual sin. Esau was a profane man. In other words, he was a God
dishonoring man. He said, God's birthright is
about as worthless to me as a bowl of soup. And believe it or not,
that's what men are saying when they have no interest in the
things of God. Apostasy never comes quickly. I've never seen one immediately
turn from the gospel, but I've seen them go little by little
by little until all the things of this disassembly mean nothing
to them, but only the things of this world. People will have friends come
from out of town. And they'll say, well, I've got
friends coming. I sure just can't make it there.
What have they done? Have they not put their friends
above this gospel, the message of Jesus Christ? I've got family coming. Well,
if my family comes, you know what? If they don't want to come
with me, they have my house. And if I don't trust them, I'll
rent them a little apartment or something. Or a hotel. But
I know this. I know where I should be. Because
this is where I want to be. This is where I want to be. Nobody
got up this morning twisting my arm to come here. I want to
be with you. I want to be with you more than
anybody else in this world. Why? Because we have a kinship. We have an inheritance together.
We enjoy the birthright. Esau saw no value in it. Therefore, look diligently believer
to Christ as the object of our faith and practice in everything. A pretender, the pretender like
Esau is a spiritual fornicator and despises the one true gospel
of Christ. Have you noticed people who can
take the sovereign grace, the gospel of God's sovereign grace
and still take the gospel of universal atonement? Have you
seen people like that just don't really matter? You know, one's
as good as the other. These are fornicators. These
are people who are who have no idea of the grace of God. The sin of Esau is the same of
every apostate to esteem the gospel of Christ no better than
any other gospel. It is to fail of the grace of
God to hold the religions of free will, works religion, in
the same honor as God's free grace in Christ. Believers in Christ, lest we
should be, as Esau, a pretender, a man that despises the birthright,
let us suffer in hunger for the things of God. Let us suffer
outside the camp. Regardless of what men say concerning
us, I count the birthright, I count Christ above all things. And
every believer in Christ does too. And we desire to look diligently
to Him, lest we be found in this same condition as Esau. Look
at the last part of this text. For after you know that afterward,
when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no place of repentance,
though he sought it carefully with tears." There are many people who go
away from this gospel, and after they go away, there
are no more opportunities of grace given to them. Listen very carefully to this.
Today is the day of grace. Today. Because I'll tell you
what, you are not promised another day to believe on Christ. There are many who have heard
the gospel and went away, and God has never give them another
opportunity to hear it. It's a very serious thing. that
we should look within our own souls and see if there be any work
of grace at all. And if not, I tell you, now believe
on Christ. When? Now. Look diligently to Him right
now, and there's hope. There's hope. May God keep every one of us
from being such a profane person and turning from the gospel.
I know this, that I was saved by the grace of God and I'll
be kept by the grace of God. But even though I am, I know
this, I have the responsibility to look diligently into these
things, to make my calling and election sure to grow in the
grace and knowledge of Christ. And if I don't, I'm nothing more
than a pretender. Nothing more than profane as
Esau. May God bless this to your hearts.