We're in the book of Hebrews,
if you'd like to join us there this morning. We've been studying
this book a bit. This is our 23rd study. And we're
in the chapter 3 right now. We spent much time in a verse
here and a verse there, and we've covered other verses in groups. This morning I want to look at
verses 6 through 14. But before we do that, look at
those verses in Hebrew chapter 3. Allow me to read for you from
2 Corinthians 13, 5. And this is going to be, for
those of you who are able to join us in the next service,
in the main service, this is going to be our theme right all
the way through. You know, I'll repeat this in
the next message, but 99% of the messages I have for you
are messages for me first. All I can do as a man is stand
before you and share with you my weaknesses, the strengths
that we have, and those strengths that we have are only in our
safety. I never want to encourage you to think that you have any
strength in yourself. And if you're a child of God,
you know that. You already know that. I'm not telling you anything
new. And you also know that we are weak in our flesh, aren't
we? We are weak in our faith, in
our belief. We believe God, we just don't
know at times if those things of God actually apply to us. That's a battle that we have
to fight. until the day the Lord takes us out of this world. In
2 Corinthians 13, 5, we read these words, and I'll read it
for you. Examine yourselves whether ye
be in the faith. Examine yourselves. I cannot
help but think of this, you know, we're studying the book of Luke,
we've been doing a series of messages through the book of
Luke, and I've been stopped up on the parable of the sower. And I was thinking about this
this morning, and this may open the door for me to continue in
Luke next week. I don't know. All I know is that
this morning, after stumbling through this, I sit down and
I read the parable of the sower. Okay, I just don't see anything
but the Lord leading me here. Something popped up this morning
that just caught my attention. In the parable of the sower,
we see the different seeds, don't we? What is there, five different
kinds of seeds? Some fell on the wayside, there's
one. Some trodden down and fowls of the year devoured it. Some
fell on a rock, there's two, and sprung up and withered away,
lacked moisture. Some fell on thorns, there's
three. And others fell on good ground. So we see four different
kinds of seed here, don't we? Out of those four seeds, three
are a waste of time, and one is good. I know the Lord breaks
it down in three different ways, but all three of those first
seeds that he mentions are seeds that are wasted away. They're worthless. They're not
worth anything. There's only one good seed. Am
I of that good seed? Has the Lord planted a good seed
in me? Has he tilled the ground? Has
he given a new heart unto me? I bring that up because It's
interesting how the Lord warns us of these different seeds and
tells us there's only one good seed. There's only one gospel,
folks. And that's in His Son, the Lord
Jesus. There is no other way to be with
Him. Am I in that way? You folks here
with me have seen. You have seen those who have
come and gone. You've seen those who have come
and were sure that they were our brother in Christ, weren't
we? They even got before us and preached the gospel. I listened. There wasn't anything wrong,
there was nothing wrong with the preaching that was there,
but the seed didn't break forth fruit, did it? I wonder at times,
This instruction that Paul has given to Corinth is not a one-time
thing. It's not examine yourselves and
say, okay, I'm saved, everything's fine, that's it, I'm done. No. It's the ones who fight the good
fight. Am I in the faith? God's word is telling us these
things, folks. I've been accused of using belief
as a a whipping stick on people. And so I use it. If you don't
believe, if your faith is weak, I've been told that those of
you who are getting up there in the years, what a desperate
thing for you to hear me stand before you and say, I don't know
if my faith is in the right place. I don't. how I'm using that to scare you
into something to look to other than the Lord Jesus himself,
and I've never done that. In fact, just the opposite, you're
to look to Christ and Christ alone for your salvation. Never trust what you think is
your faith. Faith does not save you, but
you will not be saved without it. John 3, 16, whosoever believeth, Whosoever, call us. How are you
going to call us if you don't believe? Examine yourselves,
whether you be in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know ye
not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except
you be reprobates? John Gill wrote this. He wrote
this about this continuous observance of our inner being. He says,
the Apostle Paul directs the saints at Corinth to self-examination,
to look within themselves to try to prove and to recognize
their own souls. Where if things were right, they
would find a proof of Christ speaking in him to them. He advises
them to examine the state of their own souls and to see whether
they were in faith, either in the doctrine of faith having
a spiritual and experimental, meaning experience, knowledge
of faith, a true love and affection for it, and hearty belief of
it, having felt the power of it upon their own souls, and
they abide in it forever. This is a warning given to the
people of God over and over and over in God's word, folks. Over
and over and over again, the Lord warns us to examine ourselves. Are we in the faith? Look how
many people followed Moses for 40 years through the desert. 40 years, they followed Moses
step in step, listening to the gospel. Moses preached the gospel,
we know that. Starting at Moses. And all the
prophets, the Lord expounded unto those two men on the road
to amaze the things of himself. We know that Moses preached the
gospel. In 40 years, how many were allowed
to go into the promised land? How many died in the wilderness
because of no faith? Our Lord gives us a warning over
and over again. He says, stand fast. Harden not
your heart. Let us never forget that this
holy writ, this book we call the Bible, these holy scriptures
that we hold in our own hand here, is written for our good. It's not written to warn the
world, it's written to warn God's people. This is a letter to us. We know that if it wasn't for
the grace of God giving us a heart to believe we would go about
as the world does and it would mean nothing to us. This book is written for our
good, for our admonition, our learning, and only those for
whom he is loved with an everlasting love are given life, given ears
to hear. The world is dead and they will
not hear. It may seem that some here, but
as we see in the parable of the sower, not all ground is good
ground. In our text in Hebrews, the writer
is doing the same thing, reminding us that not all are of the faith. Look with me at Hebrews chapter
three, beginning at verse six. But Christ, as a son over his
own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast, the confidence
and the rejoicing of the hope, firm to the end. Wherefore, as
the Holy Ghost saith today, if you will hear his voice, harden
not your hearts, as in the provocation and the day of temptation in
the wilderness. That's talking about those in the wilderness
that I just spoke of a moment ago. Verse nine, when your fathers
tempted me, proved me, they challenged him, and they saw my work 40
years, Wherefore, I was grieved with that generation and said,
they do always err in their heart and they have not known my ways. Verse 11, so I swear in my wrath,
they shall not enter into my rest. Take heed, brethren, lest
there be any of you an evil heart of unbelief and departing from
the living God. That's almost the exact same
words there, isn't it? Examine yourselves, whether you
be in the faith, prove your own selves. Let's go on, verse 13,
but exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest
any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For
we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast unto the end. While it is said, today,
if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation,
for some, when they had heard, did provoke, albeit not all,
that came out of Egypt by Moses. Moses and Aaron preached the
truth. Men and women walked with them
for 40 years. Then, when they could see the
land across the Jordan, their true spirit was revealed. Know
ye not your own selves? how that Jesus Christ is in you?
We know that all true believers are eternally saved. There's
no question for that. Not one of God's elect shall
ever perish. Not one true believer will ever
cease to believe. No true follower of Christ will
ever cease to follow Him. We read in Ecclesiastes 3.14,
I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever. Nothing
can be put to it, nor anything taken from it. God doeth it that
men should fear him, that men should fear before him. And then over in John chapter
10, we read these words. He says, my sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. And then we also read in John
6, 37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. So we know that God's people
cannot be lost. That's not what we're talking
about here. We're talking about those who come so close to faith. Am I one who comes so close to
knowing the truth of God and then fall away? Folks, I don't
know about you, but I gotta get up every day and beg for mercy.
Me too. I have to get up every day and
beg for mercy. How could God love anything like
me? Have you ever said that? Have you ever felt that way?
I feel that way every day I get out of bed. You don't understand
the feeling. of a man who's so unworthy to
be used of God to speak in the pulpit of this church. If you
feel that way, you're not alone. You're not alone. It's a tough
place to be, but it's a good place to be. Because the opposite
of that is to say, okay, There's a little bit of righteousness
in me now. I would rather see myself as
unworthy of anything of my God than to think I'm worthy of anything.
Am I in the faith? The question is, do I believe
God? Do I truly believe His Word,
that there's nothing in this flesh worthy of anything, but
all I need is in my Savior, His Son. Do I believe that? Well, there's
nothing in this flesh before you that I can put any confidence
in, so I've got to put confidence in something. It's in Him. It's
in His promises. But I get up. Lord, don't pass
me by. While you're calling on others,
call on me too today and tomorrow and the next day. Our Lord warns
us over and over again that not all faith is true faith. All
that glitters is not gold. All who profess faith do not
have real faith and I'm compelled to constantly examine myself. And in faithfulness to you, I
encourage you to do the same. I must warn you that there are
such things as false faith in the world. And multitudes, multitudes of
people are going to go through that door, mark death in that
condition. Only by God's grace will I go through that door any
other way but that. Only by His grace will I continue
to the end. Many people have temporary faith
which seems to all outward appearance real, but in the end they're
found among the damned. Turn over to Matthew chapter
13. Hear ye the parable of the sober. Verse 18. When anyone heareth
the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked
one and catcheth away that which is sown in his heart. This is
he which receiveth seed by the wayside. But he that receiveth the seed
in stony places, the same as he that heareth the word and
anon with joy and receiveth it, yet hath he not root in himself? but dureth for a while, and when
tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, by and by
he is offended. He also that received the seed
among the thorns is he that heareth the word and cared for his world,
and the deceitfulness of the riches, and choke out the word,
and he becometh unfruitful. But he that receiveth the seed
into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth
it, which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth some hundredfold
and some sixty, some thirty. Nothing, folks, is more dangerous
than false faith which produces carnal presumptuous security. Truth and peace is most blessed,
but false peace is most deadly of all." Mike wrote a poem about
darkness. How dark is your darkness? How
dark is your light? Something to that effect. Wonderful statement. Wonderful
warning about those who trust in a light that is nothing but
darkness. Let's be perfectly clear, folks. The Word of God
clearly teaches the eternal security of God's elect and the final
perseverance of the saints in Christ Jesus. True believers
shall never cease to be true believers, but I do not know,
nor can any man know, how near a person may come to the character
of true believer and yet perish. We've seen those who've preached
the word of truth and then left it behind ourselves, have we
not? I take warnings from Holy Scripture seriously, do you not?
Let's look at a couple with me if you would. Turn over to John
chapter 15. We won't be much longer here.
Turn over to John chapter 15. I just want to read a couple
of verses there. In John chapter 15, We read beginning
at verse 1, I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and
every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, he prunes it,
that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through
the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I
in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it
abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in me. I am the vine, and ye are the
branches. He that abideth in me, and I
in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me you
can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he
is cast forth as a branch and is withered, and men gather them
and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide
in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you. Let's look at another one, shall
we? Turn over to Hebrews chapter six. Hebrews chapter six. And I've actually got a bunch
here, but for the sake of time, I'm just gonna look at Hebrews
6, beginning at verse 4. 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
shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance, seeing
they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him
to an open fire. So we see here these warnings
of God over and over and over and over again. And I've got
several others if you'd like. I'll be happy to give them to
you. We know that many who once appeared strong in the faith
who have in the end left that faith. Therefore, we are compelled
to be honest, sincere, and diligent to make our calling of election
clear. Listen to the words of 1 Corinthians
9, 27, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection,
lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I
myself should be cast away. Let us consider these things
seriously. Let us consider where our faith lies. Is it in this
flesh? And is it in your thoughts? Is
it in your deeds? Or is it in our faith? Or is
it in Him and His Word alone? Is my confidence in any way supported
by my doings, by my thoughts, by my understandings? Or is my
confidence in Him and Him alone? Are we truly born of God? Are
we truly believers? Do we have the faith of God's
elect? Or are we simply deceiving ourselves with carnal security? And I would do nothing to shake
the true assurance that a child of God may have. But if somehow
you are delivered, if somehow you are deceived, if somehow
I am deceived, I pray that God will make us to know it and cause
us to seek the faith of his elect. I am certain of this, that a
man is much more likely to seek God's salvation who knows that
he is naked. who knows that he is poor, who
knows that he is miserable, than a man who says, I am rich and
increased with goods. Too many people think that I
have the true faith. I've been going to sovereign
churches for 35 years. I've been preaching in a sovereign
grace church for five years, one could say. Yet today, he
has nothing to do with it at all. I've shared this with you,
a man who attended this church for many years. I worked with
him. Some of you may remember Bob
Slama. Bob Slama. You know, he doesn't
go to church at all anymore. He still professes everything,
but he doesn't go to church at all anymore. Anywhere. I can't
imagine. a person who has tasted the grace
of God and saving them from their sins, not wanting to go to a
church somewhere. I just can't imagine that. Can't
imagine that. Don Porter wrote this. He says,
there is a difference between faith and assurance. Some may
say if you doubt, you're damned. Others may tell you if you don't
doubt, you're damned. Don says, for my own part, I
would rather go to heaven doubting the sincerity and the truthfulness
of my own heart, of my own faith in Christ, than go to hell presuming
it. The thing to be examined is not
what I love, or is not what I have experienced, or what I have done,
or what I feel, or how I live. The issue is this, whether you
are in the faith, That's what it says, to examine yourself,
whether you're in the faith, the belief. Second Corinthians
13.5 says this, examine yourself whether you be in the faith.
The one issue to be termed is this, do I or do I not trust
Christ alone for my acceptance with God? Do I trust Christ's
blood alone to atone for my sins, or am I trying to atone for my
own sins by being religious? Do I trust Christ's obedience
alone for my righteousness before God, or am I yet trying to establish
a righteousness of my own? See how much better I am today
than I was before God called me. You understand what I'm saying,
folks? I agree with Don. see myself
weak in the faith, then sit there and think, oh, my faith is strong
today. Do I trust Christ's obedience alone for my righteousness before
God, or am I trying to establish a righteousness of my own? If
Christ is not all in all as the solitary object of our faith,
as the solitary object of our trust, then we are not yet in
the faith. Amen.