and shed his blood for those
people. He said, I lay down my life for my sheep. And he saved
those people. He said, call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sin. Not everybody,
but his people from their sin. And he's going to present them
to the Father some day and say, Behold, I and the children which
thou hast given me, here they are, the ones you gave me. I'm
the great high priest. Their names were written in a
book. You gave them to me. I went down. I saved them, paid
for their sins. Here they are, every one of them,
not one of them missing. They're all here, present and
accountable. People get mad at that. They say it's not fair. As I tried to say this morning,
salvation in a sense is not fair, in this sense. That if God did
what was fair, if God did what was right, and you talk about
fair, that's not right, that's not fair. Everybody deserves
what? They say everybody deserves a chance to be saved. No, they
don't either. You know what everybody deserves? Judgment. Wrath. He says the
soul that sinned must surely die. The wages of sin is what? What do we deserve? What have
we earned? The Scripture says, the wages we've earned. The wages
of sin is what? Death. The soul that sinned must
surely die. That's what we deserve. If God
did what was right, He'd send us all to hell. If God did what
was fair according to strict justice—fair, want fair? I don't want fairness, people.
I want mercy. I don't want fairness. I want
mercy. There was an old preacher years
ago who said that he had a dream. Now, I know I'm just saying,
don't miss him in dreams, but it makes a good illustration,
all right? It makes a good story, anyway.
He said, I had a dream. He said, I dreamed I died and
went to heaven. And he said, I was standing at
the gates and the Lord said to me, I think his name was Roland
Hill. He said, Roland Hill, what right
you got to come in here? And God just may ask that, humanly speaking. We're forced
to think about that question anyway. What right have you got
to be in this holy place, Scott, this holy place where sinners
are, where nothing will defile us, nothing unholy, sinful? God's holy, immaculate prayer. What right have you, a sinner,
got to come into this place? And old Roland Hill said, I've
got no rights at all. I'm here on the rights of another. I'm here on the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. I'm here because he is my righteousness. He's made unto me righteousness. Because he lived a holy life
and charged it to my account, I'm holy and God will receive
me. And because he paid for my sins, shed his blood, he died. The soul that sinned must die.
He died for me, and my sins are gone. That's why I'm here. I'm
not here on my rights. I'm here on his. So we've heard here who this
God is. We've heard of sin and judgment.
We've heard of Christ. You just heard it. Christ, the
only way to God the Father. He said, I am the way. Not mama
praying you into heaven. Oh, I'm the way, I'm the high
priest, I must pray for you, he said. There's one heater between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus. He says, I must pray for you. And he did, didn't he, John?
In John 17, he said, I pray for my people. Father, I will that
those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. Talking
about his disciples, he said, there's some other sheep which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring. Forgive them too. Let them be with us where they
are on my account. He prays for them. He said, because
I live, you shall live also. So we've heard of this Christ,
this King, this Lord, this Savior, this only hope, this only way.
Now, we've all heard it, haven't we? He did have the ears in here,
even down to little Josh there, heard that. He's looking right,
he heard it. He got good ears there, I bet you. We've all heard
it, but everybody hadn't heard it. There
are people in here this morning that I've preached to many times,
and I can look at their face and tell you they haven't heard
this, particularly some young people. I can tell they haven't
heard this. See, there's a difference in
hearing with this outer ear and hearing with the inner ear. The
inner ear is the heart, the heart. And there's a word,
look at verse 1 there, chapter 2, he says, heed. We ought to
give heed, earnest heed. Look at chapter 3, verse 12.
Look at this. Chapter 3, verse 12. Take heed,
brethren. Heeding, now, is a word, a good
word, for really hearing. And heeding means you act upon
what you hear. Faith cometh by hearing. But
faith without words is dead. A man said, I hear you. And he doesn't act upon it. He
didn't heed that. He heard it, but he didn't heed
it. He's a hearer of the word, not a doer. He's deceiving himself. Let me give you an illustration
of heeding, the difference between heeding and hearing. Suppose
I say, there's a storm coming, better go inside. There's a storm
coming. Or I say, and we have to say
this to our children all the time, 10 degrees outside. Get your coat on. It's cold.
It's cold out there. And I'll tell you who heeds that. They both may have heard it.
But the one who comes in, who runs in the house, who gets inside,
they heard it. They hinted it. They didn't. They heated the work. They heard
and they heated it. They went inside. Storm was coming.
There was one little girl, little boy standing outside just shivering. What's wrong? I'm cold. Oh, didn't
you hear me? Get your coat on. See, they didn't
heat it. They heard you, but they didn't
heat it. My wife accuses me of that all
the time. Hearing, but not really hearing
it. The one who comes to Christ by
faith. Get in the ark. Noah preached
it for 120 years, didn't he? Get in the ark. Get in the ark.
Judgment's coming. Storm's coming. Get in the ark,
which is a picture of Christ. Get in the ark. Come to Christ.
Judgment's coming. And it's the same message today.
It hasn't changed a bit. Christ is the ark of salvation,
and judgment is coming, as before rain fell from heaven. The Scriptures
clearly speak, and I don't care what modern man says about it.
I don't care if modern man says it's old-fashioned and ridiculous
and a fantasy and a fable, fire and brimstone. That's what the
Bible said. That's what God's Word says. He said it's going to rain fire. The preaching still says, get
in the ark, come to Christ, be safe from judgment. And I tell
you who he is, he's the man who comes to Christ by faith, who
runs to Christ, comes to Christ. I tell you who doesn't, he's
the one who stands outside shivering. What's wrong with you? Are you
cold? Are you fearful? Are you doubting? Are you depressed? Why are you downcast so much?
Didn't heed it, did you? Didn't heed. In verse 1 of chapter
2, it says, "...lest at any time we let them slip." I'll talk
a little more about that in a moment. Let them slip. We need to take
heed to what we've heard. In other words, act upon it,
lest we let it slip. Verse 3 says, "...how are we
going to escape?" Chapter 2, verse 3. Are you still with me? How shall we escape if we neglect
so great a salvation? He didn't say reject. He didn't say reject, out and
out reject these things. He said neglect. Some do just
out and out reject the gospel. Those who are not here this morning
are going somewhere in a show of worshiping God they
have not just reject God in the Bible religious it's obvious
they rejected. But we can be in here right now
and neglect it. So great a salvation it said
we neglect so great a salvation which was spoken under. By the
Lord. Well who who wrote this thing
who's who's talking here. What's this thing all about,
this Bible, this book? What am I saying this morning?
I'm not saying anything other than what He has already said.
Who's He? The Lord, the one in whose hands
we are. Peter said we hadn't followed
any cunningly devised fable. This is God's Word. God's saying
this. And because He's not speaking
from heaven, men don't believe Him. Right? He said, God, did you
speak? He did before they stood and
believed him in. In Old Testament times, he spoke.
He didn't understand. The children of Israel heard
the mountain that quaked and fire and all that. How many of
them went into the promised land? And that's what all of chapter
3 and 4 is about. They heard, but the word's not
mixed with faith. The other words spoken by the
Lord, and then he goes on in chapter 2 to talk about this
great Savior, this great One. And I've said this so many times. And he goes on to talk about
this One who made a little lower than the angels, but crowned
with glory and honor, put all things under his feet. He's talking
about the Lord Jesus Christ. Not this pitiful Jesus that's
been talked about today, but the one who's seated on a throne,
Lord over all, not looking over the masters of heaven to see
and hope and wish that somebody would let him into their heart.
No, he's seated on a throne, the Scripture says, expecting
his enemies to be made his footstool. and fully expecting God Almighty
to send His Holy Spirit around His people up and bring them
to His feet. He got the job done. His job, He's not worried about
a thing. He said, It is accomplished. Well, His last words say, It's
finished. There's nothing left to do. He said, I've done it
all. I saved my people. He said, Now I'll send the Holy
Spirit and He'll round them up and bring them to me. And the ones that aren't brought
before I come, those I'll come down and I'll get them personally.
Take them all. Well, this great one who's seated
on a throne right now, who controls our very breathing, His Lord,
He said, Thou hast given me. Didn't He say this saying in
John 17? Given me power over all flesh. Didn't He say that? As God has
given me authority over all flesh. And Revelation says He is the
Kings of hell and death at His hand. It doesn't sound like there's
Jesus in a priest today. Well that one He goes on to talk
about here. And the Scripture says, how shall
we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? And on over it talks
about those who tried underfoot at the Son of God. And I said this before, unbelief and indifference to the gospel. It's saying to
God Almighty, what it's saying is, I'm not interested. I'm not
interested in your son. He means nothing to me. He's
not Lord. He's not God. I don't care. I don't care what
you say about him. I'm not interested. I'm interested
in me and mine and my thing, and my God is my belly, and I'm
not going to give you thanks. I'm not going to worship your
son. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not. Oh, yes, you are. One of these
days. Every knee, he said, shall bow. God said, I swore it. I sworn
it. In one place, John, he said,
in my wrath, didn't he? Every knee shall bow. The salvation
is now, today, if you'll hear his voice. Bow the knee. Salvation is for God Almighty
to speak to you now. And you hear His voice and you
bow now to His Son and worship His Son now. And you kiss the
Son now lest He be angry. And you don't kiss Him on the
cheek because you're not equal with Him. You kiss an equal up
here, don't you? You embrace an equal up here.
You kiss His feet like Mary did. There's one lower beneath Him.
Kiss His feet. And if you do that, he'll raise
you up then, like that woman. He'll raise you up. So, verse
1 of chapter 3, look at it. Chapter 3, verse 1, wherefore,
holy brethren, believers, those who have heard his voice, consider
this apostle, messenger of the covenant, and high priest of
our profession, Christ Jesus. And he goes on to talk about
how he's greater than the house. He's greater than the house.
The one that built the house is greater than the house. There would be no house if he
hadn't built it. The people are bragging on church, bragging
on people today, aren't they? Philippians talks about not holding
the head. Oh, they're holding up the body and bragging on men,
men, men, men. So and so did this for the Lord.
So and so did that for the Lord. So that's bragging on the house.
Except the Lord built the house, they labor in vain to build it.
Oh, he that built the house is greater than the house. You brag on the one who built
the house, you say you did a fine job, you worked hard, pretty
house, but boy, you're talented. And that's what the house is
saying. They're bragging on the one that
built it. The true church is bragging on the one who did all
this, not bragging on the house. Our church, our church is our
church. They're bragging on the builder. You want to know where
the true church is? They're bragging on the builder,
and not the house. So he says, consider him the
builder of the house. Verse six now, and three quick
points in closing, all right? Verse six, he says, whose house
are we if? If. I'm going to give you three big
ifs here. It's a little word, but boy, does it have big consequences.
Three ifs here. Now, listen very carefully. Listen
to this. If you hadn't heard anything, I hope you hear this after what
else I'm going to say. God does not save people if they
do this, if they do that. That's not salvation. God will
do this if you do that. No, no, no, no, no. It doesn't say that in the Scripture. God says, I will work, like the
order in Ezekiel 37. He said, I will, I will. I'll give them a new heart. I'll
save them. I'll wash them. I'll this. I
will that. and they shall." That's salvation. God says, I
will. And what's man's response? They
shall. Why? Because he said, I will. He said,
my people, Psalm 110 verse 3, my people shall be willing in
the day of my power. He said, I will and they shall. Salvation is not God's saying,
I'll do this, I'll save you if you believe me. No, by grace
you can save, Ephesians 2.8. Through faith, yes. But that's
not of yourself. It's a gift of God. And now what Ephesians 2.8 said?
For we are His workmanship, it said, in verse 10. We are His workmanship. God works,
lest any man should boast and say, I did this, I believed,
I believed. You believed because I gave you faith to believe,
God said. By grace you say, I gave you faith. All right? Salvation is not, God will do
this if. Right here it says this is proof.
We are, whose house are we if we hold fact. It's not saying you're going
to be saved. if you hold on. It's not what they're saying.
It's just saying this is proof. This is proof that you're the
house if you hold fast. Who's going to hold fast? Those
that are the houses. Those that he holds. You see,
if you, I'm getting ahead of myself. He said in verse Today,
if you will hear his voice, well, who's going to hear? Joel 2.32, that Paul quoted Romans 10.13
from, whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved,
Romans 10.13, was taken from Joel 2.32, which says, and as
many as the Lord our God shall call, will call. Who's going to call? Everyone
God calls. Why is it that way? Because he
gets all the glory. You see, he gets all the glory.
I don't get the glory for calling. Why did I call? Because he called
me. Because he said, call! My Lord! And he gets all the
glory, he said. All the glory. He said, I'm not
sharing my glory with another. He said, I'm not going to stand
in heaven and share my glory with all those that bleed on
me. They're going to shout about my glory. They're going to thank
me for giving them the faith to believe in me. And all who hear are because
God gave them ears to hear. God must give. How do you hear
with these? What made this ear? Who made
this ear? Who made this ear? God made this ear. Well, he that
made this ear must make this ear. He says, if you hear, today if
you will hear, verse 7, that's the first, if you will hear his
voice. Now listen to me, people, I can't
explain God. God gets all the glory if you
hear and you believe and you're saved. God gets all the glory. If you don't hear, and are lost,
and don't need, and don't come to Christ, you get out of the
money. That's just the way it is. You
say, explain that. I can't. That's just the way
it is. God is sovereign. Absolutely
sovereign over even the souls of men. He decides who's saved,
and he gives the gift of eternal life. He's the one who does it.
He gives repentance, he gives faith, he keeps them. But if you don't believe Jeanette
Berry, if you don't believe, if you reject him, you get to
blame. Right? That's just the way it
is. And like Charles Spurgeon said,
If I had a God, if I could explain God, I wouldn't believe Him. If I could explain all of the
Bible, I wouldn't believe it, because that means a man wrote
it. But God wrote it, and I can't
explain it. That's why I believe it. It's unexplained. We said the revealed things belong
unto us, but the mystery The secret thing belonged to him.
He's going to explain to me someday. Maybe. He might not. Doesn't
have to. But that's the way it is, Stan.
God's going to get all the glory for our salvation. All of it.
And if I'm not saved, I get to blame. That's it. And he keeps on saying
here, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart. And let
me really throw you for a loop. In another passage, the scripture
says that God hardened their hearts. He said Pharaoh's heart he hardened. Now, I can't recall the exact
scripture, but it does say that whom he willed, he hardened it.
Doesn't it? Romans 9 is where they are. He
hath mercy on whom he willed, and whom he willed, he hardened
it. That's God, though. Too big for
me. But that's God. That's the way
it is. But, you know, the fact is, men
will not hear. They are willingly ignorant.
Men will not hear. They will not. He said there in Isaiah
28, they will not hear. They will not hear. He said in
Peter, he said they're willingly ignorant. Second Timothy four
he said they turn away their ears from the truth. There have
been many come in here and hear me say election and hear me talk
about this sovereign God and hear me talk about this particular
Christ saving particular people and they say I don't like that
I'm not I'm not going to have that. And they turn away their
ears from the truth and turn on the fables what fables some
denominational creed and man-made gospel which is not to God. said,
I don't like that. This is just what Romans 7 and
9 said. I don't like it anyway. He will
not hear. But he said, my sheep will hear. And even some of those, Joe,
and some of you that sat and believed that other gospel, for
a time, when you heard the gospel, you said, no, I don't like that. Didn't you? Didn't you? You said,
I will not. And God said, He stopped your
head. He kept hearing this message.
I will not. That's right. And it came from
a I will not to thy will be done. Didn't it? It came from a I won't
have that to a I sure like that. Isn't it? That's not—that is
the God of the Bible. Isn't it? That's not the way
I would say, you know, I believe I was lost. That is the way I
would say it. That's how I change it. And I
was going to have you turn to Proverbs 1, but we don't have
time. But he says there in Proverbs
1, he says, all day long, I've stretched out my hands to a people.
They would not hearken unto me. And he says later on, and I can't
explain this, but he says, then later on, he said, I'm going
to, he said, you're going to call, you're going to call to
me, and I'm not going to hear you. He said, I'm not going to hear
you. Well, Hebrews 3 again, look at
verse 6. Here's the next thing. If we,
so if we hear, but if we hear it's because God gives us ears
and he gets all the glory. But I tell you what, we better
hear. We better hear. We better hear. And we better
hear. We better not run out of here
and say, I don't like that. I won't have that. I'll turn
away my ears from the truth. You better, this is the truth. There's one truth. And half a
truth isn't a truth. Half of God's no God at all.
Half of salvation ain't no salvation, is it? Salvation, God did part
and you do the rest, that's half of salvation, isn't it? Full salvation is the one
that God does. Well, if we hold fast, verse
6, hold fast, verse 14, we are made partakers of Christ if we
hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. Paul said,
lay hold on eternal life. I want you to turn over to Philippians
with me, Philippians 3. Turn over there real quickly.
Keep Hebrews. He says, if we hold the beginning
of our confidence steadfast to the end. and rejoicing and the
hope unto the end, the beginning of our confidence. kept by his power, by his blood,
not by works of righteousness which I have done, but according
to his blood, his mercy, his righteousness has he saved me."
That's our confidence. Christ is our confidence. He's
a rejoicing in whom we rejoice with joy unspeakable, Peter said.
He's our hope, one hope. He's the end. He's the end of
our faith, the one we long to see and be with. It's all foreign
language to those who haven't heard his voice. I know that.
Well, look at Philippians 3. What is it to lay hold on Christ? Look at Philippians 3, verse
8. Paul said, I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Now, he's talking about
his past religion. He's talking about his past.
If he were a Baptist, he'd have been baptized. He's talking about
that. Forget that, he said. For the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, read on. Oh, he said in verse 8, I
want to win him, that I may win Christ. I count everything else
but done, he said, that I may win Christ and be found in him,
not having my own righteousness. which is of the law, or me being
a good person, but that which is through the faith of Christ,"
not in, of Christ, his faith toward me, the righteousness
which is of God by faith, his faith. Oh, he says, I want to
know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship
of his sufferings and the conformable unto his death, if by any means
I would attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Now, here's the
verse 12. It's not as though I had already
attained. either were already perfect.
But I follow after, if that I may apprehend that, for which also
I am apprehended." What is it to lay hold on Christ?
Well, it's a need. Paul said, I have a need. I need
righteousness, I need shed blood, I need mercy. It's to receive