Let's go back to that scripture
in Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9. 13, sorry. Chapter 13, verse 9. I was so concentrated on getting
a drink of this Ohio River water that I gave you the wrong chapter. By the way, if you've noticed
the new decoration on the pulpit here, it's in the process of being
remodeled. So it gives me something to kind
of take hold of here and we'll have a Brother Ken is doing it
for us. Have a nicer, wider top up here. And we've raised it a little
bit. Did you notice it was raised,
Bill? The pulpit was raised a bit so that you don't have to look
at as much of me. Alright, Hebrews chapter 13.
This is my subject today. The doctrine of grace. The doctrine of grace. Now, here's how the chapter begins. Let brotherly love continue. Everything that's been said thus
far has been centered around the Lord Jesus and His work of
redemption. He's better than everything.
And His work of sacrifice, His sacrificial death upon the cross,
sealed our salvation, hasn't it? We're redeemed by the blood
of the Lord Jesus. We read back in chapter 10 of
Hebrews that the blood of bulls and goats could never put away
sin, they were never never intended to put away sin, all of the offerings,
all of the Levitical sacrifices, all of them together, the rivers
of blood that flowed on Jewish sacrifices could never remove
even one sin. For if there had been a removal
of sin, then they would have had no more awareness of their
sins in their heart. God's law wasn't satisfied. God's justice wasn't satisfied. And the people knew that, and
so they weren't satisfied in their own souls that sin had
been put away. And so every year, most especially,
of course, that's speaking about the Day of Atonement, every year
on the Day of Atonement, sacrifices were offered once again. But
all of them were picturing the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. You see, this man, an old holy
man, never been another man like this man. This man, after he
had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, he sat down at
the right hand of God. He sat down because the work
was finished. That which was merely pictured
by the offering up of all of the animals of the Old Testament,
has been accomplished in the death of our Lord Jesus. Oh,
children of God, listen to the good news. Our sins are put away. They're separated from us as
far as the East is from the West. They've all been cast behind
God's back. And God says earlier in chapter
10, He says, their sins and their iniquities will I remember no
more. Your sins, which are many, there's
no doubt about that. The issue is not are you a sinner. The issue is not have you committed
many sins of omission as well as commission. But the issue
is, are your sins put away? And the answer is, yes, believer. They are put away. And in throne
Christ says to us, your sins which are many are all forgiven. God doesn't remember our sins.
We remember them. And I think sometimes we overly
remember them. I mean so much to where we're
miserable. And we worry. And we fret. Oh, the past. Oh, what I did. Oh, what I thought. There's no
question about the fact you are and I am, we're miserable sinners. And in us, in our flesh, dwelleth
no good thing. But let's remember this, our
sins have been washed away, they've been drowned in the blood of
the Lord Jesus. Let's enjoy the forgiveness of
sins. What do you say? Let's rejoice
in the grace of God in that He says, your sins are all gone. And I don't remember them against
you at all. They're not going to be raised
up against you. The judgment and these difficulties
in life, It's not God punishing you for your sins. Your sins
have already been punished to the full extent of God's holy
law in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And your sins have
been put away. And this has been set forth in
the book of Hebrews. This wonderful, wonderful person
of Christ Jesus and His excellent work of redemption. Now based
upon who he is and all that he's done for us, here's some practical
words of exhortation. Let brotherly love continue.
Let's love one another. Not in word only, but in word
and deed. Because you see, God didn't love
us in word only. He loved us in word and in deed. end is love. Not that we love
God, but that God loved us and gave his son to be the propitiation
for our sins, to be the satisfaction of divine justice. Every object
of God's love has been redeemed. Every object of God's love has
been reconciled to God by the death of His Son. Every object
of God's love stands established and fixed and settled and accepted
in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. God has loved us
and He shed that love abroad in our hearts. He's made known
his love to us. And so therefore, we find the
inspired writer. Indeed, we find the spirit of
God saying, let brotherly love continue. Now, continue to love
one another as God has loved you. In the second verse, he
urges us to hospitality. Let's entertain strangers. For
some have entertained angels unawares." In the third verse,
he says, let's be concerned one for another. Remember them that
are in bonds, as being bound with them. Remember them that
are suffering, as suffering with them. Remembering those that
are weeping, as though weeping with them. Remember those that
are agonizing under some affliction of the flesh, as though agonizing
under the affliction of the flesh yourself. And really, this is all tied
to brotherly love, isn't it? Because if we really love one
another, we are going to care about one another. And we are
going to bear one another's burdens. And in verse 4, he urges us to
purity of life. In the fifth verse, he exhorts
us to be a contented people. He says, let your conversation
be without covetousness. Be content with such as you have.
Well, what do you have? You have Christ Jesus. And therefore
you have all things in Him. And whatever else that God gives
you, be content with that. Of all the people on earth, only
God's people can't be and should be a contented people. For we
know that we have everything God has appointed for us to have. Whether it be much or whether
it be little, in reality we have all things in Christ Jesus. Be content. Remembering this,
you have the Lord with you. What else do you need? In fact,
who else do you need? Because the latter part of verse
3 says, For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee. Now others may leave you and
will leave you. Because sooner or later, death
will sever our relationships. But nothing can separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. The Lord is my helper. That's
his conclusion in verse 6. So that we may boldly say, so
that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear
what man can do unto me. And then in verse 7, he reminds
us, there are those who rule over us in the Word of God, in
spiritual things. He's talking about pastors here
and preachers of the gospel. He says, to remember these, who
have spoken to you the Word of God, whose faith follow, Now that not only means believe
as they believed, those preachers of the gospel, but it means believe
that body of truth that faith wants delivered to the saints.
You follow that faith. You follow this gospel. He's
giving his closing remarks to these Hebrew believers. and having
set forth the glorious and wonderful person of Christ Jesus, and all
of His work that He's done for us, as our prophet greater than
Moses, as that high priest who's greater than Aaron, because he's
after the order of Melchizedek, as the one who's seated at the
right hand of God, having offered the sacrifice unto the Lord that
actually put away our sins, He says, now follow this body
of truth that I've set before you, that is fully set forth
in this, verse 8, Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today
and forever. What is the preacher's subject? Well, it's somebody. Jesus Christ. who is the same yesterday as
you look back upon history, as you look back even before man's
history began, before the world began. That Jesus Christ, He's
the same today, and He'll still be the same tomorrow and forever. This is our Savior, and this
is our subject. We already have a pre-selected
subject. Every preacher of the gospel,
when we get up before you, when we get up before a congregation,
before a body of believers, we already have our message set
before us, this message of somebody and what He's already accomplished
for us. And we long for you to see Him,
and rest in Him, and see in Him the fulfillment of all that God
demanded for our salvation. Jesus Christ, who is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. And He is the faith. All truth is found in Christ
Jesus. For He is the truth. He said
to his disciples, I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the
life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. So we follow the faith of those
who preach to us. We follow this body of truth,
of salvation set forth in the scriptures alone. By grace alone. In Christ Jesus alone. Received by faith alone. And then he says this in the
9th verse. And this is where I want to camp
out for a little bit. He says, be not carried away
with divers and strange doctrines. It's not unusual for somebody
to ask me, or ask any preacher of the gospel, about the doctrines
of grace. Do you believe the doctrines
of grace? Well, let me say, and I don't
want to get too picky here, I believe the doctrine of grace. Now the word doctrine means teaching. And in the Bible, wherever the fullness of God's truth is
set forth, it's spoken of in the singular as doctrine. Because you see, God's truth
is singular. It is one. It is one. And as I've already said, it's
all found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever the errors of men are
spoken of, the word used is doctrines, plural. We read a few moments ago from
Deuteronomy 32. The Lord says, my doctrine shall
drop as the rain, and my speech shall distill as the dew. Listen
to what Solomon said in Proverbs 4 and verse 2. For I give you
good doctrine, forsake you not my law. In Matthew chapter 7
and verse 28. And it came to pass when Jesus
had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his
doctrine. In Acts chapter 2 and verse 42,
you remember what happened on the day of Pentecost, when the
gospel was set forth by men preaching this truth in languages that
they had never studied before. And then Simon Peter brought
that powerful message on the day of Pentecost about the resurrected,
exalted Christ Jesus. It says of those who were converted,
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and
fellowship. In Acts chapter 5, the authorities
said, Did we not straightly command you, that is Peter and John,
that you should not teach in this name? And behold, you have
filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. and intend to bring this man's
blood on us. The Apostle Paul's final words
to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 4, he says, preach the word. Be instant, in season, out of
season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine. That is doctrine that's good
for you. and his wholesome doctrine. Doctrine that's healthy for the
soul. But after their own lusts, shall
they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. You see,
true doctrine is singular. It's the doctrine of God. Listen to Romans chapter 6 and
verse 17. But God be thanked, that you
were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart
that form of doctrine which was delivered you. God be thanked
that you obey. Not we're going to thank you,
but God be thanked. If you believe this doctrine
of God, the doctrine of salvation by grace alone, through Christ
Jesus alone, through His blood and righteousness alone, if you
believe the message of salvation conditioned only upon the work
of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we're not going to thank you.
We're going to thank God for you that you have believed this
gospel, that you have obeyed from the heart this form of doctrine
which was delivered you. God's doctrine is singular. On the other hand, religious
error is labeled doctrines in the Bible. In Matthew chapter
15 verse 9, the Savior said, But in vain do they worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. First Timothy chapter
4 verse 1, Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits and doctrines of devils. And look at this one, here in
verse 9 of chapter 13. Be not carried away with diverse
and strange doctrines. Don't be carried away with them.
Don't be led astray by them. Now the Apostle Paul has a similar
statement to this. Hold your place there in Hebrews
13. Look at Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. Don't be carried about by these
strange doctrines. Oh, to be rooted and grounded
in the faith once delivered to the saints. Ephesians chapter
4 and verse 14, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to
and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the
slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Let's be anchored in the gospel
of God. Then we won't be blown around
by every wind of doctrine, by the deception of men, by the
sleight of men. You know, an illusionist, he
uses a sleight of hand. So when he's doing something
over here and he's got your attention over here, it's his other hand
where the action's going on. A sleight of hand. The apostle
says, don't be wowed and don't be led astray by the slight of
wicked men who are not telling things as they really are. Who are not being honest with
you. You see, you can't trust every
man who comes along carrying a Bible and says, I'm a preacher
of the Word of God. It would be nice if you could.
But you can't. Because you see, false prophets,
they come carrying the Bible, and they talk about grace, and
they talk about Jesus Christ, and they talk about salvation.
But just because a man says the right words, it doesn't mean
he's got the right message. For His message must be one of
all grace. From first to last, from beginning
to end, from Alpha to Omega, the salvation that a man proclaims
must be according to the Word of God and must be all of grace
in and through Christ Jesus. See, it was grace that purposed
our salvation. Grace redeemed us. Grace has
regenerated us. Grace is keeping us. Grace will
perfect us. We're said to be justified by
grace. All of this salvation is by the
free and pure and sovereign grace of God. And at no point in this
salvation, from beginning to end, is there any room for man
to boast. No room whatsoever. This is a body of truth that
we set forth. Don't be blown around by an illusionist
who comes with a sleight of hand. You see, God's preachers, we
had no tricks up our sleeves. If I could put it this way, we
put all the cards on the table, don't we? We hold nothing back. We're open, we're honest. We've
got nothing to hide. We declare God's eternal purpose
of salvation. We declare the full, complete
redemption of sinners by the substitution and death of our
Lord Jesus Christ. We declare the irresistible grace
of the Spirit of God who brings us to Christ Jesus, who makes
us willing to be saved God's way. We preach salvations of the Lord.
We hold nothing back. We keep nothing in reserve. We're not trying to hide the
terminology of the Bible. When it says predestination,
bless your heart, we say predestination. When it says election, we say
election. When it says redemption, we say
redemption. When it says atonement, we say
atonement. When it says grace, we say grace. So we're not misunderstood. And when you leave today, or
any time one of God's servants preaches by the power of the
Spirit of God, there is no mistaking what the message was. The message
is salvation in, through, and by Christ Jesus the Lord, which
is a message altogether full of grace. Full of grace. I don't set before you doctrines. I set before you the doctrine
of God. The doctrine of God. Therefore,
we ought to be like the Bereans. The Bereans who listened to Paul
and Barnabas preach, and then they searched the Scriptures
daily to see if those things were so. You mean they even searched
the Scriptures after the Apostle Paul preached? Yes, sir. Yes,
ma'am. It doesn't matter who's standing
before you. We're talking about your soul.
We're talking about the glory of God here. Let's make sure
people are being honest with us. Take what I say, look at
the Word of God. If I speak according to this
book, it's because there's light in me. If I speak not according
to this book, it's because there's no light in me. That's what Isaiah
said. You see, some men lie in wait
to deceive. Like a lion. A lion that's hidden
over in the bushes. Until the time is right. And
then he pounces on his prey. That's not God's preachers. So
don't be carried away by every wind of doctrine. Go back to
Hebrews chapter 13. Oh may God anchor our souls in
the gospel of Jesus Christ. May we be anchored in this salvation
accomplished by and conditioned upon the blood and righteousness
of Jesus Christ alone. Oh God, anchor me right here.
so that we will say like old Luther, here I stand, I can do
no other. I'm not going to budge a bit.
And if you don't budge on the message of grace, it's because
God has enabled you to stand. That's the only reason. Look again here in Hebrews 13
verse 9. Be not cared about with divers
doctrines, with all kinds of doctrines, different doctrines,
various doctrines, which he calls strange doctrines, foreign. And actually the idea is that
which is new and unheard of. Don't be carried away by different
kinds of new, foreign, unheard of doctrines. You see, the gospel
of the grace of God is not new, except in this sense, it's always
fresh. It's always full of life. It
always feeds the soul. It's always fresh bread from
heaven. But this is not a new gospel. And this is not one of those
strange doctrines. When you hear some preacher preaching
something that no one else has been preaching, some strange
doctrine, something unusual. Remember the admonition of the
Spirit of God here in Hebrews. Don't be carried away with that
new teaching. Stick to the tried and true.
Stick to the old gospel. Beware when somebody sets before
you something that's new and different and exciting, which
no servant of the Lord has been preaching. Something no one else
is saying. Because the gospel is not new,
it's the old gospel. I have nothing new for you today.
Because if it's new, it isn't true. And if it's true, it isn't
new. It's the old gospel for the old
year, and it will be the old gospel for the new year too.
It's the same gospel proclaimed all the way through the scriptures
starting in Genesis chapter 3. It's the good news of what God
does for sinners. He seeks the lost. He has found
a way to reconcile us without doing any harm to His justice
or to His law. Like it says in 2 Samuel 14 in
verse 14, for we must needs die, and there is water spilt on the
ground which cannot be gathered up again, neither does God respect
any person, yet does he devise means that his banished be not
expelled from him. He's devised the means whereby
those who are banished from the garden won't be expelled from
him. And that's called the everlasting
gospel. You see, contrary to the false
gospels, which are many and which are novel, the doctrine of grace
is uniform. It's all one piece. It's singular. And when the heart is established
upon the doctrine of grace, the doctrine of God, it won't be
blown about by every wind of false doctrine. Notice the next
statement that he says, For it is a good thing that the heart
be established with grace, And the only way the heart can be
established on grace is with grace and by grace. Did you know
that? Somebody says, I'm a grace man. The only way you can be a grace
man is if grace is effectual within you. We're grace men by
the grace of God. He says, be established with
grace. Watch this, not with meats which
have not profited them that have been occupied therein. That is, be established with
the doctrine of grace. The doctrine of grace. Not with
the teachings that allow you or lead you to be occupied with
something you do. Any teaching that leads you to
be occupied with, to be focused on something you do, It's a false doctrine. Because
true doctrine leads you to be focused on something that's already
done and the one who did it. That's true doctrine. You see, those who believe false
doctrines and who preach false doctrines, they would have us
view ourselves and what we do. our works, our deeds. And yet the Word of God says,
by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in God's
sight. And I say to you this morning,
to you in the congregation, to you who are watching on the internet,
or who might be watching this DVD later on, or listening to
a CD later on, if you are focusing on something you have done or
are doing for God, you're still lost. Because God's salvation
will have you focused upon Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today,
and forever. A false gospel has you focused
on yourself. Your attitude, your works, your
effort, maybe even your faith. Maybe even your repentance. When I went up to Almonte, someone
came to me and said, I'm not sure whether I'm saved or not.
I don't know whether I've repented enough. And I said, you haven't. I don't know whether I've wept
enough. You haven't. I don't know whether my faith
is strong enough. It isn't. As long as you're looking
to something within you, to some work, to some attitude, to some
feeling, you don't understand the gospel of grace. Because you see the Spirit of
God, the work of the Spirit of God, here it is. It's to lead
you indeed to see your sinfulness, but then to look out of yourself
and see the all-sufficient Savior who's already settled the case
by His substitutionary death on the cross. That's what the
Spirit of God does. The Spirit of God doesn't add
to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. His message is not, Christ has
done it all, but this is what is needed on top of that. Oh no! The Spirit of God's job
is to lead you away from yourself and to see Him as the all-sufficient
One. as the one who has put away sin,
as the one who has already brought in everlasting righteousness.
He leads you to see that Christ Jesus is all. Do you see? Do you understand? It's not self. And I tell you, self-righteousness
is such a prevalent thing in all of us. Isn't it? In all of
us. And if you're not careful, if
I'm not careful, we'll start looking within. And when you
look within, I promise you this, within you that is in your flesh
and in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. It never has, guess what,
never will. So there is no satisfaction looking
within. Well, where can satisfaction
be found? In Him. in Him alone. This is the doctrine of grace.
But if you focus on something that you're doing or you're feeling,
let me tell you, you'll be in the same shape as these folks.
Look at the last statement of verse 9. They didn't profit. It didn't profit them to be occupied
with these things. And guess what? It won't profit
you either. It's not going to do you any good either. Learn
from the failures of others. The doctrine of grace. Salvation
by grace alone. In Christ alone. Revealed by
the Spirit of God in the Word of God alone. This is the doctrine
we set before you. This is the doctrine of God. Let's be occupied with this doctrine. Behold, I give you good doctrine. Good doctrine. Full of life. Full of energy. Full of grace. Full of power. Because you see,
this doctrine is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein,
in this doctrine, is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith. As it is written, the just shall
live by faith. Doctrine, singular, singular. The doctrine of God, our Savior. Amen. Will Joe come lead us in
a hymn?