Hebrews 13 Let's read verses 1-6 and we'll concentrate on one small phrase that just grabbed my attention. Hebrews 13 verses 1-6 Let brotherly love continue Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity as being yourselves also in the body.

Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Let your conversation be without covetous, and be content with such things as you have. For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Now, what I'd like to look at is one phrase in verse five. And if we could grasp these few words by faith, his word to us, to our heart, to our soul, to each individual believer, his dear people, what comfort, what boldness, what a weapon in our warfare while we sojourn here, whether you go to work, Whether you go not to work, you're retired, you still have to live in this world until the Lord calls us home. But these few words, they're easy to memorize, easy to look back and contemplate. If we could grasp this by faith, verse five, right in the middle, for he hath said. Now the New King James Version says, for he himself, He Himself hath said. That's the Word of God to us. God doesn't speak to us verbally anymore, but He does speak to us through His Word. For He Himself hath said.

I can't remember who it was, I can't remember who the leader was of the Jewish state, but when he was challenged, this is years ago when I was in high school, I remember very vividly, he was challenged, what gives you the right to say this is your land? And he goes to the Bible, he goes, because the Bible, because God said it. He said it, this is what he said. So he went there.

So if we look at simply, you can just stay there, chapter four and verse 12 says, for the word of God incarnate, the word of God written in this case for us is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, the joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Take his word.

This Word with us always. It's really all we have. I mean, the Holy Spirit takes these things and reveals Christ to us. But this Word, it's the open love letter to His people. And it's an open rebuke to our flesh. As Matt said, it's an example. Christ is our example. He read that scripture. We should take this word with us always. And if we would do so by faith given, slay every doubt. Do you doubt? I doubted this week, struggled this week. We would conquer every fleshly enemy and we would build upon the solid foundation. This book. This book.

What fears do we have that continually looking to this unerring, uncut gem will not fall off from our heavy laden backs. Whatever we have, take it to the Lord. Take it, as you know, they say, take it to Calvary. Christ himself has said, and he himself ever resorted often to the very word of God when he would say, thus sayeth the Lord, when he was in his earthly pilgrimage, or it is written. He was quoting scriptures. They didn't even have the New Testament. He was quoting scriptures. He submitted himself to it. So I tell us this morning, memorize it, meditate upon it, utilize its wisdom when our wisdom is lacking. How do I handle this situation? How do I react? You know, what do you want me to say? How do I say it?

You know, it's like in the New Testament, you know, pray that the Lord would give us words and then when we need them, either be quiet or to say something. Make use of it when the heart grows cold. I don't understand why I just don't feel like the Lord's far from you. Well, have you read the scriptures? No, not for three or four days. Then I talked to myself about this as well. When you're away from home, when you're out of your comfort zone, when you got situations come up that you have to attend to, you know, make sure you have the scriptures with you.

Retreat. upon his covenant of sovereign grace when the tempter hounds you and hounds me. Turn to its most precious promises to solidify our feeble standing before our kind and tender God, exceeding great and precious promises. Seek him, Christ, while he may be found. Seek him in this book, in the message as it's being preached, in this fellowship, one with another. which made me think of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. When Pilgrim met up with Hopeful, and they were walking together, and Hopeful, the conversation, I got some written down here. So let us commune one with another, lest we grow weary and faint. As they were leaving, I believe it was Vanity Fair.

They talked about overcoming fear. Hopeful reminds Christian that they are not alone, citing that God will never leave them or forsake them in Deuteronomy 31. They spoke one to another about strength and trials. They often referenced the need to wait on the Lord to renew their strength, enabling them to run and not be weary, Isaiah 40. They spoke of forgiveness and grace. Hopeful provides comfort to Christian after struggles, embodying grace found in the scriptures that relieves anxiety, Proverbs 12. When they were walking through the enchanted land where many pilgrims would go to sleep, Christian said to Hopeful, to avoid sleeping, let us decide to engage in profitable discourse, encouraging each other by sharing scriptural themes, Luke 24.

They spoke of the promise of their journey being complete. They encouraged one another that he who began a good work will carry it on to completion, Philippians 1. And as they were walking, they looked forward. They reminded each other that the present suffering is temporary and that it is far better things await them, 1 Peter 4. It's iron sharpening iron is what it is. And as we grow in grace and we encourage one another, we'll see that this world and the friendship with this world is but a, or as Job said in Job 16, miserable comforters.

You can have, you know, friends, I've got friends that are not believers, but boy, when things get difficult, tough, or whatever, I can't say much to them. They don't, they can't, they can't, they can't enter in. They just can't do it. So let us be, as pilgrim and Christian, encouraging and helping one another along the way.

Take these words with us, the words of God, in every situation, every circumstance. May we say, He Himself has said. Well, what authority? He Himself has said. Amos chapter three, verse three, I like to quote that. Can two walk together lest they be agreed? We're all agreed. on many things, especially in the scriptures. He himself has said, we must agree with God regarding what he has said about himself.

We know he's holy, he's sovereign, he's unchangeable, he's loving, he's wrathful, merciful, and he can only be approached through a mediator. Who is this mediator? We agree on that as Pilgrim and as a Christian and hopeful did. Again, who is this mediator? What says the scripture? There's only one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus.

That's what this book said. This is what he has said himself. And in back a page or so in Hebrews chapter nine, verses 12, 24 and 26, verses nine, Hebrews 9, 12, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Verse 24, for Christ does not enter into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us.

As we heard this morning, why? Because he delights in us. Why? Because God delighted in his son and he delights in him only. And then in verse 26, the middle part of that, but now once in the end of the world, hath he that is Christ appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. That's what this book says about the mediator. And we agree. We agree with God wholeheartedly. And thirdly, we agree with God regarding us, our own sin, our own corruptions, who we are. What does this book say? What does he himself has said? Sinners need a savior, no one else.

1 Timothy 1, turn to 1 Timothy 1.15. He has, this is a faithful saying, he himself has said. For God has said, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. It's a faithful saying. He himself has said, well, he said, Paul says this, well, this is, yeah, Paul wrote it, but it's inspired by God. So he himself did say this, the chief of sinners. He said, I am, not I was. I am, not I was.

As soon as we think we've got a little bit of something, as soon as we begin to walk in the light of our own fire and the sparks of our own fire, however that phrase is in the Old Testament, as soon as we begin to do that, then sorrow. It's like Peter, come walk on the water with me. Peter jumps out. He was good for a little bit, and then he saw the things of this world, the disturbances, the things that upset us. Get our eyes off Christ, we begin to fall.

And then the Lord is ever faithful, ever faithful to his people, to redeem us, to call us, to quicken us. This mediator came to heal the sick, the lame, the halt, spiritually speaking. He did not come, the scriptures specifically say, to call the righteous to repentance, but as Maurice Montgomery would say, he came to save dead dog sinners.

That's what we are. That's what we are. So let us agree with God. He has said, this is what he said, who he is. who the mediator is, what he's done, and what we are. What we are. And I ask that we would hide ourselves under the scriptures. Let us hide ourselves under he himself has said. Why do we do the things we do? Why do we gather together?

Because forsake not the assembly written out of the book he himself has said. Take every Concern every unquestionable act every Decision that we got to make it's just take it to him. Let us hide ourselves under this this bulwark this refuge this solid foundation He himself has said Bask in the warm glow of full and free pardon of him Who has said come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden And I will give you rest Is not very God in the person of Christ Jesus one we can totally rely upon? God be true and every man a liar. This past week, I heard so much talk. Unfortunately, I was involved in it. It gets emotional. It's talk. It's talk. Step back. and remind myself, remind ourself, for He Himself has said.

And if you want to continue in the context, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. If that's all you got, if that's all you got, He will never leave thee, sinner, not a righteous, not self-righteous person, not somebody who doesn't need Him, but somebody who truly needs Christ. I will never leave that person nor forsake that person. He is our only hope.

Hit the blood and righteousness of Christ. Search the scriptures. May we value it highly. Him and his written word above rubies and gold. This money, you can't take it with you. You can't take it with you. But the word of God will abide forever is what the scripture says. Truly, he himself has said, is the source of all wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption found in our kinsman and redeemer. Ought we to frequent its pages? Yes. Regularly? Yes. Continually and daily?

And you know, I used to try to do this before I work, try to get a word from the Lord. If it's just one verse before you head out the door with the food stuck, you know, we get such a big hurry. We ought to frequent it. It's pages. If we do this, I can guarantee he himself has said we'll get much comfort and peace awaits every one of His people. And may this word about the Living Word, Christ, dwell in us richly. Turn in closing to two passages, Hosea 14. Hosea 14. And verse two.

Take with you words he himself has said. Just take that. He himself has said it. The accuser comes in and accuses you. Guilty. Yeah, I'm guilty. But he himself has said, take with you words and turn to the Lord. Say unto him, take away all iniquity and receive us graciously. So will we render the calves of our lips. Now I'm not saying read that, but I'm saying read that. And if that's your confession, that's your confession. We don't believe in easy believism. But we do believe in Holy Spirit enabling and he uses the word. He himself has said. Take with you words. And lastly. John 4. John Chapter 4. In verse 14.

Verse 13, Jesus answered, and he's speaking to the woman at the well, whosoever drinks this water, the water from the well, shall thirst again. But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, the word of God, which is coupled with the work of Christ, which is coupled with the Holy Spirit of grace, which is all initiated by God the Father. But whosoever drink of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. He himself has said, sinner, come to him and only him. Believer, keep coming to him and only him. We do not stop. If we stop, as the old writer said, we've never come. The Lord add, Blessing to the reading of his word Bruce, would you close this, please?