Looking Diligently

Thank you. We'll go to God in prayer again. We want to remember those that have needs. I'm very thankful to hear that everything is well with you and the baby. That's good news. Ask your prayers for me as I desire to preach this message to you. I long to preach this with the heart in which it was delivered. I read the apostle's heart in these letters and it seems as though he just pours out from his very soul love and concern and longing for the congregation that he is writing to. I long for that same heart, which is truly the heart of the Spirit of God, which is the heart of our God that has been written for us through the Apostle. I long to preach it as it is intended, and with the same heart it is intended.

I don't know how men take it. You can't determine how men take it regardless of how it's preached. But I do pray that the Spirit would use it as He pleases and that's going to happen. This message will fall out exactly how the Spirit of God intends it fall on your heart and mine. I'll tell you I am so thankful it is in the hands of the Spirit because I don't have All wisdom.

It would be a mess if I had all power. It would be a mess. You know, I've quoted that to you many times. If we had all power, we'd change everything. If we had all wisdom, we'd change nothing. Everything is moving exactly as God determines. And I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful that gives us some comfort, some peace. No chaos. To us it's chaos. To him it's no chaos whatsoever. It's perfect. Beautiful. Ordered.

Remember our conference coming up 24th, 25th, 26th. We'll meet the Saturday before the conference to clean and fellowship and eat together, I look forward to that, spending time with you. I don't get to spend much time with you. I see you here and then we're gone. And I enjoy spending time with you, getting to talk with you.

Pray about that. This coming Lord's Day, we'll have the Lord's Supper together. I wanna eat the Lord's Supper together and pray the Lord will bless that. That's always a, a wonderful time of remembrance. I always loved that picture. We don't have many of those in the New Testament church, and for good reason, we would abuse them. But God has given us two, in baptism and the Lord's Supper, and we don't get to see baptism very often, but the Lord's Supper we can do. He says, as often as you do it. I guess we do it every Sunday we wanted to, I really want to do that again with you and spend time with you, uh, remembering our Lord in that type, that picture. Um, we'll do that this Lord willing this Sunday.

Uh, any other requests, announcements I need to mention? My brain's not falling on all cylinders, not firing right. So that's just, sorry. It's what you get. So, uh, I know the Lord knows our needs and our struggles. I'm thankful for that, aren't you? That you don't have to voice every struggle. We'd be here all day if we had to do that. Lord knows our struggles and I pray for your struggles, pray for ours, pray for mine. Let's go to him in prayer. Gracious father, we come before you again, seeking you again because we need you.

I come confessing my weakness, my inability, my lack of strength, power. And pray for grace, father, that you would give me the liberty and unction of your spirit, the power of your spirit. That I might preach the word in clarity and plainness of speech. That it might go forth and father, you would give me the words for your people. And by the same grace and power, make it effectual to all of our hearts.

I pray, Father, this message would fall upon the hearts of your people as the dew upon the tender earth, strengthening, encouraging, nourishing them. I pray that it would fall upon the dead soul, that you would plow the ground of the heart and remove all the obstacles and give grace for them to believe. I pray that you would strengthen us who believe in our times of afflictions, our times of trouble, our times of difficulties and doubts and fears, our times of failures, which are many. I pray that you take this word as it was written, in the heart it was written, and that you would apply it to your people. I pray Father that you would lead us in this and that you would take and help your people and those that are sick, those that are in great trials and afflictions and difficulties, both without and within. That you would come and comfort us, set this time aside for our encouragement and strength. I pray that you'd give us grace that we should always look to Christ. as all our hope and standing before you. And I ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our savior and for his sake. Amen. And I take your Bible's turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. We look at verses 14 through 17 this evening, the Lord willing. I'm gonna tell this message looking diligently, looking diligently.

Verse 14 he says, follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord looking diligently. What purpose lest any man should fail 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 that how afterward he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."

Now, I would have you, by way of introduction, to remember the purpose of this book. The purpose of this book, the apostle was writing to the Hebrew believers, these saints, who were enduring much tribulation, much difficulty. You have to understand that these These believers at this time, most everyone in the Jewish community at this time believed that Christianity was nothing more than a cult. That their sons and their daughters, their mothers and their fathers were being seduced. And they did everything they could to try to get them back under the law of Moses. And so the apostle is writing this book to encourage the believer to continue. being persecuted. They were losing their homes, their families, their places of worship. They were kicked out of the synagogues.

And so Paul writes this letter describing that Christ is better than all that. He's better than the angels. He's better than Moses. He's better than the law because he fulfilled it. He's better than the high priest. He's better than the sacrifice because he is the fulfillment of those things.

And now when they first heard this, they were strong, they were zealous. They were willing to depart with all the world. They were so bold to identify with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many had been abandoned by their friends and families. And they were very sincere in the beginning. But now time has come on. Now time has moved forward.

The troubles did not cease, they increased. They increased. The winds of trouble and difficulty and afflictions, the fiery trials waxed worse. They didn't get better. And so now they're beat down. Have you ever been beat down? Where you just, the afflictions come and they don't stop. They don't cease. At first, we seem to stand strong. It's kind of like a Chinese water torture. Just drip and drip until it wears you down to nothing. That's where these believers were. They were ready to go. They were ready to abandon the gospel. They were weak. They were feeble. They were tempted to leave.

You that believe in Christ, I know this is familiar to you that everything outside desires to pull you away from this. From the word of God, from the gospel, everything, your flesh, the world, your family, your friends, everything seems to pull us in every direction. This is why the Apostle said, hold fast your profession of faith. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is, as you see the day approaching.

So Paul as a faithful minister reminds them of this, this truth, that only those who endure to the end shall be saved. Only those whose faith continues, only they shall be saved. Only the elect will die in faith. Only those redeemed by Christ will die in faith. You know what he said in Hebrews 11, I think in verse 13, he said, these all died in faith. So will every elect child die in faith, looking to Christ.

So therefore, He encourages them who profess faith in Christ. Even so, tonight, I encourage you. I exhort you who believe in Christ. Listen to this. Hold fast. Hold fast. Now, I'm not saying this. Don't hold fast to your faith. Hold fast to the object of your faith. He says in this previous verse 2, Looking unto Jesus. Who is what? The Author. What? Finisher. He's the author. If He's the author, you listen to this, He's also the finisher. Everyone who has faith of Jesus Christ, looking to Him, true faith, He will finish it. This should encourage you who believe.

And this way of trouble, friends, is not accidental. The way of trouble for these Hebrew believers and the way of trouble we face now is not accidental, it is intentional. God is intentionally leading us into difficulties. Scripture says, we through much tribulation must enter the kingdom of God. It is given unto you on behalf of Jesus Christ not only to believe on Him, but what? To suffer for His namesake. These afflictions are designed by our Father.

This is what He's talking about in this matter of chastisement. He said, don't you know that chastisement of the Father is only for sons? It's not for anyone else. If you be without it, what are you? He says you're bastards and not sons. Look at verse 7. If you endure chastening. See the condition there? How do you know if one's faith is genuine? How do you know if one's faith is given? If you endure.

Then you know this. Well you're chastened as a son. Because all sons endure. They endure chastisement of the Father. So does every believer. He says, don't despise this. It's necessary. He says to such chastened saints in verse 12, look at this. He said, wherefore, lift up your hands and hang down in feeble knees.

You see the position of these people? They're just beat down. They're just hanging back. They're just hanging on by a thread. And he says, don't, no, no. Lift up your hands. Lift up your hands and strengthen your feeble knees. Now, how do we do that? That sounds good, but how is that done? I don't have any strength. How is that done? Look what he says. Verse 12. Verse 11, He said, Make straight paths for your feet. Straight paths.

How do we do this? By the same old paths. There's only one path, isn't there? There's only one way by which we can be strengthened, by which we can be encouraged. It is by looking to Christ. That's the only way you're going to be strengthened. That's the only way your head's hanging down. The only way you're going to be able to lift up your hands in praise and adoration to God is by looking to Christ. It's that eternal path, which is faith in Christ. Ephesians 6 15 he said shod your feet with the preparation of gospel peace. What's a foundation by which you can stand on what you can be strengthened by that foundation is Christ isn't it. The gospel of Jesus Christ shod your feet with this gospel.

So now Paul in the text here continues exhorting these tried believers. You see the position that they're in you see the trouble. And what he is longing to do is encourage them to continue. And now then look in our text here. He says, follow peace with all and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Two things here that he encourages every believer to follow. Now once you know that word follow doesn't mean lag behind. It means pursue. Actively engage in. Every believer ought to be actively engaged in these two things. Peace with who? All. Peace. And what? Holiness. Holiness. Without which no man shall see the Lord. Every believer desires to live peaceably. Isn't that so?

We desire to live quiet and peaceable lives. We desire that nobody bother us. Just let us worship in peace. Let us serve our God in peace. We desire to live peaceable among all men. Quiet and peaceable lives. And we will and do desire peace. Now listen, we never want peace at the expense of the gospel. Never in exchange. That's what the world wants. They want you to exchange the gospel for peace. We can never do that.

But it is our harsh desire never to engage with people other than to live peaceably with them. it says live peaceably with all men that means men on the outside of this building i'll tell you what that's that's no small feat is it yet we are to pursue peace i like the way the lord said it he said if a man take your uh cloak what are you gonna do oh give me coke well see no more strife just give it to me And there's no more strife, is there? No more contention. I tell you, when there's contentions, we want to hang on to things of the world, didn't we?

I want to hang on to my coat. Well, then there's not peace. There's what? There's strife. He said, no, pursue peace. Just give it to him. What is it? What have you lost? You haven't lost anything. Lord knows you need a coat. Matter of fact, who gave you that coat that you had? Wasn't it the Lord that gave you that?

So live peaceably among... Pursue it. Now then, this is not only those without, but especially within. Live peaceably among the saints. I like what he says in Galatians 6.10. He says, As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially, especially to those who are of the household of faith. We should pursue peace among the brethren. Secondly, we are to pursue a holy life. The scripture tells us that we are to live soberly, righteously, and godly.

When? When are we supposed to do that? When we get to heaven? Is that when we start that? He said, no, in this present world. Right now! Live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. We're to pursue that. We're to pursue that life. A holy life. You see, the believer is saved not to sin, but what? From sin. From sin. Aren't we saved from sin? Paul said, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. And in Romans 6 he said, shall we sin, that what, grace may abound? Is that how it works? Do we just presume upon grace so that we might have what our flesh wants?

No, God forbid you should live like that. The apostle is saying to these weary believers, no, don't give up the ship. We are to pursue after a holy life. But these things, these things of peace, these pursuits of peace, this pursuit of a holy life, listen, they are byproducts of peace and holiness that's already been obtained. See, you're not living peaceably so that you may have peace with God. You're not striving to live a holy life so that you may be holy. Listen, you live peaceably because you're already at peace. You strive to live holy because what? You're already made holy. These are by-products. This is what pours out of the believer. It's what God put into the believer. It's what comes out. See, these things have been both purchased and given to us. By who? By Jesus Christ.

Now, the text is not teaching progressive sanctification. Not teaching it. Not teaching it. Not even close to teaching progressive holiness. That somehow by our ability to live peaceably, somehow that influences our peace with God. Or that by our living holy, or by striving to live holy, that somehow we become holier. That's not what it's teaching. How do I know that? Well, because of the last words of this text. Look at this.

Without which no man shall see the Lord. You see, if that's talking about my obtaining peace and my obtaining holiness, then listen, if I don't obtain it, I can't see the Lord. So anybody that desires to live a holy life, to be holy, listen, without that you'll never see God. So we must conclude that if he's saying without this no man shall see the Lord, that somehow our holiness and peace with God is dependent on us.

That's what it would be saying if that's what most modern religion believes it to be saying. But that's not what it's saying. The exhortation here is an urgent one to pursue these things. Why? Because that's what we've been given. That's what Christ has obtained for us. And so where then is our peace with God and holiness found? Where is it found? Is it found in our striving to be peaceful? Is it found in our striving to be holy? No, it's only found in Jesus Christ. There is no other place that peace and holiness is found.

So why are we to pursue peace then? because Christ has already obtained it. It's just reasonable for us to live peaceably seeing this that Christ made our peace with God. In Colossians he tells us that that he by the blood of his cross has made peace with God. Now because we have peace with God isn't it just reasonable to live peaceable? It's just reasonable to live peaceable seeing we have obtained peace. Why are we to seek a holy life? Because Christ has already sanctified us. He's already made us holy.

Over in Hebrews 10, we read this quite often, I think it's the clearest passage concerning sanctification. It says in Hebrews chapter 10, he says in verse 10, by the witch will, by the will of God. You are what? You are sanctified. Now, how are you sanctified? The word sanctification is holiness. That's what it means. By the which will you are made holy. How? Through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. How many times were you sanctified? Once.

You're sanctified through the offering of his body. And notice what he says in verse 14. By his one offering he hath perfected forever them that are what? And then are sanctified. Those are sanctified by the will of God sanctified through the blood of Christ.

He hath perfected us already. Made us holy. We are sanctified in first Corinthians one verse 30 God hath made him to be wisdom. Made him to be wisdom for us. Wisdom. Righteousness. He made Him to be all our righteousness. He made Him to be what? All our sanctification. And all our redemption. So when we look to Christ, what do we see? We see that's the source of my holiness.

That's the source of my peace with God. Therefore, shouldn't it just be reasonable to live peaceably among men? Isn't it just reasonable? Seeing what great things God has done for me. Seeing what great peace he made with me. What is it? What does it matter if I should not just be that kind of blessed are the peacemakers. They should be called children of God. Well, they're imitators of God, imitators of Christ. We see he's our sanctification. You see there at the cross. The psalmist writes this mercy and truth.

Two totally opposite things. The truth is we should die in our sins. The truth is we are guilty. The truth is we should be punished. That's the truth. Mercy says this. Let him go free. Salvation without merit. Two opposite things and yet where they do mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other only in Jesus Christ. There's no other place those two things are found. Holiness and peace. Righteousness and peace. Oh, you feigning saints, pursue then the truth and lay hold on it.

Lay hold on Christ. We could never make our peace with God. We could never by our works make ourselves holy. But lay hold of this, that Jesus Christ is all our holiness. all our peace with God. And look at this next thing. He encourages us to a life of holiness and peace because Christ obtained our holiness and peace. Without which we'd never see the Lord. Isn't that right? We'd never see Him. But now we have these things, we will. Go back to your text and look at this. The next one. Verse 15.

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God. I sing no man will be able to see God without peace and holiness except to be made by Christ. Therefore he said let each one of us look diligently to something. Now at the very beginning he tells us look to Christ looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Now he's commanding us to look at something Different. He's saying looking diligently to see what? To see our position in Christ. Look diligently to see your position in Christ.

Lest what? Lest any man fail of the grace of God. Lest any man fail of the grace of God. Look diligently to see that if we are in Christ. so as not to be deceived by our wicked heart. In other words, let every one of us examine ourselves. We're going to eat the Lord's supper on the Lord's Sunday if we want to. And the scripture there in Corinthians tells us this before we eat it. He said, examine yourselves. You know, the pastor is not to examine you. I'm not going to go out there and examine you. I'm not going to go to Terrence over here and examine you. I'm not going to have everybody examine each other.

Examine yourselves. That's what he's telling us. Look diligently at this matter. Look diligently and see, examine yourselves. Go to 2 Corinthians 13, look at this one. Same idea, same concept. 2 Corinthians, look at chapter 13, verse 5. He says, examine yourselves.

What are we examining? Whether you be in the faith. Is that not the most vital thing that you can examine? Is that the thing that you as believers in Christ want to know? And want assurance of? Is this, am I His or am I not? Am I in Christ or am I just deceiving myself?

You and I must look diligently into these things. Not just pass it over. Not just skim the surface. Look diligently into it. He said prove your own selves. Don't prove other people. What good does that do? You don't have a clue and neither do I. Prove your own selves.

Know you not your own selves how Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobate there's only two two conclusions to this you're either jesus christ is either in you or you're reprobate there's no other there's no other path there's no other you're either in christ or you're not you're either saved or you're lost and so what does it say examine yourselves And I'll tell you this, when a believer by grace can examine himself and the Spirit of God revealed to him that he is in Christ, there's no greater joy. There's no, I mean, the strength, you want to talk about strength?

When God reveals how we are in union with Christ, that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that Christ paid and purchased us. He redeemed us from our sins, all our sins. That He even now constantly in this moment is interceding for us. To know that is the greatest value that we can possibly have. It's a wonderful, wonderful thing.

Therefore, what should we do? We are encouraged to examine. To make sure that we are in Christ. Look diligently. And I'll tell you this, we must not look diligently only on ourselves. We must look diligently to encourage one another to continue in the faith. We must diligently strive in love to help each other.

To help each other. to help the brethren, to help those who have fallen. We must take great care to exhort one another to continue in the faith. Isn't this why we're here? This is one of the reasons why we're here. Now, I know you're here to hear the gospel, but I want you to know this, that we attend worship so that we might encourage one another. If we're not faithful in that, how can we encourage each other?

You can't. It's kind of like somebody saying, well, you know, I don't need a tin there. You know, I can do it from my house. That's like saying, you know, well, I can be married by Zoom. We can communicate by, you know, via text. Can you? How long would that marriage last? You can't encourage one another. You can't strengthen one another unless you're visible to one another.

And this is part of it. And so let us look diligently, not just to ourselves, but in love to our brethren. Paul says in Philippians 2, 4, he said, look not every man on his own things. Now you are to look on your own things. You are to examine yourselves. But you also look diligently to care for your brother. But also on the things of others. Now, how are we to do this? How are we to do this? With all love and humility. With love and humility. Not looking down in pride. You see a brother who's fallen. You see a brother who's weak. You see a brother who's downcast. What do you do? Do you run over there and you just hit him on the head with the gospel?

You say, man, look at that! You shouldn't be like that. No, love. Humility. That's how we we approach one another. That's how we encourage one another. You know, we don't stand over one another. Looking down in pride at our fallen brethren as though somehow we've attained a better status than they have. No, we do it. We look out for one another with compassion and longing that none of the brethren fail of the grace of God.

I don't want anyone who professes faith in Christ to fail at the grace of God. I'm going to get to what that means in just a minute. But I don't want anyone who professes to be lost. Do you? I used to be so skeptical. You know, somebody come to me and say, yeah, yeah, yeah. But now I'm just willing to take it at your word. You know, I don't know. I have been wrong so many times. I have been wrong more times than ever been right about a person. And so somebody comes and professes to believe.

Well my hope is that they would believe. My hope is that they would continue in the gospel. And I want to do everything I can to encourage them to continue in the gospel. To continue in the faith. And I must do this out of love. Humility. I don't want anyone to fall short of the grace of God. It is my longing, my heart, that all of you endure, every one of you. I want every one of you to endure. As much as I want myself to endure, I want you to endure. As much as I want myself to be in Christ, I want you to be in Christ. I long for it.

Paul likens the church to a body. Now, I thought of it, pick a body part, your foot. If your foot hurts, have you noticed how your whole body caters to it? I mean, your whole body, you'll look like you're crazy trying to walk. Not to hurt that foot, why? Because that's part of you. The foot, should it fail to keep its strength, the whole body would be engaged to help.

And so it is with the brethren. The brethren, we should be engaged to help one another, to encourage one another, to strengthen one another. And so even so, when one is weak and faint, then the whole body should engage to restore that brother. that we should look diligently so our brother should not fail.

You know, John says this plainly, if a man say you love God and hate his brother, he's a liar. Isn't that just so? If God has been gracious to you, I'll put this on me, if God has been gracious to me, who is the lowest of men, Should I not engage to be gracious to people, to others, to my brethren that are obviously better than I am? We should.

Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Look what he says, looking diligently, looking diligently to aid and assist our brother that none should fail the grace of God. Look what he says in 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 25. Look, he said, that there should be no schism in the body. Now, the word schism means split. There should be absolutely no split in the body.

None. For any reason whatsoever, none. No reason. Well, you don't know what they did to me. You don't know how they hurt me. You don't know what they said to me. You don't know what they did to my children. You don't know what they did to my family. You don't know what they did to my reputation.

Doesn't matter. Does it? Considering what Christ has done for us, and does daily for us, Scripture says he is daily cleansing us, daily forgiving us. So what is the exhortation? Look diligently that there be no schism among you, no division, no split. Now, I understand when the gospel is at stake, we understand that, that there's going to be a division. But the gospel makes the division all by itself.

I don't have to. I don't have to go out there and make a big fuss about it. I don't. I know that I've seen that happen where some preacher has a something that they're just harping on and they got a division. They want to set themselves apart and they just go in there and they make the division. And listen, if there's a division concerning my preaching the gospel, I'm not really engaged in it. I don't need to. I just preach the gospel. Gospel divides all by itself. I don't have to. I don't have to make it divide.

So in the things of the gospel, we understand that there will be offenses and and we're not to sacrifice the gospel, but I'm talking about any other thing among brethren who believe the gospel. Among brethren who believe the gospel, no schism in the body, look at it, but that the members.

Should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all suffer with. Whether Another is honored. Oh, rejoice with it. In other words, no envy, right? Somebody received something good, something wonderful. You know, and you're over here in a pit. You're down in the dumps. You know, what are we to do? Repraise God for whatever that brother has and not envy it. Not envy it. And then there's the one in the pit. What do you do with him? If you've been exalted over here and he's in the pit, what is that? Well, you go down there with him. You go down there. Why? You got to look diligently to these things. Therefore, we are to look diligently, lest any man should fail the grace of God.

That's why I said, not just yourselves, but any man, you included, but any man, anyone who professes faith in Christ. Remember the church of Galatia, there was a big divide there, wasn't there? It was over a gospel matter. And there were many in that church that failed.

Oh, there were many that were duped. And the first, I think the first five or so chapters, he deals with those people that were duped. He sets the record straight. But in the last portion of five and six, the apostle deals with those that didn't get duped.

Why? Because the temptation was to say, Aha! I told you! Instead of saying, I love you. Instead of humbling ourselves. He says this to those that remain faithful. He says, if a brethren be overtaken in a fault. Listen, you that are spiritual. What do you do? You excommunicate him. Do you somehow put him in the back pew? No. He says this. Restore. That's what he's talking about in this text, in our text. Looking diligently for anyone who is in trouble that we might be able to help and restore them. To bring them back if they've fallen off. To actively engage seeking their betterment.

Which is what? To be under the gospel? To hear the gospel? That's the best, isn't it? Not go away. What is true for the body to restore the fallen saint and brother with meekness? Why? Considering yourselves. You want to know why you should do this? Because whatever your brother is doing, you're prone to do the same thing. And if you don't think that you can do that, friends, you have set yourself up for a fall. You're fixing to fall. Considering your own self, that you are prone to just as much evil as your brother.

Yet this surely is false to me as a pastor. It is my obligation as a pastor to seek to restore anyone who has fallen. who is troubled, who is in difficulty. But not only the pastor, but it's everyone's responsibility to look diligently to one another, the care of one another.

Why? Because the pastor don't know everything. You know, there are things that happen among you that I have no clue. I tell Joanne, pastors last to know, isn't it Joanne? I'm the last one to know. Somebody's sick in the hospital, they'd probably be dead and buried for the pastor knew it. I understand that. But if there's anyone that you know, look diligently to their care.

Lest they should fail the grace of God. Do you want them to fail the grace of God? No. We want them to be kept. want them to be faithful to the end. Therefore, we must take great care that we be found in Christ, that we believe on Christ continually and not faint.

But not only ourselves, we should look diligently to our brothers. So look diligently. Now, this is our The exhortation is to us who believe, who look diligently to these things. Yet, all the while, we know some things. Now, we know this for a fact. We know this.

That everyone the Father chose, and everyone the Son redeemed, and everyone the Spirit called, that they shall never fail of the grace of God. They shall never fail. They shall never fall away. Jesus said, All that the Father giveth me, I should lose nothing.

And we know that. We know that to be true. These are as pictured in the book of Revelation. The 144,000 that are sealed with the blood of Christ. We know this. Yet we cannot, we should look diligently not only to ourselves and to others because, listen, we don't know who the elect are. Do you? How often have you asked yourself, am I one? You don't even know for yourselves at times. You doubt for yourself.

And so this is why we're to do this. So while we're to look diligently to ourselves to see whether we are in the faith and look diligently to others to encourage them to keep in the faith. Because we don't know. Now we are encouraged by this that they will not that those who are Christ will not fail. But I know this who then are the elect who are they. They're the ones who have the same mind as the Apostle Paul. He said this in Philippians 3, he said, yea, doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of him.

Is that you? Look diligently. Is that you? Do you literally count everything else but done that you may have him? Now that's an elect person. That's one who has been redeemed by the blood of Christ. That's one who's been called. They count all things but loss that they may, for the excellency of the knowledge of him, that they may win Christ. They suffer the loss of all things and do count them but done. They may win Christ and be found in him.

Is that what you want? Do you want only to be found in him? I look diligently. Are you just pretending? Not having my own righteousness, which of the law you want to go back on the law? You didn't believe? You want to go back? No. No. I can't bear it. What do I want? I want the righteousness which is through the faith of Christ. That's what I want. Is that what you want? Look diligently. Is that what you really want? The righteousness of God which is received by faith. How is this righteousness mine? It's received by faith, by faith.

So then to fail of the grace of God, to fall short of the grace of God is simply this, is to be a pretender. To fall short of the grace of God is to be a pretender. In other words, anyone who makes a profession of faith and then leaves, they may leave for another gospel or they may leave for whatever reason of the flesh. Listen to this. If they leave, they failed of the grace of God simply because of this. They were only a mere pretender. How many have we seen come in and go away? How many over the years? I've seen many. I've encouraged them to stay. I longed for them to stay and hear the gospel and abide with us, but they left for whatever reason.

This is what the scripture calls an apostate, an apostate. One who only had outwardly received the gospel, outwardly embraced the gospel, but had no real effectual work of the Spirit in their hearts. I'm going to give you this. I know I've got plenty more and I'm not going to be able to get through it, but it's all right. I want to give you this. The idea here is of an apostate, one who's who has not looked diligently, who doesn't really look into these things.

They just skim the surface and pretty soon they're gone. They're like the parable the Lord said of the sower. So went forth to sow and some fell on the wayside and they're just gone. You know, that happens. Somebody preach a gospel and they just get up and leave. They just never come anyway. But then there's this other one. The stony ground here, the one that has just a little bit of dirt. That seed gets down that little bit of dirt and it just sprouts up fast. It looks like every other piece of wheat. It looks like every other vine. But what?

When the sun comes down, when the trials come and the difficulties come, where do they go? They're gone. That happened to many in this church the apostle was preaching to. They were just pretenders. They didn't have any depth. in their understanding or their salvation. The other group is that one, the thorny ground here. Remember them? He said the seed is cast among thorns and it grows up. It looks just like every other vine. It looks like it's going to produce fruit. And then what? The cares of the world choke it.

These are people who could take or leave the gospel. They're in a difficult time, they're in a bind, they come in and they hear the gospel and they receive it on par with everything else. In other words, it's just as valuable to them as everything else. They need Christ just as much as they need their family. They need Christ just as much as they need their job. They need Christ just as much as they need their health or their wealth.

And so what? When this world starts weighing in, What goes? Family. This is one I've seen, I can't tell you how many times, where someone comes in, makes a profession of faith, they come in, and then what? The importance of family outweighs the gospel, and they leave. What does that prove? It proves this. They're apostates. They're apostates. John said this. They went out from us because they were not of us. If they were of us, what would they do? They would no doubt continue with us. They would endure in the faith if they were really of us.

And this illustration here that the apostle gives is Esau. Esau he said that who is like a profane let's read this together I'm gonna just read it and we'll go through it real quickly this is what it is to fail the grace of God lest any there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau for one morsel of meat sold his birthright see that how much did he really value the birthright he sold it for a bowl of soup Is this what men do when they leave the gospel? When they leave the gospel and they leave the faith, they leave it for false religion or they leave religion altogether? What are they selling? They're selling Christ for whatever else they can get. The world? False religion? Feel good religion? Same as Esau.

He sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. That's what they're selling the gospel for. This is an apostate. For you know that afterward when he would have inherited the blessing. Now listen to this. He was never going to inherit the blessing. God ordained that he would never inherit the blessing.

What he means is this. When he thought he should obtain the blessing. Now when he came to Isaac, he was full well expecting it. And then what? He was rejected. This is what the apostate finds. He dabbles in the gospel and religion, and then in the end, he expects God to give him heaven. You know what?

Just as Esau was rejected, so will the apostate. So will the apostate. For he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Now Esau, never repented concerning what he did with that birthright. He just repented that he didn't get the inheritance. That's what apostates do. The apostle says in another place, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. After they heard the gospel and rejected it, he said this, there's no more sacrifice for sinners. One thing about apostates is this.

They're all saved. They're all saved. They're always looking back at something that they did. Well, I believed and I joined the church and I was baptized. What's wrong with that kind of faith? That kind of faith is not continual. True faith endures. True faith looks diligently to see whether I'm in Christ. How do I know if I'm in Christ? I look to Christ. Do you look to Christ? Have you looked to Christ enough? Are you finished looking at Christ? We always look to Christ. I want to be in Him. I want to be found in Him. And this continues. Apostates, they come, they pretend, and they leave.

I pray that God will keep us. Pray God will keep me, sustain me, that I should not fail by the grace of God, that I'm not a pretender. And I long for every one of you to look diligently, to make your calling and election sure, and then encourage one another to continue. Pray God will bless us. Let's stand and be dismissed in prayer. Gracious Father, dismiss us with your blessings and mercies. Pray you keep us, sustain us. Pray you heal our hearts and our minds.

We should look diligently to the things of Christ and the good of our brethren. Pray you keep us in unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. and forgive us our sins. Touch those that are sick. Be gracious and merciful to heal. Bring them back again to us. We ask these things in Jesus' name.

Looking Diligently

Sermon Transcript

About Fred Evans

Comments

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Looking Diligently

Sermon Transcript

About Fred Evans

Comments

More from Fred Evans

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book