All right, I'd like to begin
tonight in the book of Hebrews. Book of Hebrews, chapter eight. Hebrews, chapter eight. Now of the things which we have
spoken, this is the sum. We have such an high priest who
is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the
heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which
the Lord pitched and not man. For every high priest is ordained
to offer gifts and sacrifices. Wherefore, it is of necessity
that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth,
he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer
gifts according to the law. who serve unto the example in
the shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God
when he was about to make the tabernacle. For see, saith he,
that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee
in the mount. But now hath he ordained a more
excellent ministry by how much also he is the mediator of a
better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if
this first covenant had been faultless, then should no place
have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them,
he saith, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house
of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them
out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant,
and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord. I will put my laws in their mind
and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God,
and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every
man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the
Lord, For all shall know me from the least to the greatest. For
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities
while I remember no more. And that he sayeth a new covenant,
he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth
old is ready to vanish away. This entire eighth chapter of
Hebrews deals with the promise of a new covenant that God will
make with His people, His church, in these last days. The last
days that the writer of Hebrews mentions in chapter 1 verse 2. A new covenant that is called
in verse 6 of this 8th chapter, a better covenant based on better
promises. This word better means of a higher
degree more advantageous or effective. And certainly this new covenant
is so much more advantageous for those sinners that are redeemed,
who enjoy the benefits of this better covenant. But what's the
meaning of this word covenant? I looked this up. It refers to
a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two
or more parties, especially for the performance of an action.
A written agreement. And where is it written? We're
told where it's written in verse 10 of this text. For this is
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel in those
days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws in their mind
and will write them in their hearts. This is where this new
covenant is written in the hearts of the redeemed people of God.
Sealed there by God's Holy Spirit. Now we just read that a covenant
involves the promise of an action. So what is this action that is
referred to here in this chapter? What will happen under this new
covenant that makes it so much better than the old covenant? We have that answer in verse
12. I find this to be one of the
most astonishing promises in all of the Word of God. For I
will be merciful to their unrighteousness. And their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more. I've taken my title for this
message from this verse. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. But what makes this statement
so astonishing? It is this. This is not the way
that God Almighty dealt with the nation of Israel under the
first covenant. Throughout the Old Testament
Scriptures, God warns His people again and again that He is of
purer eyes to look upon sin. Time and again, He speaks of
the judgment that will come upon the nation of Israel as a result
of their disobedience and their sin. Let me read just a couple
of verses here that speak of God's judgments towards sin and
punishment, that punishment that would occur as a result of natural
man's wickedness. 1311 and I will punish the world for
their evil and the wicked for their iniquity and I will cause
the arrogancy of the proud to cease and I will lay low the
haughtiness of the terrible Jeremiah 36 31 speaking of King King Jehoiachin
and the nation of Israel. God says this and I will punish
him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity. And I will
bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, upon
the men of Judah, all the evils that I have pronounced against
them. But they hearkened not. And one of the most profound
verses, I think, in God's Word that speaks of the punishment
of God upon future generations because of the sin of one particular
man, we find in Exodus 34, 7. It says this. God will by no means clear the
guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
and upon the children's children unto the third and the fourth
generation. Now here God warns that the sin
of a man, that sin that this man commits, does not affect
just his eternal fate, But it can doom even his great, great
grandchildren. Just contemplate that for a minute.
Now you hear unregenerate men say, what I do is my business.
It doesn't hurt anybody else. Men have come up with the term
victimless crime. Yet God Almighty warns that there
is no such thing. Turn over with me to Leviticus.
Over to the book of Leviticus, chapter 26. Leviticus 26. Now here we find God speaking to
the nation of Israel, and I want to read this together so that
we can see how the Lord dealt with the physical nation of Israel
and the promises He made to them concerning how He would deal
with them as they either kept His commandments or broke His
commandments that He had given them. Now in verses 1-13, we
won't read them, but God gives a list of strict commandments
that are to be followed to the letter. Then starting in verse
14, he warns him of the dire consequences of disobedience
to his word, verse 14. But if he will not hearken unto
me and will not do all these commandments, and if he shall
despise my statutes or if your soul abhor my judgments so that
you will not do all my commandments, but that you break my covenant,
I also will do this unto you. I will even appoint over you
terror, consumption, and the burning of goo, which shall consume
the eyes and shall cause sorrow of the heart. And you shall sow
your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set
my face against you, and you shall be slain before your enemies. They that hate you shall reign
over you, and ye shall flee when none pursueth. And if ye will
not yet for all this hearken unto me, then will I punish you
seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of
your power, and I will make your heaven as iron and your earth
as brass. And your strength shall be spent
in vain, and your land shall not yield her increase, neither
shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. And if you walk
contrary unto me and will not hearken unto me, I will bring
seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. And I will also send wild beasts
among you, which shall rob you of your children and destroy
your cattle and make you few in number and your highways shall
be desolate. And if you will not be reformed
by me and by these things, but will walk contrary unto me, Then
will I also walk contrary unto you and will punish you yet seven
times for your sins. And I will bring a sword upon
you that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant. And when you're
gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence
among you and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. And
when I have broken the staff of your bread, 10 women shall
bake you bread in one oven and they shall deliver your bread
again by weight and you shall eat. and not be satisfied. And if you will not for all this
hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me, then will I walk contrary
unto you also in my fury. And I, even I will chasten you
seven times for your sins and ye shall eat the flesh of your
sons and the flesh of your daughter shall ye eat. And I will destroy
your high places and cut down your images and cast your carcasses
upon the carcasses of your idol, and my soul shall abhor you."
God Almighty tells the nation of Israel of the horrible punishments
that would come upon them if they disobey, and it is indeed
a terrifying picture. These verses are a warning to
men and women about how a thrice holy God will deal with rebellion
and unbelief. There is no mercy even hinted
at in these verses, only judgment and wrath. But despite these
dire warnings, time and again, we read of how the physical nation
of Israel is said to have provoked the Lord into anger by their
sin. And time and again, they suffered
under his judgment. Isaiah one for our sinful nation,
a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children
that are corruptors. They have forsaken the Lord.
They have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger. They are
gone away backward. A people laden, loaded down with
iniquity. Isn't that a good description
of us before the Lord saved us? Yet our God promises that He
will not remember our iniquities. Now there's a multitude of accounts
in Holy Scripture which speak of the nation of Israel provoking
the Lord and paying the consequences for it. Turn with me over to
Proverbs 1. Proverbs chapter 1. I'm reading all this so that
we can understand just how magnificent the grace of God is towards sinners.
In that verse that we read, Be merciful, not to our good
works, but to our unrighteousness. And in Proverbs 1, I believe
I've read this several times before. This is probably, to
my knowledge, one of the most sobering warnings you will find
in all of the Word of God. Starting in verse 22 of Proverbs
1, we read, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity,
and the scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge. Turn you at my reproof. Behold,
I will pour out my spirit unto you and I will make known my
words unto you because I have called and you refused. I have stretched out my hand
and no man regarded, but you have said it not all my counsel
and would none of my reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity.
I will mock. when your fear cometh, when your
fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a
whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then
shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall
seek me early, but they shall not find me. For that they hated
knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would
not of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Therefore, shall they eat of
the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices
for the turning of the way away of the simple shall slay them
and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But who so hearkeneth unto me
shall dwell safely and shall be quiet. from fear of evil. These verses tell us that God
will not show the least measure of mercy to men and women who
despise His law. That He will not only bring swift
destruction upon them, but He will lapid their calamity. These verses certainly destroy
the argument of modern day religion that God loves you and has a
wonderful plan for your life. Because these verses declare
that the only plan God has for men who hate Him and His Son
is sure destruction. But that brings forth a response
from men and women, that's just not fair. God's supposed to love
everybody, is He not? No, He doesn't. And these verses
make that as crystal clear as it can be. Men and women will not play God
for a fool their entire life. And when death is near and they
feel judgment and death coming on, they turn to God for salvation
and they expect him to welcome them with open arms and just
be delighted that now he's finally been given a chance to save him.
Paul warned the Galatians of this very thing when he wrote,
Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the
flesh shall have the flesh. reap corruption, but he that
soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. This word corruption is another
word for damnation and destruction. And this last verse of Proverbs
one said, but whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and
shall be quiet from evil. Yet from the description that
we read in Romans three of natural man, There is not any hope whatsoever
of ever hearkening to God and His commandments. Romans 7 or
8, 7 tells us that our carnal mind, that mind that we're born
with, is enmity toward God. But despite all this, we still
have this promise. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. So what happened? Did God decide,
I've just been too harsh with the nation of Israel. I'm going
to cut these elect people some slack because I've just been
too harsh. Of course, that's not the case.
Malachi 3.6 tells us this, I am the Lord, I change not. And we just read in Exodus 34.7
how the guy will by no means clear the guilty. It's not even
a remote. Possibility, sin must be paid
for. Hebrews 2, 2 warns us. For if
the word spoken by angels was steadfast and every transgression
and disobedience received a just recompensive reward, how shall
we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Every single transgression
of God's law will be met with a just recompense, a just punishment. Yet we read here in our text,
in Hebrews 8, that our God promises to be merciful to our unrighteousness. Not merciful to our obedience,
not merciful to the guy that tries as hard as he can and mostly
keeps most of God's commandments. And from a human standpoint,
at least, that would seem the reasonable thing to do. But He
promises to be merciful to our unrighteousness. How can this
possibly be? After what we've read of how
God dealt with the nation of Israel, how can this possibly
be? And there can only be one answer. If God will by no means
clear the guilty, yet promises to be merciful to our unrighteousness,
It stands to reason that another must have paid the consequences
for our sin. A ransom must have been found
that would redeem us from the just punishment that was required
for our iniquities. And this is indeed the case. Job spoke of this in Job 34,
24, verse we're so familiar with. Then is he gracious unto him
and saith, deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found
a ransom. The elect of God will not go
to the pit of the damned because Jesus Christ gave his very soul
in offering to pay the required payment, the ransom that was
due their sin. This is how we can read in Isaiah
45, 21. There is no God else beside me,
a just God, and a savior. There is none beside me. No other God created in the minds
and the hearts of man over the span of time, over the recorded
history of humankind, is like unto our God. Every God of man's
imagination requires strict obedience to what they lay down as their
law. And if that obedience fails to
happen, there is only a promise of severe punishment as a consequence. There's no mercy, but not so
with our God. Hebrews 2 speaks about how in
time past, every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward. No mercy, only strict, strict
judgment. But our God deals with His chosen
children in mercy and love, forgiving our trespasses and being merciful
to our unrighteousness. How can that be possible? Only
one way. Our great scapegoat had the sins
of his people laid upon him and carried them far, far into the
wilderness of God's forgetfulness, which is how we can read in verse
12 of our text, and their sins and iniquities will I remember
no more." You cannot remember something that never happened. And the blood of Christ has so
thoroughly annihilated all our sins and purged them away that
it's as if they didn't ever exist. As if we had never committed
the first sin. Turn over with me. You're already
in Proverbs. Turn back a few pages to Psalm
103. Psalm 103. This is one of my favorite psalms.
I know Mark and I were talking about this a year or two ago.
He said it's one of his favorite psalms as well. Psalm 103. Now here David speaks of the
incredible mercy of our God toward His chosen people. He starts
out with, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
Verse three, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth
all thy diseases. I love the wording here, who
forgiveth all thine iniquities. James tells us that if we keep
the whole law, but offend in just one point, we are guilty
of the whole law. But Christ saw to it that not
a single iniquity was left unforgiven. Verse four, David continues,
who redeemeth thy life from destruction. who crowneth thee with lovingkindness
and tender mercies." Verse 8, the Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. Verse 10, He hath not
dealt with us after our sins. That is an amazing statement.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according
to our iniquities, because he doesn't remember them. Verse
13, like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth
them that fear him, for he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that
we are dust. Verse 17, but the mercy of the
Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his
righteousness unto children's children, to scripture, makes
it crystal clear that our merciful God is completely sovereign in
the dispensing of his mercy, which is based solely upon his
sovereign choice, not the merit or the worthiness of men, but
upon the choice of our sovereign God. Romans 9 15. He saith to
Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will
have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then, it
is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy. Flip over a couple pages to Psalm
106. Psalm 106. Here David speaks to the goodness
of God toward His redeemed when he brings them to the place of
repentance. Verse 42. Their enemies also
oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under
their hand. Now, before we're given faith in Christ, we were
in subjection to sin and to Satan, under the bondage of misery,
all our lifetimes living under the fear of death, which is described
in Hebrews 2.15. Then verse 43 of Psalm 106 goes
on to say, Many times did He deliver them, but they provoked
Him with their counsel. and were brought low for their
iniquity, we will never know in this lifetime the untold times
that God has spared our life before we came to a knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Looking back over my life before
I was given faith in Christ, I tremble at the times that I
know of that I came close to death much less the multitude
of times that I have no idea of how God spared my life. But
our God delivered me from them all, kept me to the time of love. But through all those times of
unbelief, of being delivered, I went on my way still, provoking
God every hour of every day. And this verse tells us that
as a result of that, we were brought low in our iniquity.
brought to a place of utter despair when God showed us our lost condition,
we were now awakened to the fact that we had offended a holy God.
But thank God the next verse tells us, nevertheless, He regarded
their affliction when He heard their cry. When God begins to
bring one of His chosen to the place of repentance, He gives
them a heart to cry for mercy. were like that publican who knew
he had nothing to recommend him to God, but simply smote on his
breast and said, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. And then verse
45 here of Psalm 106, And he remembered for them his covenant,
and repented according to the multitude of his mercies. This new covenant made with the
spiritual house of Israel, God's elect, spoken of in Hebrews. Micah tells us, he retaineth
not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. There
are only three things spoken of in Scripture that God delights
in. One is His Son, two is His people,
and three, He delights to show mercy. Now in 1 John 2, verse
11, we read this. A text that we're all familiar
with, 1 John 2.11. My little children, these things
write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And He is the propitiation for
our sins, and not ours only, but for the sins of the whole
world. Propitiation, the act of appeasing the wrath of and
gaining the favor of an offended God. All of which Jesus Christ
did by the laying down of his life, by the pouring out of his
blood, by the offering of his soul to be a sacrifice for the
sins of his chosen people. He completely accomplished propitiation
for a number of sinners that cannot even be numbered. And
what's amazing about this verse in 1 John, it doesn't say if
any man tries his best, if any man does really good stuff most
of the time, we have an advocate with the Father. No, it says if any man sin, we
have an advocate with the Father in order to qualify for an advocate
with the Father You must be a sinner. It's an absolute requirement. Hebrews 7 25 tells us is speaking
of Christ, wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by him, seeing how he ever liveth to make intercession
for them. Here is the marvelous display
of God's abundant mercy. Our advocate only intercedes
for one group of people. Sinners. Good folks. Good folks don't have an advocate. Only sinners. This is what the
Savior meant when he said, they that are whole need not a physician,
but they that are sick This is why that publican smote on his
breast and cried out, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Yet this is yet another way that
our God is merciful to our unrighteousness. The good folks don't get an advocate,
only the sinners do. Now, if you're in a courtroom
and you've not committed any crimes, you don't need a lawyer.
But if you're sitting in that same courtroom accused of a multitude
of crimes, you better have a lawyer. You better have an advocate. who can help fight those charges
against you. Only criminals need a lawyer,
and only sinners need an advocate with a father. This verse in
1 John 2.11 calls our Savior Jesus Christ the righteous. All that He does is right and
just, and in the strictest accordance with the requirements of God's
law, And there is no miscarriage of God's strict justice when
He is merciful to our unrighteousness. Christ Jesus so thoroughly annihilated
our sin that we are seen, I can't imagine this, that we are
seen just as righteous, every bit as righteous as the
God-man Himself. We are seen by God the Father
and His law in the same exact way as He sees His Son, He looks
at us and sees Jesus Christ the righteous. We are completely one with Him
and in Him, indistinguishable from Him in the sight of God's
holy law, perfectly righteous and holy. And because of Christ's
willingness to bear our sins and carry our sorrows, To have
our transgressions laid upon Him, God the Father can be merciful
to our unrighteousness and be just in bestowing salvation on
us. He can be a just God and a Savior. He can forever be merciful to
our unrighteousness. I hope the Lord will bless that
to your heart. It certainly helped me. Let's be dismissed in prayer.