Now, tonight, we're going to
observe the Lord's table together. And I'm going to be speaking
from John, chapter 17, verse nine, where the Lord said, I
pray for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which you have given me, and we're going to look at
what the Lord prays for his people. There are four specific requests,
petitions he makes to his father in behalf of his people. You
know, we pray about so many different things, but I think this gives
us some idea of what we should truly be praying for, what the
Lord prays for his people. Now, there's a sign up sheet
in the fellowship hall for portrait appointments for the new directory.
And any questions, ask Susan Sly. And also, please update
your email address on the list in the foyer. Email is the easiest
way to keep everyone informed about what's going on. And there
are also sign up sheets in the foyer to help with meals for
Eric and Lydia Wilson and Jeff and Rachel Sullivan, who just
had babies last week. Hebrews chapter 10. I've entitled this
message. The application. Of the truth. the application of the truth. Let's begin reading verse 19,
and I want to read down to verse 25 of Hebrews chapter 10. Having therefore, brethren, boldness, confidence to enter into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which
he hath consecrated or dedicated for us through the veil, that
is to say, his flesh. And having an high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold
fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful,
the promised. And let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting
one another. And so much the more, as you
see the day approaching. The application of the truth. To apply means to put into practice. Application is the practical
demonstration of a principle. Now, if the truth I believe is
not applied to my life, what I actually do, I really do not
believe it. You don't believe any more than
you put into practice. If we don't put into practice
what we believe, our faith is just theory. And another way
to say this is faith, if it hath not works, is what? Dead. Being alone. James said, show
me your faith without your works. I'll show you my faith by my
works. Faith that is not put into practice
is not saving faith. It's the same kind of faith devils
have. Remember that scripture in James
2, you believe that there's one God, you do well. The devils
believe the same thing and tremble. Now, in the passage of scripture
I just read, The writer to the Hebrews gives a summary in verses
19 through 21 of everything he said up to that point. And then
in verses 22 through 25, he gives the application of that. Now,
I want to read this passage of scripture again so you can see
what I'm saying here. Here's the gospel. Having, therefore,
possessing, therefore, brethren, boldness, confidence to enter
into the holiest Now, you think of what a concept that was to
these people, because all they knew about that Holy of Holies
was that you couldn't get there. Somebody had to go in for you.
And this was just a, this was a concept of the Hebrews. It
was just, you mean I can come into the Holy of Holies? I thought
only the high priest could. There was a big veil of separation.
They knew they couldn't come in. But he says we have boldness,
every one of us. It's something we possess. We
have boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus.
by a new and a living way, which he consecrated for us through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh and having been a high
priest over the house of God. Now, here's the gospel. Here's
the gospel. We have boldness. And while we have this boldness,
here's the gospel. We have the right to enter in.
We can come into the presence of God. That's that's the gospel. Here's the gospel. We have a
representative. We have a high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ,
representing us before the father. Now, that's the gospel right
there. And here's the application of it. Let's draw near. Let us draw near with a true
heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, let us
draw near. Here's the second thing. Let
us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering for
he's faithful, the promised that you hold that fast and verse
24. Let us consider one another to
provoke unto love and to good works. Now, there's the application
of the gospel. Draw near. Hold fast your confession
and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. Now, let's
let's consider the first Three verses have three points, and
the second three verses have three points. First, we have
the gospel laid down, and then we have the application of that.
I pray that God, the Holy Spirit, will apply this. We can't apply
it. God's got to apply it for us.
And I pray that He'll enable us to enter into what's being
said, that everybody in this room might truly draw near to
Him. Wouldn't that be a blessing if
you and I, by the grace of God, are enabled to draw near and
to hold fast our confession, and to consider one another,
to provoke to love and to good works. Now, here's the gospel. These three words summarize the
gospel boldness, access and representation. Now, look at them in our text.
Verse 19. Having therefore, brethren, boldness, confidence to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Now we have this boldness. Having therefore, brethren, boldness. It's something we possess. Absence
of fear to enter into the holiest, the very presence of God by the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's where this boldness
comes from. It doesn't come from anything in myself. I don't have
this confidence to come into God's presence because, man,
I'm doing pretty good. I'm living right. I can come into God's
presence now. No, not at all. This boldness is through the
blood, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, what his blood
actually accomplished. And that's laid out so clearly
in this passage of scripture. Look back at verse 10. By the witch will, by God's will,
we are sanctified, declared by God to be holy through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. When he died, when he shed his
precious blood on Calvary Street, everybody he died for, even all
of God's elect, were declared by God to be holy, sanctified,
perfect in Christ Jesus. And that's what his blood accomplished.
This is where this boldness comes from, by what he did. Do you
really believe his blood did that? Do you? Let's go on reading verse 11.
And every priest standeth daily, ministering and offering oftentimes
the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this
man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till
his enemies be made his footstool, for by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified, them that are set apart by God.
sanctified in election, sanctified in redemption, sanctified by
the Spirit of God. Now this is where this boldness
comes from. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. His blood
makes everybody he died for perfect in God's sight. This boldness
that I have, that every believer possesses, even if you're not
really aware of it, you ought to be. Every believer has this. I mean, you have this boldness
by virtue of what the Lord did for you. You have the right to
come into the very presence of God. That's what it says. Having therefore boldness to
enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Look what he says in
verse 20. By a new and living way. which he consecrated for us through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh by new way. And that word
new, you can write this down. It means freshly slaughtered. Newly slain. The blood of Christ is always
fresh. It's always powerful. It's always
new. Now something that I fear greatly is the truth becoming stale and
old through my presentation of it. I fear that. I fear just
grinding stuff out. Here's what I've always been
taught. I fear that. But you know one thing I'm not
afraid of? I'm not afraid of the blood of Christ ever being
stale to God. It's always fresh. It's always
powerful. Oh, he's a new way and he's a
living way. Those Old Testament priests,
they set forth the death of an animal. There it is. He doesn't
simply, he sets forth his death, but he's alive who sets forth
his death. He said, behold, I am he that was dead and I now live.
It's a living way. It's his life before God. Now, he says, by a new and living
way, which he consecrated for us, he dedicated himself to this
for us, being the way to God through the veil. That is to
say, his flesh. Now, what he's talking about
is the veil in the temple. This is what kept us from having
access. The veil in the temple, that
big, thick veil in the tabernacle. You had the holy place and you
had the holy of holies behind that veil where the presence
of God was. You know what happened when the
Lord died? I think this is so glorious. The moment our Lord
died, the scripture says that veil in the temple was ripped
from top to bottom. That what kept us away is taken
away. You see, He put away sin and
that separation is no more. And I love the way the scripture
says it was ripped from top to bottom. That lets us know this
is God's work, not man's. The Lord did this and it was
ripped up. It wasn't carefully folded up
and put away to be brought out back out again. It was ripped
up. It was abolished. It is no more. Now we always
have freedom of access into the very presence of God. There's
no separation because there's no sin, no sin. It was put away
by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, he says, by this new and
living way which he had consecrated for us through the veil, that
is to say, his flesh and having and high priest over the house
of God. Now, I've got this priest, the
Lord Jesus Christ, representing me. Here's where our boldness
comes from. It's not in it's not from self. It's from the Lord Jesus Christ
at the right hand of the father. I thought of him praying for
Peter. Peter, I prayed for you. that your faith failed, Lord.
And you know what? His faith didn't fail. How come? Because
Christ prayed for him. I've got this priest. Every believer
has this priest. We have boldness through his
blood. We have access. The separation has been ripped
apart and we can come boldly into God's presence. We have
access and we have this representative of the Lord Jesus Christ as our
great high priest. Now, if I believe that, that's
the Gospel right there. If I believe that, what? He says
in verse 22, let us draw near. Now stand off. Let us draw near. Draw nigh to God and he'll draw
nigh to you. The veil has been removed. There's
no barrier because there is no sin. We have boldness. We have
access into the presence of God. The veil's been taken away. We
have the Lord Jesus, our priest, who brings us to the Father.
Now, remember this about our priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we come into God's presence, we don't come simply pleading
his name. We come into God's presence because we're in Him.
He comes into God's presence and we do too. That's exactly
what the Lord meant when He said, no man comes to the Father but
by me. As my high priest comes into the presence of God, I do
too. Oh, what confidence I can have.
Having boldness and access with confidence. Now, when we draw
near, we are applying what we hear. If I don't draw near, it's
just theory. It's just doctrine that I give
assent to, but I don't really truly believe, because if I believed,
I would draw near. Let us draw near with a true
heart, a real heart, a genuine heart, a sincere heart. Let us
draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Now, here's how I draw near with
a true heart. What's a true heart? I want to
know. I want to know if I'm sincere.
I want to know if I'm somebody who actually comes to God sincerely.
I don't want to come as a hypocrite. I want to come truly into his
presence, drawing near. Now, how do you come with a true
heart? Here's the only way. You come
with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Not full assurance of experience.
I've got this experience. Therefore, I must be saved. Not
full assurance of works. Well, my works are really good.
I'm doing really well now. I must be saved. No full assurance
of faith. Really believing. Really believing
that when Jesus Christ said it is finished. My salvation was
finished, there's nothing for me to do. There's nothing for
me to do. I'm accepted in the beloved. Now, only a sincere heart and
insincere heart will not look to Christ alone, look to Christ
and something else. But he says, let us draw near
in a true heart. And what is that true heart?
Full assurance of faith. Having our what you say next,
verse 22, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our
bodies washed with pure water. Now we draw near, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. Now, what is this
evil conscience? You ever feel guilty? I feel guilty all the
time. I mean, I mean, all the time.
I mean, there's never a time when I don't feel guilty about
something. I mean, I wish I wasn't like that, but I'm guilt driven. Guilt driven. Always feel guilty. That being said, I do not have anything to feel
guilty about. Now, that's what it is to have
your heart sprinkled from an evil conscience. I really don't
have anything to feel guilty about. I've kept the law in Christ.
I've never sinned in Christ. When God looks at me, he looks
at somebody who is exactly like his son. I do not have anything
to feel guilty about. And that's how we draw near in
a full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from this
evil conscience. Doesn't mean I don't feel guilty
because I feel guilty all the time, but here's what it means.
I really realized through the gospel, I don't have anything
to feel guilty about. Therefore, I draw near. And having your,
he says next, having your body washed with pure water. Now,
this is talking about those ceremonial cleansings and the where you
could have, you know, you'd be washed, the priest would wash
themselves and so on. But what that's talking about
is God, the Holy Spirit. Turn to Titus chapter three. Titus chapter three. Verse 5, not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy. He saved us by the washing of
regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Now, what
we do in drawing near, there's only one way we draw near, through
God the Holy Spirit, the new man within us, causing us to. That draws near to God. So here's the first application
of the truth. If we believe, we draw near. Now, look what he says next.
Verse 23. Here's the next application of the truth. Let us. Hold fast, grip tightly,
Hebrews 10, 23. Let us hold fast the profession
of our faith without wavering, without going back and forth.
And here's the reason why we can do this, for he is faithful
that promised. Let us hold fast the confession
of our faith. Now, that word confession means
to speak the same thing. That's what the word means. It's
etymology to speak the same thing. When we confess, we're saying
the same thing. You say the same thing that I
say if we're making a confession. A confession is what every believer
believes. It's used in a lot of different
ways. To confess means to admit to guilt. I confess. I'm guilty. That's what it is
to confess. To confess means to speak publicly, to speak boldly. There's something public about
this confession of faith. I'm saying before men, I'm confessing
before men what it is I believe. Let us hold fast the confession. It's also used by way of celebrating
with praise. What we confess is what we rejoice
in. It's what we're happy about. It's not just this grim, oh,
here's what I believe. No, this is what I rejoice in.
This is what I'm proud of. This is what I love to identify
myself with. It's what a believer does. We
confess. Whoso shall confess me before
men, him will I confess before my Father, which is in heaven.
But whosoever denies me before men, him also will I deny before
my Father, which is in heaven. So we see how important this
thing of confession is. With the heart man believeth
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made
to salvation. There's something public about
confession. Now, he said, let's hold fast. Hold tightly, grip
tightly. The confession. Of our faith
or our hope, either word could be used with our faith or hope.
Now, what the word actually is hope, the translated faith and
faith is certainly included in this, but the word is actually
hope. Now, what is my hope? I remember he says, and this
is to every believer, we were to confess the same thing, believe
the same thing. I've got a hope. Expectation. Regarding the future,
a confident expectation. God, I think maybe this is the
way it'll be, but it's a confident hope that I stand before God
right now without sin, and that when I stand before God in judgment,
I'll be without sin. That's what my hope is. I have
a hope that God accepts me. I have a hope that God loves
me. I've got a hope that the righteousness of the Lord Jesus
Christ, that perfect obedience that He worked out on the cross,
I mean, while He walked on the earth, is mine. I've got a hope
that that's my righteousness before God. I've got a hope that
His precious blood put away all my sins. I've got a hope that
He's my Redeemer, that He's my intercessor, that He's my priest.
I have a hope that when He comes, I'll be accepted. I have a hope
that I'll be one of these people that meet Him in the air. Now
that's my hope. I've got a hope regarding the
future. He says, now let's hold fast
that confession of our hope or our faith. Now, I'm holding this
fast. By His grace. Him giving me the
grace to do it. I'm holding this fast. You know,
I really believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. I really believe that He's God
the Son. I really believe that He created
the universe. I really believe that God was
manifest in the flesh. He came in the flesh and He kept
God's law perfectly. I really believe that. I believe
He honored God in His life. I believe He is God. I believe
He's so much God that He said, He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. That's how much God He is. He's God. He that hath
seen me hath seen the Father. And I believe on the cross. This
is a confession of my hope. This is what I'm hanging all
my hope on. I believe that on the cross, all my sin was washed
away. I believe that when He was raised
from the dead, I was justified. I believe when he ascended back
to the Father, I was with him. And I'm with him right now. And as he's seated at the right
hand of the Father, I'm right there with him. And I believe
that he's going to return. And I'll be accepted when he's
returned. Now, we're to hold fast that confession. I declare
this publicly. I admit to guilty of believing
this. And I rejoice in this. What I'm
saying, this is to hold fast the confession of your faith.
But listen to this. We are to hold fast the confession of our
faith in the doctrine of it and in the life of it. What do I
mean by that? Listen real carefully. That is
my responsibility to live a life that brings glory to this confession. It's not just saying that's what
I believe. I agree with that. It's not just talking about that.
That's certainly included. We believe the same thing. We're
in this together. We have the same confession.
We confess our hope. But not only do I give lip service,
mouth service, whatever, to this confession, but my life is to
prove that I really believe this. To live a life of holiness. To
live a life of obedience. to live a life of commitment
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what does the world see
in me that my belief makes no difference in my life and I live
just like any other worldly, maybe worse, that I'm no different? Or does the world see that Christ
really is the Lord of my life? You see, my confession, it's
not just that's what I believe and I give an agreement to it.
No, it has something to do with my life. Let us hold fast the
confession. This is public, what the world
sees. Let us hold fast the confession
of our faith without wavering, without bending. And here's our
promise. He's faithful, it's promised.
He's faithful. He's faithful to enable you to
do this. All God calls me and you to do. He's faithful to give
us the grace to do it. You hold fast that confession. So here's the application of
the gospel. First, I draw near. And second,
I hold fast the confession of my faith without wavering. And
here's the third thing. Look in verse 24. And let us consider one another. to provoke unto love and to good
works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the
manner of some is, but exhorting one another. And so much the
more as you see the day approaching, the day of death, the day of
judgment, the day of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You see that day approaching. Now, consider one another. How I treat the Lord Jesus Christ
is seen in how I treat you. The Lord said, in as much as
you did it to the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me. Now, this is part of being a
believer, considering one another. What I think of Christ Himself
is only seen in how I view you, how I love Christ is seen in
how I love you. Let us consider one another,
and I love the way the writer says, let's consider one another
to provoke that to provoke means to stimulate. You know, when
you provoke somebody, usually you provoke them to anger. You
make them mad. You do something to make them
or you provoke me. You know what that means. But
he says, Let's provoke one another to love. In other words, treat somebody in such a way
as it makes them love you. Don't say, I want people to love
me unconditionally. I want people to love me just
like I am. Don't say something like that. That's so foolish.
It's so selfish. Provoke them to love you by the
way you treat them. Make it to where they can't help
but love you. That's what he's saying. Provoke them unto love.
In that class this morning on marriage, husbands, make it to
your wives, relish being in your presence. Provoke them to that. Provoke them to that. Wives,
provoke your husbands to where they just want to be around you.
That's what, provoke one another to love and to good works. In other words, May God give
us all the grace truly to be this way. My life ought to be
such that people want to imitate me in good works. That's what he said. Provoke
one another to love and to good works. This is the application
of the truth. What faith does some faith works
by love, doesn't it? Faith works. Faith always works. If it doesn't work, it's not
true faith. It's not the faith of God's elect. Faith works. Provoke one another to love and
to good work. So what he says next, verse 25,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the
manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more
as you see the day approaching. In considering one another, don't
forsake the assembling of yourselves together. You know, when when
we absence ourselves from public worship, it's a discouragement.
It's a discouragement. It's a discouragement to the
people around you. It's just and you end up hurting yourself.
That's what you see in public worship, what we're doing right
now. Christ says he walks in the midst of the churches. This
is where he promises his presence, where two or three are gathered
together in my name. There I am in the midst of them. Now, I believe this promise,
don't you? Anytime we meet publicly, It's to hear the Gospel. He's
here. He promised He's here. He blesses His Word. This is
mealtime. This is where I'm instructed.
This is where I hear the Word of God. This is where I get the
presence. I tell you, there's nothing to
me, there's nothing in this life that is as good as being enabled
to hear the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. When God
enables you to hear and you believe and you rejoice, nothing like
it. This is better than any Pleasure the world can afford. I really
believe that. I like what David said. I'd rather be a doorkeeper
in the house of God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. And
I really would. I'd rather be a doorkeeper in
his house. Now, don't forsake the assembling of yourselves
together. Don't grow amiss in this thing of public worship.
You know, I've watched people over the years. There was a time,
for instance, some people, they wouldn't have dared missed a
public worship service because they'd prayed about what they'd missed.
I'm afraid I'll miss out on something. And it's not that way anymore.
It's not that way. They can miss it easily. Now,
he says, don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together as the
man of some. This is a matter of fact, that is. The first step
toward apostasy, when we do that, look in verse 26, let's read
verses 25 and 26, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together
as the man of some is, but exhorting one another. And so much the
more, as you say, the day approaching for if we sin willfully, After
we receive the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for judgment
and indignation which shall devour the adversaries. That's talking
about the unpardonable sin. That's talking about apostasy.
What is apostasy? It's willful sin after we receive
the knowledge of the truth. Now, what's the knowledge of
the truth? It's the gospel. To hear the gospel and to confess
the gospel and then to willfully turn away from that because it
costs you too much, because it costs you too much persecution.
That is the willful sin for which there is no sacrifice. And that
begins, it begins with the forsaking of the assembling of ourselves
together. That's where that begins. And that just scares me. So I
don't want that to happen to me. I don't want it to happen
to you. He says in verse 25, not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting
one another, encouraging one another, being an example to
one another. Look over Hebrews chapter 3. Turn back there for
a moment. Verse 12. Take ye, brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort
one another daily, while it's cold today, lest any of you be
heartened through the deceitfulness of sin. You know, that verse
of scripture just scares me to death. Having your heart hardened
to where you can't really hear, you can't really see. Your heart
has been hardened to the deceitfulness, the deceptiveness of sin. So,
exhort one another. Exhort one another. Be an encouragement
one to another. I mean, in that sense, we're
responsible to each other. I know ultimately we're only
responsible to the Lord, but we're responsible to each other.
Exhort one another daily while it's called to day. Be heartened
through the deceitfulness of sins as you see that day approaching.
The day of God. When our Lord comes back, it
is approaching. It is approaching. And I'm glad. Isn't that wonderful? The Lord's coming back. And He'll
be back soon. It may be in our death. I don't
know. I don't know when He's going
to come as far as His return. But He's coming soon. And we
see that day approaching. So here's the gospel. boldness by the blood of Jesus,
confidence in who he is and what he did. I really do. I have confidence
in him. I don't have any confidence in
myself. I don't trust myself for a second, but I have complete
confidence in him. We have boldness and we have
access. I've got a right. That's almost
scary to say that, but through the Christ, I do. I have reason
to come into the very presence of God. I've got access through
the Lord Jesus Christ. I have access. And I have this
high priest over the house of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, representing
me even now. Even now, he represents this
poor sinner in his glory before the Father. That's the gospel.
Now, seeing that's true, seeing we have boldness, seeing we have
access, seeing we have the Lord Jesus as our great high priest,
draw near. By faith. Draw near into the
very present. Don't stand afar off. Draw near. Come close. You are close, so
come close. You're already close. You can't
get any closer than you already are. So why in your mind and heart stand
off? You're already in the presence
of God in the person of Christ. So draw near and hold fast the
confession of your faith. I confess. Bible is God's Word. I confess that salvation is of
the Lord. I confess. But, oh, I confess
by my life, too. I confess by my conduct. Hold
that fast and consider one another to provoke, to love. Provoke me to love you. And I
want to do the same by the grace of God. That is the application
of the truth. May the Lord enable us to do
what his word says for us to do. Let's pray together.