A message given by Brother Stephen Kong in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday night, April 10, 1972.
“Over my soul, wasteth sweet all of my soul. My rest is complete, as I sit at His feet, sweet Spirit, sweet over my soul.”
We are very thankful to the Lord that we may be together again this evening.
During the past two sessions, we were fellowshipping together something from the Book of Hebrews. The Book of Hebrews has a very urgent and definite message for us today.
We are living in a time of great shaking. I looked at the paper just a few hours ago, and there was an earthquake in Europe. But, you know, we are living in days of great shaking—not just these physical shakings, earthquakes.
We find that, as the day of the return of our Lord is imminent, God will shake and allow things to shake—all that can be shaken away—so that the kingdom that cannot be shaken may be introduced.
So, in Christianity today, in our Christian life, you find there is great shaking until there is nothing left but what is real. There is nothing left but what is of God’s purpose.
We mentioned before that Christianity is not things; Christianity is Christ. It is not just a collection of things, even things that come from God.
Even things that come from God will be tested; will be taken, until we find that Christ is all things to us. Not things, but Christ. He has to be all things to us.
He is not only our Saviour; He is our salvation. He is not only our Justifier; He is our justification. He is not only our Sanctifier; He is our sanctification. He is not only our Redeemer; He is our redemption.
He not only shows us the way; He is the way. He not only teaches us the truth; He is the truth. He not only gives us life; He is the life. He not only resurrects us; He is the resurrection. He is not only the Lord who heals; He is the healing.
You will find that, more and more, God is going to shake all things in order that Christ may be these things to us. Christianity is not things; Christianity is a Person—a living Person—our Lord Jesus Christ.
So the message of Hebrews is the finality of Christ. Christ is the final—the final Word, the final form, if I may say very reverently, the final form of all spiritual things.
Until we experience Christ as all things, we have not entered into the reality of all things.
This is what we fellowshipped during last night and this morning. We mentioned that there is a key word in the Book of Hebrews. That key word is the word better.
Christ is better. He is far better than anything that Judaism can offer. He is better than the angels. He is better than Moses. He is better than Aaron. He is a better sacrifice. He enters into a better tabernacle, and so on and so forth. It is the superiority of Christ over all things.
God exhorts us to leave the good to enter into the better—not to be content with the good. We said this morning, it is not the bad; it is the good. With us, our problem is not a matter of choosing between the good and the bad. That would be easy, because that would be in the realm of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But our problem is to choose between the better and the good, and that is in the realm of life.
Now tonight, we would like to fellowship on another point, and that is the availability of Christ. Christ is not only the finality of all things. He is not only superior over all things, but He is available to us.
If He is the finality, and if He is superior, yet beyond our reach, however superior or final He may be, we will not be able to be in the good of Him. But thank God, our Christ is very available to us.
In what respects? The writer of Hebrews tells us that Christ is available to us in three respects. Let us read that portion in Hebrews.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness for entering into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
the way which He dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh;
and having a great priest over the house of God;
let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water;
let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for He is faithful that promised:
and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works;
not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh.— Hebrews 10:19-25
Here you find our Christ, who is the final and who is superior. He is available to us in three different ways, in three different aspects:
In other words, He is always available to us as our great Priest. Now, in these three respects, you find how available Christ is to us.
First, the blood of the Lord Jesus.
Nor yet by the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption.
— Hebrews 9:12
For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us.
— Hebrews 9:24
But now once at the end of the ages hath He been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
— Hebrews 9:26
For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
— Hebrews 10:14
You know that the Jewish people, under the old economy, had to offer sacrifices day after day, year after year. Every day, lots of sheep and cattle were offered on the altar, and their blood was shed.
Once a year, the high priest would present the blood of a bullock and the blood of a goat behind the veil, before the mercy seat. He would sprinkle the blood before the mercy seat to atone for the sins of Israel.
But he was allowed to remain there only for a little while. He had to retreat, and he had to wait until the next year, on the Day of Atonement, to enter in again.
All the blood that had been shed day by day and year by year, especially that which was brought behind the veil once a year to make atonement, only reminded the people of Israel of sin. It did not really take away their sins, because if their sins were taken away, there would be no need to offer again.
But now Christ has come. When Christ came, He offered Himself through the eternal Spirit to God as the one sacrifice. He brought His own blood into the holy of holies not made with hands. In other words, He brought His own blood into very heaven, to the very face of God, once and for all, for eternal redemption.
There was no need for Him to offer Himself again and again. He offered Himself once, and the work was done. Eternal redemption was accomplished. His blood was brought into heaven, to the very presence of God the Father, and the blood in the presence of God speaks for us forever. It is perfecting perpetually the sanctified.
Brothers and sisters, the blood of the Lord Jesus is most precious and available. Before we knew the Lord, when we were burdened with sins, when our conscience was troubled, when we were seeking forgiveness of our sins, what did we do?
We came to the Lord Jesus. We accepted His shed blood. We confessed that we had sinned and that we needed to die. But Christ, the Lamb of God, died for us. He shed His blood for the remission of our sins.
Because we believed in Him, we accepted His shed blood. Thank God, our sins were forgiven. Not only were our crimes before God the Father passed over and remembered no more, but our wounded conscience came into peace through the blood of our Lord Jesus.
How we do thank God for the availability of the blood of Christ. Even though He died two thousand years ago, someone may ask, “How can the blood of the Lord Jesus, shed two thousand years ago, cleanse me who sins today?”
The reason is that His blood is available in the presence of God the Father. Whenever we confess our sins, His blood speaks for us. His blood speaks better than the blood of Abel. The blood of Abel accused, but the blood of Jesus forgives.
Brothers and sisters, we do thank God for the availability of the blood of Jesus Christ. Anyone can come and avail himself of that precious life.
But after we believe in the Lord Jesus, do you think we are done with the blood of our Lord Jesus? Do you think that because once we have been cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus, we have no need of His blood again?
No. We need the blood of the Lord Jesus all the time, and His blood is available forever for us.
You know, the more you get closer to God, the more you will sense the need of the precious blood. You will never come to a day when you have gone beyond the need of the blood of the Lord Jesus. If you think you have gone beyond the need of the precious blood, something is very, very wrong with you.
If we walk in the light as He is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanseth us from all sin.— 1 John 1:7
After we believe in the Lord Jesus, after we are redeemed by the precious blood, do you think that we have no need of His blood any more? No.
If we walk in darkness, we may think we do not need His blood; we are perfect. But if we walk in the light, and that light is increasing, the more you walk in the light, the more light you have, and the more you will be discovered by that light.
You will discover all the deficiencies, all the faults, all the shortcomings, all the coming short of the glory of God, all the missing of the mark, all the sins and uncleanness that are in you. How you need the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you from all this, that you may go on with the Lord and remain in the presence of God.
The blood of the Lord Jesus has not only brought us to the presence of God; the blood of the Lord Jesus enables us to be maintained daily in the presence of God. The blood of the Lord Jesus not only gives us faith to be saved; the blood of the Lord Jesus gives us faith to live our daily life on earth.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
— 1 John 1:9
Whenever we discover there is something in us that is not suitable to God, that is contradictory to God, that is sinful or unclean, we do not need to remain far away from God.
We can come, confess our sins, and find that the blood of the Lord Jesus is always available to wash, to cleanse, and to enable us to be maintained in living fellowship with God. This is very precious, very practical.
I do hope, especially with young Christians, that you can see this. You do not need to stay away because you find something wrong in yourself.
You know, we tend to stay away from God if we feel there is something wrong. But God’s way is that the blood of Jesus Christ is available. You do not need to stay away. You just need to come and confess your sins.
His blood is like a fountain that is always flowing. When you put yourself under that fountain, you are cleansed. Your fellowship with God need not be interrupted, and you may grow in spiritual life.
The writer of Hebrews says, “By the blood of Jesus, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, sprinkled as to our hearts from a wicked conscience and washed as to our body with pure water.”
Because the blood is available, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Brothers and sisters, you know, our conscience has very much to do with our faith.
You remember Paul said to Timothy, “Fight the good warfare, maintaining a good conscience.” If you lose your good conscience, then you will make shipwreck of your faith. So you see that conscience and faith are closely linked together.
When you have a good conscience, you have faith before God. But when your conscience is evil, then your faith is diminished. In other words, faith will leak out of a wicked conscience.
When you have a wicked conscience, you do not dare to approach the throne of grace. When you pray, you hesitate. When you are asking, you try to work up faith in God. No, it does not work.
When we approach God, we have to approach God with a true heart, with a conscience cleansed by the precious blood. Only when your conscience is being cleared do you have faith to live before God.
You see how important is the blood of the Lord Jesus. Without the blood, we cannot live the life of faith. The Christian life is a life of faith. We do not live by sight; we live by faith. But how can you live by faith? The blood cleanses your conscience so that you may approach God with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Therefore, the blood is so precious to us, and it is ever available to us. Brothers and sisters, be cleansed continuously in the blood of the Lord Jesus, that we may have a full assurance of faith to live.
In Hebrews 11, we have a whole list of people who, by faith, obtained a good testimony from God. Some say it is an arena of faith—not the hall of fame, but the hall of faith.
Here you find a whole number of people who, by faith, obtained a good testimony from God. In other words, God testified of them that they had lived a life of faith.
Now faith is the substantiating of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.
— Hebrews 11:1
Here on the wall is a picture. That picture, we call it a substance; it is here. Now, when we enter into this room, how do we know there is this picture there? How can we enjoy this picture? How can this picture be real to us?
By our eyes. Our eyes substantiate the picture, so that it is not only an objective thing hanging on the wall; it becomes a subjective experience to us. We enjoy the picture. So our eye is the substantiating of the picture.
Now, brothers and sisters, spiritual things are unseen to our naked eyes. Or, put it another way, even if you can see spiritual things with your naked eyes, you still do not get the real thing.
When Christ was on earth, many people saw Him, even touched Him, but they did not know Him. They did not know Him.
In one sense, God is invisible, and yet the invisible God is to be substantiated by faith. If you have faith, you will see the unseen. That is the reason why faith is so important.
Without faith, you cannot see God. Without faith, you cannot see Christ. Without faith, all you can see is the world. Because all you see is the world, no wonder you go after the world. That is all you can see and enjoy.
But if you have faith, you see the unseen God, and you will be attracted by Him. You will rise up and follow Him.
So our Christian life is a life of faith. We do not walk by sight, by things that can be seen. This is the way worldly people live, but we live by faith. We are substantiating all the time the invisible.
We are also seeing all the time Christ—Christ. We are substantiating Him, and because we are substantiating Him, we are seeing Him. Therefore, we are able to live very differently from the people of this world. We have a better substance, a better sense.
The blood not only cleanses us; the blood sanctifies us. Maybe you have never thought of that.
One day, I was in a meeting, and one sister asked this question: “What does it mean in Hebrews 10 when it says, ‘the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified’? Does the blood sanctify?”
The blood not only justifies, but the blood sanctifies. How can the blood sanctify? The blood sets us apart unto God, that we may live a life of faith. By faith, we are able to live a higher life, a life that is in the will of God.
You find that the foundation of a life of faith is the blood, and the blood strengthens our faith that we may live a life of faith.
Look at Abel and Cain, the sons of Adam and Eve. At that time, people did not eat meat. Today, to be a vegetarian is special, but during those days they were all vegetarians.
In the Garden of Eden, they ate the fruit of the trees. After they were driven out of the garden, they ate vegetables out of the field. Cain was a farmer; he worked on the field for his living. But he had other things—he lived for himself.
Now Abel was a shepherd. If people did not eat meat, why should he be a shepherd? He would be stuck with it. But he was a shepherd.
Is it not because, after man sinned, he needed a substitute? The sheep were to be offered to God as a sacrifice. In other words, Abel lived for God, not for himself.
Here you find Abel, by faith. He saw what his brother did not see. He thought what his brother did not think. He got a testimony from God. God pointed to his sacrifice and said, “This is a better sacrifice.” Even though he died, yet he speaks.
Enoch walked with God. But before he was sixty-five, he did not walk with God. Before he was sixty-five, he lived as the rest of the people did during those days. But at sixty-five he got a son. Something happened. A revelation came to him, and his son’s name was Methuselah.
We know the name Methuselah means, “When he dies, it shall happen,” is that not so? If you count his years—nine hundred and sixty-nine years—you find that in the year he died, the flood came.
Evidently, when Methuselah was born, Enoch was given a revelation. God showed him that He was going to judge the world, and that stirred his heart up to walk with God for three hundred years. God took him without going through death.
Brothers and sisters, what are we waiting for? Are we waiting for death? No. We are waiting for the rapture. We are not waiting for death.
If the Lord should tarry, yes, we may die. But our expectation is that we may be raptured without going through death. That is faith. That is a life of faith.
Even though we are on earth, we live in heaven. That will be a very different life.
As you go through the list in Hebrews 11, one by one, you find that it is by faith. Noah inherited the righteousness which is from God. Abraham, by faith, inherited the promises of God and looked for an abiding city. Moses, by faith, received a better reward. He despised the riches of Egypt and would rather have the reproach of Christ. Why? Because he saw the invisible.
By faith, kings and judges won great victories. By faith, some women, even though they did not receive deliverance, received a better resurrection. But the Lord says that even though by faith they received a good testimony, they will not be made complete without us.
In other words, the list in Hebrews 11 is not finished yet. God is adding to that list, and there is a place for you in the hall of faith.
If you are not in the hall of fame or baseball, that is all right, if you are in this hall of faith. How much better to be in this hall than in that hall.
Brothers and sisters, here you find the availability of the blood of the Lord Jesus. By His blood, He cleanses our conscience that we may live a life of faith. That is the Christian life.
Number two: not only is the blood of the Lord Jesus available, there is another thing available for us. Our Lord Jesus has opened a new and living way, dedicated for us through the veil, even His flesh.
Of course, there is a picture there. You remember, when Christ was crucified outside Jerusalem at Calvary, when He died, He said, “It is finished,” and He gave up His spirit to the Father.
At the very moment when He passed away outside Jerusalem, at Golgotha, something happened inside Jerusalem, in the temple. The veil that separated the holy of holies from the holy place was rent from top to bottom.
There was a very heavy, thick veil hanging between the holy of holies and the holy place. Because there was a veil there, people could not approach God. God was behind the veil. The way into the holy of holies was not yet opened. In other words, the way to the presence of God was not yet opened.
This veil was very heavy and thick. Nobody could tear it to pieces. It would require four horses, if you wanted to break it, to do that job. But when Christ died on the cross, the veil was rent—not from the bottom to the top, but from the top to the bottom. Who rent it? God rent it.
Sometimes we see only the human side of the cross. That is to say, the Roman soldiers nailed Him to the cross; the Jewish council sentenced Him to death. But in Isaiah 53, it was God who crushed Him on the cross. It was God who rent the veil in two.
The veil represents the flesh of our Lord Jesus.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
— John 1:14
The flesh of our Lord Jesus was something that He took upon Himself when He came to this world. Because we are flesh and blood by nature, He took upon Himself flesh in order to be identified with us.
Why did He want to be identified with us? He wanted to be identified with us so that, when He died, He might not only die for us, but He might bring us with Him to death.
When the flesh of our Lord Jesus was crucified, Paul said, “Our old man was crucified with Him.”
Let us see the picture. This veil was very beautiful. It was woven with gold thread, blue thread, and scarlet thread. It was beautiful. Upon the veil there were cherubim embroidered all over it.
The cherubim are a mystery in the Bible. I do not think we will go into this this evening. But when the veil was rent, what happened to the cherubim? They were rent too.
In one sense, you find that when Christ died on the cross, the whole creation, as represented by the cherubim, was rent in two. That is the reason why, when Christ died, the whole creation and the old man died.
On the basis of what He has done for us on the cross, we have to take up our cross and follow Him.
If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
— Matthew 16:24
And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.
— Galatians 5:24
Brothers and sisters, we have not only the blood, which gives us strength to live; we have the way of the cross, by which we must walk and by which we can arrive at our goal. The cross—the cross. We must bear our cross and follow the Lord.
This is Hebrews 12. In Hebrews 12 there is a course, there is a way. The Lord Jesus has gone on and opened that way for us.
Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross.
— Hebrews 12:2
He has opened a new and living way for us. Now this course is open to all of us, and we must walk this way. This way of the cross is available; it is dedicated to us.
Can a Christian follow the Lord without bearing the cross? You cannot, because the new and living way is the cross.
You do not need to go out and find your crosses. You do not need to manufacture crosses, which we do. If you set your heart upon the Lord to follow Him, the Holy Spirit will arrange crosses for you day by day.
When you are bearing the cross, at the moment it is not pleasant. But ultimately we will be made partakers of His divine nature; we will partake of His holiness.
The writer of Hebrews says that when you are bearing the cross, when the cross comes your way, do not be discouraged. Why? Because it is the Father who disciplines us for our profit.
Think of the flesh of our Lord Jesus, which was holy flesh. Do you remember when Christ was born? The angel said, “The holy thing.” The flesh that our Lord Jesus took upon Himself was holy flesh.
It was flesh. It was subject to temptation. He was tempted in all things, yet without sin. Even that holy flesh had to be crucified on the cross. How much more our sinful flesh needs to be delivered to the cross.
Probably we do not quite like the word discipline. It does not sound very good. Actually, the Greek word means child-training. Why does our heavenly Father discipline us? Because He treats us as sons. He is training us that we may grow up.
Even Christ, the Son, had to suffer, and through suffering learned obedience, that He might be the Author of our eternal salvation.
Here you find that the way of the cross is open for us. It is available that we may walk there. How do we walk? By the strength of His cross, we are able to take up our cross and follow Him.
I think it was Andrew Murray who said, “His cross bears us, that we may bear our cross.”
The cross gives us hope. We may say, “If it is a cross, well, that is the end.” When you are bearing the cross, or when you are experiencing the cross, you may think, “Now this is unfinished.” That is true. That is why you get discouraged, you see.
But still, the Bible says the cross is our hope. In Hebrews, that is what you see.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for He is faithful that promised.
— Hebrews 10:23
The cross gives us hope—the hope of being sons grown up unto the crown. Let us hope.
Finally, the third thing that is available to us in Christ: He has not only shed His blood for us that we may have faith to live; He has not only dedicated a new and living way for us, the way of the cross, that we may have hope; but He Himself becomes our High Priest over the house of God.
That is very, very precious. When you read the Book of Hebrews, sometimes you find a little word there that may disturb you. It is the word if.
You do not quite like the word if. You think that with God everything should be settled, finished; there should be no “if.” That is true. With God, there is no “if.” With God, everything is finished; it is perfect; it is complete.
But the Book of Hebrews deals especially with our experience on earth. Anything that has to do with experience on earth cannot help but have the word if there.
The “if” does not apply to the truth of God. The “if” does not apply to the finished work of Christ. No, there is no “if” there. But “if” applies only to our condition. That is all, because our condition may change.
Now, we are the house of God. According to the Book of Hebrews, we who believe in the Lord Jesus constitute the house of God. Yet in the Book of Hebrews, you find an “if” after that.
But Christ as a Son over His house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end.
— Hebrews 3:6
Does that disturb you? We are His house, yes. Thank God for that. We are the house of God. But suppose you do not hold fast the boldness and the glorying of hope firm to the end—then what will happen?
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit.
— John 15:5
When you come to this matter of experience, the word if is there. That is our problem. “I do believe in the Lord Jesus. I do accept Him. But I do not know whether I can continue to the end. I am not sure.”
Where is the security? Thank God, I have a High Priest. This High Priest lives forever, making intercession for me, and He is able to save me to the uttermost. That is the secret.
Brothers and sisters, we know our Christ, our Lord Jesus, as our Saviour. But when you think of the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, you tend to think of the past.
When you know Christ Jesus not only as your Saviour, but as your High Priest today, then you are in the good of His priestly ministry.
Many years ago, in a certain place, the elders of a church were examining candidates for baptism. Those candidates were very frightened when they were called to be examined concerning their faith.
An elderly sister was called, and one of the elders asked her, “Sister, what is Christ doing today in heaven?”
She thought for a while, then said, “Oh, yes. Christ is standing in heaven, looking down at me and trying to find fault with me.”
Is this what Christ is doing today? No. The Bible says that after He had finished the work of redemption, He ascended into heaven. He sat down at the right hand of the Father—not doing nothing, but making intercession for us.
We mentioned how the priesthood of our Lord Jesus is a better priesthood. He is better than Aaron because He is made High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, not after the order of Aaron.
The order of Aaron makes men priests; the order of Melchizedek makes the Son Priest. The order of Aaron has weakness in itself, because those priests need to offer sacrifices for themselves as well as for the people. But Christ does not need to offer sacrifice for Himself. He offered Himself for us.
The order of Aaron changes continually because the priests are subject to death. One high priest may serve for thirty years and die; then another high priest has to come and take his place. It is interrupted all the time.
But Christ, as High Priest, is after the order of Melchizedek—that is, after the power of an indestructible, indissoluble life. The order of Aaron is only a priesthood, but the order of Melchizedek is a kingly priesthood.
Brothers and sisters, I do not have time this evening, but this order of Melchizedek is wonderful. Here I will just say this: we have a High Priest.
Christ is not dead. He died once, but He lives and lives forever. How does He live today? He is our High Priest. He is a Minister of the true sanctuary.
In the earthly sanctuary, we change our ministers ever so often. But we have a Minister who never changes. Our Minister is Christ. Christ is the Minister of the true sanctuary—that is, of the church. He is the Mediator of the better covenant.
Here you find our Christ, living. He sympathizes with us. He knows all our problems, all our troubles, all our weaknesses, and all our temptations. He not only knows, but He is praying for us, interceding for us before the Father.
Sometimes we do not know how to pray, but He prays for us, and the Father hears Him. More than that, He is the Minister of the true tabernacle. In other words, He is the Minister of the church. He ministers His life to us by His Spirit.
He is the Mediator of the better covenant. That is to say, He sees to it that we are in the good of the new covenant. All the time, you find our Christ Jesus ministering to us with that priestly ministry.
Because of Christ as my High Priest, I am sure I will be able to hold fast the confession of hope to the very end, in spite of all my wavering, weakness, and infirmity.
Oh, I do thank God. He ever liveth, my Christ, making intercession for me. He is well able to save me to the uttermost.
He is always available. There is not a moment when He is not available to you as your High Priest. Often in our Christian life, when we are puzzled, when we have problems, when we have weakness, we try to turn here and there, and nobody is there.
But you forget: there is a High Priest always available to us. If you lean upon Him, if you trust yourself to Him, as Paul said:
For I know Him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard that which I have committed unto Him against that day.
— 2 Timothy 1:12
Brothers and sisters, you will be established, firm to the end. In reality, you will be the house of God.
How much we need Christ as our High Priest. How much we need to know that Christ today is living. He is not dead; He is living, and He lives to help us, to bring us into the fullness of the purpose of God.
His high priesthood is always connected with love. Priestly ministry is a ministry of love because the priest always deals with the weak, the fallen, the feeble, and the unclean. It is a ministry of life.
Because He loves us, He ministers His own life to us day by day, that we may continue. Because we are being loved, therefore we are called to love one another.
This is Hebrews 13. It begins with, “Let brotherly love abide.” It is actually in continuation of Hebrews 10:
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works;
not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another;
and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh.— Hebrews 10:24-25
Being loved and ministered to by Christ in love, how can we help but love one another? Let brotherly love abide.
What is brotherly love? Brotherly love simply means that we love because we are brothers. There is no other reason for us to love.
For us to love those who are lovable, for us to love those who have the same temperament, is easy. But for us to love simply because we are brothers, that has to come from God.
Let love of the brethren continue.
Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.— Hebrews 13:1-2
Love is hospitable. Love always opens its heart to those who are needy.
Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them;
them that are ill-treated, as being yourselves also in the body.— Hebrews 13:3
Love is sympathetic. Love joins you to your brothers and sisters.
Let marriage be had in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
— Hebrews 13:4
Love is honorable. Love is respectful and honorable.
Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for Himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee.
— Hebrews 13:5
Love is always satisfied—satisfied with whatever God has given. Therefore, taking courage, we may say:
The Lord is my helper; I will not fear: What shall man do unto me?
— Hebrews 13:6
Love is courageous. You can go on and on through the chapter. Love is worshipful. Love is submissive. Here you find that it is because Christ is our High Priest that we are called to love.
Finally, the prayer of the writer of Hebrews, I think, can serve as our conclusion.
Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus,
make you perfect in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ;
to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.— Hebrews 13:20-21
Let us pray.
Our heavenly Father, we pray that the message in the Book of Hebrews may be heard. We pray that we may be delivered from things and be occupied only with Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray that we may not be in possession of things, but that we may have a living Christ. We pray that we may, for the better, forsake that which hinders us and enter into the better.
We pray that through the availability of Thy blood, we may always approach Thee with a true heart, in full assurance of faith. Thou hast opened a new and living way for us, Lord, that we may walk in it.
Knowing that Thy cross has given us hope to be matured as sons, Lord, teach us how to look to Thee as our High Priest day by day, that we may know how to live a life of love on this earth.
O Lord, may Thou work in us that we may work the will of God. Conquer all our hearts. Our eyes are set upon Thee. We desire to look away from all things and fix our eyes upon Thee, because Thou art the Author and Finisher of our faith.
To Thee we give our thanks, in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
Because of this, God will measure us with this criterion, with this standard. You remember Revelation 2 and 3, the seven churches. The Son of Man is there, measuring the churches.
But what does He seek? In some of these churches, they have many good things—things that come from God.
For instance, in the church of Ephesus, God said, “I know. I know your labor. I know your work. I know your endurance. I know your patience. I know you can test the false apostles and prove them false. I know you do not keep the doctrines of the Nicolaitans.”
“I know you have this, you have that, you have this thing, you have that thing. But the Lord said, ‘I am against you.’” Why? Because, “I do not find Myself here. You have lost your first love.”
You may have anything, but if the Lord cannot find Himself in these things, or if the Lord is not in these things, if the Lord is not these things, then they are worthy of shaking.
The Lord said, “Unless you repent, I will remove the lampstand.” In other words, He will remove the testimony.
In Laodicea, they were very proud of themselves. “We are rich. We lack nothing.” As a matter of fact, they were very rich in doctrine, very rich in teaching, very rich in this and that. But the Lord said, “I do not find Myself there.”
What does the Lord think of the church in Philadelphia? Even though they have a little strength, the Lord sees Himself. Yes.
Oh, brothers and sisters, we are approaching the very end of the age.
God is taking everything and shaking everything. Why? Because the kingdom that cannot be shaken is coming.
He will measure us and test us with one criterion, and that is: Is it Christ, or is it things?
Things will pass away, but Christ alone shall remain.
My burden to you is this: as I meet many believers, one thing pierces my heart. I have met many good believers, many earnest persons, but I discover that most of the Christians are occupied not with Christ.
Because of this great shaking, I have already seen some shaken. Unless we see that it is Christ, then our faith will be purified, our hope will be lifted, and we will live in priestly ministry.
It is very important that we see, in God’s mind, Christ is all. Christ is all.
Our heavenly Father, we do not know how to judge others, but we just lift up our country and pray that Thou wilt give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we may see Christ as our life.
We pray that we may not be satisfied with many things in hand, things that come from Thee, and yet Thou art nothing. May Thou be all things to us.
O Lord, we pray that more and more we may be occupied with Thyself instead of Thy things, that when Thy kingdom shall come, we may find ourselves in that kingdom which cannot be shaken.
O Lord, do not spare us. Let it be. In the name of our Lord Jesus.