Good morning.
Frank, I was sort of hoping you would leave that cake up here. I will make an even trade: my water for your cake. How about it? All right? Happy birthday.
Please turn with me to Hebrews 11. And I will ask you to pray for me, if you will, concerning my voice. This week, I have been to the doctor with a voice issue.
Hebrews 11, beginning in verse 1:
Now faith is the substantiating of things hoped for,
The conviction of things not seen.
For in the power of it the elders obtained testimony.
By faith, we apprehend that the worlds were framed by the Word of God,
So that that which is seen should not take its origin from things which appear.
By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
By which he obtained testimony of being righteous,
God bearing testimony to his gifts;
And by it, having died, he yet speaks.
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found,
Because God had translated him;
For before his translation, he had the testimony that he had pleased God.
And look at verses 8 through 10 with me:
By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out into the place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and went out, not knowing where he was going.
By faith he sojourned as a stranger in the land of promise, as a foreign country, having dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.
For he waited for the city which has foundations, of which God is the artificer and constructor.
Verse 13 of Hebrews 11:
All these died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar off, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth.
For they who say such things show clearly that they seek a country.
And if they had called to mind that from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they seek a better, that is, a heavenly country.
Wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for He has prepared for them a city.
And then in the next chapter, Hebrews 12. I think we will look at verse 18:
For ye have not come to the mount that might be touched, and was all on fire, and to obscurity and darkness and tempest,
And the voice of words, which they that heard excusing themselves declined, the word being addressed to them anymore.
For they were not able to bear that which was enjoined:
And if a beast should touch the mountain, it shall be stoned.
And so fearful was the sight, Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and full of trembling.”
But ye have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem,
And to myriads of angels,
And to the universal gathering,
And to the assembly of the firstborn who are registered in heaven,
And to God, Judge of all,
And to the spirits of just men made perfect,
And to Jesus, Mediator of a new covenant,
And to the blood of sprinkling speaking better than Abel.
And one last verse, Hebrews 13:8, one with which we are all familiar:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and to the ages to come.
Or, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Lord, we commit to You the reading of Your Word. Your words are spirit and life when You give them. So we come in the name of Jesus and bow the knee to the Lord Jesus.
Our prayer this morning is that You will illumine Your Word, that You will open Your Word, that You will cause us to see beyond the written Word into that living Word. May that Word penetrate deeply into our very being, deep into our spirit, and change us forever. That is our prayer as we come to Your Word this morning. In Jesus’ name.
Brothers and sisters, I think some of you know that the last several times I shared, I shared on this book of Hebrews. Now, I will avoid a long introduction this morning. You have fixed that; I guarantee that. That will not happen.
But, you know, in sharing on the book of Hebrews, we concentrated on a single word. Some of you may have forgotten. Some of you may have chosen to forget. But if you remember, we focused on that single word which occurs again and again in the book of Hebrews. Who remembers what that word is?
That is it. You listen. I am proud of you.
One word goes throughout the book of Hebrews, and unless, brothers and sisters, you understand the significance of that word, you will never appreciate the book of Hebrews. It is all about this word: better.
I will bite my tongue and hold on, but just a little bit—bear with me in this little foolishness. You remember how we looked at the Lord Jesus as the whole subject of this book. It says the first “better” in the book of Hebrews is that He is better than the angels. That is the whole book of Hebrews.
It says that in former times God spoke in many ways and in various forms, but in these last days He has spoken to us in the person of the Son. That is the better Lord Jesus. That is the whole purpose of God, brothers and sisters. That is what we need to see.
But not only that: it is not just the purpose of God connected to the Son, this incomparable Son. It is the purpose of God connected to us. When we come to Hebrews 6, we see this word given by the writer of Hebrews: God has some better thing for you.
Not only does He love His Son, exalt His Son, and give His Son that absolute first place and preeminence in everything, but He has some better thing for us.
Read Hebrews 2 and 3, and you begin to discover how enormous that better thing is for us. He calls many sons to glory. Not only does He call us to glory as many sons; He calls us children. He says, “I and the children Thou hast given Me.”
Not only does He call us children, but He calls us to be partakers—partakers of a heavenly calling. Not only does He call us to be partakers, but He calls us in Hebrews 3 to be companions of Christ.
Now think of that. That is the most intimate relationship you can have. That is the purpose of God. That is the better purpose.
Christ, this incomparable Son, and us joined in union: sons, children, partakers, companions. What a calling. No wonder it says, “This great heavenly calling.”
So that is really what we shared before. We shared on a better hope. All I will tell you to remember is this: hope, for those who have laid hold of it, becomes an anchor to the soul. It says in Hebrews 6 that this is strong encouragement to us.
Have we laid hold of the hope, the better hope? Hebrews warns us not to cast away our hope. Many have done that, and they become shipwrecked concerning the faith.
Hope keeps us when we do not see the evidence.
So that was the second message—so far, only seven minutes. The third message was the better covenant. I hope you remember something about the better covenant, because God, in His wisdom, has chosen that all He says is true in His Son, and all He intends to be true in us, He will bring to pass. The way He will bring it to pass is through that better covenant. That is the way He will do it.
There is a comparison. If you read the book of Hebrews, you discover it is a book of comparisons. The Old Testament is always held in relation to the New Testament. It says of this better covenant that it exceeds the old covenant in every way.
Brothers and sisters, the old covenant had limited forgiveness. Just think about it. Once a year—only once a year—a high priest could go in on that Day of Atonement, that blessed day for which all the children of Israel waited. They were forgiven; sins were atoned for. But just think if you sinned the next day.
Limited forgiveness.
But when you come to this better covenant, God Himself declares:
“And I will remember your sins never.”
That is good news, brothers and sisters. That is the better covenant. How we labor under sin, and how God has a word! It is as though He is trying to get our attention. He is saying, “Did you get it? Do you get it? I will remember your sins no more.”
You remember yours. Not only do you remember your sins; you remember everybody else’s sins.
I wonder, when we go to God, does He say, “What are you talking about? What sin? What sin?”
That is the new covenant—the better covenant.
I know I am violating my promise. Not only that, the old covenant had limited access. Do you realize that only one person had full access to God under the old covenant? That is an awesome thing. Only the high priest, and only once a year. That is limited. I do not care how you cut it; that is limited.
But in the new covenant, we come to God. The veil is absolutely rent from top to bottom. That restriction is no longer there, and you, dear brothers and sisters, have absolute and unlimited access to holy God. Unlimited access.
You can go to God morning, noon, and night. You can go right into the Holy of Holies without a representative—only through the blood of Jesus. Do you understand that?
How could these Hebrew believers want to go back to the old covenant? They had unlimited forgiveness and unlimited access.
And then they had unlimited knowledge of God. In the Old Testament, God was veiled. Moses—you remember the story—said, “Show me Thy glory.” What did he see? He only saw the backside of God. For that, he had to be hidden in the cleft of the rock so that he might not be consumed.
But, brothers and sisters, in the new covenant it says:
“Every one of you shall know Me,
From the least to the greatest.”
That is the better covenant: unlimited knowledge.
You are the only thing that hinders that knowledge. God has made Himself known in the Lord Jesus. He has given us all of His fullness, because it says in Colossians that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in the Lord Jesus.
No wonder Romans says, “How will He not, when He gives us His Son, also give us all things?”
Well, that is the abbreviated introduction, if you will. I hope you see, brothers and sisters, this word better is so significant to the book of Hebrews. Unless we have an appreciation of it, we can never know what God has done, and we can never enter into it.
Now let us press on this morning. What is really on my heart today is this matter of the city of God. If I have a title—because they always ask you for a title—it would be “The City of God: A Better Testimony.”
Dear saints, I think when we come to the end of the book of Hebrews—and I promise you, this is my last message on the book of Hebrews—we discover that something comes into focus. Dear saints, I hope you see what that thing is. It is the city of the living God.
I believe there is a purpose for that city of the living God. That city of the living God is to be the testimony of God among His people. That is the thing that comes into view as we come to the end of the book of Hebrews.
Oh, how we need to see the city of God.
Now, we will look today at the final “betters.” May the Lord help us.
Trying to get into Hebrews 11, verse 16:
But now they seek a better, that is, a heavenly country.
Wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God;
For He has prepared for them a city.
They seek a better, that is, a heavenly country, and God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city.
I do not know about you, but when I have read Hebrews 11 in the past, it seemed to me that the chapter was out of place. Forgive me if you do not follow this. After giving these great truths about Christ, who is better than the angels, our great inheritance in this better purpose, this whole explanation of the better hope, and this great explanation of the better covenant—how does the writer come back to this hall of faith?
I do not know if you have ever thought about it. It seemed to me to be a little out of place, a little inconsistent.
But then, turn to the beginning of Hebrews 11. I believe there are words that open this whole thing as to the purpose of this hall of faith. It says in Hebrews 11:2:
For in the power of this, speaking of faith, the elders obtained testimony.
Now, I do not know what your version says, but it says here, “In the power of faith, the elders obtained testimony.” I do not think that is an insignificant phrase.
Look again at verse 4:
By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained testimony.
That seems to be a significant word. Go on to verse 5:
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him. For before his translation, he had the testimony.
Those words in those few short verses, dear saints, have meaning. The meaning is simple: all that God has purposed, He intends to express. All that He has said, He intends to bring out into full expression, into a testimony where He is seen in His fullness.
It says of these Old Testament saints that they obtained testimony.
Now, to me, that was significant. I do not know if you are following me. I see some blank faces. But this matter of Hebrews 11 seemed to be out of place to me with all that went before it. Then, when you understand that God Himself is looking back and saying, “These ones had the testimony,” that is significant. That gives the explanation.
I think we are always saying this chapter is just about faith. I do not mean to demean faith. How great is our faith? It says in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God.
But it says, by faith, in faith, because of their faith, they obtained testimony.
If you think I am straining at a gnat, bear with me. Turn to the end of Hebrews 11, and I think you will begin to see the point. After this whole explanation of all those who went before, there is this summary in verses 39 and 40:
And these all, having obtained testimony…
Now, the word here is witness. I am not sure what the word is in your version. A good report. They obtained the testimony, brothers and sisters.
If Hebrews 11 begins with this emphasis, and if Hebrews 11 ends with this emphasis, maybe it is the emphasis. Have you ever thought of that? Some people think we try to force things to fit into our own belief system. But it seems to me, if God begins with the fact that these obtained testimony, and concludes with the fact that these obtained testimony, that was the very point.
Brothers and sisters, God is after a testimony.
I know some of you think that word is overused. Hardly. It is because we see so low. It is because we know so little. It is because we react so quickly. But it seems to me that these ones who went before us had the testimony.
Here is the question for us as we leave Hebrews 11, close the book, and go to Hebrews 12 and 13: Will we obtain testimony?
That is the issue. I believe that is what the book closes about. I believe that is what the city of God is all about. There, in that place, in that expression, is a significant testimony of all that God is.
They obtained testimony. May the Lord help us to see that. I believe this is very significant.
Another thing that brought this to my attention is Hebrews 13:8. That is the verse we all know:
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Now think of that verse in comparison to this. Those who had gone before us kept the testimony yesterday. Those of us who live today are to keep the testimony today. In the end, that testimony, because God’s purpose never fails, is forever.
That is what that verse means: yesterday, today, and forever.
I will never forget, dear saints, there was a book that revolutionized my whole life—a little booklet by T. Austin-Sparks. It changed my whole life. I was twenty years old. No secret—I am forty-nine—but I am holding on. I was twenty years old when someone put this book in my hand: The Recovery of the Lord’s Testimony and Fullness. It changed my life.
I am not giving any credit to Brother Sparks, but that book changed my life. He says there are three essential things. You have heard this before, but let me repeat them.
Firstly, we are to see that God is concerned with the accomplishment of something worthy of Himself. Have you seen that?
That is what these Hebrews of old saw. They saw it afar off. It says in Hebrews that they embraced it. It says in Hebrews that they confessed it. It got into their being. They saw something.
The second thing is that people shall become aware of what that great something is in the heart of God—what it is that God is concerned with—and then that they shall be moved by the Spirit of God to cooperate with God.
Saints, these Old Testament believers were moved by the Spirit of God to cooperate. Have we been so taken? Have our eyes been opened so that we have seen something?
First of all, there must be a realization, a revelation, of what God is after. Has it made such an indelible impression on us that it will not let us go? Has that happened for you?
It happened with Abraham. It happened with Enoch. It happened with Moses. It happened with Sarah. It happened with Isaac. It happened with Jacob.
That is what needs to happen to us.
Thirdly, we must recognize that the object which is in the heart of God, and this cooperation with Him by His people, involves a very real conflict and cost. His people must face that and be ready to accept it.
No cost, no glory. No cross, no Pentecost.
Do you realize that what is in the heart of God is contested? I think we often get blown away. We often get overcome with things, and we do not realize—even though our brother is trying to share with us about that great conflict—that the very thing which is in the heart of God, which He endeavors to reveal to His people and capture His people with, is under a great deal of conflict.
This testimony of God, this city of God, will not be an easy thing, brothers and sisters. There is real cost and real conflict. If we preach anything else, we lead people astray.
But here is the difference: for these ones who saw, it was no cost. For these ones of old whose eyes were opened, there was no sacrifice. God so moved in their being that they went right through, bearing the testimony.
This is what this phrase means: “They obtained testimony.”
Do not be afraid of that word.
It seems to me that what we need to do is see what these ones saw and then carry it into our present circumstances. I believe that is what God is after.
If you look in Hebrews 11 again, you begin to discover what motivated these Old Testament saints. Now, brothers and sisters, I will give you a secret. If you want to know what the fiber of a person is, if you want to know what the depth of a person really is, then you need to know what motivates them.
Motivation—that is the secret. This is not a motivational message, believe me. I hope you do not take it that way. We do not inspire naturally. God Himself motivates us when He opens our eyes.
But unless we see in Hebrews 11 what motivated these saints, brothers and sisters, I do not think we will really press on. They saw something. It got hold of them. It laid hold of them. They gave themselves to it, and they were willing to go on without even recognizing the sacrifice.
God’s own word about them is: “These obtained testimony.”
To them, it was life and death.
I remember an old fable. There was a dog, a legend of a dog who was a very fast dog. I hope you do not mind dog stories. This dog was so fast he was a legend. He could catch anything.
There was a rabbit, and he went out to catch that rabbit. You know, he did not catch the rabbit. All the other dogs said, “You are so fast!” But this dog was incredibly wise. He said, “You do not understand. The rabbit was running for his life. I was running for dinner.”
To them, it was life or death. Do you understand? This was significant. This was not just what they did. They did not just expect something like dinner. It was their life.
If you discover what motivates a person, then you can discover their secret.
Turn with me again to Hebrews 11:8:
By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out into the place where he was to receive an inheritance, and went out, not knowing where he was going.
By faith he sojourned as a stranger in the land of promise, as a foreign country, having dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.
For he waited for the city which has foundations.
Now, brothers and sisters, it says that he went out. Do not confuse the fact with the motivation. I hope you follow me. The truth is, he went out. The truth is, he left his family. The truth is, he left his country. The truth is, he left everything. But that was not the reason.
The reason, it says in verse 10, is that he saw the city that has foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God.
Every architect loves this verse because, if you have the New International Version, it says, “Whose architect and builder is God.” All architects who are believers tell me that verse. Whose architect and builder is God.
He saw something. That was his motivation. It was not that God simply said to him, “Abraham, go out.” Something bigger got hold of him. Do you follow me? I believe that is the message here.
For he waited for a city which has foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God.
Turn with me to Hebrews 11:14:
All these, having died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar and embraced them, confessed that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth.
For they who say such things show clearly that they seek a country.
And if they had called to mind that from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they seek a better, that is, a heavenly country.
Wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for He prepared for them a city.
This was their motivation. They went out because they saw the city. They realized that in that city was a testimony, and in that expression which God was after there would be something that was at His very heart.
To me, that is the message of Hebrews 11.
It says an extraordinary thing: “Wherefore God was not ashamed of them.” Think of that.
Maybe you do not have this problem, but sometimes we are ashamed of one another. Do you realize what God says of these people, these sinners? He says God is not ashamed of them.
I will never forget when my kids became teenagers. Something happened. Something came into their brains. They were changed overnight. They began to think on their own. They began to question everything. It is a terrible disease that happens to teenagers.
All of a sudden, these loving, obedient kids became teenagers. I know none of you have had that problem.
One day, I went to the mall with Justin, and he said, “Dad, can you walk on the other side?”
I said, “Justin, are you ashamed of me?”
“Oh, no, no, Dad. No. Just walk on the other side.”
God is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Are you ashamed of me? Am I ashamed of you? God is not ashamed. And it goes further. It is incredible: He is not ashamed to be called their God.
Think of it. That is an incredible thought.
If you turn to Hebrews 2, it says of the Lord Jesus that He is not ashamed to be called their Brother. It says, quoting from the Psalms, “I and the brethren You gave Me.” He is not ashamed.
Is that not good news? I think most of us think God is ashamed of us. He is not. You are His brethren.
It says this significant thing: “I am called their God.” To me, that was a strange verse. I am not sure I ever understood it.
But remember in Exodus, God speaks of Himself:
“I am the God of your fathers,
The God of Abraham,
The God of Isaac,
And the God of Jacob.”
That is an incredible testimony. He is the God of Abraham. He is the God of Isaac. He is the God of Jacob.
I will never forget one time I asked Stephen, “Stephen, what does that mean?” You know, he would not answer me. He said, “You search the Word. You seek the Lord.”
I was offended. He would not answer me. But this is the glorious testimony: our God associates Himself so much with us. He is not ashamed of us. He even calls us by name and declares, “I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. I am the God of Jacob.”
That is testimony.
It says of these Old Testament saints, “He has prepared for them a city.” That was what it was all about.
You know, brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus—you remember the story—in John 14 says, to comfort His own as He is about to leave:
Believe in God; believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many abodes.
I go to prepare a place for you,
That where I am, there ye may be also.
He is preparing a place for us. This city of God is a place of testimony. This is what these Old Testament saints saw. What drove them? What motivated them? What they clung to so much that they were willing to be called strangers and pilgrims?
Do you know Abraham never had anything on this earth but a tent and a tomb? Did you know that? All that he was promised, he never had anything but a tent and a tomb.
But he possessed, in the spirit, that city of God. He owned it in his spirit. That is the difference.
Do we own it in our spirit? May the Lord be merciful.
If you think this is just about these great patriarchs, turn with me briefly to Psalm 107. I will read you a few more verses. You may make a liar out of me yet about speaking again.
Psalm 107:1-7:
Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness endureth forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
And gathered out of the countries,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way;
They found no city of habitation.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
He led them forth by a right way,
That they might go to a city of habitation.
That was the purpose in the Old Testament. All the shadows, all the types—Jerusalem, Zion—all these things were to show the people of God that what He was after was an expression of Himself: a city that is inhabited, a place where He is Lord, where His fullness is, where His glory is, where His grace is.
That is what He was after. Even those He brought out of Egypt—that was the purpose: a city of habitation.
Now, brothers and sisters, what does this have to do with us? These saints of old maintained the testimony in their generation. But when you come to Hebrews 12 and 13 and close the book of Hebrews, I believe the message to us is simply this: Are we going to maintain that testimony in our generation?
That is the purpose for this explanation of all those who had gone before us. Will we maintain the testimony?
It begins, “We have such a great cloud of witnesses.” Who are those witnesses? They are these. They are those that were faithful. They are those that saw. They are the witnesses.
Hebrews 12:1 says:
Let us also therefore, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, lay aside every weight and sin which so easily entangles us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, looking steadfastly on Jesus, the Leader and Completer of our faith.
Here is the question, saints: Will we run the race, or will we give up? Will we cave in to our circumstances? Will we be overcome with our circumstances? Or will we count when it comes to the testimony of Jesus?
I think that is the whole message of Hebrews 12 and 13. It tells us that there are so many weights and so many sins. If you are not careful, there are so many things that can entangle you.
The one secret to overcoming for us and being a testimony in our generation is looking unto Jesus. That is the whole secret.
Brothers and sisters, the moment you take your eyes off Jesus, you have sunk. Do you not think that is what the illustration of Peter is about? That is not just some wonderful Sunday school Bible story. Peter walked out on the water in faith, but the moment he took his eyes off the Lord Jesus, he sank.
Oh, do not ever take your eyes off Jesus.
Sometimes I think the problem is that your eyes are on me. Sometimes I think my problem is that my eyes are on you. Do you know that if you do that, you surely sink?
We need to get our eyes on Jesus. That is the only way to be a testimony. That is the only way to run the race with endurance. That is the only way to be sure we will make it through to the end.
If I have one counsel to offer you, dear saints, it is this: get your eyes off one another. That does not mean you ignore one another as though you are not there. But you should be looking unto Jesus. That is the secret.
Will we be put out of the race? There are many who have been.
It goes on to say, will we faint in our minds? Do you know how easy it is to faint? Brothers and sisters, many are faint. Many have been overcome with their circumstances. May the Lord be merciful to us, that we will not faint.
It says, will we despise the discipline of the Lord, the chastening of the Lord? That can be a great obstacle. Have you ever been disciplined? I would dare say you did not like it. It was not pleasant.
But it says, do not despise the discipline of the Lord. Whom He loves, He chastens. Otherwise, you are illegitimate children.
Oh, so many have fainted under discipline.
It goes on to say, will we fail because of our weakness and come short of the grace of God? Will we?
Please forgive me if you think this is too pointed. There are those of us who believe there is not sufficient grace for our circumstances.
Will we be put out of the race?
I will never forget the hardest counsel I ever gave to a brother. I said, “If you do this, you will be saying the grace of God is not sufficient.”
That was the hardest counsel I ever gave.
Is the grace of God sufficient for you? Do not look at me. Do not look at my circumstances. I have things you do not know about. But for each one of us, the question is: will we be put out of the race? Is His grace sufficient?
Or will we say, that day when we stand before the Lord of glory, “Lord, Your grace was not sufficient”? Can you imagine?
Now, there are brothers and sisters who are going through terrible things. This brother I spoke to at that time was going through something that I believe I could not have borne. But God did not call me to bear it. It seemed impossible for me. Those words were not offered lightly.
But in that day, when you stand before the Prince of Glory, what will be your testimony?
His grace is sufficient.
There is another thing that can put us out of the race: will the root of bitterness spring up in you and defile you? Will that happen?
Not only will it defile you, but it will affect many.
Brothers and sisters, this is not the burden on my heart to stay on, but offense is a huge issue in the church of the living God.
Mari spoke on offense once. Now, lest you think you do not offend, the verse that set me free was James 3. It says simply:
We all often offend.
Now think of that before you become self-righteous. You are just like me; I am just better at it. We all have the capacity to offend. We all often offend, unless we are a perfect man.
And who is the perfect man? The perfect man has learned even to bridle his body, every member in subjection.
I think of people that get offended. I believe this is a two-way street. Those of us who have this gift to offend are never justified. I have offended many—many.
But then the burden changes to the offended: do you take the offense? Do you understand? Is that clear? It is a two-way street.
We should always seek not to offend, and when we know we offend, make it right. But, saints, you can be put out of the race if you take offense. What is in jeopardy is the testimony of Jesus.
You go to Hebrews 12 again. There are two phrases that I would like us to focus on. Maybe we will use this portion and close.
Hebrews 12:18 says:
For ye have not come to the mount that might be touched and was all on fire, and to obscurity and darkness and tempest, and trumpet sound, and the voice of words, which they that heard excusing themselves declined, the word being addressed to them anymore.
For they were not able to bear that which was enjoined; and if a beast should touch the mountain, it should be stoned.
And so fearful was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and full of trembling.”
That is an awful sight, brothers and sisters. Sinai was an awful sight. It is a sight of fear.
Now think about this for a moment. Is that our impression of God? Is it fear and trembling? Do we have this impression that He is always quick to judge? Anything that touches the mountain shall be slain.
That was the old covenant.
But if you turn to Hebrews 12:22:
But ye have come to Mount Zion,
To the city of the living God,
To heavenly Jerusalem.
Notice those two phrases. They are there for a reason. In verse 18, “Ye have not come to.” Then, in verse 22, “But ye have come to Mount Zion.”
It is the very same issue with the Old Testament saints. The city of God once again comes into view. That expression of testimony comes into view. You have come to Mount Zion.
Now, what does that mean?
Turn with me to Psalm 132. Maybe I can bring these into a little bit of a closure. David said this, Psalm 132:13-14:
For the Lord hath chosen Zion;
He hath desired it for His dwelling.
This is My rest forever:
Here will I dwell;
For I have desired it.
Here is the point: there is a change in speaker there.
David is saying that God has chosen Zion for His habitation, the city of the living God. But then, in the next breath, he says, “I have desired Zion.”
Do you see the difference, brothers and sisters? Do we have the same desire that God has? That is the question. Do we have the same burden that God has?
David himself was able to say, “God has chosen Zion”—this Mount Zion, this place of testimony. Not only has He desired it, but I have desired it.
I wonder if we can say that. That is testimony.
Zion, in one word, is the place of blessing. It is the place of blessing.
Brothers and sisters, how often our impression of God is false. How often we are deceived concerning the things we think about God. But do you understand that Zion is the place of blessing?
Turn with me again to Psalm 132. I want you to read this:
This is My rest forever:
Here will I dwell;
For I have desired it.
I will abundantly bless her provision;
I will satisfy her needy ones with bread.
I will clothe her priests with salvation,
And her saints shall shout aloud with joy.
There will I cause the horn of David to bud forth;
I have ordained a lamp for Mine anointed.
His enemies will I clothe with shame;
But upon Himself shall His crown flourish.
Brothers and sisters, God’s intention is to bless. Oh, we need to say that often.
You remember the story in Numbers 23 about the Moabite king Balak. Balak brought Balaam onto the scene and said, “Balaam, this is the one thing I want you to do: I want you to curse the people of God.”
But Balaam began to prophesy. Read Numbers 23 this afternoon. It is among the greatest explanations of blessing in almost the whole Word of God.
This one who was brought to be a curser said:
How can I curse when God has blessed?
God is not a man, that He should lie.
Shall I curse whom God blesses?
This needs to be our emphasis, brothers and sisters. Zion is a place of blessing.
I think so often we have erred by thinking that it is a place of judgment. That is not in the Word of God. Sinai was judgment. Zion is blessing.
Hebrews 12 says that we have come to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem. Notice that it is the city of the living God. It is not just, as in Hebrews 11, the city of God. Here, it is more than that: it is the city of the living God.
Our God is alive. That is the expression.
It says, “To myriads of angels, and to the universal gathering.” Brothers and sisters, all the angels, this universal cloud of witnesses, are assembled. That is what we are gathered to. That is our testimony.
And it goes further: “To the assembly,” or the church, “of the firstborn who are registered in heaven.”
Sometimes there are those who say we make too much out of the church. But it says in this testimony that we have come to the church of the firstborn.
I will never forget—this made an indelible impression on me—one day when Stephen stood up here in tears. He said of Watchman Nee, “That brother realized that he could not live without God.” Then he said a remarkable thing: “God opened his eyes to show him that he could not live without his brothers and sisters.”
I will never forget Ernie saying that to me after Zola passed. That was the revelation. We cannot live without God. But do we choose to live without one another? How often that is the error of Christians.
You have come to the assembly of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven.
You remember when the seventy went out with great power, and the demons were subject to them in the name of the Lord. They came back to the Lord and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name.”
And He said, “Do not boast that the demons are subject to you, but boast that your name is written in heaven.”
Whose names are enrolled in heaven. Brothers and sisters, this is our testimony: your name is in the book.
It is indelible. Engineers have a limited vocabulary, but it is indelible ink. It cannot be taken out. Your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. All who believe in the Lord Jesus—never to be erased.
I will never forget, just recently I took an exam and had to use an ink pen. I was sunk. But I discovered an erasable ink pen. It really worked.
This was an English exit exam, which engineers dread. Engineers do not even understand foolish things like “I before E except after C”—I never can get it right. But I could erase that ink.
Your name can never be erased from the Book of Life. Once you have believed in the Lord Jesus, it is there permanently.
And to God, the Judge of all. Now think about that phrase. I think this hangs people up. They say, “Oh, fear and trembling. Oh, the Judge. Here comes the Judge.”
But do you know what the testimony of the New Testament church is? Our testimony is that we can come to the Judge of all. Our testimony is not that we are judged, but that we are not judged. Do you understand the difference?
If you went to Mount Sinai and touched that mountain, you would be slain. Even as Uzzah touched the cart of the ark of God and was slain in an instant.
But do you know, brothers and sisters, this is your testimony: you can come to the Judge of all without any condemnation. Do you know that?
Judgment has passed for the believer. You are fully pardoned and fully forgiven. There may be some family discipline, but you are, after all, a child of the King. Judgment has passed.
Think of it. I often think about that phrase: “He who dwells in unapproachable light.” That is a scary thought—unapproachable, right?
But you can come to the Judge of all without fear. That is our testimony.
Let me finish with this last phrase:
And to the spirits of just men made perfect.
Now, brothers and sisters, this really has to do with those Old Testament saints and us. God is not only the One who justifies us; He is the One who perfects us. Do you understand that?
I saw a church billboard. Sometimes I think pastors are provoked to preach a sermon from those things. It said:
You should be fishers of men.
You catch them; He cleans them.
How often we think it is our business to perfect people. But do you know that God Himself justifies? Do you know that God Himself perfects?
This is our testimony. This is the testimony of the city of God.
Then he concludes with the last “better” in the book:
And to the blood of sprinkling speaking better than Abel.
I often wondered why that is last. I think there is a simple explanation. As long as we are in this body, brothers and sisters, you need the blood of Jesus. Did you know that?
Have you gotten to the point where you no longer need the blood of Jesus? Then you are the perfect man who never offends. I am privileged to know you.
But this seems to be the message here: when it is all said and done, when we walk in this city of God, when we are called into this testimony of Jesus, you will always need the blood of Jesus.
Never get beyond it.
It speaks better than the blood of Abel. Do you know what that means? Do you remember the story of Abel? You remember when God spoke out and said, “What is this blood that cries out from the ground?”
The blood of judgment.
This blood that speaks better than the blood of Abel is the blood of cleansing. It is not blood of judgment. God does not remember our sins anymore.
This is the word. This is our testimony.
Well, I am out of time, and I apologize for not getting far.
In the old, they bore the testimony yesterday. Today, the question before us is this: Will you bear the testimony today, or will you be put out?
In the future, when the Bible closes, what does it close with? The city of God.
Oh, saints, that is a glorious vision. Read Revelation 21 and 22 and see what glory there is in the city of God.
John said, “I saw a city coming down, prepared as a bride—the New Jerusalem.” Then he goes on and describes streets of gold, precious stones which are unbelievable, and walls that are one hundred and forty-four cubits—for those who want to know, two hundred and twelve feet.
Glorious. That is the testimony in the future.
May the Lord help us to be those in our generation who bear the testimony of Jesus.
Lord, we commit to You Your Word. Our whole heart is that You could somehow open our eyes the way You opened the eyes of these Old Testament saints—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.
Would You do to us, as the people of God, what You did to them? Would You so enable us to take the grace of God that we could run the race, looking unto Jesus?
This is our prayer. Would You do it, Lord? In the name of Jesus. Amen.