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Discover the depth of God's boundless love as Dr. J. Vernon McGee takes us through the story of the prophet Hosea. Known for his unyielding devotion, Hosea’s life with Gomer becomes a living example of God's unwavering commitment to His people despite their shortcomings. From poignant heartbreak to the hopeful expectation of reconciliation, explore themes of redemption and divine mercy in a world that faltered as often as it was blessed.
SPEAKER 02 :
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
SPEAKER 01 :
Have you heard about the husband whose wife ran away twice into a life of prostitution and then sold herself into slavery? But her husband, ever faithful, paid the price to buy her back? Welcome to Through the Bible. You'll hear more about this story as Dr. J. Vernon McGee finishes his introduction to the Old Testament book of Hosea. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace that saves us. Open our hearts to hear your timeless message of mercy no matter how far we've run. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, we're off to Hosea on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McKee.
SPEAKER 03 :
I probably should have said this last time, but I want to say it today. The message that you will listen to today, the conclusion of it, was a sermon, a sermon I gave some time ago. But you must remember it's a sermon and not just a Bible study. There are those that think that my method of preaching and my method of teaching is entirely different. I never felt so myself personally, but if you distinguish that difference, it's simply because of the fact that this was a sermon that was given before a congregation of, I'm confident, 3,000 or more people besides a radio audience at that time. Now, I want to come back and talk a little about this man, Hosea, because we are going to talk about him again in the message today. But I want to think of him in connection with the prophet Jeremiah. As we indicated last time, Jeremiah stood actually at the very end of the time of the nation Judah. He predicted their captivity and they went in the captivity. Hosea is the prophet to the northern kingdom, and actually, he prophesied long before Jeremiah. And he said practically the same thing to them. You find that the experience of these men are very similar in many ways. Both of these men spoke with a broken heart. Jeremiah was told never to marry. He was commanded not to. He loved his nation and he loved his people. And he spoke of a broken heart. The message he gave broke his heart. And God wanted that kind of a man because it revealed how God felt toward them. Now, Hosea apparently was a different type of a man. And his is not a public experience. His is a very personal and very private experience. He comes out of a broken home, as we shall see today, and with tear-stained eyes went before the nation to tell the nation that what had happened to him in his home was exactly what was happening out there in the nation. And he had a broken heart, and he knew exactly how God felt toward these people. And you're going to find out in this prophecy here, the great theme that he uses is return unto the Lord. And you find that, for instance, in Hosea, the sixth chapter, verse one. Come and let us return unto the Lord, for he hath torn and he will heal us. He hath smitten. He'll bind us up. And the word return occurs 15 times in this prophecy. Ephraim occurs 36 times. And that is the name. And I would say it's sort of a personal name. tender name in a way that God had for the northern kingdom, though they had gone into idolatry. Now, he mentions backsliding. It occurs three times in this prophecy. And we're going to find out what backsliding really is. And there's another word that's greatly misunderstood in the church today. And so, Jeremiah we saw before, he mentioned it. Hosea and Jeremiah are the two prophets who talk about backsliding and the cure for it. And therefore, what Jeremiah was to Judah at the time of the captivity of the southern kingdom, Hosea was to Israel over a century before at the time of the captivity of the northern kingdom. Both spoke out of a heartbreaking personal experience. And now we are ready to hear the last part of the message that we gave last time. In the hill country of Ephraim, in one of the many little towns there, a little town that's not on the maps of this world, there lived two young people. One was a boy by the name of Hosea, The other was a girl by the name of Goma. They fell in love. Same old story. It's been repeated thousands and thousands and millions of times. I don't think it's stretching the imagination to say that they fell madly in love with each other. And then for some unaccountable reason, Goma went bad. She resorted even to the oldest profession that's known to mankind. Goma had done the things she should not have done, and Hosea was brokenhearted. Shame filled his soul, and he had recourse to the Mosaic law, and he could have taken her before the elders of the city and had her stoned to death. Does that remind you of another story that took place 700 years later in that same hill country when a man by the name of Joseph was engaged to a girl by the name of Mary? The only thing is Joseph was wrong and the angel had to appear to him. This man Hosea was right for Gomer was guilty. And it's at this particular juncture that the book of Hosea opens. Will you listen now to the second verse of the first chapter, the beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms, for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord. Now, there have been those today that have made the statement that what you have here is nothing in the world but an allegory, that this really never happened. May I say that such trifling as that with the word of God waters it down till it becomes a harmless sort of thing and meaningless, and it's sickening. May I say to you that this is something that actually happened. Let's face it. God commanded this man, Hosea, to break the Mosaic law and go marry this woman. He said, you go get her and marry her. The law said stone her, God said marry her. The thing God commanded this man, Hosea, to do must have caused him to revolt in every fiber of his being. But this man Hosea did not demur. He obeyed God wholly and completely and explicitly, and he went and took Gomer in holy wedlock. He gave her his name, and she came into his home and listened to the apostle Paul as he speaks of this. What? Know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body? For two saith he shall be one flesh. And my friend, in that little town, The tempo of gossip was really picked up. Oh, I tell you, that home of Hosea became a desert island in a sea of criticism. It was an isolation ward of local society. A case of leprosy in the home would not have broken off contact any more effectively than this thing that had happened. Imagine this man marrying this woman. Children were born into the home. Three of them were born. Let me tell you this meaning here. Jezreel was the name of the first one. It means God will scatter and God will avenge. The reference, as God told Hosea, was directly to the house of Jehu. who had carried out God's instructions in destroying the house of Ahab, but he'd done it in hatred, and he'd done it with great personal vengeance. And God says, I'll judge. But then he says, I will scatter Israel, but there's going to be mercy even in my judgment. That's the first child. The second child was named, she was a girl, Lo-Ruhamah. And it means, She never knew a father's pity. Now, that doesn't mean she was an orphan. It means she didn't know who her father was. This woman has started to go bad again. God is saying to these people in Hosea's day, the northern kingdom that now has gone into idolatry, you will not know my pity for I'm not your father. And that brings us to the last child. What a story is here. Lo, Ami was the name of the last boy. It means not my people. If you want to put it in the singular, it's not my child. Hosea said, I didn't know about the second one, but I do know about the third one. I'm not the father. Not my child. What a message. What a message to that day and what a message to this day. The liberal today says everybody's the son of God. God says you're wrong. I have no illegitimate children. I know who my children are. You think my children are the offspring? Of this kind of a union? Absolutely not. You are only my child through faith in Jesus Christ. And it was the Lord Jesus that said to these in his day, who said, we are sons of Abraham. He said, you are of your father, the devil. You could make no claim of being God's child. My friend this morning, are you low on me? Are you God's child today? Are you just an illegitimate child? You're just saying something that's not true. You become a child of God. To as many as received him, that is the Lord Jesus, to them gave he the right, the authority to become the sons of God, even to those that don't do any more nor less than believe on his name. This is a sad story, is it not? And to cap it all, Gomer left home. She ran away. Now I'm confident that you're willing to say, well, certainly God's going to say to this man now, you've done all you can, Hosea. You tried to reform the woman, and it didn't do any good. She's returned back to her old life of becoming a common prostitute. Take the children and leave her. God says, go get her. Hosea went after her, and she wouldn't come back. God says, send the children. And these three children went after her, and she still wouldn't come back. And as women did in that day, they sold themselves into slavery. And this man, Hosea, went and bought her and brought her back. Oh, my beloved, what a picture of a Savior today. He created us, and we belong to him. And then we're guilty of going off and giving our love and our affection, our time to the sin of the world. And in the midst of that, when we were yet sinners, he came down and bought us with a price in our ugly condition that he might make us his legitimate children. What love. And so it was at this particular juncture when she came back, that the message goes out from Hosea. I wish this morning I could say that when she came back that she became a faithful wife. I can't. I do not know. The book leaves us in doubt. But I do know this. This man stepped out of a home scarred by shame. This man went before a nation with a heart that was breaking. This man had a message that had fire in it. He stood before this nation with a broken heart, and he had a sorrow that was intolerable. Scalding tears were coursing down his cheek, and he denounced the nation Israel, and he says, You have been faithless to God. I know how God feels. I feel the same way. You've broken the heart of God. What a picture. He denounced the nation. He declared a verdict of guilty for the crime of all crimes. He said simply, but he said it specifically, that this sin was as black as it could be and that God would punish him. He said this nation that had known God, this nation that God had redeemed out of Egypt. This nation that he could say, you have seen what I did to the Egyptians. How I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself. And they turned right around and make a golden calf. And they hadn't learned their lesson after that experience. For at this very moment in the northern kingdom, two golden calves had been made and the people had turned from the living and true God. God says, you've been unfaithful. You are playing the harlot. You turn from me. You belong to me. I have redeemed you. And you've sinned. This sin is the worst sin in the world. Oh, I know that there are folk that will say this morning, I think unbelief is the greatest sin ever. May I say to you that in one sense, unbelief is the greatest sin. If there's any sin unpardonable, it's unbelief. But it's not an act. It's a state, and we're all born in it. Rebellion against God, we're in that. But thank God it's pardonable. Christ died that when you and I will exercise faith, faith in Jesus Christ, then he'll save us. And this sin is pardonable. But unbelief is a terrible thing, and to go on in unbelief, there is no remedy, for it is. The remedy is to trust Christ. And when we continue on in unbelief, we've rejected the remedy. Then there are those that will tell you today that the greatest sin in the world is sin against light. Well, this is coming close to it. I'll be perfectly frank with you. I do not think today that there's anything quite so bad as sinning against light. I make this statement periodically. Let me repeat it. I would 10,000 times rather be in the darkest part of Africa this morning than to be sitting in the church and turn my back on Jesus Christ. But no one can argue from the word of God what will happen to the man who sins against light. That's a great sin to have heard the gospel and it's not a personal. We'll be able to go out of here this morning and go into the presence of Jesus Christ and say you never heard that he died for you and that you're to trust him to be saved. You'll never be able to. There are people that are able to go into his presence and say that, but that's not the greatest sin. What is the greatest sin in all the world? The greatest sin in all the world is sin against love. This is sin at its worst. You can't get any worse than this. This is the greatest of all. And that, my friend, is the message of Hosea. Goma was not only guilty of breaking the marriage vow, that's bad enough, but she sinned against the one who loved her. It's sin at its worst. May I say to you today, to sin against God today and a Savior that loves you is worse than the animism and the animalism of the heathen world today. May I say to you, the sin today of paganism is nothing compared to the sin of those that sin against love. It's deeper and it's darker than the immorality of the underworld and the demonism of the overworld. Hosea knew what sin was and he knew what love was. And sin against love aggravates sin. Israel knew the love of God as no nation did. You alone, God said, if I known of the nations of the world, you alone if I reveal this, you've sinned. But thank God, he's going to triumph. May I just lift out in closing three verses out of Hosea that tell God's story. The first is, Hosea 4, 17, Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Ephraim is Israel. That's the charge, spiritual adultery. Then notice, though, all the great pulsating passion of an infinite God. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? God says, I can't give you up. I love you too much. And that's the reason he sent Hosea back to get that woman the second and the third time. He said, Hosea, you'll have to know how I feel. Go at Israel. And then the third and the last is Hosea 14, 8. Ephraim shall say, what have I do anymore with idols? I have heard him and observed him. I'm like a green fir tree. For me is thy fruit found. That's the victory. God's going to get the victory, my beloved. There is a day when Israel will turn from idols back to God. And that's my reason for believing that maybe Goma did turn and become a good wife and a good mother. I do not know. But I do know this, God is going to triumph. And the picture is the picture of the nation Israel. Somebody says, but does it have any application to us today? Yes. Does this shocking description of spiritual adultery, does it fit the church today? Well, the church is called the bride of Christ. Paul said to the Corinthians, I've espoused you that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. The church is to be presented to the Lord Jesus Christ as a bride. Listen, even to the church in Ephesus, the Lord Jesus Christ says, I have something against you. Now he says, I know your works and I know your labor. And I know that you can't bear those with false doctrine. But I have this against you. You have left your first love. My friend, it's not enough this morning to be busy for Christ. It's not enough to be active today for Christ. And it's not enough to be just fundamental. Those things are important and they have their place. But the important thing is, have you left your first love? Do you love him today? Hosea means salvation. It's the same word as Joshua, and Joshua is the same word as Jesus in the New Testament. Our Hosea today is joined to a spiritual harlot. Picture that is given in Revelation 17. It's the most frightful picture in the Bible. It's a picture of a church called the Great Harlot. Mystery Bible. That's the way the organized church is going today. Oh, how many this morning are covering up their frustration, their lack of spiritual experience today, the reality, by just being busy. It's merely nothing in the world but just nervous agitation. Down underneath they cannot say, I love him, I'm true to him. With hot tears today, he accuses the church of being lukewarm. God pity the man married to a lukewarm woman. God pity our Savior today joined to a church that's just lukewarm. Oh, that he said, I wish you were hotter cold. I wish you were in love with me. I wish you did care for me above everything. That's what he said. Let me be very personal this morning. How about you? Has there come between the Savior this morning and your soul a cloud? It'll shut you away from him, I'll tell you that. Spurgeon is crossing the street one day and And he stopped and had prayer, and when he got to the other side, a friend said to him, what in the world did you do praying in the middle of the street? He said, a cloud came between my soul and Christ, and I couldn't let it stay there even until I got to the other side of the street. How about you today? He says this morning, as he said yonder by the Sea of Galilee, lovest thou me. That's all important. May I say that it It's so important today that he is saying here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation, the mercy seat for our sins. And if you were here this morning without Christ, don't take any comfort from this message because you can walk out of here turning your back on a Savior that just simply said, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. When you reject Jesus Christ today, you're not just doing something that's bad. You're not just turning away in unbelief. My friend, you're committing the greatest sin of all. You're turning away from a God who loves you and died for you. There's no sin like that.
SPEAKER 1 :
Jesus made it all.
SPEAKER 01 :
Through the Bible exists to take God's whole word to the whole world. And we invite you to stand with us with your faithful prayer and financial support. Where will God's word go today?
Description - This program is part of the worldwide Bible-teaching ministry of Thru the Bible. The series was originally designed by Dr. J. Vernon McGee and has been translated and adapted into more than 100 languages and dialects. It is intended to be a daily 30-minute radio program that systematically takes the listener through the entire Bible. Now those same programs are available to you online. We are grateful that you have chosen to begin learning more about God's Word by listening to these programs. It is recommended that you now listen to at least one program per day, Monday-Friday. If you will continue do this every week for the next 5 years you will have studied through the entire Bible.
Discover the depth of God's boundless love as Dr. J. Vernon McGee takes us through the story of the prophet Hosea. Known for his unyielding devotion, Hosea’s life with Gomer becomes a living example of God's unwavering commitment to His people despite their shortcomings. From poignant heartbreak to the hopeful expectation of reconciliation, explore themes of redemption and divine mercy in a world that faltered as often as it was blessed.
SPEAKER 02 :
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
SPEAKER 01 :
Have you heard about the husband whose wife ran away twice into a life of prostitution and then sold herself into slavery? But her husband, ever faithful, paid the price to buy her back? Welcome to Through the Bible. You'll hear more about this story as Dr. J. Vernon McGee finishes his introduction to the Old Testament book of Hosea. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace that saves us. Open our hearts to hear your timeless message of mercy no matter how far we've run. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, we're off to Hosea on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McKee.
SPEAKER 03 :
I probably should have said this last time, but I want to say it today. The message that you will listen to today, the conclusion of it, was a sermon, a sermon I gave some time ago. But you must remember it's a sermon and not just a Bible study. There are those that think that my method of preaching and my method of teaching is entirely different. I never felt so myself personally, but if you distinguish that difference, it's simply because of the fact that this was a sermon that was given before a congregation of, I'm confident, 3,000 or more people besides a radio audience at that time. Now, I want to come back and talk a little about this man, Hosea, because we are going to talk about him again in the message today. But I want to think of him in connection with the prophet Jeremiah. As we indicated last time, Jeremiah stood actually at the very end of the time of the nation Judah. He predicted their captivity and they went in the captivity. Hosea is the prophet to the northern kingdom, and actually, he prophesied long before Jeremiah. And he said practically the same thing to them. You find that the experience of these men are very similar in many ways. Both of these men spoke with a broken heart. Jeremiah was told never to marry. He was commanded not to. He loved his nation and he loved his people. And he spoke of a broken heart. The message he gave broke his heart. And God wanted that kind of a man because it revealed how God felt toward them. Now, Hosea apparently was a different type of a man. And his is not a public experience. His is a very personal and very private experience. He comes out of a broken home, as we shall see today, and with tear-stained eyes went before the nation to tell the nation that what had happened to him in his home was exactly what was happening out there in the nation. And he had a broken heart, and he knew exactly how God felt toward these people. And you're going to find out in this prophecy here, the great theme that he uses is return unto the Lord. And you find that, for instance, in Hosea, the sixth chapter, verse one. Come and let us return unto the Lord, for he hath torn and he will heal us. He hath smitten. He'll bind us up. And the word return occurs 15 times in this prophecy. Ephraim occurs 36 times. And that is the name. And I would say it's sort of a personal name. tender name in a way that God had for the northern kingdom, though they had gone into idolatry. Now, he mentions backsliding. It occurs three times in this prophecy. And we're going to find out what backsliding really is. And there's another word that's greatly misunderstood in the church today. And so, Jeremiah we saw before, he mentioned it. Hosea and Jeremiah are the two prophets who talk about backsliding and the cure for it. And therefore, what Jeremiah was to Judah at the time of the captivity of the southern kingdom, Hosea was to Israel over a century before at the time of the captivity of the northern kingdom. Both spoke out of a heartbreaking personal experience. And now we are ready to hear the last part of the message that we gave last time. In the hill country of Ephraim, in one of the many little towns there, a little town that's not on the maps of this world, there lived two young people. One was a boy by the name of Hosea, The other was a girl by the name of Goma. They fell in love. Same old story. It's been repeated thousands and thousands and millions of times. I don't think it's stretching the imagination to say that they fell madly in love with each other. And then for some unaccountable reason, Goma went bad. She resorted even to the oldest profession that's known to mankind. Goma had done the things she should not have done, and Hosea was brokenhearted. Shame filled his soul, and he had recourse to the Mosaic law, and he could have taken her before the elders of the city and had her stoned to death. Does that remind you of another story that took place 700 years later in that same hill country when a man by the name of Joseph was engaged to a girl by the name of Mary? The only thing is Joseph was wrong and the angel had to appear to him. This man Hosea was right for Gomer was guilty. And it's at this particular juncture that the book of Hosea opens. Will you listen now to the second verse of the first chapter, the beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms, for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord. Now, there have been those today that have made the statement that what you have here is nothing in the world but an allegory, that this really never happened. May I say that such trifling as that with the word of God waters it down till it becomes a harmless sort of thing and meaningless, and it's sickening. May I say to you that this is something that actually happened. Let's face it. God commanded this man, Hosea, to break the Mosaic law and go marry this woman. He said, you go get her and marry her. The law said stone her, God said marry her. The thing God commanded this man, Hosea, to do must have caused him to revolt in every fiber of his being. But this man Hosea did not demur. He obeyed God wholly and completely and explicitly, and he went and took Gomer in holy wedlock. He gave her his name, and she came into his home and listened to the apostle Paul as he speaks of this. What? Know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body? For two saith he shall be one flesh. And my friend, in that little town, The tempo of gossip was really picked up. Oh, I tell you, that home of Hosea became a desert island in a sea of criticism. It was an isolation ward of local society. A case of leprosy in the home would not have broken off contact any more effectively than this thing that had happened. Imagine this man marrying this woman. Children were born into the home. Three of them were born. Let me tell you this meaning here. Jezreel was the name of the first one. It means God will scatter and God will avenge. The reference, as God told Hosea, was directly to the house of Jehu. who had carried out God's instructions in destroying the house of Ahab, but he'd done it in hatred, and he'd done it with great personal vengeance. And God says, I'll judge. But then he says, I will scatter Israel, but there's going to be mercy even in my judgment. That's the first child. The second child was named, she was a girl, Lo-Ruhamah. And it means, She never knew a father's pity. Now, that doesn't mean she was an orphan. It means she didn't know who her father was. This woman has started to go bad again. God is saying to these people in Hosea's day, the northern kingdom that now has gone into idolatry, you will not know my pity for I'm not your father. And that brings us to the last child. What a story is here. Lo, Ami was the name of the last boy. It means not my people. If you want to put it in the singular, it's not my child. Hosea said, I didn't know about the second one, but I do know about the third one. I'm not the father. Not my child. What a message. What a message to that day and what a message to this day. The liberal today says everybody's the son of God. God says you're wrong. I have no illegitimate children. I know who my children are. You think my children are the offspring? Of this kind of a union? Absolutely not. You are only my child through faith in Jesus Christ. And it was the Lord Jesus that said to these in his day, who said, we are sons of Abraham. He said, you are of your father, the devil. You could make no claim of being God's child. My friend this morning, are you low on me? Are you God's child today? Are you just an illegitimate child? You're just saying something that's not true. You become a child of God. To as many as received him, that is the Lord Jesus, to them gave he the right, the authority to become the sons of God, even to those that don't do any more nor less than believe on his name. This is a sad story, is it not? And to cap it all, Gomer left home. She ran away. Now I'm confident that you're willing to say, well, certainly God's going to say to this man now, you've done all you can, Hosea. You tried to reform the woman, and it didn't do any good. She's returned back to her old life of becoming a common prostitute. Take the children and leave her. God says, go get her. Hosea went after her, and she wouldn't come back. God says, send the children. And these three children went after her, and she still wouldn't come back. And as women did in that day, they sold themselves into slavery. And this man, Hosea, went and bought her and brought her back. Oh, my beloved, what a picture of a Savior today. He created us, and we belong to him. And then we're guilty of going off and giving our love and our affection, our time to the sin of the world. And in the midst of that, when we were yet sinners, he came down and bought us with a price in our ugly condition that he might make us his legitimate children. What love. And so it was at this particular juncture when she came back, that the message goes out from Hosea. I wish this morning I could say that when she came back that she became a faithful wife. I can't. I do not know. The book leaves us in doubt. But I do know this. This man stepped out of a home scarred by shame. This man went before a nation with a heart that was breaking. This man had a message that had fire in it. He stood before this nation with a broken heart, and he had a sorrow that was intolerable. Scalding tears were coursing down his cheek, and he denounced the nation Israel, and he says, You have been faithless to God. I know how God feels. I feel the same way. You've broken the heart of God. What a picture. He denounced the nation. He declared a verdict of guilty for the crime of all crimes. He said simply, but he said it specifically, that this sin was as black as it could be and that God would punish him. He said this nation that had known God, this nation that God had redeemed out of Egypt. This nation that he could say, you have seen what I did to the Egyptians. How I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself. And they turned right around and make a golden calf. And they hadn't learned their lesson after that experience. For at this very moment in the northern kingdom, two golden calves had been made and the people had turned from the living and true God. God says, you've been unfaithful. You are playing the harlot. You turn from me. You belong to me. I have redeemed you. And you've sinned. This sin is the worst sin in the world. Oh, I know that there are folk that will say this morning, I think unbelief is the greatest sin ever. May I say to you that in one sense, unbelief is the greatest sin. If there's any sin unpardonable, it's unbelief. But it's not an act. It's a state, and we're all born in it. Rebellion against God, we're in that. But thank God it's pardonable. Christ died that when you and I will exercise faith, faith in Jesus Christ, then he'll save us. And this sin is pardonable. But unbelief is a terrible thing, and to go on in unbelief, there is no remedy, for it is. The remedy is to trust Christ. And when we continue on in unbelief, we've rejected the remedy. Then there are those that will tell you today that the greatest sin in the world is sin against light. Well, this is coming close to it. I'll be perfectly frank with you. I do not think today that there's anything quite so bad as sinning against light. I make this statement periodically. Let me repeat it. I would 10,000 times rather be in the darkest part of Africa this morning than to be sitting in the church and turn my back on Jesus Christ. But no one can argue from the word of God what will happen to the man who sins against light. That's a great sin to have heard the gospel and it's not a personal. We'll be able to go out of here this morning and go into the presence of Jesus Christ and say you never heard that he died for you and that you're to trust him to be saved. You'll never be able to. There are people that are able to go into his presence and say that, but that's not the greatest sin. What is the greatest sin in all the world? The greatest sin in all the world is sin against love. This is sin at its worst. You can't get any worse than this. This is the greatest of all. And that, my friend, is the message of Hosea. Goma was not only guilty of breaking the marriage vow, that's bad enough, but she sinned against the one who loved her. It's sin at its worst. May I say to you today, to sin against God today and a Savior that loves you is worse than the animism and the animalism of the heathen world today. May I say to you, the sin today of paganism is nothing compared to the sin of those that sin against love. It's deeper and it's darker than the immorality of the underworld and the demonism of the overworld. Hosea knew what sin was and he knew what love was. And sin against love aggravates sin. Israel knew the love of God as no nation did. You alone, God said, if I known of the nations of the world, you alone if I reveal this, you've sinned. But thank God, he's going to triumph. May I just lift out in closing three verses out of Hosea that tell God's story. The first is, Hosea 4, 17, Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Ephraim is Israel. That's the charge, spiritual adultery. Then notice, though, all the great pulsating passion of an infinite God. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? God says, I can't give you up. I love you too much. And that's the reason he sent Hosea back to get that woman the second and the third time. He said, Hosea, you'll have to know how I feel. Go at Israel. And then the third and the last is Hosea 14, 8. Ephraim shall say, what have I do anymore with idols? I have heard him and observed him. I'm like a green fir tree. For me is thy fruit found. That's the victory. God's going to get the victory, my beloved. There is a day when Israel will turn from idols back to God. And that's my reason for believing that maybe Goma did turn and become a good wife and a good mother. I do not know. But I do know this, God is going to triumph. And the picture is the picture of the nation Israel. Somebody says, but does it have any application to us today? Yes. Does this shocking description of spiritual adultery, does it fit the church today? Well, the church is called the bride of Christ. Paul said to the Corinthians, I've espoused you that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. The church is to be presented to the Lord Jesus Christ as a bride. Listen, even to the church in Ephesus, the Lord Jesus Christ says, I have something against you. Now he says, I know your works and I know your labor. And I know that you can't bear those with false doctrine. But I have this against you. You have left your first love. My friend, it's not enough this morning to be busy for Christ. It's not enough to be active today for Christ. And it's not enough to be just fundamental. Those things are important and they have their place. But the important thing is, have you left your first love? Do you love him today? Hosea means salvation. It's the same word as Joshua, and Joshua is the same word as Jesus in the New Testament. Our Hosea today is joined to a spiritual harlot. Picture that is given in Revelation 17. It's the most frightful picture in the Bible. It's a picture of a church called the Great Harlot. Mystery Bible. That's the way the organized church is going today. Oh, how many this morning are covering up their frustration, their lack of spiritual experience today, the reality, by just being busy. It's merely nothing in the world but just nervous agitation. Down underneath they cannot say, I love him, I'm true to him. With hot tears today, he accuses the church of being lukewarm. God pity the man married to a lukewarm woman. God pity our Savior today joined to a church that's just lukewarm. Oh, that he said, I wish you were hotter cold. I wish you were in love with me. I wish you did care for me above everything. That's what he said. Let me be very personal this morning. How about you? Has there come between the Savior this morning and your soul a cloud? It'll shut you away from him, I'll tell you that. Spurgeon is crossing the street one day and And he stopped and had prayer, and when he got to the other side, a friend said to him, what in the world did you do praying in the middle of the street? He said, a cloud came between my soul and Christ, and I couldn't let it stay there even until I got to the other side of the street. How about you today? He says this morning, as he said yonder by the Sea of Galilee, lovest thou me. That's all important. May I say that it It's so important today that he is saying here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation, the mercy seat for our sins. And if you were here this morning without Christ, don't take any comfort from this message because you can walk out of here turning your back on a Savior that just simply said, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. When you reject Jesus Christ today, you're not just doing something that's bad. You're not just turning away in unbelief. My friend, you're committing the greatest sin of all. You're turning away from a God who loves you and died for you. There's no sin like that.
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Jesus made it all.
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Through the Bible exists to take God's whole word to the whole world. And we invite you to stand with us with your faithful prayer and financial support. Where will God's word go today?
This episode ventures into the challenging truths within the minor prophet Hosea and the gravity of maintaining the sanctity of marriage as portrayed in the Bible. Listen to heartfelt testimonials from listeners who experienced marital restoration through divine intervention, woven with Dr. McGee’s insights on the social impact of a steadfast home.
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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faithful.
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Welcome to Through the Bible. I'm excited to get started as Dr. J. Verna McGee introduces us to the fascinating Old Testament book of Hosea. It's primarily about a broken home. Hosea's tragic story is a model of God's broken heart for the nation of Israel. Hosea speaks to Israel from firsthand experience to warn them that they are breaking God's heart, just as surely as his own family circumstances have broken his own. I'm Steve Schwetz, and I'm glad that you're here as Dr. McGee deals with this uncomfortable subject passionately and compassionately. So while you find your seat and get comfortable, I want to read a couple letters that we've received from fellow Bible bus passengers who have written to share their family circumstances with us. Elise from India writes this. My husband has been addicted to alcohol and he has gotten into trouble many times in the past years. He slept on roads and found himself in pathetic situations repeatedly. I thought of leaving him, but I couldn't. Despite his drinking, I continued to help and serve him, trying to guide him toward a better life. One day, while I was feeling depressed and flipping through TV channels, I came across your program. Watching it brought peace to my heart. The words spoken on the show enlightened me and offered me much needed comfort. I decided to call the prayer number provided during the program and shared everything about my life with the staff who answered and prayed with me. I've been praying for my husband for a year and a half and slowly God has started to help my family. Now my husband joins me every day when I watch the program. While doing so, he began to change. Gradually, he stopped drinking and made a complete turn in his life. He is now clean and comes to church with me every Sunday. This program not only changed my life, but also my husband's. Please continue to pray for us. Wow, isn't God good? Also in India is Padma who shared this. My husband and I separated due to family issues, and during this difficult time, I heard a message that said God listens to our prayers and helps us. Well, these words encouraged me deeply. I wanted to pray but didn't know how, so I called the number on the TV screen. I shared my family problems with the person on the other end and asked for prayer. She prayed for me and my health. After the prayer, I began to feel better. Eventually, my husband came back and we were reunited. All this happened because of God's grace. Now, my husband also listens to the messages with interest due to God's work in our lives. Please pray for us to grow stronger in our faith and for my husband so that he will come to know and understand who God is." Well, let's thank the Lord. Heavenly Father, we pray that many marriages in India and around the world will be restored as we listen to your word and learn from it. We ask for your blessing and pray that our hearts and ears would be open to receive what you have for us in your word. In Jesus' name, amen. Turn to Hosea 1 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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I would like very much to give an introduction to Hosea. Hosea is the beginning of 12 books that are called the minor prophets. And the other prophets are called the major prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and Daniel. Now, the reason given for calling these minor prophets is that they are brief books. And for the most part, they are. But actually, Hosea is longer than the book of Daniel, has more chapters in it than the book of Daniel. So that's not a good, valid distinction. And I would like to say right here and now that the minor prophets, so-called, they are not minor at all. Each one of them batted in the major league, and each one of them batted 300 times. Each one of them was a star himself in the message that he brought. And actually, some of the minor prophets are so-called minor prophets are quoted by the so-called major prophets. You will find, for instance, in Jeremiah 26, 18, there is such a quotation. Now, these men in the minor prophets, the promoters of the social gospel have used them a great deal because of the fact that they were extremely nationalistic. And they dealt with the fact that God's people had broken the law of God, the Ten Commandments. And therefore, it altogether has to do with the works of good works. And for that reason, liberalism has majored in these and as a result has actually missed the main message. We're going to find that when we get into the prophecy of Hosea. Now you will find when you open to this prophet, you will find that he was a prophet to what is called the northern kingdom, that is, the kingdom of Israel, as distinguished from Judah at the division of the two. The first verse reads like this. The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea, the son of Beri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel. Now, he mentions the kings in the north and the south, and he mentions more in the southern kingdom of Judah, but that doesn't make any difference. They're just contemporary with Jeroboam in the north and contemporary with Hosea, and he emphasizes that. That is the time now that he wrote. He is the prophet that compares to Jeremiah in the southern kingdom. Jeremiah is the prophet of the southern kingdom that warned his people they were going into captivity and he lived to see it. Hosea warned the northern kingdom they were going into captivity to Assyria and he lived to see it. And Jeremiah and Hosea have a great many things in common. But I want you to hear this message that we brought on Hosea because it actually is a proper introduction to this book. And so we're going to begin that right now, and then we will conclude it next time. The greatest sin in all the world. The accusation is sometimes made that the present-day pulpit is weak and uncertain. Likewise, it's charged that instead of being a voice in the wilderness today, the modern pulpit has settled down comfortably to become just a sounding board for the whims and wishes of a comfortable and indifferent people who have itching ears. If the charge is true, and it's likely that it is, then it's because the pulpit is reluctant to grapple with the great issues of life. This hesitancy, I think, is born of a desire to escape criticism. It's a dread of becoming offensive to the finer sensibilities. More often, I think it's a cowardly fear of facing the raw realities of life and wrestle with this Leviathan of living issues today. The pulpit today quotes poetry and sprinkles rose water. It lives in a land of make-believe instead of saying to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. The theater today, the movie, and all other agencies of communication, they deal with life stripped of all of its niceties. These instruments for reaching and teaching the masses take the gloves off, and they wade into the problems that we face daily. But not so the pulpit. The pulpit has avoided these issues. As we come this morning to the prophecy of Hosea, we cannot avoid dealing with the problems and issues of life. For there is a story that's back of the headlines in the prophecy of Hosea. It's not a pretty story. But we must understand it if we're to understand the message of Hosea. And that story which is back of the prophecy of Hosea is the tragedy of a broken home. You have in this book the personal experience of Hosea And that is the background of his message. He walks out of a broken home to speak to the nation from a heart that is breaking. He knew exactly how God felt because he felt the same way. Now, the home is the rock foundation of society and always has been of any people. God has given it to mankind regardless of who they are and where they are. He gave it at the very beginning. It's the most important unit in the social structure. It is to society what the atom is to this universe. We are told today that the little lowly atom is the building block of the universe. Well, the home today is the building block of society. And a building is known by the bricks that go in it. The color of the building is determined by the individual bricks. The character of the building is determined by the character of the bricks that go into it. And no nation is any stronger today than the homes that make it up. For the home determines the color and complexion of society. It's the home today that reveals the strength of any nation or any people. The home is the chain of a nation that holds it together. And up and down this land of ours, down the streets and the boulevards, there are the links in this chain. And the chain runs on out into the highways and byways of life. And no chain is any stronger than the links that make it up. Those individual links are important. And so, my beloved, the home is the place that's the very bedrock foundation of any society. And it's the foundation, if you please, of the church. The home is where we live and move and have our being. It's in the home where we are ourselves. Oh, we dress up physically and psychologically when we go out. We put up quite a front sometimes when we go through our front door and move out upon the street. But it's within the walls of the home that we take off our masks and we are really ourselves. Because of the strategic position of the home, God has thrown about it certain safeguards to protect it. God has put around the home certain marks, certain tremendous safeguards, certain protection, certain bulwarks in order that he might protect that which is so important. Well, back of the home, God has moved and had a great deal to say about that which is the bulwark of the home. Marriage. God has given more attention to the institution of marriage than he has to any other institution that's in this world. Society never made marriage. Society found marriage. God made marriage. He gave it to mankind. And marriage rests upon his direct word. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. God performed the first marriage ceremony. He gave the first bride away. He blessed the first couple. Marriage is more than just a legal contract. It's more than an economic arrangement. It's more than a union of just those with mutual love. It's an act of God, if you please. It rests upon his fiat command. There are many young people today that think all that you need to get married is to get a license and a preacher, and then you've got it made. My beloved, if you're going to have a successful marriage, you have to have God. And God will have to make it. Otherwise, that marriage must go on the rocks. God has given a drive to the race to reproduce in the framework of marriage. And that's what makes the home. He said, "...the twain shall be one flesh, and before man walked out of the garden of Eden." God gave him this institution, and besides the skins that Adam and Eve had on, the only thing they had was a marriage certificate from God. That's all. That's the only institution that came out of the garden of Eden. Marriage is a sacred relationship. It's a holy union. Remember, Paul said, he sinneth not, let them marry. The New Testament, I think, sums up the mind of God when it says, marriage is honorable in all. Therefore, my beloved, marriage cannot be broken by just some little legal act. It can't be broken by fit of temper. It can't be broken by self-will. I personally believe there are only two acts which break marriage. I mean real marriage now. The first act is death, of course. That automatically severs the relationship. The second is unfaithfulness. And that's unfaithfulness on the part either of the man or the woman. That rips the relationship in two. And the one that's guilty of adultery was in the Old Testament to be dealt with in one of the harshest manners that's imaginable. I wonder if you've ever noticed that. I want you to notice first Leviticus, the 20th chapter, the 10th verse, and the importance that God placed upon it. And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife Even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer, and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. And then in Deuteronomy, the 22nd chapter, the 20th and 21st verses, Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die, because she hath wrought folly in Israel to play the whore in her father's house. So shalt thou put evil away from among you. Now, there are two words I think that we should say here by way of explanation and amplification. The first is that there are a lot of zealous Christians today that go over to Romans 7, 2. And they take that entirely out of context. Let me read it to you. For the woman which hath a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he liveth. But if the husband be dead, she's loosed from the law of her husband. And they come up and say, well, you see, as long as the husband lives, then there's never grounds for remarriage. You must put yourself back under law. And you must remember that under law, the unfaithful member of a marriage wasn't alive. He was out somewhere pushing up daisies through some rocks in a rock pile. You see, if that was enforced in Southern California today, we couldn't have freeways because there wouldn't be room for them. You couldn't get around the rock piles. In Southern California. You see, the guilty party in the Old Testament was stoned to death. So there was no living one left. But today we don't do that. And so there's a different arrangement today. I'm not sure about what Paul, under unfaithfulness in 1 Corinthians 7, between a believer and unbeliever, makes unfaithfulness one that walks out upon the believer. Then will you notice that there's something else that needs a little amplification here? We judge from the passage I read in Deuteronomy. It says, if the damsel is guilty, and she, and so on, and someone says, why in the world is the woman picked on? Isn't the man guilty? Yes, my beloved, but there are two things that you need to bear in mind. One is... that the word use is always the generic term. It's anthropos in the Greek, which means man is mankind, and it does not have respect to sex, but means either man or woman. We have that same thing in legal terminology today. I've noticed some contracts where it says if the party of the first part, if he does something, if he promises, if he agrees, well, sometimes he is she, but before the law, she is he. And that's the way the law looks at it. So that's the way the term is used here. It means either one. And then you must remember that these are pictures in the Old Testament of Christ and the church, and he's never guilty, but the church is. And so when you carry that figure over, I think that you can understand and see that. Well, may I say to you, that does not mean... that there isn't a difference. I do not think that Scripture teaches a double standard, but I do think it teaches a different standard. And if you don't believe that today we have that, you go to the department store. You can't buy men's clothes in the women's department. They make a distinction. Anywhere you turn today in life, there's that distinction made. And the Scripture makes that distinction. I personally think a woman is finer than a man. I think God made her finer than a man. I take my watch to one repairman. I take my car to another because they're different. A woman's different than a man. She's made finer than a man. I've seen children, and you have, overcome the handicap of a near-do-well father. But I've never yet seen children overcome the handicap of a bad mother. Mother's the center of the home. I heard some time ago of a woman who was asked to take an office in a church. She refused to do it, and she gave us her reason. She says, I'm a missionary to the nursery, and there are three pairs of eyes. that are watching me, and I want to direct them to God. May I say to you that God's put woman in the home, made her all important in that place. I think that I can make this clear by quoting to you the definition of what is a girl by Alan Beck. I think this is one of the loveliest things that's ever been composed. Will you listen to this? Little girls are the nicest things that happen to people. They are born with a little bit of angel shine about them, and though it wears thin sometimes, there's always enough left to lasso your heart, even when they're sitting in the mud or crying temperamental tears or prating up the street in mother's best clothes. A little girl can be sweeter and badder oftener than anyone else in the world. She can jitter around and stomp and make funny noises and frazzle your nerves. Yet just when you open your mouth, she stands there demure with that special look in her eyes. A girl is innocence playing in the mud, beauty standing on its head, and motherhood dragging a doll by the foot. God borrows from many creatures to make a little girl. He uses the song of a bird, the squeal of a pig, the stubbornness of a mule, the antics of a monkey, the spryness of a grasshopper, the curiosity of a cat, the slyness of a fox, the softness of a kitten. And to top it off, he adds the mysterious mind of a woman. A little girl likes new shoes, party dresses, small animals, dolls, make-believe, ice cream, makeup, going visiting, tea parties, and one boy. She doesn't care so much for visitors, boys in general, large dogs, hand-me-downs, straight chairs, vegetables, snowsuits, or staying in a front yard. She's loudest when you're thinking, prettiest when she's provoked you, busiest at bedtime, quietest when you want to show her off, and most flirtatious when she absolutely must not get the best of you again. She can muss up your home, your hair, your dignity, spend your money, your time, and your temper. Then just when your patience is ready to crack, her sunshine peeks through and you're lost again. Yes, she's a nerve-wracking nuisance, just a noisy bundle of mischief. But when your dreams tumble down and the world is a mess, when it seems you're pretty much of a fool after all, she can make you a king when she climbs on your knee and whispers, I love you best of all. My beloved, the prophecy of Hosea is the story of a broken home. It's a story... of that which must be contrasted with God's ideal of marriage and of womanhood. That's its message. May I say to you that this is the way God tells his story. Now we're prepared to look at the story that's here in Hosea.
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I'm Steve Schwetz, and I'll meet you back here as the Bible bus continues to roll along.
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All to him I owe. Sin had left the prince unsaved. He washed it white as snow.
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Our story on the Bible Bus today is just one step in a five-year journey through the entire Word of God. Come along for the ride, and you'll study both the Old Testament and New Testament, discovering God's great redemption story. Is this your story too?
Join us as Dr. J. Vernon McGee wraps up our study in the New Testament book of Hebrews with a focus on the unparalleled superiority of Jesus Christ. Hear moving testimonies from listeners like Elizabeth and John, whose lives are transformed by the Word of God and the World Prayer Team. Their stories of faith and dedication are sure to inspire your own spiritual journey.
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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
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Thanks for joining us on Through the Bible as our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, concludes our amazing study in the New Testament book of Hebrews. I'm Steve Schwetz, your host. And as we finish up in Hebrews and prepare to head to the Old Testament book of Hosea, let's celebrate the end of this part of our journey and then share a few letters from our fellow Bible bus passengers. First, we hear from Elizabeth in Ohio.
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This is Elizabeth. I just had to share this. how I felt about your ministry this day. I've been a member on the Bible bus for more years than I can even count, and I get your newsletter and all that. But having said that, I just want to say that I have learned more and feel more prayer-driven being a member of the World Prayer Team than anything else. I love the whole ministry, but reading this every morning, especially this last two days, those two days, letters just inspired me so much. I just, every time I listen to them or read them, I pray for their protection, that God will supply their needs and materially and bless them. And their testimonies are just so wonderful. They have caused me to want to do more And I never miss a morning of studying on the Bible World Prayer Team. Just wanted to share all that with you. I don't mean to ramble, but I'm just so appreciative of these people that are going through persecution and they're so strong. And they rely so much on through the Bible and Dr. McGee and all your literature that helps them out. So just wanted to say thank you again. for presenting this ministry, and I will continue to be on it as long as I am able, and I will be praying each and every morning. Thank you, and God bless you all.
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Well, it's so great to hear from you, Elizabeth. And as you know, the World Prayer Team has a special place in my heart as well. So thank you for joining us, and keep praying, and together we're going to continue to see God work. Now, if you'd like to receive the daily emails that Elizabeth is talking about and then pray with us for God's whole word to reach the whole world, then you need to click on the World Prayer Team in our app or just visit ttb.org forward slash pray to sign up. Now, here's a great voicemail from a fellow listener named John. I hope you love his energy and enthusiasm as much as I do.
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I'm calling from Exton, Pennsylvania, and listen to WVCW or online as I get it. But I read the Bible. I've got my Bibles in 20 volumes. It's in Braille. But it's amazing how I thought I knew everything about the Bible, but listening to Dr. J. Vernon McGee, I'm learning more and more. I feel as though I've only got my little toe wet in the water, and there's a lot more I can wade in to get. And it's just so wonderful. I also have one of these handheld Bible things that I'm going through Leviticus. And holy mackerel, I'm learning a tremendous lot along with Thessalonians. I'm doing two studies with Dr. J. Vernon McGee. But it's just so wonderful. I've always liked Dr. McGee for years and years, and I'm lazy and never told you folks. But, you know, he had Braille outlines for through the Bible. No one's ever done that. That's why I give money to through the Bible every week because there could be some blind people out there. Maybe they're listening to another radio and they're not really saved. And, you know, we've got to get them saved. And that, to me, is very important. You guys have a good day, and I thank you.
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Well, thanks for your support, John. It's great to have you aboard with us each day. And I'll keep saving you a seat. Don't worry. And you know, John's right. We do offer Dr. McGee's notes and outlines in Braille to those who need them. So just be in touch and we'll get them out to you. Now, if these great messages inspired you to share your story, we'd love to hear from you. Call 1-800-65-BIBLE and tell us how time together in God's Word is encouraging you. Are you like John and you just can't get enough? So you're studying two books at a time? Or maybe you're like Elizabeth, whom God is calling to pray more frequently and specifically for our brothers and sisters around the world. We want to hear from you. Again, our number, 1-800-65-BIBLE. Now, in the options, you're going to hear one for leaving your Bible bus story, and that's what you want. So from there, it's just as simple as listening to the prompt and then recording your voicemail. Or you can always send us a note in your app if you've got that on your phone, or you can email us at BibleBus at ttb.org or write to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109, or in Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C, 6B1. Let's pray and get to our study. Father, thank you for this journey through Hebrews and all that you do in our lives as we study your word. Use this time to mold us into the people that you've called us to be. In the precious name of Jesus, amen. Turn to Hebrews 13 as we make our way through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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Now, I reluctantly am going to leave the epistle to the Hebrews, though I do not feel that I have dealt with it adequately or completely, or maybe as it should have been dealt with. But I've attempted to do the thing that this epistle does, and that is exalt the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. This epistle says he's superior to everything. And the writer here is writing to the Hebrews. Everything that was in a God-given religion, Jesus Christ is superior to all of that. And now he sums it all up. And that was back in verse 8 of this last chapter of 13. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we attempted last time to say something about that, that he is the same in his attributes, same in his attitude, same in his love, and same today in his person, and he'll never change. But he's not a babe in Bethlehem, and he's not going around through that land doing good. But he's right now at God's right hand, and he is Jesus Christ. He is human, but he's God. You see, he was very human when he was here. He got tired, sat down at a well, because he's tired. That's very human. But he said to the woman that came down to the well, I can give to you the water of life, and you'll never thirst again. No human being can say that. Only God can do that, friends. He was out on the little Sea of Galilee and a storm came up and he was asleep in the boat. Why? Again, he was weary. He was tired. He's human. But they waked him up. He looked out over that sea and he rebuked it. And the waves just flattened out. Why? Because he's God. He stood at the tomb of Lazarus, his friend, a man that he loved, and he wept. And that's human to shed tears. But he said, Lazarus, come forth. And friends, that's not human. Only God can do that. But he's wonderful in his humanity, as we said. We attempted to emphasize that. And I do that as we come here to this last part, that he today knows you, understands you. And he's our great high priest. And he's able to save us to the uttermost. Let me read a little something here. I have used this before. And I'm just going to give an excerpt from the little book of Dr. Schofield on the loveliness of Christ. And will you listen to this? First of all, as it seems to me, this loveliness of Christ consists in his perfect humanity. Am I understood? I do not now mean that he was a perfect human, but that he was perfectly human. In everything but our sins and our evil natures, he's one with us. He grew in stature and in grace. He labored and wept and prayed and loved. He was tempted in all points as we are sin apart. With Thomas, we confess him Lord and God. We adore and revere him. But beloved, there's no other who establishes with us such intimacy, who comes so close to to these human hearts of ours. No one in the universe of whom we are so little afraid. He enters as simply and naturally into our 20th century lives as if he had been reared in the same street. How wonderful he is. He's the same yesterday. But he's the same today, and he's going to be that way on down through eternity. You see, it wasn't the person of Christ that turned man away. It was his teaching that the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. They didn't like that kind of teaching, that he was going to die on the cross. And you remember, even though Simon Peter says, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. He also rebuked him even at that time and said when he mentioned going and dying, he said, far be that from thee, Lord. May I say to you, this one here, he was one that when men came in contact with him, they found grace and truth. They found sweetness and strength. They found meekness and majesty. They found light and love. He appealed to man. But when he died on the cross, that cross became an offense. And it still is. But Jesus is still attractive. And I think even the radicals today, and I know when they're having the riots up at Berkeley several years ago, one placard had on it this, Jesus, yes. Church, no. May I say to you, that was certainly a condemnation of all of us Christians. We certainly are not representing him as he is. He's attractive, friends, and you ought to know him. Paul, who came to know him, even at the end of his life, found out that he wanted to know him better. He says that I might know him and the power of his resurrection. Now that I've retired, I'd like to say to you my one ambition. is to know him and to get out his word. I can't think of anything better than that to do today. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now, let me then drop down where we left off last time. He says here, And maybe I ought to hit a few of these high points as I go along here, because there are several things that are very important as we move along in this particular section here. Let me read verse 10 again. We have an altar. whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. Now, that altar is not, as we indicated before, the Lord's Supper, as some people, I think, have mistakenly applied. It is that altar that's in heaven today. We have a throne of grace that we can come to today. We don't have any altar down here at all. There's none for us down here, friends. And then we're told here in verse 11, for the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin burned without the camp. Now, again, let me say that was the sin offering and the sin offering is depicted here. And that is what Christ died for. The fact you and I are sinners. Not only do we commit sin, we are sinners by nature. And he took. He took our sin that he might give us a new nature. Now we are told here, wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate. Now he died outside the city. Why? Because he's a sin offering outside of the walls of the city. We are told here, let us go forth unto him without the camp bearing his reproach. Now, we are to go unto him. We are on the way now. We've been told to a heavenly Jerusalem. This is real separation. You know, separation today, the emphasis has been on from. We're separated from something. I don't do this. I don't do that. Separation is not from, it's unto. Paul said he was separated unto the gospel, separated unto Christ, separated unto the word of God. In fact, the word Hebrew, and he's writing to the Hebrews here, Hebrew is a word that means the one who crossed over. And Abraham was called a Hebrew. He came from the other side of the Euphrates River. And that means the old life is gone. And the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea. And that meant they're delivered from slavery. They are now redeemed and there's a new life possible. Then they had to cross the Jordan and then they lived in the promised land. They lived in Canaan and the kind of a life that we should live down here. Now we're told we're to go to Jesus. And the Hebrews are told here that we are to go without the camp bearing his reproach. These people hated to leave the temple and religion. And there are a lot of Christians today. that are so wrapped up in churchianity. And think, because they're members of a church, they're saved. And a great many folk today need to get away from ritual, need to get away from religion, and come to Christ, friends. Come to him. And that's real separation. And by the way, it's real salvation. Now he talks here about where to go forth unto him. And he's talking now, as we move into verse 15, to the spiritual life of believers. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God. We are priests today, and we can offer to God our own selves, as we've seen. That's in the 12th of Romans. And we can offer to God our gifts, and that's in 2 Corinthians, the 8th chapter. And we can offer to God our praise, that's here, and then our performance of doing good, and that's verse 16, but to do good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices, God is well pleased. And when you took that basket of fruit over to that Dear lonely sick person, that old lady, that wonderful child of God, but everybody's forgotten her. You took that basket of fruit over. You are a priest offering a sacrifice to God, and it was well-pleasing to him. He took delight in you doing that. And I can't help but say this. When I was down flat on my back, great many people said, did you read all those letters? I read every one of them. You know why? Because every one of those was a sacrifice. There are many people that are lots worse off physically than I was. And they wrote me lovely letters. And may I say to you, many of them helped me in a tangible way. And I want to say, friends, I think that type of thing is a sacrifice well pleasing to God. That's what he's talking about here. Christianity, if it can't walk in shoe leather, it's no good at all. What we're trying to say here and to see here is this. The Lord Jesus Christ is up yonder right now at God's right hand. That's where the head of the church is, but his feet are down here, right where the rubber meets the road. And he wants Christianity today in shoe leather. He wants to get in shoe leather down here, and he'd like to walk in your shoes. Now, will you notice what he says? "'Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that's unprofitable for you.'" Here we have this statement again. We had it in verse 7. The thought back of this is that if you have a pastor that is teaching the word of God and not bawling you out, not criticizing you, but giving you what the word of God says, then you're to obey not him, but you're to obey the word of God as he gives it to you. Be best you didn't hear the word of God if you're not going to obey it. Now, he says something else, and I love this. He says here, pray for us, verse 18. Pray for us. Evidently, the readers of this epistle knew the writer, and I think it was Paul. Pray for us. For we trust we have a good conscience in all things, willing to live honestly. And it's wonderful to pillow your head at night, And to have a good conscience, not a conscience that's enlightened by the word of God. Now, a great many people that are not walking in the light. But if we walk in the light as he's in the light, we'll have fellowship with him. But if you and I say that we have fellowship and we walk in darkness, we're lying. John said that. I didn't say it. He said it. Now, will you notice verse 19? He says, but I beseech you the rather to do this that I may be restored to you the sooner. Now, that again makes me believe Paul wrote this. This epistle bears so many marks of the apostle Paul. Apparently, he's in prison and he's saying to these Hebrew Christians, I want to come back and be among you again. After all, he was a Hebrew and he wanted to be among these people. And very frankly, as we've just seen, the word Hebrew, by the way, means the fellow who crossed over. And I wish all of us were Hebrews like that today. That is, cross over to Jesus. Come to him for new life, for new living, and new hope. How wonderful that would be. Now we come to the benediction. I've used this benediction, I'm confident, thousands of times. Verse 20, Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make your hearts and mind perfect in every good work to do his will. working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Now, there are several things here that we should say something about. The Lord Jesus is called here the Great Shepherd. He's called, you remember back in Psalm 22, he's the Good Shepherd there. And he calls himself the good shepherd in John 10, verse 11, that he's the good shepherd of the sheep. And it's the good shepherd who dies for the sheep. He's the good shepherd, but he's the great shepherd of the sheep also. And he's the one who perfects the sheep. That is, he builds them up. And that is Psalm 23. He's the one who leads them with still waters and Get you to the grass where it's good and green and very tender. The word of God, you see. And then over in 1 Peter 5, 4, when the chief shepherd shall appear. And he's coming someday as the chief shepherd. He died in the past as the good shepherd. He is the great shepherd. Today, he's coming someday as the chief shepherd, and he's going to come for his sheep. And if he started out as 100 sheep, you know how many sheep he's going to have with him in heaven? Not 99. No, 100. All of them are going to be there with him. Now, we're told here that he is the great shepherd of the sheep. And that through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Now, may I say this is very important to note here. His blood is the basis of every covenant God has ever made. And he makes you perfect. Now, here is the purpose, I guess, of Hebrews. We're told, let us go on unto perfection. Now, what does it mean? It means to maturation, that you be a full-grown child of God. It's marvelous to see a little baby win a blue ribbon. But if you come back in 20 years and that little baby is still lying in the cradle saying, da, da, da, something's wrong. But there are a lot of saints like that today, you see. God wants you to come to maturation, to grow up. Epistle to the Hebrews will help you do that. It's the reason we stayed in this epistle so long, you see. And it's through that blood of the everlasting covenant. He make you perfect in every good work to do his will. And what is the important thing for a child of God today? What is it? Well, it's to do his will, that he might work his will in your life, working in you that which is well-pleasing in whose side? His side. Through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. But now that's the benediction. But notice how personal this is. This is Paul here. And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation, for I've written a letter unto you in few words. And I have to smile when Paul says he wrote this in few words. This, to my judgment, is a long letter. But Paul calls it few words. And notice what he says here. Know ye that our brother Timothy, and that sounds like Paul, is set at liberty. And apparently Timothy had been put in prison with whom if he comes shortly, I will see you. Now, the Bible I'm using today says at the bottom here, and it's not part of the text, written to the Hebrews from Italy by Timothy. May I say that is just some man's interpretation, like my little book is just an interpretation that Paul wrote. This man could be wrong. I could be wrong. Actually, both of us could be wrong. The important thing is, this is the epistle where the Holy Spirit wrote it, for he takes the things of Christ and he shows them unto us. That's important. And again, let me repeat it. I want you to have the little book about the authorship of this epistle. And as we said before, I wrote that when I was a senior in seminary. It's dogmatic and it's written by a typical seminary student who thinks he knows everything. I don't know what's happened, but I seem to have forgotten all the wisdom I learned in the past. Now he says, salute all them that have the rule over you and all the saints. They of Italy salute you. So Paul's in prison in Italy. Now he closes with this wonderful benediction. And I'm going to close with it. And I can't improve on it. And I can't interpret it because it interprets itself. Grace be with you all. Amen. May God richly bless you, my beloved. Or to get all of Dr. McGee's five-year studies at your fingertips, visit ttb.org and check out our Bible Bus Flash Drive.
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Now, we heard Dr. McGee say that he believes that Paul is the author of Hebrews, and he's not alone in that belief. So if you'd like to know more about his thoughts on this topic, just visit ttb.org forward slash Hebrews to read his article, The Authorship of Hebrews, or call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE if we can help you find it. You know, there are some great roads ahead as we continue to make our way through the Bible. So join us next time as the Bible bus returns to the Old Testament for our first lesson in Hosea. I'm Steve Schwetz, and I'm going to be here saving a seat just for you.
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All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.
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Through the Bible is a five-year study of God's entire Word, and together we discover God's purposes in history and our lives, found only when we believe in Jesus Christ. Do you know Him yet?
Discover the timeless nature of Jesus Christ as Dr. J. Vernon McGee guides us through Hebrews, illustrating how His unchanging character spans yesterday, today, and forever. As we reflect on personal stories and scriptural truths, this episode stands as a reminder of the real-life applications of faith, love, and the importance of spiritual leadership. Conclude with us in understanding the power of praise, doing good, and sharing in faith as we learn more about life-transforming truths.
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How firm a foundation, ye saints, of the Lord is laid for your faithful.
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Hebrews 13.8 says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Such a great verse, isn't it? But as we'll find out, it's not only one of the most popular verses in Scripture, but it's also one of the most misapplied. Welcome to Through the Bible. I'm Steve Schwetz, inviting you aboard the Bible bus for another great adventure in God's Word. So grab your seat, get comfortable, because today our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, is going to examine the meaning and proper application of Hebrews 13.8. and will put to rest some of the misconceptions that we so commonly hear. It's a great message, and it's a full one, so I don't got a lot of time, but we recently received this letter from a listener that I'd like to quickly share. "'Greetings from Boston. I first heard about your program from a website that presented the salvation message, but at the time I was part of a cult and did not have ears to hear it. A while later, when I was broken in spirit, I welcomed Christ into my heart.' I'm so grateful that I have found grace in the Lord's eyes, and I listen to you every day on my iPhone. I also enrolled in your world prayer team and feel especially edified while hearing from listeners who once hated Christ but now love him. It helps remind me that anybody can become a new creature in due time. May your ministry abound until our Lord returns. Well, if any of you would like to join this listener and me and thousands of other Through the Bible listeners in praying for God's work around the world, stay with us because I'm going to share more about the World Prayer Team after Dr. McGee's message. Now for a sneak peek, you can also check out ttb.org forward slash pray. Now let's prepare our hearts to receive God's word. Heavenly Father, may your word speak to our hearts. Help us to change our attitudes and actions in response to what we hear. In Jesus' name, amen. Here's Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Hebrews 13 on Through the Bible.
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Now, last time I got rather hurriedly into the 13th chapter, and this 13th chapter is the great love chapter. We think of 1 Corinthians 13, but here's another love chapter. Chapter 11, faith chapter. Chapter 12, here the hope chapter. Chapter 13, the love chapter. This brings us to the secret life of the believers here in this first section. Then we have the social life of the believers, and then the spiritual life of the believers given to us here. He has made it now abundantly clear. That you and I, and he's writing primarily to the Hebrews, but it has application to us. Both Jew and Gentile today have been brought into one body, the body of believers. And the cement, the Elmer's glue that holds us together is brother love. Not brotherly love, but brother love. We are brothers. And we're not to love like brothers, but because we are brothers. We emphasized that last time. Then he said we are to extend this love to strangers, and that can be shown in our hospitality toward them, our attitude toward them. Then he mentions the fact that some have entertained angels unawares. Abraham did, we know, and Joshua did, and there were others. Then here in the third verse, and I think probably I should turn to this third verse again and read it. He asks that they remember them that are in bonds, is bound with them, and them which suffer adversity, being yourself also in the body. That is something that's neglected today. We talk a great deal about Christian fellowship around a banquet table or that we meet in a group. But what about that poor saint today that's off yonder lying in a bed somewhere and no one's been visiting them and Many of you could have a wonderful ministry along that line. And that's what he's talking about. This is brother love, not something that you talk about in the church or in some little group you get in. I'm getting a little weary of that today. All of this business of, well, they've coined a phrase, which is actually not a new phrase. They call it body truth. Well, gracious, my friend, that's been in the Scripture all these years. But you exercise that body truth going out there to that individual out there. We hear very little about that today. Then he talks about marriage. That is the very anchor of the social structure. And this, of course, is very personal. Marriage is honorable in all. He's condemning asceticism here. If you can find a girl that'll have you, young fella, get married. And young lady, if you can find a fella that'll have you, get married. That is, if he's the right one, of course. I believe, frankly, that God will lead you to the right one if you're willing to be led that way. And he says in the bed, undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. And that's very severe after quite a few years in the ministry. I've seen even Christians that have tried to get by with this. I don't know any of them that have been able to get by with it. Maybe they haven't been detected, but they sure didn't get by with it. God will judge them. And so it actually condemns that which is laxity and lust. Now, he says, let your conversation, your manner of life be without covetousness. Don't be known as a money grabber, as one who puts the almighty dollar above almighty God. And be content with such things as you have, for he hath said, I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee. He may not make you a millionaire. but he'll never leave you nor forsake you. And we can say today, the Lord's my helper, and I'll not fear what man shall do unto me. And then remember them which have the rule over you, who've spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. I know that there's some ministers that use this, that say that the members of the church should obey them. I rather think that the fault here is that of leading. They are spiritual leaders, and spiritual leaders are to lead folk to Christ. And if a man is presenting Christ... and attempting to bring people into the presence of Christ, then that's the man I would say you should be loyal to. But to say you're just to be loyal to a man because he happens to be the pastor of a church, that just doesn't happen to be true. And that's not what Paul is talking about here at all. Now, I come back to the verse where I left off last time. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday to today, and forever. And I want to say to you, I feel inadequate to deal with this very marvelous verse. The first thing I want to say is this. that this verse has probably been as misapplied as much as any verse that's in the Word of God. There are those that use it today. They say, well, Jesus was here 1,900 years ago, and he performed miracles. We ought to perform them today. He healed 1,900 years ago, and so we ought to be healing today, and that he's still in that same business. Now, let's understand how he is the same. He's the same in his character and in his person and in his attributes. But he's not the same in the place that he was and performance. Now, I just came back from Israel recently. I didn't see him over there. And by the way, I saw very little evidence of him in that land. But 1900 years ago, he walked through that land over there and he did heal. 1900 years ago, he was in Bethlehem. A little baby, but he's no longer a baby and he's not in Bethlehem. 1900 years ago, he was a little boy playing around the streets of Nazareth. I walked down the streets of Nazareth. I didn't see him. I saw a lot of little boys, but he's not there. I was in Jerusalem and I saw Golgotha. And there's not even a cross there today. And he's not on a cross. The whole thought of this epistle is that he is at the right hand of God, seeing that we have a high priest. yonder at the right hand of God and looking under Jesus. He's the author and finisher of our faith. He did that 1900 years ago and he sat down at the right hand of God. Now right now he's up yonder and someday he's going to come as the king, but he hasn't come yet as the king to the earth to establish his kingdom here. And he hasn't called his church out of the world yet, but he's going to do that. But he is the same in his attributes. Now, in that light, let's look at him. We mentioned last time that these two names are given here, Jesus, Christ, the same. Well, Jesus is that human name that was given to him. Christ is a title, speaks of his messianic mission to this earth, that he is God manifest in the flesh. And it's marvelous how these two are brought together here, Jesus Christ. How wonderful these two are meshed together here. He is Jesus Christ and he's the same. Now, when he was here 1900 years ago, it was God who came down to our level. When I'm in that land, I marvel at that. He came to a place where actually there was not great wealth and pomp and ceremonies. He didn't come to Rome, the center of power and government. He didn't come to Athens, the great cultural center. He did go to Jerusalem, the great religious center of that day. But he came down to our level. He was a human being. And I want to say this concerning his humanity, because many of us today are so afraid of that we will not be understood, that we don't emphasize the humanity of Christ, we emphasize the deity of Christ. Well, that needs emphasizing today because the liberal talks nothing but the humanity of Christ, and I think he misses that. And this is what I mean. I think that Jesus was the most attractive person that ever walked this earth. And I'm now talking about, not because he's God, because he's a man. I think he was a real man. Have you ever noticed that the crowds were attracted to him? The crowds followed him. He was strong but gentle. Little children came to him, but he could drive the money changers out of the temple, and they ran for cover because he was man enough to do it. He was a real man, and he was attractive. He had what we call today charisma. People followed him because they loved him. They were in the presence of a man that was a man in Capernaum. You remember he healed a leper and then had to leave because the crowds came around him and they crowded him so he couldn't even continue his ministry. Publican sinners came to him and that was the thing the religious crowd went after him about. You know, if he came to your town today, I hate to say this, But I don't think he'd come to your church, and I don't think he'd come to my church either. I don't think that's where he'd go. I have a notion you'd find him down where the crowd is. He'd be mixing with the crowd. These little children came to it. I marveled at that. And you remember when he went through Jericho at the end of his ministry, we find there that the crowds lined the way and little Zacchaeus had to climb up a tree. And our Lord stopped, you remember, and brought that fellow down out of the tree. How wonderful the Lord Jesus was in his person. But now I want to say something very carefully, and it's this. It was the person of Christ that appealed. It was not his teachings and his great declaration that he was going to die and he'd come to redeem man. That was not popular. And you'll find that at the very beginning of his ministry, that it was his teachings that offended. He talked about he was the bread of life and that he'd come down to give his life that men might have spiritual food. Then he said to them over in John 6, chapter 65, he said, therefore, I said unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given him of the Father. And from that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. Now that crowd narrowed down, and only twelve stayed with him. Why? Because of his teaching. It is said that Savonarolo in the city of Florence went before the great populace, and he said to them, Be free! And they applauded him. And then he said to them, be pure. And then they ran him out of town. They didn't want his teaching unless it appeals to them. And the Lord Jesus said to man, you have to turn from sin. You can't live in sin. That I've come to make you free. But I'll have to give my life for you. And you'll have to come as a sinner to me. And sinners came. And when men were desperate, they would come to him. And I believe that's the only way they'll come to him today. Oh, I tell you, friends, he was a very wonderful person. Someone has put it like this. Our blessed Lord combined in one two natures, both complete, in perfect manhood all sublime, in Godhood all replete. As man he entered Canaan's feast, an humble guest to dine. As God he moved the water there and changed it into wine. As man he suffered weariness and rested on a well. As God he pierced a sinner's heart and saved her soul from hell. As man, he climbed the mountains high, a supplement to be. As God, he left the place of prayer and walked upon the sea. As man, he wept in heartfelt grief beside a loved one's grave. As God, he burst the bands of death, almighty still to save. As man, he lay within a boat, overpowered by needful sleep. As God, he rose, rebuked the wind, and still the angry deep. as man he yielded to his foes, submitting to be bound, as God his presence overawed, and threw them to the ground. Such was our Lord in life and earth, in dual nature one, the woman's seed in very truth, and God's eternal Son. O Child, O Son, O Word made flesh, may thy high praise increase, Thou wonderful, thou mighty God, eternal Prince of Peace. May I say to you, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday. Now, this is what he was yesterday. But you know, he's up under God's right hand today. He still wants little children to come to him. He still has his arms out for them and sinners can still come to him. And he can still say, even to the one that's gone to the very depths, go and sin no more. I can free you. And if the son make you free, you'll be free indeed. You can come to him. A great many people feel gingerly going sometimes into church or into meetings. They feel like they're with a bunch of goody goodies and we have to be very careful. You know, if Jesus was there in that meeting, I think you'd hear his laughter. And I think you'd fall in love with him as a person, as a man. There's been something said about him, and very frankly, I spoke against it when I first heard it. But it's gotten me to thinking it was said by one of these radicals in the East. He called Jesus a revolutionary. I don't like that. That's not true. But he said Jesus was a gutsy person. And my, oh, he's been criticized for that. And I join that criticism. I've been thinking it over. Let me say this to you today. I don't agree with it. Did you know that if we really presented Jesus as he really was, he'd appeal to the radical today? Jesus was a man. And he's the same today. But he's God. He could weep at a tomb because he's human, but he could say to Lazarus, come forth. And may that same one today meet you in your need. He can sympathize with you. He can weep with you. He can laugh with you. But he can save your soul. I wish that I could present him. Like he really was 1900 years ago when he came to this earth. How wonderful he was. And your sorrow is his sorrow. And your joy is his joy today. And he's going to be the same in the future. Same yesterday, today, and forever. He's never going to change. Someday we're going to be in his presence. And how wonderful that's going to be. Now let me move along. My, I got bogged down here, but this is so wonderful. Verse 9, it says, "...be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines, for it's a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." Isn't it amazing that most of the cults go in for diets? And I believe in a diet. I think food is pretty important as far as the body is concerned. It has nothing to do with your relationship with God. Paul says, whether you eat meat or whether you don't eat meat, meat won't command you to God. And that's what he's trying to say here. Don't go off in these strange cults. And this strange teaching that we have today, that diet and ceremonies and ritual and going to some little group and studying some little something today, and we got a lot of those abroad, that that was going to make you a super-duper saint. My friend, nothing in the world is going to build you up with the Word of God. And the word of God won't build you up unless it brings you to Christ. And only the Holy Spirit can take the things of Christ and make them real unto you. Now he says here, we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat, which serve the tabernacle. May I say to you, fellowship actually is not at a church banquet. If I may put it like that, we always hear that today, and I heard it for years as a pastor. Come to the banquet. We're going to have some marvelous Christian fellowship. No, you're not. You're just going there for a good time, and you're just going to feel your little tummy. That's what you're going to do, my friend. May I say the only place that you can have fellowship, that is the word koinonia, is when you are around the Word of God, and the Word of God brings you to the person of Christ, and you see him in all of his glory. Then's when you're going to have a good time. Our Lord was wonderful, friends. It's terrible to pass him by. Now, will you notice here in verse 10, we have an altar. Whereof? And here's a comparison made between what Israel had under the old covenant in contrast to the better things of the new. Believers have an altar, not the Lord's Supper, not a material altar with a local address, but we have an altar. The throne of grace up yonder was the throne of judgment. He condemned me there. But also when the blood was placed there, I could come and find grace and be saved. Now, for the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. That means they're consumed. He's speaking of the sin offering here. Wherefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. He was outside. Now, Jesus died outside of the city. He was the sin offering. Remember, the sin offering was taken away from the temple out yonder. Jesus was our sin offering and paid the price. Now he says, let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach. Don't mind leaving a temple. Don't mind leaving a ritual. Don't think these things are helpful. Go to him. Go to Christ, for here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. We haven't anything permanent here. That's been made clear to us. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks in his name. Actually, a child of God can bring a sacrifice. And this is now the spiritual life of the believer. There are four sacrifices of a believer. Three of them are here in verse 15. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God. Now, praise... is a sacrifice, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to him. And I didn't mean to say the others are here, but verse 16 says, but to do good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. So that what we have here is four things. You can sacrifice your person, And someone has said, when one truly gives himself to the Lord, all other giving becomes easy. The second is your purse. And believe me, if he doesn't have your purse, he doesn't have you. And praise, that's mentioned here in verse 15. And then performance. That is doing good. When you do good, that's a sacrifice of a child of God. Now, I see our time is up, and it was my full intention to finish this chapter today, and therefore the epistle to the Hebrews. But friends, I got bogged down there at verse 8, that wonderful verse, and I didn't treat it adequately. Oh, if I could only make him as wonderful as he is to you. Everybody had turned to him, but I just didn't quite do that. But I will finish Hebrews next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 02 :
Has your faith been renewed or strengthened through our time in Hebrews? Well, if so, tell us about it because we love to get your notes and then hear the stories of what God is doing in your life as we study his word together. You know, you can leave a message in our app by clicking on feedback and then you can just use the speech function to write that in real quick so you don't have to use your fingers and thumbs to try to type that. Or you can always write to us at Through the Bible, Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. Or in Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. Or even easier, you can email BibleBus at ttb.org or leave a message at 1-800-65-BIBLE. And maybe we'll even share your story to encourage others studying along with us. Now, as I mentioned at the beginning of our study, if you'd like to travel the world on your knees with us, asking God to transform the hearts and lives of the people we meet along the way, then you need to sign up for our world prayer team by visiting us at ttb.org forward slash pray. Jesus made it all.
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All to him I owe. Sin had left the prince of sin. He washed it white as snow.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, ride the Bible bus for five years and you'll be amazed at what God teaches you from his word about what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It's a blessing that keeps on going. That's what we believe at Through the Bible.
Join us on a reflective journey as we delve into the heart of biblical faith. In this sermon, Dr. McGee explains how the examples of saints like Abel and Enoch illustrate the essence of trusting in God. The episode challenges listeners to re-examine their faith, understand its foundational truths, and see it as a personal confidence in God that is alive and active in every believer's life.
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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word.
SPEAKER 01 :
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. That's Hebrews 11.1, one of the most quoted verses in the book of Hebrews. In fact, many people use this verse to define their faith. But what does it really mean? How does faith work? And how does this definition of faith point to God's gift of salvation? Welcome to the Sunday Sermon on Through the Bible, where our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, is going to take us on a journey through Hebrews 11, verses 1 to 3, and he'll answer two questions. What's faith, and how does it operate in our lives? Well, in this message, Looking at Faith in the Laboratory of Life, Dr. McGee provides practical examples from the lives of the Old Testament saints mentioned in this chapter. So find your seat on the Bible bus, and let's bow our heads and pray to begin. Father, thank you for your promise to honor your word. May it take root in our hearts today. Give us a deeper understanding of our faith and guide us in living our lives for you. In Jesus' name, amen. Now here's the Sunday Sermon on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
SPEAKER 02 :
I want to read in your hearing this evening just a few verses from the 11th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, beginning with the first verse. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, for by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 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 this testimony that he pleased God, but without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. I'll break off our reading there tonight at the sixth verse. Our subject this evening is looking at faith in the laboratory of life and the contribution that the Old Testament makes to faith is expressed in this last verse that I read. But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. There is one solitary essential an all-important requirement in coming to God, and that is faith. So the writer to the Hebrews says here, let me put it in this rather vivid manner, if you had tonight the most ornate temple that had ever been constructed, you had the most beautiful and lavish ritual that was imaginable, You had meticulous ceremonies, most elegant appointments, dignified form, elaborate service, soul-inspiring music, every detail appealing to both eye and ear, and have religious feelings and bring to the altar rich gifts of silver and gold. and shed tears in profusion and be absolutely sincere, you would not be acceptable to God without faith. May I say to you, that's a tremendously important statement. You would be positively displeasing to God without faith in his Son. Now, that's the Old Testament contribution. The New Testament restricts this even farther, and it's more definitive than that. Will you listen as I turn to the third chapter of Galatians? And at the 22nd verse, listen to this. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came we were kept under the law, shut up under the faith, which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now I turn over to Galatians 5, 6. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision. but faith which worketh by love. Now what Paul is saying now in the epistle to the Galatians is simply this, that when you come to God, you come with faith and faith only. That God does not accept anything else today, only faith, and that faith reposed in Jesus Christ. And he sums it all up in Romans 3.28 when he says, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. It is faith plus nothing. That is the New Testament contribution. So that if tonight you stood alone, a naked soul, stripped of all the props of this life, with nothing human to lean upon, and you were filthy from the crown of your head to the sole of your foot, and you were out in the barnyard, you were on a pile of fertilizer, and you believed God, and you came as a lost soul at his invitation to trust his son, you would be acceptable to God. That's tremendous, is it not? If you have all things but not faith, you're rejected of him. If you lack all things and have nothing and have faith, you're accepted of him. Now, what is faith that is so all-important? Is it some mystic quality? some unknown quantity, some abstract idea, some theoretical aphorism? Is it something that's not in the realm of reality? It's sort of like you have it or you don't have it. Now you see it, now you don't see it. It's a sort of a knack. It's like you have an ear for music or maybe you don't have an ear for music if you're like I am. or you have athletic prowess, or you don't have athletic prowess. Is it a sort of a way by which we in our imaginations, we move Never Never Land out of Disneyland and put it down on Main Street and try to make it real? May I say to you, these things are not faith at all. And I recognize tonight that definitions are unsatisfactory, yet I must ask that you hear a few. Phillips, in his letters to young churches, apparently tried to, in his interpretation, which I do not like to call a translation, tried to make these first few verses in the 11th chapter of Hebrews a definition, but it's not a definition, but listen to it for its good. Now, faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for. It means being certain of things we cannot see. It was this kind of faith that won their reputation for the saints of old, and it's after all only the faith that our minds accept this fact that the whole scheme of time and space was designed by God, that the world which we can see is operating on principles that are invisible. May I say to you, that is a very good interpretation, but it's not a definition for the writer to the Hebrews never intended those verses to be a definition. Philip Cabot gives this definition, faith is a spiritual condition and not a creed or a form of words that needs no copyright to legalize and protect it. And after I've read that, I still don't know just what he said. and then here is another definition faith is a thread slender and frail easy to tear yet it can lift the weight of a soul up from despair that's good but it's not a definition of faith although it was intended to be a definition of faith now we could go on with definitions tonight but i do not think they would be satisfactory i think the best place to go for a definition is to the scripture and as far as i know There is only one definition of faith in the Word of God, and it's so simple that we sometimes pass over it. It's in 1 John 5, 14. Listen to this. So simple. And this is the confidence that we have in Him. What is faith tonight? Faith is confidence in God. It is a personal confidence in God. That's all. It's to have confidence in God. Now I want you to see something tonight, for faith is the expression of the total personality of man. A famous preacher who is still living was asked by a seminary student at a forum in a seminary He was asked this question, when you preach, do you preach to the mind of people or to the heart of the people or to the will of the people? And this man gave this very interesting answer. He says, I preach to the 12 inches of air in front of my mouth. May I say to you that if you'll think that over for a while, he said something. You see, he's not preaching at any particular part of man. He's preaching at total man. We have here a very interesting thing that's been going on for some time. A man who is an outstanding liberal here in Southern California in one of the beach towns, and that's as far as I can go, but he is, I take it that he probably does not even believe in the existence of God. But he's a preacher nonetheless. He attends here some on Thursday night. He's intensely interested and he's greatly puzzled. Now he's told his mutual friend, he says, you know, fundamentalists always appeal to the emotions and never to the intellect. And I don't understand that fellow McGee because I don't think he's appealing to emotions altogether. May I say to you, that man is apparently a very keen observer. He's found out that that's true. Also, I do not believe you can departmentalize man, but psychologically, there is the intellectual part of man, there is the emotional part, and there is the volitional part, and God directs the gospel to all three parts of man. God directs the gospel to the total man, not to just one part of him. And one of the reasons that I believe that since the war we've had so much that's been shallow and shoddy and shabby has been because the message has been directed to one part of man. He responded on that alone, and there was nothing to sustain. I believe that when the gospel goes out, that God expects man to respond in all three parts of his being. And will you notice how he presents it in the word of God? First of all, I believe that the gospel is directed to the intellectual part of man. God directs it to the mind. Now, faith is therefore not a leap in the dark. Beverly Nichols, the English writer and playwright who wrote Cry Havoc, Verdict on India, I totally disagree with her. When she gives this kind of a statement, and don't misunderstand, I'm going to quote her again in a few moments because she said something quite outstanding, by the way. And she is one of the bright people of this day. But I think she's wrong when she says, for its mystical fulfillment, it demands from its followers a leap in the dark, a leap that leads from darkness to light. Now I personally do not believe that God is asking any person to take a leap in the dark when they come to him. I believe that he appeals to the mind of man and he appeals to the mind of man and offers the mind of man evidence if that mind is willing to accept it. Now we are told today that what we know in the mind comes through sense, perception. And that science today is nothing in the world but using sense perception. And it's based on faith. The scientist has to have faith in the objective world. He has to have faith in these different forces and the different elements that he uses. He has to have faith on many of these things that are his fingertips. And he has to have faith in his senses. that he's seeing, that he's hearing, that he's detecting, that he's taking down information accurately. Now that is faith, may I say to you. May I say that some folk now say, well, now faith is not like that because it is a spiritual perception. It is a higher knowledge. It is the Holy Spirit taking things that are unseen and making them real to you. Will you listen to me very carefully? I believe that when a man comes to God and if that man has intellectual questions, God has the evidence to offer him and God will meet him and meet that man's mind. And when that man brings to this a mind to understand, then the Holy Spirit will take these things and give him a spiritual perception that is higher than sense perception. And he'll know. No one else can possibly know in this life. It was Huxley Miller that made this statement, history looks back. Science looks around, philosophy looks in, but only faith can look up and beyond the horizons of this present life to the mansions of God in eternity, to the everlasting kingdom of heaven, which is as inevitable as it is invisible. And that's when I believe now that God moves in and by the Spirit of God makes these things real to the heart and life. But God is not asking you to take off in the dark. Listen to this very carefully. Paul says in Romans 10, 17, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. You see, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Faith rests upon that which is tangible, that which is subject to sense perception. God's not asking any man to take any leap in the dark at all. And faith is not, as Captain Jack used to say, betting on God. It's no gamble at all. It's the surest thing that there is. Now, will you look at the very first man that responded by faith to God according to the record? That man was Abel. We are told that by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. I want you to notice something very important there. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. How could he offer unto God by faith a sacrifice? He could only offer it if God had given him a revelation. For faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. This man had heard something. In those days, either through Adam directly or to Abel directly, God had revealed himself and said, now that you're out of the Garden of Eden, it will be necessary for you to bring a sacrifice to me. And that sacrifice must witness to the fact that you're a lost sinner and that only the shedding of blood makes it possible for me, a holy God, to forgive your sin. You bring that little lamb and that little lamb will be accepted because I in time will send my son, the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world. Now Abel believed God. Faith is confidence in God. If you had met Abel on the way to make his sacrifice and you'd said to him, Now, Abel, do you understand all about imputation and propitiation? And he said, I really don't know what you're talking about. Well, do you know what you're doing? Well, he said, I know this much. I know that my father Adam was put out of the Garden of Eden because he disobeyed God. And I know that I've inherited a nature that's in disobedience to God and I'm a lost sinner. And God says because of that and that I'm not right with him and he's holy, I'm to bring this little lamb and I'm coming and bringing the little lamb. Now Cain refused to do that. Cain would not believe God. Abel believed God. He evidenced that he had confidence in God. And that faith came because he had a revelation. He had something from God. Now, our faith tonight rests upon documentary evidence. It rests upon the word of God. Will you listen to this? Many other signs truly did Jesus, which are not written in this book, But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life in his name. John says there are many other things I could have written, but I have put down in black and white. I have put down on papyrus. I have put down in Greek these things that are tangible. you might know Jesus is the Christ. God's not asking anybody to take a leap in the dark. He's asking you, if you please, to examine the evidence. That's all in the world that he asks. Our Lord said, he that heareth my word... and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life. Now listen to John again in 1 John 5, 10, because this is very interesting. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar. That's the reason it's so terrible not to believe God. When you don't, you make him a liar. because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. Now John says here that there is a record and that when you do not accept that record, you've made God a liar. But when you accept that record, you exhibit that you've got confidence in God. And this is the record. that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. That's simple enough, isn't it? These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. It rests upon a record, if you please. And may I say also that this record is something that you and I are asked to do, is to believe God. That's all Abraham did. Abraham believed God. It was counted to him for righteousness. Abraham, a good man in many ways. You put Abraham down by the average church member today, it'd make him ashamed of himself. But Abraham did not count on his own righteousness. Abraham was told that he was to believe God. And God said certain things to him. And Abraham said, I believe you. I have confidence in God. And that tonight is what God's asking of you. God's not asking you to take a leap in the dark. God is asking you to examine the evidence. Now, will you listen to this statement that comes from Beverly Nichols? A remarkable statement. She was one of the world's worst skeptics. And I mean she turned people. She quotes a letter in here of people that she turned away from God. But it made her begin to think that she was on the wrong track. She began to study on her own. Back to the matter, she took a regular theological course. Listen to this. If any reader should be one of those who assume that the Christian account of the facts is impossible, that it is against nature and utterly contrary to enlightened opinion, if in short he thinks it's just a pretty legend, I do implore him in his own most vital interest to examine those facts as wholly and as impartially as if he were a member of a jury. Even if he gains nothing else, he will have made the discovery that theology is one of the most exciting studies to which a man may devote himself. But I suspect that this will be the least of his gains. I suspect that he will find to his astonishment that it might have happened. May I say to you tonight, here's a woman, rank unbeliever. She came and looked at the evidence. And she says, I was amazed. There's evidence. God is not asking you to take a leap in the dark. God is asking you to examine the facts he's appealing to your mind. Someone asked Luther, do you feel that you've been forgiven? He answered, no, but I'm as sure as there's a God in heaven, for feelings come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the word of God. Nought else is worth believing. He had documentary evidence. My friend and I, God is not asking you to take a leap in the dark. God is asking you to examine the evidence. And if you think today that faith is something that's contrary to reason or to knowledge, you're wrong. God begins with you there. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Our Lord said, this is life eternal. that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. And Paul could say, I know whom I have believed. I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. Faith is not contrary to reason. God appeals to the intellect of man. Now God appeals to the emotions also. And I believe that we're living in an hour when we need a baptism of emotion. So many people come to church and afraid they'll show their emotions. I saw more tears this morning at the church of the open door than I've seen in years. We need it. Oh, I don't mean cheap emotion now. I know folk can go to the movies and they can dampen two handkerchiefs to watch a play about a woman who loses her husband. They just sit there and weep. And the gals already had three in real life. And I don't know why people weep about it, but they weep about it. May I say to you tonight that a block of ice is weepy. And you can shed tears without it really affecting you at all. I'm talking now about the fact that God is appealing to your emotions. Listen again to Paul in Romans 10.9, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Now, he's not talking here about the mind. In here is where most everything happens that happens to us. Oh, in here is where we live and move and have our being, not up here. Many of us don't use this up here much, but down here we do. All of us use this down here. And the scripture is very careful to say that. The writer to the Proverbs says, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. God appeals to your emotions. Our Lord made a startling statement. He says, For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. Not an awful brood come out of one heart, but it's in our hearts. My, down in here, God is appealing to us. And today, the head of man is really not at fault. Heart is his problem child. Man is not silly. Man is sinful today. And man is not weak. Man, if you please, is wicked. It was William Law that made this statement. This is an eternal truth which you cannot too much reflect upon. That reason always follows the state of the heart. And what your heart is, that's your reason. If your heart is full of sentiments of penance and of faith, your reason will take part with your heart. But if your heart is shut up in death and dryness, your reason will delight in nothing but dry objections and speculation. And that's the reason today that the church needs revival. We need an atmosphere today in which emotions can be expressed. I mean right emotions, not just cheap sentiment. I mean real, down-deep emotions. That's the reason that over this land in ages gone by that they had great revival movements because there was an atmosphere for it. My friend, there's no atmosphere today for it. And we need that because God is appealing to the heart of man. And God's appealing today. And one of the reasons today so many people turn away in unbelief, they are in an atmosphere where their hearts are becoming hardened. Young people in school today, among unbelievers, men at work, on the street today, everything is talked about except the things of God. We haven't seen in our day and generation a turning to God. I have attended many of the Billy Graham meetings, and I did it for my own blessing. And I want to say this, that The one thing that you could tell the Billy Graham meetings were doing, they were bringing in a community an atmosphere where the emotions of man could be stirred again. And my friend, they need to be stirred. Because tonight you happen to be in a cold and different atmosphere doesn't mean tonight that God's not appealing to your emotions. and asking you. You see, our trouble is down here, not here. It's down here in our hearts. Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, one of the old-line modernist liberals, made this startling statement, he says, of the hundreds of students that I've interviewed at Columbia University. I never met one that had any trouble in his head. When you got down underneath, it was down here in his heart. I can agree with that. I have met men that have had head trouble. I do believe there are intellectual difficulties that some people have to face up to. May I say to you, when I was in college, that was my problem. I had to get over those head problems. I had to get to the place where the thing would make sense to me. I believe tonight if any man is honest in his heart, he'll beat his music out. God wants to appeal to your emotion. Let me move on. May I say to you that God is appealing also to the volitional part of man, to the will. Practically all translations of Hebrews 11.1 say that faith is a conviction of things not seen. It's a conviction. It's something that comes out of the will of man, if you please. And it's interesting that every time God asks a man to believe, you will find that he always puts with it a little preposition. In John 3, 16, which is probably more familiar than any other verse, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life. Now, the Greek is very vivid. It uses the little preposition eis, epsilon, iota, sigma. And that little preposition means believe in too. And when Paul met that jailer that night after midnight, when he came rushing in there and said, what must I do to be saved? Paul said to him, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. The preposition he used was epi, epsilon, pi, iota. And that means to believe upon. Every time that you're asked to believe, it's with a preposition that denotes action that's appealing to the volitional part of man, asking him to do something. Therefore, tonight, faith is more than mental assent. It's more than just shedding tears. It's something that we act upon. Because you can give a man a last cent, and that by itself is not salvation. And you can shed kids, and that's not salvation. May I say to you that it's when you and I believe on him. May I illustrate that here tonight? I may take a chair. You've seen me do this here before us. This young salesman that was here that sold, I forget now just what he did sell. He was saved here when we use this illustration. You are here tonight, never trusted Christ. Maybe you believe intellectually these things and may I say they can be examined. They'll stand up to any intellectual examination you want to make. But may I say to you, you can stand right by the side of this chair. And you can believe this chair will hold you. And I believe it'll hold me. And I think you believe this chair will hold me. May I say to you, I can stand right here to doomsday and I'll not be held up by the chair. It's not until I believe either ice or a pea into or upon. And when I believe ice or a pea into and upon, it holds me. There are a lot of folk tonight that are standing right here and say, yes, I believe, I believe, but they have not yet believed into. They have not yet rested in Christ. They've not yet made him their only Savior tonight. You remember when Saul of Tarsus was converted? Notice his conversion. He asked two questions. Who art thou, Lord? That's intellectual. That's to the mind. Who art thou, Lord? The second was, what will you have me to do? That's to the volitional. May I say to you tonight, God is appealing to you on all three fronts, not just one. By faith, Abel offered unto God. And had you gone to Abel and said, Abel, aren't you going to offer a sacrifice? Yes, I think I am. Hasn't God appeared to you? Yes. Don't you believe? Yes. Well, when are you going to do it? Well, one of these days I'll do it. No, he didn't do that. Abel brought that sacrifice, and the writer to the Hebrews says, by faith Abel offered unto God. He offered unto God. He took that step of faith. He had confidence in what God said, and he acted upon that. Martin Luther wrote this statement concerning the epistle to the Romans, and one night a man read this down on Aldersgate in London, and a young preacher who was not saved slipped into the back of the church, and his name was John Wesley. Here is what he heard that converted him. Faith is not something we fetch up from our imagination and put over on ourselves. Faith comes over us in the mighty impact of God's revelation of Himself to us. It's God's own work in us which changes us all over and makes us like new. It kills the past and utterly transforms us in heart, disposition, Spirit in all the faculties. Oh, it's the lively, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith whereby the Holy Spirit regenerates us and pours itself in a steady stream of good deeds. It's just a lively, reckless confidence in God's graces so sure that the believer could die a thousand times for it. Such knowledge of God's grace and trustful reliance upon it sets a man up, makes him cheerful, sure of himself, bold-hearted, happy toward God and all creation. And John Wesley said that night, I felt my heart strangely warm and I felt I did trust God. This brilliant young Oxford student said, for the first time I trusted him. My friend tonight, Have you come on all three fronts to God? Have you been convicted and convinced intellectually? Have you been convicted also emotionally in your heart of hearts? And then have you, by an act of a will, have you trusted Him as your own personal Savior? Have you done that? May I ask you tonight, have you done that?
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Will you take the step of faith and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? If so, we'd like to give you some free downloadable resources to celebrate this important decision and then to help you understand what it means to really live your life for God. click How Can I Know God in our app or at ttb.org. You can also call us at 1-865-BIBLE, and we'll mail you a couple of those resources. Our sermon, Looking at Faith in the Laboratory of Life, is also available in our app and online at ttb.org, as is our weekday program of Through the Bible. So join us this week as we wrap up our incredible journey through Hebrews. Next, the Bible bus travels back to the Old Testament for a new study in Hosea. Now, as we study God's word, I wanna remind you to write to us and share your story. Letters like this one from a listener in India means so much to us. They write, my family has recently had some difficult physical and financial burdens. God is good, isn't he? Now, here's another encouraging note from a listener in the U.S., For almost a month now, I've been listening to the voice of Dr. McGee. He has become like a friend. His knowledge, his sense of humor, his practical approach, I love it all. Through his simple explanations, I have a different perspective on the Bible and a clearer understanding. In this short time, my faith has increased and I am more certain that I want to live each day for God. May you be blessed as you reach out to so many with his word. Our final note comes from Kaya who shares this. I'm particularly touched by today's message and felt like the message was talking to me directly. I needed to hear how God saved the Israelites. It makes me realize he will always fight for me and I will find comfort. Yes, he will, Kaya. This week, let's pray for all of our listeners who are struggling, struggling to find peace and comfort in their individual situations. So what's your story? Is there maybe a particular sermon or chapter or book that God's used to change your thinking? Would you write and tell us? You know, there's nothing we love to hear more than how God's working in your life through his word and how you in turn are reaching out to others in his name. To reach us, you can use the feedback button in our app. You can email us at biblebus at ttb.org, or you can reach us by mail at Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. And you can even call and leave a message at 1-800-65-BIBLE. I'm Steve Schwetz, and as we go, let's remember Hebrews 11, 1 through 3. and walk with God in faith, confident in what we hope for and assured of what we cannot see.
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Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.
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Join us each weekday for our five-year daily study through the whole Word of God. Check for times on this station or look for Through the Bible in your favorite podcast store and always at ttb.org.
In a thought-provoking session, Dr. McGee responds to listeners' inquiries about the complexities surrounding marriage, divorce, and faith. Explore timeless biblical insights that discuss marriage's role in society, the principles of remarrying after a divorce, and the spiritual obligations between husbands and wives. Our episode offers a distinct perspective on why true marital happiness is rooted in being Spirit-filled and why marriage remains a cornerstone of Christian living.
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Is there ever a situation when divorce is scriptural? How about marriage? Is there ever a time when it's wrong? What does the Bible say to the divorced person who later gets saved? Can he or she remarry? Well, stay with us as we deal with these questions and more.
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How firm a foundation, ye saints, of the Lord is laid for your faith. What more can he say than to you he hath said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
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Fear not, I am with thee.
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Welcome to another edition of the Question and Answer program. Our Bible teacher is Dr. J. Vernon McGee, who answered the questions of his many listeners for over 30 years. And thankfully for us, those answers have been preserved for the benefit of generations to come. Of course, this is a ministry of the Through the Bible Radio Network. Now, getting right to our questions, we have one here from a listener in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who writes, If two unbelievers get married and one is divorced, While the other had never been married, does God consider this a marriage?
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Well, may I say to you that God considers it a marriage in the sense that for the sake of the children. Paul made that very clear, I think, in 1 Corinthians 7. We're told here, "...and unto the married he says, I command, yet not I, but the Lord, let not the wife depart from her husband." But, and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband, and let not the husband put away his wife. Now he's talking, I think, to believers. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord. In other words, here's a new situation. that has arisen before he was just giving the Old Testament teaching, and now, for the new situation, he says he's speaking now, and that doesn't mean God is not speaking, for he is writing here by inspiration. But the rest speak I, not the Lord. That is, he's not quoting the Old Testament now. Here's the new situation. If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. In other words, if a believer and an unbeliever are married, God considers it a marriage, provided the unbeliever is willing to stay. And the woman which hath a husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. Other words, the grounds for divorce is not because you're married to an unbeliever. Now, for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Else were your children unclean, but now they're whole. That would be illegitimate if it was not a marriage. You see, God gave marriage to mankind. at the very beginning, and it's the oldest institution that there is. And he gave it to mankind for his benefit. Now, we've come to a day when the unbeliever today is throwing off marriage, and they're attempting to live together without marriage at all. And it is, of course, progressive prostitution is what it amounts to because note that they don't seem to live together very long at one time. That is, a couple may live together several years and then move on to somebody else. Then I noticed recently that one fellow living with a woman who had been married to someone else and they were not married but they were living together and he got shot. I don't know what the outcome will be but she happened to be there when he got shot. And you wonder about a situation like that. Certainly she didn't shoot him in order to untie a knot marriage because it just hadn't taken place. Now, but marriage is for actually the benefit of mankind, and certainly it's for the benefit of the children. They become illegitimate. And I don't care how you look at it, they're illegitimate unless there was a marriage, because God gave marriage to be a blessing to mankind. Home being the very basis of marriage, and marriage makes the home. There's no marriage. There really can be no real home. And generally, when they start living together, it's not to establish a home. That's not the thought at all. They've got other things in mind.
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Now, this same listener has a second question. He says, if an unbeliever was divorced, then got saved, could he or she marry a believer?
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May I say to you, I don't know the details. I always wanted to know the details concerning any situation like that. I would say that the general would be, yes, the believer that is divorced to place before they were saved And it's just like any other sin. If it was wrong, if they were a murderer and got saved, then they are forgiven. Well, if they got married before they were saved, got a divorce, and let's grant that it was wrong, sinful, then they are forgiven their sin. And I think they are permitted to get married with the blessing of God upon that marriage. Now, this party makes this comment at the end, please keep your strong stand against the liberal preachers and churches. It's easy to just sit back and not be controversial. Well, may I say to you, you've certainly made me controversial, there's no question about that, because you've touched on one of the most controversial subjects today, and I do not mind to speak my mind on it. In fact, the matter is, when we teach I Corinthians, We are very bold and frank. In fact, my own wife thinks that I'm a little too frank in discussing marriage. But now I want to sum up some of the things that I've been saying in answer to these questions. God gave marriage to mankind at the very beginning. God brought Eve to Adam, and they were joined together. God joined them together. And if there ever was a couple that their marriage was made in heaven, it could be said of Adam and Eve. God made her for him. And she's just right for him. I think she was the most beautiful creature that has ever been on this earth. And I think he was the finest man that's ever been on this earth. They were physically and otherwise they were perfect. They came from the hand of God. They had a free will which they could exercise, and they did exercise it. And that, of course, was revelation of the fact that even a perfect creature with free will can make a wrong decision. And men today have a free will. You can still make a wrong decision, but you can make a right decision, of course. Now, this couple, their union was blessed of God. Now, after that, marriage becomes one of the bans that God gave to the human race. You remember the rebellion that is spoken of in the second Psalm. It was a rebellion against God. And the rebellion narrows itself down. It says, let us break their bands asunder. That is, let us break the bands of God the Father and God the Son. And I think you could say the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit. And what's that band? It's Mary. And this idea of living together without getting married, it's a fad, of course, but it reveals the rebellion that's in the human heart against God. Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us. And the cords, of course, are the Ten Commandments, the Mosaic Law that God gave. God gave it for the protection of man. you see, and when man will follow God's laws, why there's always blessing that comes to the human race. But man's not saved today by keeping those to begin with. He can't keep them. And the second thing is that God has provided a redemption that is perfect, that presents us perfect before God. Now, we're living in a day when Christian marriages are the ones that are jeopardized today. That is the thing that disturbs me no end, is the fact that Christians are taking so lightly their marriage vows. Now, I very frankly believe that God has made the ideal marriage is not only of a believer, but as Paul makes it clear in Ephesians 5, that the person must be a Spirit-filled believer. He begins by saying, be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. Then he tells about the things that will come from that, the fruit of it. And one of the fruits that's mentioned, of course, is speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns. It will enable you to praise God. It will bring joy into your life. And it'll bring love into your life. Now, he speaks of the fact there, husbands and wives. Wives are not to obey your husbands. That's not the thought. But they are to submit only in the sense that a wife must be willing to submit to the man she marries. Now, he's to be a man that loves her enough to die for her. Now, who are we talking about? Spirit-filled believers. I think they're the only ones that can have this kind of a marriage. That's the reason among Christians today that you have such terrible things that are happening to marriage, because they're not made by Spirit-filled believers. And they're trying by taking these little courses today, following certain little rules and regulations, to have a happy marriage. Well, my friend, you have to be a Spirit-filled believer in order to enjoy the blessings of this kind of a marriage. A woman has to be a Spirit-filled woman in order to submit to a man. And she is actually, it's just to follow him. And he is told that he's to love her. He's not told that she's to love him even. She's to submit to him in what's saying. Do what he does. She's to respond. That is the thought and the word. She's to respond to him. Now, if he says to her, I love you. And she used to say to him, I love you. But suppose he doesn't say it. And I don't think she used to say it at all. And until that man can say to you, I love you, and you can say, I submit to you, I respond to you, well, that's no marriage at all. Couldn't be a marriage at all. And that's the reason that some women that have got a whole lot of character and sense today, they say, no, I'm not going to get married. They don't have to get married. We gave a quotation. I know a woman. She's a remarkable woman. She happens to be, frankly, she is part English. She's part French. And I think she's one of the most remarkable women I've ever met. Real executive ability. Never got married. And she's really a very beautiful woman. Why didn't she? Well, I've never asked her the question, never had the nerve to. But she lives on an island down in the Caribbean. And I'll tell you why she hasn't. I look around at the crowd of Christians that she mixes with, and she just hasn't found that man yet. And there are a lot of women like that today, by the way. And that's the thing that marriage is all about today. It's just not to be able to marry some man that comes along today, and that's the reason that so many of them are ending in the divorce court today. Very frankly, the solution to the problem, of course, is not, as a great many people think, that you don't then get married and you don't have to get a divorce. But you haven't solved your problem by that. In fact, you have complicated your problem and really made it difficult in your life. And you'd be surprised today that some of the letters that we get from folk that started off like that and didn't get married, what tragedy has come to them and the child they have. Now, I must move to our next question. I've spent a lot of time on this, and I spend time because this is the problem of the hour, I would say. There just seems to be two classes of people today, those that are married and those that want to get married. Maybe I ought to put in the third class, those that are married and want to get unmarried. Those are the three classes of people that we have today. And therefore, this problem of marriage is really a very pertinent one.
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If you'd like more information on the issue of marriage, then we have several suggestions for you. Dr. McGee has two booklets on this issue called When Divorce is Scriptural and Marriage is Unscriptural and The Best Love. Or for a more detailed study, you may want to consider Dr. McGee's hardback book, Marriage and Divorce. I'll provide you with the ordering information at the close of today's broadcast. Our next question is from a listener in Raytown, Missouri, who writes, Does it say in the Bible that it was best to bring fat-tailed sheep to sacrifice? If so, where does it say this?
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No, I don't think it's identified the kind of sheep that were to be brought. It just says sheep. And it is a fact that fat-tailed sheep were apparently in existence in that day, and they could have well been fat-tailed sheep. And it's the belief of a great many today that that was the kind of sheep that were brought. and that that fat was actually the most important part. Now, the fat that's mentioned in Leviticus, from Leviticus 1 through 7, mentioned about 40 times. And actually, the fat was considered the best part of the animal. Well, in this day, we don't want the fat of sheep, certainly. I know that when I get a leg of lamb, I cut away a great deal of the fat. I don't want it because it is fattening if you eat all of that. But in that day it was different. But your fat-tailed sheep, I don't know that I could answer that. I do know that it's the belief of a great many scholars that was the type of sheep that were offered in that day. And I've seen them in that land, many of them, and it is therefore reasonable to conclude they were in existence in the time of Moses.
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We come now to a question from a listener in Anaheim, California. She says, I have your booklet called Christ, His Cross, His Church. On page 30, in the first paragraph, I don't understand what you mean when you say, we feel there is a reason why Protestantism has neglected this great truth in rebounding from Romanism at the time of the Great Reformation. Unconscious, they turned from the subject altogether. You go on to say, I can recall what a tremendous impression was made upon my heart when as a young minister I got told of this great truth. I asked my husband, and neither one of us are really sure what you're speaking about. Could you explain it?
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Well, it's in the section that deals with the priesthood of believers. Christ, the high priest, and the fact that every believer is a priest. If you're a child of God, through faith in Christ, then you are a priest, and that means that you have access to God. That means that you stand on that kind of a basis. You have a great high priest that you can go to, and the epistle to the Hebrews is the epistle that enlarges upon that. It says, can you please explain it on your question and answer program, and if you have another booklet that talks on this and explains it, could you send it to me? I think if you'll notice the subject that we were discussing earlier, was the great high priest and the priesthood of believers today. And that is the only thing that I can think of that could have puzzled you in that passage of Scripture.
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The booklet Christ, His Cross, His Church is no longer in print. However, the five messages contained in that booklet can be found in Dr. McGee's hardback book, The Best of J. Vernon McGee. Again, I'll provide you with ordering information at the close of our broadcast. We come now to a question, two actually, from a listener in Seaside, California. For his first question, he writes, Could you explain why the animals also had to wear sackcloth as mentioned in Jonah 3, verses 7 and 8?
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Maybe the best thing to do would be to go back and read that because it is in the scripture and I'm sure that it must sound very strange to someone reading it. Why in the world did the animals need to wear sackcloth? Because ordinarily they don't dress up an animal to begin with. Now, these people that made that request, you must remember, were Ninevites. And they worshipped animals. In fact, the worship of the Assyrians was very much like a zoo. They worshipped all kinds of animals. And so when they went into sackcloth and ashes themselves, they brought their animals in. And we read here, and I want to read verses 7 and 8 of the third chapter of Jonah. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything, let them not feed nor drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God. Yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Well, to begin with, let me say that God didn't command this. In fact, God didn't even command the people to put on sackcloth. Sackcloth is just something that God doesn't seem to go for. Nowhere commands that sort of thing. God never gave fast days. He gave feast days. And he says, come into my presence, he said, with joy, singing. God, I don't think he likes these long-faced saints. God wants you to come into his presence with great joy. Now, here, You have to remember that these people worshipped animals. They are heathen. They are pagan people. And so they are so alarmed by this message of Jonah that they not only go in sackcloth, but they bring in their animals and put them in sackcloth. God never commanded either the animals nor for them to do that. But it reveals the extent of their repentance. It does do that, but as far as God commanding it, Well, of course he didn't command it at all. You don't find that anywhere. God did command them to repent, and all they needed to do was to turn to God, which they did. And when they did, God delivered them, you see. But not because of sackcloth and ashes, either on them or the animals. That had nothing to do with it at all. That was their own idea.
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Now this same listener has a second question. In Genesis 4, verse 4, Cain said to God that men will try to kill him wherever he goes. What men is Cain speaking about?
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Now, will you notice this party here that has asked this question also has others. The first one in this series now Do you believe Adam and Eve were the first man and woman on earth? Well, I certainly do. The Bible presents it that way. If so, please explain Genesis 4, 4, where Cain says to God, everywhere I go, men shall seek to slay me. What man? Well, I imagine some of his brothers. Now, we have a record given to us in the book of Genesis that is a very brief record. Have you noticed that the first 11 chapters in Genesis covers as much time and maybe much more time than the rest of the Bible put together? And that may seem strange to you, but it's quite interesting. Moses is getting to a story in a hurry, and the story doesn't concern these first ones. And so, very frankly, we have a trump cake. an abridged edition here. And who were the other men that you're talking about? Well, the fact of the matter is that there were other brothers and sisters. I think before Adam and Eve died, you must remember they lived over 900 years, they had quite a family. And it's not unreasonable to say that they probably had several millions. on the earth. Because you see, there could be children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren. What a homecoming they could have. And there were quite a few on the earth at that time. So that when you try to confine this to just these that are mentioned, you are not allowing for the fact that it makes it very clear that Adam lived 130 years. He begat a son in his own likeness after his image called his name Seth. And the days of Adam after he'd begotten Seth were 800 years. And he begat sons and daughters. And he begat sons and daughters before that. I don't know their name, but there's quite a family that was on the earth.
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As we come to the close of today's broadcast, we'd like to invite you to request a copy of our resource catalog. In it, you'll find hundreds of books, booklets, CDs, and more, which were all designed to assist you in your study of the Word of God. Simply make your request and I'll provide you with that contact information in just a moment. Now, if you're a serious student of the scriptures and you'd like to follow along with Dr. McGee during his study, then we encourage you to have your name added to our mailing list for the notes and outlines. They're mailed out with our monthly newsletter. Today, we mentioned several booklets and books by Dr. McGee. The titles, again, are When Divorce is Scriptural and Marriage is Unscriptural, The Best Love, Marriage and Divorce, and The Best of J. Vernon McGee. The booklet, The Best Love, is no longer in print as I mentioned before, but it is available as a free PDF download with a number of other booklets that have also gone out of print. For ordering information on any of these items I've just mentioned, contact our offices by calling 1-800-65-BIBLE Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific Time. You can find a number of these products and a sign-up form for our electronic newsletter when you visit us online at at ttb.org. We can also be reached by sending a request to Questions and Answers. For those in the U.S., Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. This week we'll continue to press on in Dr. McGee's five-year journey through the whole Word of God, book by book and chapter by chapter. So be sure to tune in to the Through the Bible radio program heard on this station every Monday through Friday. This is Steve Schwetz for the Through the Bible radio network with a prayer that God will answer all your questions and solve all your problems.
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Jesus made it all All to Him I owe This program has been brought to you by the faithful friends and supporters of Through the Bible Radio Network.
In this week’s broadcast, we hear heartwarming letters from our listeners, reminding us of the powerful impact of sharing faith stories globally. As Dr. McGee leads us through Hebrews, he highlights the urgency of heeding divine warnings and the importance of brotherly love in the Christian community. Whether through the Bible bus, personal testimonies, or profound scriptural insights, discover how your faith can rest secure amidst the tremors of the modern world.
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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellence.
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If you've ever been in an earthquake, then you know that they can be pretty frightening. Welcome to Through the Bible. I'm your host, Steve Schwartz, and I was born and raised here in Southern California, and I've felt an earthquake or two. It's kind of disconcerting. The ground shifts and the buildings sway, and there's this eerie rumbling sound that often goes before you even feel it. And I'm used to it, and yet still sometimes I'm a little spooked. Well, in our study of Hebrews 12 and 13 on Through the Bible, we learn that someday God's voice will shake the earth. And not only the earth, but the heavens as well. And that'll be some earthquake, right? Well, God has shaken the earth before to make a point both on Mount Sinai, where he gave the law to Moses, and at Calvary, when Jesus died for the sins of the world. I'm glad that you're aboard the Bible bus as we continue our study of the sixth danger signal in Hebrews. That's the peril of denying. Our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, will also encourage us about some things that are unshakable. One of those is a living faith in Jesus Christ. He's the rock that we rest on. He cannot be shaken. Before we begin, let's hear from a fellow Bible bus passenger, a few of them, in fact. First, we hear from Paulette in Maine, and she writes this. I have been listening since my children were small and I'm their only parent. They are now grown, married, and with children of their own. All those years, Pastor McGee was often the only adult I had available for biblical guidance. May there be many more years of future blessings and encouragement for so many others listening. Well, thanks for your letter, Paulette, and for your support that keeps the Bible bus rolling in your community and around the world. Now, next we hear from Timothy in Georgia. Today at work, I met a truck driver. I gave him a Bible bus pass. He was so appreciative. And as it turns out, he's a pastor in Macon, Georgia, who has studied Dr. McGee's lessons. He went on and on about how much he'd learned. We had a wonderful few minutes talking together, and he said, God made the whole trip worthwhile since we met each other, two Bible bus riders who finally found themselves together at the same bus stop. Thank you for all that you do for our Lord, reaching and impacting so many. Please send more packets of listen and share bus passes. I'm running low and need to restock for the encounters that God has prepared down the road. Well, that's great to hear from you, Timothy. And that sounds like you had a divine appointment between the two of you. William in Ohio is making good use of our bus passes too. Here's his story. Thank you for providing the Bible bus passes I requested to take to Paris for the Olympic Evangelical Outreach. They were very useful and successful. A brother and sister from Algeria were astounded when I shared the program in their heart language. They smiled and said, they are speaking in our language, which I thought no one could find. What a great report, William. And I'm so glad that you're out there flinging the seed along with us. Now, if you'd like us to send you a pack of free Bible bus cards to share this program with those that you meet out and about, call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE because we'd love to get them into your hands so that you can pass them on. And then here's a note. This one's from Troy in Arizona. The Through the Bible app has transformed my spiritual walk in ways I never anticipated, writes Troy. With every journey through Scripture, Dr. McGee's wisdom and relatable teaching bring the Word of God to life, offering new insights that are easy to grasp yet deeply profound. It's like sitting down with a friend who opens up the Bible in a way that makes it feel real and accessible. This app has been more than just a study tool. It's been a lifeline for my faith. guiding me through challenges, deepening my understanding, and helping me connect with God on a daily basis. Whether it's on a drive, during a quiet morning, or right before bed, Through the Bible has become an essential part of my spiritual routine, nourishing my soul with timeless truths and reigniting my passion for God's Word. Well, we're so glad that you're aboard, Troy. Thanks for the feedback on the app, by the way. I love it, too. And if you don't have it yet, I sure hope that you'll check it out. You can find it in your favorite app store. Now, what's your story? How has our time in God's Word benefited you? How are you sharing it with others? Well, you know we'd love to hear from you, so why don't you leave us a note in the feedback section of our app? You can also email us at BibleBus at ttb.org. You can call and leave a message anytime at 1-800-65-BIBLE. And you can always write to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C, 6B1. However you choose to be in contact, we're always glad to hear from you. And who knows, maybe soon I'll be sharing your letter to encourage others as they go through the Bible with us. Now let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for this time in your word. As we study the book of Hebrews, would you remind us of the unshakable foundations that we have in Jesus Christ, even as you shake the heavens and the earth to reveal what truly lasts. Lord, may this time in your word deepen our trust in the rock of our salvation. In Jesus, whose name we pray. Amen. Here's more in our study of Hebrews 12 and 13 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now I'm coming back to this 12th chapter of Hebrews, and it's such a wonderful chapter, I'm reluctant to leave it, but we're going to have to do that today. Now, having told these Hebrews, you see, he said to them, Jesus is better than anything that God had ever done in the past, and he'd done many wonderful things. Better than the prophets, better than the Old Testament ritual, better than the law, And now he's urged them to turn to him and that he's a living savior. But we're in this section of the warning. And he says in verse 25, see that ye refuse not him that speaketh. And since he is so wonderful and since his words are very important, it pays you to pay attention to him. It'll be very profitable to you. For he goes on to say, for if they escape not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. Now, if you want to see what happened to a people under the law, look at the nation Israel even today. Are they living in peace today? They are not. And their story has been really a sad story, really for 1900 years. And why? Well, they refused to hear him, to hear Jesus. They also had refused to hear the law. And it was because of that that God has judged them. And therefore, it's a pretty serious business not to listen to this warning. Because you remember the Lord Jesus says, if any man willeth to do his will, he shall know. If you'll do his will, you'll find out whether it's true or not, my friend. But if you refuse, how are you going to escape, as he said before, if you neglect so great a salvation? Now, he says, verse 26, whose voice then shook the earth. But now he has promised saying, yet once more, I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And you remember at the giving of the law, there was an earthquake, the mountain rent. At the crucifixion of Christ, there was an earthquake. And God says that the day is coming when he's going to shake everything. When I see these big, tall buildings in downtown Los Angeles, I look at them and I say, I want to get a good look today because you may not be there tomorrow. God says he's going to shake this whole earth and heaven itself. You know why he's going to do that? Let all of his created universe know there are some things that are unshakable. And one of those is a living faith in Jesus Christ. He's the rock that we rest upon, and he cannot be shaken. You want a secure place today? That's the place to go. That's the air raid shelter today that's safe. They want to make this world, they say, today safe. No man can make this world safe or no United Nations can make it safe. It's not even safe to walk on the street I live on. I don't know about your street, but I have a notion it's very much the same way. He's going to make it safe someday. And in order to do that, he's going to shake everything. Now, he says, verse 27, and this word yet once more signifying the removing of those things that are shaken as the things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. In other words, we better be very careful where we build our house today on sinking sand or we're building it up on the rock, which is Christ, because God's going to shake everything. And he's going to reveal that which is false and phony. And there's a lot of that. Verse 28, wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Now, you and I are moving toward a heavenly kingdom. And as we move, why we need to recognize that we down here should serve God. But how are we to serve him? Well, we're to serve him acceptably. Yes, but how can we serve him acceptably? With reverence and godly fear. My friend, Christianity is not playing church. It's not assuming a pious attitude. It's a living, vital, real relationship to Jesus Christ that affects your life, that transforms your life and anchors you in the Word of God. Now he says, verse 29, for our God is a consuming fire. And you can take that or leave it, but that just happens to be in the Word of God. This is a solemn reminder. It means that grace is available for you to serve God, but don't trifle with God, my friend. Don't think you can play fast and loose with God and get by with it. I remember when I first came here to Pasadena in 1940 as a pastor. I was asked by a lady to go see her husband. And they were a lovely couple, actually. But the husband was sick in bed at home. In fact, never got out of that bed. He died. And I went in and presented the gospel to him. And he heard me courteously. And he said this to me. He said, Dr. McGee, I would like to tell you right now that I accept Christ as my Savior. And I will do that. But he says, I have done it so much. I have trifled and played with God down through the years that I don't even know myself when I'm sincere and when I'm not. My friend, don't trifle with God. The day may come when you won't even know where you stand with him at all. I tell you, our God is a consuming fire, but he's a gracious, glorious, wonderful Savior. Now, that brings me to the last chapter, chapter 13. I said, you'll recall that chapter 11 is faith chapter. Chapter 12 was the hope chapter. What a hope it offers to you there. We're marching to Zion, but not over yonder in Israel. We're marching to a heavenly Zion. And it ought to be encouragement today to know that, friends, that that's the direction we're going. And so we have in chapter 12 a hope chapter. Now we come to the love chapter. And this brings us to something that I think is quite wonderful. Chapter 10, someone has called it Christian's privileges. Chapter 11, Christian's power. Chapter 12, Christian's progress. And chapter 13, Christian's practice. I don't exactly accept that as being actually a good outline. Other than chapter 13, here we come to the practice of the believer. And he begins by saying, let brotherly love continue. Now, if you have a Bible with good notes, you'll have a note on that. And the note is, brotherly love should be brother love. Brother love. It doesn't mean, friends, that believers are to love like brothers. They are to love because they are brothers. Now, if you're a child of God, You're my brother. I've received recently some letters with all these other letters that I've received. And somebody asked me, I know that you can't read all of them. Friends, when I was at home lying flat on my back, you don't know how wonderful it was to have all those letters to read. And that's what I did. I read every one of them. that came to me from all you folk out there. And somebody said they didn't think I did. But many of those letters came from somebody that in the letter or in the card would say, I'm a black woman or I'm a black man. But I listen to your program and I want you to know that I'm a believer and I love you. And you know, that did something to me. I want to say this to you. What difference does it make by the color of your skin? You're a child of God. He's given you a new heart and he's washed you white as snow. And believe me, I know a lot of white people today. They sure need to be washed white as snow. But you're my brother. You're my sister, and we're in the same family. Maybe you don't want to be in my family, but you're in my family. We love each other. May I say to you, this is something that's real. I have put in my notes a triangle. The Christian life can be put like a triangle. At the top, you can put God. At one side, you can put yourself. On the other, you can put others. And it's faith and love toward God. And it's love toward others. That's the way we manifest it. Let brother love continue. Now, here is stranger love. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers even, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Now, there have been those we are, I think, acquainted with them in Scripture. You remember Abraham entertained angels unaware. Actually, old Jacob did. He didn't do too much entertaining. He was too busily wrestling that night. And Joshua, you remember, that the angel appeared to Joshua. So that many have entertained angels unaware. We ought to be careful. Our love is to be exercised with judgment. But we need to recognize that there are folk around us that we could be very helpful to them. We could extend our love to them. And my, I tell you, we might meet some very wonderful people like that. And then it says, remember them that are in bonds that's bound with them. Paul, you see, was in bonds himself. He knew a great deal like that. Remember the needy and those in trouble. Show love to those who are in need. You see, the church is a body, and when one member suffers, all of us suffer. Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity as being yourself also in the body. And we're all in a body of believers. And I sure had an opportunity to test that myself and forgive me for referring to it so much, but it's sure given me a marvelous illustration. I didn't know there was so many wonderful Christians around today. One dear lady, and I don't shed tears very easily, but I read her letter and shed tears. She said, Dr. McGee, I'm inactive now and I'm not able to do anything. I pray to God that I could just be able to come down and take your disease and And let you go on. May I say to you, you don't find that in every church today and every group of believers. And I must admit that that's what the writer here is talking about. We need that today. And there's a lot of it around. I thank God for that. Now he says, marriage is honorable in all things. And if you think that when he's talking about brother love and sister love, that you're to love the sisters, you're dead wrong. Marriage is honorable in all. And sex is to be exercised in the framework of marriage. God gave marriage to mankind for the welfare of mankind. And any time, and oh, I know I sound like a square, because today this idea of living together without being married is becoming very commonplace among young people. But I'll tell you this, young person, you will sure pay for it if you attempt to live outside the bonds of marriage, because the home is the very center of the whole social structure. And it's the very center of the church. Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled. Nothing wrong with sex, except today it's being taught too much. And when I was in London not long ago, I found out that they are going to cut down on teaching sex. It has led to more rapes in school than anything else. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid growing up in school, I was pretty ignorant at first. Well, I sure did learn a whole lot in a short time. And I think you don't need all this education today about sex. And also, according to this London report, it is responsible for this epidemic of venereal disease today. God is not mocked. Whatsoever you sow, my friend, you go in to reap. And you're not getting by with it. And how many in the church today think they are? Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled. But whoremongers and adulterers, God will judge. You cannot escape. He'll judge you. Then he says, let your conversation, which means your manner of life, Be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have. For he hath said, I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee. Isn't that wonderful to have him say that to you? And I don't care who you are or what you do. This is the response of faith to the word of God here. And it brings you to the place that you know that he's never going to leave you nor forsake you. Isn't that wonderful? I have a notion that I've got friends today that would forsake me. I may have relatives that would forsake me. But you know, the Lord Jesus, he's never going to forsake. It's wonderful to have him on your side, and I hope you have him on your side. Verse 6, so that we may boldly say, the Lord's my helper, and I'll not fear what man shall do unto me. These Hebrew Christians in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria were really going to face in the next few years punishment. And they were going to face trials. And those that were believers need to remember God wasn't going to forsake them. And they could say, in spite of what happened, God's my helper. And I'll not fear what man will do unto me. Then verse 7, remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. And I can't help but come back and make this statement. Isn't it interesting that we had a few of these radicals that during the war in Vietnam, they were all so interested in the POWs and they, my, they made trips over there and they led protest rallies. Then the POWs were released. Have you seen any of these folks show any interest in the POWs? You know why? Many of them came back and they said it wasn't a movie star, a former attorney general that helped me. It was Jesus. And many of them turned to Jesus. And it's interesting how the media, the news media, especially television, they turned that off. They didn't like to talk about the POWs. And it's interesting how this country has been made through the news media and all of these radicals. We've about forgotten that there were POWs that were released, friends. Many of them turned to Jesus. And may I say to you, what happened? He never forsook them. He stayed with them. And he's the one that will see you through. I don't think the radicals are going to help you much. I don't think any of these political parties are going to help you much. I don't think any of these politicians. I am tired listening to them. And I guess I'm as tired listening to them as they are listening to me. But I'm tired listening to them. May I say to you, I want to listen to Jesus. He says he'll never leave me nor forsake me. Now, will you notice here? Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. I'm not going to deal with that today, because I want to close by reading the next verse, and I'm going to talk about that next time. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the only thing I want to say right now is just the word, Jesus Christ. And I want to say this to you, that there's no accident in the word of God. That is, no words ever used carelessly. Now, Jesus was his human name. Christ is his title. That speaks of his deity. And oh, how wonderful this is. This speaks the name Jesus. That links him, if you please, with humanity. That links him with mankind down here. That links him with the most wonderful person in the world. And what you have here is a name and a title. Jesus, name of sweetness. Jesus, sound of love. Cheering exiles onward to the rest above. Jesus, oh, the magic of the soft love sound, how it thrills and trembles to creations bound. Now, Jesus, do you know how wonderful he was as a person when he was down here? I'm just not talking about his humanity. You know, people crowded around him. He was human. He was so human. Actually, the mobs followed him. They loved him. It was the teaching of Jesus they hated. It was not Jesus, the man. He was wonderful, friends. We're going to talk about him next time. Jesus, the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 01 :
That's a great promise. And be sure to join us next time as we talk about Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. When we began these studies in Hebrews, we heard Dr. McGee say his one ambition was to know the Lord Jesus Christ and to get out his word. He said, To learn more about how you can partner with us to get the word out in your neighborhood and in more than 250 languages around the world, visit ttb.org or call 1-800-65-BIBLE. And if you want to dig a little deeper into Hebrews, why don't you download our free Bible companion at ttb.org. And as we've mentioned before, we're happy to now also offer Hebrews and any of our New Testament Bible companions in beautiful paperback editions. You'll find them on our website at ttb.org. I'm Steve Schwetz, and as usual, I'm going to meet you back here next time as we together go through the Bible. Today's study is always available, free to stream or download, thanks to the generous and faithful investments from your fellow Bible bus travelers. Just go to ttb.org or download our app to listen again anytime. As always, we'd love to know what's God teaching you.
In this enlightening episode of Through the Bible, we are reminded to shift our focus away from earthly distractions and towards Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Our host, Steve Schwetz, explores Hebrews 12 and shares testimonies from listeners around the world, drawing parallels between the first-century Jewish Christians and our contemporary spiritual journeys. We are encouraged to look for the good ground in our hearts, where the seed of faith can grow and bear fruit, even amidst life's challenges. Dr. J. Vernon McGee takes us deeper into the teachings of Hebrews, especially about the dangers of spiritual complacency and denial. Through the powerful story of Esau, we see the risks of valuing earthly pleasures over spiritual inheritance. As Dr. McGee guides listeners through the perils outlined in the Scripture, we discover fresh insights into God's abundant grace that offer strength and hope in our daily walk with Christ. Finally, the episode leads us towards a profound understanding of the new covenant symbolized by Mount Zion. Listeners are invited to embrace the joy of the heavenly Jerusalem and a closer relationship with God's Word. As we turn the pages of the Bible, we learn that faith requires more than a fleeting acknowledgment; it is a deep, abiding connection with Jesus, a truth that transcends traditional rituals and religions.
SPEAKER 01 :
We need today to get our eyes off of a church, off of religion, off of an organization, and off of a man, by the way. No man down here should be the one we should be looking to. And I hope you just don't look to this poor feeble preacher on the Through the Bible radio. Look to Jesus. Look to him.
SPEAKER 02 :
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
SPEAKER 03 :
What great encouragement to begin our study. Look to Jesus. Who doesn't agree that it's pretty easy to be distracted by all the shiny things our culture throws in front of us? Or on the other side of that, the difficult things that burden us. You know, Jesus warned us of this tendency in his parable of the seed in Mark 4. He said, "...the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entered in and choked the word, and it became unfruitful." But he then contrasted the seed thrown on good ground, such as those who hear the word and receive it and bring forth fruit. Let's listen to Jesus' encouragement and let the seed of his word fall on the good ground of our hearts and grow fruit in our lives. I'm Steve Schwetz, your host, welcoming you to Through the Bible. Now, in just a moment, our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, is going to lead us through Hebrews 12. And as we learn about another danger signal... It's a warning sign, really, that Dr. McGee calls the peril of denying. And we'll see how this warning directed toward Jewish Christians in the first century applies to us as well. So hop aboard the Bible bus and find a comfortable seat and turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12, beginning in verse 15. And while you do that, let's hear a couple of letters from our fellow passengers. First, we hear from Sunil in India, who says this. When I accepted Jesus Christ, I was excommunicated from my community. Other villagers would have nothing to do with me. Now there are three other Christian families, and we stick together. The teaching in my language of Bodo, which began not long ago, is helping us grow in our faith. Now curiosity is building among passersby, and they have started to come into my house and listen. I play it every day, and some of them are coming regularly, which has not only restored my fellowship with some villagers, but I am happy and thankful to God that my community is listening to God's word. Isn't that an encouraging report? Here's another one. This one from a listener in Uganda. He shares this. I listen to you and my family listens too. It has taught me to read and meditate on the Word of God every day and also to follow the leading of the Spirit as I study the Word. I have learned the Holy Spirit is the best teacher, so I need to rely on Him in my Bible study time and follow His leading in everything I do. Amen. Amen. Amen. Well, to join us in asking God to reach more people just like this in India, Uganda, and all over the world, why don't you sign up for our World Prayer Team? It's super easy. Go to ttb.org forward slash pray. And let's do that together now. Heavenly Father, would you strengthen those around the world who love you? Give us ears to hear your word and help us to obey what you prompt in our hearts. In Jesus' name, amen. Hey, we're off to Hebrews 12 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee, so stay with us.
SPEAKER 01 :
Now we're coming to the 16th verse of this 12th chapter, and I'd like to drop back to verse 15 because... We begin there with the sixth danger signal that we've had in this epistle. As I've called your attention to it, all the way through the epistle, the red light is turned on. A warning sign is given. And certain perils are mentioned. Here it's the peril of denying. And notice what he says in verse 15 again. Looking diligently, and looking diligently has in it the thought of direction. And what is that direction? Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. And we are looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God. Now, the word here for fail is not the word for apostasy. It doesn't mean that they were in danger of apostatizing. It really means just to fall back. In other words, a believer must keep his eyes on the Lord Jesus, not on man. And if he doesn't keep his eyes, he's apt to get to the place where he doesn't avail himself of the grace of God. Now, God has a tremendous reservoir of grace. He wants to lavish it upon his children. And he's prepared to do that. And he's able to do it because Christ paid the penalty for our sins. God is rich in mercy, rich in grace. And he wants to spend it on us. But the problem is, many of us do not avail ourselves of it. You see, we're talking, friends, about reality. Something that you can go to God and lay hold of. And that is the wonder and the glory of it all. That's been the message of this epistle. Now he says that if you don't do that, there's a danger, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. And one saint in the church, and it's generally a saint who ain't, that can stir up more trouble than can be possibly imagined. And now he goes on and says in verse 16, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Now, I think actually fornication here is spiritual. There is a danger of turning from God to the things of the flesh, and it could be most anything of the flesh. As far as Esau was concerned, why, he sold a birthright, a spiritual birthright that entailed so much it meant you'd be in the line that led to the Messiah. Man should be the priest of the family of Abraham. But he didn't care for it. Now, when it says here that he was a profane person, it doesn't mean that he cussed a great deal. In fact, it has no reference to that at all. The word profane actually comes from two words. Phanos means temple. Pro means either before or against. And here, apparently, it means against the temple. It means against God. It means that he was just a godless fellow. Esau saw no need of any recognition of God or any relationship to him or any responsibility. And so he despised this birthright. And he counted it just as being something valueless. And he was even willing to trade it in for a bowl of soup. And there's many a man that has sold his soul. Well, some have sold it for a bottle of liquor. And I think that is worse of all. Some are selling it today for drugs. Some today sell their soul for sex, some dishonesty. And that's what he's talking about here. There's a danger because as a child of God, you're either going to go forward or you're going to fall back, as he says. You won't stay in the same place. And now verse 17, For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. And I do not know of a passage that's been so misunderstood as this passage of Scripture right here, because it gives the impression that Poor Esau, he wanted to repent, and God wouldn't accept his repentance. And we need to recognize that he's saying something here that's altogether different than that. Esau despised this birthright, and then he found out later that there was also an inheritance attached to it, that he would inherit twice as much as any other son of Abraham would inherit. And that's the thing that he was interested in, that which was physical. Now, his repentance is one of shedding of tears. And when it says he sought it carefully with tears, it means that he did a great deal of boohooing about it. And I think I can illustrate this like this. The thief was caught, and the thief began to weep and say he was sorry. Now, he wasn't sorry that he was a thief. He was sorry he'd been caught. Esau was not repenting because of the fact that he wanted to turn to God, wanted something spiritual. He repented because he had missed something. And he cried because of that. And that is the thought that you have here. He's actually against God, as you can see. Now, verse 18, "...for ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they had heard entreated, that the word should not be spoken to them any more." For they could not endure that which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with the dart. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. Now, I have read to you the passage beginning with verse 18. down through verse 21. And I read all of that because it's quite obvious that what he's talking about here is Mount Sinai. He's speaking of the giving of the law to Moses on top of Mount Sinai. He's speaking of the old covenant. Now, the thing that he's saying here, and again, I think it's quite obvious that what he's saying is just simply this. These people that he's writing to, and we need to keep that before us all the time, they were Hebrews. They were Hebrews who had turned to Christ. Now, again, you must remember that the early church on the day of Pentecost, those 3,000 that were saved were not Gentiles. They were Jews. And the early church... For all of those first few years, until Paul and Barnabas and others of the missionaries began to move out, it was 100% Jewish. And then the Gentiles were saved. Now he's writing to these Jews. Now, many of the Jews in Jerusalem that had turned to Christ, they found themselves here at a great loss. They'd been accustomed to go to the temples. They would have been accustomed to hear the law read. Now they're shut away from the law. They're shut out from the temple. They're no longer part of that system at all. And I want to say this. They felt very much on the outside. And now they are being told, and I think Paul here is saying to them, you've come now unto the mount that's different than Mount Sinai. And you don't want to go back to that. Mount Sinai was a place where when the law was given, 3,000 people were slain. You read that in Exodus, the 32nd chapter, that giving of the law. 3,000 people were slain. On the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people were saved. They died at the giving of the law. They lived at the day of Pentecost and the preaching of the gospel. And the giving of the law is not pretty. That was the sound of the trumpet. That was an earthquake. That was thunder and lightning. And the people, they said, we're frightened. They said to Moses, you go up. And the people were told to stand back and not come near. And some of them got too close. And Paul says, you don't want to go back to that system. And even today, there are people that want to go back to that system that are even Gentile. Now he says, we've left that system and we've come away from it. We've got away from that altogether. I remember when I was a pastor in Nashville, Tennessee, a lady came up to me. She was a lovely person in many ways. But I always felt that she came in under that designation. where Paul spoke of silly women laden with sins, ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth. She was a woman that was sort of a social hanger-on. That is, she belonged to a very wealthy family. She went to their cocktail parties, engaged in their sins. But she still wanted to go to the Bible classes. And she came, attended my church, but she never was a member. But she always pretended to be quite a Bible student. But she was one of those ever learning, but never coming to a knowledge of the truth. She said to me one day, after I'd preached a sermon about the law and how we don't want to get in under it. And she came to me, she says, you know, Dr. McGee, the giving of the law is so beautiful, isn't it? And I had to say to that dear lady, lady, the giving of the law is not beautiful. I see nothing beautiful about it. I think, frankly, it's one of the most frightening scenes there is in the Bible. Well, I said 3,000 people were slain that day. And it was a law that these people were told. that they could never be saved by it, and God gave them a sacrificial system. They had to bring a sacrifice. A little animal had to die because the law couldn't save them. It actually condemned them. Now, here we have some of those people in that day. They had been accustomed to go to the temple. They had been going through that ritual. Now there's nothing to go to. There's no ceremony. There's no sacrifice to bring. Now, he says, but you really have something. And will you notice, he says, but ye are come unto Mount Zion. Now, remember he's talking to Israel. Mount Zion, that was David's place. David had a palace up there. And David's buried up there. And I actually think his bones are up there, by the way. I think that's where David is. That was his favorite spot. And he can have it for all I care. I wouldn't want Mount Zion. But he says here that these Jewish believers, many of them are in Jerusalem, many of them still went up to the feasts. And he said to them, they won't let you go up to Mount Zion, but you got to Mount Zion and under the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You've been shut out of Jerusalem now. The persecution had broken out, you see, and Christians had been driven out of Jerusalem. But he says, you got a heavenly Jerusalem. May I say to you that I think this is quite wonderful here. Mount Zion is the heavenly city. And it's the city of the living God. It's the heavenly Jerusalem. And it's called in Revelation, the new Jerusalem. Now, if you want my future address, I'm going to be moving one of these days. I'd like to give it to you. I can't give you the street or the number on the street. But my address is going to be the New Jerusalem. This is the place we've come to. This is our position today. You've got something far better in Christ, he says. Then he says that you've come here to an innumerable company of angels. Now, frankly, I've made the statement, and I want to stick by it, that angel ministry is not connected with the church. But we're going into the New Jerusalem someday. And I see in Book of Revelation a big worship scene there. It's a great scene. John saw it. John said that there was a company of created intelligences there. Well, there was 10,000 times 10,000. And then he looked around. He said, my, I didn't see that other crowd out there more than any man could number. And there God's created intelligences called angels here. I've never seen an angel. Often wondered about them. And I'm going to come someday to the New Jerusalem and join in that great worship scene with you. We're going to worship the Lamb and all these created intelligences there. One of the things I want to do is talk to some of them. I'd like to... Talk to them, wouldn't you? Never had that privilege. Every now and then I meet somebody down here that tells me they've had a dream and an angel spoke to them. But I always tell them that they ought to go back and find out what they had for supper. That may explain the presence of the angel. You haven't seen an angel today, friend. You may think you have, but you haven't. We're coming to that place someday. Now he says here, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn. And here it's the firstborns. And it doesn't mean here Christ, although he's called that. And I won't go into those scriptures. But these are the ones that have been born again. They are the only ones going to be that. This is the church that we're talking about now at the rapture. They're going to be caught up to this place. And their names, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all. And thank God when I get in the presence of the judge, somebody's already paid the penalty of my sins. That'll be taken care of. And to the spirits of just men made perfect. Now, that doesn't mean complete or perfect as you and I think of it. It means Old Testament saints, now that Christ has died, their salvation has been made complete. And then we are brought also unto Jesus. We're to look to him now. Then we're going to be brought into the presence of Jesus, and he's the mediator of the new covenant. He's not going to thunder from Mount Sinai. Even when he was here, he sat down on a mountain and gave law for his kingdom. And I think it's going to be a lot sweeter when you and I come into his presence someday and see him as the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel. Abel's blood cried for vengeance, but the blood of Christ speaks of salvation. Now, this is important. This is wonderful here. This is great. And this leads me to make this statement, and I hope I have time to do it. We had it back in verse 3. Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. They're trying to get these Hebrew Christians to get their eyes off the temple, off of a bloody sacrifice, off of a ritual, and onto the person of Christ. And we need that today, to get our eyes off of a church, off of religion, off of an organization, and off of a man, by the way. No man down here should be the one we should be looking to. And I hope you just don't look to this poor, feeble preacher on the Through the Bible radio. Look to Jesus. Look to him. And this seems so simple, you see. The temple, with all its splendor and its ritual, it was passing away to be destroyed. Now they're under a new economy. And somebody says, this is the simplicity of our faith. And I agree with that. But there is a danger of oversimplification under the present methods that are being used today. Now, I have a little book, Faith Plus Nothing Equals Salvation. And I believe that. Faith alone can save you. But we have today an epidemic of believing-ism. These folk today that everlastingly have made salvation a little mathematical problem or a little equation, and if you can say yes to this and yes to that and yes to half a dozen questions, then, brother, you're a Christian. And I don't want to be ugly, but I want to say you're not, because this type of thing leaves no room for the work of the Holy Spirit, for the conviction of sins. It just means a nodding assent, a passing acquaintance with Jesus. And there's a word today that's being overworked. Commit your life to Christ. What kind of life do you have to commit to Christ, friends? If you're coming as a sinner, you don't even have any life. You're dead in trespasses and sins. He's the one who said, I've come that you might have life. You don't commit a life. He committed his life for you, and he died for you. And you are dead in trespasses and sins. And he has life to offer you. I've come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. And this idea today, and I've fallen in this in the past, give your heart to Jesus. But my friend, why do you think he wants that old dirty heart of yours? Have you ever heard what he said comes out of the heart? Out of the heart comes the dirtiest things that I can think of. Read the list that he gave. You think he wants that old dirty heart? No. He didn't ask you to give your heart to him. He said, I want to give you a new heart. I want to give you a new life. And we need today the conviction of sin that we're sinners. And this idea that we made salvation a very jolly affair and an evangelistic crusade today is just too ducky. It's just so sweet. It is so lovely. I don't see people come weeping today I don't see that, and I think that today we need an emphasis, a strong emphasis upon the Word of God. Now, I felt that it's important to give, but it did keep me from finishing this chapter. I'll finish it next time, and we'll move into the next one. Until then, may God richly bless you. Bible letter.
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Yes, that's what we all need, a new heart. If you'd like to find out more, you can click on How Can I Know God in our app or on ttb.org. And there you can find the message Dr. McGee mentioned titled The Faith Equation, Faith Plus Nothing Equals Salvation, along with many other free resources that we've set aside just for you. Now, this is the most important decision that you're ever going to make, so please don't wait. Listen to and read them now. Again, just click on How Can I Know God in our app or at ttb.org. You can also call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE or write to us at Box 7100, Pasadena, CA 91109 or in Canada Box 25325, London, ON N6C 6B1 and we'll send you a couple of these resources to you by mail. Now, when you contact us, be sure to tell us how you join us every day. Is it by app? Is it online on your favorite Christian radio station? However you listen, we want to know that information. So thanks in advance for helping us be good stewards of the resources that God provides through faithful friends like you. To learn more about how this ministry works and how listeners like you partner with us to take God's whole word to the whole world, just visit ttb.org forward slash give or call 1-800-65-BIBLE now. Are you looking for a safe place to hide? Well, Dr. McGee said there's one secure place to run. Hear about it when the Bible bus comes back around your corner. I'm Steve Schwetz for the entire Through the Bible team. We're praying that the Lord blesses you as you walk with Him today. Our study today was made possible through your prayer and financial support. We'll meet you back here next time. In fact, we're going to do this together, Lord willing, till Jesus comes again. In which case, we'll meet you in the air.
Join us for an enlightening discussion as Dr. McGee tackles the age-old question: Why does God allow His children to suffer? Through personal anecdotes and scriptural insights, we explore the transformative power of trials and the various reactions Christians might have. Encouraging stories from around the world reinforce the message of perseverance and faith in the face of adversity, as believers learn to see God's purpose in every situation.
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Why does God allow his people to suffer?
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Why does he discipline his children? These are good and honest questions that are often asked through tears. So as we make our way through the Bible, Dr. J. Vernon McGee offers his perspective, saying, God just doesn't let you be disciplined for no purpose in the world. There's always a reason, and we can discover what that purpose is. In our last study, we learned seven reasons why God allows us to suffer. And in this study, we're going to learn four possible reactions. If you're in a trial right now, Hebrews 12 has an important message. Dr. McGee has been there too. Here's a quick intro from him on that period of time in his life.
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There is a word that I want to make clear to you at this time. I took the tape that I made before and listened to it. That tape I made at the time that I'd had two operations. My trouble had been misjudged by a doctor that I'd had. And therefore, I had to have two operations. And very candidly, I was feeling very low. And I came to this passage of scripture at that particular time, right after it, when the doctor permitted me for the first time to make tapes. And up to that time, I never thought I could make a tape on the discipline of the Lord. Well, I made it. And right now, I don't think I could make it again. And so I'm using this that came out of a real experience that I had, and I trust that it will be meaningful for you and will indeed have a message for you also.
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I appreciate Dr. McGee's sincerity, don't you? And after reading so many wonderful letters from our fellow listeners over the years, I've seen how one person's story often helps someone who's struggling with the same thing. So if you're struggling, I sure hope that these letters encourage you to press on. A faithful wife in St. Paul, Minnesota writes this. At present, I'm caring for an ailing husband who causes me to become tired. But after 60 plus years of prayer, he finally and joyfully knows the Lord as his Savior. Praise the Lord for the souls that are being won for him through your radio program. Tell others not to give up hope. Yes, if you're praying for a loved one to come to Jesus, don't give up hope. And then here's a word. This is from a listener in Henryville, Indiana. She says, He is our only hope for healing our very ill sons. I look back and can see God's hand in my life preparing me for what I now have to go through. I wish I had not wasted so many years worrying about earthly things. My husband and I listen to your program together every evening. And then finally, a listener of our Marathi program in the state of Maharashtra, India wrote this. My son is suffering from a dreaded disease. Four of the children in our area have died due to the same disease. Very depressed, I came across your program. When I heard it, my heart was filled with joy. I felt like I had discovered something new. I believe with all my heart that our Savior, Jesus Christ, came to save sinners like us. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I believe that Jesus will heal my son from sickness. Well, we're confident that God can and does heal. And we also are confident that God works all things together for good for those who love him, to them who are called according to his purpose. Even when it's hard, Dr. McGee has more to say about that in our study. Let's pray. Thank you, Father, for your grace and your mercy and the healing that you bring to people's lives. It's for your glory, Lord, that we lift up to you those who are suffering and ask for a clear sense of your nearness. We thank you, Lord, for working out your purposes in our lives. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's go to Hebrews 12 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McKee.
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Now, friends, last time we left off at the ninth verse of the twelfth chapter of Hebrews 12, And we were in this section where he is encouraging the child of God to go on and endure for the very simple reason that God does not send trouble to us as evidence of his displeasure. It may be one of the main reasons God sends troubles to us is to discipline us. And the word, as we've seen here, The word chasen means child train. And child train refers to children, the technon word they choose. And then weos refers to full-grown sons. And all of us need to be disciplined of the Lord. And as we said last time, we believe that God helped me up here and wouldn't let me do the 12th chapter of Hebrews, wouldn't finish it until I had this experience with hepatitis and I still am not free from it. But I am able now to move about. And my doctor gave me the permission to make one tape a day or two tapes every other day. And I'm grateful for that. That's all I ask the Lord to let me do. And he's heard and answered my prayer. And he's heard and answered the prayers of many of you others. And I'm convinced that the Lord has been chastening me, that he's been disciplining me. I mentioned seven reasons that God's children suffer last time. And I think that if you're an intelligent Christian, that when you are in trouble, if you're not sure why it's come, go to the Lord. Talk to him about it. And I'm sure that he'll get a message through to you and let you know why that you're in trouble. And the reason may be that he's not judging you. A judge judges us. He does that. That's punishment. But he's also our loving Heavenly Father. And he disciplines his children. In fact, he made it very clear, if he doesn't discipline you, we're an illegitimate child. Now, when I was a boy, I got in trouble and several other boys. And I saw one morning my dad crying. coming across the school yard. And when he got to the school, you know that there were several hundred children there. You know who he was after? He was after his son. And he took his son and disciplined him. He didn't discipline those hundred other children. They weren't his children. If they had been, they'd been illegitimate. But he disciplined the boy that's his boy and the boy that he loved, my heavenly father. Because my earthly father died when I was 14. And it took me a long time to get another father. And that father is my heavenly father now. And he does the same thing. He disciplines. And now this is important for God's children to know. And it's to help us endure. Now he goes on here and he says, furthermore. We've had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence. Believe me, I listened to my dad. I hadn't heard about the new psychology that you don't pay any attention to your parents or that they don't discipline you. My dad disciplined and I listened to him. Now he says, if we listen to our earthly parents, shall we not much rather be in subjection under the father of spirits and live? Now, I want to tell you, if you listen to your earthly father when he disciplines you, you better listen to your heavenly father. And he makes a suggestion here, and I think it's only a suggestion. He says, you listen, you be in subjection to the father of spirits and live. Now, what do you mean by live? Live it up? Well, I think that he meant to live the Christian life in all its fullness. But there's also the negative that's there. And that is the Heavenly Father disciplines in a very severe way sometimes. There is a sin under death. And that is a sin that a child of God can commit. And sometimes the Heavenly Father calls his child home. We're going to see that later on when we get to the epistle of 1 John, that the heavenly father sometimes takes a disobedient child home out of this world because he's disgracing him. Now he says, you better listen to your heavenly father. He's doing it in love. But if you possess him going on, he may take you home. If you want to live and live it up down here. My friend, that's the thing that I settled with the Lord when I had cancer. I said, oh God, I want to live down here. And he was good to me and he's let me live. And then when I had this last trouble, I went to him again and I knew that nothing is There are a lot of things wrong in my life. I'm sure not perfect. If you think I'm perfect, ask my wife. She can tell you differently. But I want to say to you that I want to live. And my Heavenly Father, I found out, he was just disciplining me. And I was learning a lesson. And he did it in love. And it changes the whole picture. Now, verse 10, for they, that is the earthly ones, they verily for a few days chasing us after their own pleasure. My dad died when I was 14 and no more was I under his discipline. And I think sometimes he got a little angry with me and vented his anger on me. But even then, but he did it for our profits. that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now, my dad did it for my prophet, I'm sure, but my heavenly father, he does it for my prophet down here. Now, when you listen to verse 11, and I want now to see what should be the reaction of a Christian to the discipline of God. And there are several reactions you can give. Verse 11, for instance. Now, no chastening for the present. seemeth to be joyous. And I'm willing to say that it not only doesn't seem to be joyous, it isn't joyous, but grievous. That is the experience. Nevertheless, afterward, it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Now, he wants us to profit by it in order we might be a partaker of his holiness. And I believe, friends, that there's no way in the world to make you a full-grown, and I think that's the main thought and holding this year, a full-grown child of God, living in fellowship with him, except through the discipline of God. Now, down here, why may I say that he disciplines us, and no chastening at the time is fun, but afterward, we're told, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Now, God just doesn't let you be disciplined for no purpose in the world. Just like the man that was in a funny farm. And there was a visitor there one day, and this man was beating himself on the head with a baseball bat. And so the visitor went up to him. He says, why in the world are you hitting yourself on the head with a baseball bat? Well, he says, it feels so good when I quit. Well, my friend, God just doesn't do it to you. So you're going to feel good after it's over. Now, there is a purpose, always a purpose in the discipline of God for you and me today. And my friend, that is something that I want to dwell on now for just a few moments, because I think, again, I'm in a spot where it's very, very important indeed. Now, what is your reaction when God disciplines you? Well, actually, there are four things that are mentioned in this passage of Scripture here. And I'll have to go back and pick up the others that I passed over. Back in verse 5, he says, And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint. when thou art rebuked of him. Now, he mentions here, the first thing you can do, you can despise that. That can be your reaction. That is, that means that you treat it lightly, that you get no message from it at all. You become, I would say, a fatalist. Well, everybody has trouble. I'm having trouble. And it's not meaningful to you. You don't get God's message in it at all. You just treat it lightly. You don't recognize the fact that your Heavenly Father's disciplining you in all of this. Now, that's one reaction. You can just absolutely ignore it altogether. And a great many do that. They just take it in stride and say, well, yes, I'm sick. Everybody gets sick. This happens to the human family. And they don't see any purpose in it at all. Now, that's one reaction to it. Then he mentions here something else, nor faint, you see. And there are those that take that viewpoint. I would say this is the crybaby reaction to it. You begin to cry and say, why did this happen to me? It's not worth living the Christian life. I have served the Lord, and now he's let this happen to me. And you just faint away. And there are a lot of saints that take that attitude. I have been absolutely overwhelmed because I have received, since I've been sick, over a thousand, in fact, several thousand letters from people all over this country and out of this country, throughout the world. And some of these people, they're lots worse off than I am. And some of them made me feel ashamed of myself. They've been on beds of pain for months and several for years. And they write the sweetest letters that you've ever seen. And they come from folk They've got a real victory. I'll be very frank with you. I hear about these meetings where people go and they're healed and they talk about great victories. You want to know where the great victories are being won today? Go to the hospital or go visit some dear saint that's been on the bed for months, years maybe, and listen to them talk. They make me ashamed of myself. I'll tell you that. You can faint, though, but these people don't faint. I tell you, the Lord is strengthening them. Now, he has another message here, and this is a dangerous way because it's so close to that which is true. And that is, you can endure it. Well, somebody says, that's what he says, if ye endure chastening. Yes, but these are the super-duper pious saints. I like to speak of them as like the Indian faker. And I think they're a fake or two, but a different kind of one. Over in India, he crawls up on a board filled with nails and he lies down. He doesn't have to lie down there, but he does it. And a lot of saints today, they accept this in a passive way. Oh, this is the Lord and I will endure it. You know, he never asked you to take that pessimistic, that super pious attitude toward your trouble. Why don't you go to him and ask him, Lord, why did you send this to me? There's a lesson here, and I want to learn the lesson. And not accept it in that passive manner. And I've had a few letters like that. Oh, this is something that I have endured, and I'll just go on enduring it, you know, in a passive way and complaining all the time. Now, here is the fourth one, and he mentions that here in verse 11. He says, Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Now, you can be exercised by. Did you ever take setting up exercises? I play golf on a golf course where there's a man I've got more or less acquainted with him. He jogs around the course while I play golf. And he does that to lose weight. He is inclined to be a little chubby. And so he's doing that to lose weight. He exercises, you see. Now, I've thought of that in recent days. Are you exercise when you get in trouble? when you have to suffer, when your problem comes to you, even when an enemy comes across your pathway. Have you ever stopped to ask God, why in the world did you let that fellow come across my pathway? And you know God does it for a purpose. God does all these things for a purpose. And the thing to do is to be exercised by. Paul said that he wanted to keep under his body. He wanted to exercise. Because he didn't want to come before God's presence someday and be disapproved. My friend, I don't care where you are, who you are. It's time you're taking your setting up exercises. And I mean by that, the kind of exercises that are going to put you in a position where you don't go like verse 12, wherefore lift up the hands which hang down in the feeble knees. Don't walk around through life as a Christian complaining all the time. I used to have a friend that I learned to quit asking him how he felt because he always told me how he felt. And it took him 15 minutes to tell you how he felt. And I've never met him when he ever felt good. You see, going around all the time with his hands which hang down and his feeble knees. May I say to you, my friend, somebody's watching you. How do you endure the trouble that comes to you? Do you endure it? By being exercised by, that's the important way, and that's the way we are to endure it. We'd say, my heavenly father, he's chasing in me, and there's a purpose in it. I want to learn the lesson. We start, you're setting up exercises. One, two, three. One, two, three. Lord, I'd like to know why I'm suffering this way. Now, notice, he says, make straight paths for your feet. lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. And I'll be very frank with you, I've never been quite clear just what he meant by this. Make straight paths for your feet. Are you to walk the straight path that the weak saint might follow in your footsteps? Or are you to walk the straight path? So that you don't get in the habit of limping through life. And there are a lot of lame brain Christians today. They complain, they criticize, and they're no witness for God at all. And yet they appear very superposed. Now he continues on here, follow peace with all men. Be encouraged and be at peace with all men. That is, with all that you can be at peace. Because some people just won't be at peace. And holiness. Follow peace with all man, that is, with all Christian man. Make this a big cross-country race that we're in today, where a lot of us are running the Christian life today. And holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Now, if that means that I've got to produce holiness, then I'm going to give up, because I don't have any. But the peace that I've got came through the blood of Christ, being justified by faith. I have peace with God. And if I got any holiness, he's been made unto me righteousness. And he is my righteousness. And that's what I'm expecting to see. God, if I get in his presence, it'll be just because Christ died for me. And that's encouraging, friends. That makes me want to get out and run the Christian race. Now, he says, "...looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God." Now, the grace of God is available. And all the grace that you need, God has plenty as a surplus of it. But you've got to avail yourself of it. Have you gone to him, Christian friend, and talked to him? Talk to him, oh yes, reverently, but talk to him like he's your father and tell him about yourself. Tell him you need grace. I cried out to him for grace. Oh boy, did I need it. And I want to say to you, we all need grace. And it's available, but you've got to apply for it. You've got to. Ask him for it. It's available. Don't fail of the grace of God. And if you do, I'll tell you what will happen. Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and there many be defiled. You know, one critical, ugly saint in a church can just spoil a whole church. Just like one apple in a barrel of apples just ruins all of them. And that is the thing that can happen. And the thing to do is you're to ask God for grace to endure whatever it is. And don't become bitter, Christian friend, toward anyone or any circumstance, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Now, my time is up today, but I'm going to finish this chapter, hopefully, next time. So until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
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As Dr. McGee said, when suffering comes, ask the Lord to give you a glimpse into the purpose for which he's allowing this suffering in your life. Ask, how can I cooperate with you, Lord? If you want to explore this topic a bit more, why don't you download Dr. McGee's booklet, Why Do God's Children Suffer? It's available anytime at ttb.org. Another way that you can dig a little deeper in Hebrews is by downloading our free Bible Companion for Hebrews in our app or at ttb.org. And for those who have been waiting for our Bible Companions to be available in a printed format, wait no longer, my friend. We've heard your request. And you can now purchase Dr. McKee's New Testament Bible Companions in softcover at ttb.org or when you call 1-865-BIBLE. Again, that's ttb.org or 1-865-BIBLE. And when you get yours, why don't you tell us what you think, especially if you're using them for a small group study. They're perfect for that. Now, as we go, I want to remind you that your letters, they really do mean a lot to us. So why don't you take a minute and tell us how God's helping you through your daily study of His Word. You can leave your note through our app. You can email BibleBus at ttb.org. Of course, you can always write that letter to ThroughTheBible, Box 7100.com. Pasadena, California, 91109, or in Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. You can also call and leave a message at 1-800-65-BIBLE. Dr. McGee once again reminds us to get our eyes off the church, off our organizations, and off any other person. And instead, let's look to Jesus. Hear more next time as the Bible bus rolls along.
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All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.
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We're grateful for the faithful and generous support of Through the Bible's partners, whom God uses to take the whole word to the whole world.
This episode of Through the Bible brings listeners face-to-face with the realities faced by numerous biblical figures who walked by faith despite trials. Come, listen, and learn why enduring life's challenges with an unwavering faith is not just a biblical teaching but a transformative experience. You'll also hear letters from our prayer team, sharing their journeys and the profound impact this ministry has had on their lives—a testament to the persistent, uplifting power of faith.
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When you come to Jesus in faith, when your eyes are open to the gospel, and you find out who Jesus is and believe it, well, it's nothing short of amazing. But as great as that day is, when you pick up your cross every day and follow Christ faithfully over a lifetime, right to the finish line, that's just as amazing. But don't let anyone tell you it's easy. I believe that's why God is so gracious to include so much encouragement in His Word. Don't grow weary in Ephesians or fight the good fight in 2 Timothy. Press on. Persevere. Hebrews, our focus right now in our five-year journey through the entire Word of God, has encouragement for the weary, too. In a word, it's hope, a hope that's alive and real. Well, thanks for traveling with us on Through the Bible. I'm your host, Steve Schwetz, and our teacher is Dr. J. Vernon McGee, and he's in the Hope chapter of Hebrews, Chapter 12. We'll be encouraged to stay at it, to keep in the race that is the Christian life, and our motivation is none other than Jesus Christ himself. So grab your copy of God's Word and hop aboard the Bible bus. And while you find your seat, let's hear a few letters from our fellow passengers. First, we got an email from Lynn. I'm a World Prayer Team member, and I love hearing from people all over the world, Lynn says. She goes on, It's a joy to hear their letters telling us how much they love getting the truth from God's Word when they listen through the Bible. I love hearing how they listen and how God brought that method to them. He is so amazing. I'm so thankful God has provided for us so that we are able to support this great ministry. Well, thanks for that support, Lynn, and for the encouragement. Here's a letter. This is from Mayella, and she had this to share. Being a part of the World Prayer Team has brought great joy to me. I feel a part of the body of Christ as I join with believers all across the world, praying for others in places far and near. Since I don't have a local church to attend, I am blessed to be able to listen to your sound biblical teaching and to be a part of getting the gospel out. I look forward to the next destination. And you know, I always look forward to our prayer team destinations, so thanks for writing. Our next note comes to us from a listener in New York who says this. Being a member of the World Prayer Team has opened my eyes to how privileged we are in the United States to worship freely, at least for now. It has also shown me that many people in other areas will risk their lives and safety to know His Word. Finally, it makes me so very thankful for this ministry. Without it, I would still be in my ritualistic church and in total ignorance of the Bible and even right and wrong. May God continue to bless this ministry in its entirety until He comes. Well, would you like to join our world prayer team as we travel the world on our knees? Together, we pray for one country at a time, asking God to make himself known to all who hear his word. And I don't know if you picked up on it, but every testimony we read today, that person was on our world prayer team. To sign up, visit ttb.org forward slash pray or call 1-865-BIBLE for some more information. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word and our freedom that we have to study it. We ask that you'd help us to grasp the depth and breadth of your grace and then to find hope in Jesus, in whose name we pray.
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Amen.
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Here's Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Hebrews 12 on Through the Bible.
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Now, maybe you do not need the review. But I do. You heard the program last time, and I made that some time ago. So I have to review, and you'll forgive me if I just bring us up to date. In the 11th chapter of Hebrews. we saw a list of men and women who, under all circumstances and all walks of life, under all conditions, in the different time periods of the history of this world, who lived by faith, who walked by faith, who had been saved by faith. by faith. And they're witnesses unto us. And now in the 12th chapter, it is the great hope chapter. You see chapter 11 is the faith chapter. Chapter 12 is the hope chapter. Chapter 13 will be the love chapter. And He calls us now to lay aside every weight and every sin and let's get out on the race course of life and let you and I live for God today, right now. This is real. This is reality we're dealing with. This is right now. We are the now generation. This is something you can incorporate in your life now. And we're to keep looking unto Jesus. And having said that to us, and having said what he did about him, in verse 3, where we begin today now, he says, "...for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." Now we are called to endure and we are to consider him. I am going to say something next time in connection with this section. But let me just mention this at this time. These people have come out of a religion that had a tremendous ritual and a great temple. The temple of Herod, though it was not completed, even up to the time it was destroyed in 70 AD, was a thing of beauty and awe-inspiring. And there was a great ritual that went with that. It had been a God-given religion at the beginning, and it had been debauched and prostituted by this time. But nevertheless, if you go in for religion, they had it. Now they are giving up all of that, and they don't go through all that religion. They have now come to consider him. That is, it's Christ and he is everything. He's the temple. He's the ritual. He's Christianity, friends. He's it all. And there was a simplicity about this. Next time, I want to talk a little about the simplicity that we hear today in Christ and all this believing-ism that's going around. But the important thing is there was this simplicity in Christ, and they now are to consider him. First of all, there to know he endured when he was down here, and he learned patience. And we were told at the beginning of this epistle, in that section that presented his humanity, that he learned a great many things down here, though he's God, but in the flesh. He learned something that actually God had experienced, and that was to take on our humanity and suffer for us. And he endured, and he learned patience. And now he says, "...consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." Now, my friend, may I say this to you very candidly today? I want to be very careful. And it's this. Unless you stay close to the word of God, which will keep you close to the person of Christ, where the Holy Spirit can take the things of Christ and make them real to you, you're going to get weary in the Christian life and you're going to faint in your mind. That's the reason there's so many discouraged Christians around today. My friend, you come to the Word of God and get close to Jesus Christ, and you're going to be encouraged. And you're not going to be wearied about this life down here. We're living in the greatest days that there ever has been. Notice verse 4. He says here, "...ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." Now, that simply means this. At this time, the temple was not destroyed. Persecution that was going to come from the Gentiles, the Roman Empire, had not yet broken upon believers. And he's saying to them, you just haven't yet resisted under blood, though you're having your problems and trouble. The only cure for your weakness and your weariness and your faltering and your failing and your stumbling and your discouragement is to consider him. Consider Christ. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Now, verse 5, he continues this. And ye have forgotten the exhortation. which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. Now, there's several things here that I think we need to look at. First of all, he's quoting from Proverbs, the third chapter, verse 11 and 12. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord. Neither be weary of his correction, for whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth, even as the Father of the Son, in whom he delighteth. Now consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners. And in doing that, he says, you've forgotten now their only resource was Christ and not a temple, not a ritual, not a religion. They were almost outcasts at this time. And he's saying here, don't forget this exhortation from God that he speaks to his children. And by the way, I would also say that the word children is used here. That's one word. And then we have five references now, and the word son is used. And that's a different word. Now, the word son is weos, and it means a full-grown son. There are a great many saints today that do not think they need to be disciplined. This is for mature saints, people that have been at this a long time. And this is where I came in, by the way. I came to the place that I didn't need to be disciplined anymore, that I'd come a long ways, and the Lord put me flat on my back and let me know that there was some more discipline to be done. But notice what he says. "'My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faith when thou art rebuked of him.'" Now, this is a marvelous verse. In fact, it's a great verse. And we need to notice another word here, and that's the word chastening. And that word chastening is a little different word than we think of it. We think that it's punishment. And I want to say this to you, that the word chastening here is paduo, and it means child training. or discipline. You see, the Lord disciplines his children. He's going to make that perfectly clear here, that he disciplines his own. So let me read this section here, and I'll come back to it. "...For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?" For if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. That's strong language. But some of the church members need to hear this passage of Scripture today. It's an important passage of Scripture. Let me say this. The question is sometimes asked, and it's a very pertinent question, why do the righteous suffer? This is the thing that I got into during this period, which I've been confined to my home. And all I've been able to do is just lie flat on my back most of the time. And the rest of the time, I've been permitted to study. I want to go into this. I've done this in depth. And I would love to pass this on to you because I'm speaking out of an experience. God's children suffer. Let's put that down as an axiom of Scripture. The Bible doesn't argue that. The Bible just says that's true. Why do the righteous suffer? Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of them all. You remember in the book of Job, we're told that man's born under trouble as the sparks fly upward. And the Lord Jesus said, in the world, you're going to have trouble, but be a good cheer. I've overcome the world. And even Paul says, if any man will live a life today in Christ Jesus. He's going to suffer persecution. Why do God's people suffer? Now, there's no pat answer for that. No little one verse of scripture answers that at all. I have gone through the scripture and I have listed seven reasons why God's children suffer. I'm going to mention those. And I hope I'm able to cover all these today because I think they're very important. First of all, let me say that we, as God's children and as sons, mature sons, we suffer, many of us, for our own stupidity and our own sins. Let me read one verse of Scripture, 1 Peter 2.20. For what glory is it if when ye be buffeted for your faults, and that word's harmitano, that means a sin where you miss the mark. You just don't quite make it. Ye shall take it patiently. He says there's nothing to that. That's no value because a lot of times you and I suffer because we played the fool. How many of you listening to me today that years ago you invested some of your savings in a wildcat oil well down in Texas? I was pastor down there for many years. I can tell you about a whole lot of folk down there that have a dry well today. Actually, I know one man that he and his family are practically in want. He suffered, but he suffered because he actually played the fool. I know another man right here in Los Angeles. He came into me and he says, you know, McGee, I have certainly played the fool. Well, I said, what'd you do? Well, he said, my wife and I, we haven't been getting along too well recently, and in the office, she's not my secretary, she's a very attractive woman, she was very sympathetic with me, and she had to work one evening, and I had to work, and I'd call my wife, and I had to work, and all of a sudden it occurred to me it'd be nice if we went out for dinner. I said, frankly, we didn't do anything other than just go out to dinner. And he says, we sat and he said, very frankly, it was a very friendly sort of a dinner. And he said, the wrong person was in that restaurant and saw us and called my wife. And it never went any farther. It might have. But he said this to me, I played the fool. You know, a lot of saints suffer because of their stupidity. And then a second reason we suffer is for taking a stand for the truth and righteousness. And I'll guarantee you, if you take a stand for the truth and righteousness, you're going to suffer. And how many men and women could testify to that today? And that's in 1 Peter 3, 14. But, and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid of their terror, neither be trouble. So that's another reason some of the saints are suffering today. They've taken a stand. They did it deliberately, and they're standing for God. Now you can play the fool in that connection. I know a man that came to me and told me that where he worked, everybody was his enemy, and it's because he stood up for God. Well, one of the men who was an official in that concern, I asked him about it because he was a Christian, and he told me what he did, how this man tried to lecture everybody, even during work hours. He'd go and begin talking to somebody who's busy, and that wasn't the place to witness. And he said that he'd made himself an absolute nuisance. Now, he wasn't really suffering because he took a stand for truth and righteousness. He was just stupid. That's all. I mean that you take a stand today for that which is right without making a fool of yourself. You don't have to do that. Take a stand for righteousness and you'll suffer for it. Now, there's a third reason. You can suffer for sin in your life. Paul says, if we would judge ourselves, we'd not be judged. Now, if you and I won't deal with sin in our life, I'll tell you this, if you're his child, he'll deal with it. He'll judge you. Now, the fourth reason you can suffer for the past sins of your life. Be not deceived, God's not mocked. Whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. If you sow to the flesh, you shall of flesh reap corruption. Now, he's talking to believers. Best illustration I have of that is one time that We had Mel Trotter. He was a converted drunkard years ago in Nashville, Tennessee. And after the service, went to a place called Candyland. Rest of us got big sodas, you know, malts. And he got a little glass of soda water. And they began to kid him about it. And he made this statement. When the Lord gave me a new heart, he didn't give me a new stomach. He was suffering because of that. And so that's another reason. And then there's a fifth reason. And that's a very lofty, high reason. And you find that in the book of Job. Job suffered because he was demonstrating to Satan and the demon world and to the angels of heaven that he was not a time server, that every man does not have his price, and that he loved God for himself alone. And I hope I never am put in that place. Then there is a sixth reason. We mentioned that before. It was in the 11th chapter of Hebrews. Some demonstrated their faith And there was great victories won. Some were delivered from the sword. But he also says some were slain with the sword. I think of the French Huguenots. They went into battle. They all knew they'd be slain. But they went into battle singing, If God be for us, who can be against us? You see, they suffered for their faith. Now I come to the seventh and the last one. That's what we have here. It's for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Now, that's different. Word chasten, as we've said, is child training, means discipline. That's not punishment. You see, a judge punishes, a father chastens, and he does it in love. Punishment is to uphold the law. God uses chastening to demonstrate how much he loves you. And he makes it very clear you're an illegitimate child if you're not chastened to the Lord. A great many people say, oh, why did God let this happen to me? I must not be a Christian. My friend, the best proof you are a child of God is the fact that you suffer. And it's severe and it hurts. And that's what he goes on to say here in verse 11. Now, no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. We'll talk about that later. It's sort of like the boy that his father said to him before he whipped him. He said, son, this is going to hurt me more and it hurts you. And the boy says, yes, dad, but not in the same place. God chastens his children. I don't think he gets any particular joy out of it, but it's because you and I need that. Now, I want to give this personal testimony because this is such an important section that we're in. And then I'm through for the day. You will forgive me for being personal. When I had cancer several years ago, my first question to the Lord was, why? It didn't take me long to discover why. It was my Heavenly Father punishing me. That was punishment. I know that now. And I got things squared away with the Lord. I was a hard-headed child of God, you know. And so when I began this radio ministry, and everything has gone so wonderful, and I came back off this trip feeling so good, and then I'm knocked down With not only the diverticulosis, but hepatitis. And the doctor says, you stay there on your back. Don't you leave the place. And I stayed there for three weeks. I want to say to you, I learned something. I'd like to pass this on to you. He wasn't judging me this time. Because I keep my account short with God. I get him straightened out about every day. I fail him. And I'm still this hard-headed. I guess I ever was. But I go to him and I confess it. I believe I'm in the will of God. I went to him and cried this time. And I said, Lord, why in the world do you let this happen to me? I want to go on with my program. And he put me flat on my back. He says, you're my son. I'm your father. And there's a lot of things you don't know and a lot of lessons you haven't learned. You may have the notion that your ministry today is essential and that I can't get along without you. After all, how did I get along without you before you got here? And you think that these conferences that you had to cancel and I had to cancel? Friends, over a dozen conferences. Oh, I cried out to God because I wanted to make them all. Some of them up in the Northwest. And I love those people up there. And I wanted to go up there. And the Lord said, no, you're not going. You're going to lie here. You're going to learn something. You're going to find out something that I'm your father. And that you've got to learn to endure for me. You do not know how to rest. You do not know how to wait on me. And you know, I've been lying flat on my back most of the time looking up. And it took me a long time. I crawled up in bed and I said, all right, father, you want me to lie here? I'll lie here. I want to learn the lesson that you have for me. You know, he's a wonderful father. our Heavenly Father. And we're going to talk a little more about this next time, because personally, I think this is pretty important at this time. So until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
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Some of you may also be lying flat on your back looking up. If so, you'll want to join us next time as we hear four possible reactions to the Lord's discipline in our lives and how to respond in a constructive way. In the meantime, a resource that may also be helpful for you is Dr. McGee's booklet, Why Do God's Children Suffer? It's available for free as a download at ttb.org. And while you're there, be sure to look up other booklets by Dr. McGee that are based on Hebrews 11. Another one is called Firm Up Your Faith, How to Have Confidence in God. In it, Dr. McGee asks some personal and pointed questions like, Have you come to God convinced intellectually, convicted emotionally, and have you taken the active step of trusting Him as your Savior? As we're learning in this five-year journey through God's entire Word, That is the definition of real faith. These are just a couple of the many resources we offer that we think will deepen your personal study of God's Word. So if you'd like to browse our entire library, you can download our app or visit ttb.org or call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE if we can help you find something specific. You can also write to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. in Canada Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. I'm Steve Schwetz, and as we go, here are a few words from Hebrews 12 to encourage you. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. We're grateful for our committed listening family who faithfully pray and invest in Through the Bible as we together take the whole word to the whole world.
