I'm going to read in your hearing now Hebrews 12 verses 14 to 29, although my focus in this message is going to be verse 25 and Lord willing verses 26 and 27 this afternoon. But to hear what we've considered and what we will consider and what we hope to consider, I'm going to read these verses now. Follow peace with all men. and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any word of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For you know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no place of repentance, nor he sought it carefully with tears. For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor into blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they that 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 touched the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. Which here come unto Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church. of the firstborn which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenants, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh, for if they escape not who refuse him that speak on earth? Much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. whose voice then shook the earth, but now he is promising yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet once more signifies the removing of those things that are shaken as of the things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. for our God is a consuming fire. May God bless again His word to your blessing. You may be seated. One of the many amazingly foolish and false ideas that can be both seen and heard today is the amazingly foolish and false idea that the unique and only written word of God, the Holy Bible, is both irrelevant to the 21st century man and not needed in 21st century America. For even though the Bible is the unique and only written word of God and is the most printed book in history, how many in America, even in the church, so-called, We'll make sure they check their email or Facebook page daily, even more than once each day, but have, are, and will continue to go days, to go weeks, to go months, to go even years without any real personal interaction with the Word of God written, the Holy Bible. And they will even see they're not reading, not studying, and not applying the Bible personally as nothing serious. Cleaning the lint screen in their dryers is of a higher importance. Not that you shouldn't regularly clean the lint screen of your dryer. But it would not surprise me if a question on the census planned for next year Had the question, do you have a Bible in your home? And this question was asked on the last census that the number would be lower today, even though the population in America is larger. But in the homes where there is a Bible, how many could locate that copy if asked to? And how many of the covers of those Bibles would create an interior dust storm if they were taken off the shelf they were on? Not only this, but how many books printed and available in America's public libraries teach things that directly contradict the Bible? Not only this, but how many halls of higher learning are calling me, asking me, a believer in the truth of the Word of God, to teach a course in the Bible? Pagan America can fight all they want over whether to say or not say the Pledge of Allegiance. But the majority repeating the words, one nation under God, are not referring to the God of the Bible. Because what does the Lord, what does the Lord Jesus Christ ask his heavenly Father to do for those believing on him, having come to him for acceptance with God that is found only through him? Sanctify them by thy truth. Thy word is truth. The words of the prophet Amos are words being seen in pagan America today. And how much of the paganized pseudo-church in America? Amos 8, 11, and 12. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea and from north even to east. They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it. But all this having been said, if you have truly come in true repentance and faith to the Lord Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new covenant in His once-shed blood, you know, you know, you know there is no more practical and relevant book for your new life in Christ than the Holy Bible, the Word of God. And this can be seen In so many verses, but it can be seen by the verse I have reached in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 25. See that you refuse not him that speaketh, 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 why does this one verse display the Bible's uber relevance in supreme practicality today, July the 14th, 2019, believer? because this one verse warns you not to turn away from listening to the living true and only God who has spoken to mankind finally and forever through his beloved son. As the second verse of this letter declares back in chapter 1, reading verse 1 for the context, God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. Aoristens, full stop. Finished action, past time. The living God, the true God, the only God, has spoken from heaven, believer. And He's spoken from heaven about His beloved Son. This is My beloved Son. With Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him. Hear Him. Come to Him. Follow Him. See that you refuse not Him that speaketh from heaven. Everyone who has not come to Christ, confessed Christ, and is not following Christ, is not listening to God. Because friends, who has God finally and forever spoken through? His only begotten son. Revealed and declared in the scriptures, something you should clearly see in this book of Hebrews if you're reading and studying it correctly. And hopefully I've opened it up before you to see this truth. Now this one verse is a compound sentence. What do I mean by a compound sentence? Oh no, not more grammar. What do I mean by a compound sentence? But notice, before the Holy Spirit, author, finishes his warning, see that you refuse not him that speaketh from heaven, he gives you the historical example of Old Covenant Israel. and how they did not escape. When they thought they could play fast and loose with the covenant, they said they would keep. Friends, God kept his side of the covenant as repeatedly seen, and what happened to them repeatedly for rejecting the covenant, they said they would keep. Now, the writer gives warnings more than once in this letter as to the extreme folly of turning back from seeing the Lord Jesus Christ as God's fulfilled and final word to mankind. Why? Because of the real world you live in, believer. Because of the real world that you live in, believer, The real world that you were saved out of by the amazing grace and mercy of God. A world that labors to get you to see the Bible as irrelevant and unnecessary, especially in the 21st century, when you can have a smartphone in your pocket. Especially the truth it declares about the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if the church's understanding of this letter is correct, which I have no problem seeing it being correct, due to how focused this letter is on showing how Jesus is superior and the fulfillment of all the types and shadows seen in what are the old covenant scriptures. But what were the believers that the writer of Hebrews was writing to being tempted to do by the unbelieving lost religious Jews around them? They were being tempted to return to the now ended old covenants. But by returning to these types and shadows that we're still foolishly engaged in, friends, until the Lord destroyed the temple in 70 A.D., what would returning to them have been a denial of, a rejection of? That God has finally and forever spoken to mankind through his beloved Son. It would have been a denial of the truth that the Messiah had come. They would have been saying he still had to come, but they're still following all the now ended types and shadows. As I've said before, what did they do when the temple of the curtain was torn in two, literally from above? Man, they must have had a lot of duct tape. God spoke to Old Covenant Israel through Moses. And what did Moses say prophetically about Christ in Deuteronomy 18 verses 15 to 19? The truth of the Word of God mediated through the Word made flesh. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me. Unto him ye shall hearken. According to all that thou desires to the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God. Rather, let me see this great fire anymore that I die not. See, they couldn't even withstand the truth of the word of God being spoken audibly to them from the mount. And so God met with them and he said, This is what I'll do. I'll incarnate my word in my beloved son. Verse 17, And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which I have spoken. I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. Believer never forget or be ashamed of the truth that Jesus Christ is the final word of the living true and only God of heaven to mankind. He's the final prophet. Muhammad is a false prophet. Because the final prophet is the Lord Jesus Christ. Never forget or be ashamed of the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ is the final word of the living true and only God of heaven to all mankind. Now, other ways the words see that ye at the beginning of verse 25 of Hebrews 12 could be translated are with the words take heed or beware. Galatians 5.15, but ye bite and devour one another. Take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Philippians 3.2, beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Colossians 2.8, beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. The words Take heed and beware of the same Greek word. And then in Hebrews 3.12, you have it translated this way. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief departing from the living God. Take heed, beware that you refuse not him that speaketh from heaven. This is again, it's an imperative. It's a second person plural imperative, meaning it's for all true believers in Christ. It's another, what I call, gospel imperative that believers can use and do use to show that they're true believers by following it, by taking it to heart, and remembering it, and applying it. Now, the foolish and dangerous teachers who believe that someone for whom Christ truly shed his once shed precious blood, they'll use such statements to teach that this must mean it is possible for someone for whom Christ died to perish. Now, why they would want to believe this heresy is a mystery to me. But friends, Does the presence of a gospel imperative, which this verse is, and warning mean that someone for whom Christ died can perish? Absolutely not. For what do those who do not heed the gospel imperatives and warnings of Scripture show? That they were never a true believer. Because what do true believers in Christ do? They believe the imperatives and warnings of the New Testament and they apply them. Because, to give a very simple example, how does a person show that he believes a warning at a gas station not to smoke or light a match while filling his gas tank? How does he show he believes that warning? By not smoking or lighting a match. Does the presence of that warning not to do it mean he will do it? No! Only fools disregard true warnings. And true believers in Christ are not fools. A true believer reads the gospel imperatives and warnings of scripture and doesn't say, this means I can lose my salvation. No, he says, this is a warning. This is a warning that I will heed and pay attention to, showing that I am a true redeemed saint of the Lord because of the real world that I live in. That is at war against my confession of Christ. Will all those for whom Christ died in the definite covenant of redemption persevere unto the end? Absolutely. But how do you display this truth, believer? You take the gospel imperative seriously and personally. You don't say, once saved, always saved, and I'm not going to concern myself with any of the uber practical warnings of the Bible. No, you take them personally and you take them seriously because you know you were saved out of and still live in a world that mocks and rejects the truth that the living, true, and only God not only spoke to the nation of Israel under the old covenant, but has spoken finally and forever in the new covenant in His Son. Believer, what does the book of Judges repeatedly and clearly show you? Not only the long suffering of God with Old Covenant Israel, because it was through Old Covenant Israel that the Savior of the world would come. as God raised up judges to deliver them. But the number of times Old Covenant Israel was judged by God for forsaking Him and the terms of the Old Covenant. Why did they spend 70 years of captivity in Babylon? Because they did not keep the Old Covenant. Why did they eventually cease as a nation? Because they rejected the one, the old covenant they never kept should have pointed them to. The very prophet that Moses said the Lord would raise up for them. But when God did, they said, we will not have this man to reign over us. Friends, God is a covenant keeping God according to the terms of that covenant. How do you know? How do you know, without ever taking a single course in meteorology, that this earth is never going to experience a flood like it did in Noah's day? How do you know that, believer? You know that, or you should know that. How do you know that? Because Hurricane Barry has been downgraded to a tropical storm or depression? No. What covenant sign does God display to all mankind after a storm when the conditions are right? His rainbow. For although I think the primary focus of this warning verse is using the examples of the prophets that the Lord repeatedly raised up to warn rebellious and unbelieving Old Covenant Israel, what does Peter call Noah, a preacher of righteousness? Did the world of Noah's day escape the consequences of their rejecting and probably ridiculing the message Noah preached? No. But how do you know, believer, that that's never going to happen again on this earth? Every time you see that rainbow. You can say, my God's a covenant-keeping God, and there'll never be a flood like there was in Noah's day. Purified by fire, yes, that's a different issue. But there will never be another flood like there was in Noah's day. Did old covenant Israel escape being taken into captivity even as their false prophets said things would continue on as they were, preaching peace, peace, when there was no peace? No. And God is repeatedly recorded in the biblical gospels as speaking from heaven about and to his beloved son. See that you not beware, thus you not receive the word of God from heaven. And what is the word of God from heaven, brethren, to all mankind today, regardless of who they are? This is my beloved son. With him I am well. Please listen to him. Hear him. That's God's word to all mankind. Hear Him, listen to Him, and what does His beloved Son say? Come unto Me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What does His beloved Son say? I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh to the Father except through Me. What does the Son say? Unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins. Listen to Him. And that's just three. The writer is warning the believing Jews he is writing to, to what succumbing to the temptation to return to the now obsolete old covenant and the symbols of the now obsolete old covenant that were soon to be destroyed would be saying that God is not spoken finally and forever through the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what a return to Judaism would have meant. God hasn't spoken finally and forever in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Messiah has not come, which is what sadly Orthodox unbelieving Jews sadly think today. Now, as I said, a true regenerate believer will thank God for this warning. See that you refuse not. Take heed that you refuse not. Beware that you refuse not him who has spoken from heaven, who has revealed from heaven that the only one you or anyone else should be listening to is his beloved son. You see, true believers apply the gospel imperatives and the gospel warnings for who does the Holy Spirit inspire writer include in his warning. Who does he include, friends? He uses the personal pronoun, we. He includes himself. If we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. If we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. As I've said, a strong argument, some even say a conclusive argument can be made for Paul being the author of Hebrews. If it was Paul, notice how he does not exclude himself from this warning. And what does the saved apostle Paul say about himself in Philippians 3.12? Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I am also apprehended of Christ Jesus. Or in 1 Corinthians 9, 24 to 27, know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every one that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible, but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainty so fight I, not as one that beateth the air, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest, yet by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." Believer, the world, the flesh, and the devil are still your sworn enemies. And only your physical death or the return of the Lord will put an end to their assaults against you and your personal confession of faith. So what do you do when they assault you and wear you down? You remember and apply the gospel imperatives, including the gospel imperatives that are warning you like this verse does. See that you do not turn away from the one who speaks from heaven. When the world, the flesh, and the devil come in like a flood, assaulting your confession of faith in Christ, you don't succumb to their assaults. You tell yourself, God has spoken finally and forever in His beloved Son. This is my beloved Son. With Him, I am well pleased. Am I going to deny that? Am I going to reject that? No. What does His Son say? He who comes to Him I will in no wise cast out. So I'm not going to refuse or reject the truth that Jesus is the only way to meet God safely or the truth that all mankind are going to stand before God either clothed in His righteousness alone or not. Because no one is going to escape meeting God. No one is going to escape meeting God, the living, true, the only God, the God of the scriptures, but who is the only one who makes his people able to stand before God, who is described as a consuming fire in the last verse of this chapter, who's the only one who enables you to stand safely before the living God, believer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Believer, you should be thanking the Lord for the practical nature of his written word, especially this verse. God knows the world He has saved you out of. Take heed that ye refuse not Him that speaketh from heaven." Oh, you don't actually believe that the Bible is the Word of God. It's the 21st century, man. You don't actually believe that God speaks to you through His Word and His beloved Son. And one of the ways you take heed, believer, is to face and remember that there have been, there are, and there will continue to be never-ending assaults against the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ and the new covenant in his blood is the final word from God to all mankind. What are the idolatries of deism and pantheism that I mentioned in the earlier hour, assaults against this truth? Take heed, believer, that you do not allow the false and idolatrous views of idolaters to trip you up and think that God has not spoken, finally and forever, through His beloved Son. When the foolish and deceived atheist pontificates on there not being a God, you say, something that does not exist cannot speak to me through His Son, but He does. I would be a fool to give any credence to this tool of the devil. That's what they are. Especially in light of the verses I hope to look at this afternoon. How powerful is the word of God, the voice of the Lord. He can shake the earth. He can shake the heavens. I'm going to disagree with the voice of God. I'm not insane. The world thinks I am, but I don't think I am. When false prophets and teachers and those deceived by them, like the deceived followers of Joseph Smith, the Mormons, or Muslims, the deceived followers of the false prophet Muhammad, talk about their new holy books, their new revelations, their new truths from God. You don't turn away from God's final word to mankind and the Lord Jesus Christ, His beloved Son. regardless of how many do and how many listen to false prophets like Joseph Smith and Muhammad, and I could name many more. Jesus Christ is God's final word to mankind. And the writer of Hebrews has been revealing and declaring things about Him. When someone, regardless of how popular or powerful they are, declares something that is not true about Christ Jesus in his person or work, you do not turn away to listen to them. But you see them for what they are. They're tools of the devil. tempting you to turn away from the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ or one sent by the Lord to test you and refine your faith, believer, and show you that the faith you profess is a living and true faith, not a dead and false faith. How? By applying the gospel imperative and warning of this one verse, because how many stony ground hearers Well, turn away from the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way of acceptance with God, should the Lord remove His restraints on the gospel-denying ecumenicists who hate the message that salvation is found in no one else but the Lord Jesus Christ. When rather than being annoyed at us, it moves up to persecution. How many stony ground hearers say, well, I don't want to suffer persecution for the truth that Jesus is the final word from God. I don't want to suffer persecution for the fact that Jesus is the only way back to God. How many, friends, how many have been taught that they should come to Christ to escape the great tribulation that so many think is coming, so that they can be raptured out? and not strengthened to stand fast in these evil days and say, here I stand. Jesus is the only way to God. And if it costs me everything in this life, by God's grace, I'm not going to deny it. Take heed that you do not refuse him who speaks from heaven. Dear friends, How many hate the truth that salvation is found in no one else but the Lord Jesus Christ? How many follow the example of the false teacher Joel Osteen? Who on national television said, well, Jesus is the only way for me. But I'm not going to pontificate on whether or not Jesus is the only way for anyone else. I'm not willing to stand for the offense of the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The words of Christ are an offense to Joel Osteen. What words? I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, and no man cometh unto the Father except through me. He's a false teacher who has never truly come to Christ, regardless of the numbers who listen to Him, because those who have truly come to Christ do not deny what the apostles were persecuted for and martyred for. What were they martyred for? That Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father, and they were not going to bow their knees to any of the false idolatries in first century Rome. And if you don't think America is idolatrous, just think of all the universalist churches in Massachusetts, who are outright Christ deniers. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. How many, or hell? Oh, how many will show themselves to be stony ground hearers when agreeing with what Jesus teaches on any subject becomes the difference between keeping a job or getting a promotion. All those social justice warriors out there, friends, they find out that you believe the Bible, they're not going to like you. What? Refuse to confess the truth? And who the Lord Jesus Christ is and always will be? God's final word to mankind? Turn away from the truth about who the Lord Jesus Christ is and alone can be? Who do you think I am? A non-believer? No. I hope you're not. But I'm just presenting the truth of what a true believer will never do. A true believer will never ignore the imperative gospel warnings of the scripture and treat them as if they have no application to them. Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path in this unbelieving world, Lord. Thank you for this gospel imperative and warning because it reminds me of the truth that I'm not yet home. I'm not yet home. But I'm still a soldier and a pilgrim in a world controlled by a devil that will rejoice. He would rejoice if he could get one true believer to believe that the warnings of the Bible are not applicable to him. God will understand if I deny his son. God will understand if I reject the Lord Jesus Christ. God will understand if I don't bow the knee to King Jesus. Yes. He'll understand that you're a Christ denier and a hater of his son. Oh, believer, you're in a world where the devil walks around looking for one. I'm convinced, friends, if the devil could get one true believer to deny Christ, he'd be happy in hell forever because there'd be one empty seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb. One empty seat would make the devil happy. There's not going to be any empty seats because true believers heed the warnings of the Word of God. Take heed that you do not listen to the God who was spoken finally and forever through his beloved Son. This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him. Hear Him. The devil would rejoice if he could get one true believer to believe that the warnings of the Bible are not applicable to them. Are they applicable to you? Who are you listening to today? Let us pray. Oh Lord our God, how we thank you for your word. We need it today, we will need it every day that you give us life in this world. Because we wage a war against the world, the flesh, and the devil. A world that does not believe your word, a devil that hates your word, and even our own flesh. And so we ask, O Lord, that we would take to heart the truth of your word. When you tell us, as you have repeatedly, that you have spoken finally and forever to mankind through your son, we rejoice in that truth because when we embrace it and confess it and believe it, we can simply say, I don't have to go anywhere else. Why would I want to go anywhere else? I've come to the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. Through him alone is life eternal. And so we thank you for that wonderful gospel, the gospel of your son. And I pray for each one who has heard me that they would take to heart this warning should days become difficult and they could become very difficult days in these ecumenical times when which everything is acceptable but the truth of your gospel. So I pray that you would strengthen us in these evil days. to rejoice in the truth that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, that all you reveal about your son is truth we want to embrace, confess, and hold on to because he is the truth. And we thank you for the truth of who your son is, our one and only Savior, our one and only Lord. May we know that in greater measure even in the days ahead should confessing this truth cost us more than it ever has. Lord, our times are in your hands. We would want our times to be nowhere else, so you know what we're capable of withstanding in these evil days. All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose, the purpose of glorifying your son. Lord, make us a people who rejoice in being able to glorify the savior of the world, even our savior, in whose name we pray, amen.