the Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Seventeen - F Oct 06, 2019 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T004_20191006.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Heb 12:5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening [child training] of the Lord, We will begin to look at the child training of the Lord. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday October 6thth 2019 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 17F ‘What More Shall I Say?’ 1). Heb 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with [patient] endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking [from] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our [the] faith, who for the joy that was set before Him [patiently]endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. We have seen in our previous weeks of study that we are to lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us so as to run with patient endurance the race that has been set before us. a). And we have noted that as we do this we are to observe the faithful OT saints to see how they ran their race successfully and also to look away from all that would distract us from the prize, to Jesus, the One who is the author and the finisher of the faith, to see the example that He has left for us. b). And what we will see as we observe both the faithful OT saints and the Lord is that their example teaches us the same thing – all had their eyes fixed upon that which lay out ahead of their earthly lives. All lived within the kingdom ruled by Satan but conducted themselves in anticipation of that future Day when Christ will take the Kingdom and His will, will be done on earth as it is in heaven. c). And through all this we are to realize that if we want to be a joint heir with Christ in that coming Day we must live by the faith as the faithful OT saints did and we must pattern our lives after the example left us by our Lord Ro 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 1 Pe 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; It is an inescapable truth of Scripture that suffering must precede glory, or to say this another way – we cannot share in our Lord’s glory apart from suffering first. And this is exactly what the risen Savior told His disciples on the day of His resurrection – Lk 24:25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And so, with our attention fixed upon the example that Christ has given us and the pattern of living we are to follow the writer of Hebrews continues – Heb 12:3 For consider Him who [patiently] endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against [the] sin. According to these verses there is an ever-present possibility that we can become ‘weary and discouraged’ in our souls as we run the race of the faith. An idea that relates to physical exhaustion in the natural. And we may think of it like the athlete who runs far too hard at the beginning of his race and then falls away, not able to continue. d). And the admonition we are given is, that because this is a possibility we must ‘consider’, ponder, give serious thought to, the experience of our Lord who patiently endured ‘such hostility from sinners against Himself’ even to the point of bloodshed – Lk 22:41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Isa 53:12b Because He poured out His soul unto death……… We are told that we have not yet ‘resisted to bloodshed’ as our Lord did, but the implication is that if we are called upon to do so we should. And that which we are to resist, even to the point of blood is, ‘the sin’, the same ‘sin’ from v1, the sin of unbelief. The sin which so easily ensnares us. e). And the sin of unbelief is to be resisted, and therefore also laid aside, through the testing of our faith, whereby our faith can be proved to be genuine. Because if our faith is genuine, if we have truly believed that which God has said about the change of rulership in the 7th Day and we are conducting our lives in anticipation of this, then unbelief cannot occupy that same space. f). Unbelief will always be present where there is no faith. There can never be a vacuum – and it is within the context of the faith and unbelief, the contest between the man of the flesh and the man of the spirit that our suffering is to be found – Ga 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. And so, realizing the danger of the sin ‘which so deftly and cleverly places itself in an entangling way around us’ [Wuest – Expanded Translation] we should give constant thought to the example of our Lord who patiently endured through His suffering even to the point of bloodshed. g). And again, we might consider just how great is the joy set before the Lord, the same joy we are invited to participate in, that our Lord would patiently endure ‘such hostility from sinners’ to the point of the shedding of His blood – Ga 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Re 3:8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 2). The writer of Hebrews then continues – Heb 12:5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening [child training] of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” The writer tells his audience that not only have they not yet resisted the sin of unbelief to the point of bloodshed, but they have also ‘forgotten the exhortation’ which speaks to them ‘as to sons: My son do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him…..’ a). It is essential to remember that the child training of the Lord, which has to do with guidance, discipline and correction, and the rebuke we might receive as a part of that training has purpose. It is to properly prepare the many sons to be brought to glory. It is for our profit. Acts 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. Have you ever wondered why Moses was ‘learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians’? Well, simply because he was ‘child trained’ in Pharaoh’s palace in preparation for the role of authority he would have in Pharaoh’s kingdom as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. b). This is not of course the direction his life took, but it serves as a good example. c). Similarly, if you think of the monarchy in the UK. Those in direct line to the throne lead an entirely different life to those who are not. From the moment of their birth everything is directed toward preparing that person for the day when they will be king or queen. d). And so, if this is what happens in the natural within the kingdom governed by Satan, could we really imagine that those who will rule with Christ within the Kingdom that will be characterized by righteousness would not be properly prepared to rule beforehand and the more so? 2 Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord [dearly] loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you [patiently] endure chastening [child training], God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? Let’s remember that sonship is about rulership and the Lord is in the business of child training those individuals who will patiently endure that training in order to adopt them as firstborn sons to rule alongside the only begotten Son. And if we patiently endure the child training of the Lord then God is presently dealing with us as ‘sons’ – Heb 12:8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate [bastards KJV] and not sons. But those Christians who are not patiently enduring the child training of the Lord are not being dealt with as sons. They remain children in the Lord’s House, but in a figurative sense, if we can say it this way, they have been ‘born’ outside of the marriage relationship between Christ and His Bride. e). And ultimately of course those who God does not deal with as sons in the present will not be adopted and will have no position of rulership with Christ when He takes the Kingdom from Satan. f). No Christian who has not been properly trained and prepared can have an expectation of entering into the joy of their Lord. It is impossible – Mt 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Mt 25:30 And cast the unprofitable servant [the one ensnared by the sin of unbelief] into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ But for the Christian who has patiently endured the process of child training, the one whom God has dealt with as a son, there is the certain expectation of ‘joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.’ Heb 12:9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 3). Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience [patient endurance]. 4 But let patience [patient endurance] have its perfect [‘end-time’] work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. In James we have seen that it is the testing of our faith that produces patient endurance and in Hebrews Chapter 12 we have just seen patient endurance with respect to the child training of the Lord. And these are not two separate things but one and the same thing. The child training of the Lord comes through the testing of our faith and we are to submit ourselves under that training, hence the patient endurance we are to have. a). In Peter the proving of the genuineness of our faith brings our faith to its goal, which is the salvation of our. In James the testing of our faith, to prove its genuineness, produces the patient endurance whose end result is to make us complete lacking nothing at the Judgment Seat. And in Hebrews patient endurance in relation to the child training of the Lord brings us to adoption as a firstborn son. These are just different ways of saying the same thing. b). And as we saw last week, and have seen so many times over the years – all is dependent upon the Word - 2 Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. It is by the living written Word, through the instrumentality of the living Word made flesh, that the Lord child trains those He looks upon as sons with a view to them being complete, lacking nothing. And it is through this process ‘that the man of God’ is ‘thoroughly equipped for every good work’ – equipped to live by the faith, equipped to patiently endure. c). It is the living Word in which our hope is found and through receiving and believing that same Word that we would have faith to the saving of the soul so as to realize that hope. d). And so, hand in hand again we have the Word and the faith to the saving of the soul. And having faith to the saving of the soul is inextricably connected to faithful obedience – through believing that which God has said and acting upon it – Heb 11:8 By faith [to the saving of the soul] Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Heb 11:17 By faith [to the saving of the soul] Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” And Abraham provides an encouraging example of the child training process because his faith to the saving of the soul, that which he had believed with regards to that which God had said to him was not complete the day he left Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan. e). The land of his inheritance was set before him, but there was a journey required to get there. And throughout the course of that literal journey Abraham was called upon to believe wholeheartedly that which God had said to him. f). And as we know there were about 60 years of child training through faith testing to bring Abraham to the place where without hesitation he took Isaac to the mountain of sacrifice and lifted the knife above the heart of his son; with only the intervention of God preventing him from plunging the knife into the son whom he loved. g). And the encouragement for us here is that we are in the same process of child training through faith testing, providing of course that we are not illegitimate, moving us from faith to faith, preparing us to be a ruler with our Lord in that Day. It is not instantaneous, hence the need for patient endurance and it is not all sweetness and light, hence we suffer as we wrestle our old man into submission. h). We have been called out of the land of our birth to go to the land of our inheritance and there is a journey that lies between those 2 points. i). And the journey is a familiar theme which we have seen from the Book of Ruth – Ru 2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Ruth left the land of Moab, the land of her birth, to make the journey to Bethlehem where she would receive her inheritance, in the company of Naomi her mother-in-law – Ru 3:5 And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.” And that which characterizes Ruth as a type of the faithful Christian is her faithful obedience to all that Naomi, picturing the Word of God, tells her to do in preparation for meeting Boaz on his threshing floor. j). And the journey is a theme we have also seen with the first generation of Israel to come out of Egypt, who were called out of Egypt to receive their inheritance in the land covenanted to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. k). And during the course of that journey there was child training through the testing of their faith. l). But whereas in Ruth we would see the example of the faithful Christian trained to be a son, in that first generation of Israel we can find the example of the unfaithful Christian, the one who does not patiently endure the child training and is consequently proved to be illegitimate and not a son. 4). Ro 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. These are familiar verses for us, and we will be well aware that we are not to conform ourselves, to pattern ourselves to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our mind instead. a). And we can take this idea of not being conformed but rather being transformed and lay it over the template of the journey that we have just been looking at. Ge 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. In this foundational type seen through Abraham we can see the instructions he is to follow in order to go to the land which God would show him – he had to get out of his country, get out from his family and get out of his father’s house. b). And what we see in the foundation here is about much more than geography. It is about Abraham completely separating himself from his previous life to a life completely reliant upon God – and the Lord child trained his ‘son’, Abraham, to the place of complete trust in God, or we could say He transformed him by the renewing of his mind, over the course of his life. c). It is then, not just a physical journey that we are looking at, although the physical journey provides an excellent metaphor, but a spiritual journey to spiritual maturity – Heb 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. And if we return to the journey metaphor for a moment, we will realize that the closer Abraham got to the land of his inheritance the greater the distance he was from the land of his birth. Or we could look at this from another direction and say the further away he got from the land of his birth the closer he got to the land of his inheritance. d). And if we bring this thought over into our own experience, we will realize that the land of our birth is the kingdom presently ruled by Satan, and we aren’t going anywhere in a physical sense. e). But if we allow the transformation by the renewing of our mind as we submit to the child training of the Lord through the Word, the greater the distance we will put between ourselves and conformity to the kingdom under Satan, and the more closely we will be aligned with the Kingdom under the future rule of Christ. The closer we shall come to finishing our race just as Paul did – 2 Ti 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. Now, to put the last piece of this in place for us we will need to return to the type of the first generation of Israel to come out of Egypt and what we can learn from them concerning the journey – Acts 7:36 He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. Ex 13:21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. But this will have to wait until next time – if the Lord is willing. the Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Seventeen - F Oct 06, 2019 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T004_20191006.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Heb 12:5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening [child training] of the Lord, We will begin to look at the child training of the Lord. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday October 6thth 2019 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 17F ‘What More Shall I Say?’ 1). Heb 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with [patient] endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking [from] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our [the] faith, who for the joy that was set before Him [patiently]endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. We have seen in our previous weeks of study that we are to lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us so as to run with patient endurance the race that has been set before us. a). And we have noted that as we do this we are to observe the faithful OT saints to see how they ran their race successfully and also to look away from all that would distract us from the prize, to Jesus, the One who is the author and the finisher of the faith, to see the example that He has left for us. b). And what we will see as we observe both the faithful OT saints and the Lord is that their example teaches us the same thing – all had their eyes fixed upon that which lay out ahead of their earthly lives. All lived within the kingdom ruled by Satan but conducted themselves in anticipation of that future Day when Christ will take the Kingdom and His will, will be done on earth as it is in heaven. c). And through all this we are to realize that if we want to be a joint heir with Christ in that coming Day we must live by the faith as the faithful OT saints did and we must pattern our lives after the example left us by our Lord Ro 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 1 Pe 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; It is an inescapable truth of Scripture that suffering must precede glory, or to say this another way – we cannot share in our Lord’s glory apart from suffering first. And this is exactly what the risen Savior told His disciples on the day of His resurrection – Lk 24:25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And so, with our attention fixed upon the example that Christ has given us and the pattern of living we are to follow the writer of Hebrews continues – Heb 12:3 For consider Him who [patiently] endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against [the] sin. According to these verses there is an ever-present possibility that we can become ‘weary and discouraged’ in our souls as we run the race of the faith. An idea that relates to physical exhaustion in the natural. And we may think of it like the athlete who runs far too hard at the beginning of his race and then falls away, not able to continue. d). And the admonition we are given is, that because this is a possibility we must ‘consider’, ponder, give serious thought to, the experience of our Lord who patiently endured ‘such hostility from sinners against Himself’ even to the point of bloodshed – Lk 22:41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Isa 53:12b Because He poured out His soul unto death……… We are told that we have not yet ‘resisted to bloodshed’ as our Lord did, but the implication is that if we are called upon to do so we should. And that which we are to resist, even to the point of blood is, ‘the sin’, the same ‘sin’ from v1, the sin of unbelief. The sin which so easily ensnares us. e). And the sin of unbelief is to be resisted, and therefore also laid aside, through the testing of our faith, whereby our faith can be proved to be genuine. Because if our faith is genuine, if we have truly believed that which God has said about the change of rulership in the 7th Day and we are conducting our lives in anticipation of this, then unbelief cannot occupy that same space. f). Unbelief will always be present where there is no faith. There can never be a vacuum – and it is within the context of the faith and unbelief, the contest between the man of the flesh and the man of the spirit that our suffering is to be found – Ga 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. And so, realizing the danger of the sin ‘which so deftly and cleverly places itself in an entangling way around us’ [Wuest – Expanded Translation] we should give constant thought to the example of our Lord who patiently endured through His suffering even to the point of bloodshed. g). And again, we might consider just how great is the joy set before the Lord, the same joy we are invited to participate in, that our Lord would patiently endure ‘such hostility from sinners’ to the point of the shedding of His blood – Ga 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Re 3:8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 2). The writer of Hebrews then continues – Heb 12:5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening [child training] of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” The writer tells his audience that not only have they not yet resisted the sin of unbelief to the point of bloodshed, but they have also ‘forgotten the exhortation’ which speaks to them ‘as to sons: My son do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him…..’ a). It is essential to remember that the child training of the Lord, which has to do with guidance, discipline and correction, and the rebuke we might receive as a part of that training has purpose. It is to properly prepare the many sons to be brought to glory. It is for our profit. Acts 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. Have you ever wondered why Moses was ‘learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians’? Well, simply because he was ‘child trained’ in Pharaoh’s palace in preparation for the role of authority he would have in Pharaoh’s kingdom as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. b). This is not of course the direction his life took, but it serves as a good example. c). Similarly, if you think of the monarchy in the UK. Those in direct line to the throne lead an entirely different life to those who are not. From the moment of their birth everything is directed toward preparing that person for the day when they will be king or queen. d). And so, if this is what happens in the natural within the kingdom governed by Satan, could we really imagine that those who will rule with Christ within the Kingdom that will be characterized by righteousness would not be properly prepared to rule beforehand and the more so? 2 Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord [dearly] loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you [patiently] endure chastening [child training], God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? Let’s remember that sonship is about rulership and the Lord is in the business of child training those individuals who will patiently endure that training in order to adopt them as firstborn sons to rule alongside the only begotten Son. And if we patiently endure the child training of the Lord then God is presently dealing with us as ‘sons’ – Heb 12:8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate [bastards KJV] and not sons. But those Christians who are not patiently enduring the child training of the Lord are not being dealt with as sons. They remain children in the Lord’s House, but in a figurative sense, if we can say it this way, they have been ‘born’ outside of the marriage relationship between Christ and His Bride. e). And ultimately of course those who God does not deal with as sons in the present will not be adopted and will have no position of rulership with Christ when He takes the Kingdom from Satan. f). No Christian who has not been properly trained and prepared can have an expectation of entering into the joy of their Lord. It is impossible – Mt 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Mt 25:30 And cast the unprofitable servant [the one ensnared by the sin of unbelief] into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ But for the Christian who has patiently endured the process of child training, the one whom God has dealt with as a son, there is the certain expectation of ‘joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.’ Heb 12:9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 3). Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience [patient endurance]. 4 But let patience [patient endurance] have its perfect [‘end-time’] work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. In James we have seen that it is the testing of our faith that produces patient endurance and in Hebrews Chapter 12 we have just seen patient endurance with respect to the child training of the Lord. And these are not two separate things but one and the same thing. The child training of the Lord comes through the testing of our faith and we are to submit ourselves under that training, hence the patient endurance we are to have. a). In Peter the proving of the genuineness of our faith brings our faith to its goal, which is the salvation of our. In James the testing of our faith, to prove its genuineness, produces the patient endurance whose end result is to make us complete lacking nothing at the Judgment Seat. And in Hebrews patient endurance in relation to the child training of the Lord brings us to adoption as a firstborn son. These are just different ways of saying the same thing. b). And as we saw last week, and have seen so many times over the years – all is dependent upon the Word - 2 Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. It is by the living written Word, through the instrumentality of the living Word made flesh, that the Lord child trains those He looks upon as sons with a view to them being complete, lacking nothing. And it is through this process ‘that the man of God’ is ‘thoroughly equipped for every good work’ – equipped to live by the faith, equipped to patiently endure. c). It is the living Word in which our hope is found and through receiving and believing that same Word that we would have faith to the saving of the soul so as to realize that hope. d). And so, hand in hand again we have the Word and the faith to the saving of the soul. And having faith to the saving of the soul is inextricably connected to faithful obedience – through believing that which God has said and acting upon it – Heb 11:8 By faith [to the saving of the soul] Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Heb 11:17 By faith [to the saving of the soul] Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” And Abraham provides an encouraging example of the child training process because his faith to the saving of the soul, that which he had believed with regards to that which God had said to him was not complete the day he left Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan. e). The land of his inheritance was set before him, but there was a journey required to get there. And throughout the course of that literal journey Abraham was called upon to believe wholeheartedly that which God had said to him. f). And as we know there were about 60 years of child training through faith testing to bring Abraham to the place where without hesitation he took Isaac to the mountain of sacrifice and lifted the knife above the heart of his son; with only the intervention of God preventing him from plunging the knife into the son whom he loved. g). And the encouragement for us here is that we are in the same process of child training through faith testing, providing of course that we are not illegitimate, moving us from faith to faith, preparing us to be a ruler with our Lord in that Day. It is not instantaneous, hence the need for patient endurance and it is not all sweetness and light, hence we suffer as we wrestle our old man into submission. h). We have been called out of the land of our birth to go to the land of our inheritance and there is a journey that lies between those 2 points. i). And the journey is a familiar theme which we have seen from the Book of Ruth – Ru 2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Ruth left the land of Moab, the land of her birth, to make the journey to Bethlehem where she would receive her inheritance, in the company of Naomi her mother-in-law – Ru 3:5 And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.” And that which characterizes Ruth as a type of the faithful Christian is her faithful obedience to all that Naomi, picturing the Word of God, tells her to do in preparation for meeting Boaz on his threshing floor. j). And the journey is a theme we have also seen with the first generation of Israel to come out of Egypt, who were called out of Egypt to receive their inheritance in the land covenanted to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. k). And during the course of that journey there was child training through the testing of their faith. l). But whereas in Ruth we would see the example of the faithful Christian trained to be a son, in that first generation of Israel we can find the example of the unfaithful Christian, the one who does not patiently endure the child training and is consequently proved to be illegitimate and not a son. 4). Ro 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. These are familiar verses for us, and we will be well aware that we are not to conform ourselves, to pattern ourselves to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our mind instead. a). And we can take this idea of not being conformed but rather being transformed and lay it over the template of the journey that we have just been looking at. Ge 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. In this foundational type seen through Abraham we can see the instructions he is to follow in order to go to the land which God would show him – he had to get out of his country, get out from his family and get out of his father’s house. b). And what we see in the foundation here is about much more than geography. It is about Abraham completely separating himself from his previous life to a life completely reliant upon God – and the Lord child trained his ‘son’, Abraham, to the place of complete trust in God, or we could say He transformed him by the renewing of his mind, over the course of his life. c). It is then, not just a physical journey that we are looking at, although the physical journey provides an excellent metaphor, but a spiritual journey to spiritual maturity – Heb 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. And if we return to the journey metaphor for a moment, we will realize that the closer Abraham got to the land of his inheritance the greater the distance he was from the land of his birth. Or we could look at this from another direction and say the further away he got from the land of his birth the closer he got to the land of his inheritance. d). And if we bring this thought over into our own experience, we will realize that the land of our birth is the kingdom presently ruled by Satan, and we aren’t going anywhere in a physical sense. e). But if we allow the transformation by the renewing of our mind as we submit to the child training of the Lord through the Word, the greater the distance we will put between ourselves and conformity to the kingdom under Satan, and the more closely we will be aligned with the Kingdom under the future rule of Christ. The closer we shall come to finishing our race just as Paul did – 2 Ti 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. Now, to put the last piece of this in place for us we will need to return to the type of the first generation of Israel to come out of Egypt and what we can learn from them concerning the journey – Acts 7:36 He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. Ex 13:21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. But this will have to wait until next time – if the Lord is willing.