Hebrews 12 Confidently Running to Win

The focus is on Chapter 12, discussing imperatives and the importance of discipline in faith. Dr. Terry emphasizes the need for believers to stay focused on their Christian journey, drawing parallels to ancient runners preparing for a race. The chapter encourages perseverance and looking to Jesus as the ultimate example. Good morning. Happy New Year. 2026. If I ever get that right on a check, it'll be a miracle. You're still using checks? I guess so. I still chip them out with stone. Still work on them really quick. I want you all to pray for our daughter today. She's flying to Birmingham to be with our great-granddaughter and our granddaughter for this week. Haley, who had the baby back, you remember, and now Piper is coming along so well, has to go back to work tomorrow. She does work for a major company, accounting company in Holland, and she's been off now nearly six months. And the company is a wonderful company. They've taken such magnificent care of her during this time. But there comes a day when all of a sudden you've got to go back to work again. So we've been praying that she can work at home. That's the good part. So she'll work upstairs and they're going to have some caregivers in. But our daughter went over to be sure that she's OK. And you know how mothers are. So you all pray for Tricia. She is probably arriving there just about now, somewhere around 10, 10.30. So you all pray for her while she settles in with them and helps them this week to get settled. Haley, get back in her routine again, get back in her job again and everything being safe. I want to thank you all. This is the first time I've had the microphone since Christmas, and I haven't had a chance to thank you for the magnificent gift that you gave to Barbara and me. We will enjoy it. I tell you, we will go and eat on it a lot. And we want to thank you for your graciousness, for your love, for your generosity, for your Christian faith in us. And we just thank you. I don't know how to say thank you other than say thank you. That seems so very simple just to say thank you. But that's pretty well what we do around here. We say thanks. And so I'm Barbara and I are both grateful. Thank you for doing it. When we sit down to enjoy the meal, we will remember each one of you, look at each of your faces and say, thank you. We're enjoying it very much. God bless you. We are. We are grateful. OK, today we're in the 12th chapter of the book of Hebrews. We have one chapter left. Brother Jimmy will be doing Chapter 13 next week, and that will conclude the study of the book of Hebrews. We are now looking at where we might be going after this, and we'll be talking after the service this morning. We've already looked at four different places and we'll be talking about which direction we may be going in. Could go back Old Testament, could go back New Testament. We'll be sitting, as Eddie said, we'll teach one of the 66 books, OK? We will not teach any of the 22 Apocrypha. So don't worry about that. I will not be teaching you any of those books, but we will be teaching you one of them. You heard about the you heard about Phillips, who translated a translation. And in his translation, he called it Phillips 66. And it's a wonderful, wonderful translation. So anyway, today we're looking at the book of Hebrews and the chapter 12 has three major. And I love this word, and Eddie knows I love this word. He put it on the bingo the other night. There are three major therefores in Chapter 12, the book of Hebrews. Verse 1, verse 12, verse 25, you'll find a therefore. And as I always said, if you see a therefore in the scripture, what do you do? You stop and see what it is. Therefore. OK, that's what you need to do. There are three of these. And within there are three therefores and five imperatives in the in Chapter 12, the book of Hebrews. The five imperatives have to do with the Hebrew church getting back to its major activities. And that is moving and providing for the kingdom of God to go forward in their particular level of area, wherever they were coming from and wherever they at the Hebrew church was located. We have no idea where the church is located. We just know there was a large church of Hebrew saints, Hebrew converts and the writer of the book of Hebrews, whomever he or she may have been or they may have been, are trying to tell each of these Hebrew Christians how to be sure that they stay relational to the kingdom of God. Now, in this chapter, you're going to find these five imperatives where the writer is going to predicate what he says on Chapter 11. Now, you remember a couple of weeks ago, John taught us Chapter 11. We call it the chapter of faith because that's the chapter that begins for my faith, Abraham and so forth and so forth. And so it is called the chapter of the personages of faith. And so the writer now is going to predicate Chapter 12 on Chapter 11, because what he's going to do here now is he's going to say to the church. Now, remember, folks, he is writing to a church. He's writing to the Hebrew church and he's trying to write them in Hebraic terms so that they understand what he's talking about. Having been Hebrew himself and talking to Hebrew Christians, he's trying to get them to understand what it is that a Christian Hebrew needs to be doing. We would call them a messianic Hebrew because they become messianic in their relationship to Jesus Christ. But he calls them Hebrew Christians and he's trying to get them to once again get back on track. It's kind of evident in some of the structures in this chapter that many of these Hebrew Christians had began to drop off a little bit and had began to kind of, you know, move away from a little bit. In fact, that's what back in Chapter 4, 5 and 6 talked about. If you slip away, can you come back? And so all through this book, you remember that this writer has been talking to them about be careful about the way you may slip and how we can just slip so easily away from the kingdom of God, slip away from the gospel, slip away from the scripture, and he's wanting them to come back. So he's going to say, therefore, since we have this great cloud of people in Chapter 11, therefore, I want you to be aware of the fact that we are surrounded with a great cloud of witnesses. And he's referring to Chapter 11. That is the great cloud of witnesses. Now, this particular imagery is not new to ancient writing. In fact, if you read any of the Greek poetry, which very few people read, only idiots like me read it, if you read any Greek poetry, there's a piece of poetry written by a man by the name of Aristophanes. Now, Aristophanes wrote a major work called, hang on, The Frogs. Okay, what a wonderful name for a major work, The Frogs. Okay, but Aristophanes wrote The Frogs. And it just so happened that in The Frogs, he used an imagery of a great cloud of people watching, but it was an athletic context in Greek terms, okay? He said, as you get ready to run, as you get ready to prepare, as you get ready to participate, as you get ready to run, you get rid of everything that's necessary, and you run the race that is set before you. And there's a great stand out there, a great cloud, a great group of people. And so, the writer of the book of Hebrews now is using that imagery to identify what we in the Christian church are doing. Now, since then, can you imagine how much larger that stands of crowd has increased? And can you imagine now, as we, on the tracks, ready to do the running, ready to do the service, in military service, which he will talk about later in this chapter, as we get ready to discipline ourselves in order to prepare and to participate correctly, as we get ready to dissipate and understand what is necessary for us to run with patience 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, despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the Father. He just got through saying that in verse 2. See, all of this is in verse 1 and 2. He's getting ready to talk about two things in verse 1 and 2, and then going into 4, 3 through 7. He's going to talk about a race, and then he's going to talk about military service, and then he's going to talk about discipline, all of which are necessary to the aforeto. You have to be disciplined to run a race. You have to be disciplined to be in the military. You have to be disciplined to walk in the Christian faith. We must discipline, we must bring our bodies, as the Apostle Paul said, under subjection, so that our bodies are relational to the subjection of Jesus Christ, so that our bodies and our relationship may be under his control. That's where he's going. And he's going to do it in five imperatives. The first imperative is a necessary imperative. The second one is a disciplined imperative. The third one that we're going to talk about is a directional imperative, a directional thing. And the last one we're going to talk about is a divine thing. And then finally he will say, and this is your duty. So he has three therefores, which follows with, since it's therefore, take a look and see why he's saying it. And then he's going to give you five major imperatives. So let's just look at these. He says, verse 1, We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily ensnare us, and let us run the race with patience, endurance, and the race that is set before, 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. Amen. Now, what he's saying there is, we are in a race. And we must do everything that the ancient runner had to do. Now, when an ancient runner prepared to run a race in the Olympics, or when an ancient, during Greek, great Olympics and Greek running, they trained themselves to such an extent that their bodies were lean and mean running machines. And they could really get out on the track and run. And they just threw off everything that would kinder them. They ran as close to nude as possible. Because the more they could take off of them, the faster they could run. So they didn't wear bulky clothing, they didn't wear big shoes. In fact, if you ever see the Olympic swimmers, and I love to watch Olympic swimming, if you ever see the Olympic swimmers, I notice that the men in particular, now I would expect the women to do it, but I didn't expect the women to do it, I notice that the men in particular shave all of the hair off their bodies. Under their arms, on their arms, under their arms, on their legs, they shave their body. And they wear those little bitty suits. Little bitty tights. They take everything off, I mean, even a hair on your leg can impede you a little bit. And I'm always amazed that when they stand up there, they're absolutely hairless. They look like a hairless dog standing up there. And they're ready, when they hit the water, there's nothing that will impede them. In fact, I have thought many times they would like to get rid of that little trunk. And just get into the water and get at it. But you notice that they always remove everything that impedes everything. And so that's what he's talking about. He says, now consider something. What I want you to consider in verse 3 is very important. Consider him who endured hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your soul. Now he's getting ready to talk about military service. I told you the first two of these imperatives is about running, foot racing, and about military. About soldiering or being in the line of service. And he's getting ready to tell you something here that he is telling this church that they have not done. And ladies and gentlemen, we have not done. Watch what he tells them. Consider him who endured, verse 3, hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your soul. What is the church doing? The church is falling away. The church is slipping out. The church is not intensifying itself. This Hebrew church is not standing up to the oracles and the necessities of the kingdom of God. And this Hebrew writer is telling them about it. And he says, let me tell you something that you have not done. And he's getting ready to become very militaristic, Dan. He's saying, look, you have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin. None of you have been resisted by blood. None of you have been touched. None of your bodies have been impaled by some kind of a projectile or something. You have not, you've not ever done anything by blood. Because, and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons. Now he's going to stop here with military and he's going to change again. And that's why this particular chapter is so important. You have to understand how he puts it together. Because he puts it together, first of all, with a running race. What do you have to do to run a race? You have to be prepared. What do you have to be, what do you have to do to be an adequate military person? You have to be disciplined. What do you have to do in order to work in the kingdom of God? You must adhere to that which Christ did for us. We have not been called to give our blood. Many have. In fact, I've noticed that there's a new series on Fox called the Saints. And you all have probably seen some trailers on the Saints. They're trying to identify all of the Saints who've been martyred over the years and sharing with us who they are and what they are and why they were martyred. None of us have ever been martyred. None of us have been called to give our blood. But all of us have been called to give ourselves. And that's what he's talking about. So now he's talking about two things. In order to be a foot racer, you've got to be disciplined and you've got to train. Hebrew church, he's saying, I'm telling you the same thing. In order to be adequately prepared for the kingdom of God as you go through your lifestyle as a Hebrew Christian, you've got to be adequately prepared. Not only do you have to be adequately prepared, but you have to be totally disciplined. You have to be disciplined to such an extent that you would be willing to give your blood if it was necessary. But if it's not necessary, then be willing to give your life. And the life is what he is looking at here as a Hebrew. Now what he's going to do here, he's going to go back into their childhood. I get amazed at this guy. I'm anxiously waiting to see heaven. I want to meet this guy. I don't know who he is. Nobody knows who he is, I don't think. My good friend David Allen says he knows who he is. David Allen thinks it's Dr. Luke. I don't know. David thinks very much so that he's Dr. Luke. Many think that he was Paul. But I'm waiting to meet him. Because I want to ask him a question. I want to ask him several questions. And there are several questions that I need to have answered that I can't get answered down here. But he's saying, I want you to know something. Not only is it imperative that you be prepared for a race. Not only is it imperative that you be prepared for military service. But you, my dear Hebrew Christians, have to be prepared for your everyday life. You don't have to run. You don't have to be in the army. You're already there. You're already in God's army. You've already been enlisted. You're already under discipline. You're already under the relationship of Jesus Christ. We're already in the army. We're already in the race. We're already there. Now he's going to come back and say, let me share with you something you need to understand about your childhood. Now watch what he says. My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him. For whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as he deals with sons. For what son is there whom a father does not chaste? But if you are without chastening, of which you all have become partakers, Whoa! Did you see what he just said? That just kind of slips by most people. Most people don't see those two little words. I'm going to go back and read that because I want you to hear what he said. He just kind of, it's sort of like taking a dagger and slipping it under your third rib and pushing it in. Watch what he says here. But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, He's saying, Hebrew Church, all of you have been slipping. All of you have been acting like illegitimates. All of you have been acting like children who are not of the legitimate father. All of you are acting outside the kingdom. I'm trying to help you get back into the kingdom. I'm trying to help you get back under the discipline of Christ. I'm trying to help you get back into the race. I'm trying to help you be the soldier you ought to be. And he kind of slips it in here when he says, of which all of you have become partakers. All of you Hebrew Christians have been acting like illegitimate children. I wonder what he would say to the 21st century church. I just wonder what he'd say to the 21st century church. If he says this to the Hebrew church in the first century, what would he say to the 21st century church? What kind of relationship and what kind of acknowledgement would he have for us? Furthermore, he says, not only that, we have had human fathers who corrected us and paid them respect. Shall we not more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? Now, in this particular section, which is the discipline of things, he's going to talk about how the Jewish family had a very close relationship under the discipline of the Father. And he's going to remind them, as Jewish boys, getting ready in preparation for their work as Jewish men, in preparation for their work in the Word of God, he's going to say to them, you must remember what was happening to you when you were under the leadership of your earthly father. Now, ladies and gentlemen, let me share something with you that you may or may not know. I'll put it in the material. You can read that later. The Jewish father, in the particular time we're talking about, first century and beyond, the Jewish father had total control over the children, even to the point of death. Now, they had total control in the point of discipline, but if one of the children went totally out of sorts, and completely off the map, completely off the chart, the Jewish father had the privilege of having him killed. That's in the Scripture. The killing was by stoning. The father didn't do it, the congregation did it. And it was by stoning, it was not by any other means. And if there was an illegitimate child, or if there was a child who was acting as illegitimate, or if there was a son who had gone totally off the chart, and was acting totally irrelevant to the relevancy of his father's life, that father, according to Scripture text, back in the book of Deuteronomy, could kill him. We don't know of any who were killed. Okay? We don't know. But that Deuteronomy statement, the Deuteronomic statement, has the probability that if that child continues in those kinds of relationships with the father, the father does have the privilege of killing him. Now, many times, many of the children were disinherited and sent away, vis-à-vis the prodigal son, who had an illegitimate child, who rather than acting as his child, because he had an older brother, he did not act like his child, and the father allowed him to go away. The father allowed him to go away, rather than to discipline him with this kind of discipline, because in the story of the prodigal son, the father could have killed him. And he'd chosen to do so. And so, what it says is, now, no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous nevertheless, verse 11, and it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained. Here is the second, therefore. Okay, we've just been talking about, it is the father's responsibility to see to it that the child is disciplined. And it is the father's responsibility to see to it that the child is legitimate. And it is the father's responsibility to see to it that the child goes in the way of the kingdom of God. Now, later on, we're going to run into a man that you know well. His name is Esau. And we're going to find out why, all of a sudden, the writer to the Hebrew people introduced Esau. Why would you introduce Esau? I mean, you might want to introduce Jacob, but why would you introduce Esau? Why would you bring him into this thing? What's he there for? Well, we'll find out in a few moments what he's there for. The Hebrew writer is going to tell them, I want you to know, in the relationship of marvelous Christian people and marvelous spiritual people around you, you can always, if you're not careful, be an Esau. And he's telling these Hebrew people, are you acting like Esau? Are you acting like the illegitimate son? Are you acting like the one who disobeyed his father, married a heathen woman, led rebellion against his own brother? You want to act like that? And that's why, later on, he's going to tell these people, I want you to remember Esau. Now, watch what he says here after this, Therefore, since you know all this, and since you know that your father has disciplined you well, and since you know that the discipline was for your better life, and you know that the discipline was able to help you become a better person in the kingdom, and we know, as Christians, that the discipline of God on our lives is for our best interest. Amen? Again? Amen? God's discipline is not wonderful, ladies and gentlemen. It hurts. Do you know when you are disciplined by God? Do you have the feeling that God is disciplining you? Do you understand that He treats you as a father? He treats you as a father would treat you, and if you're not acting as a son, you're going to get disciplined. I don't like discipline. I've had it a lot. Yeah, I've had it a lot. And you have too, if you'll be honest. And God has had to discipline you a lot. He's had to get your attention. He's had to bring you back into relationship. He's had to bring you back into line. He's had to bring you back in. Now we're at the second therefore. Therefore, since you understand discipline, I'm going to stop for a moment. I'm going to ask you a question. Do you, as a child of eternal God, and in relationship with Jesus Christ, do you understand God's discipline? Say yes or no. So since you know, and since I know, and since you have, and since I have, and since we do, and since we are, we can move on. Now we can go to the second therefore. Therefore, strengthen the hands which hang down and the feeble knees. Loose hands and weak knees. You ever heard about a loose hand person with weak knees? I've heard of weak knees. I've never heard of that loose hand thing. This has got to be interesting. Evidently, these two go together. When something happens, and you're not really taking care of yourself in righteous training, all of a sudden your hands get loose, and your knees get weak. Watch what he says. Therefore, strengthen the hands which hang down and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather healed. What? He's saying, Hebrew Church, you're weak-kneed. Your hands that should be doing ministry for the Lord Christ are loose. They just droop down at your side. You don't have the use of your hands for ministry. Your knees are crumbling under you. They're wobbling on you. You have wobbling knees. You're the kind of person, you're the kind of church, you're the kind of activity that does no good whatsoever for the kingdom of God. You're just there, and you're participating, but the discipline has not yet attached itself to your major responsibility. He says, therefore, since you are that way, let me help you understand what you need to do. You need to pursue peace with all men, and holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Looking diligently, lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up, cause trouble by this many, may become defiled. Lest there be any fornication, or a profane person like... There he is. There he is. Do you realize what this writer just called the Hebrew church? Most people would get mad and put the book down. He just called me ethol. I'm insulted. However, my hands aren't weak, and loose. My knees are kind of wobbly. You know, maybe he has a point. Maybe I do need to understand what I need to know. So, looking diligently, lest anyone should fall short of the grace of God, and cause trouble. Because when people fall short of the grace of God in the church, they cause trouble. They become troublemakers. And when you become a troublemaker, you start acting like ethol. Who had all around him wonderful spiritual people. He had Isaac, for a while. He had his brother Jacob. He had her spiritual wife, Rachel. He had his mother, Rebecca. He had his grandfather who is now gone, Abraham. You have also... You have been surrounded, as I have been surrounded, and am surrounded, and today surrounded, by great, wonderful, spiritual people. You. You are my spiritual strength. You are the kingdom of God's spiritual strength. You are the people to whom this Hebrew writer is telling, don't let your hands drop down. Keep them actively working. Don't let your knees get weak. Keep them strong. Stay in the race. Stay in the fight. Stay in the line. Keep on keeping on. As my good friend, V. Raymond Edmond, used to always say, it is always too soon to quit. Always too soon to quit. And he also said, for the eternal kingdom of God, never doubt in the darkness what God has told you in the light. Let me tell you what he told you in the light, folks. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will never let you go. I will always be with you. Even unto the end of the end. Jesus is with us to the end of the end. Don't be an Esau. That's what this guy is saying to this church. I mean, this is pretty tough, folks. This writer is pretty tough with this church. He's trying to really get their attention. He says, go ahead, let's look at Esau. Let's find out what Esau did, because he did something kind of interesting. He said, for you know, afterward, when he was wanting to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. I went back in the Scripture. Do you know the Scripture back in the book of Genesis say that Esau cried mourning inheritance? He sought it with tears. He wanted the inheritance, but he was not willing to obey. He was not willing to be God's chosen person. And since he was not willing to be God's chosen person, God did not choose him. And the Scripture says that he sought that inheritance with tears, but he never got it. Not at all. And so, the Scripture is saying to these Hebrew Christians, through this writer, don't work your life in the church like Esau. Don't be around spiritual people and miss the kingdom of God. Now, this point in this chapter becomes to my most favorite place. It moves into the Christian direction of things. It moves in the Christian driving of things. Where is the Hebrew writer driving these people? Where is he trying to get their attention focused? Is it on the race? Is it on the discipline? Is it on the relationship? Is it on the failure? Where is he trying to get their attention focused? Because where he's trying to get their attention focused is exactly where he's trying to get our attention focused. I don't know about you folks, but as I get older, I used to say, I don't know, I like what's in first place. I've been looking at second place pretty much and it looks pretty good. In fact, second place is beginning to look a whole lot better than first place. How about you? Now, this is what the Hebrew writer is getting ready to say. Watch how he says it. He says it very interestingly from verse 18. For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire and the blackness and the darkness and the tempest and the sound of the trumpet and the voice of words so that those who heard it beg that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. What mountain was that? Sinai. That's where Moses got the law. That's the mountain that burned with fire and smoke. That's the mountain where Moses stood and where through the angelic host they delivered to Moses the law. That's why the Jewish people are so totally involved with angelic life. For they believe that the angels brought the law of God to Moses and they did. God delivered it, but the angels brought it. And so he's saying, and here was all this stuff going on, the smoke and the fire and the sound and the trumpet and the noise and it was terrible. Moses was frightened. Moses had a terrible time on the mountain. Go back and read in the book of Exodus what Moses endured on the mountain to such an extent that he even broke tablets one time. Moses had a terrible time on the mountain, folks. It was not an enjoyable experience with him. Go back and take a look at what he did. And so 19 says, verse 20 says, and they could not endure what was commanded. What? You see, this writer slips little bitty things in that you're not watching for. And you've got to be able to see what he slips them like. That little knife where he said, you participate in this. Don't you look at me like you're not guilty. You participated in this. You remember back yonder? Where we slipped the little knife in? He goes slipping in again. Watch him. Watch what he says here. He says, and for they could not endure what was commanded. What? What was commanded on the mountain, folks? The law. The law. They could not endure the law. You and I can't endure the law. The law never saved. The law can't save. The law is simply an instrument which brings us to him who can save. They could never obey the commands of the law. And he goes on to say in a kind of apocalyptic statement, and if so much as a beast touches or thrusts through with an arrow, and so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling. There's Moses. You think he was a happy camper up there? You think Moses was having a big time on the mountain? God was giving Moses the Torah, the law, which nobody could keep. It was a commandment that no one could fill because it was not being kept by that element which eventually we'll get to here in a few moments. And that element is chapter 11. Faith. Ladies and gentlemen, every day I thank God that my redemption is by faith and not by law. I have read the law. I don't like it. It's tough. And if you just read it out of the Old Testament, it's okay, but go pick up some Jewish books and read it and figure out what they're saying about it. If you think it's tough in the Old Testament, go pick up some Jewish books. It's not near as tough as you think it is. And that's what these people are saying. That's what he's saying. He's saying Moses on the mountain was terrified. His knees were weak. His hands looped down. He was shaking. He was trembling. It was horrible. He was terribly terrified. He said that's not where God's taking you. Now watch what he does. 180 degrees from here to here. And so you have come to Mount Zion. Hmm. The city of the living God. The heavenly Jerusalem to an innumerable company of angels. Oh, that made these Hebrew people happy. They were tickled to death that there were innumerable company of angels. But that's not going to be their greatest satisfaction. In fact, in this passage, he's going to tell you and me the personages with whom you and I will spend eternity. They're not near as many as you think they are. There are some times I'm wondering exactly how large heaven is going to be. And when I read the book of Revelation, chapter 22, and begin to look at all of the sizings and the measurings that they do of the Holy City, it ain't very big. Somebody said the measurements of the Holy Spirit in the book of Revelation, if you put it in New York and England, it'd just be across the top of the dark Atlantic. That's not very big, folks, when you put it in relationship to the world. There may not be as many people there as you think there will be. In fact, somebody said, I think when we get to heaven, we'll be surprised who will be there. When I get to heaven, I'll be surprised I'm there. That's going to be my surprise that I'm there. I don't care who else is there. I won't be surprised who isn't there. I won't know who isn't there. You say, how do you know that, Jack? By the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Do you remember the rich man and Lazarus? The rich man was in hell. Lazarus in heaven. And Father Abraham, who is God, God was talking to the rich man. Do you remember what the rich man said? Oh, by the way, in that whole story, did Lazarus ever see the rich man? No. In that whole story, did Lazarus ever talk to the rich man? No. Because if Lazarus had seen the rich man in hell, he would have been totally disturbed, troubled. Why am I in heaven and he's in hell? No, no, he was barked from what was happening. And so, when you get to this place, it's a total wonderful relationship. Innumerable company of angels. Somebody said so succinctly, you know, you can put a hundred million angels on the top of a pinhead. I'm not sure that's true. I've heard it said a lot. I'm not sure it's true. But let's look and see who's here. The first personages in heaven are angels. What are angels? Heavenly beings who relate to eternal God's desires. And, evidently, who later on are going to relate to the saints' desires. Us. You say, Jack, how can you say that? Well, go back and read the book of Revelation and look what the angel says to John. He says to John, John, don't worship me. I'm not God. Worship Him. The angels understand who we are. The angels understand who God is. They told John on four different occasions, don't worship me. Worship God. And the angels don't want to worship us. They want to worship God. They don't want us to worship them. There will be innumerable companies. They will be for us to enjoy in our eternal lives. That's the first group there. Second group. And you have come to the General Assembly and the Church of the Firstborn who are registered in heaven. Chapter 20. Book of Revelation. And I saw the books. Plural. Millions of books. All of your and my deeds in them. Terrible. I saw the books. And then John said, and I saw the book which is the book of life. And all whose names were not registered in the book of life were cast into outer darkness. Church of the General Assembly of the Firstborn whose names are registered in heaven. Little boy joined the church. He was about nine. So wonderfully saved. Wanted to pray so hard. Lived in Havokan, New York. And he was so beautifully saved. One day he asked his Sunday school teacher, he said, can I pray today please? To which the Sunday school teacher said, yeah, you can pray today. And he bowed his head and said, Our Father who art in Havokan, how do you know my name? And all of them did the same thing you did. All the other kids just died laughing. Our Father who art in Havokan, how do you know my name? Very wise Sunday school teacher said, wait a minute guys. God does do our in Havokan. And he does know your name. That's the General Assembly of the Church of the Firstborn who are registered. God knows our name. You're not going to be called, hey there. You're not going to be saying, oh you all. You're going to be called by your name. You're going to be called by the name that is registered in the book of life. And I go on and I don't get through. Number three. Who's the third person that sits up here? And to God. Oh, I'm so glad he's here. Aren't you glad he's there? And to God, the judge of all. He's there with us. God is our Father. We are his children. We are his inheritance. We are his children by faith in the Lord Christ. But wait a minute. There's somebody else there. And also there are the saints of just men who have been made complete. Who's that? The Old Testament saints. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Bobadat, David, you name them. All of the saints of the Old Testament. They are the Old Testament saints. Just men. Watch. The scripture says made perfect but that word is complete. You talk to one of my Jewish Messianic friends. You ask him this question and you will get a surprise of your life. If you say to him when were you converted? He will look at you and he says I was never converted. And you kind of I was. You were converted. I was completed. Souls of just men who were made complete. Perfect. Fourth group. Group number five. And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling and that speaks of better things than a babel. Therefore this is a chilling statement. See that you do not refuse him who speaks for if they did not escape who refused him who spoke on earth much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven. Ladies and gentlemen who from heaven spoke to you one day and said you need to be my child. What was his name? Jesus. God the Father. God the Son. God the Holy Spirit. They speak from heaven. Who spoke on earth in human form? Jesus. If you refuse him who spoke on earth how much more well that's kind of disastrous. How much more will it be if you refuse him who speaks from heaven? Whose voice then shook the earth but now he has promised saying yet once more and I will shake not only the earth but also heaven. Now this yet once more indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken as things that are made that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore finally got there. That's therefore. Because of all this that I've said about heaven about who's going to be there, you're going to be there I'm going to be there, God's going to be there Jesus is going to be there. We're going to have a big happy time the angels are going to run all over the place. We're going to have a big tooth. Therefore watch since we are receiving a kingdom what? That's another one of those he slips in. See ladies and gentlemen every day Jesus is giving us his inheritance. You are an adopted child and brother and sister to Jesus Christ. Every day he's giving you his kingdom. Here out there in your life in your body in your being and he's giving you his kingdom and eventually one day either by rapture, praise God or by death okay by one of the two you will get there as the old boy said nobody gets out of this world alive we're going to get there either by death or by rapture we're not going to get out of this place alive we may get out of this place eternally alive but not alive since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and with godly fear all ladies and gentlemen may I close by saying sometimes we pal too much with God ladies and gentlemen God's not a pal he's not a friend he's not just an acquaintance he is the supreme eternal everlasting unchanging God of all creation he's not a pal you don't pal around with God you pal around with each other and you have a good time fellowshiping and eating and doing all that pal-ing stuff but you don't pal with God in fact someone said you can't really understand the eternal nature of God until in your prayer life you see him in all of his glory then you will know last verse for our God is a consuming fire would you like to tell me how many he burned up near Sinai would you like me to tell you how many he brought fire down when the children of Israel were trying to conquer Canaan would you like me to tell you about the fire he brought down when Elijah had an altar up on Mount Carmel would you like me to tell you about the fire that he's planning for eternal perdition he's not a pal you don't pal around with God he is a consuming fire I tremble weak kneed loose hands in the presence of almighty God I really do we need to understand he's not just it he is echo I me I am that's who God is pretty good chapter huh I think he got their attention with what he said did he get ours he got mine I hope he got yours father God we don't know because you're a consuming fire how wonderfully gracious you are in your omniscience and in your preeminence to listen to us little old human beings when we say to you our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation father but deliver us from evil for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever and everybody said see you next week