622 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 3 Part 2 Book 52 - The Believer’s Sacrifice - Part 2

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 3 * PART 2 * BOOK 52 The Believer’s Sacrifice - Part 2 Hebrews 12:18 – 13:25 Hebrews 12:23a Hebrews 12:23b "… which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all,…" Hebrews 12:23c "…and to the spirits of just men made perfect." Who are the spirits of just men made perfect? Well, let’s go back to Romans chapter 3 so that we pick up the scriptural account of what Paul is talking about. Romans 3:23 Romans 3:24 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" Being justified by His grace, His unmerited favor! God didn’t have to do this, but He did. Now verse 25. Romans 3:25 "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, (that shed, atoning blood of the cross) to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" And verse 26 is the verse I wanted to come to for "of just men made perfect" back in Hebrews. How? Romans 3:26 That God, the Righteous One, Who paid the price of redemption for every human being, finished the work of the cross that He, in turn, might be the One to justify anyone who believes in that finished work. Well, that’s what man has done with God’s perfect plan of salvation. Hebrews 12:23c "…and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," He’s the "Judge of all and the spirits of just men," or righteous men. "Of righteous men made perfect." That is in God’s eyes. Not in the eyes of men, but in God’s eyes, the righteous Judge. Verse 24: Hebrews 12:24 Hebrews 12:24 3. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4. 5. For there is one God,…" One! There is no other foundation, but Christ Jesus." I Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" Now remember, as we’ve come through Hebrews, Paul has been stressing the position of God the Son. The Son, but He was man, He was human, He walked, He talked, He ate; but He never stopped being God. And as such then, He can be the mediator between men and the invisible God. Alright, so read it again, verse 5: "There is one God, one mediator between that one God and man, and it’s the man Christ Jesus." Which of course, comes back to the fact that as a member of the Trinity, God the Son is just as much God as God the Father; and in their Triune headship, they are one. But nevertheless, Jesus the Christ is the Mediator between man and God. Hebrews 12:24a "And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling,…" Hebrews 12:24b The blood of Christ is far better than that animal sacrificial blood of Abel. Animal blood was the requirement in the Old Testament economy. Now remember, just back up a page or two and we’ll see how God was satisfied with that animal sacrifice offered by Abel, and that’s in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 4: Hebrews 11:4a "By faith (because this is what God instructed and that’s what Abel did) Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,…" Alright, now, so the comparison is, here the blood of Christ is so far above the animal blood of the sacrifice that Abel offered, because of what God has now done. Hebrews 12:24 "And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." The blood that He shed, was from the perfect Lamb of God. Now let’s go on to verse 25. My, I’ve learned, I hope you have. The Old Testament isn’t written to us. So now then, verse 25. The warning is to these Jews, to these Jews who were having a hard time making the break. Hebrews 12:25a You know that when God was dealing with Israel in the Old Testament economy, and Israel would just simply spurn God; and they would go on their own way and go into idolatry, what did God do? God punished them when they turned in unbelief. Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? Alright, now then, the Apostle Paul is constantly letting us know that that’s where he got his marching orders; from the Christ in heaven. Let me stop while you’re still in Acts, let’s jump over to chapter 22 and this is just an example of how Christ spoke to him from heaven. Acts 22 verse 17. Where is he speaking from? From heaven! Galatians 1 starting at verse 11, and all I want you to see is that Hebrews says how that so much more responsibility is upon us in this Age of Grace because He’s speaking from heaven (but through the Apostle Paul). Galatians 1:11-12 From heaven! Hebrews 12 again, verse 25: Hebrews 12:25b "…For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:" #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible