Transcript
Now tonight before we turn to the Epistle to the Hebrews we need to read several passages from the Old Testament. And first of all will you turn with me to Psalm 3. Psalm 3. We’ll read beginning at verse 5.
I laid me down and slept. I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O Lord. Save me, O my God. For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone. You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah
And now will you turn with me to Psalm 110. Psalm 110. Beginning to read at verse 1.
The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies. Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power. In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The Lord has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’
And now we turn to the Epistle to the Hebrews. First for a couple of verses in chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. We want to read verses 13 and 14.
But to which of the angels has He ever said, ‘Sit at My right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool’? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?
I’ll come over to chapter 4. Beginning to read in Hebrews 4 verse 14.
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Now run your eye down to chapter 5 and verse 5. Chapter 5 verse 5.
So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’ As He also says in another place, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,’ who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
And just two more verses in Hebrews found in chapter 7 and verse 24. Hebrews 7 verse 24.
But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.
Now come back to Hebrews 4 and 5. Dick Cockerell is a real, my flesh and blood hero. In 1980 he was a truck driver for Kroger stores. And he was at an East Texas roadside park one day when he saw three men trying to drag a woman and her two young daughters into a car. The woman was screaming for help and there were about eight or ten bystanders in the area who were doing nothing to save her. That’s when Dick Cockerell moved into action.
Now to understand what happened next you have to know that Dick Cockerell is a ex-Marine. He’s five foot eleven inches tall and he weighs about two hundred forty-five pounds. He is a very husky fellow. He’s had more than the normal experience with thugs and bullies. In fact he grew up right here in the Los Angeles area and when he was a teenager he weighed over three hundred pounds. And he took a lot of abuse because he was fat. And so he joined the Marines, quit school, got in shape. And then when he would come back on leave from the Marines he’d spend his time looking up the bullies who had made his life miserable and even up the score with them. So Dick Cockerell knew what he was doing when he waded into these three men even though one of them was holding a knife. Very quickly and efficiently he broke one man’s jaw. He broke another man’s arm. And he disabled the third man with a very well-placed kick. As the men lay writhing on the ground in pain he told them that he passed that way three times a week. And if they would like more of the same they could hang around and he would be sure to give it to them.
Well there was all in a day’s work for Dick Cockerell and he didn’t even bother to tell his employer what had happened. But the woman’s grateful husband telephoned the Dallas Times Herald and told them the story. And the wire services picked it up and spread it all over the nation. And pretty soon Dick Cockerell was being flooded with congratulatory telephone calls and cards and letters. The phone lines at Kroger’s were so tied up that the supervisor said, “Look, Dan, he was going to have to hire an answering service just to handle Cockerell’s calls.” I was told the Dallas Times Herald that he was a little surprised that he hadn’t received more crank calls than he did. He said really just when a fellow who said he was with the Ku Klux Klan called to say that they were going to get him for helping that black woman. Cockerell said, “I didn’t tell them that the three guys who were attacking her were also black.”
Well he was a hero. But he told the media that all the reward that he wanted was what he got shortly after the fight was over when the two little girls, ages six and seven, hugged and kissed him. Said Cockerell, “That made my day. That made my day.” Well I’m sure that it did. But I’m sure of something else as well. It also made the day for that woman and those two little girls who were saved from their attackers.
This evening I would like to suggest to you that the situation of Christians in this world is very similar. Very similar to the situation of that woman and those two little girls. You see we also are under attack. We also are under attack. All I know that in this country that doesn’t usually come in direct physical form. And yet we should never forget that there are Christians all over the world who are in literal physical danger because of their Christian faith. But for us the attacks come sometimes in more subtle ways. The attacks may come in terms of personal rejection. In terms of ridicule or austerity or hatred. And above and beyond all of these things are the unceasing attacks that come from the enemy of our souls, from Satan himself.
And strange as it may seem when you first hear it, we who are saved need to be saved. May I repeat that? We who are already saved need to be saved. Many centuries ago King David was driven from his palace and driven from Jerusalem by a rebellion that was started by his very own son Absalom. You’ll remember that Absalom was an exceedingly handsome young man. From the crown of his head to the sole of his foot he looked every inch a king. And he was also a very crafty fellow. And he managed to steal the loyalty of the twelve tribes of Israel so that they wanted him for their king and rejected David who had ruled them so long and so well. David had to flee from Jerusalem with a small group of loyal servants and a small band of dedicated soldiers. And he hadn’t gotten very far from the city of Jerusalem when very alarming news came. He got word that Absalom was mobilizing the entire army of Israel and was about to lead them out to attack David and his men. And of course with the intention of slaughtering David’s men and killing David his father.
And many brave men might be excused for being a little worried in a situation like that. And David might have said, “This is it. We are hopelessly out. We have no place to go. We have insufficient supplies. This is the end.” He might have said something like that. But he didn’t. You know what David did when he got that news? He got a good night’s sleep. He got a good night’s sleep. And in the psalm which was written about that very occasion David says,
I laid me down and slept. I awaked because the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O Lord. Save me, O my God. You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone. You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Did you hear those words? David says, “I know I’m outnumbered. They’re setting themselves against me all around. But God has punched my enemies in the mouth and knocked their teeth out. Salvation belongs to the Lord.” I know what happened, don’t you? When the battle was joined between David’s tiny band of men and Absalom’s men it was Absalom’s men who were routed and not David’s. It was Absalom who was killed in battle and not King David. Because salvation belongs to the Lord.
My Christian friends, do you know what we need when we are under attack? We need someone to save us. We need someone who is strong enough to punch our enemies in the mouth and knock their teeth out. And that is exactly what we have in Jesus Christ. And through Him we can inherit salvation.
I was talking to a young woman some years ago and I was trying to explain how to be saved. And I told her the Bible said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” And I explained that because He died for her sins and rose again all she needed to do to be saved from hell was to trust Him as her personal Savior. And then I said to her, “Have you ever done that?” And she said to me, “Yes, I have.” I was a little surprised by that and I said, “Oh. When did you do that?” And then she told me about an occasion when she had been driving a car and she had been involved in an accident. And as I remember it there was serious damage to both cars. The police arrived and she was very afraid that she was going to get into trouble. So she said, “I asked the Lord to save me and He did and I didn’t get into trouble.” And when she told me that I knew that we were talking about two different kinds of salvation. I was talking about salvation from hell and eternal judgment. And she was talking about salvation from trouble.
And of course the Bible does talk about salvation from eternal judgment. Jesus said,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life.
The Bible does talk about that kind of salvation. But there is another kind of salvation that the Bible also talks about very often. Very often. And over and over again in the Book of Psalms, not only Psalm 3 but many other Psalms, the writers cry out to God for salvation from their enemies, for deliverance and victory in the midst of troubles. And their theme is salvation belongs to the Lord.
And you know that that is exactly the kind of salvation that you and I can inherit. And why can we inherit that kind of salvation? It’s because God has said to His Son, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Jesus will be victorious over all of His enemies. And through Him we can be victorious too. And as He sits on that throne of victory the angels are sent out as ministering spirits to serve those who shall inherit salvation, who shall share His victory.
Napoleon Bonaparte was undoubtedly one of the great military geniuses of all time. At the peak of his career as Emperor of France he brought practically all of Europe to its knees. And when he decided to invade Russia, Napoleon’s Russian campaign must certainly go down as one of the great military disasters of all time. And I have read that in the city of Vilna on the border of Russia there is a simple granite shaft. And on the western face of that shaft, the direction from which Napoleon invaded Russia, there are inscribed these words: “Napoleon Bonaparte passed this way in 1812 with four hundred and ten thousand men.” And on the eastern face of the shaft, the direction from which Napoleon retreated from Russia, are these words: “Napoleon Bonaparte passed this way in 1812 with nine thousand men.” You see great military genius and leader and commander though he was he led hundreds of thousands of men to disaster and to defeat.
And I’m thrilled tonight to be able to tell you that you cannot follow Jesus Christ to defeat. You cannot follow Jesus Christ to defeat. It just can’t be done. I hope you remember what we are learning from the book of Hebrews. That God designs to bring many sons to the glory of dominion over the entire creation. And He has provided for those many sons a Captain of their salvation who is perfect for His role. And He can lead them to victory. But there is a condition. There is a condition. And in Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 9 we read these words:
And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
Is everybody awake? I mean is everybody in this audience awake? Was there anybody in the audience who heard those words read earlier who thought that the verse was talking about being saved from hell by obeying Jesus Christ? If you did go to the foot of the class. I mean go to the foot of the class. Shame, shame, shame on you if you thought these words were talking about salvation from the eternal judgment. Maybe in some churches we could understand mistakes like that. But not in the Church of the Open Door. Don’t you agree? Don’t we all understand here at the Church of the Open Door that the Bible says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy He saved us.” And then we remember that the Apostle Paul wrote, “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” And if you thought this verse was talking about salvation from hell you really needed to pay closer attention to the verses that are right in front of it. Hebrews 5 verses 7 and 8, speaking of Jesus Christ,
Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
Come with me to one of the most touching scenes in all of the Bible. Come to the Garden of Gethsemane. There is Jesus with three of His most intimate disciples. And He knows that in a very short time His enemies will appear. They will arrest Him and lead Him to suffering and death. And He turns to Peter and James and John and He says, “Stay with me for a little while while I go over there and pray.” And He goes off a little bit. And the Bible tells us that He fell on His face. And from the depths of His heart He prayed, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless not My will but Thine be done.” In three times He prayed that prayer. And I think it’s just about enough to bring tears to our eyes when we realize that the Bible says that as He prayed out of the anguish of His heart that the sweat that poured down His forehead was like great drops of blood falling to the ground.
And what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane? Jesus learned obedience. That cup was not taken away. God’s will was done. And pretty soon the enemies arrive led by the traitor Judas. He planted that kiss of treachery on Jesus’ cheek. Then they bound Him and they led Him through a series of trials that made a mockery of justice. And then they nailed Him to a cross like a common criminal. And then as He hung dying on the cross He offered up prayers and supplications to God with strong crying and tears. And if you want to know what He prayed on the cross you only need to turn to Psalm 22 which begins with that cry of desolation,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me and from the words of My roaring? I cry in the daytime and I am not silent. And in the night seasons and You do not hear.”
And for twenty-one verses that anguished cry goes on. But here is how it ends:
“But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me. O My Strength, hasten to help Me. Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. Save Me from the lion’s mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen.”
And the very next words of that psalm are thrilling. Do you know what they are? The very next words of the psalm are these:
“You have answered Me. You have answered Me.”
Who in the days of His flesh offered up prayers and supplications to God who was able to save Him from death. And He was heard. He was heard because of His godly fear. How did God hear Him? Well first of all He raised Him from the dead. Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o’er His foes. He arose a victor from the dark domain. And He lives forever with His saints to reign. Hallelujah! Christ arose. But that was only the first step.
Because He had learned obedience, because He had become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Isn’t that amazing? I mean isn’t that wonderful? Jesus obeyed God and God gave Him eternal salvation. Jesus obeyed God and God gave Him eternal salvation. Delivering Him out of all the total agony of the sufferings of death. Exalting Him to the highest place of the universe. Giving Him victory and dominion forever. Eternal is this deliverance.
And my friends if we are willing to obey Him we too can share in that same eternal salvation. We too can be victoriously triumphant in the midst of life’s troubles. And we can share in His eternal victory. But we need His help. We really and truly need His help. And in the very same psalm where God says to His Son, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool,” God says something else to Jesus that is very important for every Christian in this audience tonight. For in Psalm 110 God also says to His Son,
The Lord has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’
And the reason that we can make it in the Christian life is because in Jesus Christ we have a great High Priest.
I was reading some time ago about a Vietnam veteran by the name of George Faulkner. He bears the scars of his wartime experience. He has a nervous condition, skin disease and ulcers. And he and his family lived in a third-story hotel room in Jellico, Tennessee. And the hotel caught on fire. And the flames were so intense that it was impossible to go to safety through the hallway. And so he and his family went to the window of their third-story room. And George Faulkner jumped out and landed on the roof of a one-story building that was right up against the hotel about fifteen or twenty feet below. And then his wife brought their six-month-old little daughter Susan to the window and she threw her out the window. And George Faulkner caught her. And then their four-year-old little boy George climbed up in the window and he jumped out of the window. And George Faulkner caught him and broke his fall. And he landed safely. And then his wife Mattie also jumped and he caught her, broke her fall and she landed safely. And as if that were not enough three more times he went back into the hotel trying to save people until he had taken in so much smoke and inhaled so much that he couldn’t go back in anymore. My hero? You better believe it. You better believe it.
In time of crisis he saved his entire family. Christian friends what we need in times of crisis is someone into whose arms we can leap. We need someone who is strong enough to catch us, to break the fall and to see to it that we land on our feet. And we need a veteran. We need a veteran. We need someone who knows the pathway of suffering and has paid the price of obedience to God. And all of that we have in Jesus our great High Priest.
Therefore the writer tells us in one of the most beautiful passages in the book of Hebrews,
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but He was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
And I would be lying to you tonight if I told you that the Christian life is easy. It is easy to be saved from hell. But it is not easy to live victoriously for God. That is my privilege to announce to you, to proclaim to you that the throne of victory on which Jesus is seated is also a throne of grace. And when we come to God in prayer through Jesus our great High Priest we can get everything we need to be victorious. That is why the writer tells us in chapter 7 that because He continues forever He has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost. He is able to save completely those who come to God by Him. Why? Because He is always alive to pray for His people. He ever lives to make intercession for them.
And if we are talking about salvation from our troubles, from our trials, from our enemies whether human or demonic, we can get the job done. He can get it done. He can save us completely. He can save us to the uttermost.
When I feel my faith may fail me Christ will hold me fast. When the tempter would assail me He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. For my Savior loves me so He will hold me fast.
Salvation belongs to Jesus Christ our Lord. We were walking during the North African campaign. The German troops were led by a shrewd and capable general named Rommel who earned the title the Desert Fox. Time after time he inflicted defeats on Britain’s army of North Africa. And finally Britain sent to North Africa to take command of the defeated and demoralized troops Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. And after Montgomery had been there for a little while he turned to General Lord Freyberg, a general under his command, and he said to Lord Freyberg, “You know it seems very sad to me but a professional soldier can reach the very peak of his generalship and then suffer a reverse that ruins his career.” And Freyberg responded, “Don’t be depressed. Don’t be depressed. Maybe, maybe you will win through.” And Montgomery replied, “My dear fellow, I was not talking about myself. I was talking about Rommel.”
And students of World War II will tell you that this confident commander reorganized the British troops and led them to victory over Rommel the Desert Fox. And I think that it ought to throw us right down to our bootstraps that the Captain of our salvation is a confident commander. For Him victory is sure. And if we are willing to trust and obey Him we can be victorious too.
I think that what I have tried to say to you tonight can be summarized in the simple words of a little chorus which goes like this:
“My Lord knows the way through the wilderness. All I have to do is follow. My Lord knows the way through the wilderness. All I have to do is follow. Strength for today is mine always. And all I could need for tomorrow. My Lord knows the way through the wilderness. All I have to do is follow.”
Shall we pray? Father we bless Thee from the depths of our heart for the Captain of our salvation perfected for His role by suffering, learning obedience through the things that He suffered. Teach us to follow Him and to experience that eternal salvation that is our share in His victory and in His kingdom. We pray in His name. Amen.