The Persecuted Church, Part 3

Recap of the Series and Introduction to the Third Benefit

0:02 Now, as we have done for the last two Lord's Day mornings, let us turn again this morning to the epistle to the Hebrews and chapter 13, Hebrews chapter 13, and I shall read in your hearing verses 1 through 6.

0:20 Let love of the brethren continue. Do not forget to show love unto strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in prison as imprisoned with them, them that are ill-treated as being yourselves also in the body. Let marriage be had in honor among all, and let the bed be unburied.

1:01 Let marriage be undefiled, for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have. For himself hath said, I will in no wise fail you, neither will I in any wise forsake you. So that with good courage we say, the Lord is my helper.

1:29 I will not fear. What shall man? Do unto me. Well, let us again pray and ask God to help us as we come to the study of the word that he'll sustain my vocal apparatus and above all come to us by his spirit.

1:48 Let's pray. Our father, we know that you are the God who gives us life and breath and all things that we cannot draw our next breath. Unless you are pleased. You are pleased to give it to us and yet so often we are unmindful of this and we then thank you for every circumstance which brings us to the fresh reminder of how utterly dependent upon you we are.

2:22 And so, Lord, I would embrace this physical affliction as a fresh call to me consciously to trust you for grace and enablement to preach your word as I ought. Uphold and strengthen me to that end. And by the Holy Spirit come and minister powerfully. Oh, Lord, minister powerfully to our hearts this morning that we may by the grace and enablement of the Holy Spirit have a clearer understanding of the path of Christian duty.

2:59 And a greater inclination of heart to walk in that path by your grace and by your power. Hear us and help us, we plead, in the expectation of faith, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

3:28 Imprisonment, torture, constant intimidation, death, illegal closure of church buildings, self-protective abandonment of home and all of one's possessions. These are the things to which most of us are total strangers in our experience. However, for no other reason than their bold, unashamed profession of attachment to Jesus Christ as Savior and as Lord,

4:15 millions, and that's not hyperbole, millions of our blood-born, bought, blood-washed brothers and sisters, these things are a daily reality, a constant reality.

4:37 Now, in the light of this great disparity between their experience and ours, do we have any responsibility towards our persecuted and suffering brothers and sisters in Christ? Well, the most succinct and explicit answer, the answer to that question I know of, found in Holy Scripture, is given to us in the words of Hebrews 13 and verse 3. Remember them that are in prison as imprisoned with them. Remember them that are ill-treated as being yourselves also in the body.

5:21 My sermon this morning is the third in a brief series based upon this, and I'm going to give you the context in Hebrews chapter 13. In the first message, we noted the more general and the more immediate context of this verse, the general context being the epistle to the Hebrews, which I described as a divinely inspired pull, push, draw, and drive pastoral effort to urge Christians to press on in persevering faith in Christ. to urge Christians to press on in persevering faith in Christ. to urge Christians to press on in persevering faith in Christ.

5:58 in spite of opposition and threats of persecution. The more immediate context is the central imperative of verse 1. Let love of the brethren continue. And verse 3 is a dimension, a conduit, an avenue by which we as the people of God are to let brotherly love continue.

6:25 I then sought to open up the text itself. Where did the message really get into? We looked first at the sevenumb 1992th chapter of Zoroastrian scripture. Zoroastrian scripture translated into English as Children's tır Hoşнемiredship and We are to… Remembrance We are to remember those things which remain because we are Finally, we are to remember those things that we!

6:57 at last we are to understand our stabbed, Gespr craftups, We are to remember those thingsそう that our suffering, suffering have never been identified, who are imprisoned. We are to remember those who are ill-treated for Jesus' sake. And then thirdly, we noted the disposition with which we are to engage in this activity. With respect to the imprisoned ones, we are to remember them as though we were imprisoned with them. And with respect to

7:23 the ill-treated for Jesus' sake, we are to do so as ourselves being also in the flesh. And then I concluded the exposition with what really was an application addressing two specific ways in which we can all, without exception, immediately, without delay, implement this test. Two specific ways in which we can all immediately obey this command. And those two ways I identified in this way by exposing ourselves to the available information

8:05 concerning our imprisoned and ill-treated brethren for Christ's sake, and secondly by engaging in biblically framed intercessory prayer on their behalf. Then in the second message I began to address the subject, some spiritual benefits of obedience to this divine mandate of Hebrews 13 and verse 3. And in the introduction I underscored that the obedience I have in mind is characterized by three things. It is not perfect obedience, but it is purposeful and real obedience.

8:47 Jesus said, And none of those passages is pointing to a perfect obedience, but it is pointing to a purposeful and a real obedience. Secondly, this obedience is not meritorious, but evangelical and filial. In other words, it is not an obedience by which we...

9:19 We think to gain the favor of God, but an obedience that grows out of knowing that favor through the gracious work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. An obedience that is not that of the slave who dreads the frown of his master, but of a son who delights in the smile of his heavenly Father. And then thirdly, it is not a self-generated obedience, but a...

9:49 A grace-imparted, Spirit-empowered obedience, the obedience that is even alluded to later on in this chapter in verses 20 and 21. Then I proceeded to identify two specific fruits, two specific spiritual benefits from this kind of obedience to Hebrews 13 and verse 3. I asserted and then demonstrated from the Scriptures that obedience...

10:19 Obedience to Hebrews 13 and verse 3 will contribute to the attaining and maintaining of a good conscience before God and man. Our pivotal text being Acts 24 and verse 16. Secondly, and more importantly, I asserted and sought to demonstrate from the Scriptures, many of them, fifteen of them to be specific, that our obedience to Hebrews 13 and verse 3 will create a constant reminder that suffering for Christ is the normal accompaniment of

11:00 being a true disciple of Christ. And while in the providence of God we live in a sustained state of abnormality, it is abnormality. And who knows when we will enter the orbit of the normalcy of being a true disciple of Christ. But it is like a prophecy of open, concentrated suffering for the sake of Christ.

11:27 And as we obey Hebrews 13 and verse 3, acquiring information about our imprisoned and ill-treated brethren, and as we engage in prayer for them, we will be constantly reminded that this suffering for Christ is the normal accompaniment of being a true disciple of Christ. This is why I say to you today, that this is not the time that you are to carry out your own personal and personal service. a true disciple of Christ. Now as we come to this third spiritual benefit of obeying Hebrews 13.3,

12:00 I feel that I'm seeking to give birth to the twin brother of that 14-pound baby that I spoke about last week. I'm only going to focus upon one further spiritual practical benefit that will come to us with the blessing of God as we set ourselves in very specific ways to be obedient to the divine mandate of Hebrews 13 and verse 3. And it is this. The third spiritual benefit of obedience to Hebrews 13.3 is this.

Defining Christian Liberty and Self-Denial

12:35 It will provide with God's blessing effective inoculation against a pattern of careless, thoughtless, and selfishness. Selfish indulgence of our Christian liberty. I run that wordy sentence by you again. It will provide with God's blessing an effective inoculation against a pattern of careless, thoughtless, and selfish indulgence of our Christian liberty.

13:15 Now first of all, let me take a few moments to unpack the key. The key concepts embedded in that statement. And the first key term is obviously Christian liberty. The last two words are a key to all that goes before.

13:32 What do I mean by Christian liberty? Well, in a nutshell, the biblical and reformed doctrine of Christian liberty is this. God alone is Lord of the conscience of his people. Therefore, anything that is not forbidden by the precepts or principles of the word of God, a Christian is free to engage in, insofar as he can do so as unto his Lord.

14:05 The classic passages which teach this truth are Romans chapter 14 through the first seven verses of chapter 15, First Corinthians chapters 8, 9, and 10. And in a briefer and more comprehensive form, and in a more comprehensive form, and in a more comprehensive form, condensed form, Colossians 2, verses 16 through 23. These are not the only passages. These are the watershed passages that set before us the classic biblical and reformed doctrine of Christian liberty, that the conscience of the believer, having been washed in the blood of Christ and having been tethered to the lordship of Christ, is free from the doctrines and the commandments

14:48 of men, and that the Christian is free to partake of, to indulge in activities that are not prohibited by precept or principle of the word of God insofar as he is able to do so with a good conscience before his lord. And the heart of the apostolic doctrine comes to us in the concrete situation of believers who are troubled about eating certain meats or not eating them, drinking certain beverages or not drinking them, involving themselves in certain religious holidays or not involving

15:29 in them, those are the specific things that were the pastoral concerns in the New Testament churches which drew forth these apostolic statements concerning that which we now call the biblical doctrine of Christian liberty. And the heart of the apostolic directives are these, that in matters where God is not bound our consciences, we must not seek to bind the consciences of our brethren. Furthermore, where we have a differing conscience on such matters, we are not to stand in judgment of one another, nor are we to look down our snoot at one another.

16:11 That's the essence of the biblical doctrine of Christian liberty. Now, no one—no individual, no church—holds more tenaciously to this biblical and Reformed doctrine of Christian liberty than do I and thus this church. And through the years we have fought those who would infringe upon that liberty. We've had people that would tell nursing mothers, you must nurse on a four-hour schedule, and anything more than that you're kowtowing to the Adamian elders.

16:44 Isn't that tough? Isn't that a side point? Isn't that a big thing? Isn't that a big thing?

16:45 Isn't that a big thing? nature of your children, and you're going to make little hellions of them. And they tried to infringe on the liberty of a mother to have a nursing program on demand. Believe it or not, we've had people in this place who tried to do that. We've had other people

17:01 that they would like to infringe upon our liberty with regard to the length of skirts and whether there's a patch of cloth on the head, and you name it, we've had it. But we have stood tenaciously for this doctrine. Now why do I underscore that? For the simple reason that I have not given up the doctrine of Christian liberty, nor the battles we have fought to maintain it, not only conceptually, but in our practical church life in this place.

17:33 We have men sitting here this morning with proper suits, two-piece suits, shirt and tie. We have some that sit here with a sweater. And some that may come with a feminine pantsuit and the rest. And if we saw anybody trying to dictate on these matters, we would oppose them. Say, no, you dare not, you must not.

17:55 Christ alone is Lord of the conscience. However, the same Bible that teaches this doctrine,

18:06 this Bible teaches us with equal clarity that it is possible to exercise the doctrine of our liberties at the expense and well-being of our souls and of the souls of others.

18:23 You follow me? The Bible that teaches we have our liberties in Christ, and we must allow no human authority to infringe upon those liberties, teaches with equal clarity that we may indulge our liberties at the expense of the well-being of our own souls and the souls of others. That's why in the midst of the discussion of this, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10-12, Wherefore let him who thinks he stand take heed, lest he fall. The person who says, I understand my liberty, and the only way I can prove to others that

19:02 I do is to exercise it to the fool, even though I place myself in spiritual danger, he's a fool. The understanding of our liberty is an internal reality before God. The exercise of our liberty is an external matter before men. And I do not need to fully exercise all of my liberties to prove that I understand them and appreciate them.

19:30 And the Bible teaches us that some people exercise their liberties at the expense of the well-being of their own souls, and some do it at the expense of the well-being of others. So Paul would say, if meat makes your brother to offend. And yet. If you're determined to eat your meat, you're not walking in love, you are destroying the brother for whom Christ died.

19:54 Or in Galatians 5-13, for freedom you were called, or for liberty you were called, only use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Take the place of slaves one to another. You follow me now? You're all with me?

20:15 I'm trying to build an argument. And I've got to build it a block at a time. We've seen in essence what Christian liberty is. We've seen that the Bible teaches us that that liberty can be abused to the detriment of our souls and the souls of others.

20:30 Furthermore, the Bible teaches with equal clarity in setting forth the way of true discipleship that it is a way of self-denial. And not a way of self-indulgence. The Bible clearly teaches us that the way of a disciple is the way of a self-denying man or woman who is not only turned from ungodliness and worldly lust, Titus chapter 2, but who

21:06 is continually turning away from things legitimate in themselves in the interest of the good of others. That self-denial is not the same. It's never right to indulge sin, but there are areas in which we may indulge ourselves that are not explicitly and specifically sinful, but they are contrary to a pattern of self-denial. For example, 2 Corinthians 5.15, and that he Christ died for all that they who live

21:46 should no longer henceforth live unto themselves. That is the way of self-denial. That is the way of self-denial. That is the way of self-denial.

21:51 In the chapter we are going to go into each day a different conversation of self-denial. According to the word self-denial we see in verse 8, and on the Gospel쪽에 39 verse 9, Jesus friendius used the words self-denial, Nad 그렇bos Christ, but David, reading the first section of his own Little Book published in Japan, said, 2 Philippians 2 verse 3 and following, verse 1 och The Apostles 2 verse 1 and 2 says, 1 The Apostles 2 verse 2 and 3 says, 2 Each of you should be seeking not the things of his own, but the things of another. 2 Let this mind be in you such that each of you shall invest his energy into whatever you

22:21 He knew which was also in Christ Jesus who was so other-centered that he was willing to relinquish all the glorious accoutrements of the immediate presence of God, the entourage of angels and seraphim and terabim and the worship of the host of heaven, willing to relinquish all of that and take upon himself the form of a man. And being found in fashion as a man, to humble himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, in a pattern of self-denying love for his own.

23:02 Furthermore, Romans 15.1 says, We who are strong ought to bear with the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves, even as Christ pleased not himself. Christ is our pattern. The pattern of a life of self-denying love.

The Concept of Inoculation Against Selfishness

23:22 Now, unless you understand those basic issues, you won't be able to make sense out of my burden this morning that an obedience to Hebrews 13.3 will provide with God's blessing an effective inoculation against a pattern of careless, thoughtless, and selfish indulgence of our Christians. Now, the second key concept is inoculation. When I say inoculation, what do I mean?

23:56 Well, what does an inoculation do? Well, it triggers the defense mechanism in the body towards the disease against which you're inoculated. So that when that real sure enough disease tries to invade you, it can't do it. There's a defense system in the body that says, not welcomed here.

24:17 And what I'm saying is, a serious commitment. A serious commitment to obey Hebrews 13.3 will, with God's blessing, provide an effective inoculation in the spiritual system against a pattern of careless, thoughtless, and selfish indulgence of Christian liberty. And why do we need such an inoculation?

24:44 For the simple reason that though we have been transformed by the grace of God from a life of self-denial, we have been transformed by the grace of God from a life of self-denial. A life fundamentally committed to pleasing self, to pleasing Christ. 2 Corinthians 5.15 No longer living unto self, but unto him who for our sakes died and rose again.

25:03 Our remaining sin manifests itself in this inveterate tendency towards selfishness. Our remaining sin is essentially self-centeredness. And because we live in a society, that fosters self-indulgence, and in the providence of God we are not yet living in the normalcy of real persecution for Jesus' sake,

25:38 we are sitting ducks for what I'm calling a careless, thoughtless, selfish pattern of indulgence in our Christian liberties. And in obedience to Hebrews 13.3, Hebrews 13.4, I am persuaded with God's blessing will act as an inoculation against this tendency to the selfish, careless, thoughtless indulgence of our Christian liberty.

26:18 Trying to illustrate this, my mind went back to ancient history for you kids. And among the many things I remember during the Second World War period, there were some of those posters, on Antiques Roadshow a few weeks ago, someone had a collection, about 50 of them, and it just brought back so many memories. And one of them that is stamped on the walls of this man's brain, and I can see it right now, if I were an artist and I had an easel here, and I had ability to draw, I'd paint it for you. In the background, there was a ship, and that ship was sinking.

26:55 The stern was sticking up, here's the water line, the stern was sticking up, obviously in a few minutes, it was going to sink. In a few minutes, it was going to go down to Davy Jones' locker. That was in the background, the sinking ship. Obviously it was a troop ship.

27:09 It wasn't a warship, it was a troop ship. And then in the foreground, there was a hand sticking up out of the water, just about like this. I'll never forget the posture of the hand. Obviously a soldier or a seaman who was about to be sucked under the waves for the last time and die.

27:31 And over the top of that picture, were these two words, Somebody, talk. That's all. Somebody? What was the message?

28:11 Father's company that made electric shavers was producing everything for the war effort. No shavers for four years, five years.

28:23 And with all of that government protection, I mean, government involvement with the whole infrastructure, there was so much that the average person could know working in those things, that one little word here, one little word there, that would not be deliberately subversive, would certainly not be the words of a spy. Hey, just loose lift. Somebody talk. That poster was a constant reminder we're at war.

28:52 A loose word here, a loose word there. You may be the cause of a whole shipload of men being sunk in the Atlantic. Don't forget the hand. Don't forget the sinking ship.

29:06 Somebody talk. They didn't have to add, don't you talk, just somebody talk. And the message. It's still there.

29:15 Fifty, sixty years later.

29:22 Now what I'm saying is this. If we begin in new ways to commit ourselves to obedience to Hebrews 13.3, we're determined that we are going to remember with a disposition of readiness for appropriate action. Our brothers and sisters who are imprisoned around the world, our brothers.

29:51 Our sisters and sisters who are ill-treated. And we are remembering with a disposition of readiness to do what we can for them. Starting with the collection of information. Giving ourselves to prayer.

30:06 What I am saying is this. I know of nothing, and I'm using my words carefully. I know of nothing that will act as a more powerful inoculation against our tendency, to a careless, thoughtless, selfish indulgence of our liberties than that involvement with that biblical duty. I'm going to descend from the theory to the particulars, and I'm going to get very specific.

Specific Illustrations: Music Lover

30:45 I'm going to get specific in five areas. You know what's going to happen as I do? Some of you are going to sit there saying, uh-oh, he's overthrowing everything he said he believed about Christian liberty. He's making rules.

30:59 I ain't making no rules. I'm not making any rules. But if I don't make specific application and illustration, you'll sit there and say, oh, wasn't that a lovely sermon? You'll float right by and it'll be not an arrow in your heart.

31:12 So I'm going to get specific. But remember, these are only specimen illustrations. You hear me? If you go out of here and say, well, Pastor Martin said, if you do this and do that, you're indulging your Christian liberty thoughtlessly, selfishly.

31:29 No, I didn't. You're breaking the ninth commandment if you say I did, because I ain't going to do it. I'm not going to do it. I'm not doing that.

31:38 But I'm going to get specific so you get the idea. And hopefully the Holy Spirit will take the five specifics that I will address and begin to get your mind thinking in a hundred ways. And by the Spirit of God, with the blessing of God, a commitment to obedience to Hebrews 13, 3, will begin to operate in every single one of us, starting with this preacher, as a powerful inoculation against a pattern of the careless, thoughtless, selfish indulgence of our Christian liberty.

32:23 All right, you ready for me to take my arrows out of my quiver? Some of you say, yeah, I'm ready to dodge, Pastor. I'm loosening up. I'm getting ready to dodge.

32:34 Don't dodge. Don't dodge. Say, Lord, give me love wounds if I need them. All right?

32:43 Example number one. We're going to consider the Christian who's a lover of God-glorifying music. The Christian who is a lover of God-glorifying music. He appreciates God's gift of music that reflects God's character, marked by order, harmony, progression, tension coming to resolution, has beginning, has middle, has end.

33:14 It reflects God as creator, reflects God as orderly governor of his universe. Here's a Christian who's a lover of God-glorifying music. He may subscribe to one or two magazines that give a synopsis of the latest releases of the kind of music that he, in terms of his overall schedule lived out before God, listens to that he might better serve God, that he might glorify God. Maybe he doesn't subscribe to the magazines, but he goes down to the library once a month and checks one or two of such magazines.

33:53 And he has a real love and appreciation for the magisterial symphonies of Beethoven and some of the concertos, new Latin studio Concerti, I know, of Beethoven. In fact, he has a lovely multiple-discipline, a multiple-disc set of the most outstanding, time-proven, time-loved works of Beethoven. Periodically, he works his way through them. And as he listens and his soul is elevated and lifted, he praises God and he thanks God for this marvelous music.

34:33 Well, on this particular day, he's gone down to the library, or he's gotten his magazine, and he sees that there is a new release of all of those well-known, standard works in the Beethoven repertoire. And the reviewer says that this particular multi-disc production makes all others obsolete. And he praises it to the high heaven, states that all of the previous ones, either there was something lacking in the accurate reproduction of the mind of Beethoven, or there was some weakness in the string section in this particular movement of the Fifth Symphony or the Ninth, or the choral work in the Ninth Symphony,

35:17 was this or that. And as he reads that, I don't know how a guy who loves good music mentally drools, but however he does it, that's what he does. He's drooling. It would be wonderful to hear those sounds passing over my ear.

35:33 Then he sees what it's going to cost. Maybe just $19.95. He has the discretionary funds to spend the $20 for his new set of the works of Beethoven.

35:47 He's not cutting in to Mama's grocery money. He's not cutting in to his regular commitment of tithes and offerings to the work of God. He's not cutting in to money set aside in savings for his kids' education. He's got some discretionary funds.

36:05 It is his liberty before God to spend his $20 for this new multiple CD set that is Beethoven music. But just before he went to the library to read his musical magazine, he read his latest newsletter from Open Doors, or from one of the other organizations. I could name them, but I won't. And he realizes that for $5 he can put a Bible into the hands of suffering saints in China

36:46 who in the midst of their sufferings can't read the Psalms and suck sweetness from the promises of God, can't read Isaiah's words, when you pass through the water I'll be with you, and through the fire it shall not kindle upon you. And when he's struggling, shall I go to Borders and get this set? The remembrance that what he'd pay for that added beautiful aesthetic pleasure could buy four Bibles and put it in the hands of suffering brethren, read the Psalms and suck sweetness from the promises,

37:30 read the words of Jesus. Why? Because some preacher said you can't buy a new...

37:43 No. But because a thoughtless indulgence of his liberty is negated by his commitment. Hebrews 13, 4. And with joy he takes his old set of Beethoven works, and he says, Oh Lord, there's enough in here to make me happy for a lifetime.

38:09 And now I add to my happiness are going into the hands of my suffering brethren in China. And they're going to know you better. They're going to have your presence mediated through the scriptures. Oh Lord, whatever added pleasure I get from that little nuance in the choral work of the ninth symphony, from that little bit of a stronger and more crisp input of the strings and the fifths.

38:41 And Lord, what is that? For the exquisite joy that there are brethren suffering in China, gathered around Bibles. Or it'll hit him right there. That's what I'm talking about.

39:05 That's exactly what I'm talking about. Now don't you go out and say, Pastor Martin said if you get a new set, I didn't say you can't...

39:13 You can buy that new set and invite me over to listen to it. I'll sit down and I won't judge you for it. I'll enjoy it to the hilt. And I'll thank God that you were able to get it with a good conscience.

Specific Illustrations: Lover of Fine Clothes

39:27 I was able to listen to it with a good conscience. Now we move from the lover of goodness, to the lover of music. Are you beginning to get the idea? We're going to move now to the man or woman who's a lover of fine clothes.

39:43 This person, you could blindfold him, blindfold her. Put fabric in front of him or her. Let them feel it. And they could tell you, this is the finest imported Italian wool.

39:56 I can tell from the feel. They're very tactile. I'm a very tactile person. My wife reminds me all the time.

40:03 I love to feel things. I'm very observant, but I'm very tactile. I like to rub. That's why I rub some of the heads of you boys when you get a crew cut.

40:15 I just love the feel of your nice fuzzy head. It just feels good. You're very tactile. You love the feel of good wool.

40:26 You love the feel of a suit, man or woman, dress, whatever it is, when it's really tailored just right. No pull anywhere. You feel that it's just gently sitting on your shoulders like a gentle breeze. Some of you know what I'm talking about?

40:50 Now, in your station in life, you've got to have a new suit, maybe two new suits, new dress, whatever it is. So you go to the place where you can get good clothes. You're not penny wise, pound foolish. Some of us reared in the depression in the war years had to learn this.

41:05 Every bargain ain't a bargain. If you've got to go back and buy it again in two years, I had that experience last year when I thought I was getting a bargain in the belt and the dumb thing frayed after about six months. And I said, you old depression kid, you got to learn your lesson and was willing to spend a little bit more for the next book. But anyway, that's neither here nor there.

41:26 That's a little aside. So here this person is going and let's say he's a man now because I want to be discreet. And the man stands before the rack of suits and he's looking them over. And here's one.

41:39 It's the right color. Puts it on. Seemed to be basically the right fit. He'll need maybe a little dropping of the collar and a little bringing up.

41:47 And it's 800 bucks. As he continues down the rack, he finds another one that maybe the fabric is just an almost undiscernible pad less in quality. But it's substantial. It is good.

42:07 It will serve every purpose of a suit except meeting his highest sense of aesthetic delight in its feet. That's the only thing. That's only negative. Only negative.

42:23 It's $300 less. And he stands in front of the rack. He's got an allowance in his budget. Maybe even his company gives him the clothing allowance.

42:36 I don't know. He has the liberty to get the $800 suit. But as he's wrestling, shall I get this one or that one? He's aware also of that latest brochure from Open Doors.

42:53 And he says, wait a minute. Five dollars into 300. How many Bibles will that give my suffering brethren in China? And he thinks of a whole little house journey with Bibles to so much false teaching and fanaticism in areas all across China because they don't have any Bibles.

43:16 He says, Lord, I'd love the feel of that suit for the five to seven years where I'm going to get out of bed. But, oh, Lord, what's a little feel on my fingers when I can put. Kids, do your arithmetic now. Five into 300.

43:33 How many Bibles? How many? Come on, tell me. How many Bibles?

43:40 How many? How many? Sixty Bibles. And he goes home again with an exquisite set of...

43:50 And I go home crying, with privilege, Lord, to deny myself a legitimate liberty that I might put in the hands of your suffering servants. Sixty. That will be theirs till they go to heaven. See, did you begin to get the idea?

Specific Illustrations: Lover of Fun and Fine Food

44:26 Now let's move to something that doesn't apply so much to the people with big bucks. much to the people with big bucks. What about the lover of fun on the slopes? Fun in the bowling alley? Farnet! I'm going to talk to you young people and you kids now. And remember,

44:49 I'm not making rules saying you can't go to the slopes, can't go to the bowling alley, can't go to the... I didn't say that. If you say I did, you're bearing false witness against

44:58 me, and the tape will tell you you're wrong. Don't bear false witness against me. But now let's think for a minute. Do you have the liberty? If you have discretionary funds,

45:09 you have money set aside for such things as legitimate fun times with your peers, fun on the slopes, fun at the bowling alley, fun at the amusement park, sure, you have that liberty. But you become aware that there in the Sudan are whole families who because of Islamic persecution have been driven away from their homes and their meager possessions and their homes. And they're not going to be able to get out of their homes. They're not going to be able to get out of their homes. They're not going to be able to get out of their

45:42 homes. And are literally sleeping in the fields like animals. And that for $45, you can get what one of the Christian organizations calls a life pack. It's a hamper-sized plastic barrel into which they put basic cooking utensils, some salt, some staple foods, in order that these dear suffering saints will not starve to death and be left with nothing. And you're

46:18 going to do it because you're going to save with nothing. And that's why you do it in the end. And you're out. And you're doing it because you're doing it to get away from thatיר help. That's the hard part.

46:29 06309 06309 06309 06309 06309 06309 06309 06309 06309 06309 06309 So don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about.

46:57 And you stop and think and say, Lord, would it be nice to steal a habit? I haven't done it in decades. I did it pretty well. Yeah, lovely feeling.

47:15 The wind. But you say, Lord, a hundred bucks, that could pay for two lifetimes. Two families over there in the Sudan that will lift up their eyes to heaven and say, Oh, my heavenly Father, thank you that you put it into the heart of someone in wealthy America to think of me. To remember me.

47:44 I've been ill-treated.

47:54 Now let me ask you at the end of the day, kids. You pill your head at night. What will give you the greatest joy? To remember that run where you went down with the guys that really could do it.

48:06 Or to say there's two families. Blessing God for a life back. Let me ask you, what will bring you the greatest joy?

48:18 Think of the day of judgment when Jesus will say, I was and you fed me.

48:31 Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Inasmuch as you did it unto the least of these, my little ones, you did it unto me. I was hungry and you didn't feed me, Lord. When did we see you hungry and did not feed you?

48:46 Inasmuch as you did it not.

48:52 Unto the least of these, you did it not.

49:01 I tell you, folks, that's sobering stuff to me. I hope it is to you. A group of you planning to go off for a day on the slopes would be a wonderful thing. To think there'd be the kind of commitment that one of you would be willing, willing, willing, willing, willing to take the lead and say, Hey, guys, I can't tell you what to do.

49:26 But for me, I want to give up this day on the slopes for this project or that project. And to see all the others say, Hey, that's a wonderful idea. Let's pool our money and designate it.

49:45 Now, don't go out and say, Pastor Martin said you're sinning if you hit the slopes. I didn't say that. And if I hear that you were on the slopes yesterday, I'm not going to judge you. To his own master, a servant stands or falls.

49:56 You say, How can you do that? Because the Bible says that's what I'm supposed to do. And by the grace of God, I'll do that. You can shoot me at the door.

50:04 You're not going to see me at the door. I'm going to split. I don't want to give you my cold. But next week, you can tell me.

50:08 Look at my new $800 suit. I'm not going to say, Where'd you get that? How could you spend? That's your business.

50:12 That's your business. That's between you and God. If you had a rich uncle who died and said in his will, You've got to buy a $800 suit. I don't know.

50:19 Between you and the Lord. We don't judge one another. But what I'm saying, my dear people, there is a spirit of a careless, thoughtless, selfish indulgence of our liberty that is inconsistent with a serious commitment to this biblical mandate. Remember the imprisoned ones.

50:43 Remember. Those that are ill-treated.

50:49 I see one of the young ladies looking at your nails.

50:53 You gave me a few. One in my notes.

50:56 I happen to know what it costs to have the fancy nails put on.

51:06 Do you know how much that would do for a suffering saint?

51:12 How in the world can you sit around and admire your plastic nails with their designs on them when $10 will feed a suffering child of a godly saint for a whole month? What about the lover of the Lord? What about the second soul? What about this?

51:42 What about theola? What about the cross? What about the Bible has to do with a vengeance also. He's really been willing to give.

52:11 I think this is the right thing to say. Whatever's on the front of this akane, you're waiting on the Millennium of the Christ.

52:15 Well, come on up. Which means you got to give, say. How many mon brights do you need? I know only five or so.

52:18 It's just nice to have it.

52:21 The latest video game that everybody's talking about. You don't need it. It's nice to have it. You've got some pin money to spend for it.

52:34 What are you going to do with it?

52:39 Carry it over into the lover of fine food and wines?

52:45 Stand in front of the wine rack? You're not an abuser of wine? Use it as God's gift that makes glad the heart of man? And now we know it makes good the heart of man, too.

52:57 You say, oh, boy, the texture of that one, the aroma. The smoothness. Oh, that would feel so good, taste so good, passing over my taste buds. Twenty bucks for that one.

53:16 Something else that would have as much wholesome medicinal use.

53:22 Bring as much gladness to the heart. Half the price.

53:29 What will that ten dollars do for my imprisoned and ill-treated brethren? Say, Pastor, you're serious. You bet your boots I'm serious.

53:39 Before I go to my grave, I long to see in this place a reflection in the money that passes through this church that shows that Hebrews 13.4 has taken root in this congregation.

53:59 It's begun to take root in my heart and life and in the heart and life of my wife in ways it never has before.

54:06 And I can tell you from experience, when it does, it becomes a very powerful inoculation against the careless, thoughtless, selfish indulgence of one's Christian liberty.

54:26 But you see, in so doing, it's not bitterness. Remember what Jesus said, He that loses his life shall what? Shall find it. Whenever you say no to, when it is in the interest of the well-being of your suffering brethren, the joy that comes, you understand in new ways what it means.

54:50 It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Reactions to God's Word: Ignorance and Close-Heartedness

54:56 Well, I've tried to show you now, in some particular, specific ways, to get you thinking in areas where I venture to say, if I would ask a show of hands, many of you would say, I never thought of that. That's the job of a preacher, to try to get you to think in terms of getting in touch with your Bible. Now, as I try to bring this message to appointed conclusion and application, when the Word of God cuts close and touches our remaining native selfishness, there are several ways we can react. And I want us to look very relatively quickly at three ways.

55:37 Number one, there can be the reaction of willful ignorance of the concerns of our brothers and sisters in Christ, who are suffering and are ill-treated. It can be the reaction of willful ignorance of their concerns. And here I want you to turn to Proverbs 24. Proverbs 24 and verse 11.

56:05 This is what it says, This text would have peculiar relevance to someone in a place of civil authority, a judge, someone responsible in an administrative way for the lives of others, but the application is far beyond that. Deliver them that are carried away unto death, and those that are ready to be slain, see that you hold not back, or as the margin of the ASV has it, forbear not to deliver. Here are some in a situation of great distress,

56:47 and it is within our power to do something about it. They are ready to be slain, and we can help in their deliverance. And we are responsible to seek to deliver them. But now what's the response envisioned in verse 12?

57:06 If you say, behold, we didn't know this. Responsible to deliver. We didn't know. Now notice what the writer to Proverbs goes on to say.

57:25 Does not he that weighs the heart consider it? And he that keeps your soul, does he not know it? And shall he not render to every man according to his work? See what he's saying?

57:43 Willful ignorance of needs that you are able to meet does not excuse you from your responsibility in not meeting them. You may be one who says, I've had enough of this talk about imprisoned saints around the world. I've had enough of this talk of ill-treated saints, and when this literature starts coming more and more, and awareness is set before us, I'm going to stuff my ears. I'm going to be ignorant of it.

58:10 Ignorance is bliss. No, it isn't. Ignorance is increased culpability and accountability before God. That's what this text says.

58:19 Shall not the God who knows the heart, shall not the God, who keeps the soul, shall he not render to every man according to his work? Dear people, I believe with all of my heart, and I believe this is the persuasion of my fellow elders, that in our corporate growth and sanctification as a church, and there is corporate growth just as there is individual growth, and God doesn't dump everything on us all at once. I believe in our corporate growth, God the Holy Spirit at this period in our life together is putting the spotlight, on this dimension of our responsibility as the people of God. And what some of you will be tempted to do

59:02 is stick your head in the sand and say, I've had enough of it. I want no more of it. You'll answer for that in the day of judgment. Second response is what I call the reaction of willful close-heartedness when confronted with the concerns of our brethren.

59:19 Willful ignorance is one response. Willful close-heartedness. I didn't know another word to use, so I coined one. 1 John chapter 3 and verse 16.

59:32 Hereby do we know love, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brethren. If we are motivated and activated by the love that secured our redemption, we're in a posture of willingness to take the bullet for our brethren. We're willing to lay down our very lives. But, whoso has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need, shuts up his compassion from him.

60:06 Willful close-heartedness. It's an aorist active verb. In other words, there is a willful deliberate damning up of what ought to be the outflow of love and its fruit. Beholding a brother in need.

60:27 Shutting up. Damning up. One's compassion. How does the love of God dwell in him?

60:36 Brethren, it's a test of whether our profession of being saved by the outflow of God's love to us in Christ is the real thing. Because the outflow of God's heart in love to us in Christ will always mean the outflow of our love to our brethren in need. So if you're tempted to shut up, to shut up what the old author I says, the bowels of your compassion, what the ASV renders as shutting up his compassion, you're making a terrible indictment

The Christ-like Response: Self-Denying Love

61:19 against yourself. And then thirdly, the reaction can be Christ-like, self-denying love that reaches out in the appropriate actions of remembering the imprisoned and remembering the ill-treated. The disposition of Romans 15. I am not going to please myself.

61:43 By the grace of God, I will be like my Savior and seek to please others. I will seek to have the disposition of Philippians 2 that does not turn inward upon itself but looks upon the things of another. By the grace of God, I'm going to be a modern-day onus, onus, onus-sephorus. I'll get it out yet.

62:10 Mike is contagious. What did onus-sephorus do when he heard that Paul was imprisoned? Look at it in 2 Timothy chapter 1. May God make us a congregation of onus-sephoruses.

62:29 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 16. The Lord grant mercy to the house of onus-sephorus, for he oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my shame. But when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently. And he found me.

62:52 He said, there's an imprisoned brother. I'm to remember it. And remembering in that situation meant the appropriate action for remembering was tracking down. How many streets did he go down?

63:05 How many alleys? How many authorities did he contact? He said, I'm not going to rest until I can get to my brother Paul, until I can minister to him in his need. Here was an active action.

63:15 Here was an active acquisition of both knowledge joined to an effort to minister. And he says, the Lord grant unto him to find mercy of the Lord in that day and in how many things he ministered at Ephesus. You know very well. The Philippians were the same way.

63:33 Philippians 4, 10, 14, and 18. Paul commends them that they constantly remembered him in his imprisonment and sent to his need. Dear people I trust, I have reason to hope and believe that what Paul said of Philemon I can say of you as a people. This has been your track record for 40 years.

63:54 You will do more than you are told. And I have every reason to believe that as a result of these expositions and these practical applications there will be a spirit wrought ground swell of desire to get our act together in terms of this text. It means there are going to be some changes. There are going to be some changes.

64:18 That's all right. That sanctification is change, isn't it? Sanctification equals change. Regulated by the Word.

64:28 Enabled by the Holy Spirit. And I wouldn't be surprised if there's some of you sitting here wondering what in the world is this place all about. You're so tyrannized by your self-centeredness. You don't have a clue.

64:46 My friend, as I said two weeks ago, Jesus died to liberate you from the tyranny and the slavery. You were not made to live circumscribed by your own little world of self-interest. You were made for God. And you were made that in union with His Son you would be liberated to serve others.

65:11 May God grant you will, even as a result of this preaching, say, I don't have a clue what true and saving religion is all about. Oh God, have mercy upon me. And cry to the Lord Jesus to break the chains that bind you to your self-centeredness and make you His free man or woman. Let's pray.

65:33 Father, we thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for helping Your servant, upholding his vocal apparatus, keeping his mind clear. Thank You, Lord, we thank You.

65:59 You are so good to us. We don't deserve the least of Your mercies. And we do earnestly pray that at this stage in our life together as a congregation You will indeed take us into new dimensions of corporate obedience to this very clear command of Your Word. Help us, our Father.

66:20 Have dealings with us in the areas where we have been guilty of a thoughtless, careless, selfish indulgence of our Christian liberties. Make us more and more a self-denying people, free in Christ, free enough to be liberated from selfishness. Father, seal Your Word to our hearts. And to Your name be praise and honor.

66:49 For Jesus' sake we ask it. Amen.