R761 Profile of a Christian

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton about the profiles of a Christian. That's today's message, Profile of a Christian, from Dr. Don Wilton. We'll open God's Word straight to Hebrews chapter 12 in just a moment. But know that we're available for you.

866-899-WORD will connect you or online at theencouragingword.org. Now let's dive into Dr. Don Wilton's teaching. Now friends, I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles this morning and turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12. We have been studying this remarkable book.

God laid the book of Hebrews on my heart a long time ago. I think in a book like this that deals with the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ, that finds its focus on the precious Lamb of God, that you and I could spend a lifetime trying to understand the incredible depth of the riches of God's grace through all that God has to say to us through the letter to the Hebrews. Now friends, I want to submit to you today that the subject and the passage that we're in today is extremely difficult to understand. I would venture to suggest to you that if we were to take a hundred wonderful Christian men and women and ask them to read this passage from verse 14 through the end of the passage, I would not be surprised at all if 90 out of 100 people would comment something like this.

They would say, you know, I really don't understand what that was all about. I'm going to say to you that I've had to wrestle over this passage, these words, but I believe that God is very clear at what is going on here. Now folks here in Hebrews chapter 12 and beginning at verse 14, I believe with all my heart that there is a strange and yet significant shift in gear. Up until this point, the writer to the Hebrews has been speaking to the Jewish people. He continues to do so. But I do believe that he addresses his remarks more specifically to those Jewish people in this context who actually have come to trust Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

Now, how do I know that? Well, I go to verse 22, for example, which I believe is a key verse in understanding this passage. And he addresses a group of people and he says, but you have come to Mount Zion. We're going to discover something in a moment because Mount Zion is all about the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Juxtaposed and contrasted with that is Mount Sinai. We all know about Mount Sinai back in the Old Testament. An incredible place, that was the place that Moses climbed up. God gave to Moses what?

What did God give to Moses on Mount Sinai? Somebody tell me, the 10 Commandments. What do we call the 10 Commandments? The law, right?

Okay, now I'm going to come back to all of this in just a moment. I want you to listen carefully. The 10 Commandments, let's just take the law. I would like somebody in this sanctuary, if you can say to me today, pastor, I am not only capable, but I actually am able to hold to the letter of every one of the 10 Commandments every day of my life. I never fail them.

I never violate them. I'd like you to please stand because our entire congregation needs to meet you very quickly. Now folks, listen, God gave to Moses and to the Jewish people the law. By what means are we saved today? Do we come to know Jesus Christ by the law, by keeping the 10 Commandments? Nope. Do we come to know Jesus Christ today because of Mount Sinai?

Nope. How do we come to know Jesus Christ today? We come to know Jesus Christ today because of Mount Zion. What is Mount Zion? It is the place where God has made his habitation. It is Jerusalem.

I'm going to talk about it. And Jerusalem represents the grace of God. I'm not saved by law.

I'm saved by the grace of God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 26, at that time, his voice shook the earth. God on Mount Sinai literally shook the earth, but now he has promised once more, I will not only shake the earth, but I will shake the heavens.

The words once more indicate the removing of that which can be shaken that has created things so that what cannot be shaken may remain. And therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. And so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe because our God is a consuming fire. Boy, that's a powerful passage. The profile of a Christian. What do we look like? Well, I'm just going to do this to try and help us to get a grip on this passage.

There are three profiles here, folks. Very clear inscription. Number one, a Christian strives for it. A Christian strives for it. Now that's in verse 14.

There's a little phrase there talking to the Christian Jews. God, by his spirit, he says, make every effort. Now, why do you suppose he says make every effort?

I'm going to just tell you why, because we are sinners saved by the grace of God. I have to make every effort. A mark of my relationship with Jesus Christ lies in two efforts. Number one, my effort to live at peace with all men. And number two, my effort to be holy as God is holy. In other words, what God is saying is that what sets me apart is not the fact that I'm a sinner, but the fact that I'm a sinner saved by the grace of God, that I strive to be at peace with all men.

And I constantly, daily, moment by moment, I'm always trying to be holy, to live a holy life, according to the standards of God. You show me a man or woman who is contentious and who couldn't care less about holy and righteous living, and it doesn't matter how many churches they belong to. It doesn't matter how many times they've been baptized.

It doesn't matter how much money they give to the poor. It doesn't matter how much they serve the social and civic club, according to the scripture. If my life is not marked by a continual effort to be at peace with all men and to live a holy life, I do not have a relationship with God. In fact, I cannot because the Bible says, for without it, I cannot see the Lord. Now, folks, let me tell you something about being a Christian. If you're a Christian, you are going to see the Lord Jesus face to face.

If you're not, you will never see him face to face. Paul writes about that in 1 Corinthians 13, which we love to quote the great love chapter, but then face to face. You say to me today, well, pastor, how does that profile me as a Christian? Well, I've got to ask myself a deep and abiding question.

Am I making every effort to live at peace with all men? That's why, you know, we've got a deacon election coming up, and all the deacon nominees, there must be about 80 of them this year, they come and meet with me and the chairman of deacons, and all we do for that seminar is we go through what the word of God says. It's mandatory. No man in this church can serve as a deacon unless he goes through that seminar.

Why? Because we're trying to be cute about it? No, because we've got to understand what the Bible teaches. What does the Bible say about being a deacon or an elder or a bishop or a minister?

What does the Bible say? Well, a lot of things, but one thing the Bible says is that a spiritual leader cannot be contentious. You might say to me today, what disqualifies a man from being a deacon in this church if he's contentious? You got a contentious spirit, you're out of here.

You don't even get nominated. Not because this church decided that, God did. You see, my friends, what God is saying here is that all believers are marked by a striving to be at peace with all men. Can't be at peace with people if you're contentious at the same time. Have you ever met a real rabble-rouser?

I know you rub shoulders with them at school and work and play and people going around, always making divisions, criticizing, breaking down, gossiping, tearing people apart, looking for problems. God says what singles a Christian out is his continual effort to be at peace with all men and to lead a holy life. Number two, second aspect of the profile of Christian, a Christian not only strives for it, but a Christian sees to it. Now that's an interesting thing in verse 15, he says, you see to it. The word there, see to it, literally means be on the lookout, be on the lookout. You know, my wife just chuckles at me when I'm on vacation because I love to fish, so I'm constantly on the lookout. So we rented this condo down at the beach and we're in this condo on the balcony and I'm there with my binoculars on. By the way, my wife gave me these binoculars on our honeymoon.

They are 28 years old. I call them my moon glasses and I'm up there on the balcony and I'm looking. She knows the difference. Some people think I'm trying to check people out. Maybe some people come by and think I'm looking at the girls, not happening. I tell you what I'm doing, folks, I'm looking at the fishing boats and then you know what I'm looking at? I'm looking at the sea. You see, I grew up at the sea, folks.

I grew up on the Indian Ocean. I'm not an expert, but over the years I've learned to read the sea. I watch the wind. I watch the bait fish. I see what's running. I check out for the seagulls and the pelicans.

I call them B-52s. I watch what's going on, the activity, and I'll be in the middle of the day and I've got my moon glasses on. And I'm looking out there and I'll suddenly say, hello there. Look at that. Oh, look at that. I put it down. I run. Where's my fishing rod? I get my fishing rod down the elevator, out the steps, on the beach, fishing rod, chair, everything. Sit down. Walk out amongst all the jellyfish.

Say, come on, sting me all you want to. And I hoist that line out there and I try my best to catch all the fish I possibly can. Folks, I'm on the lookout. You know something? God's Word says a Christian is someone who's on the lookout.

There are three things you're on the lookout for. You're seeing to it. Number one, number one, a Christian sees to it that no one misses the grace of God. A Christian does that. It's what he says, see to it that no one misses the grace of God. Does anybody have a problem understanding that? It means it's the passion of a Christian's heart.

It's the kind of thing John Knox said when he stood at the gates of Scotland and he said, oh God, give me Scotland or I die. It's what God's talking about. A Christian sees to it that no one misses the grace of God.

It's what I love about First Baptist Church. We try to keep the main thing the main thing. It's about seeing to it that no one misses the grace of God. We don't want anybody to miss out. That's what he's talking about here. See to it that no one misses the grace of God.

The second one is rather interesting. See to it that no one harbors bitterness. God's word says that that is the business of a Christian. It is the business of a Christian to be on the lookout for people who are showing the beginning signs of bitterness.

I just think about that. See a person who doesn't know Jesus would not be bothered by that. Do you know one of the greatest sadnesses and tragedies is to allow a person to cultivate a root of bitterness in their heart. Now let me tell you what happens. The Bible tells us what happens.

If someone has a root of bitterness and it goes unchecked, what happens? The Bible says it grows up to maturity and it defiles many. You know that's why I'm so grateful for First Baptist Church that we don't put up, we don't have junk going on. We don't allow it in this church folks.

We want to love one another. I tell you I have not met a bitter person in this church in 10 years. I'll tell you the first year I was in this church there were several bitter people in this church and they left. God did a great work and I make no apology. God got rid of them.

But I'm going to tell you something my friend. There are many churches and many communities. God's work being torn apart because the root of bitterness has grown up. It is matured and when it matures the Bible says it defiles many. The Bible says the Christian is passionate on the lookout for anybody who has a root of bitterness.

Not to go up and wag a finger but to go and put their arms around them, listen to them, love them. Folks, bitterness can come in your family because you've been cheated on, because you've been violated. Bitterness can come in your office, it can come at work, it can come through your church, something the preacher said, something the Sunday school teacher did. A Christian sees to it that no one harbors bitterness. Number three, Christians sees to it that no one throws away their blessings.

That's an incredible thing. Watch this, verse 16, see that no one is sexually moral as God is like Esau. Folks, I'm going to ask a very deep soul searching question. Is it possible for somebody to throw away all the blessings God has given to them?

You're right it is. A very good friend of mine, I'll call him Joe, went to Israel with me. I knew him well, we were good friends, served a church in Northern Alabama. His wife gave birth to two little twin sons, about this big.

Just like Jack and Christina Cleland, I mean two little butter balls, you know. And one day word came to us that Joe was messing around with another lady. Hadn't done anything physical, just unwise. I'm sad to say he was pastor of that church. Four of us who knew him well got in the motor car and we went to visit him. And I'll never forget that meeting 15, 18 years ago, we sat down because we loved him.

I remember looking at Joe and saying to him, Joe, let me tell you what you're about to do. You're about to throw away your wife, your children, your grandchildren, your reputation, your character, your friends, your community, your trust, your integrity. You're about to throw away every blessing that you've got. Draw a line in the sand, get to grips, repent to your wife and to God.

Do something about it. And for the sake of a few moments pleasure, that man scorned what we did. I saw him this year for a brief time in Indianapolis. No longer a minister of the gospel, but with the marks of sin all over his face.

Looks like an old man. I said to him, Joe, what are you doing? Oh, I work for this little company down here in Alabama. How are your children doing? I haven't seen them in nine years.

Twin boys. He turned to me and he said to me, Don, he said, I'm begging God to do something for me, but I just cannot hear him. The silence is deafening. I don't know what to do and where to go.

I've lost everything. Listen to what the Bible says. Read to it that no one is sexually immoral or godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights. And afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected.

He could bring about no change of mind, even though he sought the blessing with tears. Wow. Who's a Christian? Christian is someone who strives for it. Christian is someone who sees to it. But number three, a Christian is someone who comes to it. Now, folks, I love verse 22 here.

It is a remarkable, remarkable verse of scripture. But you have come to Mount Zion. I will guarantee you, folks, there are people now within the sound of my voice who are ready to give up. There is somebody out here who's ready to give up. There's somebody here with a broken heart. There is somebody who is saying, it's over. I want to point you to Mount Zion.

It's not. I'm going to show you something very interesting here, folks. The Jews had a great fear of the law and of God's judgment. The Old Covenant was a symbol of the law of legalism. In order to demonstrate how impossible it was for sinful man to approach it, a righteous and a holy God. God gave us Mount Sinai. Exodus 19 tells us about all the prohibitions concerning Sinai. You went anywhere near Sinai, you wash your clothes, abstain from any kind of sexual relationship. Even animals would be stoned if they went near Sinai.

Nobody could go there. Out of Sinai came fire, darkness, gloom and storm, all symbols of the judgment of God. But in verse 22, the Bible says, but you have come to Mount Zion.

It's incredible. Why Sinai? Why Sinai? Sinai was there for two reasons, folks. Number one, to establish God's righteousness.

And number two, to establish man's sinfulness. These converted Jews had come to Mount Zion. Remember Mount Zion was the place where the Ark of the Covenant was placed.

The spiritual dwelling place of God on earth. Psalm 132 says that the Lord has chosen Zion and desired it for his habitation. When under Solomon, the temple was moved to Mount Moriah, Zion included Mount Moriah. And the Bible says that Zion became Jerusalem. And the Book of Revelation says that at the end of the age, the new city, the new Jerusalem is going to come down out of heaven. And it is going to land upon this earth where God is going to make his dwelling place among men.

Yerushalem. What's the difference between Sinai and Zion? Where as Sinai was not touchable. Zion is touchable.

You can touch the hem of God's garment because of his grace. Where as Sinai was the law. Zion, my friends, is grace. Where as Sinai was forbidding and terrifying. Zion is inviting and gracious. Where as Sinai was closed to all.

Zion is open to all. The law confronts us with commandments and judgment and condemnation. But God's grace presents to us in Christ Jesus, forgiveness, atonement and salvation. Somebody say amen.

Whoo! Man, we're not under law, we're under grace. What an incredible God we serve.

It's unbelievable, folks. And as if to add to all of this, I wish I had time to really get into this, but I need to just give it to you in surface level. From verse 22 through verse 24, God even gives to us the seven blessings of knowing Christ. Can't help but think the number seven gives to us the seven blessings.

He tells this Jewish congregation. He said, listen, when you come to Mount Zion, when you receive the grace of God, when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ who is the Messiah, these are the seven blessings you receive. Number one, you receive the city of the living God. We know from Hebrews chapter 11 verse 10, the city of the living God is heaven. Those who have come to Mount Zion.

Number two, you become a participant in the General Assembly. Look at that verse there. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, folks. That word there literally means a gathering for a public festival around the throne of God, according to the Book of Daniel. The Bible says those who have come to Mount Zion are going to be included in the General Assembly. Number three, you become a participant in the Church of the Firstborn. Well, if we go to the Book of Romans in chapter eight and verse 17 and following, the Bible tells us that as believers, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ Jesus, who is the firstborn among many brethren. That's why when we are born again, when we come to Zion to the grace of God, we become participants in the Church of the Firstborn. Number four, we receive all that God the judge of all has for us because the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom. In Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 40, the Bible tells us, my friends, that God is Zion.

He is life and there is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. All these Jews could think about was judgment, thunder and lightning. Number five, the fifth blessing is that we receive the spirits of righteous men made perfect. Well, he's talking about the Old Testament prophets, the Old Testament men like Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Hebrews 11, 40 tells us that they too, like us, will receive their inheritance, will become part of the Church of the Firstborn because of the dispensation of grace by faith. Number six, the sixth blessing of knowing Christ is Jesus Christ himself. The Bible tells us there in verse 24 to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. This is the one who would save people from their sins. Number seven, we receive the sprinkled blood of the Lamb, the atoning blood of the Lamb, who according to Hebrews 11 and verse 4 has set us free.

No wonder the writer says you have come to Mount Zion. Folks, what is a Christian? What is a Christian? A Christian is one who strives for it, strives to live at peace and to be holy. A Christian is one who sees to it, is on the lookout that no one misses the grace of God. No one harbors bitterness, that no one throws away their blessings. What is a Christian? A Christian is one who comes to it, comes to Mount Zion, comes to the city of God, comes to the fountainhead of the blood of the Lamb, which was shed from before the foundation of the world.

So what can we say all about it? Well, from verse 25 through the end of the chapters, the invitation, and it's twofold. Number one, therefore do not refuse it. It's what he says in verse 25, see to it that you do not refuse it.

That's pretty straight, isn't it? Don't refuse the grace of God. Don't do it.

It's not worth it. You can sin away your day of grace, you know. We human beings, we love to say, well, one day when I'm ready, that one day may never come. You might get Alzheimer's like President Reagan, live the last 10 years of your life not knowing who you are. You may die suddenly. You may be killed. You may just get to the point at which like Esau, doesn't matter how much you weep and cry, God's going to say, I'm sorry, you threw away your blessing.

What's the bottom line? Don't refuse it. Number two, be thankful for it. I love that, be thankful for it, he says right there. He says, let us in verse 28, let us be thankful. And how do we express our gratitude, folks? Let's worship God acceptably. Go back to Romans chapter 12, one and two, you'll learn about acceptable worship. Worship God acceptably.

Here it is. In what manner? With reverence, with awe. Why do we worship God with reverence and with awe out of gratitude?

Because we know that our God is a consuming fire. What does that mean? It means you can't play games with God. It means God means what he does.

God's who he says he is. Here it is, don't refuse it. Don't refuse it.

Number two, be thankful for it. Wow, man, can you imagine that? Can you imagine that God would love somebody like you and me? But you know what thrills my heart, folks? Is that for the last few minutes, God has just allowed me to present to you Mount Zion. We are not under law, we're under grace. Don't refuse it, be thankful for it. Our time is gone, but we're always connected online at theencouragingword.org and this phone number 866-899-WORD, that's 866-899-9673 and on tomorrow's edition of The Encouraging Word, a message from Dr. Don called the seven blessings. Hope you'll join us.