Let us live in the reality of the living God in the here and now. Some have no heart for Him and His Word. May we purpose to apply all that we hear. (Hebrews 5:12-6:1; Proverbs 17:16)

Speaker(s): Pastor Thomas Schaller
Sermon # 11254
6:30 PM on 4/30/2017

 
P. Schaller

It’s in front of our eyes (summer harvest) so you can be praying and maybe God will put it in your heart. Maybe I don’t go but back here praying and walking in the light and with the Lord. Something amazing happened today.

Tonight’s message is going to be short.

(Students from 20 years ago got together and gave Coach Lynch a surprise birthday party and collected $6,000). Not only did they enjoy it, but they needed it I’m sure. Thank you, Coach and Jen.

Prov 17. How many of you have ever bought gym equipment for your house, used it once or twice and now it sits lonely in the cellar, backyard, or attic.

Prov 17:16 is just to make you feel more guilty! We’re going to study Hebrews tonight. What do you mean fool wants to buy wisdom? Is that money in his hand to buy wisdom? He wants to buy wisdom by paying money. What does wisdom have to do with paying money? Money cannot buy wisdom. Why does a foolish person think if he has money and can buy wisdom? We have learned the only way to find wisdom is the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The message will be a little bit tough but don’t condemn yourself. It’s nothing unusual, just application.

When I see a guy on gym equipment with a perfect body, beach body. I want to do a sermon on bathing suits. 19th century bathing suits, down to the ankles. You can’t even see the ankle! The women didn’t walk down to the beach. They got in a wagon and the wagon took them down. It was pulled down into the surf, and they stepped into waist side water and stepped down with a bathing suit covering them from head to toe. That’s GG style! You go with your winter coat on and ear muffs!! You see on the gym equipment and there are many examples when I have good intentions but my execution is weak.

I could buy wisdom with money but why if I have no heart for it? There are things that need heart. I say I will make a phone call. Do you? No. I want to make a phone call. No. It doesn’t count. Did you do it? I have intended to learn Spanish. P. Hadley is my teacher. After I came back from Argentina, they gave me a Spanish Bible and said when you come back here, you will be speaking Spanish. I had good intentions but P. Hadley has to give me a boot once in a while. Maybe my heart is not in it. People say I want to learn God but will they do anything about it? Will they pay any price or is it only with my money or mouth or my token expressions? Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom…Getting the heart for wisdom. I loved the six baptisms today. I was so blessed by what was said and every baptism that took place. It was historical what we saw and heard from the heart. It was awesome.

Ezek 33:31. This is God speaking to Ezekiel. My people come and hear your words but they will not do them.

vs. 32. Ezekiel, do you know you are a form of entertainment for people, like a lovely song? When the prophet is preaching the Word, good job, good performance. Lovely job. I enjoyed it very much. And then what else do they say?

vs. 32. Hear thy words and do them not….among them. Heb 5: I know I’m in a church where pretty serious people come to this church. It’s even scary! I don’t think I’ll go to this church. They’re serious about this stuff. They spend vacation time, go to church three times a week. How many times do you go to the barroom every week and so on?

Heb 5:11 we have many things to say about Melchizedek. In chapter 7, he picks up the subject again. Many things to say but hard to say them. I preached in a Baptist church once in Poland. People are sitting there frozen and didn’t move. I couldn’t get them – I don’t know what would move them. I don’t know what spirit was in that church. It was an interesting experience. I’d say God loves you and the Polish translator went on for a minute. He’s preaching his own message! Like I was a potted plant over here. We have many things to say about Christ, God, from the Bible but they are hard to say because there is no heart for it. It’s even entertainment. Let’s go listen to that guy.

Benjamin Franklin said it about George Whitfield. He was impressed with his oratory. We don’t know if he became a believer or not.

There is something amazing about the ministry when the H.S. is in the assembly, agreeing on the same things and acting on them in our hearts. Many things to say about Christ but hard to say because the people are lethargic in their hearing. If you have a lethargic math class, how are you going to wake them up? If you have a lethargic society, how are you going to wake them up?

One time in Hungary, an amusement business went to the town but they packed up and left because the people didn’t even leave their homes to enjoy a ride and popcorn with their children. We have been with people in places of the world where people are lethargic and could care less about what we are saying or doing. Once people start listening and acting. I remember when we started our Bible school in Hungary, we had two, young ladies on the train. We would get off the train and start preaching. We were Americans and would bring a message. You Americans are coming and the Russians lied to us and now you come and preach about God. Why should we believe you? That was fun to give them an answer.

Lethargy in the church. Today in America. What kind? Hard to hear. It doesn’t go into the heart. They say the ABC’s of Christianity. We went to Sunday school. We know Jesus died for us and was raised from the dead and that’s it. ABC’s. But has it affected you?

vs. 12. That’s how long it has been where you have learned the fundamentals, the doctrines of the gospel. You ought to be teachers. You have need one teach you again. The people on stage let’s use as an example. Go to Cambodia and preach. Do it by faith. It is obedience to Christ. Christ will visit you in the H.S. in you heart. When we go out and share this is how it works. When you live in obedience to God, by faith, God honors you.

vs. 12. First principles, that word means fundamental elements. It’s used in our alphabet. When you learn a language, you learn an alphabet. If I study Russian, I need to learn the alphabet. Once I get the alphabet, I start to transliterate words. That is the first principles, the alphabet. You have to learn again the first principles of the word of God. We talked about that in the past. A baby needs milk. Then they grow up and eat solid food. You and I have to not only hear it but also do it, apply it. There are areas in my life I know God has shown me tighten it up, live by obedience in that area, and that area. I’m sure God does that with all of us. We are maturing as we are obeying as God is showing us. The Spirit will show us love, faith. God will show us areas of our lives and we start eating meat. We are able to stand on our own. David’s mighty men stood when others ran. They were able to stand even alone. When God is with you in your personal life, you are gaining something and the maturity level gives you an appetite and increased capacity for truth. God wants us to get truth and grow in it from faith to faith. Show us mysteries, deeper things and things we think about. I’m so thankful of getting this. You know what I’m saying.

vs. 13. He makes excuses. He’s unskillful in the word of R. He doesn’t really use it. He rationalizes or explains it away. He doesn’t apply it. He is unskillful in using it. Like the guy with gym equipment but doesn’t use it. How easy to say I’ll go visit so and so and half a year later never did it. Unskillful in the word of R. When you get ahold of something, I start at zero. I’m nothing Lord. I’m available. I’m before you 100%. I not only want to hear it but also practice and obey it. Lord says clean up your language. Some Christians swear. I might learn it at work. I had a brother who worked at Hopkins and he said I don’t swear there. A person did a double take and said you don’t swear, do you? Going to church. What could it be? I don’t know. What happens? You start to eat meat. You learn warfare. You start to grow. When you eat meat, you get that strength. Strong meat belongs to them that are of full age. They have hit some level of maturity. Able to go some days without eating because eaten strong meat. Elijah went in the strength of food for 40 days. He ate angel food. Wait on God to get your strength. The word of God will be life. The Spirit will speak. When you walk by faith in what he says, it is part of your life where you say it is amazing. There is joy and peace in it. Strong meat belongs to them…

vs. 14. Let’s go back to indifference. How do you wake them up? Get serious with God. It’s a lot more fun. One leg in the world and one leg with God. How do you run? Get both feet with God. That’s how you start. God will carry you and help you. He will fill you and bless you. You will start listening and mixing faith with what you hear.

Heb 6:1 meaning not leaving them in an absolute sense. When the gun fires and leaving the block in the foot race, you are leaving and going on. You have gone on. How many times soul winning someone says I know that. Why are you talking to me? “I know that.” I’m saying it because I would expect if you knew it, you would enjoy the initiation I have in sharing it with you. You’d say thank you. I am also a believer. Thank you for opening your mouth and sharing your faith. Someone says I know it already. What kind of attitude? Maybe they need to learn it. Lovely song and they say it with their mouth but in their heart do they do it? Come with me now. Remember in those beginning years we had two people on the train, and they said I want to go to Bible school. This was eastern Hungary. When are you starting it? Now. We are going to go home and get our luggage. It happened. They packed up and they came to Bible school. That kind of thing is amazing. Haven’t you made a calculation? We’ve been thinking about it. What kind of Bible school do we have? People that are listening because they are doing it. They are obedient to what God is saying to them. As more came in obedience, there is more life in the Bible college, more conviction, a revival in the Bible college because of the obedience to what God is saying. But churches say “very lovely song” but I’m busy right now. ABC’s. I can go to church or not. How can you build a church with people that love me with their mouth and their heart is far from me? The heart. God gets ahold of our hearts. That’s amazing when God gets ahold of our hearts and we move on from the first principles of the doctrine of Christ. Maturity. Let us go to the mature level. Let us move on unto perfection.

vs. 1 like John the Baptist, water baptism, repenting from sin. Jews were drawn to ritual…let’s move on to Christ in the full meaning of who Christ is. Christ behind the baptism. Laying on of hands like in Acts. We do it when we pray for the sick and ordaining people. The formality cannot replace the reality of obedience that is behind it. Let’s go onward in our faith toward God.

vs. 2. Even our eternal judgment. We know we will face God at the bema seat. They talked about that as Jewish people. They talked about things in the past and then the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. But did they talk about Christ being my life today, Body life, the work of the Spirit, obedience, discipleship, gaining Christ in this lifetime? Did they live in obedience to him? What they really needed to know about is the living Christ in the present. That’s the Bible college we went to years ago and the kind we have today and hope the kind of life you have in your home. You are finding Jesus to be helpful, encouraging and able to take up the cross. I’m not buying W with money but with my heart. Give me more, God. Fill me and satisfy me. I’m hungry and thirsty for you. I want to go on to maturity. Don’t buy the cultural things thrown around today in our world. Have discernment, recognize truth and walk in it.

Men that sleep around with different women and call that love. The dogs do that. One man, one woman. An honor built inside in my heart. A respect for my fiancé and the woman I will marry one day. We are not only hearers but we want to obey and honor what God is saying. We want to apply it in our everyday life. Find the joy and liberty in it and the peace in it. Christianity, “very nice.” Have good families but how do we really live?

It is amazing when it happens in your heart and life. You’re spiritually muscle bound. You are eating meat, getting it done. Not without a lot of failure, I know, but the application is amazing. Hear it, apply it, and enjoy it because it is our life.

Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.