ANNOUNCER>> (Music) Welcome to
Through the Bible with Les
Feldick, a 30-minute walk
through the scriptures teaching
in-depth Bible truths that
change people's lives.
Now here's your host,
Les Feldick.
LES FELDICK>> Okay, good
to see everybody once again.
Fourth program this afternoon
and we'll finish this one and
we're out of here, on our way
home. For those of you on
television well of course why
uh we'll either see you
tomorrow morning or next week,
just depends. I hope our
television audience realizes
that uh if you're watching a
daily program those are
reruns. And uh they just keep
coming up in succession. If
you're on a weekend and you're
watching us on a Saturday or
Sunday, those are current. In
other words, the programs that
are playing on weekends lately
were probably just taped last
taping or within the last few
weeks. Because a lot of people
will call and say, well now
why did I see one program and
you're way up in Hebrews and I
see another program and you're
back in Acts or wherever we
are. Well, that's the reason.
If you're on a daily program,
you out in television, you're
seeing reruns. If you catch a
weekend, you're current. This
is where we're taping today in
the book of Hebrews. Again, we
like to uh thank our television
audience for your support,
your prayers, your giving,
everything that makes it
possible for us to stay on the
air. Alright, Hebrews chapter
6 and we'll just carry on and
we'll pick up now in verse 9.
You remember in our last
program, we were at verse 7
and 8, how that, the things
that promote production. The
controlling the weeds and the
things that will hold a crop
down, the Believer is in much
the same set of circumstances.
It's a constant battle to keep
out the things that would
affect our testimony. And then
we have that verse 8 which is
not very pretty. Nobody likes.
Briers and thorns and thistles
and they are good for nothing
but to be cast to the fire.
Then verse 9, we get yet
another 'b-u-t'; another
flipside back. But Paul says
to these people, you're not
in that thorn and thistle
category. But beloved. That's
the secret. He wouldn't call
them beloved if they weren't
Believers. And so he does,
he says, "But beloved, we
are persuaded". That word
persuaded is probably a little
stronger than our English and
he was convinced beyond a
shadow of a doubt. He said,
"We are persuaded better
things of you." Well, better
than what? Better than thorns
and thistles. See? We're to
have considered "better things
of you and things that
accompany salvation." Now I
put the word on the board just
before we started. Because
that's the key word now. What
is the number one theme of
all of Scripture? Salvation.
That's the whole reason for
the Word of God is to bring
lost mankind to a knowledge of
Salvation. Because after all,
three score and ten is the
allotted time, seventy years.
And if we go beyond that,
that's just by God's good
Grace. So let's just even
stretch it. Let's just say we
could live 90 years. That's a
long time, but compared to
eternity, what is 90 years?
It's not even a blink of the
eyelash. And isn't it amazing
that mankind can't get it
through their head that 90
years is nothing to be
compared with eternity. And to
have 90 years of the good
things in this life and push
God out and then lose it
all for eternity. I can't
comprehend it. I just can't
comprehend it. But yet that's
the way its alway been. The
vast majority have spurned
God. They've spurned His
Salvation. But, now Paul is
admonishing these people that
he understands that they do
have Salvation alright and the
things that accompany it. Now it
comes right back to what I've
said so often. Salvation is
not just a 'fire escape.'
Salvation is not just a matter
of escaping eternal doom.
Salvation is that which
precipitates a life of
spiritual production here on
earth. That's what we're here
for. Now that doesn't mean you
all have to be preachers or
evangelists or missionaries
but is simply means that God
expects every Believer to be
fruitful. Now a verse comes to
mind. Let's go back and pick
this whole thing up of
Salvation. Let's go back to
Romans chapter 1 verse 16.
Romans chapter 1 verse 16. Now
here's where I have one of my
controversies with some of
these new translations. They
have taken out the word
'Salvation.' Which is probably
the most critical word in all
of Scripture. And they've put
something else in it. But here
in Romans chapter 1 verse 16,
a verse that I think most of
you know, you've heard it over
and over where Paul writes,
Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ for it
(the Gospel) is the power of
God unto (what?) salvation."
Salvation! Eternal life! The
hope of Glory to come! But,
that which makes it possible
for us to live a godly life in
the here and now. Alright so,
"the power of God unto
Salvation to everyone that
believeth." Now, let's just
skip over to chapter 3. We're
just going to use some verses
that are associated with this
one crucial word - Salvation.
Romans chapter 3 let's just
drop down to verse 23, which
I always call the very first
step of Faith to Salvation and
that is, we have to recognize
that we're sinners. That we
have fallen short of the Glory
of God. Verse 23, "For all
(Jew and Gentile, Black and
White, rich and poor)...for
all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God." We're
sons of Adam. We have
inherited a sin nature. Now
verse 24, "Being justified."
What's justification? It's a
result of Salvation. (Clears
throat) When we enter into
God's great Salvation, He
justifies us, see? So, "being
justified freely by his grace
(not from works but)...by
his grace through (another
great word that is a result
of Salvation. What is it?
Redemption.) the redemption."
It's been a long time since
we taught Romans. Maybe
we should stop a second,
what is the whole idea of
redemption? Paying the price
to gain something back that
was lost. In other words, if
you've got a big beautiful
diamond ring and you get in
financial straits you can go
to the hock shop and you can
get a few bucks for that
diamond ring. Put it in hock.
But you cannot get it back
until you do what? Redeem it.
You pay the price to once
again gain control of that
which was hocked. Well, you
see, that's exactly what
happened when Adam sinned. He
'hocked' the human race to
Satan. And this is the whole
idea of the coming Tribulation
is when God will finally pay
off that debt that Satan is
holding over the planet. And
He's going to pay it off with
all of the wrath and vexation
of that. But for mankind, He
paid the price of redemption
with His death on the Cross.
Every sin was paid for. It has
been made possible for every
human being to come out of
that slave market. The price
of redemption was paid and we
experience it only by virtue
of our Salvation experience.
Again, the other offshoot word
of 'Salvation' in Scripture is
'saved.' Paul uses it over and
over, by which you are saved.
By which you experience
Salvation. Alright, so we have
two great words right here in
one verse. We are "justified
freely through the redemption
(or the process of paying the
price) which is in Christ
Jesus." Then verse 25, "Which
God or whom God hath set
forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood."
The price of redemption. Now
Peter said, I won't make
you go back and look at
it, but Peter makes it so
plain, that you've not been
redeemed with silver and gold
but with what? With the
precious blood of Christ. That
was the price of redemption.
And to think that most of
Christendom has thrown the
blood out the back door.
They'll never mention it.
They don't preach it. Horrors!
It is the very basis of our
Salvation and we dare not walk
it under foot because it's by
virtue of our Faith in that
shed blood which is the price
of redemption. That He could
buy us back from having been
hocked to Satan when Adam
fell. Alright then you come on
down to verse 26, "To declare
I say at this time, his
righteousness that he (God in
Christ) might be just." Now
what does it mean to be just?
Fair! With no room for
controversy and so God is
'just' in doing what?
Justifying the person who
believes. Oh I love these
verses! How it just screams
against a 'works' religion.
We're redeemed by placing our
Faith in that shed blood of
Christ. We are justified when
we believe the Gospel, that
Christ died, was buried and
rose again. And God is
perfectly just in declaring us
as justified. He's Sovereign.
He can do that. Now that's a
concept that's beyond my
understanding. How can he take
this sinner, born of Adam, and
by my simple Faith in what He
has done there at Calvary,
declare me 'just as if I have
never sinned.' That's
justification. That doesn't
mean I won't sin. Don't ever
think that. Ask my wife! But,
so far as God is concerned,
I'm 'just as if I have never
sinned.' That's what
justification does for us.
And we're to live with that
concept. Now listen, if you go
through life knowing that God
has declared you as bought out
of a slave market, justified
from all things. Doesn't that
give you incentive to your
part? Not for Salvation.
But as a result of it. Sure
it should. My goodness, it
should! And it should
behoove every Believer to do
everything we can as Paul
instructs in his epistles to
'flee the things of the flesh
and to avoid every appearance
of evil.' Well, now I'm going
to take you all the way up to
Romans chapter 7 and the whole
idea is that as a result of
our Salvation, God has now
redeemed us, justified us. He
has given us the indwelling
Holy Spirit. He has placed us
into the Body of Christ. He
has declared that we are now
children of God and on and on
I could go, with all the
things that came in the moment
we were saved as a result of
our Salvation. But, that's not
just for a fire escape. We are
to be productive. We are to do
all we can to win others. Now
I remember way, way back, in
some of our early programs,
that's probably even before the
the uh Russian Empire crumbled.
And I used an example out of
Time Magazine. It was a little
box on the bottom of the page
and they had interviewed a
young Communist worker in
Moscow. And I shared it on the
program, how that young man
said that as soon as he got
off work, say at 5 o'clock in
the afternoon, he couldn't
wait to get down to Communist
Headquarters to work for the
Party. And he would work for
the Communist Party until 10 -
11 o'clock at night. For the
sole purpose of promoting
Communism. I said at the time,
would that some Believers
would have that kind of
motivation. But most
Christians as just content to
sit and let the rest of the
world go by. Listen, we should
be motivated to get out there
and do something that will
bring somebody. See? Alright
the other one is, right now
today. Who are the militants?
The Muslim world. And what
do they really want? World
dominion. And what are they
going to do to get it? They're
going to work day and night.
And we sit on our duff and
do nothing. But that's not
what God intended. God intends
us to be productive. Alright
Romans 7 verse 4. Romans 7
verse 4, "Wherefore my brethren
(Paul writes) you also are
become dead to the law." We're
not under Law. See that's the
same thing he's trying to tell
these Hebrews. Get away from
the legalism. Get out from
under Judaism and step out
into this which is so much
better. And so he says,
"Wherefore my brethren you
also are become dead to the
law by the body of Christ." In
other words, by virtue of His
crucifixion. "And that you
should be married to another."
Now this of course, is just a
scriptural, what shall I say,
use of words to prove a point,
that we are now united with
Christ. Just like a man
"married to another (for what
purpose) that we should bring
forth fruit." What does that
mean? You should have a impact
on people around you to the
place that you can bring in
some lost souls. Now, I can
just probably make a blanket
statement without having any
one in mind. Most Believers go
all the way to their grave
never having led one person to
Christ. Think about it. Never.
Even their own children. Even
their own children, they have
never brought them to a
knowledge of Salvation. And if
every Believer, if every
believer, would just win one,
my what a difference we could
make! But we don't do it. I
can remember in some of my
younger days, hearing people
say well, that's the
preacher's job. That's the
Sunday School teacher's job.
Well, yes but it yours! It's
mine. And I always say, that
doesn't mean you collar people
and force these things down
their throat. It simply means
that you're skilled enough in
the Scriptures that when
someone asks a question - take
them to The Book. Take them to
The Book! If nothing else have
a few notes in the back of
your Bible that'll help you to
show them some Scriptures. How
that it is by Faith in that
work of the Cross plus
Nothing. Oh, I know, people
hate that! I had a gentleman
call again the other day and
he says, Les why do people
think they have to DO
something? Well it's that old
Adamic nature, see? And so
overcome that takes a lot a
patience. I had a gentleman
call just yesterday. And uh
he said, you know, I can't
understand it, since I've been
saved through our program, he
says, I've gone back to the
church where I was raised and
I present these things. And he
said, I've asked some of my
fellow church people, do you
know what the Gospel is? And
you know what? They look at me
and they don't have a clue.
They don't know what the
Gospel is. I had another one
write a couple of years ago
and he'd done the same thing.
And he says, you know what
most people in my church
answered when I asked them
what's the Gospel? The
Bible. Well, he said, the
Bible's got the Gospel but
that's not the Gospel. But
see, this is where Christendom
is tonight. They are so
pitifully ignorant that most
church people cannot tell you
'what is the Gospel.' How do
you gain Salvation? They don't
have a clue. Well, that's
where you come in. That's
where I come in. We've got to
let them know that it's not a
whole bunch of do's and
don'ts. It's not a whole idea
of getting so holy that you're
just sort of an odd ball. No
way. The Christian life as
I've said over and over on
this program, is the most
practical thing on earth.
There is nothing more
practical that a solid
Christian life. You'll never
find a good, true Believing
Christian caught up in the
throws of court proceedings
and uh crime. That's not their
life style. Now, we can all
fail. My we can all make a
mistake (don't ever get me
wrong), but it is not the
Christian's lifestyle to be
constantly on the police
blotter. And so, this is what
the Scripture tell us see,
that now we're to consider
ourselves just like a woman
that is married to her
husband. We are in union with
Christ and the purpose is that
we are to produce fruit. We're
to get busy. And we'd better
or the Muslim world will
overtake us. And then, we'll
wish we would have. But it's
going to be too late. See.
Alright, let's move on to
yet another one. uh Ephesians,
time is going fast. Let's go
to Ephesians chapter 2.
Ephesians chapter 2, oh my
goodness, I could start way
up at verse 1 but let's just
jump down to verse 4.
Ephesians 2 verse 4. Remember
this is all jumping off from
that word Salvation in Hebrews
chapter 6 as Paul was agreeing
that the believing element
of these Hebrews had - they
had Salvation. So he wasn't
condemning them for being
apostate but it was the people
who were a part and parcel of
their congregation who were
and had been. Alright now in
Ephesians chapter 2 verse 4,
"But God who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he
loved us even when we were dead
in sins (the off spring of Adam)
he hath quickened (or made us
alive spiritually) together
with Christ, for by grace are
you saved. And he hath raised
us up together and made us sit
together in the heavenlies in
Christ Jesus." And He always
has a purpose in everything He
does. And here is another one,
"That in the ages to come,
(eternity) he might show the
exceeding riches of his grace
in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus." Here it
comes, that classic verse.
Every Believer should know
this from memory. "For by
grace are you saved (unmerited
favor. We don't deserve it.
It's by)...grace you are saved
through faith and that not of
yourselves." Is there anything
added there? Un uh. There's
nothing in there of baptism.
There's nothing in there of
tongues. There's nothing in
there of good works. We are
saved by Faith plus Nothing!
Now I always have to qualify
that. That doesn't mean that
we can say, oh I'm saved and
then go on our way. That's not
what I'm teaching. We're saved
for the purpose of producing
fruit. And that is not 'easy
believism'. It's not easy to
get out there and produce
fruit. My you've heard me use
it over and over and I'll use
it again. If your paddling a
canoe up a river, upstream.
How much of the time can you
take the paddle out of the
water? Never! Never. Because
the moment you do, back down
the river you go. And it's a
constant exercise of energy
to keep moving on in the
Christian experience. So don't
ever let anyone accuse me of
an easy believism. All I say
is it is so simple because God
has done all that needs to be
done and all we have to do is
believe it. But, recognize
that God's going to move in
and make us a new creation, so
that we can bear fruit. Alright
let's read on in Ephesians. "For
by grace are ye saved (verse 8)
through faith, that not of
yourselves it is the gift of
God (and you don't work for a
gift) not of works (because if
it was works then) people
could boast." Then verse 10.
Here's where we follow our
Salvation, "For we are his
workmanship. (We are something
now that God is working to
form us and to prepare us for
our service. And we are)
created in Christ Jesus unto
good works. See? (Not for
Salvation I think that's
evident, but as a result of
it.) Which God hath before
ordained that we should
walk in them." Alright now,
I'm going to take verse 11,
12 and 13 because again
too many people don't know
these are in their Bible. And
look what it says, "Wherefore
remember, (he's writing to
Gentiles. He's writing to you
and I.)...remember that you
being in times past were
Gentiles in the flesh who are
called uncircumcision." Which
remember was a derogatory term
that the Jews used concerning
Gentiles. And usually they
made it a little more
derogatory by adding the
word 'dogs'. Gentile were
uncircumcised dogs in the
Jewish vernacular and so Paul
is alluding that same thing.
That that's what the
circumcision in the flesh
called Gentiles but now verse
12. "That at that time (while
God was dealing with Israel
back there in that Old
Testament economy and during
Christ's earthly ministry and
yes, even these Hebrews to
whom Paul is addressing the
letter)...that at that time
you (Gentiles) were without
Christ, aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel."
We weren't citizens of Israel.
We're not Jews. We were
uncircumcised Gentiles.
Alright and so we were "aliens
from the commonwealth of
Israel, we were strangers from
the covenants of promise.
(Consequently where were the
Gentiles before the Age of
Grace?) Without God, without
hope." See. But verse 13,
but - the flipside - we're
no longer in that time, we are
now in this Age of Grace, "But
now in Christ you who were at
one time far off (we Gentiles)
are now made nigh (not through
the Mosaic Law. Not through
Judaism. Not through legalism.
But through what?) by the
blood of Christ." Through the
blood of Christ. And remember
what Romans said concerning
the blood of Christ? Put you
Faith in it. Believe it. God
has said that the blood of
Christ has paid your sin debt.
Alright and uh I guess our time
is just about gone and uh
again, let's just drop back in
Hebrews for just a second so
we've got a good jumping off
place in our next program.
Alright so he says, verse 9
again, "Beloved we are
persuaded better things of you
and things that accompany
salvation through thus we
speak for God is not
unrighteous to forget your
work and labor of love which
you have showed toward his
name and that you have
ministered to the saints
[MUSIC] and do minister."
So these people Paul is
commending because they
were true Believers.
ANNOUNCER>> Thank you for
watching Through the Bible
with Les Feldick. Through the
Bible is a partner-supported
ministry. If this program has
been a help to your study of
the scriptures and you'd like
to see others enjoy the
teaching, your support
would be greatly appreciated.
Write to us at Les Feldick
Ministries, 30706 West
Lona Valley Road, Kinta,
Oklahoma, 74552.
Or call 1-800-369-7856.
Be sure to tune in next time
to Through the Bible
with Les Feldick.
