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The Book of Hebrews: Message Fifty
Nine
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
A farm boy was
walking down a country road one evening when he spied
an acquaintance sitting on a log beside the road.
"Why are you sitting there, Ned?" he
inquired. "Oh, I'm just waiting for Molly to
come along," he explained. "I'm going to
take her to prayer meeting." "Prayer
meeting?" he exclaimed. "Why, that meeting
isn't until tomorrow night." "I know,"
agreed Ned. "But when a fellow's in love, he
doesn't mind waiting a little." The Lord's in
love with us, and in the 10th
chapter of the book of Hebrews we see that He's
waiting. Waiting for what?
Your
salvation. The Bible says, "He is waiting, for
the good reason that He is not willing that any
should perish, and He is giving more time for sinners
to repent." He has given you quite a bit of
time, hasn't He? Though you have rejected Him, yet He
remains. Though you have wounded Him, still He waits.
More than anything in all the world, He wants you to
be saved. And there's salvation in no one else. Under
all heaven there's no other name for men to call upon
to save them. Everyone and everything else has
failed. One day I called on a friend who was just
getting over the flu. He pointed to a prescription
and said, "That's what cured me. That's what
brought me back to health. Look at those other
bottles. I tried them. I took a lot of medicine. It
was all useless and worthless. As a matter of fact, I
got worse. But that was a sure cure." In like
manner, the writer of the book of Hebrews says,
"It wasn't possible for the blood of bulls and
goats to take away sins. Those yearly sacrifices only
reminded them of their guilt, they didn't remove it.
Instead of erasing their sins, they emphasized
them." So the only effective sacrifice for sin
is the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why
He said in Hebrews 10:7, "I have come to lay
down My life, just as the Scriptures have said I
would." After He gave Himself as a sacrifice to
God for your sins, He sat down in the place of
highest honor at God's right hand, waiting for you to
accept Him and enter into the joy of His salvation.
Make this choice now. Don't take any foolish chances!
Not only is
the Lord waiting for your salvation, but also your
sanctification. But don't let that word frighten you.
When some hear the word "sanctification"
they think of a fanatic or a lunatic. But that's not
the case at all. The word "sanctification"
simply means "to be set apart from what is
unholy." Now there's a positional
sanctification. When you receive the Lord Jesus
Christ as your Savior, you're made righteous in
Christ and justified through the blood of Christ.
You're set apart to God. But there's a practical
side. The Lord is waiting for you to set apart
yourself to Him. This is seen in the words of Romans
12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice." This same truth is found in Romans
6:13, "Do not let any part of your bodies become
tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give
yourselves completely to God - every part of you - to
be used for His good purposes." On the night of
his graduation from medical college, as he thought on
the Savior and the sacrifice He made for his sin, Dr.
Howard A. Kelly, world-famed surgeon wrote in his
diary: "I dedicate myself, my time, my
capabilities, my ambition, everything to the Lord.
Blessed Lord, sanctify me to Thy uses. Give me no
worldly success which may not lead me nearer to my
Savior."
In addition to
waiting for your salvation and your sanctification,
the Lord is waiting for your service. You can't
separate service from sanctification. When you set
yourself apart to Him, you'll serve Him. Now when you
think of what He has done for you, is this too much
to ask? There was a striking young man who gave
himself to the Lord to serve as a missionary. He was
called to Africa, and he had gone through ordeals
that few people have known. One night a native burned
his home and church to the ground. Another night he
was beaten and left in the bushes for dead. One day a
lion came into his house and killed his cook. One
afternoon, as some young missionaries visited with
him, one asked, "How do you keep on going?"
The old man of God pointed to a rug that had two
holes in it. They had been worn by his knees.
"When I get discouraged," he said, "I
fall on my knees and talk to the Lord. The message
that comes back is, 'Keep on going!' When I hear
that, there isn't anything else I can do." How
about you?
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version.
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This series of messages on the
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Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
