Schwartz, J Eddie: Week Of Meetings 1986-02 ~ Warnings And Refuge

Once our blessed Christ of beauty was veiled off from human view, but through suffering, death, and sorrow, he has rent the veil in two. Oh, behold the man of sorrow. Oh, behold him in plain view. Lo, he is the mighty conqueror since he rent the vale in two. Lo, he is the mighty conqueror since he rent the veil in two. Yes, he is with God the Father, interceding there for you. For he is the mighty conqueror, sent he rent the vale in two. Oh, behold the man of sorrows. Oh, behold him in plain view. Lo, he is the mighty conquest, and he rends a veil in two. Lo, he is the mighty conquest. Thank you for that lovely music. Let's turn, please, to the book of Isaiah, chapter twenty eight. uh Isaiah chapter twenty eight. Oh, beautiful words indeed in that song. How wonderful that we who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior can know that we have acceptance in the presence of God. We are accepted in the beloved, and we have full confidence to draw near to the very throne of God. And it is for us a throne of mercy, not a throne of judgment, because the Lord Jesus Christ rent the veil in two, and we enter into the presence of God by a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. How wonderful to be safe and secure in the Lord Jesus. Isaiah chapter twenty eight and verse fifteen: Because ye have said, we have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. Now, these are searching words indeed, and they contain a warning. The Word of God clearly states that judgment that is deserved upon the guilty will be forthcoming, and the righteous Lord God is going to deal with all unrighteousness, and this judgment that is deserved and determined against all unrighteousness will come forth from God. Therefore, every man needs a refuge. We are reading in Isaiah chapter twenty eight about those who make lies a refuge. They attempt to make lies a refuge against the judgment of God. But God clearly states that their refuge will be swept away. He shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters of God's judgment shall overflow the hiding place. Turn over, please, to chapter thirty two. Isaiah chapter thirty two. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment, and a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. A man shall be the hiding place. And the word of God clearly states that it's not those lies which some have made a refuge that will keep them safe, but here is a man, God's man, who is the hiding place. This man is a place of protection. This man is a place of peace. This man is a place of provision. This man is a place of power. A man shall be a hiding place from the wind. A man shall be the refuge. And who is this man? Well, he is the one who will one day rule and reign in righteousness upon this earth, and there will be universal peace. We see that in verse seventeen of this chapter. And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. The work of righteousness shall be peace. Keep that in mind, because we'll get back to that a little later in the week, in thinking particularly about the cities of refuge. The work of righteousness shall be peace. Keep in mind, too, that Melchizedek was the king of Salem, which is peace, and after that the king of righteousness. The work of righteousness shall be peace. And I should say he was the king of righteousness, and after that the king of peace, because the work of righteousness shall be peace. And so this man who is the hiding place, this man who is the blessed refuge, is that man who in a coming day will rule and reign in righteousness upon this earth, and consequently there will be universal peace. It is when we come to this blessed man that we have the righteousness of God imputed to us, and thus we are at peace with God. And this man is our refuge. But who is this man? Back in Deuteronomy chapter thirty three and verse twenty seven, the eternal God is thy refuge. And this one of whom we read is none other than Almighty God. The one that we heard about, was it this morning, from Isaiah chapter nine? wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, or the Father of everlasting, the Prince of Peace. This is that blessed man who is the refuge. And when we think of this man, when we think of the eternal God being our refuge, more than a secure stronghold is depicted, because this portrayal here describes the soul as being encompassed with the sympathy of personal care. This portrays this soul being environed by an atmosphere of infinite love. And this portrayal describes the soul as being embraced in the arms of everlasting strength. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Now, I said later in the week we will be getting into the cities of refuge as we think about the high priestly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me just say for right now that when the children of Israel came into the land, the land was divided among the tribes. However, the tribe of Levi had no inheritance. Now, you just went through a number of chapters in the book of Numbers, and perhaps, uh, Brother Jabe, uh, emphasized some of these points. And in Numbers chapter eighteen, verses twenty and twenty one, you will see there where God says to Aaron, I will be your inheritance. And though the other tribes were given a portion of the land, the tribe of Levi had no inheritance in Israel. But their needs had to be met. They had to have daily sustenance. And so God made provision that the tribes would provide for the tribe of Levi forty eight cities. These forty eight cities were given to the tribe of Levi so that these cities and the suburbs of these cities, along with the tithe, would go for their upkeep, for their provision, for their sustenance. So they had these forty eight cities given to the tribe of Levi. Ten of these cities were on the east side of Jordan, and thirty eight on the west side of Jordan. Now, six of these cities that were given to the tribe of Levi, six of these cities became cities of refuge. Three of them were in the land proper, and three of them were on the east side of Jordan. And, uh, later we will consider further how that, uh, the three of these cities in the land were strategically located, one to the south, one to the north, and one in between. And the three cities on the east side of the Jordan River, in what would now be called the land of Jordan, those three cities situated pretty much the same way, one to the south, one to the north, and one in between. So these six cities of refuge were strategically situated so that those who would flee to these cities would be able to arrive at one of these cities without going such a great distance. And we will see, as we consider these cities of refuge, that first of all, they were appointed by God. These cities of refuge were appointed by God, and they were to provide shelter from the avenger of blood. When a Jew accidentally kills someone, maybe they would be out in the field working, and maybe one would be, uh, tilling the ground, and may- maybe the head of the implement would, uh, come off and it hit someone, and maybe that person would be killed. Well, the law provided for one of the relatives to take the life of this one who had killed that person. But that person could flee to one of the cities of refuge. And, uh, if he were proclaimed righteous, and I want you to keep that in mind, we'll get back to that later. If he were proclaimed righteous, then he had access to the cities of refuge, and he would go back to that city of refuge to which he fled, and there he would be safe until the death of the high priest. But these cities of refuge were appointed by God. They provided shelter from the avenger of blood, and they were placed on hills, uh, each one on an eminence or on a hill, so that it was easily seen as well as easily reached. The cl- roads were clearly marked. The way must be kept open. Easy access to each one of these places. And as I said, the one who fled to the city of refuge or any one of the cities of refuge was safe until the death of the high priest. These were provided by God, and it shows to us something of the grace of God in making provision for the people. And we've been hearing in song, and we are considering tonight that the Lord Jesus Christ is our refuge. The eternal God is thy refuge. And Isaiah says that a man shall be a refuge, and it's none other than God himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. So I want us to think tonight about this blessed refuge that we have in Christ. There are many other pictures in the Bible that illustrate Christ, that depict Christ as our refuge, as our shelter. I think of Exodus chapter twelve once again. I think of the Jewish families safe in their homes, sheltered by the blood of the lamb that was applied to the doorposts and the lintels. I think of Noah going into the ark, God calling him in, into the ark, and he being safe there. Many pictures in the Bible, but here we have the Lord Jesus Christ pointed out as the blessed refuge. Now, in thinking of this, I wonder, dear friend, what kind of refuge do you have? Isaiah speaks about those who made lies a refuge, and he spoke about that coming day when God's judgment will find them out, and their refuge will be swept away. What about your refuge, dear friend? What kind of refuge do you have? Can you say, by the grace of God, on the authority of the word of God, yes, I'm in Christ. Praise God, I have trusted Christ in that personal way as my Lord and Savior, and I am in Christ. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, a new creation. Old things are passed away. All that I was and had in Adam passed away. All things are become new. Can you say by the grace of God you're in Christ? And can you say that Christ is in you? Christ in you, the hope of glory. I trust you can. I trust you can. I realize, as many of you do, that there are so many in this world today who are making lies a refuge. They're making lies a refuge. There are those who are seeking to make themselves believe that they are as good as the next per- next person, and they hope their good works will outweigh their bad works, and one day they hope to make it into the presence of God. I remember talking to a man in Memphis, Tennessee some years ago. He was in the intensive care unit, and as I talked to him about his soul, I asked him if he believed in heaven, and he said, yes, I do. I asked him if he believed in hell. He said, yes, I do. If I'm going to believe in one, I guess I have to believe in the other, don't I? I said, yes. He said, yes, I believe there's a hell. I said, well, are you going to heaven? Oh, he said, I certainly hope so. I said, well, you believe that there's a heaven and you want to go there, you hope you make it there. Let me ask, what are you doing to get to heaven? Oh, he said, well, uh, I have done a number of things, and I am continuing to do a number of things. I said, well, tell me something about them. And so he began listing. He says, well, I've always, uh, tried to be a good citizen in my country here, a, a good citizen in my neighborhood. I have, uh, tried to be a good husband to my wife, a good father to my children, and, uh, I belong to this lodge, and I belong to that organization, and I'm a member of this, and on he went. I said, well, that's interesting. I said, well, friend, I hope you make it to heaven too. Have you ever thought about what you will do when you get to heaven? And he smiled, and he said, well, no, not really. He said, but, uh, you know, we always think of angels and music, and he said, uh, maybe I'll play a harp or something there. Oh, I said, it's interesting that you should say that. And I was leading him into that. I said, but it's interesting that you would say that because we know there's going to be music in heaven. I said, in fact, the Bible tells us about all who will be there singing. I said, do you have any idea what they will be singing? No, he said, I don't. I said, well, let me, let me read it to you. And so I turned into Revelation chapter five. I said, now all who will get there will be singing about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and the fact that he died for us and he shed his precious blood to loose us from our sins and to give us a perfect standing in the sight of God and to make us unto God kings and priests. And I said, dear friend, if you get to heaven, it's going to be on the basis of the finished work of Christ and your identification with him in that personal way as your Lord and Savior. But now, as we think about the Lord Jesus Christ being the refuge, what kind of refuge do you have, dear friend? Are you resting on church membership, your goodness, your good deeds, your good merits? I want to ask four simple, yet common sense questions to test whatever refuge we claim to have. Would you turn, please, to Hebrews chapter ten once again? Hebrews chapter ten. Hebrews chapter ten. for the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things, can never, with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers, once purged, that is once for all, remember, once for all purged, should have had no more conscience of sins. Now here is question number one, as we test the refuge that we are resting in. Will your refuge satisfy the conscience? Does it satisfy the conscience? And whatever refuge you have should meet the highest demands of the conscience. Someone has said that in the Old Testament, there never was a satisfied conscience. When the Jews offered their sacrifices, they realized that this sacrifice that they were offering was not sufficient for time and eternity. God made provision for the Jews in every way, and for the Gentiles as well. For the Jew to be forgiven, he had to offer a sacrifice, and you read about these different offerings in Leviticus chapters one through seven. There were three that were not compulsory, but two were compulsory, the sin offering and the trespass. The trespass offering was for what the Jew had done. The sin offering was for what the Jew was. And these, of course, like all the others, picture Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins. He's our trespass offering. But he died for us, and he died as us, and he's the sin offering. But the Jews were made to realize that no one sacrifice or any combination of sacrifices were sufficient for time and eternity, because they continued to offer sacrifices. And even so far as the sins that the people were not aware of, God made provision for that, because without shedding of blood is no forgiveness. And if the Jews were not aware of a sin being committed, they were still guilty in the sight of God. But God made provision. So on that great day of atonement that we read of in Leviticus chapter sixteen, on that great day of Yom Kippur, the day of covering, a sacrifice was offered for the entire nation of Israel for sin yet unatoned for. That was good for a year. And then the next year, another offering. You see, year by year, continually, they continued to offer sacrifices because the comers thereunto were not perfect. If they were made perfect by any one sacrifice or combination of sacrifices, then the sacrifices would have ceased, and they would have had no more conscience of sins. Now, the writer is not speaking about the consciousness of sins within the light. He's not speaking about that. He is emphasizing the fact that we know that the debt is paid. I sometimes use the illustration, it's a familiar one. A person may borrow money. Maybe they'll get it on a ninety-day basis, and when the due date comes, they can't pay. Is it possible to pay the interest and renew it? All right, so the interest is paid, and the, the debt is renewed. Due date comes, they can't pay. Interest is paid, it's renewed. That's what we have all through the Old Testament scriptures, because no sacrifice could take away sin, only cover them. But this man, after he offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down at the right hand of God. This blessed man took away the sin of the world. This man died once for all. And the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal God who is our refuge, satisfies the conscience. We know the debt is paid. No blood, no altar now. The sacrifice is o'er. No smoke, no flame ascends on high. The lamb is slain no more. Not all the blood of beast on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away its stain, but Christ, the heavenly lamb, took all our sin away. A sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they. Hallelujah, this blessed refuge satisfies the conscience. We know the sin debt is paid. The sin debt is paid. Will it satisfy the conscience? Secondly, will it suffice for life's battles? Turn back to Romans, please, chapter six. Will it satisfy the conscience? Will it suffice for life's battles? What is your refuge? Who is your refuge? Will your refuge suffice for life's battles? Romans chapter six verse fourteen. Paul said, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then, shall we sin because we're not under the law, but under grace? God forbid, or perish the thought. Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you, being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. And we are not to let sin have dominion over us. My dear friend, if your refuge does not save you from the power of sin, it certainly will not save you from the penalty of sin. But you see, when we come to the Lord Jesus Christ and make that personal identification with him, we are safe and secure forever. But even in this life, we have his abiding presence, do we not? We have his abiding presence. We have his keeping power. We have his sustaining grace. Life is hard, isn't it? And we face many obstacles, many difficulties. Does your morality give you victory over sin? Does your church membership deliver you from the power of sin within? Does religious form save you from sinning? Of course not! But the eternal God does. And it is God who works in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. You see, when we receive Christ, we become the temple of God. We think of that temple in the Old Testament days, and we think of the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant upon their shoulders, and they bring it through the outer court. They bring it on into that first room and on into the most holy place, into the very presence of God, and there it is placed. And when they took it into the temple, remember, they pulled out the staves because it was not to go any further. This was the permanent place. First Kings chapter eight, they pulled out the staves. And we are told that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith. We become the temple of God. We are tripartite beings consisting of body, soul, and spirit, and the body is the public place, isn't it? That's where the sacrifices were offered. Is it any wonder Paul said, I beseech you that you present your bodies a living sacrifice? But then there is the soul and spirit part of us. Hard for us to distinguish between the two sometimes, but the Word of God does. The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to even the dividing asunder of body, soul, and spirit, or joints, and the marrow, which is the body, but all three are there. Paul said in First uh, Thessalonians chapter five, is it verse twenty three? I pray that your body, soul, and spirit be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But it is God himself, our blessed Lord, who dwells within, that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith. And we have the presence of God and his power to face life's battles. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Will your refuge satisfy? Does it satisfy the conscience? Will it suffice for life's battles? All right, let's go further. Will it support me in my dying hour? Turn back to Acts chapter seven, please. Acts chapter seven. Will it support me in my dying hour? You remember Stephen was stoned? Verse fifty eight of Acts chapter seven. And they cast him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul, and they stoned Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. My dear friend, there is coming that time when you're going to take your last breath and you're going to leave this life. What refuge will you have at that time? Oh, how wonderful to be saved. How wonderful to know to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I have a sister in Richmond, Virginia who's dying. Her name is Frances Moses. I went last Friday, a week ago, to say goodbye to her. She, and excuse the personal note, she smoked for a number of years. People warned her not to. She went to the hos- she went to the doctor's office with my mother, just to take her, my mother, for a physical, for a checkup. Mother said to her, why don't you get one while you're here? No, no, I'm fine. No, come on, have a checkup. So she talked her into it, took some X-rays. The doctor said, I don't like what I'm seeing. Cancer in the lung. It went to the brain, and now in the liver. And her time is very short, very short. She received the Lord about the same time I did, thirty one years ago. And I went to see her last Friday, a week ago, to say goodbye. I knew that would be the last time I would see her down here. So I could see that she was swollen, jaundiced, racked with pain, taking heavy doses of morphine. She said, I know the Lord Jesus, and I'm going to heaven. I said, well, Francis, let me give you a few verses, and maybe I shared some of these verses here last year. But I referred her to Hebrews chapter four verse fifteen where we read about the place to which we go, the throne of grace, and the person to whom we go, our great high priest, and the purpose for which we go, to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And I was thinking of this as we were singing a while ago. O rock divine, o refuge dear, a shelter in the time of storm, be thou our helper ever near. Be thou our helper ever near. I said to her, Francis, the word of God says we are to draw near, and as we see in these other verses, with full confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, not a throne of judgment, to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And I took her to Hebrews chapter thirteen verses five and six. Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, what? The Lord is my helper. And I told her about that servant of Abraham. He's named in Genesis chapter fifteen as Eliezer. And we see later, is it in chapter twenty four where he sends... he sends his, uh, elder servant, and we presume that to be Eliezer, to get a bride for Isaac. You know the story. How that that servant went and talked to that woman, and she came with him, and all along the way, no doubt, she, he was telling her of her bridegroom. Even as the Holy Spirit of God ministers to us Christ. This one whom having not seen, we love. Our Lord Jesus Christ. I said, now, Francis, possibly this was Eliezer, and his name means the help of God, the help of God. And I think he says to us that God is our helper in life. He's our helper in life. As we go through this life, as the Holy Spirit of God ministers Christ to us in every situation, looking off onto Jesus. He's our helper in life. But then I took her to that portion of scripture, Luke chapter sixteen, about the beggar dying. The rich man died, but the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. I said, Francis, do you remember what his name was? And she was trying to give it to me. I said, his name was Lazarus. Yes. I said, Francis, Lazarus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Eliezer. That is, his name means the help of God. And he would convey to us that God is our helper in death. He's our helper in life, and he's our helper in death. But there was another Lazarus of whom we read, John chapter eleven. You know what the Lord did for him, raised him from the dead, and he conveys to us that the Lord is our helper in resurrection. We couldn't ask for any more than that, could we? He's our helper in life. He's our helper in death. He's our helper in resurrection. Oh, dear friend, what is your refuge? Who is your refuge? Will your refuge support you in your dying hour? David says in Psalm twenty three, Thou art with me. That's interesting, isn't it? He starts off in the third person, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Oh, but as he gets on into the valley of the shadow of death, he says, for thou art with me. Now he's talking to the shepherd. Thou art with me. The Lord Jesus said that where I am, there ye may be also. And some of the last words I heard my sister say, I'm sure, because I have no plans to go back that way, and I might get word before this week is over that she's with the Lord. But she said, I know the Lord, and I'm going to heaven. What about you, dear friend? Can you speak with assurance like that? Will your refuge support you in your dying hour? And then lastly, will your refuge safeguard you against God's wrath? When we get to Revelation chapter four, I firmly believe, as I know many of you do here, that by that time, we believers in Christ will be raptured. We'll be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with hope. And on into chapter four we read about lightning and thundering heard in the distance, and we will be gathered to the Lord, sitting upon his throne, there will be a rainstorm. Storm is over, but there will be lightning and thundering indicating there's a storm going on somewhere else. Where will that be? It will be down here. During that seven years of tribulation, particularly in the latter half of it, we'll be there, gathered to Christ in a rainbow around the throne. No judgment for us, no storm for us, it's all bad. We'll not experience that. And then the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come at the end of the tribulation period as that stone out of heaven that we read in Daniel chapter two, to judge the nations of this world and to break them in pieces and to grind them in powder, and we will not experience that judgment. We'll not experience that judgment. We'll come with him as the bride, he the bridegroom, and we'll come to rule and reign with him for the thousand years upon this earth. And then we read about the great white throne judgment, that place and at that time when all the unsaved will stand before God, and the books will be open, and they will be judged, everyone out of those books. And in the final analysis, God will cast all unsaved from his presence because their names are not written in the Lamb's book of life. But thanks be unto God, those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ can say, my name is written in the Lamb's book of life. It's written in the book of God. There is no judgment for us. We're saved from the wrath to come. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come. What kind of refuge do you have, dear friend? Will it meet these tests that we have talked about tonight? I'm sure that some of you have heard about and read about that poem by Major Andre. I thought I had it with me. Evidently, I do not. But it is about being saved from the wrath of God, secure in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, dear friend, are you safe in Christ? A man shall be a refuge. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. We're going to have a closing song. Ask our brother Ernie Woodhouse to come and to give us that song. And as we sing, dear friends, if you have not received the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, would you receive him right now? Call upon him to save you tonight. Flee to Christ, who will be your eternal. It's an old, old hymn, number five one four, five hundred and fourteen. Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly. While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high, hide me, oh my savior, hide, till the storm of life is past. We're going to remain in our seats and sing about, uh, sing it and think about it as we sing these words. Jesus, thou is on my soul, set me to my goal of life. Why While the must he tears are gone, while the tempests still lie. Fight me, oh my great God. Kill Kill the the soul of my sin. Praise into my days and night, oh, receive my soul At at hand. last. Of the grace is where I am, and I am best known on thee. Lean on me be not a stone, till the Lord has come for me. Oh my God, on me be slain. Oh Oh my my earth, help, come on me in unto me.